Lentil Walnut Burgers

For the entire duration of this blog's existence, I have b'd and m'd (keeping it PG) about Ron's lack of variety when it comes to his daily diet. I've complained about his inability to try new things and his reluctance to venture into the world of fruits and vegetables. I've described how I puree certain foods to sneak them in a dish... But, somewhere along the line, I failed to mention the benefits of Ron's picky eating. For instance, I can leave bananas lying around knowing that they will stay there. I can go into the fridge for that last batch of strawberries and expect to see them ready to be eaten. Even better, I can drive home knowing that the trail mix (Ron hates raisins) granola bar that I have been craving for the past 5 hours is still in the cabinet. I'm always reminded of how lucky I am when I visit my parent's house in Pennsylvania. Everyone has that thing that they inevitably do without realizing they do it; I am notorious for calling in the last 5 minutes of a show/movie or during dinner. My dad is kind of like the craving killer. If it's there - and you are craving it - dad will find it. And he will surely finish it at the same time you are thinking "Man, I really want (insert craving of choice) right now." There have been times when I have purposely called on the car ride home to request that (insert craving of choice) is not eaten. This phone call always ends the same way "Oh no, it was just eaten..." My poor mom has been dealing with this for over 30 years! Can you imagine how many of her cravings have been killed because dad got to the last bite before she did?

Anyway, I've been fortunate. Very fortunate on this aspect. Except when it comes to my vegetarian burgers. Obviously, Ron will never be converted to a vegetarian but he actually likes my vegetarian food. So much, in fact, that he eats all of the leftovers! Gone are the days where 6 patties will last 3 days of meals. Nope! I only got 2 meals worth out of this recipe. But it's totally okay because they were delicious and I am already whipping up another batch as I type this post!

This recipe is fairly unique in that it uses lentils, as opposed to beans, for the protein. I'm always up for trying different types of legumes so I was happy to mash these into a burger patty. The ingredients tasted so well together and the end result is so healthy that I was happily impressed by the taste! The "batter" is amazing and I had a hard time keeping my spoon out of the food processor. Who needs "real" burgers when you can have these? The recipe is very filling and pretty easy to whip up. My only complaint was the fact that the burgers really don't photograph well. If you make them, don't be thrown off by the look of the patties. I spoiled myself and ate one of my burgers on an Eltana wood-fired everything bagel with some eggplant pomegranate spread. (It. Was. To. Die. For.) But since you don't have an Eltana near you, try your patty on a regular bun or bagel thin and make sure to incorporate some spread onto it; any kind of hummus or baba ganoush will take this burger over the top. I'll be trying this hummus the next time I eat one.

Lentil Walnut Burgers
from Oh She Glows who adapted from Martha's Great Food Fast cookbook
Ingredients

• 3/4 cup lentils, picked over and rinsed
• Tip: purchase these in the bulk section of your grocery store to save money.
• 3/4 cup walnuts, toasted
• 1/3 cup breadcrumbs (or one piece of bread, toasted)
• 1-2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• freshly ground pepper
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 egg

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Place the lentils in a small saucepan, cover with 1-inch of water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until lentils are tender but still hold their shape, 15-20 minutes. Drain well and let cool.
3. Meanwhile, spread the walnuts on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 10 minutes, or until fragrant and slightly darkened. Let cool.
4. In a food processor, combine toasted walnuts, breadcrumbs (or bread), garlic, cumin, coriander, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Process until finely ground. Add the lentils and 1 Tbsp of oil and pulse until coarsely chopped (some whole lentils should remain).
5. In a large bowl, whisk the egg. Add the lentil-walnut mixture, mix well. Divide mixture into patties.
6. Lay patties on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake for 20-22 minutes on each side for a total of 40-45 minutes of baking time. (Alternatively, you could pan fry these: add 3 Tbsp oil to a large nonstick skillet. Cook burgers over medium-low heat until crisp and browned, turning gently with a thin-edged spatula, 8-10 minutes per side.)

Black Bean Burgers

So, we've been in Seattle for 19 days now. (Well, 17 days actually. We took a weekend to head up to Whistler, British Columbia.) So far, the time is going. . . okay. I can't be ecstatic about the "adventure" so far because I'm still muddling around  feeling completely and utterly displaced. It's almost like I keep wondering when we are going to return to Minnesota and be done with this vacation. For some reason, I had this false sense of security when we planned the move; almost like I was going to settle in instantly as soon as we arrived. I'm certainly not a nomad by any means, but I have lived in so many different places and apartments/houses (16 different houses, 4 different states, 7 different cities or towns) in my 28 years of life that I just assumed that I would saunter right in to warmth. But this is false.

I vaguely remembered - and my mom reminded me of - how I felt when we moved in Minnesota. During first semester, I used to park outside William Mitchell, on Summit Avenue, and just cry in my car! I had no idea if I'd made a smart decision and I barely ever saw Ron. Law school was hard and confusing. We'd both left our childhoods behind with our family and friends for this journey and school scared the pants off of me. I remember driving away from Pittsburgh with the city skyline in my rearview mirror. I had no idea what was in store and on those nights when I would leave Mitchell feeling so defeated, I was certain that I had made the worst decision ever.

