Spicy Black Bean & Quinoa Burgers

Recently, Sage was out of town for a week for work, and I did something I don't normally do. I bought a box of frozen veggie burgers. I figured it would be a quick, easy meal for Beckett and I after a long few days of doing it all around here on my own. And it was quick and easy, but predictably not that exciting.

Last week I made some homemade burgers, and I'm sure I don't have to tell you there was no comparison. With black bean, quinoa, veggies and just enough spice to give them a little kick, they are 100 times better than the ones still hanging out in my freezer.

I've made these a few times this summer, and they freeze great so you can make up a bigger batch, and have them on hand for the convenience of the boxed kind. This time, I just made up enough for 4 patties and chilled them for a couple hours before cooking. I've pan-fried them and baked them, and while there isn't much difference I think I prefer them pan-fried. And I haven't tried grilling them yet, but I think they'd actually hold up well enough to do so.

Besides just the nutritional benefits, I love what the quinoa adds in texture to these. If you don't have leftover quinoa on hand, you can cook up some about 15 minutes (and save some for yummy Quinoa Pancakes for the next day). Then the burgers pretty much come together in no time with the assistance of the food processor. Use a half cup measuring cup or a small ramekin to shape and they are ready for chilling or the freezer.

Spicy Black Bean & Quinoa Burgers
inspired by Where's The Beach
makes 4 burgers

You can reduce the amount of crushed red pepper if you wish, but my three year old, who is adverse to very spicy foods, has no problem eating these. It really adds more flavor than heat.

1/3 of a large red bell pepper, seeded
1 medium carrot, peeled
4 green onions, white and light green parts only
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 (16 oz.) can of black beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 cup prepared quinoa*
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
1/2 cup oat bran
1 egg, beaten

Cut the bell pepper, carrot and green onions in chunks. Along with garlic, add to the bowl of a food processor. Process until minced. Add about 3/4 of the can of beans, setting aside remaining beans. Process until mixture is paste-like.

Either transfer mixture to a medium sized mixing bowl or if you want one less dish to wash, simply remove blade from food processor bowl and proceed. Add reserved beans, quinoa, chili powder, red pepper flakes, a pich or two of salt and a few grinds of pepper, oat bran and egg. Use a spoon (or hands) to mix well.

Use a measuring cup, ramekin or hands to shape into 4 patties. Place onto a parchment or waxed lined plate, cover and refrigerate for an hour or two. (Or alternatively, individually wrap each burger in parchment, then foil, and place into a freezer safe conatiner or bag and freeze until ready to use.)

Heat a non-stick pan, lightly misted with olive oil (or cooking spray) over medium high heat. Cook burgers for about 5-7 minutes per side, or until lightly browned and cooked through. Serve on toasted buns of choice and with your desired condiments.

*I've also subbed in 1/4 cup of toasted wheat germ for  1/4 cup of the quinoa when I only had a 1/2 cup of it, with pretty much the same results.

Blue Cheese-Stuffed Turkey Burgers

We spent our 4th of July on the beach all day, with some of our closest friends, playing bocce ball, eating, drinking, people watching, and of course, ending the day with fireworks. At some point we realized we all had the next day off, so we decided everyone should come over for a cookout/pool party. On a whim, I said "I'll make blue cheese stuffed turkey burgers!" Not sure where the idea came from, other than I had ground turkey in the freezer and blue cheese in my fridge. Sadly, on Monday, it rained all day, and we decided not to have anyone over. We also had something other than burgers that night.

Ever since, I've wanted them. But our schedules made it so we couldn't have them until last night. Luckily, they were well worth the wait. I based them loosely off of the Herb & Cheese Stuffed Burgers I made a few months ago since I couldn't find a recipe for a blue cheese stuffed burger I liked. It was just our little family, so I only made 3 burgers, using half of a package of ground turkey, just as I did when I made the last stuffed burgers, but everything could be easily doubled to feed more people. If you love blue cheese as we do, I'm sure you'll enjoy these, and if you eat beef, I imagine that would be a great variation as well.

