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... not vegan.
I was never huge into beef alternative-type burgers. I like beef. I really do. (Sorry if this grosses you out, Lori) I love greasy, plain, smokey, slightly burnt good ol' fashioned burgers. Usually with those church barbeque type burgers, it's all about what you put on the burger, not the burger itself. In Japan they make these beautiful "hamburgers" (if you can even call them that), and eat it like steak. It's a fancy dinner on a fancy plate kind of meal. And I love it like that. I love a huge range of ground beef mixed with a few things, formed into a flat, round (or oval) patty, to be happily devoured.
But then in high school I discovered the gardenburger, and surprisingly loved it! And I didn't know what to do with myself. So once in a while I buy them, and once in a while I crave them, and that's about it. I leave the making of them to those who do it for money.
... But THEN, I came across this recipe in my Everyday Food Great Food Fast cookbook, and have been secretly drooling over it since. And I finally told Blake I want to make it for dinner. He was a little skeptical, but agreed, and we were both stunned at the delicious beauty of the burger. You MUST try it. Vegetarian, meat-over alike, you are going to love this burger.
Lentil Walnut Burgers with Parsnip and Yukon Gold Oven Fries
Serves 4
Lentil Walnut Burgers:
3/4 C lentils, picked over and rinsed
3/4 C walnuts
1/3 C plain dried breadcrumbs (I didn't have any, so I just processed about 1 slice of toasted whole grain bread and it was awesome!)
3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 t ground cumin
2 t ground coriander
1/4 to 1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
4 T olive oil
1 L egg
for serving:
thinly sliced tomato
thinly sliced cucumber
red onion relish (just some super thinly sliced red onion, soaked for 30 minutes, and tossed with red wine vinegar)
yogurt-cilantro sauce*
cilantro leaves
* yogurt-cilantro sauce:
3/4 C plain low-fat or fat free yogurt
2 T chopped fresh cilantro
1 T fresh lemon juice
salt to taste
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Place the lentils in a small saucepan, and cover with water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Cover, and cook until the lentils are tender but still holding their shape, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain well and cool.
- Meanwhile, spread the walnuts on a baking sheet, and toast in the oven until fragrant and darkened, about 10 minutes. Let cool.
- In a food processor, combine the walnuts, breadcrumbs, garlic, cumin, coriander, red pepper flakes, 1-1/2 teasspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; process until finely ground. Add the lentils and 1 T olive oil, pulse until coarsely chopped (some lentils will remain whole).
- In a large bowl, whisk the egg. Add the lentil mixture; mix well. Divide into 4 equal-sized parts; roll into balls, and flatten with the palm of your hand into 3/4 inch thick patties.
- Heat the remaining 3 T oil in a large non-stick skillet. Add the burgers; cook over medium-low heat until crisp and browned, turning gently with a thin-edged spatula, 8 to minutes per side. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain.
Parsnip & Yukon Gold Oven Fries:
2~3 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into thin strips
3~4 yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into thin strips
4 T olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
- Preheat the oven to 400° F.
- Toss the parsnips, potatoes, oil, salt and pepper together until coated well. Place the vegetables on a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. Place in the oven and bake until outside is golden and cooked through, about 25~30 minutes. Serve warm.
I didn't have much time to make dinner before our youth activity tonight, and since we are leaving for Utah in a couple of days, I had to try to use up some ingredients. So, the only thing I could think of doing was pan-fried noodles. I know, it's weird. I can't seem to enjoy cooking pasta, a usual staple in our home, but I LOVE Panda Express-type food. Anyway, this was a really quick and easy (with simple ingredients) take-out at home dish. Try it out sometime! Hopefully you can find fresh Chinese egg-noodles, but if you can't, I think angel hair pasta should be ok.
Quick Pan-Friend Noodles
serves 4
1/2 lb fresh Chinese noodles
2 carrots, cut into matchsticks
2~3 celery stalks, cut into 1/2 inch pieces at a diagonal
2 chicken breasts, cut into strips
2 leeks (or 4 scallions), cut into 1/4 inch slices on a diagonal, and carefully washed
3 garlic cloves, crushed
soy sauce
2 T sake, optional
1 T mirin, optional
salt and pepper to taste
canola oil
sesame oil, optional
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a large wok, heat about 1 T oil over high heat. Add the garlic cloves and quickly stir-fry until browned and crispy. Remove the garlic from the wok. Add half of the chicken, and let the brown on both sides and remove. Add a little more oil and repeat with remaining chicken.
- Set chicken aside on a plate. Add another tablespoon of oil and cook carrots and celery. Season with a little salt and pepper. Add sake and mirin, if using, and cook until both evaporate. Add leeks and stir-fry for about 1 minute, and set aside on a plate.
