Tahini, Carrot & Scallion Pinto Bean Burgers

Brian finally likes beans. I feel as if I’ve won the lottery. Why? Because I buy our groceries, since I’m the non-graduate student with a real fulltime job. It is expensive to feed a guy who can eat everything and not gain a pound.

I sound like a mom. Sigh.

I’d rather not spend a lot of money on food so I can spend my money instead on useless doodads. Hey, we all get our kicks somehow. Beans are cheap, thus reducing my grocery bill. They can sit on our shelf for a long time before I come up with a creative way of using them. You can’t put meat in the cabinet, now can you? Also, I’m really not a fan of the cheap meat dishes like meatloaf. I mean, a loaf of meat? What is that?

Brian thought he disliked beans, but I knew otherwise. We used to eat falafel all the time in New York. He didn’t realize falafel was essentially chickpeas all mashed up and fried. I had hope for the future beans in our relationship. Not that I’m all about cooking things for Brian to like, but if I’m grocery shopping he better come around. After gaining ground with his hungry appetite for my pinto bean chili, I thought why not take the bean manipulation one step further. I had so many leftover pinto beans to boot. There had to be a way to dress up these budget friendly legumes.

Martha Stewart had the perfect recipe for my abundance of cooked pinto beans. How does she do it? I imagine her sprawling home filled with kitchen drones who are constantly testing her recipes. She is the lord of a kitchen fiefdom.

These pinto beans burgers are simply amazing. Really. There is no way to eloquently talk about them. I can only speak in platitudes: amazing, delicious, yummy, to die for. They put frozen veggie burgers to shame. Clean out those textured vegetable protein burgers from their freezer burn state and start making these. The tahini creates a mashed bean burger reminiscent of falafel, but the scallions add a differing and subtle bite. Dressed up in a basic tahini lemon dressing, these burgers don’t need much to be tasty on your plate.

Brian liked them enough to eat a whole one. I win.

p.s.

These burgers freeze wonderfully. I made four after making chili, froze them immediately, and then just let them thaw out in the fridge on the day I ate one for lunch.

Tahini, Carrot & Scallion Pinto Bean Burgers

Adapted from Martha Stewart

(print recipe)

Makes 4 Burgers

Ingredients:

3/4 cup of bread crumbs
14 1/2 ounces of cooked pinto beans
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1 large egg
1 large carrot,  grated
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons tahini
salt and pepper
a few glugs of vegetable oil for frying

Ingredients for dressing:

1/2 cup of tahini
1/4 cup of cold water or more
2 cloves of garlic, minced
the juice from one lemon ( or to taste)
salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Mash the beans in a bowl until a thick paste occurs.

2. Add the bread crumbs, egg, tahini, scallions, carrot, cayenne pepper and salt and pepper. Mix until well combined.

3. Form the mixture into four evenly shaped patties. You can now freeze them or cook them for 10 minutes in a few glugs of heated oil over medium heat.

4. For the dressing: Combine all ingredients, adjusting to taste. Mix until the desired consistency forms. Drizzle over burgers!

My Healthier Version of Saag Faux-Paneer (with Tofu!)

 

Healthy? I know, healthy food is boring to write about. You probably want to run from this post in fear of all the positive food talk to follow in the paragraphs below. But I swear to you I will not lecture; I hate self righteous food blogs like the rest of them. I’m generally much more interested in bacon-on-everything blog posts than rants about agave nectar saving the world.

Yet the fact is that I can’t always be munching on cupcakes, cheese quiches, and bread topped high with mozzarella cheese. I wish I could but I will probably stop being able to out run my own metabolism pretty soon, and I can’t even afford all those delicious fatty meals. I have to eat healthy to save money first and foremost.

