Mediterranean Burgers

Ingredient List
    •    1 lb extra lean ground beef
    •    1 egg
    •    1 teaspoon dried basil
    •    1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
    •    3 tablespoons dried breadcrumbs
    •    3 cloves garlic
    •    1/2 chopped red onion
    •    1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
    •    1 bunch of fresh mint
    •    spinach
    •    tomatoes
    •    rice wine vinegar
    •    kalamata olives
    •    greek yogurt
    •    mayo
    •    curry powder
    •    lemon juice

    •    buns of some sort

Burger patties
    •    1 lb extra lean ground beef
    •    1 egg
    •    1 teaspoon dried basil
    •    1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
    •    3 tablespoons dried breadcrumbs
    •    2 cloves finely chopped garlic
    •    1/2 chopped red onion
    •    1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
    •    1 tablespoon fresh mint

1. Pulse basil, oregano, mint, garlic, and onion in food processor until finely chopped.
2. Combine above substance in a large bowl with beef, egg, and breadcrumbs
3. Mix well with your hands
4. Form into patties (I made about 8 patties)
5. Brown each patty in olive oil for about 2 minutes on each side then place in 450 degree oven for 8-9 minutes (for medium-rare)

Toppings:
    •    Spinach
    •    Tomatoes (slicing them and letting them sit in rice wine vinegar while you're making the patties gives them a wonderful pickle-y sweetness)
    •    Diced olives
    •    Feta spread (see below)

Fetta Spread
    •    1 container (5.3 oz) nonfat, plain Greek yogurt
    •    1/2 cup mayonnaise
    •    4 oz crumbled feta cheese
    •    2 Tablespoons freshly chopped mint
    •    1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
    •    3/4 teaspoon curry powder
    •    1 clove finely chopped garlic
    •    1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

1. Combine all ingredients in food processor and process until smooth

Put it all on a bun and eat it!!

Fancy Veggie Quiche

I  diced and spliced this recipe from two I found online (Asparagus and Butternut Squash Pie plus Organic Potato Crust Quiche Gluten Free & Grain Free Recipe) and then I added bacon and extra seasoning because really, why not? I had a hankering for something breakfasty with asparagus and I'm trying to avoid gluten (oh joy). I used grated Pecorino Romano instead of Parmesan since it is sheep cheese (i.e. easier to digest) and Lactose Free Reduced Fat milk - low on lactose and gluten free, huzzah! Omit the bacon and you've got a vegetarian delight!

Ingredients:

Crust:
4 cups uncooked organic potatoes, shredded (I used sweet potatoes)
1/2 tsp unrefined sea salt
1/3 cup Grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1 large organic egg 

Filling: 

1 Small to Medium-Sized Sweet Onion, cut into thin slices

1 Shallot, minced

1 and 1/2 lbs Asparagus, with the tough bottoms trimmed off

8 Ounces Butternut Squash Cubes

2 Eggs

2/3 Cup Lactose Free Milk

4 Tablespoons Parmesan Cheese, finely grated

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Powder

1/2 teaspoon steak seasoning

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/4 cup cooked bacon pieces (chopping into bits)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
2. In a food processer, shred potatoes and transfer to a large bowl.
3. Salt potatoes and allow to sit for 10 minutes.
4. Squeeze the water out of the potatoes and place in another dry bowl.
5. Add salt, parmesan cheese, and egg and mix until well blended.
6. Press firmly into a greased 9" pie dish or individual greased ramekins.
7. Bake for 20 minutes. 
8. Sauté the bacon for a few minutes. Add onion and shallot along along with the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat until the onions have softened, about 15 minutes. Then remove it from the heat and set it aside.
9. Bring a medium sized pot of water to a boil, add the asparagus and cook for 30 seconds, then remove them from the boiling water and immediately immerse them in ice water to keep them from cooking. Set aside 7 asparagus spears and chop the rest up into chunks.
10. In a medium sized bowl, blend the eggs, milk garlic powder, paprika, and steak seasoning with an electric mixer. Set aside.
11. Remove crust from oven after 20 minuets and reduce heat to 375 F.
12. Add the onion and shallot mixture, butternut squash cubes, bacon, and chopped asparagus, then sprinkle it with the remaining Parmesan cheese. Place the 7 asparagus spears on top of the pie and pour the egg mixture over the vegetables until the pie is full.
13. Bake in oven for 30-45 minutes.

