Grilled Veggie Shawarma Burgers

Happy Friday friends!!!  I hope you all are having a great week.  My week has been chock full of wedding fun.  Slowly but surely things are getting checked off my list.  Today as I was driving home from running errands I had this overwhelming feeling come over me that I am ready to be married.  Our engagement was almost 13 months long, so up to this point it felt like I was planning this giant party, one where I would eventually get married, but it just seemed so far away.  Now that we are just about a week away, and most of the big things are taken care of, I am ready.  I am so excited to walk down the aisle towards the man of my dreams, say my vows in front of my family and friends, and have the best party of my life.  I am ready for my wedding day, and I'm also ready for what comes after that as well.

Okay, enough lovey dovey stuff for one day.  I just get really excited about it.

You know what else I'm really excited for?  This recipe!  (nice transition, I know) After writing about my favorite things yesterday, I had a huge craving for chickpea shawarma.  I also really wanted to grill out on this beautiful day.  So I did both.

I turned my favorite recipe into veggie burgers and grilled them!  While I love the messiness of the normal dish, this take on it makes this meal easy to eat and portable.  I can totally see myself making these for friends who come over for summer bbqs.  They were so easy to throw together and totally delicious.

so.much.flava.

I baked my burgers first, so they weren't mushy in the centers.  Then I threw them on the grill to finish them off.  You could easily pan fry these, or bake them longer if you don't have access to a grill.  Or if the birds have taken over the inside of your grill (speaking from experience here).  

these people had the same problem, we didn't let it get this bad though

Back to the recipe, make these.  Baked, fried, grilled, whatever you fancy.  They are awesome!  I also made homemade hummus and cucumber sauce to serve on them.  You could easily sub store bought hummus if you want.  We had them on Arnold's Multi-grain Sandwich Thins and served them with Alexia sweet potato tots.  Yummmmmm.

Grilled Veggie Shawarma Burgers

Ingredients -

(for the burgers)

• 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 t yellow curry powder
• 2 t evoo
• 3/4 t salt
• 2 T lemon juice
• 1/2 t garlic powder
• 2 t minced garlic
• 1/2 c rolled oats

(for the cucumber sauce)

• 1 container plain greek yogurt
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/3 cucumber
• 1/4 t salt

(other ingredients)

• fresh spinach
• cherry tomatoes
• cucumber
• feta cheese
• buns
• fresh cilantro (optional)

Directions-

-Pour shawarma ingredients into a medium sized bowl

-Let sit 20 minutes-1 hour marinading

-Put ingredients for cucumber sauce into a blender or food processor

-Blend on high until everything is combined

-Put oats into the food processor, pulse until roughly chopped

-Add shawarma ingredients, pulse until combined, but still a little chunky.  You want this to be doughy enough that it sticks together, but still has a little texture to it.

-Wet your hands and form into 4 patties.  

-Place onto greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 6 minutes on each side (maybe a little longer if you are just baking them)

-If you are grilling them, at this point put them onto your grill (I sprayed mine with oil first so they wouldn't stick) and cook 3 minutes per side

-To plate, spread some hummus on the bottom of your bun (no dirty reference intended)

-Add a layer of spinach, followed by tomato, burger, feta, cucumber sauce, and cilantro

-Put on your top bun and eat it!!!  

Craving satisfied!  Until tomorrow that is... good thing there's leftovers ;)

BBQ Chicken and Sweet Potato Quesadillas

When it comes to leftovers I'm a picky lady.  Some things (soups, grain salads, chickpea shawarma, pasta salads, desserts) taste great leftover.  Other things taste awful (reheated pizza anyone????).  When I cook something to perfection once, chances are that reheating them will turn them into overcooked soggy nasty-ness.  Sorry to all of you leftover lovers out there!

I haven't perfected my meal planning well enough yet to eliminate unwanted leftovers, so I've had to become a little creative.  Repurposed leftovers folks, that's what I'm talkin' bout.  Leftover noodles?  Throw them on as a pizza topping (Ian's style).  Leftover salmon?  (tragedy, I know) Throw it on top of a fresh green salad!  Leftover grilled chicken and sweet potatoes?  Turn them into a quesadilla!  Seriously.  Do it.

