Black Bean Sliders with Baked Squash Chips

Beans Beans they're good for your heart, and if you cook them right they won't make you f....t! :D  Well that's not true they will make you toot and well that's just a fact of life.....TMI?

Black Bean Sliders wonderfully flavorful and so cute! Plus they are of course nutritional and cheap!!!  I'll provide the recipe for the burgers, but you'll have to get creative with whatever you have in your pantry for the toppings.

Here's what I used:

For my toppings as you can see I made some guacamole and a mixed one Chipotle Adobo pepper (remove the seeds) and a tablespoon of the sauce into about a quarter cup of mayo.  I also chopped up a sweet orange bell pepper and mixed it into some of the Spicy Mango Ginger Habanero sauce.  I had plenty of that sauce left from the Mango Ginger Habanero Drummettes I made a few weeks ago.  Lastly I sauteed up some onions and mushrooms then piled them on a burger with Swiss cheese.  So get creative and come up with your own fancy toppings. Please let me know what you created.

Along side these protein packed sliders I served Crunchy Baked Squash Chips.  Spray a oven safe baking rack into a cookie sheet and coat wtth non-stick spray.  Wash and dry two medium sized squash.  I used zucchini and yellow squash.  Slice your squash into 1/4 inch thick coins.  Whisk two egg whites until frothy.  Dip the squash in the egg then dredge it in a combination of 1 C Panko Breadcrumbs, 1/2 C flour and 1/2 C Parmesan cheese.  Place squash onto the rack coated and bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes.  Keep an eye on these, my first batch came out a bit darker than I would have wanted, but they were delicious just the same.

You could also serve your Black Bean Burgers with Crispy Baked Parmesan Asparagus too. These are soooo goood!

Here's how you make the Black Bean Burger:

Drain and rinse both cans of black beans, but keep them separated.  Dump one can of beans into the blender with 1 small onion chopped, a small bunch of cilantro (about 2 T). 1 egg, 2 cloves of garlic minced and S&P to taste.  Blend until very well mixed.  Scrape into a mixing bowl.

Add 1/2 C of Panko Bread Crumbs and remaining can of whole black beans.

Mix well to incorporate the bread crumbs and allow them to absorb some of the moisture.  No it's not pretty but either is ground beef really.

Heat a counter top griddle to 350 degrees or heat a skillet over medium-high heat.  Be sure to coat whichever surface you are using with non-stick spray.

With a medium size ice cream scoop drop your burgers onto the hot griddle and lightly press them to flatten with the side of the scoop. 

 Cook until brown then Carefully flip and brown the other side.  Roughly 5 minutes on each side. 

Remove burgers and toast your buns.  Stop steering at your burgers they may look funny but believe me they are tasty, lite and good for you.  Add your favorite condiments and serve them up.  The men folk in this house didn't know they weren't meat by looking at them, until I said something.  They devoured them!

 Black Bean Sliders with Crunchy Squash Chips! 

 Get after it!

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Crispy Baked Parmesan Asparagus Spears

Asparagus! Either you love it or you don't! I love it! Even more so baked.  Baking asparagus in the oven rather than steaming it won't leave your house smelling sour.  Plus it comes out so sweet and still has a fresh crispness to it.  Yummers! 

One cup has more than your daily allowance of vitamin K. And it's a great source of folate, vitamin C, vitamin A, thiamin, niacin, tryphtophan, fiber, and vitamin B6

 

Look at how crunchy they are!  These are not fried either, that's crust comes from using Panko bread crumbs. 

You'll need:

15-20 Fresh Asparagus
2 egg whites
1 C Panko bread crumbs.  I used plain, but seasoned ones would be great too!
1/2 C flour
1/2 C finely grated Parmesan cheese
salt & pepper to taste

Mix the panko, flour and Parmesan cheese, salt & pepper in a large plate.  Set aside.

Place a wire rack in a cookie sheet and spray it with a non-stick product.  To make sure there is good heat flow I used a rack that stands about 4-5 inches above the sheet. 

Snap each asparagus spear to remove the woody end.  Just bend the spear and it will snap on its own in the correct spot. 

 Stir the egg whites with a fork just to break them up.  Roll the snapped spears in the egg whites to coat.

Dredge each spear in the panko-cheese-flour mix.  You can put the spears back in the egg white and dredge them a second time in the panko mix, if you want an even thicker crunchy crust. 

