Category: Vegetarian

Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers

~ Crystle ~ 6 Comments

I spent most of this morning looking up new recipes I could whip up with the ingredients I have on hand. I was lucky to come across Meg’s  recipe for these tasty burgers. I didn’t want to use quinoa, so instead I doubled the oats portion. I also added unsweetened cocoa powder to make these taste a little bit more like my vegetarian chili. I went ahead and rolled them in Panko to help them develop a crisp exterior. And oops! I forgot the sunflower seeds, but these burgers turned out pretty tasty.

Sweet Potato Burger

Black Beans

Uncooked Veggie Burger Patties

I somehow had these prepped and cooked within minutes of my husband coming home for lunch. I love the illuminated look on his face when he comes home, sniffs the air, and asks “what’s cooking?!” Pure joy.

His veggie burger was served up on artisan bread with iceberg lettuce, 1/4 of an avocado, red onion and provolone. Mine was served in a wheat tortilla, with Dijon mustard, 1/4 of an avocado and arugula. I also threw on some chopped onions on top. It was delicious.


Here’s the recipe, via Meg at Peaches & Cake:

  • 3 cups of sweet potatoes, peeled and mashed
  • 1 1/2 cups of black beans, rinsed (I cook a big batch of these almost every week, but feel free to use canned)
  • 1/2 cup yellow onion
  • 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
  • 1 1/2 cups of Panko to roll the patties in
  • 2/3 cup rolled oats, chopped finely in a food processor
  • 4-5 tablespoons of minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil
  • 1 tsp. cumin
  • 1 tsp. oregano
  • 3 tsp. chili powder
  • 2 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
  • cracked sea salt to taste
  • cracked pepper to taste
  • cayenne pepper to taste

Instructions:

  • Preheat oven to 375°F
  • Line cookie sheet with parchment paper
  • Baked sweet potatoes can take up to 1 hour to bake at 400°, feel free to microwave them instead for about 7 minutes. Not ideal, but it works if you’re pinched for time like I was.
  • Place half the bean mixture in the food processor and chop until they have a mashed consistency
  • Add all ingredients into large mixing bowl and stir well until they are well mixed
  • Form into patties about 1/2″ thick, or thinner for more crisp burgers
  • With your Panko poured into a shallow bowl, lay your patties on the Panko, one at a time. Flip over to make sure both sides are evenly coated with Panko crumbs.
  • Bake for 15 minutes, flip burgers then bake for 15 more minutes.

With nearly all veggie burgers, it’s fairly easy to tweak the ingredients list to create a delicious meal. If you have a winning combo of seasonings, try it! If you prefer a spicier burger, add jalapeños! The possibilities are endless. We’re having this for dinner tonight, alongside my favorite green bean salad. Can’t wait!

Green Bean, Goat Cheese and Plum Tomato Salad

Goat Cheese Plum Tomatoes
~ Crystle ~ 9 Comments

Goat Cheese Plum Tomatoes

I love goat cheese. I said it. Now it’s a published fact. And maybe some of you can agree.

Unfortunately, there was a time when the green bean was one of the only vegetables to appear on my dinner plate.  It was the same period of time when American cheese slices were the on-stock dairy treat and queso fresco was the only backup cheese. Blame it on a single-dad household, blame it on the Mexican heritage. We, as a relatively new American family, could not have known the dynamism of goat cheese. Hey, dad worked constantly  and without Mom in the picture, we did what we could.

In this kitchen, goat cheese crumbles fall onto leafy salads. It blends into pasta dishes like an exotic macaroni and cheese, which is exactly how 8 year-old-me would describe it. It also works its way into fruit salads, sandwiches and hors d’oeuvres. It’s our #1 draft pick (can you tell we’re in the midst of the NBA Finals? Go Thunder!) in the cheese section at Trader Joe’s! We LOVE it.

This combo is one that I picked up from Pam Anderson who had a similar combo with steamed potatoes.  This recipe requires only three ingredients, and salt and pepper to taste.

Of course you’ll want to rinse and chop off the ends of the green beans before you steam them. You can steam them in your rice cooker like I did, or put a metal strainer in a trusted stock pot with about an inch and a half of water, and boil covered for about 10-20 minutes. Check on them regularly. When they’re cooked, throw them into a mixing bowl with your quartered plum tomatoes (or cherry, or Roma, whatever you prefer). Mix in your goat cheese and season to taste. The goat cheese should melt and coat evenly.

Green Bean

The otherwise unassuming taste of green beans is enhanced by the tart flavor of the goat cheese. Tomatoes add an additional texture to the mix which overall culminates in an excellent side salad.

Goat Cheese Plum Tomatoes

The beauty of this salad is that you can apply this combo to a great many ingredients. Give it a go with rigatoni instead of green beans. Try it in wheat spaghetti! The possibilities are endless.

Hope you enjoy this recipe inasmuch as I enjoyed eating it. Bon appetite!

My First Roasted Vegetable Galette

~ Crystle ~ 5 Comments
 Hello Friends,
This week I had my nose buried in cookbooks to find new recipes to spice up our weekly menu. I discovered and absolutely love Pam Anderson‘s Cook Without a Book: Meatless Meals. Fact: when your library book has 20 little shards of paper marking recipes, it’s time to purchase the book. So I did. And everyday I sit by the mailbox like some old hound dog cartoon character, patiently awaiting my package. When it doesn’t arrive, I lamentably drag my long sad face back to the house to renew my library book.
Pam Anderson provides master formulas to a number of different dishes. When you have the formula memorized, all you have to do is plug in your favorite ingredients. That’s exactly how I operate in the kitchen! And it’s such a practical application to cooking. Open your crisper drawer and plug those ingredients into one of these beautiful meals.
I’ve already whipped up her galette (if you’re new to this dish like me, it’s basically a pretentious open faced vegetable pot pie) in two different varieties. Monday was the first time I’d even heard of the dish. Tuesday was the first time I attempted the dish. At that time, my crust folding technique needed work. By Wednesday I had the recipe mastered in two varieties. My husband is a fan too, he hasn’t even noticed that these are vegetarian dishes.
Well, I’m sure he has by this point in the post…
Nevertheless, if you’re in the library browsing the cookbook aisle, check out some of Pam Anderson’s books. Or check out her website Three Many Cooks and enjoy!