Chicken with white beans and tomatoes

     Let me just start out by saying that this turned out to be one of my favorite dinners I have made in a long time.  It was so simple to make and was just simply delicious.  I found this recipe for Chicken with white beans and tomatoes in an old issue of Real Simple. This was the runner up recipe for our dinner guests earlier this week. It smelled delicious baking in the oven and took just about three minutes to throw together.

Chicken with white beans and tomatoes

Ingredients
2 15.5-ounce cans cannellini beans, rinsed
1 pint grape tomatoes
4 sprigs fresh thyme
4 sprigs fresh oregano, plus leaves for garnish
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil-I used less
kosher salt and black pepper
8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 3 pounds total)-I used boneless, skinless thighs

Directions
1. Heat oven to 425° F. In a 9-by-13-inch (or some other large) baking dish, toss the beans and tomatoes with the thyme and oregano sprigs, garlic, red pepper, 1 tablespoon of the oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper.
2. Pat the chicken dry and place on top of the bean mixture, skin-side up. Rub with the remaining tablespoon of oil; season with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper.
3. Roast until the chicken is golden and cooked through, 35 to 45 minutes. Sprinkle with the oregano leaves.

Book Club Brunch

    This year a bunch of girls from school decided to start a book club.  It was a good excuse to get together on a somewhat regular basis and chat.  Last month we read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.  We didn't end up talking much about the book during our meeting.  Our next book was Room By Emma Donoghue.  We met this morning at our house for brunch to talk about it.  It was nice to see everyone over break and we did manage to discuss the book a bit too.  I made just a couple of simple things that came out well.  Both recipes came from my Cooking Light book.  This was a great investment from the bargain aisle at the bookstore.  I don't think I've ever made something from this book that didn't come out delicious...or at least somewhat edible.

Easy Banana Bread

Ingredients
 1 cup mashed ripe bananas- I used 3
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg white
1 large egg
1 3/4 cups flour
*1 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
*1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Cooking Spray
* I didn't have cream of tartar.  I googled a substitute and I found out that there really isn't a good substitute because there is something about the chemistry between the baking soda and cream of tartar.  I did read that you could use baking powder in place of both.  I used a teaspoon of baking powder.  I also added some chopped almonds.



Method
1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl, beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth
3. Lightly spoon the flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife.  Combine the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt in a bowl stirring with a whisk.  Add flour mixture to banana mixture, stirring just until moist.  Spoon batter into an 8 x 4 inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray.
4. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until a wooden pick comes out clean.  Cool 10 minutes  and then remove to a cooking rack to cool completely.

My bread came out a little light, I should have left it in the oven little longer.





Dutch Pear

Ingredients

• 4  Bartlett or Bosc pears, cored and thinly sliced (about 1 pound)
• 1/4  cup  packed brown sugar
• 1/4  cup  fresh lemon juice
• 1  cup  all-purpose flour
• 1  cup  2% reduced-fat milk-I used almond milk
• 3  tablespoons  granulated sugar
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 3  large eggs
• 2  teaspoons  butter or stick margarine-I used Smart Balance
• 1  tablespoon  powdered sugar

Method

1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Combine sliced pears, brown sugar, and lemon juice. Heat a 10-inch cast-iron or heavy ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add pear mixture; sauté 5 minutes or until pears are golden. Remove pear mixture from pan, and keep warm.
3. Lightly spoon the flour into a dry measuring cup, and level with a knife. Place the flour in a large bowl. Combine the milk, granulated sugar, salt, and eggs, stirring the mixture well with a whisk. Add the milk mixture to the flour, stirring with a whisk until well-blended.
4. Melt the butter in pan. Pour batter into pan. Bake at 425° for 25 minutes or until puffy and golden. 5. Spoon the pear mixture into center of pancake; sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cut into 6 wedges. Serve immediately.

Here are pictures of some of the delicious breakfast foods other people brought.  Hopefully the recipes will come soon!

Muffins made by Deb

Creme Brulee French Toast made by Ali

Moose and Otis were thrilled with the book discussion.  Here they are sleeping in their new favorite spot, under the Christmas tree.

A Dinner Party

   Ali and Erik came over for dinner on Monday night, after the snowstorm.  The goal was a healthy meal coming off of Christmas weekend.  For an appetizer I made an artichoke spread from a recipe I found on bhg.com.   It was very simple and very tasty.  Even Arnauld liked it and he doesn't usually go for my vegetarian creations.

