White Bean and Roasted Carrot Burgers

Veggie burgers: when they are terrible, they are really terrible. Dense, dry, and flavorless. I think they're hard to do well. Partly it's because people tend to think of them as mere meat replacements rather than allowing them to speak for themselves. 

Notes: There are plenty of things you can do ahead of time for this recipe. I made the carrots the day before. If you're putting sliced tomato or onion on your burgers, slice those up as early as the morning you plan to serve them. Just put them in separate plastic containers in the fridge.

If you have a grill pan, you can use that to cook the burgers. I wouldn't put them on the actual grill. They're soft, so they'll fall apart far too easily.

You could season these burgers a number of different ways. Some lemon zest and fresh oregano would be delicious, if you wanted a Greek-inspired flavor. You could also do a Moroccan-style combo with some ginger and some allspice. I think next time I make them I'll use some chipotle.

Have fun with your burger fixin's, too. I had some leftover sun-dried tomato pesto, so I made some pesto mayo. 

Ingredients:

2 15oz cans of cannelini beans (or Great Northern beans)

2 cups baby carrots (or "adult" carrots cut into 1-inch pieces)

1 cup bread crumbs (not Panko)

1 egg

2 tablespoons cumin

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons onion powder

1/4 cup chopped fresh parlsey

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

Hot sauce to taste

Salt & pepper

Olive oil

You favorite burger fixin's

Directions: Heat the oven to 400. Toss the baby carrots with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast them for about 40 minutes until they're brown and can be pierced easily with a fork. 

Let the carrots cool for a few minutes. Use an immersion blender or a food processor to buzz them into a paste. Set aside (or put in the fridge if you do this ahead of time). 

Drain (but don't rinse) the beans. In a large bowl, mash the beans with a potato masher (don't break them up completely, you want some whole beans for texture). Add in the carrots, egg, the spices, and hot sauce and combine. Season with salt and pepper. Add in the bread crumbs and herbs until everything is mixed together. Form the mixture into four patties and set aside. 

Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high. When the oil is hot, add in your burger patties. Cook for about 7 minutes per side or until each side is crispy and brown. Put them on a plate lined with a paper towel to drain slightly. 

Dress up your burger buns with your favorite stuff and enjoy!

Loaded Veggie Burritos

We've officially moved to Durham for my sabbatical year, so the professor is cooking from a new kitchen. It's got way more counter space than my old one. Unfortunately, it has an electric stove. I learned to cook with electric, so you'd think it wouldn't be a big deal, but I really love the precision and control that natural gas gives you. No matter! I'll re-adapt

Since we're still unpacking, I decided I needed a make-ahead, lots-of-leftovers dish. Veggie burritos are perfect for that. You can make them and assemble them, wrap them in foil, store them in the fridge and just heat them up for dinner. They only take about 30 minutes in the oven and then you're ready to eat. 

Notes: The best thing about making burritos at home is that you can control everything. You can add whatever veggies you want and season them how you want.

I like a yellow rice in my burritos and I have a favorite packaged version that I use (it's this one). If you don't like yellow rice, use your favorite. Spanish rice would be equally delicious. You can also just leave the rice out: add extra beans or extra mushrooms instead.

For burrito assembly, I like to make a little assembly line next to the stove. I divide my mixture into roughly equal portions depending on how many tortillas I have. That way you don't run out of filling before you get to the last tortilla. 

I buy blocks of cheese that I shred myself. I don't like the texture of pre-shredded cheese. If you use pre-shredded cheese, you may need to use the whole package. You should have about 1/4 cup of cheese per burrito.

Never rolled a burrito before? This video might help.

Ingredients:

2 bell peppers, any color you like

1 onion

5-6 garlic cloves

1 package of your favorite mushrooms (I used shitake)

About 2 cups of cooked rice (yellow, Spanish, white, or brown)

1 15 oz. can black beans

1.5 tablespoons cumin

1.5 tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons onion powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon paprika (I use smoked)

1.5 teaspoons salt

Hot sauce, to taste

1 package of burrito-sized tortillas (8 or 10 count)

4-5 oz of cheese, shredded (I used pepper jack)

Olive oil for cooking the veggies 

Directions:

Dice your onions and bell peppers. Slice your mushrooms. Mince your garlic. Heat olive oil over medium-high. When the pan is hot, add all your spices (cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cinnamon, and paprika) to the oil and stir. Add the peppers and onions and cook until they're tender (about 8-10 minutes). Add your mushrooms and garlic and cook about 5-7 more minutes until the mushrooms get some nice brown color and shrink up. Add the salt and hot sauce toward the end of the cooking. 

While your veggies are cooking, shred your cheese and divide it into little piles according to how many tortillas you have. Drain your beans in a strainer. 

Once your veggies are done, stir in the cooked rice and beans. Turn the heat off and allow the mixture to cool while you prepare your burrito assembly line. 

Tear off squares of foil (about 10 x 10) according to how many tortillas you have. Divide your veggie mixture into little piles (just do this right there in the pan on the stove) according to your number of tortillas. Get your stack of tortillas and start assembling. 

Put a pile of the veggie mixture in the middle of the tortilla toward the bottom of the circle (but not all the way at the bottom). Add some cheese. Fold the bottom of the tortilla over the veggies and cheese. Fold in both sides to make a little package. For the last step, roll the little package over and up toward the top of the tortilla. The top of the tortilla becomes the "seam" on the bottom of your burrito. 

Put the rolled burrito on the corner of a piece of foil. Roll it up halfway, tuck in the sides of the foil, and then roll it the rest of the way. Put them in the fridge (I stack mine up straight on the shelf) They'll store nicely for about five days and freeze for even longer.