We grilled some happy chicken and sweet potatoes one night last week, and only ended up eating 1 of the chicken breasts between the two of us.  (Blame it on the late afternoon fro-yo - oops!)  The next night, the cold grilled chicken was staring at me from the fridge saying, "eat me!!!" but I just couldn't bring myself to eat reheated chicken breast plain.  Blechhhhh.  So I decided to shred it, add some Sweet Baby Ray's, and turn it into a brand spankin' new meal.  Brilliant.  

BBQ Chicken and Sweet Potato Quesadillas

makes 2 large dillas

Ingredients

• 1 cooked chicken breast (mine had been grilled the night before)
• 1/2 c bbq sauce
• 4 whole wheat tortillas
• 1/2 c diced cooked sweet potatoes
• 2/3 c shredded cheddar cheese
• ranch dressing or blue cheese for dipping

Directions

-Heat a skillet over medium heat, spray with cooking spray

-Shred the chicken breast with forks

-Stir in the bbq sauce

-Layer half of the chicken, cheese, and sweet potatoes on one tortilla

-Add the other tortilla to the top

-Cook 4-5 minutes per side until golden brown

-Drizzle with extra bbq sauce and ranch or blue cheese dressing

-Cut into wedges and serve

Leftovers?  What leftovers?  Coulda fooled me!!!  The little blackened grilled bits from the chicken and sweet potatoes added some of that sweet summer flavor we all love so much.  

Talk to me!

Do you like leftovers?

 

Mexican Delight

Mexican delight - what on God's green earth is that?  This my friends, is what happened last week when I was sick of eating sandwiches and salads during finals week and needed a no-fuss meal.  I threw a few cans of stuff together in my crock pot, went to the library for the day, and came home to this deliciousness.  It's like having my own personal chef!

Perfect for those days when you know you won't have time to cook a meal after work, or those steamy summer days that you can't stand the thought of heating your kitchen up.  This dish is simple, but is full of big flavors.  It's sure to make your whole family happy.   (wow, I sound like a commercial right now - blame it on the concussion ;) )

Why is it called mexican delight?  When Josh got home from work he asked me what we were having for dinner.  I thought about what it was for a second, and this clever little name just kind of came to me.  I'm not really sure what else to call it.  I'm not really a huge hot dish person (otherwise known as casserole to non-midwestern folks).  So it's not a hot dish :)  It is however Mexican, and it is delightful.  And that is good enough for me.

Mexican Delight
serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 can black beans - drained
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 can green chiles
• 2 cups water
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1 1/2 cups corn (I used frozen)
• 1 1/2 c brown rice
• sour cream, cheddar cheese, cilantro, tortilla chips to garnish

Directions
-Add beans, tomatoes, chiles, water, taco seasoning and corn to crock pot
-Cook on low 6-8 hours
-Add rice, cook 1 - 1.5 more hours, add additional water if needed to cook the rice

-Scoop into bowls and garnish with your desired mix-ins

Buffalo Chickpea Salad Wraps

This post is part 2 in my "man-friendly" recipe series.  First, we made beef stew which was great, and I'm pretty sure Josh was in heaven with the leftovers for a week straight.  Now we have something completely different, buffalo chickpea salad wraps.  Say what?!?!

Every once in a while I crave food from Buffalo Wild Wings.  But I'm a sissy when it comes to wings.  I prefer mild sauce (or bbq) and no bones, please and thank you.  Better yet, throw my boneless wings (aka chicken tenders) into a wrap.  That makes me a happy girl.  I get all of that buffalo flavor without the mess!  

This dinner is my attempt at recreating the buffalo chicken wrap in a healthier way.  It's still 100% full of flavor and crunchy texture, but it takes a fraction of time time to make, you don't have to fry or bake anything (bonus in the summer!) and your arteries will be happier too.  It's so fast to make you could definitely do this for a quick lunch too.

I used my new favorite Flat-Out Wraps to wrap 'em all up.  These things are seriously my new favorite way to eat a sandwich.  They are soft so they don't crack when you roll them.  Whoever engineered these babies is a genius because somehow, my fillings hardly ever fall out!  You can roll them nice and tight.

If you don't have Flat-Outs you could do this with a regular tortilla, but I would seriously consider picking some up.  They're awesome!

