Veggie Burgers

    This recipe is adapted from ohsheglows.com, which boasts the very best veggie burgers.  My plan for lunch this week is salad topped with one of these tasty burgers.  I'm excited to try them because I think the almonds and sunflower seeds will give them a nice crunch. 

Veggie Burgers

Ingredients
1/2 cup onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
3 eggs
1 cup oat flour
1 1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1 cup grated carrots
1 can of black beans, rinsed, drained, cooked, and mashed
1/4 cup of chopped parsley
1/3 cup toasted almonds
1/2 cup toasted sunflower seeds
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste

Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
1. In a large skillet, saute the onion and 1/2 tbsp of the olive oil.
2. Place all the ingredients, except the spices and salt, in a large bowl.  Stir well.  Then add in the seasonings.
3. Wet your hands, and shape the mixture into patties. Try to pack the veggie mixture fairly tight so that they stick together.  This mixture should make about 8 patties.
4. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray before placing the veggie burgers on to be baked.
5. Bake 15-17 per side.

 The Taste Test
    I always have trouble getting veggie burgers to stick together.  This recipe actually called for a flax egg mixture.  I wasn't sure about that, so I just added one egg-which clearly was not enough.  So I added another.  I was able to make about 4 burgers before there was just crumble that wouldn't stick together left in the bowl, so I added another egg.  The last 4 burgers that I formed came out the best.  The others sort of crumbled when I moved them to a storage container.  Luckily, I will be adding these burgers to salad, so bits and pieces will work well.  I'll have to continue perfecting the consistency of my veggie burgers.  Any tips are always welcome!

Black Bean and Salsa Sloppy Joes

     If you are looking for a quick and easy week night dish, look no further!  This was passed onto me and comes from April's Parenting Magazine.  It literally took 2 minutes to toss all of the ingredients into a skillet and 10 minutes for it to cook up.  Amazing.

Black Bean ans Salsa Sloppy Joes

Ingredients
2 tsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 oz) container of salsa
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp salt
whole wheat buns
cheddar cheese for topping

Method
1. In a medium skillet, heat oil over medium heat.  Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute.
2. Stir in the beans, salsa, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, cumin, and salt.
3. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and spoon onto buns.  Top with cheese and serve.

Baked Chicken and Spinach Flautas

    Well it is St. Patrick's Day and we are making a Mexican dinner.  I saw this recipe on Pinterest this morning and since we weren't really prepared to make corn beef and cabbage, I opted for flautas.  The recipe was pretty straight forward and perfect for the lazy kind of day we are having.

Baked Chicken and Spinach Flautas

Ingredients
1 lb of shredded chicken
1/4 cup of water
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 Jalapeno Pepper, minced
3 cups of baby spinach
5 flour tortillas, 9 inch and cut in half
6 oz shredded Mexican cheese
Cooking Spray
Salsa

Method
Preheat oven to 450 degrees
1. Mix the shredded chicken with the seasonings in a medium bowl.
2. Heat the water in a skillet then add the jalapenos and spinach.  Cook for 2-3 minutes or until the spinach is wilted.
3. Prepare a baking sheet but spraying with cooking spray.  Arrange the tortillas on the tray.  Layer the spinach, chicken, and then cheese.
4. Roll the tortillas and place the seam side down.  Spray the flautas with cooking spray.
5. Bake the flautas for 10 minutes, flip, and cook for 10 additional minutes.
6. Serve with salsa.

The Taste Test
    I made this St. Patrick's Day even more international by accidently using curry powder instead of cumin.  I guess that's what I get for thinking I was so organized by lining my spices up in alphabetical order.   The flavors were interesting to say the least.  I wish I had used cumin and we could have experienced this dish as it was intended.  The flautas were really crispy on the outside and the filling was soft and gooey from the cheese.  Next time I'll be a more careful reader.

What Dad Cooked: Pasta Caprese

     My Mom's birthday fell on a Friday.  My Dad had the day off so he did all of the grocery shopping and met me at my house after work to help prepare a delicious birthday dinner for my Mom and the rest of our family.  By the time I got home, my Dad was already over and making himself right at home in my kitchen.  He has a very similar style as me in the kitchen, not too precise with measurements, fairly laid back, and a little bit messy.  We found this recipe together earlier in the week, it seemed simple enough but I wondered if it would be flavorful because it was so simple.  There was no need for worry, because this pasta was so great!  The oil and vinegar sauce mixed with the fresh tomatoes, basil, and fresh mozzarella was perfect.