But, it turned out I didn't. I grew to love Minnesota. I grew to love Mitchell. I fell into a role in the admissions office with coworkers who I absolutely love. My passion for recreation soared and biking, not running, became my favorite thing to do. I could hope on my bike and explore the area for miles and never have to share the road with a car! I taught myself how to cook, and bake, and frequented farmer's markets for the best ingredients. Our desire to eat better turned us into mini-foodies and we spent a lot of time enjoying some of the best dining in the city. And I can't discard the opportunities that Minnesota presented to us. I was an underdog entering Mitchell, but I did well. I surprised myself. And I grew confident. And law school did to me what I had been desperately craving in my life. And Ron? Let's just say that Ron is turning into the next Bill Gates.

So, I need to keep these things in mind as I sit around miserable and mopey. Sure, it's a bit cloudy and cold out right now and I miss Minnesota sun. But I need to remember that the only place as humid as Minnesota is right now is the Amazon rain forest and I'd be complaining my butt off if I was there. Sure, the hills are pretty effing ginormous around here. But my backside doesn't mind; no squats or lunges could equal the workout I've been getting! And sure, I still have no idea what's going on with school or my graduation, but at least I know it's going to happen. Three years ago, when I was sitting in my car crying on Summit Avenue, I was convinced I was going to fail.

Change is good. It's good for progress and growth. But I am glad to have some consistencies to keep me sane. And one of those consistencies is my love for food. We've been doing a ton of shopping at farmer's markets, but I finally found my go-to grocery store. For the first few days, I spent a lot of time just walking around the aisles. I think it's because I felt a sense of comfort to be back in an area I'm familiar. The other day, I was picking up ingredients for these amazing black bean burgers and I kept entering the same aisle as a worker who was taking inventory. He asked, multiple times, if I needed help finding anything. At first I said no thank you. But after the 6th aisle and 6th question, I kindly replied, "I'm just trying to get inspired so I tend to stare at the products. I enjoy spending time in grocery stores. You'll probably see me in here a lot." He smiled and replied, "We like customers like you. Welcome to our kitchen." It made me happy.

I've posted a recipe for black bean burgers on my blog before. But these ones are 100 times better. Ron went out with a buddy the other night and ate dinner out. So, I had free reign to go balls out with vegetables and whatever else I wanted to do! (Ron never restricts me in my eating, but he does tend to make funny faces when I present him with a solely vegetarian or vegan dish.) I settled on these healthy and flavorful black bean burgers because I wanted a quick and lite dinner. These burgers are so good and so easy to mix up. I didn't pan-fry them like the original recipe suggested, but I did bake them in the oven for 20 minutes. I also used an egg instead of the vegan substitute (1 T ground flax + 3 T water) but would easily try out the flax if it was in the pantry. I mixed up a quick broccoli salad to go along the side but any vegetable or starch accompaniment would do. Enjoy!

Black Bean Burgers
from Eat, Live, Run
Yield: 8 burgers
Ingredients

• 2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 egg
• 1 jalapeno
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 Tbsp tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 1/4 tsp salt (or less)
• 1/2 cup corn (fresh or frozen and defrosted)
• avocado, ketchup, mustard, etc. for topping

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees if deciding to use oven for burgers. See alternative directions in #5.
2. Seed and roughly chop jalapeno. Add it and the garlic cloves to a food processor and mince finely.
3. Add one can of beans to the jalapeno/garlic mixture and pulse to combine. Add cumin and salt and pulse until mixture resembles chunky black bean dip.
4. Transfer the mixture in the food processor to a large bowl and stir in the bread crumbs, tomato sauce, egg and corn. Stir well until everything is combined. Add remaining black beans.
5. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. Form black bean mixture into patties and place on baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, carefully turning once. (Alternatively, you can add olive oil to a skillet and fry burgers over medium high heat for about 4 minutes per side.)
6. Serve burgers with desired toppings of choice. Enjoy!

Sloppy Joes

I don't know what happened to my blog, but a lot of my most recent posts have not posted or are missing. The host was having some issues as of late and they claimed that they fixed the issues. But I still see a lot of error on my blog and in my storage. It's kind of scary (and super annoying) to think that all of these recipes could disappear!!

So, it's a quick post today because I need to find out how to get my other posts back or to at least figure out how to cut the time I spent writing them in half! I made these sloppy joes a few weeks ago when Ron mentioned a craving. Everyone loves a good ol' sloppy joe. I wasn't always such a fan, but Ron's obsessed and I'm slowly coming around. It's a very quick preparation and dinner can be ready in no time! Enjoy!
Sloppy Joes
Allrecipes.com
Ingredients

• 1 lb lean ground beef, preferably grass-fed
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp prepared yellow mustard
• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 3 tsp brown sugar
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. In a medium skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef, onion, and green pepper; drain off liquids.
2. Stir in the garlic powder, mustard, ketchup, and brown sugar; mix thoroughly. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Season with salt and pepper. Serve on buns!