When you're ready to eat, heat the oven to 375. Pull the burritos from the fridge (keep them wrapped in the foil) and put them on a baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, unwrap, and enjoy!

Eat Food, Save Money: Transformeals + Beef and Sweet Potato Chili

We already know that cooking rather than eating out saves you money. We also know that you save even more money if you can use leftovers wisely. 

But here's the problem: leftovers can be boring. I mean, they're quick and easy, sure. Just dump them on a plate or in a bowl, nuke them in the microwave for a few minutes, and dinner is ready. But eating the same thing two or three nights in a row can tempt some people (read: me) to go out. So, I don't love having the same leftovers night after night. 

What I'm calling "transformeals" help me deal with my boredom of leftovers. I can get a lot more nights out of my leftovers if I can use some of them to make something new. 

This recipe started out as Baked Beef and Bean Taquitos (similar to my chicken and spinach taquitos). I made them for the Super Bowl. I had lots of leftover filling, but rather than make more taquitos, I came up with Beef and Sweet Potato Chili.

If you make this chili, you could use your leftovers to make Beef and Sweet Potato Tacos: just add some taco shells, some cheese, and some lettuce. Or you could make a Beef and Sweet Potato Taco Salad: add some chopped romaine, some guacamole, and some sour cream. You can transform your leftovers into something new without much extra work. And for some people (read: me) that can help keep temptations to order pizza at bay.

Notes: Even though I had leftover filling already, I've written the recipe without assuming that you made taquitos first. 

I used 90% lean ground beef, so I was able to use the fat from the beef to cook the potato and onions. If it looks like you don't have enough fat in the pan, add just a little bit of butter or olive oil before you at the potato and onion. Otherwise the potato will stick to the pan. 

The refried beans give the chili a nice thick consistency. I used regular refried pinto beans, but you could use black beans. If you want to cut down on the fat, feel free to use regular beans. Just mash them up before you add them to the chili. 

Those pre-made taco seasoning packets from your grocery store? Use them! If you don't keep tons of spices on hand, there's no use buying a bunch for one recipe. Some of those seasoning packets are under $1. Individual spices can cost $3 each. They're an investment that you might not want to make unless you think you'll use them in the future. 

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef

1 15 oz can refried beans

1 15 oz can diced tomatoes 

1 large sweet potato

1 small onion

1 packet of taco seasoning

1 bunch fresh cilantro

Hot sauce (to taste)

Salt

Water

Directions: Dice the onion and peel and dice the sweet potato. Chop the cilantro.

Start by browning the ground beef in a large skillet set on medium heat. Season with salt and half the taco seasoning packet. When there no pink remaining, drain the meat on a plate lined with a paper towel. Return the pan to the heat (see notes). 

Add the onion and potato. Cook until they just start to turn brown in some places. Season with salt and the other half of the taco seasoning. Add the tomatoes, beef, and refried beans. Add hot sauce to taste. If the mixture looks too thick, add some water (about 1/3 cup to start with). 

Turn the heat to medium low and cook for about 20 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are tender. Serve with your favorite chili toppings and enjoy!

Baked Veggie and Black Bean Tostadas

Remember when I made pork cube steak tacos? Well, I still have a bunch of corn tortillas to use up. They come in a big package. I've had tostadas in the past, but I've not tried making them myself. They're much easier than I thought--especially if you bake them!

Notes: Think of tostadas as an open-faced taco. They are hard to eat, but they're delicious.

Typically tostadas are fried, but I didn't want to mess with cooking oil. I also didn't want to make them less healthy. So I baked them. As long as you oil them lightly, baking works just fine.

I think next time I would season the tortillas. Maybe just with some salt and a little chili powder.

You can use whatever kind of mushrooms you want. I just happened to have a mix of white and shitake on hand. Frankly, you can use whatever veggies you want. The tostada is versatile!

Ingredients:
1 pint sliced white mushrooms
1 pint sliced shitake mushrooms
1 bunch asparagus cut into bite-sized pieces
1 15 oz. can black beans
2 tablespoons cumin (divided)
2 teaspoons smoked paprika (divided)
2 teaspoons chili powder (divided)
Salt
Butter
Hot sauce (to taste)
6 corn tortillas
Cooking spray or olive oil
Shredded cheese for topping (optional)
Avocado (optional)

Directions: Heat oven to 400 and line two baking sheets with foil. Lay out 6 tortillas (3 per sheet) and set aside.

Drain (but don't rinse) the black beans. Add them to a bowl and season with hot sauce, cumin, chili powder, paprika, salt and hot sauce. Mash the beans into a paste and set aside.

In a skillet over medium heat, melt a small amount of butter. When the skillet is hot, add the mushrooms and brown. Season with the rest of the cumin, chili powder paprika, salt, and hot sauce. Add in the asparagus and cook until tender-crisp (about 4 minutes).

Spray the corn tortillas with cooking spray lightly on both sides (or brush both sides lightly with olive oil). Bake for 5 minutes. When the 5 minutes is up, take them out of the oven and flip them over. Layer each tortilla with mashed beans, cheese (if you're using cheese), and then the mushroom/asparagus mixture. Return to the oven and bake for five more minutes.

When they're done, top with mashed avocado if desired. Serve and enjoy!

Black Bean and Corn Sliders with Bacon Sweet Potato Fries

Summer is waning, my friends! I hate to admit it, but it's true. It'll be September before you know it. That means we need to enjoy it while we can with some summer grill recipes.

Or if you're me you just make black bean sliders and sweet potato fries any time you feel like it---summer or not!

Notes: Don't have a grill pan? Never fear! Just use olive oil or vegetable oil and shallow fry the sliders in a big skillet. The sliders won't have the pretty grill marks, but they'll taste just as good.