Artichoke Spread

 

Ingredients

• 1  15-ounce can  cannellini beans (white kidney beans), rinsed and drained
• 1  9-ounce package  frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and well drained-I couldn't find these frozen, so I used a canned.
• 1  clove  garlic, quartered
• 1  teaspoon  finely shredded lemon peel
• 1  tablespoon  lemon juice
• 1/8  teaspoon  salt
• 1/8  teaspoon  cayenne pepper
• 1    green onion, thinly sliced
•     Sliced green onion tops
•     Assorted vegetable dippers and/or crackers

Directions

In a large food processor, combine beans, artichoke hearts, garlic, lemon peel, lemon juice, salt, and cayenne pepper. Cover and process until nearly smooth, stopping to scrape down sides as necessary.
Transfer bean mixture to a serving bowl; stir in the thinly sliced green onion. Serve immediately or cover and chill for up to 2 days. If chilled, let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.
To serve, garnish with sliced green onion tops. Serve with assorted vegetable dippers and/or crackers.

     I poured over past issues of some of my magazine before finally deciding on the dinner menu, chicken and sweet potatoes with shallots, from February's issue of Real Simple.  Unfortunately, it was so good I forgot to take pictures before it was all devoured.  Since it tasted so good, it will probably find it's way into my rotation of favorite recipes.

Chicken and Sweet Potatoes with Shallots

Serves 4

Hands-On Time: 30m

Total Time: 30m

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (each 6 ounces)
• 4 shallots, sliced into thin rings
• 2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh rosemary-I used dried

Directions

1. Place the sweet potatoes in a large pot. Add enough cold water to cover and bring to a boil.
2. Add 1 teaspoon salt, reduce heat, and simmer until tender, 14 to 16 minutes. Reserve ¼ cup of the cooking water, drain the sweet potatoes, and return them to the pot. Mash with the reserved cooking water.
3. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Season the chicken with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
4. Cook the chicken until golden brown and cooked through, 7 to 8 minutes per side. Transfer to plates.
5. Wipe out the skillet. Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. Add the shallots, rosemary, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring, until the shallots are tender, 3 to 4 minutes.
6. Serve the chicken with the potatoes and drizzle with the shallot mixture.

   For dessert I went with apples in the skillet.  I peeled and cut 4 apples, added 1/4 cup of brown sugar, some lemon juice, a pinch of salt and a few shakes of cinnamon.  I put them in the skillet until the were soft and served them with vanilla ice cream and cool whip.  Yum!

Recipe Binders

    My other homemade gift this year was recipe binders.  It is a project I've been meaning to organize for myself.  I am constantly pulling recipes from magazines and stashing them in a folder, with no sense of organization.  I thought making recipe binders for gifts would jump start my own filing system.  I started by purchasing pretty binders from Target.  I then ordered earthy looking tabs from amazon.com along with plastic sleeves and recipe card sleeves.  Some pretty scrapbook paper made for colorful pages to glue recipes onto.  I paired these binders with some of my homemade recipe cards.  Hopefully these gifts will inspire cooking and organization for the recipients!

Homemade Holidays

     Since cooking and baking has become my thing lately, I decided to incorporate this new passion into some of my gifts this season.  I put together some cookie boxes with black and white chunk cookies, a recipe from a Pillsbury Cookie book my sister gave me last Christmas.  I also found a recipe for Chocolate Cookies with Raspberry Ganach.  It seemed that everyday my email was flooded with a message titled, "Cookie of the Day" or "Best Holiday Cookies."  It was hard to decide but in the end, it was random and I just chose two that were different from each other but I thought would appeal to most people.

Black and White Chunk Cookies

Ingredients

3/4 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
1/2 Cup Butter softened
1/2 Cup Shortening
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
4 oz semisweet chocolate chips
4 oz white chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans

Method
1. Heat oven to 375.  In large bowl, beat brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, and shortening with mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy.  Beat in vanilla and egg until well blended.  On low speed, beat in flour, baking soda, and salt until blended. Stir in chips and pecans.
2. On ungreased cookie sheet, drop dough by rounded tablespoons 2 inches apart.
3. Bake 9-12 minutes or until light golden brown.  Cook 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks.

