Black Bean Quinoa Burgers with Stuffed Poblanos

I try to do at least 1 vegetarian meal per week.  But sometimes its hard to find something that my meat-and-potatoes-man fiance will like.  So vegetarian burgers usually go well.  My sweet potato and white bean burger go over pretty well.  I had seen some recipe using beans and quinoa and I figured that was a pretty good start.  I have been cooking a lot with quinoa lately, and I always have black beans in the house.  So then the next question is what are the seasonings.  I wanted it to be spicy, but not to much.  The cilantro-yogurt sauce helps to tame down the spiciness.  I also wanted to have something on the side.  I saw poblanos peppers at the market and thought I would stuff them.  Poblanos are not super spicy peppers, but they aren't sweet like bell peppers either.  I needed a lot of yogurt on my stuffed pepper, but my fiance thought it was delicious.

Black Bean Quinoa Burgers

and Stuffed Poblanos

Recipe makes 6 servings

What you'll need:
- 1/2 cup dry quinoa
- 1 1/2 cups drained and rinsed black beans
- 1/2 cup cooked corn
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- 1/8 tsp cayenne
- 3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- juice of 1 lime
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 2 tbsp tomato puree

Poblanos:
- 1/3 of bean mixture above
- 3 poblano peppers
- 1/3 cup chopped red bell pepper
- 1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco

Cilantro-Lime Yogurt Sauce:
1 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup cilantro packed cilantro leaves


What to do:
1.  Boil 1 cup water.  Add quinoa.  Simmer for about 10 minutes.  Quinoa should be translucent.  Remove from heat and set aside.  Place all ingredients for the sauce in a food processor.  Puree.  Remove and refrigerate until the meal is ready.

2. Place beans in a bowl.  Mash with a fork.  Only partly-mash the mixture, leaving some whole beans.  Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, cayenne, cilantro, lime juice, onion, tomato puree, and quinoa.  Mix together.  Remove 1/3 of the mixture and set aside.  Lay parchment paper on a baking dish.  With the remaining mixture, use your hands to make 6 patties and place on parchment paper.  Place in oven for 20 - 30 minutes.

3.  Cut poblanos in half lengthwise.  Carefully remove seeds and white flesh.  These are the hottest parts of the pepper.  It would be wise to use gloves.  Also be sure not to touch any part of your skin with a cut, or your eyes or mouth.  Wash your hands immediately after.

4. Using the bean mixture that is set aside, add the chopped bell pepper and restaurant restaurant restaurant and mix.  Spoon into the poblanos.

5.  Heat grill over medium-high heat.  Add poblanos to the top rack (or a non-lit area of the grill).  At the same time, cook the bean patties on the grill for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until outside starts to brown.  Poblanos will be done with the outside of the pepper starts to wrinkle and blacken, and the inside mixture temperature reaches 165*F.  Serve on a toasted whole wheat bun with lettuce and tomato, and topped with the tasty cilantro-lime yogurt sauce. 

Caramelized Onion, Goat Cheese, and Eggplant Open Sandwich

It's a long title, but you can't read that and not get hungry! This is a nice vegetarian sandwich for dinner, or a weekend lunch.  It is best when it is served warm.

It does take some time to caramelize the onions, but I think we can all agree that it is so worth it!  The eggplant is pretty easy to cook.  Just make sure you salt it, let it sweat, then dry up the sweat (and brush off the extra salt) with a paper towel .

Caramelized Onion, Goat Cheese, and Eggplant Open Sandwich

Recipe makes 2 servings

Ingredients:
- 1/2 an eggplant
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1/3 cup goat cheese
- 4 slices bread (thin ciabatta, french baguette, or sandwich thin)


What to do:
1. Cut eggplant in half lengthwise, then in half crosswise.  Using two of the quarters, cut 1/2 inch slices.  Sprinkle salt on both sides and let side for 10-15 minutes.

2.  Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium heat.  Add onions.  Cook 3 minutes, then reduce to medium-low heat. Continue stirring occasionally for 20 minutes.

3. Use a paper towel to remove sweat and excess salt from eggplant.  Heat a flat pan over medium-high heat.  Cook each side 4 minutes, until tender and lightly browned.

4.  Toast bread, if desired.  Mix together the hot caramelized onions and the goat cheese.  The goat cheese will soften and become easier to spread on the bread.  Top with eggplant.  Enjoy while it is warm!


Slight Variation:
I tried this with ricotta cheese instead of goat cheese (because I didn't have any goat cheese).  That was a bit bland, so I drizzled some wonderful balsamic vinegar (from the Great Falls farmers market) over the top.  And I also added a little bit of basil.  That was quite delicious, too!

Cilantro Lime Chicken Salad

I felt like this was a pretty easy dish to make, but I also felt like I dirtied quite a few dishes.  There are a few things you could do to minimize the dirty dishes, which I have explained below.  Or, the rule in our house is: if you're cooking, someone else should be cleaning up!

The dressing is very simple and could keep for about 2 or 3 days after making.  So you can always make extra chicken, and take a salad to work with you the next day.

