black bean & quinoa burgers

I try to mix it up, and aim to prepare one vegetarian meal per week.  most weeks, its easier to just use meat when I fail to plan ahead.  the grill has been getting w.e.r.k.e.d since the weather's been so nice, and these feel grilled without having to use up any more propane.  these were surprisingly easy, really quick, are high in keep-ya-full protein, and came together just like normal burgers would have.  I have a feeling they'll be added to the rotation 'round here.

black bean & quinoa burgers
adapted from here and here
prep time: 20 minutes | cook time: 12 minutes | yields: 4 decent-sized burgers
ingredients
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup quinoa, rinsed
1/2 cup Trader Joe's broccoli slaw (could use grated carrot, broccoli, cauliflower, or even coleslaw)
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs (here's how I made my own!)
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup white onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon chili powder blend (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoons pepper
1 large egg
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 whole wheat english muffins, bread slices, or burger buns


directions
prepare quinoa according to package instructions.  if the package gives a range of minutes, use the shorter time period, as the quinoa will cook a bit more once its part of the burger.

pulse broccoli slaw in food processor into 1/8-1/4 inch bits.

in a medium bowl, give the beans a rough mash with a fork, leaving some beans whole. mix in quinoa, broccoli slaw, bread crumbs, cilantro, onion, garlic, cumin, salt, pepper, and egg. mix with your hands, and score a + sign across the top.  separate the mixture along the lines you've 'drawn', and pack into 4 similarly-sized patties.

heat oil in a large pan over medium high heat.  once oil is hot, gently drop in patties, cooking for approximately 5 minutes per side. just before flipping, spray/brush/drizzle a little oil on the uncooked side to protect it from sticking to the pan and to help it crisp up the 'meat'.

serve on toasted english muffin, topped with your favorite burger ingredients.  store in refrigerator, wrapped in foil.  these reheat just fine, but do dry out a little bit.  I recommend frying up an egg to top your leftover burger to give it a little extra moisture.

note to self (08.28.2012): don't try to up the moisture levels by adding liquid to the dried breadcrumbs and letting 'em soak...the burgers'll fall apart and you'll have to put 'em over a giant salad and top them with ranch dressing and Kinder's barbeque sauce and a fried egg, which isn't so bad, but still.

strawberry lemonade bars

it seems that every summer, I get on a super lemon kick.  all lemon, all the time.  thanks to a recent Costco visit, our freezer subsists solely of frozen strawberries, so I've been looking for uses.  on an unseasonably cold and rainy day a while back, I itched for some sunshine in edible form, and these guys were born.


strawberry lemonade bars
for the oatmeal-pretzel crust
adapted from here
prep time: 5 minutes | cook time: 10-12 minutes | cooling time: 20 minutes
ingredients
1 cup finely crushed pretzels
1 cup slightly crushed quick-cooking oats
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup butter, melted


for the bars
adapted from here
prep time: 15 minutes | cook time: XX minutes | yields: 9 2x2-inch bars
ingredients
4 large eggs
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup liquid honey
2 tablespoons lemon zest
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup strawberry juice and pulp (from about 2 1/2 cups frozen berries, thawed)




directions
preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  pulse preztels in a food processor until they resemble graham cracker crumbs.  dump into a small bowl and set aside.  separately, pulse oatmeal slightly, just to break up some of the big bits - don't grind it up too much: chunks now = sugary buttery crunchy chunks later.  add melted butter and sugar, stir to combine.  spread in 8x8-inch pan that has been coated with cooking spray or lined with parchment paper, working crust up the sides of the pan.  bake at 350 degrees F for 10-12 minutes.  let cool slightly while you prepare the filling.




((note: this is a ton of butter, right?  I think you could probably get away with about 1/2-2/3 of the amount, but I'll report what I did this time around.  next time though, I'll use way less so I'll feel way less guilty housing a whole pan...alone.))


while your crust cools slightly, puree thawed berries in a blender, food processor or with an immersion blender.  measure and set aside approximately 1 cup puree/juice.


in a large bowl, whisk together eggs and flour until no lumps remain.  add honey (warm the honey just slightly if it’s solid), lemon zest and freshly-squeezed juice.  whisk together until smooth.  finally, add in the strawberry puree and whisk together again.


pour the mixture over the slightly-cooled crust and place in 350 degree F oven.  bake 28-30 minutes until the filling is set (the very center may still wiggle a little, but will set completely as it cools).


remove from the oven and cool completely before cutting into squares (or eating directly from the pan).  store remaining bars (yeah, right) in the refrigerator, in the pan covered in plastic wrap.


optional
dust with powdered sugar just prior to serving

banana oatmeal muffins with roasted cherries

I had some bananas that needed using.  isn't that always why we make banana bread/muffins/anythings?!  like, I've never walked into a store with 'old brown bananas' on my shopping list.  anyways, I also had a handful of cherries lying around, so I worked those bad boys in, too.  on to the good stuff...these came out really moist and are reasonably healthy since they're oil-free.


banana oatmeal muffins with roasted cherries
adapted from here and here
prep time: 20 minutes |  cook time: 18-20 minutes  |  yields: 18 muffins
ingredients

1 cup cherries
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 large egg whites
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup mashed bananas


directions
preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.  halve/pit the cherries and place them cut-side-up in a foil-lined pan.  sprinkle with about 1 tablespoon of sugar and roast for about 10 minutes, or until they begin to release their juices.  


drop the heat down to 400 degrees F and allow the roasted cherries to cool slightly while preparing remaining ingredients.


combine flour, oats, sugars, baking powder, soda, salt, and cinnamon.


in a separate small bowl, mash bananas and roasted cherries.  (alternative: if you'd rather have chunks of cherries throughout the muffins, chop them roughly and toss 'em into the dry ingredient mixture listed above.  then, proceed as directed below.  a coat of dry ingredients will help prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the tins when baking.)  


in a large bowl, beat egg whites lightly. stir in the milk, applesauce, and vanilla. add the mashed banana, and combine thoroughly. stir the flour mixture into the banana/cherry mixture until just combined.  


line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or spray a silicon muffin tin with non-stick spray.  fill tins approximately 3/4 full and bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 18 to 20 minutes.  turn out onto wire rack for cooling.


optional
before baking, top with toasted chopped nuts and sprinkle lightly with sugar.  pick up tin and drop onto flat surface to help nuts/sugar really stick to the batter.

(r) roasted cherry chunk (l) topped with dry roasted pecans