Yet, another "first" for me. Making your own veggie burgers are simple, but, why haven't I made these sooner? Mostly, because it's easier to pluck them from the store's freezer. They are a great alternative to regular meat burgers packed with healthy ingredients. If you have a food processor that's sitting in the deep dark shadows of your pantry, I challenge you to drag it out and whip these up.
Spicy Black Bean Burgers
1/4 yellow onion, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1/2 cup quick cooking oatmeal
1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp egg beaters
1 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/8 tsp chili powder
1/4 cup panko or seasoned breadcrumbs
Place ALL the ingredients into the food processor and begin to pulse, scraping sides when needed. You still want a bit of texture so don't pulse into a puree.
Form into patties and place each on waxed paper. Put in the freezer for about 30 minutes, then remove and cook. Spray a skillet with pan spray and grill on each side for about 5-6 minutes. Make a better burger out of these.
Recommendation: Since this was my first time creating these, I have some hints for next time. I like more crunch so will be adding sunflower seeds, more spice and reserve about 2 Tbsp of the black beans to give them a chunkier texture. Just a thought!
The jury is still out...I'm undecided on what to prepare for Valentine's day. I pondered over meals from the past celebrations to get a few ideas. Last year I prepared veal cutlets, orzo and asparagus, really nothing special. But, the over the top creation was my "Kiss of Provence" cocktail with lavender and lemon flavors!
Two years ago, I prepared fillet mignon topped with prawns and a butterscotch mini bundt cake for dessert. This year I'm at a loss for inspiration, believe it or not. I'm leaning towards a seafood homemade pasta dish with a simple dessert. I know, some of you are thinking, "Wait a minute. Aren't you supposed to go out to dinner on Valentine's Day?" Well, we've done that in the past and usually it's not a pleasant experience. The service is never attentive because most good restaurants overbook on this day. Chances of your food being cold are great. And, last but not least, the ambiance is usually not as romantic as you can create at home.
With that said, why not create some tasty finger food items and feed them to each other. Maybe these marzipan tartlettes could be included. Marzipan is pretty much a thick almond paste.
Marzipan Tartlettes
1 ready made pie crust, or you can make your own
8 oz of marzipan paste
1 egg, beaten
I used my round ravioli cutter to get the shape. Roll out the dough. Starting at one end, place a teaspoon of the marzipan on the dough and fold the end over so it's covered. Use the ravioli cutter to cut and seal at the same time. Move on to the next. Make as many as you can from the dough. Bundle the leftover dough back into a ball and roll out to make more. I did this a few times to use up the dough and marzipan. Place each tartlette onto a parchment covered sheet pan. Brush with egg and bake. 350 degrees until nicely browned. Cool completely. These are better the next day. Just pop them into your lover's mouth! Happy Valentine's Day whatever you decide to do or make!
I continue with my love affair of vegetables. I was a fortunate child who had a family full of gardeners, so for me it's easy to love veggies, even though corn was probably my favorite as a child. Now, it seems corn doesn't have the flavor it used to, but that's a whole other story.
I keep staring out my window at my snow covered raised garden beds imagining what I'll fill them with this late Spring. First to go in will be the spinach and lettuce, maybe even broccoli. I can't wait! Around these parts we have an old Indian saying about planting and it's usually incredibly accurate. "Don't plant if there is still snow on top of Peavine mountain", which is a small mountain shadowing Reno's city limits. The snow melts usually mid to late May on that mountain, and many a gardener is already chomping at the bit. If you don't heed the Indian's wise words, you will probably be covering your plants with blankets, sheets or plastic (whatever works) when the snow flies.
I planted the small Asian eggplants last Summer, but they were over-watered, and didn't get enough sun. I also planted them too close to the tomatoes, I guess. I'll get this right one of these years!
I used the larger eggplants for this recipe. I sliced it in half, drizzled it with oil, placed in a baking pan, covered it and roasted on 400 degrees for around 35-40 minutes, to soften. Then the recipe begins!
Ingredients:
1 large eggplant, roasted and pulp scooped out.
1/4 cup panko crumbs and 1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp fresh chopped parsley
1 Tbsp basil, fresh chopped
1 Tbsp egg white
Put these items in a food processor and blend. Refrigerate the mixture for at least an hour. Using a spoon and with wet hands, scoop the mixture and roll into a ball. I make them and place them on a parchment paper covered surface. Roll the balls in additional breadcrumb or panko crumbs. In a large skillet with 2 Tbsp of oil begin to fry them turning so most sides are nicely browned.
If you like eggplant, you'll love these...just another way to cook eggplant without immersing them in so much oil! Voila!
I am so inspired by other cooks whether at their restaurant or on a TV show. If I happen to have a great meal, I'll take mental notes on what ingredients I'm tasting and inevitably return home to duplicate it. If that doesn't work, I'll keep tweaking the recipe until "perfection". It's just a little game I play.
One of those experiments was a basil ranch salad dressing that was on an Italian Cobb salad from our favorite Italian Cafe. The attempt produced a creamy richness with a hint of lemon that went beautifully with the basil flavor. I'll be making this again. And I tweak my own recipes, so, I may use Greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise to lighten it up. I'll let you know how it turns out!
Basil Ranch Salad Dressing
1/2 cup sour cream, I used fat free
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup milk
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp garlic powder
3 Tbsp chopped basil
Place all the ingredients into a food processor and pulse until smooth. You may have to scrape the sides at first since it will be a very creamy and thick consistency. Delicious and much better than the store bought kind, in my opinion.
NOTE: Make the dressing and refrigerate for at least an hour so the flavors intensify.
NOTE to self: A clear salad bowl is not a good choice for food photography.
If I had to choose my favorite vegetable, it would probably be artichokes. But, sometimes the tedious routine of peeling one leaf after the next until you reach the heart can turn most people off. It's like waiting in line for a Disneyland ride. By the time you reach the front of the line your enthusiasm has waned a bit. Don't even mention how long it takes to cook these prickly globes, unless you have a pressure cooker. I don't.
Fortunately old Trader Joe has packages of frozen artichoke hearts that get an A+ in my book. These can be thrown into soups, stews, salads and, of course, this chicken dish. Add a few other ingredients and you have a very flavorful sophisticated meal!
NOTE: I used skinless, boneless chicken thighs and cut them in the middle, where there is an indent from the de-boning process. This allows for a more even cooking and a nicer presentation, too.
Chicken with Artichokes
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (now 8 pieces)
1 Tbsp vegetable or olive oil
3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp paprika (optional)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp lemon zest
Heat a large 12 inch skillet on medium heat. Put the flour, salt, paprika, garlic and lemon zest in a pie plate and blend well. Dredge the chicken thighs on both sides in this dry mix. Brown on both sides in the skillet. Remove the chicken and set aside.
Remaining ingredients:
12 oz bag of frozen artichoke hearts
1/2 shallot, thinly sliced
1/4 cup white wine
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 Tbsp capers
Put the artichokes and shallots into the pan and heat on medium until just defrosted. Add the wine, lemon juice and chicken broth, bring it to a boil and stir. Add the chicken back in. Reduce the heat to simmer (low), cover and cook for about 10 minutes. When done remove all to a serving plate and sprinkle on the capers. Yum! Serves 4.