- Meanwhile, place noodles in a large bowl and pour boiling water over the noodles and drain after 1~2 minutes, when they are barely tender but still slightly firm. Add one more T of oil to the hot wok, and place the noodles flat in the wok to get slightly crispy. Holding the handle firmly, flip the noodle right over and let it get a little crispy on the second side. Add the chicken and vegetables back in the wok and, using cooking chopsticks if possible, break up the noodles and toss all ingredients. Add a little soy sauce to taste. Drizzle a little sesame oil on top, if using, and serve!
Just had to share some cute pictures my Blake took of our little girl "helping out" in the kitchen. Here she's helping out by feeding Kumo ... something.
Metal mixing bowls and plastic hitting things are my new best friends!
Another food I sometimes crave right now is pancakes, but I don't love what they do to my love handles. And Blake makes some fantastic pancakes from Everyday Food magazine (pretty much every weekend), but this week we decided to try out their whole grain substitution. It was a total hit! And since I recently went blueberry picking, I made a really tasty simple blueberry syrup. We ate a few more than we probably should have, but I felt a lot less guilty this time!
Pancakes and Homemade Blueberry Syrup
Serves 4
First of all, here's Blake's usual basic pancake recipe. It comes from Everyday Food magazine, with a couple of our own alterations to make them the perfect Japanese-style hotcakes.
1 C all-purpose flour
2 T sugar
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 C milk
1 t pure vanilla extract
2 T butter, melted (or vegetable oil)
1 L egg
1 T vegetable oil
- Preheat the oven to 200°; have a heatproof platter ready to keep cooked pancakes warm in the oven. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, butter (or oil), egg, and vanilla extract. Add dry ingredients to milk mixture; whisk until just moistened (do not over-mix; a few small lumps are fine).
- Heat a large skillet (nonstick or cast-iron) or griddle over medium. Fold a sheet of paper towel in half, and moisten with oil; carefully rub skillet with oiled paper towel. (I really like this method because you're not deep frying your pancakes, so it's way better for you, but still tastes amazing!)
- For each pancake, spoon 2~3 T of batter onto the skillet, using the back of the spoon to spread batter into a round (you should be able to fit 4 on a square griddle).
- Cook until surface of pancakes have some bubbles and a few have burst, 1~2 minutes. Flip carefully with a thin spatula, and cook until lightly browned on the other side, 1~2 minutes more. Transfer to the platter, cover loosely with foil, and keep warm in the oven. Continue with more oil and remaining batter. (You should have 12~15 pancakes.) Serves warm, with desired toppings.
Now here's the recipe for whole grain yogurt pancakes:
1/2 C whole-wheat flour
1/4 C corn meal
1/4 C wheat germ
2 T sugar
2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/2 C milk
1/2 C plain low fat or fat free yogurt
1 t pure vanilla extract
2 T canola oil (or melted butter, of course, but we're going for healthy here, and it's really good with the oil)
1 L egg
1 T vegetable oil
- Preheat the oven to 200°; have a heatproof platter ready to keep cooked pancakes warm in the oven. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, wheatgerm, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, yogurt, oil, egg, and vanilla extract. Add dry ingredients to milk mixture; whisk until just moistened (do not over-mix; a few small lumps are fine).
- Heat a large skillet (nonstick or cast-iron) or griddle over medium. Fold a sheet of paper towel in half, and moisten with oil; carefully rub skillet with oiled paper towel. (I really like this method because you're not deep frying your pancakes, so it's way better for you, but still tastes amazing!)
- For each pancake, spoon 2~3 T of batter onto the skillet, using the back of the spoon to spread batter into a round (you should be able to fit 4 on a square griddle).
- Cook until surface of pancakes have some bubbles and a few have burst, 1~2 minutes. Flip carefully with a thin spatula, and cook until lightly browned on the other side, 1~2 minutes more. Transfer to the platter, cover loosely with foil, and keep warm in the oven. Continue with more oil and remaining batter. (You should have 12~15 pancakes.) Serves warm, with desired toppings.
Homemade blueberry syrup
*I think that blueberries tend to taste a little bland and musty when they're cooked, so I added the lemon to brighten the flavor. It's really good! And not too sugary sweet. If you like things sweeter, add more sugar or even better, dust the pancakes with a teeny bit of powdered sugar right before serving.
1/2 C~ 1 C fresh or frozen blueberries
juice of 1/2 lemon or lime
2 T honey
1~2 T sugar
- Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the blueberries all burst and soften and the sugar starts to thicken. Take it off the heat, and let cool slightly. It will get slightly thicker as it cools. Serve over pancakes.
*try this with other berries as well. But if you're using strawberries, I recommend cutting them into small pieces and combining them with some other berries. Strawberries don't have much flavor once they're cooked.
