Quinoa Burgers

Original Recipe

Ingredients

2 rounded cups cooked quinoa
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or other variety, if you prefer)
1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1 medium carrot, grated
3 eggs
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 green onions, including white parts
1 /2 teaspoon Splenda or sugar
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
Olive oil for frying

Directions
In a large bowl combine the 2 rounded cups of cooked quinoa, cheddar cheese, cottage cheese, carrot, eggs, flour, green onions, sugar, pepper, cumin, salt, and garlic powder.

Heat a frying pan and a couple teaspoons olive oil over medium-low heat.  (To help them stay in patty form and not fall apart, it’s best to cook the patties on medium-low heat so they have longer to set-up without burning. This makes them easier to flip, too.) The mixture will be slightly sticky, so using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, drop mixture into pan and lightly flatten to 1/2 inch thick. Fry until golden-brown, about 4-6 minutes each side. When done cooking, place patties on a plate lined with a paper towel to drain off any excess oil and serve warm.

Lentil & Rice Pilaf with Yogurt Sauce

A recipe from my friend Wendy.  This has become a regular at our house- healthy, meatless & tasty.


Lentils & Rice

1 cup small french green or brown lentils (I've used both-- the green have a little better texture, but brown is just fine too)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
1 t minced garlic
3/4 cup long grain white rice
1 t salt
3/4 t cumin
1/2 t pepper

1-In a 3 qt sauce pan, bring lentils and 2 1/2 cups water to a boil.  Cover and let simmer until tender - about 20-25 minutes. Drain.

2-Meanwhile, add oil, onions and garlic to a 12 inch frying pan over medium heat.  Stir and cook until onions are golden.  Add rice, salt, cumin & pepper.  Stir until rice looks opaque- about 3 minutes.

3- Stir in drained lentils & 2 more cups of water.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover & simmer.  Stir occasionally until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes.  (Sometimes i have to add a little extra liquid to get the rice tender.  Serve with Yogurt Sauce


Yogurt Sauce
1 c plain lowfat yogurt
1/3 c finely chopped, seeded cucumber
1/4 t minced garlic
1/4 t dried mint
1/4 t pepper

Mix well & serve over lentils & rice.

You could serve this as a side dish with chicken or fish, but I serve it as a main dish, usually with some wheat toast and fruit.  Love the leftovers for lunch.

Falafel

Ingredients
2 16 oz cans chickpeas, rinsed
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
3 garlic cloves, smashed
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 handfuls fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves coarsely chopped
1 handful fresh cilantro, leaves coarsely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 tablespoons flour
1 egg

Vegetable oil, for frying

Pulse chickpeas to coarsely grind in food processor, not until smooth but with no whole chickpeas remaining either. Add the baking powder, onion, garlic, spices, and herbs; process until the mixture is pureed; scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Add flour and egg and mix well.  Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate while heating the oil, this should take about 15 minutes.

Pour 3-inches of the oil in a deep fryer or deep heavy pot and heat to 375 degrees F. Roll the falafel mixture into ping-pong size balls. Carefully slip a few at a time into the hot oil, making sure they don't stick to the bottom. Fry until the chickpea fritters are a crusty dark brown on all sides, turning as needed, about 5 minutes per batch.  You can optionally smash slightly and pan fry in a very small amount of olive oil.

Remove the falafels with a slotted spoon and drain on a platter lined with paper towels.  Serve immediately with pitas and tzatziki or tahini sauce.

Cucumber Sauce (Tzatziki)

1 (6 ounce) container plain yogurt
1/2 cucumber - peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon mayonnaise

Shredded lettuce, sliced tomatoes, chopped cucumbers
8 warm pitas, store bought or homemade

Grilled Eggplant

Cheryl wanted me to post this recipe from the other night on here.  I don't buy eggplant on a regular basis, but these came in our Bountiful Basket so I looked up a recipe.

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, very finely minced
1 pinch each thyme, basil, dill, and oregano
salt and freshly grated black pepper

Preparation:
Heat grill. When grill is hot, slice eggplant about 1/2-inch thick (I sliced it different than what is shown in the picture). In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, herbs, salt, and pepper. Brush both sides of the eggplant slices with the oil and vinegar mixture.