I roasted my corn in the husk before I stripped it from the ear. If you want to do the same thing, just trim the loose pieces of husk and the tassel off, run the whole thing under water for a minute, and then stick it right on the oven rack for 30 minutes at 350. The roasted-in-the-husk flavor is awesome. If you don't feel like doing this step, no worries. Just strip the kernels right off the ear straight into the bowl.

I find the easiest way to make fries is to cut the sweet potato in half and then cut each half into strips. Then cut those strips into smaller fry-sized pieces. There's no science to it---just make them look like fries.

I didn't have any crumbled bacon, but I had leftover bacon grease in the fridge from the last time I made bacon. If you don't have any, just use butter or olive oil for the fries. It will work just fine.

Slider buns are fairly easy to find nowadays. I found mine at Trader Joe's, but I've seen them in Target and other grocery stores as well. If you can't find them, any small roll will do.

Ingredients for sliders (makes about 8 sliders):
1 15 oz. can black beans
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
1 teaspoon hot sauce
2 teaspoons taco seasoning
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 ear of corn

For fries:
2 large sweet potatoes
6 teaspoons bacon grease, divided
Salt
Pepper
Crumbled bacon for topping (optional)

Directions:

Heat oven to 450. Line two baking sheets with foil.

Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into fries. Spread them in one layer on the baking sheets. Pour 3 teaspoons of bacon grease over each tray of fries. Season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Bake for 15-20 minutes until they are tender and they start to turn dark brown. Stir the fries about halfway through the cooking time to ensure even browning.

To make the sliders, drain the beans (don't rinse). Strip the kernels off the ear of corn. In a large bowl, mash the beans and corn together with a potato masher. Be sure to leave some of the beans and kernels whole. Lightly beat the egg and add it to the bowl along with the bread crumbs, worcestershire sauce, salt, hot sauce, brown sugar, and taco seasoning. Mix everything together until it forms a thick paste. Form small patties and then let stand 5 minutes.

Heat your grill pan on medium-high. Grill each slider about 3 minutes per side until a crust forms on the outside. Remove from the grill and transfer to a plate. Tent them with foil to keep them warm while you grill the rest.

Top with your favorite hamburger toppings and serve with hot sweet potato fries. Enjoy!

Grilled Beef and Bean Soft Tacos with Rosemary Orange Slaw

Summer time is great for tacos. Technically any season is good for tacos, but since summer time is the time for grilling, what could be better than grilled tacos?

Notes: If you wanted to make this vegetarian, a mix of kidney beans and black beans would be perfect. I would mash up half of the black beans as well. It gives you the texture of refried beans.

Make sure your grill pan is nice and oiled. That way you don't have to brush the tacos with oil.

I was totally lazy and used pre-made taco seasoning here. The blend I bought was better than something I could have whipped up (I don't have any cayenne pepper).

I used flour soft tacos, but you can use corn. Speaking of corn, you could grill some fresh corn on your grill pan before you grill the tacos and add it to the beef mixture. Awesome.

Ingredients for Tacos:
1 pound lean ground beef
1 15 oz. can kidney beans
Taco seasoning (or you can make your own mix)
Cheese for topping (I like manchego-style cheeses for tacos)
Soft taco shells
Rosemary Orange Slaw (recipe follows)

Directions:

Rinse and drain the kidney beans. Mash about half of them. Put a skillet on medium heat. Brown the ground beef. Add in the beans and season with taco seasoning blend. Turn the heat to low.

Heat the grill pan on medium. When it's hot, grill the soft taco shells on both sides just until grill marks appear (about 45 seconds each). Put the filling in the middle of each shell, top with cheese, and rosemary orange slaw.

Ingredients for Rosemary Orange Slaw (about 1 large cup of slaw):
2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary
1/2 orange
1/2 teaspoon deli mustard
1/2 teaspoon honey
1/2 bag of broccoli slaw blend

Directions:

Mince the rosemary and add it to a small bowl. Squeeze the juice out of the 1/2 orange. Whisk in honey and mustard. Pour over the broccoli slaw and toss to coat.

Enjoy some delicious summer tacos!

Baked Taquitos and Mexican Restaurant Rice

We have yet to find a Mexican restaurant we like here. There's no Mexican place in the town we live in. There are two in the next town over, but apparently they aren't that super (or so we've heard). I'm sure there are lots of places in the city we could go to, but when it's cold, the idea of walking through the city doesn't sound particularly appealing.

As you have probably noticed, I make a lot of Mexican-style recipes at home to make up for our lack of restaurants. Luckily, I found this recipe the other day. Chicken taquitos are not my bag, but a vegetarian version sounded great.

Notes: If you have an onion, feel free to use that for the rice instead of the onion powder. I just used the powder because I didn't have an onion.

I'd use a colby jack or a cheddar in the taquitos. I used fontina and it was too mild. You could barely taste it.

This makes about 8 taquitos, so you'll have egg roll wrappers left over. If you want to use up all your wrappers, just double the filling recipe.

Ingredients for Taquitos
1 can black beans
1 cup frozen corn
Egg roll wrappers
1 small bunch cilantro
1 cup shredded cheese
2-3 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Hot sauce, to taste
Small bowl of water
Melted butter (optional)

Ingredients for Rice
2 cups instant rice
1 can diced fire roasted tomatoes
1 1/2 cups water
4-5 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon onion powder
Salt
Butter or oil

Directions: Heat oven to 375.

Drain the beans (don't rinse). Mince the garlic for the taquitos and chop the cilantro. When the beans are drained, put them in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Mash them a little with a potato masher. Add in the corn, cilantro, garlic, hot sauce, cumin, chili powder, cheese, and salt. Mix to combine.

