Vegetarian Sweet Potato Bean "Burger"

I know I've said this before, but summer is my FAVORITE time of year. The heat certainly isn't in my top ten favorites reasons, but regardless, I'll take any temperature in the summer...just because it's summer. To add to my previous list, I love summer because

• I can watch the summer concert series on the Today Show. Who doesn't love Maroon 5?
• I can hit the grocery store on a weekday.  Seriously, this improves my life in a gazillion ways.
• I have more than 15 minutes to make an eat my lunch - which brings me to my latest recipe.

(Have no fear.  More to come on my list later!)

After returning from Peru on Sunday, I felt like I just couldn't recover. My body moved in slow motion and craved sleep.  I thought for sure I picked up a bug, but I suppose climbing countless steps, sleeping only a few hours, and eating poorly could run me down. Today I finally felt better (of course this could have something to do with the fact that I didn't have to wake up for a workshop).  My body begged me for clean, wholesome food.  Hitting the grocery store, I was ready to make a healthy, fun lunch!

Btw, Peru was AAAAAmazing.  I would recommend this vacation to anyone who wants to learn about a rich, cultural history and spend time outdoors.  

I know it looks like I'm chillin' in the above picture, but it was really only for 51 seconds before we were on the move again.

 Of course Machu Picchu was the highlight.  So amazing.

The countryside of the Andes offered peaceful views.

The Salt Mines.  I thought for sure I was going to slip and fall into the salt.

One of my favorite parts of the trip was visiting a local school.  We brought school supplies for these kids.  They were incredibly sweet and grateful.

On to the food stuff -

I found this original recipe on Pinterest and I tweaked it just a bit. Oh boy did it turn out delicious!  Plus, both the sweet potatoes and the cannellini benefits are loaded with nutritional benefits.  Sweet potatoes are a good source of potassium, iron, and magnesium (a great anit-stress mineral).  Sweet potatoes also contain B6 and Vitamins C and D.  Cannellni beans have twice the iron of beef! They are also loaded with Thiamine, which improves reaction time and boosts brain power.  Not only that, but Cannellni beans reduce cholesterol, reduce headaches, and give you more energy. The agave nectar adds just a touch of sweet, but it won't spike your blood sugar.  Sooooo, these burgers aren't just yummy, but the ingredients get used to make you a better YOU!  My body needed this to get back on track.

What you need for 2 servings:

1 small sweet potato or a 1/2 of a large one 

1 can of cannellini beans drained (or chick peas)

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

2 tbsp tahini

2 tsp agave nectar

1 tsp Montreal seasoning

A few dashes of cayenne pepper

Panko breadcrumbs

Olive oil 

Optional:  buns, avocado, lettuce, tomato, tzatziki

Cook the sweet potato either by roasting in the oven or the easy way - microwave it.  I peeled the sweet potato, chopped it in big chunks, and microwaved it for 3 minutes. 

Drain and rinse the beans and combine with the cooked sweet potato.  Mash the two together until smooth. Then add the flour, tahini, agave nectar, Montreal seasoning, and cayenne pepper. Combine all the ingredients.

Add olive oil to coat the pan, and turn the heat to medium high.

Pour breadcrumbs into a bowl.  Then, take a bit of the sweet potato mixture and form a patty.  It will be sticky, but still easy to make a patty.  Completely cover the entire patty in the breadcrumbs, and then drop it (gently) into the pan.  Continue this process with the remaining mixture. Allow the "burgers" to brown on both sides.

You can have your "burger" on a bun, in a lettuce wrap, or with avocado on top.  Feel free to add other veggies as well.  Regardless, this sweet potato burger is crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside - the perfect combination.

On a side note, I made a few mini "burgers."  They too turned out just perfect.  Because the are bite size, they make a good snack or side.  As a side note:  I made this yesterday.  Today, I had the leftovers and they were just as good!

Braised Short Ribs over Penne

So, girl's night book club was moved to Sunday night this month.  We're out of work and life is good.  I decided to make my friends a special dinner. I'll be honest though, I didn't take as many pictures as I wanted.  We had quite a busy morning bringing the dogs to the mobile vaccination center.  I usually bring them to the posh vet, but after the $500 bill last year, I thought I'd save a little money this year.  And save we did, but at another cost - we had to bring Capone in public.  I know - he's an adorable dog - INSIDE my house.

Needless to say, it was a stressful morning.

Nikko can confirm that!

Anyway, back to the book club and wanting to do something special...it's important to note that our book club did NOT read Fifty Shade of Cheesy Writing, er, I mean Gray.  We read The Fault in our Stars by John Greene.  This book was recommended to me by my good friend's daughter, Becca (good choice, Becca).  The Fault in Our Stars is actually a teen read, but it is beautifully written AND incredibly sad. What I like the most about the book, though, is that the main character, Hazel, is such a strong female role model; she's witty, intelligent, and knows what she wants.  This gave us plenty to discuss.

Braised Short Ribs over Penne

What You'll Need:

Bone in Short Ribs (I used 5 big, meaty ones for 6 people)

Salt an Pepper

Olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 large can San Marzano tomatoes, crushed

1 cup red wine

1 cup beef broth

1-2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 1/2 pounds penne pasta, cooked according to directions

Heat the oven to 325.