Buffalo Chickpea Salad Wraps


Ingredients:

• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 3/8 c buffalo sauce (I use Frank's, it's the bomb)
• 1/8 c unsalted almonds
• 1/2 bell pepper
• Flat-out wraps (or tortillas)
• bleu cheese
• spinach
• sprouts (optional)
• crumbled bacon (optional)
• bleu cheese or ranch dressing

Directions:


-Chop almonds and peppers roughly

-Put rinsed chickpeas in a medium sized bowl
-Mash with a potato masher, or a strong fork until chunky (you want some chunks in here, it should resemble this)

-Add peppers and almonds, stir
-Add buffalo sauce, stir until well combined

-Layer spinach, chickpeas, bleu cheese, crumbled bacon (if using it), sprouts, and dressing about 1/3 of the way from the end of the wrap

-Wrap it up tight

-Eat up!!!

This meal was so easy to throw together and it was fun to have a different take on a "salad sandwich".  There are so many textures from the roughly mashed chickpeas to the crunchy almonds and peppers.  Party in your mouth!!! Josh loved the buffalo and bleu cheese flavors, and I loved that I could enjoy them in a nice, clean way.  #winnerwinnerchickpeadinner

Balsamic Brown Butter Gnocchi

Happy weekend dear friends.  I don't have much to say today, need to get crack-a-lackin' on my studying, but I just have to share this wonderful recipe with you.  It's not the most photogenic meal in the world, but what it lacks in beauty, it more than makes up for in taste.  It's simple enough for a weeknight meal, but tastes like you spent hours on it.  Definitely a winner.

Balsamic Brown Butter Gnocchi with Chicken and Mushrooms
(makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1 package store bought whole wheat gnocchi (I used Racconto from Trader Joe's and it was awesome!)
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 large (or 2 small) chicken breast (about 8 oz)
• 1/4 t + 1/4 t sea salt
• 1/2 t garlic powder
• 1/4 t cracked black pepper
• 1 pint button mushrooms, sliced
• 1 shallot, minced fine
• 1 c butter
• 1/8 c balsamic vinegar

Directions:
-Chop chicken into bite sized pieces, season with 1/4 t salt, garlic powder, pepper
-Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat
-Add chicken, cook 6-7 minutes until chicken is browned
-Add mushrooms, shallots and 1/4 t sea salt, cook 8-10 minutes until mushrooms are cooked

-Meanwhile, boil water to cook the gnocchi, cook according to package directions (about 3 minutes)
-Heat butter in small sauce pan over medium heat, it should melt, then form a foam on the top, then the foam will go away and little brown bits will form at the top
-Once the butter is browned, remove it from the heat and let it sit 30 seconds, then add the balsamic vinegar and whisk well (this will bubble up so be very careful, don't put your face over it or you will burn your nostrils with vinegar)

-Add cooked gnocchi to chicken and mushrooms, pour the butter sauce over and toss to coat
-Serve immediately

This is pure comfort in a bowl.  

Also, if anyone wants to buy me a new better camera, I would love you forever.  My 10 year old point and shoot isn't really cutting the mustard anymore. ;)

Hot potato

Hot potato.  Please tell me I'm not the only person who remembers that game.  You know, the one where you throw around some (hopefully) soft object as fast as you can, and try not to be the last one holding it when the timer goes off.  There were always those tricky people who would purposefully not catch the potato when it was thrown at them, or worse yet, throw it as hard as they can at you right before the timer goes off.   Mean kids.

I hope that this game was never played with real potatoes, that would hurt.

These potatoes are hot, but they should be eaten, not thrown.  And trust me, you will want to eat them.

Potatoes get a bad rap as a "white starch".  True, potatoes can be bad when they are fried, covered in butter and sour cream, bacon and cheese.  Baked potatoes though can be very nutritious when topped with tasty health conscious toppings.  They contain a ton of fiber.  They are also really high in vitamin C, B6 and potassium.  If you want to learn more about nutritional facts on potatoes you should check this website out.  It's full of great info.  Did you know that if you let the green leafy part of the potato plant go to flower and fruit, the potato tuber turns into a tomato of sorts that is inedible?  Crazy stuff.