Blue Cheese Stuffed Turkey Burgers
serves 3

10 oz. ground turkey (half of a 1.25 lb package)
1/4 of a medium red onion, minced (about 3 tbsp worth)
3 tbsp Italian-style breadcrumbs
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp ground mustard
sea salt and fresh ground pepper
3 tbsp crumbled Gorgonzola (or blue cheese of choice)
1 tbsp reduced-fat cream cheese
toasted hamburger rolls, tomato slices, spinach leaves or romaine, for serving

Mix ground turkey with onion, breadcrumbs, parsley, mustard, salt and pepper. Divide into 6 equal pieces, and form each into a thin patty.

In a small bowl, combine cream cheese with blue cheese, using a fork to mash and incorporate well. Spoon a 1/3 of cheese mixture in the center of three of the patties. Top with remaining patties and press edges well to seal.

Grill burgers over medium high heat for about 4 minutes per side. Serve on toasted buns with desired accompaniments.

Herb & Cheese Stuffed Turkey Burgers

Let me begin by saying: Wow! These were pretty amazing. I can't remember the last meal all three of us so equally loved as much as these burgers. Beckett, who will rarely eat meat, began crying when he mistakenly thought his father was taking his burger away from him. Yeah, they are that good.

My last experience with a stuffed burger was a high school cooking class, where some fellow students demonstrated stuffing a beef burger with American cheese, ketchup, mustard, mayo and pickles and called it an Inside-Out Burger. I've never been much of a fan of beef burgers, but as a teenager, I thought the idea was so neat, I made them for my family. I guess they must have not been too impressive, because we never had them again. But it wasn't the fault of the concept, it was the contents. Thinking back, it doesn't even sound good. Especially for an almost-vegetarian, as I was.

So fifteen-ish years later, I found a recipe for herb & cheese stuffed burgers in Taste of Home magazine and had to give it a shot. Of the many changes I made, the most noteable were using ground turkey instead of beef, reduced fat cheeses and wheat rolls, seasoning the meat with thyme instead of sage and rosemary, and adjusting it to make three burgers, instead of four. I did opt for the more flavorful, but less healthy, ground turkey over ground turkey breast, but these burgers were so fulfilling, we were happy with a simple salad as a side to make up for it. I will certainally be making these family pleasing burgers again, perhaps experimenting with the herbs and cheeses.

adapted from Taste Of Home Magazine, February/March 201, serves 3
3 tbsp shredded 2% cheddar cheese
1 oz. reduced fat cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 tbsp minced fresh parsley
1 3/4 tsp dijon mustard, divided
1 tsp onion powder
3 tbsp Italian-style breadcrumbs
1 1/2 tbsp ketchup
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
1/2 tsp dried thyme
10 oz. ground turkey (half of a standard 1.25 lb. package)
3 whole wheat sandwich rolls
light mayo, sliced tomatoes, lettuce, optional, for serving

In a small bowl, combine cheddar cheese, cream cheese, parsley and 3/4 tsp of the mustard. Set aside.

In a larger bowl, combine onion powder, bread crumbs, ketchup, salt and pepper, thyme and remaning mustard. Add ground turkey and mix well. Shape into 6 thin patties. Spoon 1/3 of cheese mixture into the center of three patties. Top with remanining patties and press edges firmly to seal.

Grill over medium heat, about 5 minutes per side. Serve burgers on rolls with tomatoes, lettuce and/or mayo as desired.

My 100th Post with a Recap of Favorites

So, I actually wrote this a few days ago, before catching up on several days worth of posts in my reader, only to discover that lots of the blogs I follow do a year end review of favorites. That makes mine seem rather unoriginal, but since it took me a while to write it, I'm going to post it anyhow.

For my 100th post, I thought it would be fun to take a look back at the recipes I've tried out over the past six months or so that I've had this blog. Okay, maybe I'm the only who will have fun with this post, but then the reason I started blogging was for myself- to have a place to record my recipes, as well as to push myself to try new things and to be more creative in the kitchen. However, as a bonus, it's made me really happy to know that others have enjoyed it as well. I've really appreciated having family and friends tell that they've tried and loved recipes from my blog. So, thanks for being a reader of The Brick Kitchen. Here are some of our family's favorites from along the way.