To my few foodie fans out there, I owe you an apology. I haven't been too much in the mood to cook lately, so my blog has been sadly neglected. But I have a really good reason, I promise. We are actually expecting our second baby! I'm really excited about it, but with pregnancy comes a constant serious upset stomach ... so, I've been really avoiding the kitchen. Most things that I usually love sound really unappetizing at the moment. It's miserable! But, there are a few things that I still love, so I'm hanging on to those. I love salad. And when it comes to dressing, the vinegar-ey-er the better. The other day, I made this dressing and fell in love. You might want to change the vinegar-oil ratio, though. My pregnant taste buds seem to like things VERY tart.
Grapefruit and Red Wine Vinaigrette
juice of 1/4 grapefruit
1/2 t grainy dijon mustard
3 T red wine vinegar
2 T olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
- Combine the grapefruit juice, mustard and vinegar in a small bowl. While whisking quickly, add the oil in a steady stream. Add salt and pepper to taste. Toss with some simple salad greens and enjoy!
Have you ever had a homemade bagel? Or one from a really good quality baked-right-there bakery? It's so not the same as those dense, dried out (but somehow still amazingly delicious) store-bought ones. They're rich and chewy and need no toasting (but still love a little time under the heat) to taste incredible. Well, I was grocery shopping with my dear friend Lori the other day, and she was talking about how much she loves bagels and cream cheese. I was tempted to buy some right then and there when she was talking about them, but I didn't and totally regretted it when I got home. But then I remembered my mom making homemade bagels when I was a kid and knew the store-bought ones just wouldn't do. So I went on a search of bagel recipes and discovered that I could make the dough in bread machine, and that cuts out half the work! Genius. So I went to work, and when they were done, I ate ... 4. And one more when Blake got home. Oops! But seriously, you MUST try them! So easy to make, especially if you have a bread machine, and SO WORTH IT!
Home made plain bagels
makes 6
3/4 C warm water (about 110°)
2 C and 2 T bread flour
1/2 T salt
1.5 T sugar
1 T active dry yeast
large pot full of water, for boiling
1 T sugar
- In the bowl of a bread machine, put in dough ingredients in the order written, making a well for the yeast (making sure the yeast doesn't touch any water). Set to dough setting and let the machine do it's work!
- Once the dough is done, pull it out and on a lightly floured surface, cut into 6 equal pieces. Form each one into a ball, and them shape into a bagel shape. I figured out that the easiest way to do this, actually, is to poke a hole with a chopstick and then twirl it on the chopstick until it stretches out a bit. But do it how you want:)
- Set all 6 formed bagels aside, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise for 20 minutes.
- When the 20 minutes is almost up, bring the pot of water to a boil, and add sugar until it dissolves. Turn the heat down to a simmer. Add bagels, upside down, and simmer for 3 minutes. Flip over and cook for another 3 minutes. Place on a cooling rack over a towel to let drain. Repeat with the remaining 3.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375°F (240°C). Line up the bagels on a parchment lined baking sheet, and bake for 25~30 minutes, rotating halfway, or until golden brown on top. Let cool slightly before serving. Or let cool completely and store in a zipper-lock bag for a only a few days.
*To make asiago or parmesan ones, when you pull out the bagels to rotate them (after about 15 minutes of baking), sprinkle a generous amount of grated cheese on top, place back in the oven and continue baking. Those are super good, too!
The other day I was looking through etsy and I found this one seller selling cookies with dried blueberries in them. That got me thinking ... and I had to try combining the glorious flavors of blueberry, cinnamon, and lemon together in a cookie! And they turned out great. I thought an oatmeal cookie base would work well with that flavor combination. I think it's a great Summer alternative to the oatmeal chocolate chip, though I do think I like the chocolate better:)
Summer Blueberry Oatmeal Cookies
makes about 2 dozen
2 C flour
3/4 C butter
2/3 C oats
1/4 C whole wheat flour
1 t cinnamon
1 t salt
1 t baking soda
1/2 C light brown sugar
1/2 C granulated sugar
1 T egg
1 T vanilla extract
1 C dried blueberries
2 T milk/cream
zest and juice of 1 lemon
- Preheat the oven 375°F. In a large bowl, whisk flour, oats, cinnamon, and baking soda.
- In a separate bowl, cream the butter, sugar, and vanilla. Add egg and mix until fluffy. Add lemon zest & juice.
- Slowly add flour mixture. Add milk if too stiff.
- With a wooden spoon, stir in the bluebrries.
- Drop tablespoon sized balls of dough on a parchment lined baking sheet, and bake for 8~10 minutes.
