Black Bean Burgers

The hubby gave me a real hard time about wanting to make these..."A burger without MEAT???" Indeed. But he sure changed his mind after eating one bite. These are so delicious, nutritious, and filling! Your man of the house will not even miss the meat!

Black Bean Burgers with Lime Cilantro Mayo (from the Cookin' Canuck)

Burgers:
4 pieces day old or toasted whole wheat sandwich bread (I only needed 2)
2 Tbsp olive or canola oil, divided
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp minced jalapeno pepper, membranes and seeds removed (keep some if you want some heat)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/4 cups cooked brown rice
2 tsp fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Cilantro-Lime Mayo:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp finely chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

4 whole wheat buns (6-8 in my opinion)
1/2 cotija cheese (or feta)
4 large slices tomato
12 slices avocado

Directions:
In the bowl of a food processor, pulse sandwich bread to form breadcrumbs. Pour into a bowl and set aside.Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a large skillet set over medium heat. Add onion and saute until soft. Add garlic, jalapeno, and cumin. Saute for additional two minutes.

Scrape the mixture into the food processor. Add black beans, brown rice, lime juice, salt, and pepper. Pulse until the beans are chopped, but not pureed. Scrape the black bean mixture into a large bowl. Add half of the breadcrumbs and the chopped cilantro. Using a wooden spoon, stir the mixture until combined.

Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions and form into patties (I suggest forming 6-8 patties...or else they are just too big!). If the mixture is too moist to form patties, add more breadcrumbs. Place the patties on a baking sheet lined with plastic wrap (or parchment or wax paper) and cover with additional plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour.

Meanwhile, make the cilantro-lime mayo by combining the mayo, lime juice, cumin, cilantro, and pepper in a small bowl. Stir well.

Heat 1 Tbsp canola oil in large skillet (preferably not nonstick, so a good crust can form) set over medium heat. Add the burgers and cook for about 4 minutes per side. (the crust is the best part and gets nice and crisp...another reason why i think making more smaller patties is better than a few big ones)

Lightly toast the buns. Spread 2 Tbsps cilantro-lime mayo on each bun, and top each with a black bean patty, 2 Tbsp crumbled cotija (feta..) cheese, 1 slice tomato, and 3 slices avocado. Serve.

Salsa Sombrero

Last December, Food2 (a baby sister site to Food Network) was holding a competition. The winner would get a trip for two to New York and a chance to see the Food Network kitchens, a year's worth of Food Network magazine, and lunch with Kelsey Nixon. I've wanted to meet Kelsey so bad and with my competitive nature, I got cookin! They wanted your best "party appetizer" and you had to include the recipe, photo, and short description. With the final idea and suggestions from my oldest sister and title input from my family, this is what I submitted:

Salsa Sombrero!

Bruschetta is my ultimate favorite appetizer, but I wanted to do something a bit different. This is my version of a Mexican bruschetta! There is crunch from the homemade tortilla chip, paired with the sweetness of the salsa and zing of the lime, and topped with the salty cheese. I think they look like colorful Mexican hats, and this perfect party will make the taster want to dance! Try to save some for the guests!

1 tomato-diced
½ onion-diced
1 jalapeno-diced
1 clove garlic-minced
1 can (15 oz.) corn
1 can (15 oz.) black beans
1 package corn tortillas

juice of two limes
zest of 1 lime
¼ cup olive oil
2 Tbsp cilantro-chopped
1 ½ tsp honey
salt, to taste

Combine vinaigrette and pour onto salsa. Let sit for flavors to combine.
Cut tortillas into 2 ½- 3 inch circles. Place tortilla circles in a pan filled with oil to fry. Cook a few minutes, flipping once, until slightly golden brown. Place on paper towel and sprinkle with some coarse salt.

Assemble right before service. Place salsa on top of chip and garnish with fresh cilantro and some crumbled cotija cheese (or feta if cotija is not available). You can also double stack—place salsa on one tortilla and then another tortilla on top, with salsa and then the cheese and cilantro sprig for garnish.
***here's the site on Food2 where it was posted

I thought I did a real nice job. I even worked real real hard on trying to get good pictures with my point and shoot camera. About a week or two later, I was in the Drexel library and they have a shelf full of magazines. I happened to glance over and this is what I saw:
My heart started racing and I nervously thought, "no way!!! I...won?!!" thinking that it was MY appetizer on the cover page of this foodie magazine. Upon further inspection, however, it was some other appetizer competition sponsored by that magazine and they were featuring the winner. Her recipe was incredibly similar, but she had tilapia on top as well. I thought it was so funny and so random. Don't they look real similar??
Anywho, the end of the story is that I did not win the Food2 competition, but i WILL go meet Kelsey Nixon on my own before we leave the East Coast. and i really love food competitions.

