Black Bean Burgers

Hello everyone! Long time, no see, eh? I know I've been really absent from this little 'ole blog for a long time. For some of that time, I've had what I consider to be a good excuse. A certain little bean kept me sick for awhile! {Well, perhaps I shouldn't say it's our bean's fault because he didn't exactly make me sick but the hormones associated with said bean sure did.} This little bean is totally worth it but I have to admit that it's really nice to like food again. :)

And now I'm back. Hopefully. I have a bunch of recipes to share and post so I'm going to get on it and start them coming. It's a good thing you've had Tierra around to help give you some new ideas! I can't promise that all of my recipes will be health conscious like Tierra's have been. In fact, if eating sugary, delicious food were a sin, some of mine would be downright sinful. But I hope you enjoy them as much as I have.

Today's recipe is actually healthy and so delicious! We love this recipe and it's a really nice substitute for the full of fat hamburgers usually found on a bun. If you're looking for something a little different that tastes so great, give these a try. You won't be sorry. 

Black Bean Burgers
Recipe from Sarah Harwood
Makes 4-6 patties

2 slices stale or toasted whole wheat sandwich bread
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, minced, with membranes and seeds removed {I highly recommend wearing rubber gloves when you do this}
1 tsp cumin
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/4 cups cooked brown rice
2 tsp fresh lime juice {I admit to liking a little more than that in mine}
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 cup chopped cilantro 
Additional breadcrumbs, if needed
1 Tbsp canola or olive oil for cooking


Directions:
In the bowl of a food processor or blender, pulse bread to form breadcrumbs {if you toast it, make sure it's been cooled before processing}. Pour into a bowl and set aside.
Saute onion until soft in a small amount of butter or oil. Add garlic, jalapenos, and cumin and saute for an additional 2 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.
Scoop the black bean mixture into a large bowl. Add the breadcrumbs and the cilantro. Using a wooden spoon or your hands, stir the mixture until combined.
Divide the mixture into four or six {depending on the size you like - I usually get about 5} equal portions and form into patties. If the mixture is too moist to form patties, add more breadcrumbs. Place the patties on a baking sheet or plate lined with plastic wrap and cover with additional plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour. This recipe could also work well for making ahead of time. You could make it up in the morning and just refrigerate until you need to cook them up that evening.
Heat canola oil in a large skillet set over medium heat. Make sure your oil is hot before adding the burgers. Add the burgers and cook for 4 minutes per side.

Serve with avocado, tomato, lettuce, cilantro-lime mayo {see below} and on a bun.

Cilantro Lime Mayo
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 Tbsp finally chopped cilantro
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
In a small bowl, combine all ingredients. Stir well.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

 This is a basic buttercream recipe, good for cupcakes, sugar cookies and cakes.

Buttercream Frosting
1 cup {2 sticks} real butter, at room temperature {I don't recommend using margarine; it alters the taste and texture too much}
3 1/2 - 4 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla

Put the softened butter into a bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Add one cup of powdered sugar. Using a hand mixer or the whisk attachment on a stand mixer, beat all the powdered sugar into the butter. Add the second cup of sugar; beat until sugar is incorporated. Add another cup of sugar and incorporate. Add the final 1/2-1 cup sugar and beat on medium speed for 4-5 minutes. Trust me on this. Don't try to cut back on the time. Beating it for this long will make it fluffy and creamy and beautiful. The color will also change and you'll end up with a snow white frosting. It's lovely. Don't forget to scrape the bowl a time or two. Add the vanilla {after you've beat it for 4-5 minutes} and mix just until incorporated. If the flavor is still a little too buttery just add a little more sugar until you get the flavor you want. When you're finished beating the frosting, it should be stiff and hold it's shape {as in the photos} but still be wet enough that it will stick to your surface when you use it.

You can store this frosting in the refrigerator. Just be sure to pull it out about an hour before you need it and once it's softened up again, beat it for a minute or two to fluff it back up.

