Sweet Tater Black Bean Burgers

(Picture from Edible Perspective.)

This recipe was suggested by Lydia W. She found it at Edible Perspective. (Take a peak over there if you like having picture steps to go along with your recipes.)

Ingredients:

• 15oz black beans, drained and rinsed
• 3c cubed sweet tater, cooked and skin on [~1.5lbs]
• 1/2c frozen or fresh corn
• 2/3c finely chopped onion [1/2 medium onion]
• 2 large garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1/2c cooked quinoa
• 6T rolled oats, partially ground
• 2T sunflower seeds
• 1/2t salt
• black pepper
• 1t cumin
• 1t oregano
• 1/4t coriander
• 1t chili powder
• 1/4t cayenne [optional]
• 1T olive oil 

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 375* once you finish cooking the quinoa + potato.
2. Mash half of the beans in a bowl until paste-like.
3. Add in the rest of the beans and give a very light stir/mash to combine.
4. In a large bowl, mash the sweet tater.  Each cube should be mashed, but you don’t want it creamy.
5. Stir in the salt, pepper, oregano, coriander, chili powder, cayenne [if using] and olive oil, until combined.
6. Mix in the onion, garlic, corn, black beans, quinoa, sunflower seeds, and ground oats, until just combined.
7. Taste, and adjust seasonings to your liking.
8. Form into balls, between your hands and flatten into 1/2”-3/4” thick patties.  This should make 8 medium/large patties.
9. Place on a pan lined with parchment paper [or lightly greased pan] and bake on each side for 15min, flipping once, half-way through.
10. Remove from oven and serve! 

*If you want to refrigerate or freeze them, let fully cool on a cooling rack.  Place in a sealed container for the fridge, or wrap in saran, then foil, then in a bag for the freezer.  If reheating a frozen burger, let it thaw completely.  Re-heat in a greased pan, over medium heat for ~3-5min per side, until hot throughout.
*To make the ground oats – Pulse your blender on + off, until you have the consistency about half way to flour.
*Instead of ground oats, feel free to sub – millet flour, oat flour, quinoa flour, whole wheat flour, etc.
*To pan cook – Heat a pan to medium and lightly grease.  Cook on each side for 5-8min, flip + cook another 5-8min until golden brown.
*For the grill – Bake burgers for 15min on one side, flip burgers once and bake another 10min.  While baking, preheat your grill slightly above medium [~350-375*]  Grease the grates and cook burgers for ~3min per side.

Yields 8 burgers

Notes about this recipe:

1. Left out oil, sunflower seeds & corn.
2. Added some liquid smoke.

Chana Masala

(Picture from Smitten Kitchen.)

I found this recipe at Smitten Kitchen. It was originally adapted at Food.com from a Madhur Jaffrey cookbook.

Ingredients: 

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 medium onions, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
• 1 fresh, hot green chili pepper, minced
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (I used a quarter of this because my cayenne is extremely hot)
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds, toasted and ground
• 1 tablespoon amchoor powder (see note)
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 2 cups tomatoes, chopped small or 1 15-ounce can of whole tomatoes with their juices, chopped small
• 2/3 cup water
• 4 cups cooked chickpeas or 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 lemon (juiced) (see note; I used a whole lemon to swap for the amchoor powder)

Note on amchoor powder--a sour flavor, so I upped the lemon juice instead.

Directions:

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onion, garlic, ginger and pepper and sauté over medium heat until browned, about 5 minutes. Turn heat down to medium-low and add the coriander, cumin, cayenne, turmeric, cumin seeds, amchoor (if using it), paprika and garam masala. Cook onion mixture with spiced for a minute or two, then add the tomatoes and any accumulated juices, scraping up any bits that have stuck to the pan. Add the water and chickpeas. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, then stir in salt and lemon juice.

Eat up or put a lid on it and reheat it when needed. Curries such as this reheat very well, later or or in the days that follow, should it last that long.

Notes about this recipe:

1.I halved the recipe and it was perfect for me, my hubby, and my toddler.
2. I followed the advice to use lemon juice instead of amchoor powder.
3. I omitted the paprika and the cumin seeds.
4. I used a can of diced tomatoes and just drained the juice into a measuring cup so I could chop the tomatoes up really small.

Lentil Barley Soup

(Picture from Karen Madsen)

This recipe was sent to me by Aubrey B. She says it is a family recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 c. lentils
• 1 c. barley
• 1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes (crushed would work too)
• 1 c. onion, chopped
• 1 c. celery, sliced
• 2 T Soy Sauce
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp dill weed (or your favorite spice blend)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 10 c vegetable broth (I usually do just 8 cups broth, and two cups water)
• Salt to taste

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to simmer. Cook 50 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add water if soup becomes too thick. Serves 10 normal eaters (or 4 if you have a Kevin [her hubby] eating it).

To make it into a stew, mix flour and water together and add to the soup until it reaches the thickness you desire. Wonderful served as a "gravy" over mashed potatoes.