To make a taquito, put approximately three teaspoons of filling in the middle of the egg roll wrapper (the wrapper should be diagonal). Moisten the edges of the wrapper by dipping your finger in the bowl of water and running it along the edge. Bring the bottom corner of the wrapper over the filling and tuck it under. Pull in the sides and then roll it up. Place each taquito seam-side down on a foil-lined or oiled baking sheet. Repeat until all the filling is gone.

Brush the taquitos with melted butter. Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown.

While the taquitos are baking, make the rice. Mince the garlic. Melt butter or heat oil on medium-high in a skillet with a lid. Add in the garlic and cook until fragrant. Add in rice and toast for just a minute. Season with salt and onion powder. Pour in tomatoes and water. Turn the heat to medium and cover. Cook for about 10 minutes until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed.

When the taquitos are done, serve them with a side of rice and enjoy!

Eggplant and Chickpea Tikka Masala + New Food on a Budget

This is the debut of Indian food here at the professor's kitchen. I'm not a huge fan of Indian food, but last semester I tried a place in town with some colleagues and loved it. The dish I had was so good I decided to make my own version at home.

It's a new year and it's a great time to try new things. But if you're like most people you've probably made a new year's resolution about saving money. Luckily, you can do both. Here are some tips for trying new dishes without breaking your piggy bank or your resolution:

1. Look before you shop: The Internet is a wonderful thing. You are just a search away from thousands of recipes. Before you go to the store, do some homework. Decide what kind of dish you want to try: Indian or French? Noodles or rice? Meat or no meat? Knowing what you want to make ahead of time helps you plan and helps you budget.

2. Look long-term: Deciding to try new things doesn't mean you have to do it all at once. Pick one or two dishes to start with. There's no reason to make something new every night. Try a new dish on the weekends when you have more time. Make it once a month. Make a list of things you want to try and keep it posted on the fridge. Get the kids involved by letting them pick a dish. If you think long-term, you won't have to break the bank buying specialty ingredients with every trip to the store.

3. Look for dishes with few ingredients: When I decided I wanted to try Indian food, I started searching recipes to see what was involved. Some recipes for tikka masala had an ingredient list a mile long. I picked the ones that didn't. When you're trying something new, don't feel like you have to use the most authentic recipe or the fanciest one. The less you have to buy the more new things you can try.

4. Look for bargains: Did you know places like Marshall's, TJ Maxx, Ross, and Home Goods have food sections? You can get otherwise really expensive specialty ingredients for cheap. For the dish I made, I needed garam masala (an Indian spice mix). At the grocery store, it was pricey, but at Home Goods, it was much more reasonable. Did you know that in the grocery store, often the spices in the international foods aisle are much cheaper than the ones in the baking aisle? The cumin that's in the Latino food section is the same cumin in the spice section, but it costs less. Also, feel free to swap out things on the ingredient list with things you already have. If the recipe calls for tomato paste and you have ketchup, use it. If the recipe calls for smoked paprika and you have regular paprika, use it.

With a little ingenuity and planning, you can try new dishes without having sacrifice your best laid budget plans! On to the recipe!

Notes: This tikka masala was not particularly hot, so we added some hot sauce to ours. The powder I got was no hotter than regular curry powder. If you want a stronger flavor, you could use 3 teaspoons instead of 2. I would start with 2 if you're not sure.

I used plain white rice, but feel free to use brown or Basmati if you're feeling fancy.

Ingredients:
1 large eggplant
1 can chickpeas
1 onion
6-7 cloves of garlic
1 bunch parsley
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 cup water or chicken stock
1 can tomato paste
1/2 cup whole milk or plain yogurt
Extra hot sauce (optional)
Salt
Olive oil
Rice for serving

Directions:

Start by prepping all the veggies. Dice the onion, mince the garlic, and dice the eggplant. Drain and rinse the chickpeas.

Heat the oil (I used about 3 tablespoons) in a large skillet on medium high. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft and fragrant. Add the garam masala and cook until fragrant. Be careful not to burn the spices. If the pan starts to look too dry add a little water to the pan.

When the spices are fragrant, add the eggplant. Season with salt. Cook until the eggplant is just tender. Pour in the water or stock. Stir in tomato paste. Turn the heat down to medium/medium low (it needs to bubble, but not vigorously) and cover. Simmer for 20-30 minutes.

While the tikka masala is simmering, cook the rice and chop the parsley. After 20-30 minutes is up, turn off the heat and stir in the milk or yogurt. Serve by putting a bed of rice on a plate and then topping it with tikka masala. Sprinkle with parsley and enjoy!

Q.E.D.: Grilled Black Bean Burgers

I saw this recipe over at The Pioneer Woman not long ago. I knew I wanted to try it, but I decided to wait until the weekend. I usually don't do new recipes during the week because I want to give myself extra time in case they're more complicated than I expect.

Well, these were so quick and easy they took me no time at all. A Q.E.D. black bean burger? Say hello to your next weeknight meal!

Notes: The original recipe has these shallow-fried, but I decided I wanted the grill marks. I think it came out well. The important thing is just to get a nice crust on the outside and heat the beans all the way through.

The hot sauce is optional here, but it really wakes up the flavor of the beans. You could replace it with some lime juice or extra Worcestershire sauce.

This recipe makes 4 patties. Use your favorite burger toppings! I love mashed avocado on mine, so I included that.

Ingredients (adapted from this recipe):
2 15 oz. cans black beans
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1 egg
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt
Hamburger buns
Tomatoes
Spinach or Lettuce
Avocado
Slices of cheese (I used pepper jack)

Directions:

Drain the beans in a strainer (do not rinse). Transfer to a bowl. Using a fork or potato masher, smash the beans until they form a thick, chunky paste (you want to leave some beans whole).