Place the asparagus on the wire rack and bake in 425 degree oven for 15-20 minutes.  Serve immediately while hot.  They are good at room temperature too, but aren't as crunchy. 

 I served mine with my trusted friend Siriacha sauce. Enjoy!

Lobster Cucumber Cups

Well my intention was to make Lobster Lettuce Wraps, but the lettuce I had on-hand didn't work out well for photographing.  The wraps were delicious though.  So, rather than scrap the recipe I decided to change the delivery method and serve it up a different way. 

I can see serving these at a spring luncheon or bridal shower as an appetizer and they are wonderful just as a snack.

 

Aren't they cute?!!!

Here's how to make them:

I used 3-4ounces of Lobster meat from the Seafood department frozen section.  It's just quicker and easier. Chop it into large chunks.

Half small onion chopped
1 clove garlic minced

2T cucumber (diced), 1T red bell pepper (diced),  a few cilantro leaves for garnish.  I like a Serrano Pepper for some extra bite.

 I minced the Serrano Pepper. Don't be a hero, remove the seeds and membrane!

Saute your onion and garlic in a tsp of olive oil until they are golden brown about 3 minutes.  Remove from the heat then add your Lobster chunks.

Add some Asian sauces like, 1tsp Hoisin Sauce, 1tsp Asian Peanut Sauce, 1tsp Soy Sauce stir to mix.

Spoon lobster filling into lettuce leaves, fold sides of leave into center and roll. This would work better with a bib lettuce that forms a natural cup.  I had on-hand green curly lettuce which is too floppy, for photo purposes, but tasted fabulous.

Instead I reworked the delivery method by using cucumber cups 

Take a citrus zester and pull it along the skin of a large cucumber to form a decorative look.  Cut 1 1/2 inch sections from it. 

Using a melon baller remove the seeds, but be sure to leave some cucumber flesh at the bottom so your filling doesn't fall out.  

Sprinkle a few granules of kosher salt into your cup, then turn them upside down on a paper towel to drain for 10 minutes or so.

Spoon your filling into the center and garnish as desired.  Serve with extra Hoisin sauce and Sriracha on the side.  

 Lobster Cucumber Cups....These are so fun!

Let me know what you think? Did you try them?

Salmon Stuffed Mushroom Caps

These warm Salmon Stuffed Mushroom Caps are overflowing with flavor and are so simple to make.  With a little help from the Gorton's Fisherman and a few fresh veggies I was able to quickly whip together this wholesome snack. 

 As always the ingredients I used for today's snack are only what was available at the time I was ready to eat.  So, take a look in your freezer and pull out whatever frozen fish or protein you happen to have.   We just so happened to have Gorton's Grilled Salmon, Lemon Butter flavor.  You'll want to cook it according to the package or heat it through in a skillet then set it aside to cool. I used both salmon fillets in the package.

We had about ten large button mushroom left in the fridge, so I cleaned them up with a damp paper towel, just to remove any dirt particles.  Never wash your mushrooms in water because they are like little sponges and will become waterlogged, which will keep them from browning.  Remove the stems and scoop out the center.  Place your cleaned mushrooms in a baking dish just big enough to hold them, the tighter the fit the better. Set aside.

Chop the stems and centers of mushrooms, 3T onion, 1 T celery, 2T red bell pepper.  Saute veggies in a large skillet with 1T butter.  Use a nice large skillet on a med-high heat.  The large skillet will allow the water to evaporate as it is released from the mushrooms and veggie.  Continue to saute and stir your veggies until they are cooked and caramelized like the image below.

I could just eat these veggies as is, but I'll hold off until the finished product.  See how they have browned and caramelized and the water has evaporated.  If you still have a lot of liquid in the bottom of your pan then you'll need to continue cooking your veggies.  Too much water will make your mushrooms a soggy mess. 

 Now that the salmon is cooled, take a fork and flake it in to small chunks.  

 We have Ritz and as y'all know~ Everything tastes better on a Ritz!  So, I was sure it would taste good in these Salmon Stuffed Mushroom Caps.  Just take 8-10 crackers and pound the heck out of them in a Ziploc baggie.  For good solid filling that is not too loose and holds up to the moisture that the mushrooms are going to give off you'll want to have at least 1/4-1/3 Cup of cracker crumbs.

