Veggie Burgers

We eat veggie burgers about 2 times per week and I LOVE them. However, as pseudo-vegetarians I really wanted one that had a bit more protein than the traditional burgers we got at Trader Joe's. I found this recipe on one of the blogs http://edibleperspective.com I sometimes check in with (I do like her food recipes but I am not as interested in the home renovation aspect of her blog). These burgers were SUPER easy to make and so much healthier in every way in comparison to the ones I get at TJ's. Nathan described them "twiggy" but in a good way and he even enjoyed a leftover burger for lunch today... that says a lot coming from someone who needs to have his leftovers spaced out over a few days. I am excited to try different variations on this standard burger next time.

Below is the recipe from her blog.
Chickpea Herbed Veggie Burgers [adapted from Oh She Glows]

• 1c cooked chickpeas
• 1 small carrot, coarsely chopped
• 1 small sweet onion, coarsely chopped
• 1/4c salsa [*if your salsa is very watery, drain some of the liquid, or per Angela’s instruction use 1/2 chopped bell pepper and add it to the food processor with the carrot + onion]
• 1/2c spinach, lightly packed
• 1/2t dried dill
• 1T oregano
• 1/2T parsley
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/4t fine grain sea salt
• black pepper
• pinch or 2 of cayenne pepper
• 1/4c unsalted sunflower seeds
• 1T pepitas
• 1T ground flax meal
• 1/2-3/4c millet flour

1. Preheat your oven to 350.
2. Place the carrots, onion + garlic in the food processor and process for about 20sec.  You don’t want to puree it, but just have it well combined and in similar sized small/medium pieces.
3. Add in the chickpeas, spinach, salsa, dill, oregano, parsley, salt, pepper and cayenne [if using]. Pulse around a handful of times, until just combined.  *Be careful not to over process or the mixture will become too liquidy.
4. Empty contents into a bowl and mix in sunflower seeds, pepitas, and flax meal.
5. Start by adding in 1/2c millet flour [ground in a blender from whole, raw millet].  I used buckwheat flour instead, Mix until combined and test the mixture by trying to roll a ball in your hands.  If the mixture falls apart or is not holding together add flour in 2T increments.  The mixture should be fairly wet but still able to hold together.  You want to make sure not to add too much flour.  Add enough so they just hold together.
6. Form into 6 patties [this size works the best so they don’t fall apart], place on the parchment lined pan and then to the grill for about 15min.. 
7. Whey they are golden brown, flip and cook another 8-12min, until browned evenly on both sides. 

*The most important part of this recipe is not adding too much flour.  As mentioned in the directions, the mixture will be quite wet, which is what you want.  Before the first flip, they should stiffen up and hold together without a problem.
*If you don’t have millet flour, or raw millet to grind into flour, you can sub chickpea flour, quinoa flour [grind raw quinoa], oat flour [grind oat groats or rolled oats], or buckwheat flour [grind from raw buckwheat groats], etc.  If you don’t need this to be gluten free, you can use spelt flour [like Angela], or wheat.
Feel free to make this recipe your own by changing up the spices.  This past summer, I made an Italian version and topped them with fresh tomato, basil + mozz.  You could definitely make a curry style or a cumin Mexican spiced variation as well.
The best thing about these, is how easy they are to prep.  It may seem like a lot of ingredients, but the burgers literally come together in the time it takes to preheat your grill or oven.
http://edibleperspective.com/2011/04/cabinets-dinner/

Curry Honey Hummus

If you know me well, you know that I LOVE hummus of all kinds. What's not to like--so may flavors, packed with protein and good fats and you can dip your foods into it! LOVE it! This one is from a food blog (http://edibleperspective.com/) that I follow and it was so good that I even licked the food processor bowl after making it... at 10:30 in the morning. What, you don't have a food processor (you know who you are:)? You must get one. I use this appliance more than any other appliance in my kitchen. I have the Cuisinart 14 cup (I definitely need the 14 cup size for the foods I prepare) and it works marvelously.

