Black bean burgers

This is a recipe I got from a registered dietitian.  They are delicious substitutes for beef burgers, though you need to be very careful turning them.  To cook them on the grill, use foil or a heavy bottomed pan - do not cook directly on the grate - they will fall through and you will have a stinky burning mess...

• 2 cups cooked or 1 (15 ounce) can black beans


• 1 whole egg


• ½ cup plain whole wheat bread crumbs


• 1 teaspoon chilli powder


• ½ teaspoon cumin


• ¼ cup water


• 1 Tablespoon tomato paste (or ketchup)


• ¼ cup finely chopped cilantro (optional)


• 2 cloves garlic


• ½ small onion


• About 2 tablespoons olive oil (if you are going to use the stove top)


• Whole wheat buns

1)      Mash the beans with a fork in a mixing bowl.  You don't want to puree them, just get them mashed so that no whole beans are left, but you should leave some half beans.

2)      Add the egg, bread crumbs, chilli powder, cumin, water, and tomato paste (and cilantro, if using), but don't mix yet.  Use a micro plane grater to grate the garlic in (a garlic press works well too.)  Use the large holes on a box grater to grate in the onion.

3)      Mix everything together with a fork, and then proceed to knead with your hands, until the mixture is firm and uniformly mixed (about a minute)

4)      Preheat the grill / or a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat.

5)      Divide the burger mixture into 5-6 equal burgers

Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes per side, or until solid in center.  *Tip: to make better patties with your mixture, get two small bowls that will nest.  Line the inside of one with plastic wrap, put your bean mixture inside, fold the corners in and use the second bowl to form the patty.  Place patties in freezer for 15-20 minutes.  Patties will be firm enough to place on cook surface without falling apart

Just another note: my friend just made these for the first time and said that she formed them into balls, placed them in the frying pan, and then smooshed them down with a spatula she had sprayed with cooking oil.  Her method sounds much easier!!

Zucchini gratin

This recipe is my favorite with zucchini, though it also works very well with tomatoes.  You could also use different vegetables like eggplant or potatoes.  Gratin is just a technique and it translates very well to different foods.  Experiment!

4-6 zucchini, sliced

Olive Oil

bread crumbs

parmesan cheese

Italian seasoning

salt

pepper

Layer sliced zucchini in a shallow baking dish coated with olive oil.  Sprinkle over top with bread crumbs, parmesan, salt, and pepper.  Drizzle lightly with olive oil.  Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.  Serve hot.

*If you use Italian breadcrumbs, you don't need to add Italian seasoning.

Broccoli cheese soup

I love broccoli cheese soup.  In fact, I love Panera's broccoli cheese soup so much that I would eat it weekly if I could.  No joke.  This recipe is so delicious (and easy!) that it definitely rivals Panera's.  And in the bread bowls that my grocery store sells, it's even got the same feeling as eating some Panera soup.  Eat on and enjoy!

4 c. chicken broth (or vegetable broth)

1 c. cream (or whole milk)

4 oz. shredded aged cheddar cheese

1 c. water

1/2 c. flour

1 Tbsp. onion, minced

1/4 c. carrot, finely shredded

1/2 tsp. black pepper

4 c. broccoli florets

In a large saucepan, bring broth, cream, cheddar, water, flour, onion, carrot, and pepper to a boil.  (For best results, whisk together flour and water in a separate bowl, then add to pot.)  Reduce heat to a simmer, and stir in broccoli florets.  Allow to simmer 15-20 minutes over low heat, stirring occasionally.

Makes 4 servings.

*Note:  I also stirred in a hefty dash of white pepper and a parmesan cheese rind I had (the very tough part at the wide end of a wedge).  Even without, though, it's delicious

Macaroni and Cheese

I made this for our toddler, so I omitted salt and pepper from the cooking process.  Also, since I used Parmesan, you would need significantly less salt, as it is a very salty cheese.  I used 1 1/2 c. cheddar, 1 1/2 c. Parmesan, and 1 c. cubed American.

1 lb elbow macaroni

1 stick butter

1/2 c. flour

1 c. milk (plus additional, if needed)

1/4-1/2 c. sour cream

1 Tbsp. (dijon) mustard

4 c. cheese

Breadcrumbs (optional)

Salt

Pepper

Thyme (optional)

Cook macaroni 3-5 minutes shy of al dente.  Grease a 9x13 baking dish and preheat oven to 350º.  In a large saucepan, melt butter over low heat; whisk in flour.  Continue whisking until roux turns a golden brown (this is important, otherwise your mac and cheese will taste like flour); slowly whisk in milk, continuing to whisk to break up lumps.  When mixture is smooth, add in sour cream, dijon, and salt and pepper.  Using a spoon, stir in cheese and continue stirring until mixture is smooth and melty - you may need to add more milk to create a thick sauce.  Drain pasta completely and transfer to baking dish; pour cheese sauce over pasta and stir to combine.  Sprinkle top of pasta with breadcrumbs (if you want a crunchy top) and season lightly with thyme.  Bake for at least 30 minutes, or until top is golden brown.

To reheat, moisten slightly with chicken broth or milk and microwave in 45 second intervals until desired temperature is reached.