Black Bean & Quinoa Veggie Burgers

I'm far from a vegetarian! But sometimes, a veggie fake out certainly can help your diet. I wanted to try something with a big more flavor and texture than my Meatless Sweet Potato Burgers. These fit the bill.

 

2 cups quinoa, cooked
2 shallots, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp mixed up salt
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 large egg
2/3 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1 Tbsp Adobo seasoning
1 tsp cumin
1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup oats

 

Recipe Adapted from Prevention RD

Cook quinoa according to package directions. Once cooled, mix in a large bowl with all other ingredients. Form six equal sized large balls and press down on a baking sheet sprayed with nonstick spray. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours. The longer they are refrigerated, the better they will stay together. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 10-12 minutes on each side, flipping once during baking. Serve on a hamburger roll.

For a gluten free burger, use a rice or oat flour instead!

 

These burgers also freeze wonderfully! Just freeze them a bit on the baking sheet and then pop into freezer bags and store in the freezer until ready to cook or defrost.



Taco Mac & Cheese

My husband loves taco anything! Ask him any night what he wants for dinner and you will have him say "TACO!" It's pretty much a running joke now. So, naturally I'm always scoping out taco recipes. I'm always up for pasta and this gives a taco twist to an American Chop Suey.

 

1 lb of your favorite pasta, cooked

1 lb ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 packet taco seasoning

1 cup salsa

1 cup reduced fat sour cream

1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend

2 cups milk

2 Tbsp cream cheese

 

Recipe Adapted from Cassie Craves

 

Cook past according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

 

Spray a skillet with some nonstick spray and add onions and garlic. Saute over medium heat for 5 minutes, until they start to caramelize. Add in the beef and seasoning, breaking the beef apart as it cooks.

 

When the beef is thoroughly cooked, add in the salsa, sour cream, cream cheese, and cheese. Mix well until all cheese is melted and blended in. Lastly, add the milk and mix well. Cover and simmer on low for 5 minutes.



Mix in your pasta.

Garnish with salsa and sour cream and enjoy!



Peach Melba

If you've never had Peach Melba, you are doing yourself a great disservice! This was a coveted dessert for me in my youth at restaurants. My father is not a dessert guy, but he loves fruit. This is one of his favorites. Finding them on a menu is no easy task. They are fairly simple to make, and well worth the rewards!

 

I did some peach picking at Connors Farm and stocked up to make some desserts to put away. I kept a few fresh ones for the Melba. Serve with some vanilla ice cream and you will be in heaven!

 

Recipe Adapted from Epicurious

Gently scrub the outside of your peaches under running water to remove any dirt and debris. Remove the stems. Slice them down the middle, all the way around, cutting all the way through. Then place one side in the palm of each hand and rotate the sides. They should come apart very easily and expose the pit to be removed. Cover with a 2:1 ratio of water to sugar, just enough to cover the peaches, in a small stockpot. 

Bring syrup to a boil and simmer peaches 5 minutes on each side. Turn off heat and cover, leaving the peaches to poach for 60-90 minutes.

Strain the peaches out of the syrup, but do not discard! This is amazing to add to some unsweetened iced tea! You will not go wrong, so put it in a container and leave it in your fridge to enjoy.

While the peaches are boiling, add 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup sugar to the empty saucepan. Bring to a boil and add 1 package of frozen or fresh raspberries. Simmer an additional 5-10 minutes until the raspberries begin to break apart. Cool down to room temperature and then stir in 2 Tsp lemon juice.

Pour raspberry syrup over your peaches! Enjoy!

Any additional raspberry syrup can also be used to sweeten iced tea. How will you ever choose between peach or raspberry teas?



Seafood Cannelloni

Sticking with the theme of lasagna rolls this week, I present my last version of Seafood Cannelloni. I love the taste of this dish but, I've ordered it in a restaurant a few times and the portion sizes are definitely something to frown about. Most times, you get 2 or 3 pieces of pasta, boo! So, why not make them at home and have as much as you want?

 

My seafood part of it was nothing crazy. Some imitation crab meat and salad shrimp, but you can add anything you like. Scallops, clams, crab meat, lobster, or anything like that would be awesome with this dish. You can make it as expensive or as inexpensive as you want!

 

1 package Lasagna, cooked

1/2 package imitation crab meat, shredded

1 package or can salad shrimp
1/4 cup shredded cheese mix

2 cups finely chopped cherry tomatoes

1 scallion, chopped

1 Tbsp tomato paste

1 Tbsp light cream

1 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp fresh chopped parsley

2 Tbsp finely chopped carrot

2 Tbsp finely chopped celery

3 Tbsp chopped onions

1 cup white cooking wine

1/2 Tsp lemon pepper

1 Tsp fresh lemon juice

Recipe Adapted from Epicurious

Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. Drain and lay them all out flat on counter top or work surface.

Shred your crabmeat and place into a bowl with the shrimp. Mix and season with lemon pepper and toss with lemon.

Spread the seafood mixture evenly over all the lasagna noodles being used.

Begin preparing your sauce by chopping all chopped vegetables and placing them into a saucepan. Add tomato paste, cream, and butter and saute for 5 minutes until vegetables begin to get tender. Add cooking wine and stir frequently until the sauce comes to a full, rolling boil.