The Tate's Exquisite Chicken Pot Pie (est. 2014)

This was a very "on the fly" recipe with a lot of imagination, so it is neither quick nor precise - but it is certainly yummy!

Ingredients (more or less)
1/2 lb bacon
1/2 white onion
1/4 cup pearl onions
a splash of red wine
a splash of red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sun dried tomatoes
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
a splash of worcestershire sauce
a pinch of black pepper
a pinch of salt
1 medium zucchini
2-3 large carrots
4 cups fresh mushrooms
4 garlic cloves
2 cups peas
2 chicken breasts
a splash of white wine
8 fresh sage leaves
2 pie crusts
you favorite cheese

Bacon paté:  This was inspired by watching "Mind of a Chef" on PBS and is basically the legal, food-form of crack cocaine...
Sauté 1/2 lb (extra smokey) bacon with 1/2 white onion until grease gathers and onion starts to brown. Drain most of the grease and reserve for later, then add red wine, red wine vinegar, sun dried tomatoes, Dijon mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. Let cook on low-medium for 5-10 minutes, then combine in food processor with some black pepper until it reaches the consistency of hot, delicious, play-dough. Set aside.

Filling:
Veggies: Chop, food process, or use As Seen On TV "Veggetti" (yes we actually own this) one zucchini and two large carrots and set aside. Saute mushrooms with garlic with some of the reserved bacon grease until mushrooms begin to decrease in size. Add some white wine and continue to sauté. Add pearl onions, fresh peas, zucchini and carrots and cook until done. Reduce to low heat, drain liquid then add 1/4 cup whole milk.

Chicken: Place 2 chicken breasts in a casserole dish with white wine, Worcestershire sauce, 8 leaves of fresh sage and two garlic gloves chopped in half. Sprinkle with some salt and pepper and cook covered in the oven on 350 for 20-25 minutes or until no longer pink inside. Remove, shred with forks, and combine with veggies.

Put 'em All Together:
Place a pie crust in each pie pan and bunch up the excess crust around the rim. Divide the chicken/veg combo into each pie crust. Split the bacon paté in half and smear over the top of each pie. Layer the top of each pie with your favorite cheese (I used Trader Joe's lactose-free yogurt cheese). Place pies in oven and cook for 45 minutes total on 350 (I rotated each from top rack to bottom rack every 15 minutes, mainly because I didn't know how long the crust would take to cook and didn't want to burn the cheese).

Walnut Mushroom Veggie Burgers - from Love & Lemons

OH MY GOSH. These are one of the best things I've ever made, hands down. I'm not even vegetarian, but I think I prefer them to your average beef burger. They are a bit time consuming (not a week-night meal) but so worth it. I topped them off with some homemade spicy mayo (sriracha, mayo, lime zest) and ate them bun-less!

Walnut Mushroom Veggie Burgers 

(from Love & Lemons)

makes about 6 mini-sliders (serves 2 people)

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup walnuts, toasted (I sauteed them without oil on a cast iron skillet)
• 1 tsp. miso paste (my new favorite ingredient, check out H-Mart)
• olive oil, for the pan
• 2 shallots, chopped (I used 1 shallot and 1/2 a yellow onion)
• 6 oz. mushrooms (mix of cremini & shittakes), chopped small (I had bought dried shitake mushrooms from H-Mart. Super cheap, and they keep forever! Rehydrate them by having them soak in warm water.)
• splash of soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1/2 tsp. chinese five spice powder
• Splash of mirin (I used apple cider vinegar)
• 1/4 tsp. of honey
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup panko (1/4 cup into the mix, 1/4 to roll the patties in)
• A few teaspoons sesame seeds
• 6 mini slider buns (or go bun-less and serve them over mixed greens with sesame ginger dressing!)