Makes 3 dozen cookies

Chocolate Blossom Cookies

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup shortening 
• 1/4 cup butter, softened 
• 1 cup packed brown sugar 
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 1 egg 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla 
• 1- 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder 
• 1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate pieces 
• 3/4 cup finely chopped almonds 
• Raspberry Ganache 
• 6 ounces chopped (70 percent cocoa) dark chocolate 
• 1/3 cup whipping cream 
• 1 tablespoon seedless raspberry jam 
• 1 tablespoon raspberry liqueur (optional) I didn't use this
• Fresh small raspberries (optional) Or this.

Method
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, beat shortening and butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar, baking powder, and salt; beat until combined. Beat in egg and vanilla; beat until combined.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together flour and cocoa powder. Beat as much of the flour mixture into the butter mixture as you can with mixer. Stir in any remaining flour mixture. Stir in chocolate pieces. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. If desired, roll balls in chopped almonds. Place balls 1-1/2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Press thumb into the center of each ball to make an indent.

3. Bake in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are set. Immediately use the rounded side of a 1-teaspoon measure to press down the center of each cookie. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool. Spoon Raspberry Ganache into center of each cookie. Let stand 1-1/2 to 2 hours or chill about 15 minutes or until set. If desired, garnish each cookie with a fresh raspberry. Makes about 56 cookies.

Raspberry Ganache

In a small microwave-safe bowl combine 6 ounces chopped (70 percent cocoa) dark chocolate, 1/3 cup whipping cream, and 1 tablespoon seedless raspberry jam, if desired. Microwave on 100 percent power (high) for 1 minute. Stir until melted. If desired, add 1 tablespoon raspberry liqueur. Stir until smooth. Let stand until slightly thickened (about 15 minutes). Makes 1 cup.

To Store

Layer plain cookies between waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw cookies, if frozen, before serving. Or, store filled cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

These are the homemade tags I made for all of my gifts this year.  They are similar to the ones we made for the wedding, only with holiday fabric flowers.  I love the simplicity of these but the extra love they add to a package.

I made these recipe cards by printing on index cards.  I tied them with baker's string.

Here is the final product.

 I have a few more homemade gifts up my sleeve but they haven't been delivered yet.  I'll post those after Christmas.

     In other baking news, yesterday was our last day of school before Winter Break.  It was pajama day so in first grade we also turned it into Read and Relax Day.  We made hot chocolate, by putting chocolate milk in the crockpot (on low for a few hours, just stir).  I also made chocolate chip oatmeal cookies from a recipe I found online.  I didn't take a picture but they came out really good, except they were very fragile and crumbled a bit.  I also baked a batch for a friend that had cranberries and almonds.  Those held together a little better than the chocolate chip batch.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
• 1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups quick or old-fashioned oats
• 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
• 1 cup coarsely chopped nuts (optional)-I didn't use nuts in the chocolate chip batch

Method
PREHEAT oven to 375° F.

COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat brown sugar, butter and granulated sugar in large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in eggs, milk and vanilla extract. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in oats, morsels and nuts; mix well. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE for 9 to 10 minutes for chewy cookies or 12 to 13 minutes for crispy cookies. Cool on baking sheets for 1 minute; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Happy Holidays! 

Happy Birthday Moose and Otis!

    Today is Moose and Otis' first birthday!  Our little guys are growing up.  They have come so far since we got them last February.  They have distinct personalities, Moose stubborn and dominate at times and Otis cautious and emotional.  Moose loves to cuddle, while when Otis is tired he'll stare at you with drooping eyes until you tuck him into bed.  It is hard to imagine our lives without them. They quickly found a place in our hearts and our little family.

    Last week I got my Real Simple magazine for January.  It was filled with ways to be happier in the New Year.  One of the articles was about things you could learn from your pet, which ties in perfectly with our celebration of the pups' first birthday.  In my own experience, I have found many of the following to be true.

1. Celebrate Everything...Think about it.  Your dog gets excited every time you come in the door, fill their bowl up with food, or bring them for a walk.  Start celebrating the smallest happy moments.
2. Just being present is enough...The author of the article shared about a time after the loss of a close friend when her cats just got up on the bed and snuggled against her.  Just this small act brought her comfort.  She went on to say that at times when you aren't sure what to say, you don't have to say anything at all.  "What matters is showing up."  I really liked that line.
3. Brain Size Doesn't Matter...Pets are really smart if you take the time to observe them.
4. You can get along with anybody...we can learn a lot from pets who seem to embrace everyone-as long as they are brought up in a warm and loving home.
  