Cilantro Lime Chicken Salad

Recipe Makes 4 Servings

What you'll need:
For the dressing
- zest of 1 lime
- 2/3 cup fresh lime juice
- 1 tbsp agave nectar
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 cup cilantro leaves

- 2 chicken breasts (about 1 pound total)
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1/3 cup corn (fresh is best now, but frozen is ok too)
- 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper (any color you like)
- 1/3 cup chopped yellow onion
- 3/4 cup rinsed and drained black beans
- 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
- 8 cups lettuce

What to do:
1.  Preheat oven to 375*F.  Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  When hot, add chicken breasts, being careful not to overcrowd the pan.  Sear each side 2 to 3 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.  Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray.  Add chicken to baking dish and put in the oven for 16 to 18 minutes, until inside temperature of the chicken reaches 165*F. Remove and let rest 5 minutes.

2.  While the chicken is in the oven, make the dressing.  Combine all the ingredients in a food processor or blender, or use an immersion blender to puree the mixture.

3.  Reheat the skillet used for the chicken over medium heat.  When hot, add corn, bell pepper, and onion.  Cook 5 minutes.  Add beans and cook for 2 minutes.  Set aside.

4.  Evenly distribute lettuce, cooked veggies and beans, and tomatoes into 4 salad bowls.  Chop chicken into large bite-size pieces; add to salad.  Pour dressing over the salad and serve.

Zucchini Boats

I love pretty much everything that contains zucchini.  Stuffing zucchini just sounds like a delicious idea.  You can stuff it with veggies or with meat.  In this recipe I used only vegetables because I served it with with chicken parmesan.  You could also use a lean ground meat in the zucchini boat and serve with rice or pasta.  Or this could be the main component of a vegetarian meal.

Zucchini Boats

Recipe Makes 2 Servings

What you'll need:
- 2 excessively large zucchini
- 1/3 cup chopped white onion
- 1/3 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
- 1/2 tbsp oil from sun dried tomato jar
- 1/2 tbsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 2 tbsp shredded asiago cheese

What to do:
1.  Preheat oven to 375*F.  Cut zucchini in half lengthwise.  Use a small spoon or a melon baller to scoop out the inside.  Leave a little bit of the white flesh attached to the green skin.  Chop the parts of the zucchini that were removed.

2.  Heat oil from sun-dried tomato jar in a large saute pan.  When oil is hot, add chopped zucchini, onion, and sun-dried tomatoes.  Cook 4 minutes, while stirring.  Add paprika, oregano, salt, pepper, and cheese and combine.  Stuff mixture into zucchini boats.  Cook in oven for 8 to 10 minutes, until zucchini boats are softened.

Light Shrimp Scampi

I rarely order shrimp scampi at a restaurant because it never seems to taste just right.  Its not garlicky enough, or it is too garlicky; it's too salty; or too greasy.  Sometimes I want to order it as a lighter meal, but it ends up being so heavy because there is so much butter.

Shrimp scampi is actually pretty easy to make, so why not make it at home the way I like it, and in a way that is healthier for me.  I like to use a lot of lemon juice, more than most recipes call for.  You can use less if you prefer.  I use one sauce for the shrimp scampi, and for the green bean side dish. It makes things easier, but the lemony garlic wine sauce just tastes great with both green beans and shrimp.

If you do not like shrimp, you can always use chicken breast instead.  Make sure to cut the chicken into large bite-sized pieces. Then saute the same way as directed for the shrimp, except add on 4 more minutes.

Light Shrimp Scampi

Recipe makes 4 servings

What you need:
- 8oz dry spaghetti
- 3 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 3 tbsp minced garlic (preferably fresh)
- 3 shallots, finely chopped
- 1 1/4 cup white wine
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
 - half of a 24oz bag of trimmed green beans
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1/2 tbsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp butter spread

What to do:
1.  Cook pasta according to package directions.  Reserve 1/4 cup cooking liquid before draining pasta.

2.  Heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat in a large, sided saute pan.  When oil is hot, add shallots.  Cook 2 minutes.  Reduce heat to medium-low heat.  Add garlic.  Cook 8 minutes, stir occasionally.  Be careful not to burn the garlic.  Add wine and lemon juice, simmer 3 minutes.  Add salt and pepper.  Pour or use a ladle to remove all but 1/4 cup mixture.  Set aside the rest of the mixture.

3.  Heat the 1/4 cup liquid mixture remaining in the saute pan over medium-high heat.  Add green beans.  Cover and cook 3 minutes.  Move green beans to an oven-safe container.  Set oven to Broil, and cook beans for 3 more minutes.

4.  While the green beans are in the oven, heat the large saute pan over medium-high heat.  When hot, add shrimp.  Let cook 1 1/2 - 2 minutes each side, until lightly browned.  When shrimp are cooked, add remaining wine mixture, reserved pasta cooking liquid, parsley, red pepper flakes, and butter.  Stir to combine.  Cook 2 minutes.  Serve immediately.