Instructions

1. Crush the walnuts and miso together to form a chunky paste, (I pulsed them in my food processor).
2. In a medium pan, heat a bit of olive oil. Add the shallots and let them cook down for about a minute. Add the mushrooms, a splash of soy sauce, garlic powder, onion powder and five spice powder. Stir together and let cook until the mushrooms are cooked down, about 5-8 minutes. Add a splash of mirin to deglaze the pan. Then add in the walnut-miso paste, and a small drizzle of honey, combining everything together. Remove from heat and transfer to a medium bowl. Set it aside to cool for a couple of minutes before adding the egg.
3. Add the egg and 1/4 cup panko, and let the mixture sit in the fridge for 15 minutes or so. While you wait, spread the remaining panko and the sesame seeds (together) on a plate.
4. Remove mix from fridge and form into small (approximately 3-inch) patties. Roll each into the panko. Use your hands to firmly press them into shape.
5. Wipe out the pan you were using before, and heat a few tablespoons of olive oil. Cook patties for 2-3 minutes per side.

Homemade Sundried Tomato Aioli

I made this for on top of black bean burgers and it is absolutely AMAZING! I found a recipe online and improvised off of it since I lacked about half of the essential ingredients - I love it when accidents turn out great!

- 1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes
- 1 whole egg (i found a recipe for mayo that called for just the yolk and another that used the whole egg)
- 1 glove of garlic
- olive oil
- cayenne pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoon lime juice
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard

So you can do this with a wisk, a blender, or a food processor (I used food processor) but the main thing with mayo is to add the oil SLOWLY. So I added the egg, pepper, lime juice, vinegar, and mustard to the food processor and turned it on until everything was blended. At that point I started adding olive oil, with the food processor on, little by little. I ran out of oil so I strained some oil from the sundried tomatoes as well. After it becomes recognizably mayonnaise, I added the clove of garlic and tomatoes and continued blending.

It's killer on sandwiches or as a dip and the cayenne gives it an awesome POP!

Quinoa Vegetable Salad with Lemon-Basil Dressing

I was looking for something summery-y that would keep well for lunches throughout the week, and I came upon this salad. Quinoa is filling and healthy and this recipe is really easy to modify with whatever veggies you crave or have on hand. This dish can be used as a side in a larger meal, or as a meal in itself. Here’s my version:

Ingredients:

For the Salad:

1 cup uncooked quinoa

15 oz. can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

4 roma tomatoes

1 orange bell pepper

1 ½ cups corn (I used frozen & thawed)

3 green onions

1 zucchini

For the Dressing:

(Once I saw how much salad this makes, I doubled the recipe so I ended up using these measurements).

4 tbsp. olive oil

1 lemon, juiced (or, 4ish tbsp. lemon juice)

AS MUCH BASIL AS YOU WANT

Garnishes:

I like to eat this on a bed of spinach with feta on top.

Directions:

1.       Rinse & cook quinoa according to the instructions. Let it cool while you do the other stuff.

2.       Whisk dressing ingredients together.

3.       Chop all veggies.

4.       Throw everything together, pour dressing over top, mix well to combine.

5.       Serve immediately; or, chill it and save for later. This makes a huge Tupperware container-full, so there’s plenty for leftovers.

6.       Enjoy your summer garden in a bowl.

Photo from The Garden Grazer

Baked Oatmeal

Whether I'm making it for Dave and I, my inlaws, or 40 of us young adults on the retreat, this recipe always seems to be a hit! I serve it with milk and fresh fruit, but you could also add yogurt or almond butter if that suits your fancy. Happy eating!

Baked Oatmeal

2 cups old fashioned rolled oats (if you use gluten free oats, add 10 min to the cooking time)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup dried fruit - I like dried blueberries, cranberries and golden raisins (optional)
3 tablespoons chopped walnuts (optional)
1 cup milk
1/2 cup applesauce
2 tablespoons oil
1 egg (beaten)

Combine oats, brown sugar, baking powder, and optional dried fruit and nuts in a medium bowl.
Combine milk, applesauce, oil and egg in a separate bowl. Add to oat mixture; stir well.
Pour into a greased 8 x 8-inch baking pan. Bake in preheated oven at 350F for 25 minutes. Serve warm with milk. Serves 3-4.
This recipe can be prepared quickly in the morning by mixing the dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately the night before. Combine and pop in the oven as soon as you get up. Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator and can be reheated in the microwave in individual bowls.