     Last night I began my holiday baking.  I'm not going to post about that until after I deliver some holiday gifts.  I'm excited to share my homemade gifts this year.  Taking the time for projects and creativity this year has helped to make me a happier person as well as spread joy to those I care about.  While my treats were baking in the oven, I prepared a simple dinner for Arnauld and I.  Every once in a while we like a good sandwich, often from our favorite deli, Gaitano's and other times we try to replicate their deliciousness at home.  Last night I grilled some chicken and cut up a variety of toppings such as lettuce, tomato, onion, avocado, and fresh mozzarella. 

Our Christmas tree complete with homemade garland, a gift from my mom.

Chickpea Soup

     I wasn't going to cook this past weekend.  I was going to take the easy route for lunch this week and throw a frozen veggie burger into my bag.  But then I watched the Food Network for about 7 minutes on Sunday morning and found my crock pot calling my name.  The show I watched featured a recipe for Pureed Chickpea Soup.  It had pancetta, which I didn't have or want to use.  I also did a lot of modifying.  For one thing, the bag of dried chickpeas said that they had to be soaked overnight.  What the heck does that mean exactly?  I guess my experience teaching math and the strive to use precise math language has me analyzing the language on the packaging of the ingredients in the kitchen.  But overnight is so open ended and what if I wanted to soak my chickpeas during the day, how long should they be in water?  I ended up soaking them for about 7 hours, figuring if I had gone to bed at 11pm and got up at 6am, that would have been overnight.  After soaking the chickpeas, I threw the following ingredients into the crockpot, turned it on low, and went to bed.

Ingredients
1/2 pound dried chickpeas (soaked)
1 cup celery
1 cup carrots
1/2 cup leeks
pinch of crushed red pepper
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp salt
6 cups water

I wasn't really sure what to expect since I had never heard of chickpea soup before and the recipe I referenced didn't even use the crockpot.  But I woke up early enough to pull out the immersion blender and was pleasantly surprised with the results.  Since it was 5:45 when I was blending, I found the texture of the soup a bit lumpy at lunch time but I think that worked for this soup.  I'd say it's a keeper.  You could probably even experiment with adding other vegetable and spices.  The recipe also had directions for making croutons, which sounded delicious.

Pan-Seared Chicken with Garlic Sauce

     This was a really easy weeknight dish that had a lot of flavor.


Pan-Seared Chicken with Garlic  Sauce

Ingredients
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 tsp olive oil
12 cloves of garlic ( I only used 6)
1 Cup vegetable broth


Method
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees
2. Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with herb mixture.
3. Heat oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat.  Add chicken and cook 2 minutes on each side.  Add garlic and 3/4 cup of broth.  Place pan in oven.  Bake at 350 for 10 minutes or until the chicken is done and the garlic is soft.
4. Remove pan from oven.  Transfer chicken to a platter.  Add remaining broth to pan.  Mash garlic with a fork.  Cook this mixture over medium heat for 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated.  Serve garlic sauce over chicken.  Makes 4 servings.

Veggie Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

      Here is another recipe I adapted.  I used to have to follow recipes exactly, aside from my careless measuring when it comes to spices and such.  As I gain more experience, I am learning how to adjust ingredients or throw in what I have.  This recipe idea for Veggie Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms came from Better Homes and Gardens.  It called for way more cheese than I usually eat along with veggies that I didn't have.

Veggie Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Ingredients

• 1  small  yellow sweet pepper, cut in bite-size strips I hate peppers.
• 1  small  red onion, chopped I used a shallot
• 1  medium  zucchini, coarsely shredded
• 1    carrot, coarsely shredded
• 1  stalk  celery, thinly sliced
• 2  cloves  garlic, minced
• 2 to 3  Tbsp.  olive oil 1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
  
• 1  Tbsp.  snipped fresh basil
• 1  Tbsp.  lemon juice I used lime
  
• 1  5-oz. pkg.  fresh baby spinach I used broccoli
• 1/2 1/4  cup  fine dry bread crumbs
• I also added some grape tomatoes
• 1/2  cup  finely shredded Parmesan cheese
•   3 4- to 5-inch  portobello mushroom caps, stems removed
• 4  slices  provolone cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line 15x10x1-inch baking pan with foil. In 12-inch skillet cook and vegetables in hot oil over medium-high heat 4 minutes. Stir in  lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon each salt and ground black pepper. Remove from heat. Stir crumbs and half of the Parmesan cheese into spinach mixture; set aside.
2. Remove gills from mushrooms, if desired. Arrange mushrooms, stemmed side up, on prepared pan.  Divide vegetable mixture among mushroom caps. Bake for 15 minutes (mushrooms will water out slightly). Top with remaining Parmesan. Bake 2 minutes more or until heated through. Makes 3 servings.