Soups

Lentil Sausage Soup with Leeks and Carrots

Turkey Bean Soup

Slowcooker Chicken and Rice Soup

Split Pea Soup

Sweet Potato Lentil Stew

Salads/Side Dishes

Warm Couscous and Chickpea Salad

Cucumber Pasta Salad with Goat Cheese

Apple-Walnut Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette

Grilled Dijon Chicken Salad with Parmesan Dressing (especially the dressing!)

Baked Buffalo Chicken Strips Salad

Vegetarian Main Dishes
Moroccan Style Stuffed Accorn Squash
Baked Eggplant Parmesan
Polenta Lasagna with Vegetable Bolognese
Lentil Walnut Burgers
Black Bean Sliders & Sweet Potato Fries

Main Dishes with Meat
Peanut Butter Chicken
Chicken Parmesan
Sausage and Peppers Pasta
Healthier Chicken Pot Pie
Chicken Paprikash


Pizzas
Buffalo Chicken Pizza
Roasted Butternut, Carmelized Onion and Apple Maple Chicken Sausage Pizza
BBQ Chicken Pizza
Black and White Pizza
Sundried Tomato, Goat Cheese and Chicken Sausage Calzone

Lentil Walnut Burgers

When I first saw this recipe in my Google reader a while back, I knew it was something I wanted to try. In fact, I planned on making these burgers immediately as I had the ingredients on hand, but somehow it didn't happen. Then I forgot about them. Recently I was perusing the blog where I'd first seen them, Cara's Cravings- which is full of a healthy, yet certainally never boring, recipes- while looking for new vegetarian dishes to try. Seeing this recipe again, I knew I couldn't let them get away from me a second time and made them the next day.

Originally a Moosewood Cookbook recipe, Cara had altered it a bit, changing hers from Lentil Walnut Burgers to ones made with pecans, and topped with sliced apples and blue cheese crumbles and seasoned with thyme. I choose to make mine with walnuts, just because I prefer them over pecans, and also to skip the apples but keep the blue cheese and the thyme. They were wonderful and we loved how they paired with the cheese.

Now here's the beauty of these tasty burgers: you don't just have to do the patty on a bun thing. The next day after I made them, I worked late, and when I got home, Sage repurposed them as a filling for delicious meatless quesadillas, along with sauteed mushrooms, tomatoes and white cheddar. Then the next day for lunch, I crumbled one over a salad with blue cheese and a drizzle of olive oil and vinegar dressing. I'm not a big fan of eating of same thing for days on end, but a busy schedule left cooking new things everyday hard, so I loved how they worked in several different ways. They can also be frozen. I will definitely be making these again soon.

Lentil-Walnut Burgers, adapted slightly from Cara's Cravings (originally from Mollie Katzen/Moosewood)

3/4 cup green lentils (or brown)

1 1/2 cups water

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup minced onion

4 large cloves garlic, minced

8 oz mushrooms, minced

1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts (or pecans)

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

2 tsp minced fresh thyme or rosemary (I used about a 1/2 tsp dried)

1/2 cup rolled oats

crumbled blue cheese, if desired

Place lentils and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, partially covered, for about 30 minutes, or until the lentils are soft and the liquid is gone.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a medium-sized skillet. Add onion and saute over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic and saute for about 5-10 minutes more, until the vegetables are soft. Add the thyme, the walnuts, and season with salt & pepper. Set aside to cool while the lentils finish cooking.

When the lentils are done, place in a bowl and mash with the vinegar. Add the sauteed vegetables and the oats and mix well. Chill for about an hour.

Preheat broiler. Form the lentil mixture into six equal sized patties ( I actually got 7 patties) and place on a baking sheet. Broil for about 8 minutes on each side. If desired, top the burgers with the blue cheese and broil for one minute more, or until cheese is melted.

Roasted Red Pepper and Garbanzo Bean Burger

While I love most restaurant veggie burgers, I've never been as big of a fan of the frozen grocery store types. Now that I know how easy- and better- it is to make your own, I don't see myself ever buying them again.

