Spicy Lentil-Walnut Burgers

I am by no means a vegetarian, but here is another great bean burger we just tried.

Ingredients

3/4 cup lentils, rinsed
3/4 cup walnuts
1/3 cup plain dried breadcrumbs
3 garlic cloves, smashed
2 tsps ground cumin
2 tsp coriander
1/4 - 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tbsp olive oil
1 large egg
whole wheat pita bread or whole wheat buns
tomato, bell pepper, red onion, etc. for topping (if desired)
yogurt-cilantro sauce (recipe follows)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the lentils in a small saucepan, cover with 1-inch of water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until lentils are tender but still hold their shape, 15-20 minutes. Drain well and let cool.

Meanwhile, spread the walnuts on a baking sheet and toast in oven for 10 minutes, or until fragrant and slightly darkened. Let cool.

In a food processor, combine toasted walnuts, breadcrumbs, garlic, cumin, coriander, red pepper flakes, 1 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Process until finely ground. Add the lentils and 1 tbsp of the oil and pulse until coarsely chopped (some whole lentils should remain).

In a large bowl, whisk the egg. Add the lentil-walnut mixture, mix well. Divide mixture into 4 equal parts, roll into balls, and flatten with the palm of your hands into 3/4-inch thick patties.

Heat the remaining 3 tbsp oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add the burgers, cook over medium-low heat until crisped and browned, turning gently with a thin-edged spatula, 8-10 minutes per side. Once cooked transfer to a paper-towel lined plate to drain. Serve burger patties on pita bread, top with yogurt sauce (recipe below) and other desired toppings.

Yogurt-Cilantro Sauce

3/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a liquid measuring cup or small bowl, whisk yogurt, cilantro, and lemon juice together. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Lentil Soup

I don't know why soup has been sounding good lately, since it's still summer weather here, but this recipe was really good, too. I didn't think I liked lentil soup, but tried Progresso's, which I liked. This one is even better. Give it a try (if you like beans) - you might be surprised! Here's the recipe by Giada De Laurentiis.


Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stocks, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (14 1/2 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 pound lentils (approximately 1 1/4 cups)
11 cups low-salt chicken broth
4 to 6 fresh thyme sprigs
2/3 cup dried elbow pasta
1 cup shredded Parmesan

Directions

Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper and saute until all the vegetables are tender, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices. Simmer until the juices evaporate a little and the tomatoes break down, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Add the lentils and mix to coat. Add the broth and stir. Add the thyme sprigs. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and simmer over low heat until the lentils are almost tender, about 30 minutes.

Stir in the pasta. Simmer until the pastas is tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Ladle soup into bowls. Sprinkle with Parmesan, drizzle with olive oil, and serve.

Vegetable soup

I just tried this Vegetable Soup recipe today for the first time. After reading the reviews and adding some things, here's what I came up with. It ended up turning out to be really good! I did add ground beef too, which wasn't part of the original recipe.

2 (14-oz) cans chicken broth
2 (11.5-oz) can tomato-vegetable juice cocktail (I used V8)
1 cup water (I just realized I forgot this part...hmm...so this recipe may be off - ha!)
1 large potato, diced
2 carrots, sliced
1 cup frozen peas
2 stalks celery, diced
1 (14.5-oz) can diced tomatoes
1 cup chopped fresh green beans
1 cup fresh corn kernels
salt and pepper to taste (I used 2 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper)
Creole seasoning to taste (I used 2 tsps)
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp Italian seasoning

In a large stock pot, combine everything! Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes or until all vegetables are tender. (I did 45 minutes)

The BEST chocolate chip cookies

I realized that I never posted this cookie recipe, but I hope you all will try it! This recipe makes great cookies every time, for everyone who has tried it! I got this recipe from a friend, and am so glad I found a fail proof recipe. P.S. Don't freak out when you see it calls for 3 sticks butter. There is double the amount of flour, so it kind of evens out, right? : ) They're good for a reason!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

3 sticks unsalted butter
2 eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
4 cups flour (or for chocolate ones, use 2 1/2 cups flour and 1/12 cups Hershey's cocoa powder)
2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Mix butter and sugars, then eggs and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and chocolate chips. Bake for 10 minutes (I do 11 in my oven).