These potatoes were thrown together with some veggies that were on their last legs, and half of a can of black beans for a quick weeknight dinner. They turned out incredible!

Southwestern Black Bean Baked Potatoes


Ingredients -

• 2 large or 4 small russet potatoes
• 1 T olive oil
• 1/4 chopped yellow onion
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 chopped bell pepper
• 1/2 can rinsed black beans
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 t cumin
• 1/4 t cayenne pepper
• 1/4 t smoked paprika
• 1 T lemon juice
• 1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro
• Plain Greek yogurt (or sour cream)
• Shredded low fat cheddar cheese
• Salsa (optional)

Directions -

-Rinse and scrub potatoes until clean, use a paring knife to remove any "eyes" or bad parts from the skin

-Poke holes in the potatoes with a fork, place on a microwave safe plate, microwave on high 5-6 minutes per side (depending on size or potato and power of microwave)  *See note below
-Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium high heat
-Saute onion 4-5 minutes until translucent
-Add garlic, cook 1 minute, making sure not to burn the garlic
-Add peppers, cook 3-4 minutes
-Add beans, spices, and lemon juice, cook 5 minutes until heated through

-Split cooked potatoes down the middle, mash the insides with a fork
-Spoon toppings on potato
-Top with a dollop of plain greek yogurt, cheese, and fresh cilantro (and salsa if using)

*Note - you could do this with potatoes baked in the oven too, I just didn't have an hour to bake them

Man Friendly Recipes: Beef Stew

One of my friends recently suggested that I try to make some food that had some "manly" flavor to it to appease her husband.  At first I was a bit confused by what this meant, I thought my recipes were things that everyone would like.  Then I realized that perhaps the abundance of veggie burgers, quinoa, and sweet potatoes that I have on here may not appeal to all the fellas out there.

Josh is willing to try pretty much anything that I make him, and usually likes it.  I don't have to make meat and potatoes every night to make him happy, which makes me happy too.  One time, a few months after we started dating, I asked him what he would like to eat for his birthday dinner.  What was his favorite food from growing up?  To which he replied, "beef stew".

Ughhhh, beef stew.  I'm pretty sure I had some bad experiences with day care center government subsided meat as a child, and beef stew was one of the things that made my stomach uneasy.   But, being the good girlfriend that I was, I obliged, and made him beef stew for his birthday.  (Side note - I slaved over that stew all day, and he ended up being too sick that day to eat it.  Fail)

So anyhow, as I was thinking about "manly" recipes to make, beef stew came to mind.  Being that I never enjoyed beef stew growing up, I didn't even know what to do to make my own.  So I went to the source.  The woman who knows everything.  Ree.  This recipe is made with beer, so I knew it would be good :).  I followed the recipe as written, except I cut the amount of meat in half, and doubled the potatoes.  2 lbs of beef seemed a little excessive to me personally.

I served this with a side of my new homemade sourdough baguettes (post coming tomorrow!) and what do you know, it was delicious!  Josh got his favorite  meal, and I was happy too.  I'm not going to copy the recipe here, that would just me mean, but head on over to the Pioneer Woman and she'll show you how to do it.

Penne Rosa and hangry monsters

Last weekend when Josh and I were out running errands we needed to stop somewhere quick for lunch.  Like neeeeeded to - stat - or the "hangry monster" was going to come out.  Believe me, you do not want to meet the hangry monster.  She's not pretty.  And she definitely does not act like a 25 year old.  Picture a whiny toddler getting dragged around shopping, begging to go home.  Yeah... not exactly my proudest moments, but I swear she's a completely different person.  Uncontrollable.

source

Anyhow, I could feel the hangry monster peeking to come out so we knew it was time to stop for lunch.  (Yes, Josh is now fairly good at recognizing when the hangry monster is coming out).  Normally at times like these we hit up my new-found favorite Which Wich, the black bean burger is phenomenal!