Place eggplant on the hot preheated grill. Grill about 15 to 20 minutes, turning once.

Bell Pepper and Onion Crostini with Pesto

Recipe from epicurious

Crostini
1 (18- to 22-inch-long) baguette, cut into 60 (1/4-inch-thick) slices
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 350°F. Put baguette slices on 2 large baking sheets, then brush tops with oil and season with salt and pepper or garlic powder. Bake in batches in middle of oven until pale golden, about 10 minutes. Cool on a rack.

I actually just bought 3 loaves of day old bread from Jimmy John's. It's something like 50 cents for an 18 inch loaf, and I used all 3 loaves.

Peppers and Onions
6 assorted red, yellow, and orange bell peppers (3 pounds), cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips
2 large onions (1 1/2 pounds), cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
Pesto

Cook bell peppers, onions, and garlic with salt in oil in a wide 4- to 6-quart heavy pot over moderately low heat, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until softened, 20 to 25 minutes. Cover pot and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are very tender and just starting to brown, 20 to 25 minutes more. Stir in vinegar and remove from heat. Do not add the pesto yet.

Pepper mixture 1 day ahead and chilled separately, covered. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Assemble crostini:
Put about 1 tablespoon pepper mixture on each toast and top with about 1/4 teaspoon pesto. Serve immediately.

This made a lot, maybe 150, give or take, so you might want to scale it back a little. Then again, maybe not.

Zucchini Bites

I made these as the appetizer portion of a progressive dinner. I was in charge of the appetizers, which we ate all together (around 50-60 people), and then everyone broke out to their assigned houses.

Along with these, we had hummus with spiced (and plain) pita chips, no-knead dutch oven bread, and bell pepper and onion crostini, which I'll post separately.

Ingredients:

5 medium zucchini (about 6 inches long)
Bleu or Feta cheese
Several sticks of string cheese
Pesto
Pepper
1 pint cherry tomatoes

Cut zucchini into 3/4 inch slices, and use a melon baller to scoop out the insides. Fill the whole with a small chunk of the string cheese, add a tomato slice on top of that, and then sprinkle with pepper, bleu or feta cheese, and maybe 1/4 teaspoon of pesto.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. The original recipe calls for only about 5 minutes in the oven just to melt the cheese, but I like cooked zucchini better than raw zucchini, so I cooked it longer.

When I made these, they were out of cherry tomatoes, so I just bought roma tomatoes, and I cut them in slices like you see in the picture and then in half, so they hung over the edge a little bit. Some people thought it was a sushi roll with a little piece of salmon.

This will make about 35 zucchini bites.

String Beans with Garlic

So I made these beans tonight and Jacob and Zach said they were the best beans they ever had.


From the Barefoot Contessa
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds French string beans, both ends removed (I bought mine at Walmart in a little bag)
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon good olive oil
2 to 3 garlic cloves, sliced
Freshly ground black pepper
Directions

Blanch the string beans in a large pot of boiling salted water for just 1 1/2 minutes. Drain immediately and immerse in a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. When they are cool, drain and set aside.

Heat the butter and olive oil in a very large saute pan over medium heat and cook the garlic for 1 to 2 minutes, tossing occasionally, until lightly browned. Add the string beans, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss together. Reheat the string beans and serve.

Tomatoes at last!

Our tomatoes have been slowly ripening. This means dinners like BLTs (with added avocado and bleu cheese..yum).. and this delicious treat. I fed the kids mac and cheese and ate this for dinner tonight:

Baked Caprese Salad (or tomato cheese toast)

adapted from Giada Delaurentis

Ingredients
slices of crusty bread (today I used ciabatta)
extra-virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
sliced tomatoes
sliced fresh mozzarella
fresh basil leaves

Directions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Arrange the sliced baguette bread on a baking sheet. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake until the bread is pale golden and crisp, about 5 minutes. Keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn! Remove from the oven. Top each slice of bread with a slice of tomato and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top each slice of tomato with a slice of mozzarella and sprinkle with salt. Return the baking sheet to the oven until the cheese and tomato are warmed, about 5 minutes. Top each toast with a basil leaf. Using the brush, drizzle the remaining olive oil over the basil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve.