But the reason I made this tonight is not just for health’s sake. I am also a terrible pantry pack rat. I’ve had frozen spinach, plain yogurt, an armful of yellow onions, and a tub of firm tofu sitting in the fridge for more than two weeks. This is because I come home from work and make myself crazy dinners instead of using my supplies to craft something; one night it was four bowls of stove popped popcorn, the other it was string cheese, carrot sticks,and kalamata olives, both meals hastily devoured while standing in the kitchen eyeing what else I could eat by the handful. Why am I this way when I come home to a kitchen usually stacked and ready to produce meals of substance ? I think sitting in a cubicle makes me a little nutty, so nutty that I revert to childhood eating habits. I just want gushers again!

Insert Faux-Saag Paneer with Tofu to the rescue! This recipe is so easy it feels like I’m cheating. I looked at the meal on my plate and thought “wait, how did this get here?”

I got the initial idea from my good friend Neha because her dad makes saag with tofu all the time  I just went ahead and completely made this recipe up on a spur of the moment inclination to actually craft a dinner for myself. I’m not a real expert on what Indian spice combinations make a dish authentic or not, but I found this pleasantly complex and aromatic. The consistency and texture also turned out to be quite similar to those saag paneer dishes I order at Indian restaurants. It was quite tasty with a spicy yet smooth and creamy taste. It clung to the rice in just the right way too.

Lunch will be yummy tomorrow at work. That is a good thing.

My Version of Healthy Saag Paneer (with tofu cubes!)|
A Made By Frances Original

(print recipe)

Serves 4

Ingredients:

a 1lb bag of frozen spinach
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 gloves of garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons of garam masala
1 teaspoon of coriander
1/2 teaspoon of cumin
1/4 teaspoon of ginger
a dash of chili powder and tumeric (because why the hell not!)
1/2 cup of plain yogurt (I used low fat)
1/2 a tub of tofu, pressed and cubed
salt and pepper to taste
a few glugs of a neutral oil

Directions:

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté the onions in some oil. Add the garlic once the onions have softened. Sauté a few minutes more and then add the spices. Mix this to produce a pungent aromatic mixture, where the spices are browning and clinging to the onions.

2. Add in the spinach, thawed and pressed dry, and cook only for a minute. Toss several times.

3. Transfer the dish to a food processor. I had no problem with it being too warm to process, but if you are nervous about the heat just wait until it cools a bit.

4. Process of medium and add the yogurt a 1/2 cup at a time. Process until the mixture is even and smooth.

5. Transfer the spinach back to the skillet. Turn to medium heat and add the tofu cubes. Sauté the dish for 5 minutes until the cubes are warmed and the spices have mingled. Serve on rice!

It All Starts With One Pot of Chili, Doesn’t it?

I feel a bit strange sharing a chili recipe because I think chili is the kind of recipe that can never be replicated. It will always be changed and augmented every time a pot of it is bubbling on the stove top. But this is why I love chili so much, it is one of those democratic dishes owned by the people. I vote chili for president, basically.

I decided to blog about chili nonetheless because this is my very first batch. I’m already dreaming up the many additions I can make next time. Though, it looks like I made chili just in time to say goodbye to winter and say hello to spring. Chili making season might slow down now, since I’m not too interested in watching a bubbling cast iron dutch oven for an hour or so with it being so nice out.

I started with a general outline from an epicurious recipe. From there I added a dash of coffee for an interesting twist, chilies in adobo sauce for bang, and potatoes for chunkiness. I also used my very own chicken stock which I am quite proud of having made and froze just for this kind of dish. My frugality is paying off because I didn’t need to run to the store as I usually do for stock.  Homemade chick broth or stock really is the best of the best too. 

The result of my first batch of chili? It was fiery, filling, and surprisingly healthy having very little fat added but ton of taste. It got only better being served with fresh bread, tortilla chips and pepper jack cheese cubes, as well as some smooth and cold sour cream to compliment the biting spice. The next day the flavors were even better after blending in the fridge. I’m excited to pack some for lunch tomorrow, because I am a big lunch packing dork.

Didn’t I mention I loved spicy meats?