Rinse the short ribs and dry completely with paper towels.  Salt and pepper the short ribs on all sides.  Heat the olive oil in a heavy bottom pot (I used a cast iron pot). Add the short ribs and brown on all sides.  Remove the short ribs and set aside.  

Add more olive oil to the pot and add the onions.  Cook about 5 minutes and then add the garlic.  Then add the tomatoes, wine, broth, and mustard.  Bring the mixture to a slight boil and scrape up all the juicy bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon.  

Put the ribs into the pot and stir to cover the ribs.  Cover an place into the oven.  Let cook for 3 hours.  If the meat falls off the bone, it's cooked.  Otherwise, keep cooking.  

If finished, remove the pot from the oven.  At this point, your house will smell amazing, and you'll want to eat before your company even gets there!  

This is the hardest part, AND it's really not that hard.  Remove the ribs from the pot.  Shred the meat into small pieces - it should just fall apart.  You'll need to separate the fat and remove the bone (the bone may have just fallen out).  Once the meat is shredded and de-fatted (yeah, I just made that word up), set to the side. 

Use a spoon and gather the oil that has settled on top of your sauce.  You can use a separator here as well.  Then, add the meat back to the pot.  

Pour cooked penne into a nice, large pasta bowl and add short ribs and sauce.  Toss to coat.  Add freshly grated parmigiana cheese and parsley.

I served this with a Caprese salad.  It was the perfect compliment. 

For dessert, I made homemade black cherry and nutella frozen Greek yogurt.  If you haven't bought the Cuisinart ice cream maker, I suggest you get one. NOWWWWWW! I got mine at Costco.  

Orecchiette with Turkey Sausage

Pasta, pasta, pasta...I could eat pasta every night, but I limit it to once a week.  This one is an adapted Giada recipe.  She uses broccoli rabe, which is awesome in the recipe.  I didn't have any broccoli rabe, so I substituted arugula, spinach, and mushrooms.  Try this recipe with either.  If you use the broccoli rabe, cook it in salted, boiling water for about a minute. Then transfer it to a bowl of ice water to cool.  You can even use this same water to boil your pasta.

What you need:
1 pound orecchiette pasta - cook according to directions
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound turkey (or chicken) sausage, casings removed
1 small onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
mushrooms (optional)
sun dried tomatoes (again, optional - I had then in the fridge)
1 teaspoon flour
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
3/4 cup Tuscan chicken broth (add more if the mixture becomes too thick)
Broccoli rabe (see note above), arugula, and/or spinach
A pinch of dried crushed red pepper flakes

Heat the olive oil in a medium sized skillet over medium high heat. Add the onions and  garlic and cook for just a few minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more.  Add the sausage and cook until the sausage is cooked through. Stir in the sun dried tomatoes.  Then sprinkle on the flour and stir to coat.  Cook for 2 more minutes.  Squeeze the juice of a 1/2 a lemon into the pan. Add the Tuscan chicken broth and allow the ingredients to simmer.  If you want, add the crushed red pepper. Finally, add the broccoli rabe and coat (if using spinach and/or arugula see note below).  Yummmm... Writing about food makes me really hungry.  Too bad I can't make this right NOW!  But no, I'm teaching spin tonight.  Then I can eat.

Finally, put spinach and/or arugula (if using) in the bottom of a large pasta dish.  Place the steaming pasta on top and allow the pasta to cook the greens.  I usually reserve a bit of the pasta cooking water to add if I need more liquid. Pour the skillet ingredients over the pasta.  Combine.  Then, top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Remember, this recipe is adaptable to whatever you have on hand.  Change a few things!

White Bean Chicken Chili

I love all things soup and chili.  Again, key reason - EASY.  Plus, you can really just throw in anything you have around the house and the recipe will still turn out great.

It's summer in south Florida.  That means it's time to grill and make cool summer salads.  I get that, but sometimes, yes sometimes - even in the sweltering humidity, I need comfort.  White Bean Chicken Chili gives me COMFORT.

Here's what you'll need: 

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium sized onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 pound ground chicken

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cumin

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 tablespoon flour

3/4 bottle of beer - I usually use Corona 

2 cans stewed, diced, or chopped tomatoes - I use the Rotel

1 cup beef or chicken stock

1/2 cup green salsa

1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1 bunch greens - Swiss chard, kale, spinach - any will do

Jalapeno Jack Cheese

cilantro

1 - 2 cups ditalini pasta (or shells) - cook to directions

In a dutch oven or pot, heat the oil over medium high heat.  Add the onion and cook just a few minutes until translucent.  Add the garlic and cook for 30 more seconds.  Add  the ground chicken, salt, cumin, and chili powder.  Cook, stirring often, until the chicken is cooked.  Stir in the flour.  Then add the beer and allow to reduce. Scrape up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Next, add the tomatoes, stock, beans, and chili.  I also add a bit of the cheese to the cooking pot...yummm...this makes the chili a bit creamy. Bring to a simmer and allow to cook for 30-45 minutes.  If you want to add a little heat, add a tad of cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes. Add the greens and cook a few minutes more.

Now, add a bit of the cooked pasta to the bowl, ladle the soup/chili on top.  Top with cilantro and cheese.  I  would also suggest sour cream!