Asian Chicken Burgers

Not too long ago, I hosted an "ethnic" week in our house. I cooked up some indian food. I made some thai food. I made some mexican food. It was quite fun and a nice adjustment to the normal weekly meals. For the most part, my ethnic week stuck with traditional meals. But my asian night went outside the box. I had spotted these chicken burgers in an issue of Food Network magazine and was excited to try them. I have had good experiences making chicken burgers in the past.

This recipe did not disappoint. They were very good, incredibly flavorful, unique and interesting. It was very easy to mix up. I highly recommend using the hoisin sauce because the burgers seem to be missing without them. As a side, I mixed up an "asian inspired brown rice" dish, that apparently took over my whole plate. It's not normally something you would eat with a burger, but it somehow worked... at least for this night. Try this tasty dish out next time you want something different.
Asian Chicken Burgers
from Food Network magazine
Ingredients

• 1 small carrot
• 1 small red onion, halved
• 1 lb ground chicken
• 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
• 1 Tbsp grated peeled ginger
• 4 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 3 tsp hot Asian chili sauce, such as sambal oelek
• 8 ounces white mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
• juice of 1 lime
• 4 whole-wheat sesame hamburger buns

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Mist a baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Grate the carrot and 1/2 onion into a large bowl. Add the chicken, panko, 2 Tbsp hoisin sauce, ginger, 3 tsp soy sauce and 1 tsp sambal oelek and mix until combined. Shape the chicken mixture into 4 patties and place on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until cooked through, about 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, thinly slice the remaining 1/2 onion. Toss with the mushrooms, sesame oil, lime juice and the remaining 1 tsp soy sauce in a bowl. Mix the remaining 2 Tbsp hoisin sauce and 2 tsp sambal oelek with 1 Tbsp water in another bowl.
4. Warm the hamburger buns in the oven. Serve the burgers on the buns with a drizzle of the hoisin-sambal sauce and some of the mushroom mixture.

Egg and Potato Sandwich

I was very hesitant to post this recipe.  I've actually held off on posting it for some time now.  You see, the recipe itself was good, but it caused quite a bit of turmoil in our house the evening it was served.  For those who don't know, our little Minnesota family consists of four: myself, Ron, and our two little fur-balls, Salem and Cali.  Basically, these two little cats run the show here.  They awake at random hours and wake you up in return.  They throw hissy-fits if they are hungry.  Actually, they throw hissy-fits for no good reason.  And by hissy-fit, I mean that they knock things over and purposely break them.  (I've lost nearly a dozen vases and picture frames since Salem entered my life.)

They also eat things... that require emergency veterinary assistance to remove from their system.  Like onions.  Like onions from this recipe.  Without getting into all of the details (both mom and cat were at fault here), let's just say that animals can't eat onions and once a certain amount is digested, it can become toxic to an animal.  Salem is fine now (she just knocked a glass of water all over my desk as I was typing this post, so she's obviously back to normal), but it was an interesting, sleepless and expensive night at the emergency veterinary hospital.

As for the recipe, it was definitely worth making - a good, quick recipe.  It would be perfect to serve for breakfast, or brunch, even though Ron and I ate it for dinner.  However, after taking one bite of the sandwich and watching 3/4ths of the filling fall out, we did end up switching out the rolls in lieu of tortillas.  Check it out!  Just don't let your pets get to it.

Egg and Potato Sandwich
from Food Network magazine
Yield:  4 servings
Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp + 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium russet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 large italian frying pepper (Cubanelle), seeded and thinly sliced
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 6 large eggs (I used a mixture of eggs + egg whites only)
• 4 cups baby arugula
• 2 tsp red wine vinegar
• 4 seeded semolina rolls, split and toasted
• 4 slices sharp provolone cheese (optional)

Instructions

1. Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the potato and cook, tossing, until browned and beginning to soften, about 4-5 minutes.
2. Add the sliced pepper and onion and season with salt.  Cook, tossing occasionally, until the potato is cooked through and the pepper and onion are browned but not completely soft, 8-10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, beat the eggs in a bowl and season with salt.  Reduce the heat to low and give the pan a moment to cool.  Pour in the eggs and cook, stirring occasionally, until just set, about 2-3 minutes.  Remove from the heat.
4. Toss the arugula with the remaining 2 tsp olive oil and vinegar in a bowl.  Season with salt.
5. Fill each roll with the scrambled eggs, cheese, if desired, and the arugula.

Bombay Sloppy Joe's

First off, I am well aware that it is virtually impossible to take an appetizing photo of a sandwich that is called a sloppy joe.  So, I hope you don't discriminate against this recipe, because it's really good!