Super Veggie Lentil Taco "Meat"

(Photo from The Ordinary Vegetarian)

This recipe was sent to me by Aubrey B. She said it has fabulous flavor and texture. She found it at The Ordinary Vegetarian.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup brown lentils, rinsed and picked over
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 large bell pepper, chopped (any color)
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms (any kind) (I left this out, since I didn't have any on hand, it worked just fine.)
• 1 carrot, peeled and sliced
• 2 ribs of celery, sliced
• 1-1/2 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• dash cayenne
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• Salt to taste

Directions:

Heat 1/4 cup water in a large skillet. Saute onion for 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic, bell pepper, and mushrooms and cook for another 3 minutes. If the pan starts to dry up and the contents start sticking, add a tablespoon or two more of water. Add in the lentils, carrots, celery, chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, bay leaf, and cayenne, and saute for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in the broth and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to medium low and cover. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. If the mixture starts drying out, add 1/4 cup water or broth. (I ended up putting in about 1/2 a cup extra water)

Remove from heat and carefully drain off any extra liquid (a little bit of liquid is fine, excessive liquid is not desirable). Remove bay leaf and stir in tomato paste and lime juice. Transfer to food processor or blender and pulse a few times, until a crumbly texture is achieved--do not puree. Serve hot.

Makes six 1/2 cup servings (about 3 cups), which could be used to make 12 tacos, 6 burritos, 6 taco salads, or 6 nacho platters.

Greek Quesadillas

This recipe was sent in by Vanessa H. She found it over at Annie's Eats. Head over there to see a picture of these yummy quesadillas. Vanessa says, "This is seriously to DIE for!"

Ingredients:

• 4 large (10-inch) whole wheat tortillas
• Olive oil
• Fresh spinach leaves, chopped (about 2 cups)
• Diced red onion (about ½ cup)
• Roasted red peppers, chopped
• Oven-dried tomatoes
• Sliced black olives
• Mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 1-1½ cups)
• Crumbled feta cheese (about 2/3 cup)
• Oregano (dried or fresh)
• Red pepper flakes
  

Directions:

1. Place tortillas on a work surface. Very lightly brush one side of each tortilla with olive oil and flip over so the oiled side is facing down. Sprinkle the chopped spinach leaves over half of each tortilla, leaving a small rim around the edge. Layer in a similar fashion with red onion, roasted red pepper, tomatoes, olives, cheeses, oregano, and red pepper flakes as desired. Fold over the bare half of each tortilla, enclosing the fillings.

2. Warm a skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat and if needed, lightly oil the cooking surface. Carefully place assembled quesadillas in the pan and cook, turning once, until each side is golden brown and the cheese is melted. Slice into triangles and serve warm.

Notes about this recipe:

1. I've tried it with oven-roasted tomatoes and with sun-dried tomatoes. Both are amazing.

Cheesy Vegetable Chowder

(Picture from Lulu the Baker.)

This recipe was sent to me by Vanessa H. She found it at Lulu the Baker.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup finely chopped carrot
• 1 stalk celery, finely chopped (feel free to add more celery if you like celery; I don't, so I don't add much)
• 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
• 4 cups chicken broth (I usually use a mixture of low-sodium chicken broth and broth made with chicken soup base because it gives it such nice flavor)
• 2 large baking potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 Tablespoon flour
• 1/2 cup water
• 2/3 cup milk
• 2 cups chopped broccoli
• 2 heaping cups shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Melt the butter in a large soup pot. Add onions, carrots, and celery and saute over medium heat until tender. Add garlic and cook 1 or 2 additional minutes. Add chicken broth and potatoes, bring to a boil, and cook until potatoes are tender. Mix flour with water, add, and simmer until soup is slightly thickened. Add milk and broccoli and cook until broccoli is just tender and soup is heated through. Stir in cheese, allow to melt, and serve.

Black Bean Burgers

I found this recipe over at Annie's Eats. It was yummy. I personally love those frozen bean burgers you can buy, and these were definitely a good homemade replacement! The author says she slightly adapted from The America’s Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook.

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup panko
• 3 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. olive oil, divided
• 2 (15 oz.) cans black beans, drained and rinsed, divided
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• ½ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and finely diced
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro, minced
• 1 shallot, minced

Directions:

Place a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Combine the panko with 2 teaspoons of the olive oil and mix with a fork to blend. Add the mixture to the skillet and toast the panko, stirring frequently, until light golden brown. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.

Place 2½ cups of the beans in a large bowl and mash with a potato masher or a fork until mostly smooth. In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, 1 tablespoon of the oil, cumin, salt and cayenne. Whisk to blend. Add the egg mixture, toasted panko, the remaining ½ cup beans, bell pepper, cilantro and shallot to the bowl with the mashed beans. Stir together until evenly combined.

Divide the mixture into 6 equal portions, about ½ cup each. Lightly pack into 1-inch thick patties. (At this point the patties can be covered tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 24 hours before cooking.) Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Carefully lay half of the patties in the skillet and cook until well browned on both sides, about 8-10 minutes total. Transfer the cooked burgers to a plate, tent with foil, and repeat with the remaining oil and bean patties. Serve warm. Makes 6 patties.

Notes about this recipe:

1. Watch that panko! It cooks quick!
2. I made my burgers a little smaller and less than 1/2 inch thick (I'm not a thick burger kind of girl).
3. Delish with lettuce, onions, tomatoes, mustard, ketchup...the works. I was going to eat mine with avocado but my avocado couldn't handle this lovely April heat and ripened super fast.

Black Bean Salad

This recipe was recommended by Marissa B. She says her and her hubby have been making this for almost 5 years now and it tastes just as good every time they make it.

The recipe is copyrighted so here is a link to find this delicious recipe at Food Network.