Add in the egg, bread crumbs, spices, salt, sugar, hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Mix everything together with your hands. If the mixture seems too soft, sprinkle in a few more bread crumbs until it feels sticky. Let stand 5 minutes.

While you're waiting, slice the tomatoes and mash up the avocado. Heat the grill pan on high.

When the grill pan is hot, add the burgers. Cook 5-6 minutes per side. When they're done, top the burgers with spinach, tomatoes, mashed avocado and serve.

Enjoy Q.E.D. grilling any night of the week!

Q.E.D.: One-Pot Mexican Veggie Rice

School has finally started again. I will miss my quiet summer days, but I am excited to be back in the swing of things.

Since school has started, we definitely need another Q.E.D. meal.

Notes: We like things spicy in this house, so I used spicy ketchup and hot sauce. If you're not a fan of spice, leave one of them out.

You could sprinkle some cheese on top of this if you like, but we skipped it.

Feel free to change up any of the ingredients! Use whatever veggies you like.

Ingredients:
1 can black beans
1 can crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons spicy ketchup (I used Heinz Tabasco)
10-12 dashes of hot sauce
1 large or 2 small zucchini
1 shallot
4-5 garlic cloves
1 cup of frozen corn
2 tablespoons cumin
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 cups minute rice
1/2 cup water
1 bunch fresh cilantro
Salt
Pepper
Butter or olive oil for sauteeing

Directions:

Mince the garlic and dice the shallot and zucchini. Add butter or oil to a large skillet with a lid. When the butter melts or the oil is hot, add shallot, garlic, and zucchini cook for about five minutes.

While that's cooking, rinse and drain the beans. Add beans and corn to the pan. Season with salt, pepper, cumin, and chili powder. Stir everything together. Add tomatoes, ketchup, water, and hot sauce.

Bring everything to a boil. Add the rice and stir. Cover and turn the heat back to medium-low. Simmer for 15 minutes. While the rice is cooking, chop the cilantro and stir it in when the time is up.

Serve and enjoy!

Lima Bean, Tomato, and Corn Salad

One can never had too many recipes that are suitable for ferrying to parties. Summer time means lots of cookouts, BBQs, family reunions, and pot lucks.

Dishes that travel well have a couple of good qualities. First, they don't contain ingredients that spoil easily (read: no mayo). Second, they are flexible and can be easily doubled or tripled. Finally, they don't take hours and hours of prep (who wants to spend all day or morning in the kitchen while you're trying to get ready for a party?). This salad meets all the criteria.

Notes: I wouldn't recommend canned lima beans for this. They are too mushy and salty, and they won't have the nice bright green color to make the salad pretty. Frozen lima beans work much better.

You can substitute frozen corn with no problem, but since it's summer and corn is in season, I thought fresh would be great.

This salad doesn't have a heavy dressing. I just used fresh herbs and the toasted garlic.

You can easily double or triple this recipe depending on how many people you need to serve. This will serve 4-6 depending on the serving size.

Ingredients:
1 bag frozen lima beans
3 ears fresh corn
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
1 small bunch parsley
1 small bunch chives
3-4 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons butter
Salt
Pepper

Directions:

Start by shucking the corn. Strip the kernels off by standing the ears up in the middle of a large bowl and running your knife down the side.

Heat a large skillet on medium and add the butter. While the butter melts, mince the garlic. Add the garlic to the butter and sautee until it just starts to turn light golden brown. Add the corn and lima beans (don't bother defrosting). Season liberally with salt and pepper. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the corn and lima beans are tender, about 7-10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

While the beans and corn are cooling, slice the tomatoes in half and mince the chives and parsley. Add them to the bowl you plan to serve the salad in. When the corn and beans are cool, add them to the tomatoes and toss everything together. Serve immediately or let it chill in the fridge. Enjoy!

Classic Hot Dog Chili + Hot Dog Chili Tacos

Since this week was 4th of July, everyone was making classic American cookout foods. A friend of ours decided to have a hot dog and America-themed movie night in honor of Independence Day. All of the guests were assigned to bring hot dog toppings that are traditional in the region you grew up in.

Of course, the classic NC hot dog is mustard, hot dog chili, and cole slaw. We could have purchased canned chili, but what would be the fun of that?

Everyone knows that the downside of having a 4th of July cookout is that you often end up with leftovers you don't quite know what to do with. That's why I've included a recipe that helps you use up the rest of your hot dog chili.

Notes: Hot dog chili isn't the same as the chili you would eat in a bowl. It's thinner and the meat is less chunky. That consistency is achieved with water and a potato masher.

We were able to find spicy ketchup in the store, but if you don't have any, just use a combination of regular ketchup and hot sauce.

Ingredients for Hot Dog Chili (adapted slightly from this recipe):
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup spicy ketchup (we used Heinz Tabasco ketchup)
1/3 cup water
10 oz. tomato puree
2 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Ground pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat a non-stick pot on medium-high. Add the ground beef and break it up into chunks. Switch to a potato masher to get the crumbly texture. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, sugar, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir in water, ketchup and tomato puree. Bring everything to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Ingredients for Hot Dog Chili Tacos (makes 6 tacos):
2 cups leftover hotdog chili
6 taco shells
1 15 oz. can pinto or kidney beans
1/2 pint cole slaw (I used store bought)
1 1/2 cups grated cheese (I had mahon, but sharp cheddar would be great)

Directions:

Heat oven to 350. In a small sauce pan, heat the leftover chili and beans together. Stir well.

Bake the taco shells for 5 minutes. When the shells are done and the chili is hot, assemble the tacos. Put the chili at the bottom, add the cheese and put the cole slaw on top. Enjoy!