Did You Know?

Although it sure makes me feel like a more gourmet and organic chef when I use brown eggs, it actually makes no difference! The hubby cleared this up for me back when we were dating since he knows all about farm life and the animals. He told me it just depends on the breed of chicken and the color of its feathers. I saw this informative sign posted by the eggs in Trader Joe's and snapped a picture for proof.

Kitchen Fantasies

I love to daydream about my future kitchen! since I was in high school I have always wanted a red and white kitchen, but now I can't decide whether to have it be red and white with martha stewart blue accent, or blue and white, with red accents. such a dilemma!! I have a folder of pictures on my computer and anytime I see a kitchen or idea I like on the internet, I save it in my collection. I love old painted furniture, crisp modern colors and styles, as well as retro-looking appliances. I love large islands so the whole family can cook together and I love it when dishes are displayed. Here are some of my favorites (the picture above this paragraph is my very favorite, especially because of the colors and because it has a beachy cottage feel):
I have a serious love for retro stoves and fridge/freezers. This site has quite the collection with a variety of enticing colors. i love the red one pictured below with the matching hood.

this one has a very modern look to it, but i really like it. it just looks very clean and precise.

The next three I love because of the way they have displayed the dishes, especially the first two with the colored wall behind them.

why is it that pots and pans get so messy in the cupboard? maybe it is just me. i think i want a pot rack to keep things organized plus i think it would look nice (except only the stainless steel pots and appliances would be that color. this kitchen is much to gray for my taste).

this is a little outdoor kitchenette that i just absolutely love. the red and white just looks so cute!

someday i will have a beautiful and roomy kitchen to whip up delicious delicacies. until then, i will keep on collecting ideas and dreaming of my kitchen fantasies!

**I started this post at the beginning of June and I am just now getting around to post it. i hope to be much more consistent and frequent with my posting from now on! at least that's the goal...

Orzo-Stuffed Peppers

I absolutely love bell peppers (well, as long as they're not the green colored ones) and when I received the cookbook Giada's Kitchen this past Christmas, I knew I had to try out her recipe for stuffed bell peppers. It was delicious!

NOTE: I did not have straight orzo, but I used the "Harvest Grains Blend" from Trader Joe's that has a mix of Israeli cous cous, orzo, quinoa, etc. I'm sure you could substitute another type of pasta or rice if you would like. Also, you could add some meat like ground beef to it, or other veggies (although it is quite delish and filling as is).

Orzo-Stuffed Peppers (from Giada's Kitchen)

1 (28-ounce) can whole Italian tomatoes
2 medium zucchini, grated
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves (I just used basil)
1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for sprinkling (I used Parmesan)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper (or less..)
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
6 sweet bell peppers (red or yellow)
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil, for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Pour the tomatoes and their juices into a large bowl and break them into pieces using a pair of kitchen shears or your fingertips. Add the zucchini, mint, cheese, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.

Meanwhile, bring the chicken broth to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the orzo and cook for 4 minutes. The orzo will be only partially cooked. Drain the orzo through a sieve, reserving the chicken broth, and add the orzo to the large bowl with the vegetables. Stir to combine. Transfer the warm chicken broth to a 3-quart baking dish (since there are only two of us, I scaled the recipe down to just 2 bell peppers and then cooked them in individual souffle dishes). Slice the tops off the peppers and remove all the ribs and seeds. Cut a very think slice from the base to help the peppers stand up.

Spoon the orzo mixture into the peppers. Place the peppers in the baking dish with the warm chicken broth. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle each pepper with cheese, and continue baking until the cheese is golden, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and carefully transfer the stuffed peppers to serving plates. Garnish with basil, if desired.

Battle Wounds

Working in the kitchen can be quite dangerous.
The part I always get the most scared about is taking hot items out of the oven. This is why:

I burn myself so much! Above is the first really bad burn I've gotten. It is in the first stage of the burn (complete with the blister and all), and below is after the blister popped and then it turned kinda greenish in the middle... Ironically, this burn came when I was experimenting for the Drexel cookie contest and baking up batches and batches of cookies. This burn was from the winning batch! So it was all worth it in the end.

