Black Bean Burgers and Sweet Potato Fries (bonus!)

The Chicago Diner, which Zips and I only visited once (alas!), has a fully vegetarian menu which prompted both of us to try things we'd never think of making at home. Having devoured their amazing black bean burger with sweet potato fries, we're both obsessed with the idea of flying out there to eat it again. In lieu of a pair of plane tickets, we went looking for recipes to test drive, and landed on these. The fries were AWESOME (even if we didn't get them quite crispy), and the burger was DELICIOUS (but a tad wet-- I used a little store-bought breadcrumbs to even out the texture). We loved them both:

Black Bean Burgers:

1 slice whole wheat bread -- torn into pieces and pulsed a couple times in food processor. Then add:
1 grated carrot
1/4 c. cilantro leaves
1/3 chopped onion
1 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. salt

Pulse these together in the processor a until combined (but not mush!) Then add:
1 15oz. can of black beans, drained and rinsed

Pulse with other ingredients until combined and the beans are chopped up (but not mush!). Of course, you want to shoot for a burger-y texture. Scoop out into a mixing bowl and add

1/4 c. prepared chunky salsa (I used some from our favorite local mexican restaurant. caliente!)

Mix into beans with your hands. If it seems too wet (as mine did-- the first burgers fell apart), at this point, add a little bread crumbs. I think I added about 1/4 c. This didn't seem to throw off the flavors at all.

The recipe I found divided the mixture into 4 burgers of equal size. This seemed too big for me, and so I divided it into 6. Heat some extra virgin olive oil in a large pan and fry about 3 minutes on both sides until browned. We served them in pita pockets with garlic aioli (see below), onions, lettuce, tomato, and avocado slices.

Sweet Potato Fries with Garlic Aioli

Okay, the garlic aioli is embarassingly easy-- just 2 garlic cloves grated into 1/2 c. veganaise.

The sweet potato fries involve just a large or 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into fries, then place into a mixing bowl and drizzle

2 Tb. olive oil
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. coriander
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dried parsley
and some pepper.

I combined all the spices together and then tossed them into the fries until evenly coated. Lay the fries out in one layer on a baking sheet and bake at 425 for 15 minutes, flip, and give them 20 more minutes.

Zipper approves!

Great Summertime Eats

One of my favorite foods that's a mix of flavors (mint, basil, ginger, soy) and textures (crispy lettuce, noodles, tofu) and only requires minimal cooking is Vietnamese goi cuon chay (or fresh spring rolls... some call them summer rolls or garden rolls). Ordinarily they would include pork or shrimp, but we sub slices of tofu, in addition to rice vermicelli noodles, green leaf lettuce, chopped cilantro, thai basil, and mint, and usually a little bit of onion sauteed with ginger in some soy sauce. Then wrap them all up in some rice paper and try not to overindulge. Just try!
Traditionally eaten with a hoisin peanut sauce, Zips prefers a peanut ginger dipping sauce:

2 Tb. fresh grated ginger
1/2 c. peanut butter (we use creamy, but I don't think chunky would be a problem)
2 Tb. white miso
2 Tb. soy sauce (we use low sodium)
4 Tb. rice vinegar
1/4 c. hot water

Whisk them all together (I like to add a swirl of sriracha) and dip away!

Why Haven't I Ever Tried This Before?

Classes have been out for a month to the day today, and I think we are finally starting to really unwind. We sleep in. We watch bad reality tv. We play video games. We cook dinner and eat outside at least once or twice a week. Last night, instead of doing our usual veggie hot dog and corn on the cob, I decided to try grilling slabs of tofu. I've read about it, and even eaten it, but hadn't ever tried putting tofu directly on the grill. It was AWESOME!
So I just took a block of tofu and pressed it between two plates for about 20 minutes, with paper towels to catch the water and cans of kidney beans to weigh them down. Then I cut the block into 6 equal slices (maybe 3/4 - 1 inches each) and laid them out on dry paper towels to get out more of the moisture. Then I made a teriyaki marinade, whisking together all of this:

1/4 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. mirin
2 Tb. olive oil
1 Tb. sesame oil
2 Tb. rice vineger
1/4 c. brown sugar
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Tb. ginger, minced

I put the drained tofu slices into a ziploc bag with half of the marinade for about half an hour in the fridge. Then I threw them on the grill with some thickly sliced zucchini, green bell peppers, onion, and carrot slices. Every now and then I would brush everything with the marinade. The tofu cooked for maybe 3 minutes on each side.
It's the first time I brought a bowl of jasmine rice out with the cookout, and it was so successful that Zips wanted it again the next day!

Pie Overload!

When co-workers and acquaintences, (even my parents!) ask what a vegetarian eats on Thanksgiving, I have taken to announcing "WHATEVER WE WANT!" That said, I am dozing on Tofurkey-induced tryptophan!
I am so stuffed right now, but I still want more! My tongue says YES, but my belly (and pants) say NO! My favorites were the tofurkey itself and my new cranberry sides. Zipper's favorites were the crunchy french onions (nearly burned perfectly) from the green bean cassarole, along with everything fresh and/or crunchy. I tried hard to avoid the starch overload that I usually succumb to.

My new sad favorite is the ABC series Pushing Daisies. Sad because it's been canceled in only its second season. But I am inspired by the main character's gift of pie making (and the other main character's great love of cheese). So our Thanksgiving holiday really started last night when I got it in my head to bake not the two pies we had planned on, but four. So I did a pumpkin pie (plus two mini pies thanks to some leftover pie crust), a pumpkin cheesecake, Zipper's favorite blueberry pie, and an apple pie for myself (I don't like pumpkin). I can't believe I've never made an apple pie before! I didn't have one in my recipe book, and had to go hunting for one, but this one was phenomenal!