Spoon sauce over the seafood on each noodle. Roll jellyroll style, from one end up into rolls. Gently place them in a small casserole dish. Spoon over any extra sauce and top with shredded cheese. Bake  covered with aluminum foil in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Caprese Lasagna Rolls

I was so happy with Lasagna Rollata, that I thought I'd go right on ahead and try a new Caprese recipe. I definitely wanted the full on mozzarella taste with no ricotta (but I added it to the sauce). The recipe I was basing this on was using shredded mozzarella cheese, which I didn't think would be authentic in taste. I went for the small mozzarella balls and had no problems at all with using them.

1 package Lasagna, cooked
1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese

10 small fresh mozzarella balls

2 Tsp garlic powder

1 Tsp onion powder

2 large beefsteak tomatoes, sliced and halved

1/4 cup very finely chopped fresh basil

Sauce:

2 Tbsp Italian seasoning

1 1/2 cups tomato sauce
1 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheese
leftover filling

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

Recipe Adapted from Cooking Classy

Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. Drain and lay out flat on counter top or work surface. Take mozzarella balls out of any water or brine that they are packaged in and lay them out on some paper towels. Cover them and give them a gentle squeeze to get off any excess water. Then, throw them into a food processor and puree into a paste. Add the garlic and onion powders.

Using spoonfuls, spread the filling thoroughly over one side with the back of the spoon. Space your tomato slices evenly over the lasagna, starting about a half inch from the first edge that you will roll. Roll jellyroll style, from one end up into rolls. The filling makes an adequate "glue" and they should stay together well. Gently lay them down in a casserole dish.

Add any leftover filling to a saucepan with the rest of the sauce ingredients. Heat and mix thoroughly over medium heat until the sauce begins to boil. Pour over lasagna rolls evenly. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes.

 

Lasagna Rollata

Before I share a new recipe with you, I'd like to apologize for my absence on here. Basically, as most people do, I can admit that I have had too much on my plate. My husband (and some friends) had remarked that I seem to only be happy when life is so crazy this way. Between photography, work, 3 dive clubs, marine mammal strandings, cooking, blogging, and a personal life...something had to give. Apparently this was the thing.

 

Looking back, I was shocked the other day to see that I had only published one blog last month. Since I originally wanted to have one everyday (a crazy goal!), this was certainly not how it turned out. Although my cameras, phone, and computer is filled with plenty of material, I have to put it all together and I'm going to be happy if I can publish a few blogs a week from now on. I apologize for starting out like gangbusters and then fizzling out but, I don't want to ever really quit doing this so unfortunately this is the way I have to do it. I hope my followers and readers understand and stick with me on my journey. Okay...on to the recipes!

 

1 package Lasagna, cooked
1/2 cup breadcrumbs

Filling:
1 large egg, beaten

1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup ricotta cheese

2 Tbsp Italian seasoning

2 Tsp garlic powder

1 Tsp onion powder

Sauce:
1 1/2 cups tomato sauce
1 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheese
leftover filling
 

Recipe Adapted from Recipes, Recipes, Recipes

I've mentioned before that I am not a fan or ricotta. My tastes have certainly grown to like it more as an adult, though. I just makes sure it's thoroughly spiced up so it doesn't taste bland to me.

 

Mix the ingredients together in a bowl for the filling. Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. Drain and lay out flat on counter top or work surface.

Using spoonfuls, spread the filling thoroughly over one side with the back of the spoon. Roll jellyroll style, from one end up into rolls. The filling makes an adequate "glue" and they should stay together well. Stand them up on their ends tightly placed in a small casserole dish. If you have empty space on one side of the pan, you can fill it up with meatballs, sausages, or whatever you might have on hand to compliment the dish.

Add any leftover filling to a saucepan with the rest of the sauce ingredients. Heat and mix thoroughly over medium heat until the sauce begins to boil. Pour over rollata evenly and top them with breadcrumbs. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes.

 



Fall Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

I know I'm jumping the gun here but, I love the fall in New England! I love everything about living here and actually getting to experience foliage when we don't just have an onslaught of rain. Fall is my favorite season. I'm a sucker for the Topsfield Fair, apple picking, Pumpkin Spice lattes, cider donuts, the smell of our first fire, cuddling in sweatshirts, plaid shirts, and boots. Let's not forget pumpkin carving! Every year I try to carve some elaborate pumpkin for my house and end up with all these seeds! 

I'm not a fan of pumpkin seeds. For years, I tried recipe after recipe, and just never cared for them. Since I hate to waste anything, I kept making them until I came up with this one. Now, I leave them on a dish on my counter after I make them and they are gone in no time! The flavoring captures everything I love about fall in New England! And don't throw away that pumpkin either! I have plenty of recipes for not just pies but, pumpkin cookies, muffins, and loaves that will make you want to savor every bit of your carving pumpkin. 

Take a large carving pumpkin (mine was 12 lbs) and scoop out all the seeds. Try to separate as much of the seeds as you can from the pumpkin goo (That's the technical term, right?) but don't wash them. Put them in a bowl and toss them with 3 Tbsp of apple juice or cider and 1 Tsp of maple syrup. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray and pour the seeds out onto it and spread them out evenly. It does get sticky so if you have a new pan, you might want to use aluminum foil to line the pan. Then I put a few Tbsp of vanilla extract in a squirt bottle and evenly spray the seeds. A Misto works well but spray generously! Then sprinkle them with 1/2 Tsp nutmeg and 1Tbsp of cinnamon and roast in a 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes. I make sure they are well dried out in the center. Let cool for a few minutes but don't wait too long or they will dry very sticky and hard. Use a metal spatula to scrape them off the pan and mix them up and separate. Wait until they are completely cool before packaging them up at all, but they last a long time covered or in plastic. I've kept them to top baking dishes months later and they are just as good as the day you made them!