This frosting colors really well. You can also do a chocolate version by cutting out 1/4 cup of the powdered sugar and adding 1/4 cup cocoa powder at the same time you add the vanilla. If you need a stronger chocolate flavor, just add more cocoa and adjust the powdered sugar measurement accordingly.

If you find that you want a buttercream frosting that isn't quite as sweet, add a 1/4 cup or so of sour cream with the butter. You may have to add a little sugar to get the right consistency but not too much.

Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting

This is the next recipe that came from Crazy About Cupcakes. The ginger in this frosting gives it a subtle, enticing flavor that really pulls you in. It is delicate and sweet and the perfect combo with Caramel Sauce and the cupcakes recipe above!

Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting
Recipe from Crazy About Cupcakes, page 86

1 8oz package cream cheese, at room temperature
6 Tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground ginger


Directions:
In a medium bowl cream together the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth, usually about 1 minute.
Slowly sift in the confectioners sugar and continue beating. Mix until all lumps are gone and it starts to be slightly stiff* {please see note below}. Add the vanilla and ginger and mix until fully integrated.


*Note: this will not be buttercream stiff. It will be slightly stiff in that it will begin to hold it's shape, but thanks to the cream cheese, if it gets very warm it will be melty. This frosting doesn't need any more sugar than I listed above. If you don't really care about piping your frosting {but I'm telling you, it's so much faster and more fun than spreading with a knife}, you can even use about 1/2 cup less. You only need all the sugar if you want it to hold it's shape enough to pipe. 

Caramel Sauce

This recipe comes from a book called "Crazy About Cupcakes" by Krystina Castella. I really love this book. My wonderful cousin {hi, Tierra!} gave it to me several months ago when she read my bucket list and saw that I had a desire to learn how to make gourmet cupcakes. Anyway, this caramel sauce goes with one of the cupcake recipes I made recently. It is truly delicious sauce and I would totally just eat it with a spoon!

Caramel Topping
Recipe adapted slightly from Crazy About Cupcakes, page 95

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
4 Tbsp (1/2 stick)  butter {you can use unsalted but I like the taste of salted better
1/4 cup cream
2 tsp vanilla extract



Directions:
In a saucepan over medium heat bring the brown sugar, butter, and cream to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer (just above low on my gas stove) and continue cooking for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
Stir in the vanilla.

Sweet Poppy Seed Dressing

This is the other "element" I added to make our green salads . . . . . . . . . . desirable. I just have to tell you, this dressing is fab. If I do say so myself. I'm a salad lover anyway, but this dressing kept me eating green salad two meals a day for almost a week! It's just that good.

Now, there is actually a funny story to go along with this dressing. This story is my example of how anyone can have kitchen disasters relating to just about anything. This dressing was my kitchen disaster. Silly, I know, but hear me out.

I knew exactly what I was making for dinner. This poppy seed dressing was supposed to go with dinner. It was also supposed to be amazing. I had received a poppy seed dressing recipe for a dear old lady I clean house for. She loves to cook and she is always sharing recipes with me. Actually, if she's made something new and she has leftovers, she'll always heat some up for me when I come cleaning. She's sweet like that. Anyway, she shared this recipe with me with one caveat: she hadn't made it herself. She got it from someone else who said it was just like the local University makes. "Hm, sounds worth trying," I thought to myself. I love the dressing from the school. So I finally pulled the recipe out and whipped it up. It looked a little funny but I just figured I must be remembering wrong. So I gave it a taste. It was honestly the worst dressing I had ever tasted in my life!! Oh dear. Of course, I couldn't blame the little old lady I clean house for. She hasn't even made it for crying out loud! But the ingredients should have been a serious clue to me that something would be wrong. Learn from my mistake - a 1/3 cup sugar will never over power half an onion. I promise. Dressing #1 = down the drain.

So then I looked up some recipes online. I wanted to know where I had gone wrong and hopefully find something that would be better than what I had just made. I figured that couldn't be too hard. I finally settled on a recipe I found and whipped it up. Taste test #2.  It was the second worst dressing I had ever tasted in my life!! Seriously, people. Is there not a good poppy seed dressing out there? Dressing #2 = down the drain.