I've been wanting to try one of Aarti's recipes since she won the Next Food Network Star this past season.  Unless you watched NFNS, you have no idea what or who I am talking about.  The show aired over the summer and finished several weeks ago.  Aarti, whose "food schtick" is introducing indian flavors to american cuisine, has her own show on Sunday mornings called Aarti Party.  Recently, this recipe ran in the October issue of Food Network magazine and I knew it was time to make something of hers!

Ron has always been a fan of NSSJ's.  At one time, we had several jars of Not So Sloppy Joes in our pantry.  But I must admit that they were never used so they were donated.  I'm not such a fan.  And since I am the one who cooks, I've opted never to make them.  But I decided to try this recipe because I thought the ground turkey, pistachios, raisins, and indian flavors sounded like an interesting combination.  I forgot to season (oops!) so I thought the recipe lacked "something" as I was eating my sandwich.  So, make sure you season!  Salt was a necessity here.  Ron loved these.  He went back for a triple helping (in Ron's defense; he doesn't have time to eat lunch at work, then he works out, so he's a hungry boy) and had nothing but great things to say after he finished off the leftovers the following day.  I didn't see him use salt once!  I left the raisins out of the main batch because he doesn't eat them, but I chose to add a few on my sandwich.  Honestly, raisins totally work in a sandwich.  Overall, this recipe was a success.

Also, I highly recommended that you don't mince chile peppers and ginger, then rub under your nose.  Seriously, my face was burning for a few hours and I am thanking my lucky stars that I didn't rub my eyes first.  Otherwise, I think I would have had an inkling as to how mace feels when it is sprayed on a person's face.  Holy buckets was my nose on fire!

Bombay Sloppy Joes
from Food Network, Aarti 
Yield:  4-6 servings
Ingredients
For the Sauce:

• Vegetable oil
• 1 T minced fresh ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 serrano chile, seeded and finely minced
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 cup water

For the Meat:

• Vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup shelled pistachios
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 large white onion
• 1 red bell pepper, finely diced
• 1/2 serrano chile, seeds intact (don't chop unless you like spicy!)
• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1/2 tsp honey
• 1/4 cup half-and-half
• fresh cilantro
• 4-6 hamburger buns

Instructions

1. Begin by making the sauce:  Warm oil in a saucepan over medium heat.  Add ginger, garlic and pepper, saute'ing until the ginger and garlic brown.  Add the garam masala and paprika; saute for 30 seconds.  Stir in the tomato sauce and water.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until thickened, about 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, for the turkey, in large skillet, warm some oil.  When shimmering, add pistachios and raisins, cooking until raisins swell and pistachios toast slightly.  Remove from the pan and set aside.
3. Return the pan to medium heat, add some more oil and warm.  Add the cumin seeds and allow them to sizzle for about 10 seconds.  Stir in the onions and bell pepper; saute until softened and starting to brown.  Add the serrano pepper.  Saute for another few minutes, seasoning with salt.  Stir in the turkey, breaking up the big lumps, and cook until opaque; about 5 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, your sauce should be ready.  Pour the sauce into the skillet with the turkey.  Stir and bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until the mixture has thickened slightly, about 10 minutes.
5. Once turkey is cooked and sauce has thickened, remove the serrano pepper.  Add the honey, half-and-half, pistachios and raisins.  Stir through and taste for seasoning.  Before serving, garnish with fresh cilantro.
6. Toast buns, if desired.

Italian Chicken Burgers

I was hesitant to post this recipe.  You see, I had made them a few weeks ago and just realized the recipe hadn't been posted.  But when I opened up the draft and saw the picture, I started laughing!  I searched my photos for another picture, but nope.  This is what I have.

The recipe itself was great.  These were similar to other "chicken burgers" I have made and we really enjoyed them.  But, the picture is pretty embarrassing.  Judging by my image, I'm thinking one of two things: (1) I probably could have made a few more patties by making them smaller and thinner.  Or (2) I probably could have purchased a more substantial bun.  Seriously, the burger is about 1.5 inches thick compared to a bun that looks about 1/4 of an inch thick.  Oh my.

I figured they would taste similar to other chicken burgers, but they had their own unique flavors and were distinctively different from the italian chicken parm burgers I had made earlier this year.  Instead of using a skillet, I cooked these in the oven with the broiler.  It worked great.  In total, the meal took about 25 minutes to make and we really enjoyed them.
Italian Chicken Burger
from Paprika Red
Ingredients

• 1 heaping cup panko bread crumbs
• 1 Tbsp dried italian seasoning
• 2 Tbsp finely grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 1/3 pound ground chicken (I used 1 lb)
• 1 egg
• 1 Tbsp fresh, finely chopped oregano or basil (optional)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 4 burger buns
• Toppings:  tomato slices, thinly sliced mozzarella cheese, arugula, basil leaves

Instructions

1. Make your seasoned breading by mixing the panko, italian seasoning, grated cheese, salt, and pepper.  Set aside on a large plate.
2. In another bowl, mix the chicken, egg, salt, and oregano, if using.  Add about 1/4 cup of the bread crumb mixture, mixing gently and being careful not to overwork the meat.
3. The patties should start holding together but if you need more panko to bind, add about 1 Tbsp at a time, using no more than an additional 2 Tbsp.
4. Shape into 4 patties and dredge into the panko mixture, pressing the panko into the chicken patties.  You will have some leftover.
5. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over Medium heat.  When hot, add the patties.  Cook until medium golden brown on the bottom and chicken appears cooked halfway, about 4-5 minutes.  Flip and continue cooking until the other side is the same color, another 3 minutes or so.
6. Put your buns in a toaster or under the broiler in the oven.  When bottoms are light golden brown, with about a minute to go, add a layer of cheese on, if desired, and let cheese melt.
7. Serve with additional toppings.

