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.

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.