*photo from foodnetwork.com

Tomato Artichoke Spaghetti

I'm always looking for a good meatless meal. I never thought I would hear Russ classify a meatless meal as one of his favorites, but this one is. I believe Cheryl has made it with added sausage and you could add chicken, but I like it just as is. There are tons of great pics and step by step instructions at The Pioneer Woman.

• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
• ½ whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced
• 1 can Artichoke Hearts (14.5 Oz. Quartered Or Whole) Drained (I buy quartered and chop them in smaller pieces)
• 1 can Diced Tomatoes With Juice (14.5 Oz.)
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• ½ cups Chicken Broth (More As Needed)
• ½ teaspoons Nutmeg (I leave this out)
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 1 pound Thin Spaghetti
• 1 cup Parmesan Cheese, Freshly Grated (I use regular old Kraft in the green bottle)
• 2 Tablespoons Fresh Chives (or Other Herbs) Chopped (I've never put this on, but I will now that its garden season)

Cook spaghetti till al dente. Drain and set aside.
Melt olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute for 2 to 3 minutes.
Add artichoke hearts and tomatoes. Stir and cook for 8 to 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Stir in cream and chicken broth. Add salt and pepper to taste (do not undersalt!) Cook over low heat until heated through, then turn off heat.
Place drained pasta in a large bowl. Sprinkle with 1 cup Parmesan. Pour sauce over the top. Add chives. Toss lightly to combine and coat; add a tiny bit of reserved pasta water if sauce seems too thick. (Christie note: I toss the drained spaghetti with parm. in the pasta pot, mix the pasta with the sauce in my big skillet. The sauce thickens as you mix it around & let it sit. Its great the day of and even better as leftovers the next day)

Grilled Asparagus

This recipe comes from our always reliable Better Homes & Gardens Grilling Book. It is a super easy (and delicious) way to cook asparagus if you are already grilling. If you have never tasted the wonders of crispy asparagus tips, definitely give it a try.

• 1 pound asparagus spears, trimmed
• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Dried dill
• Salt & pepper
• Finely shredded Parmesan cheese

Place asparagus on a sheet of aluminum foil or disposable foil pan. Drizzle with butter and sprinkle with garlic, dill, salt and pepper. Toss to mix. Grill for 5-7 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally. The tips should be slightly crispy and the stalks tender. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Makes 4-6 servings.

Tomatillo Salsa

We got a Mexican Food Pack along with the standard Bountiful Baskets delivery this week. It came with tomatillos, cilantro, serrano peppers, onions, avocado, limes, and a ton of tortillas.

I found this Tomatillo Salsa recipe which matched up pretty closely with the ingredients we had received, so that's what ended up on the menu last night.

I marinated some chicken for a few minutes in a little bit of milk, vinegar, chili powder, garlic, cumin, and probably a few other random spices from the cupboard and sauteed it with onion and bell pepper.

For the rice, I was going to post the recipe I used, but it was very similar to the Lime Rice Pilaf just barely posted here, so no need to duplicate. I pretty much just throw some bouillon cubes, cilantro, and lime juice into the rice cooker along with the rice and water.

So we served up the rice, chicken, and tortillas along with guacamole, sour cream, and some fruit salad for a pretty good Mexican dinner.

On to the Tomatillo Salsa:

Ingredients

1 1/2 lb tomatillos
1/2 cup chopped white onion
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon sugar
2 Jalapeño peppers OR 2 serrano peppers, stemmed, seeded and chopped
Salt to taste

Method

1 Remove papery husks from tomatillos and rinse well.

2 Cut in half and place cut side down on a foil-lined baking sheet. Place under a broiler for about 5-7 minutes to lightly blacken the skin.

3 Place tomatillos, lime juice, onions, cilantro, chili peppers, sugar in a blender and pulse until all ingredients are chopped and mixed. Season to taste with salt. Cool in refrigerator.

Serve with chips or as a salsa accompaniment to Mexican dishes.

Makes 3 cups.

I broiled the peppers, tomatillos, and onions. I also threw in a couple green onions. I used two serrano peppers, and it was very mild. I was expecting it to be hotter and would have put in more peppers now if I knew how mild it was going to be. Supposedly with both jalapenos and serranos, sometimes they're really mild and other times really hot, so maybe we just got a mild batch of serranos.