Crab Cakes

I am very hesitant to make anything that requires flipping on a hot pan.  I fail at pancakes.  I fail at couscous cakes.  So, I was pretty nervous to be flipping something that involved pricey ingredients.  


But, this was, hands-down, the BEST crab cake I've ever eaten.  (Well, to be truthful, I've actually never eaten a crab cake.  BUT, my sister in law was just in town and she said they were the best crab cakes she's ever eaten.)  Seriously, they were amazing.


I actually made them twice.  The first batch was made prior to Kelly's visit.  Then, she saw that I had made them and was super excited, so we picked up some more ingredients and I made them again.  We ended up splurging the second time around and bought some pricier (much pricier) crab meat and mixed it with some less than pricey (but still pretty pricey) crab meat.  Both Ron and I felt that the second batch, with more expensive crab, was ten times better.  Perhaps we are snobs, or perhaps I had more confidence the second time around, but there is something to better ingredients.


They were very simple to mix up.  My only problem was with a few falling apart.  A few reviewers mentioned that they could've used another egg to bind, and I agree.  And the panko was a bit tough to coat because it wouldn't really stick.  But they had tons of flavor.  They were nutritious.  And, better yet?  They came from Ellie Krieger's recipe in the recent Food network magazine.  2 crab cakes would only set you back about 220 calories.  Goodbye, mayo-laden crab cakes!

Crab Cakes
Ellie Krieger, Food Network
Yield:  8 crab cakes
Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
• 1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons nonfat milk
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus lemon wedges for serving
• 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
• Dash of hot sauce
• 1 pound lump crab or crab claw meat, picked over
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• Olive-oil cooking spray

Directions

1. Heat 2 tsp oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat.  Add the scallions and bell pepper, cooking until they begin to soften, about 2 minutes.  Cool slightly.
2. Mix 1/2 cup panko, egg and milk in a small bowl.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk the Worcestershire sauce, mustard, lemon juice, Old Bay and hot sauce; fold in the crabmeat, panko mixture, scallion/bell pepper mixture, 1/4 tsp salt and a pinch of pepper.
4. Shape into 8 patties and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
5. Coat the crab cakes with the remaining 1/2 cup panko.
6. Heat the remaining 1 tbsp oil in the skillet over medium-high heat.
7. Mist the crab cakes with cooking spray and cook, sprayed side down, 3-4 minutes.  Spray the tops, flip and cook 3-4 minutes more.
8. Serve with lemon wedges.

Hawaiian Chicken Burger

Yep, another "burger" for you.  I'm having a ball making things that are round and can easily be shoved in the broiler.  These were much different in flavor compared to the chicken parm burgers that we ate recently.  Ron preferred these ones.  I think I did too.  They were delicious.  Ron said they had a "tex-mex" flavor.  I guess I could kind of see it with the soy/cumin combination, but it's a stretch.  In any event, these were very, very good.

We used the broiler method again that we had used for the chicken parm burgers; about 9 minutes on one side, flip, 5 minutes remaining w/ cheese coming on at about minute 4:30.  I didn't have any pineapple rings to grill, so I just used the chunks I had in the fridge.  I also cut the recipe in half (the original, reflected below) calls for 2 pounds of ground chicken.  I did, however, leave the mix-ins at the same measurements, solely because I was looking for more flavor.

Serve with whatever side you wish.  Due to the increase in my pants size as of late, I ate carrot sticks.  Oh joy.
Hawaiian Chicken Burger
adapted from Homemade by Holman
Yield:  3-4 burgers
Ingredients

• 1 pound ground chicken
• pineapple
• pepperjack cheese slices
• hamburger buns
• 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp seasoning salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 clove garlic, minced

Instructions

1. Combine ground chicken, soy sauce, paprika, chili powder, seasoning salt, cumin, and garlic.
2. Lightly mix with your hands and divide evenly into 3-4 patties; refrigerate about 30 minutes.
3. Grill burgers over medium heat coated with cooking spray, about 6 minutes per side.  (They should flip easily when ready, if not, leave them on for another minute.)
4. Top with cheese slice for the last 1-2 minutes of cooking time to melt.
5. Grill buns and pineapple rings, if desired.  To grill pineapple rings, grill directly on the grates over medium heat, carefully turning after 1-2 minutes.  If you're using pineapple chunks, thread until skewers and grill over medium heat, carefully turning after 1-2 minutes.