Mix together in a large bowl, the flaked salmon, cracker crumbs, sauteed veggies, 1 beaten egg and 2-3T milk.  Season with salt & pepper and a few sprinkles of Cayenne Pepper.  This should yield about 3/4 to 1C of filling.   Your filling should have enough body to pile it into your mushroom caps.  If your filling does not sit-up on the spoon like in the above photo then you'll want to crush more cracker in it. 

With the cleaned caps in a baking dish fill all your caps using all of the filling.  As you can see I had ten and was able to fill them all with lots of this yummy filling.  Pile it on there!!!! 

Bake them in a 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes.  And look what you get.....

These Stuffed Mushroom Caps are so good and good for you! Mushrooms are one of the Top 20 Super Foods!!  

You are what you eat

 

I love this image! It's a good reminder that we are what we eat, and it truly does show on our face whether we are eating well or no.  

I'm going to start looking into and practicing more "clean eating" as well as introducing some "raw foods".  Nothing drastic just something to change things up a bit.

Doesn't Almond Buttered Banana & Açaí
 sound yummy.  Keep an eye out for that coming soon!

Hey do me favor, and follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Subscribe to my RSS feed. Oh and I'm on Pinterest too.  

Crisp Spicy Okra Pickles

This is a snack I was introduced to in Texas at a friends home warming party. I'm not a big fan of 'the okra' there's just something about that slimy mucus, yuck gag me! It's good fried of course, but with my goal to make better dietary choices fried is not an option.

I was so fascinated with this pickled okra as I'd never heard of them before a few months ago.  So, I took a little nibble and was shocked at how good they really are. They are crunchy and spicy, better than a dill pickled cucumber in my opinion (okay maybe not).

You've got to try them and they're not just a Texas thing.  You can get them in any grocery store y'all.  Enjoy! 

Just in case they're not at your local grocer here's a recipe to make your own homemade Crispy Spicy Okra Pickles. 





Crispy Spicy Pickled Okra:

2 pounds okra, stems trimmed
8 garlic cloves
1 cup fresh dill
4 Serrano peppers-seeded, membrane and stem removed
2 teaspoons  red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons cumin seed
4 teaspoons kosher salt
3 cups apple cider vinegar

4-pint sized mason jars

• Evenly divide between the four jars the okra, dill, Serrano chiles and garlic cloves.

• Bring the vinegar and spices to a boil and pour into the jars. Fill up the rest of the jar with water.

• Let them cool for about half hour then cover and refrigerate.

Allow your jars of pickles to sit in the refrigerator to marinate in the brine for a day, they'll be ready tomorrow.  After that they will keep in the refrigerator for a few months.  Note: These cannot be stored in the pantry.

I really do enjoy pickled veggies like Red Cauliflower Pickles, I can hardly wait to try those too.

Thai Chicken Sausage Salad

 I am starting to like my new job.  It has been decades since I last worked retail.  At first I hated it and had a daily mantra of "Deborah Do Not Walk Out The Door You Need A Paycheck!".

But as the days there grow in number the aching in my feet is starting to subside.  Plus, I remind myself of all the calories I am burning in each eight our shift of standing, walking, lifting and reaching, bending and squatting.

During my breaks I make sure I am eating healthy snacks and drinking plenty of water all to ignite the metabolism furnace in an effort to create fat burn.  Unfortunately once home I lose momentum and have succumb to many-a-late night junk food binge of corn-dogs and hot pockets and the likes.  Luckily though I have steered clear of the Pop-tarts in the pantry that have been calling my name, loud and clear. 

Now, before leaving for work I throw together a salad and leave in the fridge ready and waiting for me.  The crunchy crispy lettuce and succulent chicken sausage, mixed with the spicy nutty dressing, satiate that need to much.  Plus it's filling enough to hold me over until morning.


Thai Chicken Sausage Salad:

2-3 Chicken Sausage Links- browned, cooked to done and sliced into 1/4 inch coins
1 head of Romain Lettuce-washed, dried and ripped to bite size pieces
1/2 red onion-sliced into rings
1/2 C Cherry or Grape Tomatoes-washed
1 carrot- shredded

Toss all ingredients together, once prepped as directed above, in a large salad bowl and serve drizzled with Thai Peanut Dressing.  Recipe below. Enjoy!  