My Very First Batch O’ Chili
Adapted from Epicurious (originally from Bon Appetit)

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
a few glugs of oil
one pound of lean ground beef or sirloin
3 cups of cooked pinto beans
1 cup of diced potatoes
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
1 can of diced tomatoes with chilies
3 cups of chicken stock/broth
3 tablespoons of tomato paste
1 chili in adobo sauce, minced
1 tablespoon of adobo sauce 
1 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder
1 teaspoon of cumin
1 teaspoon of strong ground coffee
salt and pepper to taste


Directions:

1. In a heavy bottomed pot, like a dutch oven, sauté the onions, peppers, and garlic for 5 minutes. until soft and aromatic.

2. Add the ground beef and cook until browned. Add the spices, coffee and adobo chili and sauce. Mix for a few minutes.

3. Add the chick stock, diced tomatoes, tomato paste and beans. Bring to a boil.

4. Once boiled, simmer uncovered for an hour. The chili will be done once it has thickened.

Sourdough Bread, Trial Two: Failure Yet Again

I can’t for the life of me get a wild yeast starter to sprout. I have diligently fed my starter each morning before I drink my coffee (that is love people). Yet, it is just a sticky blob in the bottom of a mason jar. No rising. No bubbling. No movement of life.

I haven’t given up on making sourdough bread the old fashioned way yet. I’m hoping that the increasing warmth will make it easier. Now, I just need to find another starter recipe to start (ha!) with again.

No Knead Pot Boules from Nancy Baggett

I’ve had the cookbook Kneadlessly Simple for a while now. I bought it after I discovered the Mark Bittman/Jim Lahey no knead bread recipe about a year ago. That bread started me on a bread baking binge, and while I’ve pretty much mastered a few kneaded breads I am am still floored by that no knead bread. It is so, so easy to make during the hectic work week, and the crumb, crust and taste of the artisan boule is amazing. I love having fresh artisan style bread for both breakfast, with jam, and for dinner.

The other night Brian picked up the Kneadlessly Simple book on the shelf and asked me if I’d ever tried her version of the simple white no knead pot boule bread. While I’d tried several of her recipes, including a great no knead pizza dough, I had never thought to try the simple boule. I mean, I love the Lahey one, so why reinvent the wheel? But I’m glad Brian decided to try it out because it was really interesting comparing how the slight differences in preparations create quite different outcomes.

I can’t quite say I prefer one method over the other definitely.They both make fantastic artisan style breads with little work, but I was pleasantly surprised by the great flavor of Baggett’s recipe. The longer rise in the fridge and  on the counter definitely added a stronger and deeper yeasty flavor to the final bread. It almost had a hint of sourdough-ness.

Another plus side to the Kneadlessly Simple  way  is the ability to extend the process, which is great for accommodating crazy schedules. I’m hoping to try another of her bread recipes this weekend.

No Knead Crusty White Peasant-Style Pot Bread
Adapted from Kneadlessly Simple

makes one boule

Ingredients:
4 cups of bread flour
1 teaspoon of sugar
2 teaspoons of salt
3/4 teaspoons of instant yeast
2 cups of ice water
canola oil for coating the dough
dutch oven or oven safe lidded pot

Directions:

First Rise
1. In a bowl stir together the flour, sugar, salt and yeast. Add the water. The dough will be stiff. Coat the top with some oil.
2. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3-10 hours, depending on convenience. Then let rise on counter top at a cool room temperature for 18 to 24 hours.

Second Rise
1. Gently fold the dough in towards the center until deflated.  Recover.
2. Let rise at room temperature for  1 1/2- 2 1/2 regular rise. For a longer rise, put in fridge for 4 to 24 hours then let come back to room temperature on the counter top before proceeding.

Baking
1. Preheat the oven to  450 for a half an hour before and heat the dutch oven as well.
2. Reduce the oven to 425 before baking. Using oven mitts, open the dutch oven and plop the dough in. Spritz with water and cover quickly.
3. Nancy Baggett says to cook for 55 minutes which I found way too long. I baked for 30 minutes with the lid on and 20 with the lid off. The bread was great for me then. The crust should be hard and making a crackling noise when done. The internal temperature should be around 212 degrees.

