Posts tagged spicy

A few months ago I had a post of black bean burgers. Since then, these tasty simple and savory patties have made an appearance at least once a week. I usually throw in ingredients that I have or plan ahead and buy the things that I love the most. I think I have come close to perfection and want to share this new recipe with you.

The Best Black Bean Burgers

Makes 4 burgers

Ingredients:

• 1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/3 cup corn kernels
• 1/3 cup diced onion (quarter of an onion)
• 1/3 cup diced bell pepper (half of a bell pepper)
• 1/2 jalapeno, seeded and minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons salsa
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder (or chili powder)
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs

Method:

Heat a large pan or grill over medium-high heat. In a medium sized bowl, mash the black beans. Add in all the ingredients except the breadcrumbs. Stir until it is all combined and evenly distributed.

Add in the breadcrumbs and stir again, this will help the patties stay together.

Form the mixture into 4 patties. Warm the patties on each side for 3 minutes. Top with guacamole and enjoy!

I love the colors of this burger, but the flavor is my favorite. The spicy kick from the jalapeno and chipotle give it a nice smokey flavor, and I love the crunch from the bell pepper and onion work so well with the creamy and meatiness of the black beans. This ALWAYS satisfies me, and I don’t feel guilty when I eat two of them!

Happy Cooking!

Quinoa is a SUPER healthy grain that is packed with protein and dietary fiber to keep you fuller longer. And trust me, it really does! I added black beans to this recipe to make this a meal instead of a side dish. It tastes almost like spanish rice (which I love), but it is better for you. This dish has great flavor and a little kick from the cayenne pepper.

Spanish Style Quinoa

(Revised from allrecipes.com)

Makes 4 Cups

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup dry quinoa
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 small green bell pepper, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 2 cups water
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 4-5 green onions, thinly sliced

Method:

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh sieve. In the pot stir in the quinoa, onion, garlic and green pepper. Cook and stir for 5 minutes.

Add in the salt, chili powder, cumin, paprika and cayenne pepper, and cook for 2 more minutes.

Stir in the tomato sauce and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until the quinoa is tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 30 minutes.

Stir the quinoa occasionally as it cooks. In the last 5 minutes add in the black beans.

Garnish with green onions and enjoy!

Happy Cooking!

Ingredients:

• 1 tube refrigerated pizza dough
• olive oil for brushing
• 1/4 cup sweet Asian chili sauce
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 small zucchini, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 cup shredded cooked chicken
• 2/3 cup shredded mozzarella
• 3-4 tablespoons cashews

Method:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spread the dough out evenly on your pizza pan. Par-bake the crust until it sets, just before it starts to brown, about 3-5 minutes. Spread the sweet Asian chili sauce all over the pizza crust. Even add the scallions, zucchini, carrots, red pepper flakes, bell pepper and chicken. Top with mozzarella cheese and cashews. Bake for 12-15 minutes until the cheese is melted and browned.

This pizza is so yummy and has the great Asian flavor that you love!

Happy Cooking!

The Wisconsin Badgers made it into the NCAA Tournament again this year, so tonight Jacki and I decided to make some bar food watch the gave against Syracuse. Nothing says bar food to me more than anything that has buffalo sauce on it and something deep fried. Although these aren’t fried, you will never know! 

Buffalo Chicken Egg Rolls

(Revised from Adventures in Cooking)

Ingredients:

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1/3 cup Frank’s Hot Sauce
• 2 tablespoons cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons shredded cheese (I didn’t have any blue cheese)
• 1 cup cabbage slaw mix
• 1 package egg roll wrappers
• non-stick cooking spray
• water, in a little dish

Method:

Bake the chicken breast, let them cool and shred the meat into a bowl. Stir in cream cheese, hot sauce and shredded cheese. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

To make the egg rolls, lay an egg roll wrapper out on the counter to have a corner point towards you. Place 1 tablespoon of the slaw mix in the lower middle to the wrapper, top with 2 tablespoons of the chicken mixture. Fold in the outside corners to the middle.

Dip your finger in the water and dampen the top and bottom corners. Fold the bottom corner up to the middle and tightly pack the filling.

Start to roll up to the top. Seal the corner with a little more water. Place the roll seam side down on the prepared baking sheet.

Repeat until you have finished all of the egg rolls. Spray the tops of all the egg rolls. Bake for 6 minutes, flip over, and bake for another 6 minutes until the rolls are  crispy and golden brown.

Yes the Badgers lost by one point, but I took Syracuse in my bracket so I’m not too angry.

Happy NCAA Watching :)

Buffalo wing, buffalo chicken salad, buffalo shrimp, buffalo sauce is good on so many things. I have wanted to try tofu and what is better than throwing some buffalo sauce on it? This is a play on buffalo wings and has a bleu cheese dip to go with it.

Buffalo Tofu with Bleu Cheese Sauce

(Revised from The Bored Vegetarian)

Ingredients:

• 1 container extra firm tofu
• 1 cup hot sauce
• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• non stick cooking spray
• 1 cup Greek yogurt
• 1/3 cup bleu cheese
• salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

Cut the block of tofu into about 1 inch rectangular pieces. Place on a few paper towel sheets and cover with more paper towels. Place something heavy on top for about 20 minutes to drain the tofu.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a cooling rack.

Prepare three bowls: first one with 1/2 cup flour; second one with hot sauce; and the third one with 1 cup flour, breadcrumbs, salt and paprika. Take each piece of tofu and coat it in flour, then hot sauce, and then the breadcrumbs. Repeat with the hot sauce and breadcrumbs a second time. Set aside and continue with remaining tofu.

Place the breaded piece of tofu on the rack. Spray all the piece with non-stick cooking spray. Bake the tofu sticks for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

In a small bowl, mix together the yogurt and bleu cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Happy Snacking!

What is this “Meatless Monday” you ask? I asked myself the same question a couple weeks ago. I had seem it on several social media sites, so I found www.meatlessmonday.com to enlighten myself. It states that going meatless once a week helps to reduce the risk of several preventable health problems and reduce your carbon footprint. Check out the website for more information, but I think it is pretty interesting. I might be able to make Meatless Monday a possibility if I get to eat yummy burgers like this all the time!

Spicy Black Bean Burgers

(Revised from Bon Appetit)

Ingredients

• 1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/3 cup onion, diced
• 1 large clove garlic, minced or grated
• 1/4 cup plain dry breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons salsa
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
• salt & pepper, to taste
• non-stick cooking spray

Method:

In a medium bowl, mash the beans. Mix in the onion, garlic, salsa, breadcrumbs, chili powder and hot sauce. Season with salt and pepper.

Using moistened hands, shape bean mixture into patties. The original recipe says it makes 2 patties, but I made 4 patties that were very filling.

In a pan over medium to medium-high heat (or on a girl over medium-high heat), spray with non-stick cooking spray (or oil). Grill burgers for 3 minutes per side until heated through. 

Serve just as you would a normal burger. This was really delicious! It had a hardy feel to it and was packed with flavor. The onions gave it a crunch and the salsa gave it a mild sweet and spicy combo. I will totally make these again because all the ingredients are things I always have in my cupboards. 

Happy Meatless Monday!