Vegetarian Chili

    This recipe is perfect for just throwing whatever you may have in your pantry into the crockpot and you just can't mess it up.  I originally got this recipe from allrecipes.com.  This week I just threw the following ingredients in and presto, lunch for the week.

Ingredients

• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• A handful of garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can diced tomatoes 
• 1 can whole kernel corn, drained
• Half a bag of baby carrots, chopped
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chili powder, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried basil

Directions

1. In a slow cooker, combine black beans, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, tomatoes, corn, shallot,  and carrots. Season with chili powder, parsley, oregano and basil. Cook for at least two hours on High or 6-8 hours on low.

Midsummer Twilight Supper on a Winter's Night

    Arnauld and I decided to make dinner tonight.  He originally wanted to try and make a steak sandwich he saw in a Giada cookbook, but we went out to dinner last night and he had steak.  It was his job today to decide what we would make tonight.  He decided on a Midsummer Twilight Supper...on one of the coldest night's this season.  This meal comes from a cookbook I have called 20 Minute Dinners.  I've made this meal a few times and it's always a bit hit.

Pecan Crusted Chicken 

 Ingredients
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 egg beater with 2 tbsp water
1 1/2 cup ground pecans
6 thin chicken cutlets
1 tbsp smart balance butter
1 tbsp vegetable oil

Method

1. Preheat over to 300 degrees.  Mix flour, salt, and pepper on a plate.  Place egg mixture in a shallow bowl.  Place pecans on a plate.  Dix cutlets in flour mixture, shaking off excess.  Coat with egg mixture and dip into pecans.
2. Melt the butter into the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add 2 cutlets; cover and cook until brown (about 3 minutes).  Turn, cover, and cook until browned.  Remove to shallow baking dish.  Keep cutlets warm in oven while cooking remaining.

Curried Apricot Sauce

Ingredients

1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 tsp curry powder
1/4 cup red wine (I've used this before but didn't have an open bottle tonight.  It was fine without) 

2 Tbsp apricot preserves
1 cup mayonnaise
Fresh lemon juice to taste

Method
Heat oil in small skillet over medium-high heat.  Add shallot and saute until tender, about 3 minutes.  Stir in curry powder and cook for 1 minute.  Add wine and preserves and stir until blended.  Cook 1 minute.  Remove pan from heat and stir in mayonnaise.  Season with lemon juice.

The book also suggests serving this meal with rice.  We cooked up some jasmine rice and added some frozen peas.

    The plan for tomorrow is to break out the crock pot in order to make lunch for next week.  Stay tuned for vegetarian chili!

Chickpea and Brown Rice Veggie Burgers

     I printed this recipe yesterday and had everything set to go.  Then I opened the cabinet to grab a can of chickpeas and I didn't have any.  So today I was eager to try these out.  The recipe also called for 3 tbsp of fresh parsley, which I didn't have and coriander, which I found out the last time I made veggie burgers, I don't like.  These were pretty simple to throw together...not so simple to flip over.  I'm thinking maybe they need an extra egg white to hold them together or something.  Either way, mixed with the tomato and cucumber it was delicious!

Chickpea and Brown Rice Veggie Burgers

Ingredients

1 cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
2 tbsp whole wheat bread crumbs
3 tbsp shredded carrots
3 tbsp scallions, minced
1 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro
1 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 large egg white

Method
1. Place chickpeas in bowl of food processor, pulse for 20-30 seconds.  Add rice and pulse for 10 more seconds.
2. Place rice and chickpea mixture in a large bowl.  Add bread crumbs, carrots, cilantro, lemon, salt and pepper.  Mix.  Add egg white and mix again.  Place mixture in refrigerator for at least 10 minutes (can be stored there overnight).
3. Off heat, coat a grill pan, or grill with cooking spray.  Heat to medium-high heat.
4. Form chickpea-rice mixture into 4 burgers (about 1/2 cup each).  Coat tops with cooking spray.
5. Grill burgers, without moving them, until golden brown and crispy (6-8 minutes).  Carefully flip and cook for an additional 6-8 minutes.

Top with a fresh tomato and cucumber salad.