Caprese Pasta

Ingredients
5 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced *
1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
pepper to taste
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 lb rigatoni
8 oz fresh mozzarella, cubed
15-20 fresh basil leaves, shredded

*To peel, seed, and dice tomatoes but a shallow X on the bottoms of the tomatoes.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil and place the tomatoes in for about 15 seconds.  Remove the tomatoes immediately using a slotted spoon.  Place the tomatoes into  a pot of ice water.  Now the skins should be easy to remove.  My dad then just squeezed the tomatoes to remove the seeds and diced them up.

Method
1. Place the diced tomatoes in a colander for about 15 minutes to remove any extra juice.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, olive oil, vinegar, garlic, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper.  Mix and let sit for 20 minutes at room temperature.
3. Bring a pot of water to a boil over medium heat and cook the pasta according to the directions on the package.
4. Drain and return the pasta to the pot.
5. Add the tomato mixture, mozzarella, and basil.  Toss and serve.

Happy Birthday Mom: Almond JOY Cake

    There is a small ice cream shop in Saco, Maine called Garsides.  It is close to the house my Mom and Dad have in Maine and while we are there we usually make a stop at Garsides to see if they have Almond Joy Ice Cream.  It is a family favorite, especially for my Mom.  She isn't a big dessert fan but she's always happy to find that there is Almond Joy Ice Cream at Garsides.  So when I was thinking about a birthday cake for my Mom, I thought that an Almond Joy cake might make her just as happy.

Almond Joy Cake
Recipe from deepsouthdish.com

Getting a picture of this cake was a bit tricky.  You can sort of see the layers here.  Any other photos I could have taken would not have looked appealing! 

Ingredients
1 box of chocolate cake mix (I used a German Chocolate mix)
1 (12 oz) can of evaporated milk, divided
1 cup of sugar, divided
3 1/2 cups of mini marshmallows
3 cups of sweetened coconut
1/4 stick of unsalted butter
1 1/2 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup of slice almonds, divided

Method
1. Prepare the cake mix as directed on the box and allow to cool.
2. In a medium saucepan, bring half the can of evaporated milk and 1/2 cup of the sugar to a boil.  As soon as the mixture begins to boil, remove it from the heat and stir in the marshmallows until the mixture is smooth.
3. Stir the coconut in and top the cake using a spatula to move the thick mixture across the entire cake.
4. Bring the remaining evaporated milk, butter, and 1/2 cup of sugar to a boil in a saucepan.  As soon as the mixture begins to boil, remove it from the heat and stir in the chocolate chips until they are completely melted.  Next add the vanilla and half of the almonds.  Pour the chocolate on top of the coconut layer.
5. Sprinkle the remaining almonds on top of the chocolate layer.
6. Allow the cake to cool completely before attempting to cut and serve.

The Taste Test
This cake was delicious, but MESSY!  I prepared the cake part the night before my Mom's birthday and made the toppings a few hours before serving.  I just left the cake on the counter to cool, but wonder if putting it in the fridge may have helped everything to set better.  As I attempted to cut into the cake, it pretty much just fell apart by the time I got it to people's plate.  But despite the mess it appeared to be, it tasted very sweet, moist, and delicious.  A tall glass of milk goes great with this cake.

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Blondies with Cadbury Mini Eggs

    How easy and inspiring is Pinterest?  This week I wanted to bake something for a meeting at work.  I logged into Pinterest on my phone, clicked on food and drink, and within 30 seconds I had a quick and easy idea using one of my all time favorite things in the whole world...Cadbury Mini Eggs!

Blondies with Cadbury Mini Eggs
Recipe from bakeaholicmama.com

I totally forgot to snap a picture of these after cutting them.  I meant to get a picture with my phone before the meeting.  Failed again.  Luckily there were a few crispy edges leftover that I was able to photograph-but this doesn't really do them justice.  I guess I'll just have to bake another batch for the sake of a good photo!

Ingredients
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tbsp vanilla
1 egg
1 bag of Cadbury Mini Eggs

Method
Preheat oven to 325 degrees
1. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
2. Melt the butter and mix in the sugars until creamy.
3. Add the vanilla and egg and continue mixing.
4. Slowly mix in the flour mixture.
5. Fold in the Cadbury Eggs.
6. Spread the batter in a 8x8 greased pan.  Bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
7. Allow to cool before cutting.

The Taste Test
Sweet and delicious.  When I inserted the toothpick, it wasn't coming out clean so I just kept baking the brownies.  They were a bit crispy on the edges, but definitely not burnt.  I think I could have taken them out a little earlier...