My father-in-law gave us a bunch of delicious roasted red peppers, so I decided to make a burger using them and chickpeas for something different. I was feeling lazy so I didn't pre-cook anything and just made the the whole thing in my food processor. Sage said they were difficult to grill because they were hard to keep from falling apart. I suppose I could've added something like oats to help hold them together, but I was worried about the burgers being too dry. They were very good, although I will admit I like the black bean burgers I made recently more. But it was a nice change, and I think the red peppers really added to them. We had ours topped with swiss, tomato, and sprouts on toasted rolls with oven baked sweet potato fries.

2 slices of multi grain bread, torn into pieces

2 cans of reduced sodium chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 clove garlic, quartered

2 whole roasted red peppers, blotted (if jarred) and sliced

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 egg

1/2 tbsp. dried parsley

Sea salt and fresh ground pepper

1. Put bread pieces in food processor, process until fine crumbs. Add chickpeas, garlic, and red peppers. Process until still slightly chunky. Add remaining ingredients, and pulse just enough to mix.

2. Form into 4 or 5 patties. Grill over medium direct heat for 3-5 minutes per side.

Grilled Chicken Burgers & Crispy Oven Baked Parmesan Fries

To say that my husband loves chicken is an understatement. Sage could eat it everyday, happily. Since it was pretty much the only meat I ate growing up, I get quite bored of chicken. But since we have it 4 or 5 times a week, I'm always trying to come up with new ways to fix it.

Last night I made chicken burgers. They were very moist, which was something I worried about. Since Beckett and Sage have a lower tolerance for spiciness than me, I went light on the seasoning, but you could definitely go for more- they'd be great with a kick. Beckett doesn't normally like chicken or really any meat (a texture thing) and he loved these!

To go with them, I fixed fries made from red potatoes. I had a little happy accident- I meant to use grated parmesan (the powdery stuff) but wasn't paying attention and grabbed my can of the shredded. It was already on the potatoes, so I went ahead with it, thinking it would just melt and make a mess...Instead it formed a "crust" on them, which made them very crispy on the outside. Like a real french fry! I used a only pinch of cayenne on these, and Beckett couldn't eat them. Sage really liked them but said they'd be better if they weren't so spicy, so make your according to your family's preference.

Grilled Chicken Burgers makes 4 burgers

2 large chicken breasts, cut into 1 in. cubes (or sub. 1 lb. already ground chicken breast)

1/2 of a small onion, chunked (about a 1/3 cup)

1/4 of a green pepper, chunked (about a 1/3 cup)

1/2 of a celery rib, chunked

1 clove garlic, peeled and quartered

1/3 cup quick oats

2 tbsp seasoned breadcrumbs

1 egg

kosher salt & fresh ground pepper

1/2 tsp. creole seasoning blend (I used Tony Chachere's)

1. In food processor, pulse 1/2 of the chicken until minced. Transfer to large bowl, and repeat with the rest of chicken. Transfer to large bowl.

2. Add onion, green pepper, celery and garlic to food processor. Pulse to fine mince. Transfer to bowl of ground chicken. Add remaining ingredients. Mix well.

3. Form into 4 large patties. (They will seem very "goopy" and be different than ground turkey or beef.) Chill until ready to grill. (I chilled mine for 45 minutes.)

4. Grill over medium-high direct heat, for 5-6 minutes a side.

We topped our with pepper jack cheese and served on toasted hamburger rolls with lettuce, tomato and lite mayo.

Crispy Oven Baked Parmesan Fries (serves 2)

3-4 red potatoes (about 3/4 lb.)

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp shredded parmesan

sea or kosher salt/fresh ground pepper

pinch of cayenne peppper (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 425 dgrees.

2.Slice potatoes longwise into 1/2 inch wide strips, leaving skins on. Place in large bowl or ziplock baggie.

3. Add remaining ingredients. Toss to coat well.

4. Spread in a single layer on cookie sheet, and bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Flip, and bake for another 15 minutes.

Sage's Turkey Burgers and Parmesan-Basil Grilled Corn on the Cob

Finally, I get to blog about something Sage makes! Unfortunately, I took the worst pictures ever. They didn't do this wonderful meal justice.