Q.E.D.: Black Bean and Zucchini Tacos

Remember how I told you not to toss out the zucchini innards from the mexican zucchini boats? Well, you'll be glad you didn't because now you can make black bean and zucchini tacos!

You may have noticed that we eat a lot of tacos around here. That is partly because tacos are delicious. Who doesn't like tacos? It's like not liking kittens (I'm a dog person and even I love kittens). The other reason we eat a lot of tacos is because we (a) often have leftover bits of something-or-other that we need to use up and (b) tacos are super fast. Tacos: economical and low maintenance.

Notes: If you don't have leftover zucchini innards, you can just substitute 2 small zucchini. 

I had leftover stuffing from the zucchini boats, so my tacos have rice in them. It will make the tacos more filling, but if you're not a fan of multiple starches, you can leave the rice out. 

Tacos are a wonderful excuse to try different kinds of cheese. We experimented with mahon this time. It was great! 

Ingredients:

1 box taco shells

2 small zucchini (or leftover zucchini innards)

1 cup cooked rice

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 15 oz. can black beans

1/2 bag of frozen corn

4-5 cloves of garlic

1 small onion

1 small bunch cilantro

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon cumin

10 or so dashes hot sauce

5 oz. mahon cheese (or manchego, or your favorite taco cheese)

2 tablespoons butter

Salt

Pepper

Directions:

Heat the oven to the temperature listed on the instructions for the taco shells (usually 325 or 350). 

Dice the zucchini and the onion and mince the garlic. Roughly chop the cilantro. Rinse and drain the beans.

In a large skillet, heat butter on medium high until it melts. Stir in the chili powder and cumin to form a loose paste. Add the zucchini, garlic, and onion. Sautee until tender. Season with salt and pepper. Add in the rice, beans, corn, tomato paste, and hot sauce. Stir to combine and turn the heat back to medium. 

Heat the taco shells for about 5 minutes (follow the box directions). While the taco shells are heating, grate your cheese. 

When the shells are done, fill them up and top them with cheese. Enjoy!

Mexican Zucchini Boats

Remember the stuffed tomatoes I made a little while ago? Well, the stuffing-things-into-summer-produce bug has bit me. I made up my mind several weeks ago to try some sort of stuffed zucchini, but I hadn't decided what I was going to stuff it with. I was thinking about burritos the other day and inspiration struck: mexican zucchini boats.

Notes: You can make the rice with just water, but you'd be sacrificing an amazing amount of flavor. Canned tomato puree is easy and inexpensive. I happened to have fresh on hand, but I would have used canned otherwise. It gives the rice a lot of depth.

You want to make sure not to make the rice mixture too wet. If it seems to have too much liquid when it's finished, you can drain it (you'll have your strainer out anyway).

Don't toss out the zucchini innards once you're finished scooping! I've got a plan for those---stay tuned for the next recipe!

These are so cute, they would be great for entertaining.

Ingredients:
1 cup minute rice
1 cup tomato puree
2 medium-large zucchini
4-5 cloves of garlic
1 shallot
1 15 oz. can of black beans
10 dashes hot sauce
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon sugar
1 small bunch fresh cilantro
3-4 oz. cheese (I used Mahon), grated
Salt
Pepper
Butter or olive oil

Directions:

Heat oven to 400

Mince garlic, shallot, and cilantro. Rinse and drain the beans. Heat just about a tablespoon of olive oil or butter in a sauce pan over medium-high. When the oil is hot or butter melted, add the garlic and shallots and saute until just starting to turn translucent.

Season with salt and pepper. Add cumin, chili powder, sugar, and hot sauce. Pour in tomato puree and stir. Bring the mixture just to a boil and add the rice. Turn off the heat and let stand 5 minutes.

While the rice is finishing, cut the zucchini in half length-wise (I cut mine in half across first to make shorter boats). Using a spoon or melon baller, scoop some of the innards out of the zucchini. Be careful not to dig a hole in the bottom or the sides. Place the boats in an oiled baking dish and season the inside with salt and pepper.

When the rice is done, add in the black beans and cilantro and stir everything together. Using a slotted spoon to drain off the excess liquid, scoop the rice mixture into the zucchini boats, packing it in. Put grated cheese on top of each boat. Bake covered with foil for about 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for about 8-10 more minutes until zucchini is fork tender and the cheese starts to just brown.

Serve and enjoy!

Lemon Garlic String Beans

This dish is one of the first side dishes I learned to make really well. It's easy, but so flavorful, it's good enough for company. I've made it with just green beans several times. This time I found some great looking yellow wax beans and I thought the mix would be nice. It did not disappoint.

Notes: I use two different cooking methods on this. First, I steam the beans and then I saute them. The steaming gets them tender-crisp and the sauteing give them extra flavor and cooks the garlic.

This is such a great dish for beginner cooks. It doesn't have a ton of ingredients and since it's not complicated, it gives you a chance to work on some cooking basics like mincing garlic. You can cut the stem ends off the beans, but honestly it's faster for me to just snap them with my hands. I wrote the recipe the snapping way.

If you're new to cooking with lemons, the zest is your friend. The zest is the colorful part of the peel---the part above the white pith. The pith is bitter, but the zest has all the essential oils and lots of lemony flavor. I have a zester that I use to take off the zest, but you could just as easily use a microplane. Just be sure not to take off lots of pith along with your zest.

Ingredients:
1/2 pound of wax beans
1/2 pound of green beans
5-6 cloves of garlic
1 lemon
2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Directions:

Start by prepping the beans. Snap of the stem ends and snap the larger ones in half. Set aside. Mince the garlic and zest the lemon.

Add a small amount of water (just enough to cover the bottom) to a large skillet that has a lid. Heat the skillet on medium-high until the water starts to simmer and produce steam. Add the beans and steam the for about 10-12 minutes until the green beans turn emerald green (darker, but still obviously green).

Drain the water out of the pan and return to heat. Push the beans to the sides of the skillet and add the butter in the middle of the pan. When it melts, add the garlic and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper. Stir everything together and saute for about 5-7 minutes until some of the beans just start to brown.

Turn off the heat. Slice the lemon in half and squeeze the juice over the beans. Toss to coat, serve and enjoy!

Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Soup with Kale

Well, the snow just keeps piling up and I am OVER IT. I'm officially going on record as anti-snow. It may be pretty when it's falling, but once you've dealt with it for weeks on end, it loses its charm.

Since winter won't quit, neither will my winter comfort recipes. It was time to break out the slow cooker again for some soup.

Notes: The slow cooker is a winner again! This soup is hearty and exactly what you need on a cold winter night.

I used canned beans, but you could used dried beans as long as you soak them the night before. You can add those to the slow cooker with the other ingredients. Canned beans will fall apart if you cook them for 8 hours.

On ham hocks: you'll find them in the meat section of grocery store with the large hams and ham steaks. I would have liked a smoked one, but I couldn't find one. The one I got was a "country" ham hock, so it was salted. If you get one of these, DON'T add more salt to the soup. I used 1 tablespoon of cajun seasoning and my soup was a bit on the salty side. I'd err on the side of caution and use your favorite salt-free seasoning. A nice mix of cumin, paprika, and garlic powder would be a good. Use some red pepper flakes if you want some spice. You can always add salt if you need to.

Ingredients:
2 15 oz. cans of cranberry beans or pinto beans
1 ham hock
5-6 celery stalks
5-6 carrots
3-4 cups of unsalted chicken stock
1 onion
1 small bunch of kale (I used Lacinato)
Seasonings of choice (easy on the salt, see note)

Directions:

Peel and slice the carrots. Slice the celery. Dice the onion. Put the onion in the bottom of the slow cooker and place the ham hock on top of them. Add in carrots, celery, and stock. Season to taste. Set the slow cooker for 8-10 hours on low.

When there is an hour left of cooking time, rinse and drain the beans and add them to the slow cooker. Remove the bones from the ham hock and break up the pieces of meat, discarding the fat and skin. Once the time is up, thinly slice the kale and stir it in. Let sit for 5 minutes and serve.

The slow cooker: the number one chill killer! Enjoy!

Q.E.D.: Charred Corn and Black Bean Enchiladas

Scott and I just got back from visiting his brother, sister-in-law, and their twin girls. Their family has recently gone gluten free. Lots of people are doing that these days and many of them find it helps with a number of common problems. I'm all for experimenting with your diet in order to make life changes. Since I've cut out a lot of processed foods, I know I've felt better.

I decided I might try writing a recipe that could be made gluten free if you needed one. Everyone needs recipes in their arsenal that can please people with dietary restrictions. And if it's quick to make, all the better!

Notes: The ingredients I used were likely not all gluten free, so be sure you read the labels carefully.

Smitten Kitchen has more detailed directions for the charred corn and it was that recipe that was my inspiration for this one. If you don't have a gas stove, just skip this step. They won't be charred corn enchiladas, but they will still be delicious.

The brown rice tortillas, as it turns out, were not as pliable as the wheat tortillas, but heating them would have helped that. I wrote that step in the recipe. If you split a tortilla, no biggie. You'll cover it with sauce and cheese.

You don't taste the pumpkin in these, but it gives the texture of refried beans (without the work or the fat) and it pumps up the nutritional content. Perfection.

Trader Joe's enchilada sauce was pretty good. If you're feeling industrious, you can make your own, but it wouldn't be Q.E.D. for sure.

Ingredients:
1 can black beans
1/2 can pumpkin puree
2 ears corn
6 brown rice tortillas
1 jar/can of your favorite enchilada sauce
3 teaspoons cumin
1/2 tablespoon chili power
1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro
2 cups shredded cheese (colby jack works great)
Salt
Pepper

Directions: Heat oven to 375.

Open the beans, drain and rinse them under cold water, and set aside.

Shuck the ears of corn leaving the stem on for a handle. If you have a gas stove, turn on a burner to medium high. Hold the ears over the burner (you can rest them on it -- just watch them) and turn them until they start to char, pop, and turn brown.

Keep an eye on the corn, but go ahead and chop the cilantro. Add the pumpkin to a large bowl. Season with cumin, chili power, salt, and pepper. Add in the beans. When the corn is done, strip the kernels off  into the bowl with a sharp knife. Add in the chopped cilantro and mix everything together. Add in 1/2 cup of cheese and stir.

Warm your tortillas by wrapping them in a moist paper towel and zapping them in the mircowave for about 15-20 seconds.

In a 9x13 baking dish, pour about a tablespoon of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of the pan to coat it (alternatively, you can butter the dish). Assemble the enchiladas by adding about 3 tablespoons or 1/4 cup of filling in the tortilla, toward the bottom of the round. Roll the tortilla up from the bottom and set it in the dish seam side down.

When you're finished assembling, pour the rest of the sauce over all the tortillas and top with remaining cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes until bubbly and the cheese starts to brown.

Serve and enjoy!

Black Bean and Mango Tacos with Avocado Broccoli Slaw

Hello friends! Needless to say, it's been awhile (since January -- yikes!). I cannot promise that this marks the resuming of my regular posts, but I am certainly going to try.

So, how about a summer-y taco recipe?

Notes: I'm sans photo for this one. I thought I downloaded it, but I didn't.

I recommend that you allow the lime juice to soften the broccoli slaw while you're prepping everything else. It can be crunchy, which is part of the appeal, but it's easier to stir if it's not so stiff.

This slaw would be great on a burger or as a side dish. If you have someone in your life who is not a fan of mayo, avocado gives you the creamy texture to replace it.

Ingredients:
1 ripe mango
1 15 oz can black beans
2 ears fresh corn or half a bag of frozen
1 sweet onion
1/2 bag of broccoli slaw
1 lime
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
1 avocado
1 bunch cilantro
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons cumin
2-3 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons butter or oil
Salt
Pepper
Your favorite box of taco shells
Your favorite taco cheese (I used a gouda blend)

Directions:

In a medium bowl, squeeze half a lime over the broccoli slaw. Season with salt and pepper. Put it in the fridge to let it marinate while you prep everything else.

Dice the mango and onion, strip the kernels off the ears of corn, and mince the garlic. Rinse and drain the beans. Add butter or oil to a medium-heat skillet and toss in the chili powder, cumin, and garlic. Let them heat in the pan until they become fragrant. Add in the onion and cook until soft. Add in the black beans and mango, season with salt and pepper, and stir. If the mixture looks dry, add about a 1/2 cup of water. Let all the ingredients simmer (stir occasionally) while you finish the other prep.

Heat your oven to 350. Chop the cilantro. Slice the avocado, remove the pit, and empty the flesh into a small bowl. Squeeze the other half of the lime over it and add in the honey. Season with salt and pepper and mash it together with a fork.

Bake your taco shells (between 3-5 minutes). Grate the cheese (if you don't have pre-shredded) and toss the avocado dressing with the broccoli slaw. Add the cilantro to the black beans. Spoon the black bean mixture in the taco shells, add cheese, and top with crunchy slaw. Enjoy!

Royal Tacos

In ancient Rome, the color purple was associated with royalty. Purple dye was made from crushed sea shells that were only found on the shores of Phoenicia. Because the shells were rare, the dye was very expensive, so only royals or high-ranking aristocrats could afford it.

Lucky for you, you don't have to be royalty to enjoy these tacos. But they are purple nonetheless!

Notes: Scott said these were the best tacos he's ever had. That's a ringing endorsement! I loved them as well.

I'm a huge fan of the blue taco shells. To me, they have more flavor and they're just more fun.

Here's a fun trick: make these tacos for people and don't tell them what's in the mixture. I bet you they'll never guess that pumpkin is one of the ingredients. The pumpkin adds a creamy texture like refried beans, but you up the vitamin content and lower the fat content of the dish. But it doesn't taste like pumpkin.

Cooking the rice is the thing that takes the longest, so if you used minute rice, this could easily be Q.E.D..

I decided to make a little dressing for the cabbage, but you could leave it plain if you're not into mayo.

Ingredients:
2 ears fresh corn
1/2 small red cabbage
1 15 oz. can black beans
1 cup pumpkin puree
4-6 oz. Spanish cheese or white cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon mayo
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon dried dill
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon brown or raw sugar
1 tablespoon chipotle power
1 teaspoon oregano
1 cup brown rice
2 cups water
2 tablespoons butter, divided
Salt
1 box blue taco shells

Directions: Start with the rice. Add the rice, 1 tablespoon butter, and 2 cups water to sauce pan and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to medium and let it cook for 35-40 minutes.

Heat the oven to 350. Rinse and drain the beans. In a large bowl, strip the kernels off the corn cobs and set aside. In another bowl, add mayo, milk, and dill and whisk together. Thinly slice the cabbage and add it to the bowl in with the dressing and toss to combine. Season with salt and put the bowl in the fridge to chill.

When the rice has about 15 minutes of cook time left, heat a skillet on medium. Add the rest of the butter to the pan. When it melts, add the cumin, sugar, oregano, and chipotle and stir. Add in the beans, corn, and pumpkin. Stir everything together and turn the heat to low. If the mixture starts to look too dry or stick to the pan, add a little water.

When the rice is done, add it to the beans and pumpkin. Heat the taco shells according to the box directions (mine said bake for 5 minutes). While the shells are in the oven, grate the cheese.

When the shells are done, assemble the tacos and enjoy (royally)!

Q.E.D.: White Bean, Mushroom, and Kale Crostini

No one ever said that a Q.E.D. meal can't look and sound impressive. Quick need not equal boring!

Notes: I loved everything about this dish. It's fast, it's delicious, it's hearty, and it's pleasing to the eye. I allotted 3 pieces of bread per person, so if you need to feed more people, just keep that in mind.

This could easily be made into an appetizer if you used a small baguette. If you end up with leftover kale and mushrooms, you could mix them with rice or pasta and have a different meal the next day.

If you don't have an immersion blender or a food processor, you could just mash the beans with a fork or leave them whole and add them to the mushroom kale mixture.

Ingredients:
6-8 slices of sourdough bread
1/2 lb mushrooms
1/2 bunch kale leaves, de-stemmed
1 15 oz. can white beans
1 tablespoon cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons dried dill
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil

Directions: Heat the oven to 350.

Thinly slice the mushrooms and kale. Drain and rinse the beans.

Put the beans in a pot with just a small amount of water and heat on medium. Season them with the dill.

Heat a skillet on medium-high and add a tablespoon or so of olive oil. When it's hot, add in the mushrooms and saute until they start to brown. Season them with the cumin and stir. Add the kale to the mushrooms and stir to combine. Season the mixture with salt and pepper and turn the heat to low.

Put the slices of bread on a baking sheet. Brush them with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and bake for 5 minutes.

While the bread is toasting, use an immersion blender or food processor to puree the beans into a smooth mixture.

When the toasts are done, spread on a layer of beans and top with mushrooms and kale.

Enjoy!