Less than a month later, I received this beauty while preparing the hubby's birthday dinner. The shape of it makes me think of a stingray or a dragonfly.

I think I need some full arm length oven mitts! Both of these burns have left permanent marks, but I am kind of proud of them in a weird sort of way. They are my kitchen battle wounds.

My Big Moment with Giada

It's no secret I adore Giada de Laurentiis. If you asked who is my favorite chef, whose show I enjoy the most, or whose recipes I love, I would say Giada even before you finish asking the question. I joke with the hubby that our first daughter should be named Giada in honor of her.
Well, two weeks ago I was on spring break and I happened to stop in to Williams-Sonoma for some browsing (very dangerous and tempting indeed). On the back desk, I happened to see this flier:
GIADA WOULD BE HERE AT THE PHILLY STORE FOR A BOOK-SIGNING EVENT!!!!!
Of all the people that could have come, it happens to be my favorite! I was not sure if I would be off work early enough (it was my first week of my internship), so I did not reserve my ticket quite yet. The morning before the event, I called up to get my ticket, but they said their register was down and to call back later. After explaining that I would be at work ALL day, she assured me that if I came by after work they would still have plenty of tickets left.
I eagerly went over straight after work. And my dreams were shattered. The person at the cashier said they had sold out one hour before, and there was no possible way I could get a ticket. I even explained (quite tearfully) how I had been guaranteed a ticket just that morning, but it made no difference. I went home, so sad, thinking that I would come by the next evening anyway and try to at least take some sort of paparazzi shot of Giada the Great.
The following night I just so happened to get off work extra early, so I decided to try one last time to get that ticket of mine. I spoke with the manager, and it just so happened that she was the one who had assured me a ticket the previous morning! she had told all of her employees about me except one who was on her lunch break at the time, and that was the one that had denied me my precious ticket.
I got in line at 4:30 and waited for 2 1/2 hours. While waiting, I enjoyed some delectable items that were passed around--featured recipes from her new cookbook. While waiting, I saw that not only would she personalize and sign her new book (Giada at Home), but she would sign other books as well! I called the hubby up and he brought my other two Giada books.
I thought of what I, her greatest fan would say when we were face to face. I started getting more nervous and excited as the line got shorter and shorter. My big moment was almost here!
I passed my book to the worker who wrote out my name on a post it and put it on the page for her to sign. I took a few steps closer, she took my book.
"Savanna...without an "h!"
"Yep!" I said.
Then, i froze up. What do I say next? Do I wait for her to start the long anticipated conversation? I could see my big moment passing right before my eyes, as she was almost finished signing my books and I would be hurried out the door.
"Savanna has really been looking forward to meeting you. She is actually in a culinary program herself now! She loves watching your show."
The hubby saves the day!
"Oh really? Are you enjoying it?"
"Oh yes!" And then I quickly squeak, "I love your recipes!"
"Well, it looks like you have a nice stack of books here with lots of recipes. Happy cooking!"
"Thanks!"
And before I knew it, I was hurried along to the special "picture-taking" spot (which didn't even work out since the people getting her signature was blocking the view to her). how sad i was not allowed to get a picture with her!
and seriously, what happened to me?? I had been looking forward to this for so long, one would think that I could said a bit more than "Yep," "Oh yes," and the rushed and squeaky, "I love your recipes!" But thank goodness the hubby was there! I wouldn't have even gotten these three lines in if it weren't for him! It's quite humorous actually.

So after we went out of the store, we stood outside the window where we could see her and i could take in the moment. My few seconds with Giada seemed to just fly right by and I felt like I did not really get a chance to notice the details because of the adrenaline rush.
So when I was in a more calm state, I saw that she had a long-sleeved black shirt on, black pants, and kinda platformy-type black boots. She had a pretty bracelet and necklace on, and her hair was nicely curled. I noticed that her hair is actually dyed which i've never noticed in her show/books before. And yes, her smile is as big as ever in person too. as well as other things.
Who knew the climax of my life would come so early? :) just kidding, but seriously, this was a BIG moment for me. Next, Ina Garten needs to come (my other favorite chef---pronounced EYE-nuh, not EE-nuh)! Then I could die happy.