Curry Honey Hummus yields appx 2c

• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 can cooked chickpeas, drained + rinsed (or you can use one cup of dried chickpeas soaked overnight in at least 3 inches of water, drained and then boiled in three inches of water for about an hour until tender. This way is cheaper and you can avoid the BPA that lines almost all of our cans of food (Eden Organic is the one exception that I have found so far with BPA free cans).
• 3T olive oil
• juice from 1/2 a lemon ~2T
• 1T curry
• 1/2t turmeric
• 1/2t thai red curry paste [or you can sprinkle cayenne pepper]
• 1.5T tahini
• 1T honey
• ~3T water
• 1/2t ground cumin
• s+p [to taste]

1. In a food processor grind garlic clove[s] and scrape side of bowl.
2. Add chickpeas, oil, juice, curry, turmeric, curry paste or cayenee, tahini, cumin and honey.  Process until smooth.  Scrape down bowl once or twice.  Add water until it’s to the consistency you’re looking for. 
3. Add ~1/4-1/2t salt + 1/4t pepper [or to taste] and process for a few intervals of 30sec to really get it whipped and fluffy.

http://edibleperspective.com/2010/02/recipe-time-2/

Pumpkin Spiced Almond Butter

My neighbor recently brought over a jar of her homemade Fresh Herb Butter--even Baby O was licking her fingers! I wanted to thank her with one of my homemade spreads and this new recipe sounded delicious! 

Pumpkin Spiced Almond Butter

• 2c raw almonds
• 2T maple syrup
• 1T maple syrup
• 1.5T molasses
• 2t cinnamon
• 1/4t ginger
• 1/8t nutmeg
• 1/2t salt
• 1 1/2T canola oil

1. Preheat your oven to 300*
2. Spread the almonds on parchment, on a baking sheet.
3. Pour on 2T maple syrup + 1T molasses.  Stir.
4. Roast for 30min, stirring once every 10min.
5. Take out of the oven and let cool for about 30min.
6. Dump into your food processor and turn on.
7. Process + scrape down bowl as needed, until it butterizes. ~15min.  [Past the stage where it has formed a large ball of dough]
8. Add in 1/2T molasses, 1T maple syrup, 1 1/2T oil, all spices and salt.
9. Process again until smooth consistency is met.  ~5-8min.  [If you want it even smoother, add another 1/2-1T oil]

http://edibleperspective.com/2010/10/a-nutty-kind-of-day/

Roasted Maple Cinnamon Almond Butter

I LOVE peanut and almond butter. Yum--I would eat this everyday for lunch on a sandwich if I knew I would not feel guilty about skipping a spinach salad for a nut butter sandwich. We have a great grocery store in town that sells a lot of items in bulk... including nuts! In addition, many of the blogs I follow have inspired me to try to make my own, especially since they include such options as Salt Kissed Cashew Nut Butter and Maple Vanilla Almond Butter... delicious!

My first foray into nut butter took place over the weekend while my in-laws were visiting. Having an extra set of hands or two around the house seems to provide a bit of free time for things like... making nut butters! I got this recipe from http://edibleperspective.com and and it looks like she has a lot of over tasty recipes. However, as a new follower of her blog, I can only vouch for the nut butters.

Roasted Maple Cinnamon Almond Butter

• 2c Almonds
• 3T maple syrup
• 2T maple syrup
• 1/2t salt
• 1t cinnamon
• 1T grapeseed or canola oil

1. Preheat your oven to 325*
2. Line a pan with parchment if you don’t want to clean a sticky mess!  Pour the almonds on the pan with 1.5T of the maple syrup.
3. Roast for ~15min, stirring 3 times.  Watch so they don’t burn. 
4. Let them cool for 10+min.
5. Put in the food processor.
6. Turn the processor on + let it go until it’s buttery 10 ~15min.  Scrape down the bowl as needed. 
7. Add in the salt, cinnamon and 1T maple syrup and process again until smooth + combined.
8. Stream in oil and process until smooth consistency is reached.  If it’s still not smooth enough add another 1/2T of oil, but that shouldn’t be necessary.

Thanks Edible Perspective!

Roasted Vegetable Dip

Yum! My in-laws were visiting last week and I wanted to make an appetizer that was did not involve cheese. this was delicious and will be made again in the near future!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place veggies on a cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Roast in oven for 35 minutes until browned. Cool and transfer to a food processor with basil and parsley. Pulse to combine. Transfer to a bowl, stir and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with veggies or pita bread.