This time though, Josh said he wanted to go somewhere else.  Noodles and Co. was close by so we decided to hit it up.  I hadn't been to Noodles for a few years.  I used to go with friends in college and I always got the mac n' cheese, or the pesto cavatappi.  Both were great classic choices.  Imagine my surprise then when I walked in and there were all sorts of new things on the menu.  Things like Truffle Mac and Flatbread Sandwiches.  I decided to go with the Veggie Med sandwich which was a great choice.  Josh went with the classic Penne Rosa.  I had never actually tried it before and when he couldn't stop shoveling it in his mouth I decided I needed to snag a bite.  OMG - it was so good!  Tomatoes, and cream, and garlic, and mushrooms, and a little spice.  I'm pretty sure I yelled, "I need to try to make this at home!" so loudly that everyone in the place heard me.

feta makes it betta

So here it is.  Penne Rosa at home.  This meal was so quick and easy.  Perfect for a weeknight dinner.

Penne Rosa
Ingredients - (serves 4)

• 3 c dried penne pasta
• 2 t olive oil
• 1/4 chopped yellow onion
• 3 cloves garlic, minced 
• 1 c sliced button mushrooms
• 1/3 chopped zucchini
• 10 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 5 kalamata olives, chopped
• 1 handful spinach
• 1/4 t red pepper flakes
• 1/2 t sea salt
• 1 c tomato sauce
• 1/3 c light alfredo sauce
• sprinkle of feta cheese

Directions -


-Boil water for pasta, cook until al dente
-Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat
-Saute onion 3-4 minutes until translucent
-Add garlic, saute 30 sec - 1 min until garlic is fragrant
-Add zucchini, mushrooms, olives, salt and red pepper flakes, saute 4-5 minutes until cooked through

-Add cherry tomatoes and sauces

-Add spinach, cook 1 minute until just wilted

-Stir in cooked pasta
-Dish up, and sprinkle with feta

The hangry monster has been tamed.  Let's go shopping

Fire roasted Green Chile White Bean Burgers

Happy hump day friends!  I hope Wednesday finds you well.  Today is a fake weekend day for me today and I'm loving it.  I don't have clinic this morning, which means I was able to sleep past 6am, make breakfast, workout, and get caught up on school and wedding details.  What a wonderful Wednesday!!!

I think he liked them :)

Know what else is wonderful?  These veggie burgers.  I created these the other night when I was craving more potatoes and green chiles after my mexican adventures.  These burgers have some serious smokey flavor to them, from the fire roasted corn and chiles (a la Trader Joes).  If you don't have TJ's around you, you can still find fire roasted green chiles at your local grocery store.

I also threw in some leftover grilled potatoes from the other night.  If you don't have grilled potatoes on hand (really, why would you unless you copied my dinner from the other night) you could either microwave a potato quickly and just use that, or leave them out completely.   The potato acts as a binder in this recipe though, so if you leave it out they might be a little more crumbly.

Fire roasted green chile white bean burgers
(makes 5-6 burgers)

Ingredients -

• 1 can white beans (I used white northern I believe)
• 1 grilled potato, cubed (or microwaved)
• 2 T fire roasted green chiles
• 1 t cumin
• 1/4 t sea salt
• 1/2 t dried cilantro
• 1/2 jalapeño (with seeds) 
• 1/2 c frozen fire roasted corn (or regular frozen corn)
• 1/4 c quinoa
• 1/2 T lemon juice

Directions -
-Preheat oven to 375 degrees
-Pulse all ingredients together in a food processor until combined, but still slightly chunky

-Wet your hands and form patties
-Place on skillet thats been sprayed with cooking spray, medium-high heat
-Cook 4-5 minutes per side until golden brown

-Remove from skillet and place on cookie sheet, sprayed with cooking spray

this baking sheet has seen better days - yikes!

-Bake 10-15 minutes until firmed up in the middle
-Top with cheese (I recommend aged sharp cheddar or pepper jack) and serve on a bun or over a bed of lettuce.
-Dip in salsa, or top with guacamole or sour cream.
-Eat up buttercup!!!

These were insanely good.  I think I actually said "OMG YUM!" after I took my first bite.  They are sweet, spicy and smoky from the corn and chiles, creamy from the beans and potatoes, and a little crunchy from the quinoa.  Bonus - they are high protein and fiber, and low fat.  So they will keep you full for a long time without feeling all gross and greasy.  That's a winner in my book.

PS- I started my own sourdough starter today.  If you want to follow my sourdough adventures you can check in regularly here.