Apple Pie:

3/4 c. sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon (heaping half-teaspoons, if you're me)

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

5-6 apples (firm, tart, peeled, cored, sliced) I used champagne apples and gala

2 Tb. butter

Toss apple slices with sugar & spices. Pour into a pie crust and dot with pieces of butter. Put the top crust on, cut vents in crust, brush crust with a little soy milk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at around 375 for about an hour.

I am also delighted to have kitchen-tested a couple of cranberry recipes. I'm sure by now, everyone's already picked their positions on the jelly can and sauce teams. My mom's always experimented with various recipes, and Zips likes to eat them fresh, raw, unsweetened. While I do enjoy the popping noise they make, and the fact that they resemble tiny apples, I simply can't do it. SO, I found the easiest and tastiest recipes for both a fresh raw cranberry relish, and a simmered sauce:

Cranberry Relish:

2c. fresh cranberries

2 skinned, cored apples

1 whole, seedless orange (skin on, chopped)

Pulse in a food processor until combined and relish-y. Add

2 c. sugar

Mix until combined and store at room temperature until sugar dissolves.

Cranberry Sauce:

1 c. sugar (more if ya can't take it)

1 orange

1 Tb. grated ginger (use a microplane zester)

zest the entire orange into sugar. Add juice of the same orange into a pot with the sugar and ginger. Simmer until dissolved and add

4 c. cranberries

Simmer until all the cranberries pop. Yum.

Here Zipper and I lounge in front of the Garfield Thanksgiving Special (the one where Garfield has to go on a diet just before the big eatin' day).

Here Zipper helps clean up. I am thankful she makes me laugh so often.

Aguas de Frutas y Amigos

Part I: Agua Fresca

New developments coming out of my kitchen this afternoon include Agua Fresca with the leftover cantaloupe and watermelon from a great weekend sale at the local supermarket-- Because our apartment is so hot right now, the cantaloupe got REAL ripe overnight, so I had to chop it up and refrigerate it, and promptly forgot about it. Blending the fruit pieces and then straining them does an amazing job of retaining the sweetness and bouquet of the fruit, while removing the gross texture of borderline overripe melon. It's totally delicious. Zips, who prefers watermelon to any other melon, and who is ambivalent about the delights cantaloupe has to offer, DOWNED the cantaloupe agua fresca in two gulps. The watermelon was excellent too. It was a wonderful GIGANTIC seeded melon. I added sugar as the recipe called for, so it ended up being a tad on the sweet side. Easily counteracted, though, with a couple ice cubes.

I got the idea for Agua Fresca earlier in the summer with a so-so not-quite-in-season watermelon. It made a horrid watermelon gazpacho, so the rest of it was an experiment. The remainder of the melon needed to be used, so I found this great site with recipes. Zips hated the first attempt at agua fresca. Probably because I cut the melon on the same board as the onion for the gazpacho-- not so tasty in juice.

Anyway, today, since I was only working with a portion of each kind of melon and only half a lime (other recipes call for as many as 2-3 limes), I fudged the measurements. Here's what I did:

Agua de Melon (Cantaloupe)

4 c. chopped cantaloupe
2 c. water
1/2 c. sugar

blend until smooth. strain. refrigerate.


Agua de Sandia (Watermelon)

4 c. chopped watermelon (remove seeds as you put it in the blender)
1 1/2 c. water
1/4 c. sugar
juice of 1/2 lime




blend. strain. refrigerate


Seriously, how can you resist? Have you no heart?


Part II: Arabic Salad

FINALLY, with the fruits of our labors! One of Zips ALL TIME favorites is arabic salad. I clipped some of our flatleaf parsley, some crazy abundant spearmint (about 1/4 c. of each, chopped), a green onion (chopped), two early girl tomatoes, and a cuke (each diced), the juice of a lemon (not from our garden, alas...I'll have to wait until we live in a different climate!), a drizzle of olive oil, and some salt and pepper. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes when you've mixed everything together to let the flavors meld. Then grab a couple of spoons and dig in! (Of course, you could eat it in a bowl or plate, alongside some lovely tabouleh or couscous...but Zips can't wait that long).

Part III: Sesame Ginger Dipping Sauce

In the continuing quest to replicate a Veggie Tempura dipping sauce (that I've never tasted) from a restaurant in Richmond, Virginia (that I've never been to), I tried out this recipe that's attempting to copy a Asiatic lettuce wrap served at Chili's (that I've also never tasted). I love it when home chefs try to figure out restaurant recipes (and of course share them). One total success I've had is the KFC cole slaw that's out there. Anyways, Zips says this sauce is very very close to what she ate:

1/4 c. water
1 Tb. cornstarch (I added even more when all the ingredients were incorporated to thicken it up)
1/3 c. sugar
1/4 c. soy sauce
1/3 c. rice vinegar
1 tsp. minced ginger (I am usually prone to add more ginger, but I stuck with this measurement. I might add a little more next time)
1 tsp. sesame oil
1/4-1/2 tsp. minced garlic (I used my microplane grater for both this and the ginger. I grated about half of one clove of garlic)

Heat the water and cornstarch to dissolve it. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for about 2 minutes. (And if you're me, use those 2 minutes to dissolve more cornstarch in water and add to the sauce until you achieve the desired consistency.)

Thumbs up. I think I'm going to try tempura tonight, so I'll let you know how it goes!