Calico Burgers

We had an indoor barbeque the other night.  I've been craving my annual hamburger.  Come to think of it, I've also been desperately craving a trip to the beach; something is clearly off in my life.  Anyway, this entire meal was cooked indoors.  Not really by choice, but the a**hole apartment complex decided to screw with the outdoor grills.  So, Ron went down to grill and came back in about 10 minutes with raw burger patties.  The look on his face told me not to ask questions so I pulled out the grill-pan.  It worked quite nicely, until it was time to clean.  I hate cleaning cast-iron kitchenware.

The burgers were great.  I don't know why these are called Calico burgers.  We have a calico cat named Cali.  I can assure you that she was not harmed in the making of these burgers.

I picked up some grass-fed ground meat at Byerly's and found a recipe that uses rice and green pepper in the mixture.  What a way to get Ron to eat vegetables!  Dice them up into tiny pieces and mix it with a "healthy" red meat!  I used a wild rice instead of white and I think it added a fantastic nutty texture to the burgers.

I also made the burgers with some corn on the cob (made on the stove) and some sweet potato wedges.  The wedges were pretty mushy (not like crunchy fries) but I loved them like this.  I've had some sweet potatoes to use and this was a great way to add to our burgers.  I really enjoyed the sauce that went with the burger, but I actually loved it on the sweet potatoes.  You can't really tell what the burger looks like, but just use your imagine.  It looks like a burger.  With stuff in it.

Calico Burgers
Taste of Home
Yield:  4 servings
Ingredients

• For Burgers:  
• 1-1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1/2 cup cooked rice
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped green pepper
• 1 tbsp dried parsley flakes
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• dash pepper
• For BBQ Sauce:
• 2/3 cup water
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 3 tbsp chili sauce
• 1 tsp worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 tsp dried basil

Instructions

1. In a bowl, combine the ingredients to make the burgers; mix well.
2. Shape into 4 - 6 oval patties.
3. Grill over hot heat until meat reaches desired doneness.
4. For Sauce, combing sauce ingredients in a saucepan; simmer for 15 minutes.  

Sweet Potato Wedges
Rainy Day Gal

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Cut 3 sweet potatoes (washed and dried) in half width-wise and then each half into 8 wedges.
3. Place wedges in a large bowl.
4. Drizzle w/ about 1 tbsp olive oil and toss to coat.
5. Sprinkle on 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, and 2 tbsp dry minced onion; toss to ensure an even coating on the wedges.
6. Place wedges on a baking sheet (don't crowd) and bake for 20-25 minutes until crisped and golden.
7. Top with 1 1/2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley and serve.  

Chicken Parmesan Burgers

Well, WOW.  These were pretty incredible and we will definitely be added them to the repeating rotation of recipes.  Even better, these totally satisfied my craving for a burger.  They are so quick and easy to make and delicious!  I saw them make the rounds on the food blogs a few months ago.  Then, a fancy version appeared in a recent edition of Bon Appetit.  However, I decided to settle on a recipe that I saw on Annie's Eats which basically just used store-bought bread crumbs (as opposed to making your own).  


This was actually my 2nd attempt at making them.  My 1st attempt was me trying to be cute.  I added my own ingredients and tried to pan-fry them on what apparently was too high of a heat source.  Clearly... CLEARLY, I am not at that level yet of just doing my own thing with a recipe.  My "burgers" were more like blackened rock patties that would be inedible by a dog's standards.  Fortunately, attempt #2 turned out just perfectly.  I used our oven's broiler for the first time and it worked superbly.


I used ground chicken breast (Smart Chicken brand) for our chicken to keep them fairly healthy.  My 1st attempt used ground chicken thighs.  Take it as you will, but I'll likely use chicken breast from here on out.  These can be served on buns or individual ciabatta rolls.  I'd suggest toasting the bread and making some garlic toast to serve the burgers on.  YUM!

Chicken Parmesan Burgers
adapted from Annie's Eats who adapted from Ella Says Opa
Yield:  4 servings 
Ingredients

• 1 lb ground chicken
• 1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 c bread crumbs
• 2 tsp italian seasoning
• 3 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 shallot, finely diced (I did not use)
• salt and papper
• pasta sauce
• mozzarella or provolone cheese (sliced or shredded)
• sauteed mushrooms (optional)
• hamburger buns
• garlic powder (optional)

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the burgers.
2. Mix well until thoroughly combined.
3. Form the mixture into 4 patties.
4. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
5. Preheat the broiler.
6. Cook patties through according to your broiler.
1. Our broiler is inside the oven.  I placed our patties on a cooking sheet lined with aluminum foil and cooked for 9 minutes, then flipped and cooked for an additional 5 before moving to the next step.  They were cooked well and the oven temp was about 450 degrees.
7. Remove from the oven, top each burger with pasta sauce and cheese.
8. Place back under the broiler for 30-60 seconds until the cheese is melted.
9. Optional step:  Spray buns/bread with cooking spray and sprinkle garlic powder on top.  Put in broiler to toast for 1-2 minutes.
10. Take burgers out and top with sauteed mushrooms if desired, and serve on hamburger buns.