Spicy Moroccan Inspired Meatballs

 

I love spicy and saucy meats. That sounds, err, a bit weird, but I do. It was time I confessed.

Those who know me may find my meat affection a bit funny since I almost consume no meat whatsoever during the week. For the most part, my diet is without meat beside the casual tuna sandwich (but is fish meat? I mean, come on, it is a fish!). I eat a lot of hummus, I’m not afraid of tofu, and I worship beans in all their legume-y glory. I also have a borderline obsession with poached eggs: on bread, on sautéed spinach, in soup, in curries, etc. You get the picture.

But, there always comes a night during the long work week when I just really want a hamburger or something of similar carnivorous delight, like pot roast or beef stew. It is like my body is finally fighting against all the healthy stuff I eat. It is crying out me, no more baby spinach!  I’d never be a very good vegetarian.

Brian loves meat though, meaning that once in a while our culinary cravings synch up in a perfect meal. The most recent example being spicy Moroccan inspired meatballs from the radio show The Splendid Table. This recipe is part of their budget meals list, making it a perfect fit for our frugal ways. Cheap meals are like drugs to us. We can’t get enough.

I took the creative liberty to make these meatballs even spicier than the recipe calls for. The dish is packed with a mouthful of fiery cayenne pepper, smoky paprika and the potent heat of chilies.Who doesn’t want more spice? Oddly enough, Brian could handle this dish’s powerful bite. He is usually quiet sensitive to spice but because we paired the meal with plain couscous, the sauce was softened sufficiently to his liking. The spice and warmth of this traditional American dish done up in more interesting flavors was especially welcome during a dreary winter weekend.

One final note on my changes to the original recipe: We decided to use ground turkey instead of ground beef or ground lamb. The turkey was sitting in our freezer begging to be used in one way or another. I’m sure ground lamb would be more decadent, but I found ground turkey perfectly yummy.

Spicy Moroccan Inspired Meatballs
Adapted from The Splendid Table

serves 3-4

(print recipe)

Ingredients:

1-1/4 pounds ground turkey (lamb or beef works here too)
3 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1 15 ounce can of diced tomatoes and chilies (to dial down the spice, just use a can of diced tomatoes)
2 teaspoons ground cumin, divide
1 large garlic clove
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 small onion
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Combine the ground turkey with one teaspoon of cumin, 1-1/2 teaspoons of paprika and 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper.

2. Roll the ground turkey mixture into meatball sized balls and set aside.

3. In a food processor pulse garlic until small and minced. Add olive oil, 1 teaspoon of cumin, diced tomatoes, onion, tomato paste,  and 1-1/2 teaspoons of paprika. Pulse until it becomes a thick almost completely pureed sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. In a deep skillet heat the sauce until boiling. Reduce the heat to medium and place the meatballs in a single layer in the sauce. Make sure meatballs are covered by swirling the sauce around. Cover and cook for 10-12 minutes.

Sourdough Bread: Day Six & Seven

It is now week two in this sourdough starter adventure. By the end of the week the starter should be active and that means sourdough bread is somewhere on the horizon.

I have been making and eating bread like a mad woman this past week. I just can’t stop.

Here is the run down of what I’ve done in the past couple days:

Stiff Sourdough Starter Day 6 & 7

Adapted from Maggie Glezer via The Fresh Loaf forums

Ingredients:

1/3 cup of bread flour
2 tablespoons of starter
2 tablespoons of water

Directions:

On day six (Friday): The starter should not have risen. Leave it be. Keep it warm. It is your dear friend.

On day seven (Saturday evening): Your starter will be smelling a bit sharp. It will also be quite gooey. Repeat the refreshment from the prior days. That is, take 2 tablespoons of starter, 2 tablespoons of water and 1/3 cup of bread flour and mix into a new little dough ball. Place the dough ball in a clean container. I switched from my mason jar to a pyrex measuring cup.