I bought some really good avocados so I had to make a sandwich. And I love veggies sandwiches, as long as there is a bunch of fresh produce to use. My sandwich had hummus, Japanese mayo, whole grain mustard, tomatoes, avocados, and cucumber on multi-grain bread.
Mmmm. It was good.
When Blake got home from work he headed to the kitchen and made me some pad thai like last year (but this time with wide noodles. Yum!) and my FAVORITE panna cotta topped with blueberries and pink grapefruit, a super unique and tasty combination, for dessert. I'm so spoiled! Thanks, sweetie. I love you!
For Sunday dinner this week, I decided to make my sister's pot roast. Delish, fall-apart roast beef that you just can't beat. Ahhh, thanks, Lis, for teaching me how to cook a good roast.
Slow-cooker pot roast
1 2.5~3.5lb roast
3 medium sized carrots, peeled (or scrubbed really well) and cut diagonally into 1 inch pieces
2~3 medium sized potatoes (I prefer the waxy yukon gold potatoes, but I used russet today and it was ok. Just doesn't cook as well), peeled and cut into 1.5~2 inch chunks
1 large onion, peeled and cut in half and then into quarters
3 cloves garlic, peeled and ends trimmed
1 can diced tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
oil (such as canola or olive) to coat the pan for searing the meat
- Pat the roast dry of any excess moisture on the surface with a paper towel. (Otherwise it won't brown) Season it generously on all sides with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until slightly smoking. Add the roast and sear the meat on all sides.
- Toss all the ingredients in the bowl of a slow-cooker, set to low and let cook for 6~8 hours. The longer the more tender your meat will be. The meat should just fall apart so don't bother slicing when you serve it.
I was planning on making my aunt Carolyn's famous dinner rolls, but alas, I was too lazy. But we needed bread with our roast, so I remembered a fancy and easy looking bread recipe by Pastor Ryan on The Pioneer Woman's blog, and thought I'd give it a try. I've noticed that it's kinda trendy to bake bread in an enameled cast iron pot, so it was time I joined the cool foodie club, right? Anyway, I gotta tell you, this was the easiest bread I've ever made. And super fast and very low-maintenance. And SO DELICIOUS! Honestly, I thought it would turn out more like Irish Soda bread, but it was chewy and dense and aromatic and PERFECT! The crust was super crusty, but really yummy. Not distractingly crusty at all. Honestly, if you have a cast iron pot, you have to try this. And if you don't, go buy one. You deserve to have one of the most important kitchen items anyway.
I don't drink much carbonation. In fact, I don't really like it. Except for my occasional San Pellegrino and good ol' ginger ale with lemon on the air plane. Well, and root beer floats, but does that even count as carbonation? It's so creamed up that it doesn't even really sparkle anymore. Anyway, we had pizza again tonight, and since it's Friday we decided to have a movie night. And movie night/pizza night means I'm allowed my cheat food for the week. Which means the chocolate, ice cream, soda, pizza, it all comes out to play. And as we were at Target doing some grocery shopping, we walked by soda isle and decided we want root beer floats. But then I saw that my favorite Canada Dry ginger ale was on sale, so I thought I'd better get it, using the excuse that soda bottles are the best for water food storage. (yup, it's true! So go out and buy your soda bottles and when you're done, fill 'em with water and you've done something good for your family!) But then as we approached the ice cream isle, I saw the beautiful Haagen Daz zesty lemon sorbet and a thought popped into my head. Ginger ale lemon sorbet float! And it was goooooooooooood.
But I don't recommend making it with any cheap lemon sherbet or anything like that. I liked the real lemon flavor of the Haagen Daz. It wouldn't work too well with a treat that has "lemon flavor" written on the side. Just my little input. Now go out and try it for yourself!
My basil finally grew big enough,
so I picked a few leaves,
bought some fresh mozzarella,
made some pizza dough,
And made my favorite pizza! Mmmmmmmm.
Margherita Pizza
1 ball of pizza dough
fresh tomatoes, sliced and seeds removed
fresh mozzarella, sliced
fresh basil leaves, torn
finely grated parmiggiano reggiano cheese (optional)
homemade pizza sauce
- Cut the dough into 2 equal pieces, and roll out flat. Top with a thin layer of sauce, and top with fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, and parmiggiano reggiano cheese, if using.
- Bake in a 450° over for 12 minutes.
I'm often told that a happy cook makes better food. So they always cook with a glass of wine. But since I don't drink, I had to come up with a different option. I was so excited last week when I found a bunch of San Pellegrino bottles on clearance at Target! So I decided to treat myself to a little fancy San Pellegrino water while I made dinner. And it's true, a fancy drink makes you happier, and a happy cook makes better food. Try it!
Lentil Walnut Burgers:
Parsnip & Yukon Gold Oven Fries:
