Black Bean and Quinoa Burgers

A new favorite recipe. I've been trying for a great veggie burger recipe and it finally worked. The burgers held together perfectly and the spice mix is wonderful. I ate mine plain with a dollop of avocado-yogurt on top and a side of shaved zucchini salad.

BLACK BEAN & QUINOA BURGERS

1 can black beans, drained
3/4 cup of cooked quinoa
1/2 cup red onion, diced
1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup shiitake mushrooms, diced
Olive oil
1/3 cup parsley
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp ancho chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp chipotle powder
1/4 tsp sambal
1 egg
1/2 - 1 cup bread crumbs

- Saute the red onion in a pan until softened. In a separate pan saute the shiitake mushrooms until they have released their liquid

- In a food processor, combine all of the ingredients except the egg and bread crumbs and pulse until combined

- Stir in the egg and the bread crumbs a little at a time until the mixture can loosely hold together when formed into patties

- Heat  oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Form the patties and  place in the hot pan 2 at a time. Cook for 5 minutes, then flip and cook for another 5 minutes. Add more oil as necessary, form the remaining mixture into patties and cook.

Anniversary Eve Dinner

Jason and I recently celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary! We dined at The Girl & the Goat on the actual day, which was an amazing meal that exceeded all expectations. The night before, a Sunday, we followed our usual Sunday tradition of hunkering down to cook a meal together and enjoy al fresco dining on the porch.

Our anniversary eve menu included:

Filet
Roasted potatoes
Sauteed beet greens
Ragu of asparagus, garlic scape, and shiitake mushrooms

With the meal we enjoyed a bottle of Brunello we carried back with us from Montalcino on our 1 year anniversary trip back to Tuscany!

Homemade Worcestershire Sauce

I came across this recipe on the America's Test Kitchen website and had to try it! Luckily, I had a 2 week break from classes, giving me some free time on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I got myself into a bit of a cooking frenzy one day which was kickstarted by this recipe for homemade worcestershire sauce. I adjusted the cooking times a dash which I'll note in the recipe below. Overall, something emerged which smelled and tasted remarkably like worcestershire sauce! We've already used it in some burger patties to rave reviews. And over the past few weeks the flavors have melded into something even more delicious.

Is it time or cost effective? Not really. Was it fun? Yes. And is it always more satisfy to make a condiment rather than buy it? Of course.

HOMEMADE WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE

1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground clove
½ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup white vinegar
½ cup water
½ cup molasses
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon tamarind paste
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 shallots, minced
5 anchovies, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced

- Toast pepper, ginger, cinnamon, clove, onion powder, and cayenne in small skillet over medium heat, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer spices to bowl; set aside. Whisk vinegar, water, molasses, fish sauce, and tamarind paste together in second bowl; set aside.

- Heat oil in small saucepan over medium-low heat until shimmering. Add shallots and cook until softened and browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add anchovies, garlic, and toasted spices and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

- Whisk in vinegar mixture, scrapping up any browned bits. Bring to boil and let simmer for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 1 hour.

- Strain sauce through fine-mesh strainer; discard solids. Use immediately, or refrigerate for up to 2 months.

Lemony Snow Peas and Mixed Mushrooms

Trying to catch up on some recipes that have come into regular rotation recently. This recipe was adapted from the Chatelaine cook book. It works with both snap peas and snow peas and is a great summer side. The menu included:

Moroccan Chicken Thighs
Lentils
Lemony Snow Peas and Mixed Mushrooms

LEMONY SNOW PEAS & MIXED MUSHROOMS

1 lb snow peas or snap peas
1/2 lb mixed mushrooms (we've been using shiitake, crimini, and hen of the woods)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 Tbsp butter
1 lemon
pinch garlic powder
salt
pepper

- Slice mushrooms (discard stems from shiitake)
- Melt butter in oil in a pan over medium-high heat (this can also be done in a cast iron skillet on the grill for the summer)
- Add mushrooms and a dash of salt. Let cook, mainly undisturbed, so the mushrooms will start to brown
- When mushrooms stop releasing liquid and are browned, add the peas and the juice of half a lemon
- Cook, stirring, until peas are tender crisp and lemon juice is reduced

Flower Boxes

This year has thrown me slightly off my game. However, my first summer class ended Thursday and practicum ended Friday. I have a carefree weekend before I start a 4 week stint as an aide for an extended school year program at an alternative school for kids with emotional and behavioral disabilities. I'm not sure what I'm getting myself into. But to celebrate this weekend, I got my flower boxes planted!!! The sun is too strong right now to get a good photo of how they look from the yard, so I moved it into the shade on the table for a quick shot!

Left to Right Front Row: Snowstorm Giant Snowflake (Sutera cordata), Sweet Caroline Sweetheart Purple Sweet Potato Vine, Mezoo Trailing Red (Dorotheanthus) , purple potato vine, mezoo, purple potato vine, snowstorm giant snowflake)


Left to Right Back Row: Fireworks Variegated Fountain Grass (Pennisetum setaceum), Angelface White (angelonia angustifolia hybrid), Dracanae Spike (Cordyline indivisa), Angelface White, Fireworks Variegated Fountain Grass


Middle: White Vinca

I am taking full advantage of the small break I have before summer classes begin. Practicum continues, but having those two days without classes has been heavenly. It's been full of guilty pleasures like sleeping in, long walks, an overdue manicure, and, of course, cooking.

Today started with a plan to make homemade worcestershire sauce. I had more tamarind paste than I needed, which led logically to tamarind jam. Somehow, spiced peanuts were tossed into the mix and two quinoa recipes also migrated out of my kitchen.

The worcestershire is mellowing and the jam is cooling. Recipes to follow shortly.

Avocado Asparagus Tartine

A couple of weeks ago I made this amazing avocado asparagus tartine from 101cookbooks. I adore this website and have found every recipe I've tried to be delicious. This tartine was no exception. I had never before considered combining asparagus and avocado. I made just two little tartines (halved the recipe) for Jason and I to enjoy one evening as an amuse bouche while we cooked dinner one evening and look forward to serving this again. Bookclub perhaps?

4 toasted slices of whole grain bread or french baguette
1/2 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 pound thin asparagus stalks, trimmed to be the length of the bread
1 garlic clove thinly sliced (optional)
1/2 teaspoon carraway seeds
1 avocado pitted and smashed with a splash of lemon juice
a couple of handfuls of arugula tossed in olive oil
toasted pepitas

• Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat
• Add asparagus and a pinch of salt and cook for about 30 second
• Add the garlic and carraway seeds and cook for another 30 seconds or so and remove from the heat
• Spread each slice of bread generously with the mashed avocado
• Top with a bit of arugula, several asparagus spears and a few pepitas

* I made mine without the arugula and it was still delicious!

Potatoes, Peas and Green Beans in Coconut Red Curry Sauce

Jason created this dish to accompany my stir fried vegetables with lemongrass. I love the amazing variety of flavor profiles there are in thai cooking. We managed to use up the rest of the coconut milk from Sunday's peanut sauce for the spring rolls, and we have leftovers for several more meals. Both of these dishes were incredibly simple but lovely and complex in flavor.

2 yukon gold potates, peeled and cut into large cubes
1/2 - 3/4 pound green beans
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/4 very large onion, sliced
1/2 cup coconut milk
2 Tablespoons red curry paste

• Cover the potatoes with water and boil until fork tender. Drain.
• In a large pan, saute the onion in a little oil until softened
• Add the curry paste and cook for another 2-3 minutes
• Add the beans
• Add the coconut milk and peas and simmer on low about 5 minutes
• Add the potatoes and heat through