Crockpot Chicken BBQ

I've been making this recipe for a while now, but I don't remember where I got it.  What I do know is that this recipe is amazing.  We eat this meal at least once a month.  I know I found the recipe online somewhere and used a bunch of reader comments to make, what I thought to be, the best sounding.  It just so happened to turn out to be the best tasting!

It's soooo good and so easy.  Just throw it in the crockpot!  You can use any bbq sauce you like (I like Famous Dave's Sweet and Tangy) but we have used it w/ various other kinds.  This recent meal was made with Byerly's original.  It was also very, very good.  I normally make a small thing of cole slaw to eat with it, but I decided against it this time for some reason.  This would be SO good with corn on the cob or other traditional bbq fare.  I've made it two ways:  1) with partially defrosted chicken breasts and 2) with frozen chicken breasts.  Either way works.  You can also do all of the prep at one time (and omit the chicken broth steps) instead of in 2 separate sections.  (I just find that I prefer the flavors that come from the chicken broth and the 1-2 hours to soak up the BBQ.)

Crockpot Chicken BBQ

adapted from ??

Ingredients

• About 1 lb half-defrosted skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• You can use also use frozen.
• Seasoning: garlic powder, salt & pepper
• 1 can of chicken broth
• 1 (12 ounce) bottle of BBQ sauce
• 1/2 c italian salad dressing
• 1/4 c brown sugar
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• Provolone cheese slices
• Hamburger buns
• Cole slaw and toppings, if desired

Instructions

1. Place chicken in crockpot.
2. Rub seasoning on chicken and coat both sides.
3. Pour chicken broth in crockpot (it's fine if some seasoning comes off).
4. Cover and cook:
1. If using partially defrosted, cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours.
2. If using frozen, cook on high for 4.5 hours or low for 6.5 hours.
5. Once chicken is almost cooked, mix together the BBQ sauce, dressing, brown sugar and Worcestershire.  Set aside.
6. Once cooked, shred chicken with 2 forks.  
7. Pour BBQ mixture over chicken and let chicken cook on low for another 1-2 hours.
8. Serve on buns with cheese and desired toppings.

**You can easily omit steps 2 & 3.  If you are pressed for time, simply put the chicken in the crockpot and pour the BBQ mixture over the chicken to coat.  Cover, and cook 3-4 hours on High or 6-8 hours on Low.

Black Bean Burgers

I've always liked frozen black bean burgers, so I figured that it was finally time to put together my own... with food that incorporates fresh ingredients.  I really eat burgers.  (Burgers in the traditional sense that one would think of a burger.)  In a given year, I will probably eat a burger once.  And, that's not a lie.  I actually don't think I had a burger in 2008.  I know this for a fact.  I'm not a vegetarian, but in reality, I just don't eat a lot of meat.  I stick with meat a few times a week for dinner and it's normally chicken.  I will admit that I have been eating a tad more meat since I started blogging about the food I make.  But, that's because I'm normally blogging about dinner.  And Ron is home for dinner.  


Sorry for the picture.  I've complained about the lighting in our apartment on more than one occasion.  It's just terrible!  So, I have to try and use a flash but then the food looks neon.  I really don't make alien food.  It's just the lighting :(  Anyway, this burgers were very, very good.  I found them in a Cooking Light recipe and they were include in the reader recipes.  I was very disappointed with the latest issue of Cooking Light (they were frying things!  How is that "light"?) so I was very happy to turn to page 196 and see a recipe I would enjoy trying.


I cut the recipe in half in case they didn't turn out, but they did!  The original recipe makes 6 burgers.  I got 4 out of my recipe in half, so I'm wondering if I didn't make the patties big enough.  Unfortunately, I didn't buy hamburger buns so we ate the burgers on bagel thins.  It was still very good!  They did not take a lot of time to prep.  I definitely suggest trying them. My only complaint was the step that instructed to "carefully turn once".  Yea, that didn't happen.  The patties were stuck!  Oh well, they still cooked through and were tasty.  Was I supposed to turn the baking sheet instead of turning the patties?  Who knows.  Clarify people, clarify!  I'm in law school.  Interpretation is a HUGE part of it.  Specify what needs to be turned or else you'll get red-lined for being vague!  :)
Black Bean Burgers w/ Mango Salsa
recipe from Cooking Light reader recipes
Yield:  6 burgers
Ingredients

• 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 3/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, divided
• 3/4 c (3 ounces) shredded Monteray Jack cheese
• 1/4 c panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 medium jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
• 2 large egg whites
• cooking spray
• 1 1/4 c chopped peeled mango (about 1 medium)
• 3 tbsp chopped shallots
• 1 1/2 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 avocado, peeled and chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 6 hamburger buns, lightly toasted
• lettuce and additional toppings for burgers, if desired

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Lightly spray baking sheet with cooking spray.
3. Place black beans in a medium bowl; mash with a fork.
4. Stir in 1/2 c cilantro and next 7 ingredients (through egg whites).
5. Shape bean mix into 6 (1/2 inch thick) patties.
6. Arrange patties on baking sheet.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, carefully turning once.
8. Combine remaining 1/4 c cilantro, mango, and next 4 ingredients (through garlic) in a bowl.
9. Place a patty on bun and top with lettuce, toppings and mango salsa.