We had some of our best friends, Michael and Sumer, over for a cookout. Since its corn season, we took advantage and Sage made one his summertime standbys- grilled corn with a parmesan and basil butter. It is always a hit! He also made his delicious turkey burgers, topped with mushrooms and swiss, which keeps the lean meat from tasting bland and dry. We also had the greek pasta salad posted below.

Sage's Turkey Burgers (makes 4 large burgers)

1 lb. ground turkey breast

1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs

1 egg

1/3 cup chopped onion

1 tbsp minced garlic

1/2 of an 8 oz. package of sliced mushrooms

olive oil

4 slices of swiss cheese

4 French Hamburger rolls or multigrain rolls

desired condiments and toppings (lite mayo, spicy mustard, sliced tomato, etc.)

1. In a large bowl, combine turkey with onion, breadcrumbs, egg, and garlic. Mix well using hands. Form into 4 patties.

2. Grill over medium direct heat for about 15 miutes, flipping once.

3. Meanwhile, saute mushrooms over meduim heat with small amount of oil.

4. When burgers are cooked through, but still juicy, top each burger with 1/4 of the mushroms and 1 slice of swiss. Cook for about 1 minutes or until cheese is melted. At the same time, toast rolls on grill for 1 minute.

5. Place burgers on rolls and add desired condiments and toppings.

Parmesan-Basil Grilled Corn on the Cob (adapted from Weber's Real Grilling)

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

2 tbsp. finely chopped fresh basil

1/2 tsp Kosher salt

1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

1 tsp. minced garlic

4 ears corn, husks and silks removed

1. To make butter: In a small bowl, mash butter with fork. Add seasonings and stir to mix.

2. Brush about a tbsp of butter over each ear of corn. Grill over medium direct heat until brown in spots and tender, about 10-15 minutes, turning occassionally. Serve with remaining butter, if desired.

Black Bean Sliders & Sweet Potato Fries with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

I love both veggie and black bean burgers and often order them at casual restaurants. I had some leftover black beans and wanted to try making my own. There were some small bakery rolls in the freezer left over from a party, so I decided to make sliders. And burgers are best with fries, so I paired mine with oven baked sweet potatoes.

The burgers were awesome! They reminded me of the ones I get from Chili's and were so easy to make. I prepared the patties ahead and put them in the refrigerator until we were ready to grill. The fries were tasty but I should have flipped them half way so they'd be evenly toasted. I've included my favorite Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce for the fries. It's also delicious on grilled chicken.

Black Bean Burgers

2 1/2 cups (about 1 1/2 cans) canned organic black beans (rinsed and drained well)

1/3 cup chopped carrot

1/3 cup chopped onion

oil

3 tbsp minced garlic

1 egg

1/2 Quick Cooking Oats

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp hot sauce

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1. Blot beans with paper towels to remove as much moisture from rinsing as possible.

2. Using a food processor, finely chop carrots and onion. Saute chopped vegetables with garlic in a minimal amount of oil over medium heat for 5 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in large bowl, mash black beans using a handheld submersion blender or potato masher, until beans form a paste, leaving some chunks.

4. Blot sauteed vegetables well to remove any liquids and add to mashed beans. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.

5. Form into desired sized patties (makes 7-8 sliders, or 4-5 full sized.) Can be refrigerated until ready to use. Uncooked patties can also be frozen for another use. (We froze half.) Can be grilled, baked or panfried. (We grilled ours.)

Baked Sweet Potato Fries (adapted from Country Living)

2 large Sweet Potatoes

olive oil

cumin

ground red pepper

sea salt

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Cut potatoes in half both directions, then cut wedges into 1/2 inch sticks.

3. In large bowl or zip lock bag, place potatoes, enough oil to lightly coat, and desired amount of seasonings. Toss or shake to coat well.

4. Spread potatoes in a single layer on cookie sheet and bake for 35 minutes or until brown around the edges.

* I would suggest flipping them half way for even browning, and perhaps broiling for last few minutes for toastier fries.

Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce (originally a marinade from allrecipes.com)

1 tbsp & 1 tsp dijon mustard

1/2 tbsp light mayonnaise

1 tbsp honey

1/2 tsp steak sauce (such as A-1) or worcestershire sauce

Blend all ingredients well.

This quantity is for two people for dipping. Can easily be double or tripled.