1 bulb fennel, cored and chopped
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
small eggplant, peeled and chopped
1 small zucchini, cut into thick half moons
3 T extra virgin olive oil
3 T balsamic vinegar
20 basil leaves, chopped
1/4 cup flat parsley, chopped

Courtesy of Rachel Ray

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

     Every year on my birthday Mr. E. is out of town at a work meeting. Luckily, his colleague is going to be attending this meeting on behalf of their office from here on out so I will finally have him back with my on my birthday next year. However, this year we had to hold the celebrations a few days early. I requested a chocolate cake with peanut butter icing but I found this recipe on Epicurious and he decided to give it a try. Even though it is my birthday, I usually try to lighten these recipes just a bit... however, this time around I should have just stuck with the original. The cake tastes okay (I have never met a cake I didn't like!) but it could have been better so next time around I will stick with the original.


Filling (Use half the amount listed below and you will still have leftovers to make truffles)

• 2 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
• 12 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup old-fashioned (natural) chunky peanut butter

Cake

• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup old-fashioned (natural) chunky peanut butter
• 1 pound golden brown sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermillk

Frosting

• 1 1/2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 cups powdered sugar, divided
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup chilled heavy whipping cream
• Butterfinger candy bars, coarsely chopped
• Glazed peanuts

Preparation

For filling:
Bring cream and sugar to simmer in saucepan, whisking to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat. Add chocolate; let stand 1 minute. Whisk until smooth. Whisk in peanut butter. Chill uncovered overnight (we did not have time to chill it overnight so I chilled it in the refrigerator for a few hours and it was fine.)

For cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter three 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides (we only have two pans so we made the recipe with two pans and it worked fine). Line bottoms with parchment paper. Sift first 4 ingredients into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter and peanut butter in large bowl until blended. Beat in sugar. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, then vanilla. At low speed, beat in flour mixture in 4 additions alternately with buttermilk in 3 additions.

Divide batter among pans and spread evenly. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool cakes 5 minutes. Turn out onto racks; peel off parchment. Cool cakes completely.

For frosting:
Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese, 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla in large bowl to blend. Whisk whipping cream and 3/4 cup powdered sugar in bowl until mixture holds medium-firm peaks. Fold into cream cheese mixture in 3 additions; chill until firm but spreadable, about 1 hour.

Place 1 cake layer, bottom side up, on 9-inch tart pan bottom. Spread with half of filling. Place another layer, bottom side up, on work surface. Spread with remaining filling; place atop first layer. Top with remaining cake layer, bottom side up.

Spread frosting over top and sides of cake. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome; chill. Let stand at room temperature 2 hours before continuing.) Press candy and peanuts onto top of cake. 
 

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chocolate-Peanut-Butter-Cake-with-Cream-Cheese-and-Butterfinger-Frosting-231746#ixzz1FpxPanCb

Chickpea Stew

This recipe is actually called Chickpea Chili but in my mind chili includes a topping of sour cream and cheddar and this stew definitely stands on its own... and it was oh-so-delicious and healthy!

Ingredients

• 1  cup  dried chickpeas
• 2  quarts boiling water
• 2  tablespoons  olive oil, divided
• 1 1/2  cups  chopped onion
• 5  garlic cloves, minced
• 1  tablespoon  tomato paste
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  ground cumin
• 1  teaspoon  kosher salt
• 1/2  teaspoon  ground red pepper
• 1/2  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
• 1/4  teaspoon  ground turmeric
• 2 1/2  cups  fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2  cup  water
• 2/3  cup  sliced pimiento-stuffed olives
• 1/2  cup  golden raisins
• 1  (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, undrained and crushed
• 4  cups  chopped peeled butternut squash
• 1  cup  frozen green peas, thawed
• 1/4  cup  chopped fresh cilantro
• 6  cups  hot cooked couscous
• 8  lime wedges

Preparation

1. Place chickpeas in a saucepan; add 2 quarts boiling water. Cover and let stand 1 hour; drain. Place beans in a 6-quart slow cooker.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion; sauté 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in tomato paste and next 5 ingredients (through turmeric); sauté 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add onion mixture to slow cooker. Add broth and next 4 ingredients (through tomatoes) to slow cooker; cover and cook on HIGH 8 hours.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil; swirl to coat. Add squash; saute 5 minutes. Add squash to slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH 1 hour; stir in peas. Sprinkle with cilantro. Serve over couscous with lime wedges.