Hawaiian Pulled Pork Sandwiches w/ Pineapple and Mango Salsa

I was feeling Hawaiian.  Granted, I've never been to Hawaii, but I was still feeling Hawaiian.  I think this was because I love pineapple and I was craving it.  I love Hawaiian pizza, Hawaiian inspired sandwiches and anything with citrus.  Perhaps the recent sunshine has given me a Vitamin-D overdose!


I often make a Hawaiian BBQ pulled chicken recipe in the crockpot.  It's awesome (I'll post at some point) and it's so easy.  However, I decided I would give this pork recipe a shot.  I also decided that I needed some kind of "slaw/salsa" to go on top.  I looked in the fridge and saw some leftover cilantro, a lime, some pineapple and mango.  Score!!  I recall seeing a grilled chicken w/ mango and pineapple salsa recipe using the same ingredients in Cooking Light over the summer.  I searched for the recipe and found it!!  The original recipe called for a jalapeno, but I'm not a big fan of mixing that "spark" to my tang.


This recipe was very easy to make.  Total hands-on time was probably about 20 minutes.  However, I was not a fan of the meal.  Apparently, I really dislike pork.  I didn't really know this until this meal was made.  I don't like the taste or the texture.  Regarding the recipe, I normally don't remove the meat from the crockpot before I shred.  And, I didn't this time.  Accordingly, the pork was soaking in the BBQ juice and it made for an unpleasant experience.  I used a slotted spoon to make my sandwich, but by the time I took the picture, the juice had soaked through the bun.  Perhaps it was the weak buns I used (or the fact that I didn't follow directions).  But, I still think that a hoagie roll/thicker bun would work better.


Regardless of my distaste for pork, I am posting the recipe because the flavor was excellent.  I really enjoyed the Hawaiian sauce because it had the perfect balance of sweet and spicy.  I plan to make this again using chicken and I plan to thicken the sauce (and remove the meat before shredding).  Honestly, the flavors in the sauce were dynamite.  It just needs a bit of tweaking.  Also, it got the seal of approval from Ron so up goes the recipe.  (Eh.  I hope I'm not turning into the household picky eater.)

Hawaiian Pulled Pork Sandwiches w/ Pineapple and Mango Salsa
adapted from FoodNetwork.com and CookingLight.com (click this link for an awesome chicken recipe, I plan to make this soon with the grill pan!)
Yield:  A lot!!
Ingredients
Pulled Pork

• 1 packet of teriyaki marinade
• I used McCormick Grill Mates Hawaiian Luau.
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 3.5 pounds pork shoulder
• 1/2 c chicken broth
• 1/2 c brown sugar
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 cup chili sauce
• I used a Sweet Chili Sauce (can find in ethnic/asian aisle)
• 1 6 ounce can of pineapple juice
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• Hamburger rolls

Hawaiian Sauce

• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 1 tbsp ginger, chopped
• 2 tsp garlic, chopped

Salsa

• 2/3 c diced and peeled mango (one medium)
• 2/3 c diced fresh pineapple
• 2 tbsp minced red onion
• 1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 1/2 tsp fresh lime juice
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp ground black pepper

Instructions
For Pulled Pork

1. In a small bowl, combine the teriyaki, paprika and pepper.
2. Coat the pork with the rub mixture until all rub is used.  Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the chicken broth, brown sugar, soy sauce, chili sauce and pineapple juice.  Set aside.
4. Place the chopped onions and carrots in the bottom of a 5 quart slow cooker.
5. Place pork on top of the carrots and onion. 
6. Pour half of the pineapple juice mixture over the pork.  Cover the remainder and put in fridge to reserve for the Hawaiian sauce.
7. Cover the pork and cook on low for 7-8 hours.  The meat should fall apart easily.
8. Remove the roast and place on cutting board to shred with 2 forks.
1. Do this!  It's a necessary step :)
9. Serve pork on rolls drizzled with Hawaiian sauce.

For Hawaiian Sauce

1. In medium pot, heat oil over medium heat.
2. Add garlic and ginger and saute until soft, about 2 minutes.
3. Add remaining pineapple juice mixture.  Bring to a boil.  Then, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.  
4. Remove from heat and set aside.
5. Either drizzle sauce on top of sandwiches or keep on side for dipping.

For Salsa

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl.  Cover; refrigerate for 30 minutes until ready to serve.