Thai Peanut Dressing:
1/2 C peanut butter
1 lime, juiced and zested
2 1/2 t sesame oil
1 T seasoned rice wine vinegar
2 T low sodium soy sauce
3 T honey
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 T minced ginger
1/2 C chopped cilantro 
1/2 C vegetable oil
1/4 t or to taste kosher salt
2-3 t or to taste sriracha chili sauce*
2-4 T water

Place all dressing ingredients except the water in the blender and process till smooth, drizzle in the water during processing until it reaches your desired consistency.  Yields 2 cups of dressing.  Store in refrigerator.


* Sriracha is a type of Thai hot sauce, it's a paste of chili peppers, distilled vinegar, garlic, sugar and salt. 



Image: Piyachok Thawornmat / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Brussel Sprouts & Butternut Squash with Roasted Garlic

As my Brussel Sprouts & Butternut Squash with Roasted Garlic were roasting in the oven I had about 30 minutes or so to surf the web.  During that time I stumbled upon an eye opening story about how our culture views eating habits today as opposed to yesteryear. 

I remember back in the day when we ate produce that we either harvested from the garden on the front yard bank or from berry bushes in the woods.

Vegetables were a primary staple in our families diet.  Heck my mom fed a family of seven on one chicken, and trust me the chickens back in the day weren't hopped up on steroids which meant they were normal size, small.  One chicken thigh and the gizzard was designated for me.  If we were still hungry, which we were not, then the reply would be "have more salad or veggies".

Lent season started earlier this week and I have decided to give up red meat and pork.  So veggies will be my main focus for the next 40 days.  I love veggies as long as they are prepared correctly.  Correctly meaning roasted or raw, I'm not a big fan of steamed veggies though.

Whoops! I rambled on a bit there, here's the article I was referring to titled “Tastes Worth Dying For,”

By now many of us are familiar with the infamous news of the man who suffered a heart attack last week while eating a Triple Bypass Burger at the Heat Attack Grill in Las Vegas. The very sad part is that onlookers thought it was a stunt and were actually taking pictures of the man’s suffering. Thankfully, as of today, he has survived, but this incident brings up the question, “How did we, as a culture, get to this point?” How did we go from my parents’ generation of surviving the Great Depression by eating dandelion greens and growing gardens out of necessity ~ to today’s Heart Attack Grill slogan that touts, “Tastes Worth Dying For,” and having their 575 lb spokesman die last year at the age of twenty nine? ....Read More

Brussel Sprouts & Butternut Squash with Roasted Garlic
Tossed together some brussel sprouts, butternut squash, a couple of heads of garlic, an onion and any other root veggies you have in the fridge or pantry, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper and some dried basil.  Roast in a 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes.  

I've never been a champion of the brussel spout, but when roasted they have a chance to caramelize and end up tasting like nature's candy.  Enjoy!

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White Bean & Pesto Dip with Pita Chips

End of the week and time to clean the pantry and fridge.  I love making meals or snacks from ingredients only found in the pantry at the time.  Turns out we had quite a few items fixen' (Texan for getting ready to y'all) to expire.Fresh herbs on their last leg? Well ours were so rather than throw them away I whipped up this quick White Bean & Pesto Dip and served it with pita chips (the pita bread was about to expire too).

The pesto is made of:

• 1 bunch of Spinach

• 1/2 bunch of Cilantro

• 1/2 bunch of Parsley

• Several sprigs of Basil

• 1/4 C Pine Nuts

• 2Tbsp chopped Garlic

• 3Tbsp Parmesan Cheese

• 4-5Tbsp Olive Oil

• S&P to taste

Wizz it all up in a food processor set it aside about 3Tbsp of the pesto and refrigerate the rest for another day. 

Next, I made the White Bean Dip, which was just:

• 2 Cans of White Navy Beans drained and rinsed

• 1-2Tbsp of Olive Oil

• S&P to taste

Wizz this up in a food processor and pour it into a serving dish. Spoon the reserved pesto on top and swirl with a chopstick or skewer to mix the two colorful flavors together.  Garnish with pine nuts and paprika. 

Cut the pita bread into small triangle, and place on a cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil sprinkle with salt and toss to coat.  Bake in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes, too half way through.  Remove from the oven when golden brown and crunchy.  Serve with dip. 

Enjoy.

This is also great when served with fresh crudités (French for fresh veggies y'all!)