Sausage Manicotti

Here's a really easy good and easy recipe to help your dinner rut.

1 lb turkey sausage (I like Italian sausage)
2 cups (16 oz) 2% cottage cheese
1 package (8 oz) manicotti shells
1 jar (26 oz) spaghetti sauce
1 cup (4 oz) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1. In large bowl, combine sausage and cottage cheese. Stuff into manicotti shells. Place in greased 13-by-9-in. baking dish. Top with spaghetti sauce.

2. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 55 to 60 minutes or until meat thermometer inserted into center of a shell reads 165 degrees.

3. Uncover; sprinkle with mozzarella. Bake 8 to 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Yield: 14 manicotti.

Here's the pretty magazine picture of it.

Butter Chicken

Found this Butter Chicken recipe from The Pioneer Woman. I thought it tasted pretty similar to Butter Chicken at restaurants I've tried. It could have been a little bit spicier, though.

Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce

Here's a great recipe I got from The Pioneer Woman. My husband loved it...I thought it was good, but I don't love onions, so I would use less onion next time (the onion taste was a little strong). You can go to her site for the recipe, but here's how it looks as it cooks, just to get you inspired.

Chicken Tetrazzini

Here's one of our favorite dishes, and it's easy to make.



Ingredients

1/4 cup butter or margarine
2 cups sliced, fresh mushrooms
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup half-and-half cream
1 tbsp minced fresh parsley
1 tsp salt
1/8 to 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp pepper
3 tbsp dry white wine, optional
3 cups cubed, cooked chicken
8 oz spaghetti, cooked and drained
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Additional parsley


Directions

In a skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Cook mushrooms until tender. Stir in flour; gradually add the broth. Cook, stirring constantly, until sauce comes to a boil. Remove from the heat; stir in cream, parsley, salt, nutmeg, pepper, and wine if desired. Fold in the chicken and spaghetti. Transfer to a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until heated through. Garnish with parsley. Yield: 8 servings.

Applesauce Muffins (that don't taste like applesauce)

These muffins are good, simple, and easy to make. They have applesauce in them, but just kind of taste like cinnamon and sugar (from the topping). My mom makes them a lot. Don't you just love that fun, blue counter top? Pretty fancy huh! : )

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup applesauce
1 3/4 cup flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Topping:
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup sugar mixed with
1/4 tsp cinnamon


Directions

In a large bowl, cream softened butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time until light and fluffy. Beat in applesauce. Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to butter mixture; stir just enough to moisten. Spoon onto greased muffin cups. Bake in preheated 425 degree oven about 15 minutes or until golden brown. While warm, dip tops or all sides into melted butter and cinnamon sugar. Serve warm.

Creamy Chicken Taquitos

Ingredients
4 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup green salsa
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1-2 green onions, chopped
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 cup shredded pepperjack cheese
6-inch flour tortillas


Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, heat cream cheese in the microwave for 30 seconds so it's soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and garlic. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well. Place 2-3 tablespoons of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges. Roll tortillas up tightly and place seam side down on a large baking sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Spray the tops of the taquitos with cooking spray to help them brown. Bake for 10-12 minutes, turning once halfway through cooking time, until taquitos are golden brown. Serve with salsa, sour cream and guacamole, if desired.

Yard sales and food

When my mom came to visit, she left me with some maps she had laminated, and her ingenious system of yardsaling. Now I can carry on the weekend yardsales tradition.

Some bread I made.
This was a very interesting Greek dish I tried.
It had a strong flavor, but was good.
And it actually looked like the picture this time.

*Side note: I started using Google Reader to keep up on different blogs. Check it out. It's a lot easier than going to every blog each day to see if there's something new.

Black Bean Burgers

The first meal I made in our new place was Black Bean Burgers. They are so good and so easy.

What you will need:

1 can black beans (for two burgers)
1 egg
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
salt and pepper, to taste

guacamole
turkey bacon
pepperjack cheese (optional)
hamburger buns

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mash up the beans with the egg and add all the spices. Make into 2 patties and bake for 18-20 minutes (outside should be somewhat hard and inside soft).

Top with remaining ingredients.
Very filling!