By this time, my baby was getting impatient about waiting for her dinner. And who could blame her? It was about an hour past when she usually eats dinner. Prepping and whipping up those dressings {plus looking for another recipe} was really taking up some time. This was supposed to be a 15 minute deal, here. *sigh* I hurriedly searched for one final dressing recipe for one last attempt at making what I desperately wanted to be on the kitchen table. I found a recipe. I was instantly unhappy with some of the measurements. I used it as a base and made up my own measurements. I whipped it all up. Taste test #3. Success!!!!

You will never know how happy I was to have a dressing that didn't taste like mustard or onions. Or both. Blech. {Now, I like both mustard and onions, but seriously, when you're looking for a sweet dressing, neither of those ingredients fit the bill.} My hubby came home to an upset baby and no dinner on the table, but his wifey was a happy one. :)

Sweet Poppy Seed Dressing
Adapted by Jessica Harwood

1/3 cup + 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
5 Tbsp. white vinegar
2 1/2 tsp. poppy seeds
1 tsp grated onion {you want it as small as possible}
3/4 tsp ground mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup olive oil

Directions:
In a small bowl, mix the sugar and vinegar together until the sugar was dissolved. Add poppy seeds, onion, ground mustard and salt. Stir well. Slowly add oil. Cover and refrigerate. Serve over green salad with candied almonds, mandarin oranges and mozzarella cheese. Or try on a fruit salad.
Yum!

Strawberry Sauce

Have you ever heard of Our Best Bites? They are just about the coolest cooking blog on the planet. I aspire to be as cool {and talented} as them someday. I got this wonderful gem of a recipe from their site and it is so wonderful. I use it every time I have leftover strawberries that need to be used. It's is always perfect to use when the strawberries get a little soft and are no longer fun for just eating {or am I the only one who gets that way?}. I have made this several times and every time I am always glad I did. We love it as a syrup on pancakes or french toast, it would be so delicious on ice cream as a topping, and if you come back on Wednesday, I'm going to share my recent favorite thing to do with this sauce.



Strawberry Sauce
Recipe from Our Best Bites

Ingredients
1 pint {or two cups} strawberries
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp almond extract {which is amazing!} or vanilla extract

Directions:
Wash and remove the stems on the strawberries. I usually cut them in half at this point but according to the girls at Our Best Bites, this is an unnecessary step.
Combine the berries, sugar and desired extract flavor in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat {as in, don't try to boil it but keep it hot}. Cook for five minutes, stirring and breaking up the strawberries constantly.
After five minutes, remove from heat and allow to cool. When the mixture is cool enough for your blender, add the mixture to your blender and pulse until it reaches the desired consistency. Or don't blend it up and have a syrupy strawberry mixture. Whatever floats your fancy.

This is my new favorite sauce to put on strawberry shortcake. Yummy!

I love leaving it with lots of chunks when I'm going to put it on pancakes or something. So tasty! But I like it smoother if I put it on something like strawberry shortcake or for the "recipe" I'm going to share Wednesday! And don't forget to check back tomorrow for the first recipe from Tierra!

Avocado Relish

Unfortunately it seems that I didn't get a very good picture of the finished product! Ever so sorry. You can see it a little better on the Bean and Spinach Burritos {posted below}. This relish is also delicious served with chips or any other kind of burrito. Mmm, yummy! It's making my mouth water just thinking about it!

Avocado Relish
Sarah Harwood

1 large, firm, ripe avocado
2 T fresh lime juice
3/4 C finely chopped seeded tomato
1/2 C minced green onions
1/3 C minced fresh cilantro
1/2 1 tsp hot pepper sauce {optional: I never use it because I can't stand hot stuff. My hubby would probably love it}

Directions:
-combine avocado and lime juice in bowl and toss. Add tomato, onions, cilantro, and hot sauce. Toss gently. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour. Serve at room temperature.