Bean Burger

These black bean burgers are quick enough to make that you can eat them any night of the week. Piled with spinach, tomato, red onion, and avocado with some melted cheddar cheese, even meat eaters will love this burger. Paired with a gourmet salad, this meal is delicious, nutritious, and a whiz to make.


Our Homemade Quick Black Bean Burger (Cooking Light, November 2009)

1 (2-oz.) hamburger bun, torn into pieces
3 Tbs. olive oil, divided
2 tsp. chopped garlic
1 (15.25-oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 tsp. grated lime rind
3/4 tsp. chili powder
1/3 tsp. chopped fresh oregano
1/4 tsp. salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 large egg white, lightly beaten

1. Place bun in a food processor; process 4 times or until crumbs measure about 1 cup. Transfer to a bowl.
2. Combine 1 Tbs. oil, garlic, and beans in processor; pulse 8 times or until beans make a thick paste. Scrape bean mixture into bowl with breadcrumbs. Stir in rind and remaining ingredients. With moistened hands, divide bean mixture into 4 equal portions (about 1/3 cup mixture per portion), shaping each into a 3-inch patty.
3. Heat remaining 2 Tbs. oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add patties to pan; reduce heat to medium, and cook 4 minutes or until bottom edges are browned. Carefully turn patties over; cook 3 minutes or until bottom edges are done.


Candied Walnut, Pear, and Leafy Green Salad (Cooking Light, November 2009)

I'm not sure if this salad went perfectly with the burgers, but it sure was fantastic. This salad is fancy enough and easy enough to serve at any meal whether it be a special occasion or a Wednesday night.

1/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
cooking spray
1/2 tsp. kosher salt, divided
2 Tbs. white balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbs. capers, chopped
4 cups torn green leaf lettuce
4 cups chopped romaine lettuce
4 cups chopped radicchio
1 ripe red Anjou pear, thinly sliced
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1. Place sugar in a small, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat; cook until sugar dissolves, stirring gently as needed to dissolve sugar evenly (about 1 minute). Continue cooking 1 minute or until golden (do not stir). Remove from heat; carefully stir in nuts to coat evenly. Spread nuts on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; separate nuts quickly. Sprinkle with 1/4 tsp. salt. Set aside until cook; break into small pieces.
2. Combine vinegar and mustard, stirring with a whisk. Gradually add oil, stirring constantly with a whisk. Stir in capers.
3. Combine lettuces and radicchio; top with pear and candied walnuts. Drizzle dressing evenly over salad.

Amazin' Asian

During our weekend morning ritual of looking through cookbooks, we came across a delicious goat cheese spring roll recipe. This was the basis for our Wednesday night dinner. We just continued to look through the cookbooks to find a nouveau Asian complement to the recipe. And we did! The Goat Cheese Spring Rolls with Asian Pear Salad perfectly paired with the grilled whole trout (and tofu) with Citrus-Ginger Sauce. All-in-all, it was a pretty satisfying meal.

Goat Cheese Spring Rolls with Asian Pear Salad (Cooking Light, March 2005)

Dipped in the extra sweet red chile sauce, these are absolutely fantastic. Be careful that the spring rolls don't sit directly on the salad because they get a bit soggy, but the flavors meld wonderfully.

Salad:
2 cups sliced Asian pear or ripe pear
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped red onion
2 Tbs. rice vinegar
1 1/2 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tbs. maple syrup

Spring Rolls:
1 Tbs. sesame oil
1 1/2 cups matchstick-cut carrots
1 1/2 cups vertically sliced red onion
1 1/2 cups chopped green onions
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced shiitake mushroom caps
1 1/2 cups red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch strips
1 Tbs. low-sodium soy sauce
1 Tbs. sweet red chile sauce
1/4 cup (2 oz.) goat cheese, crumbled
8 egg roll wrappers
cooking spray

1. To prepare salad, combine first 6 ingredients.
2. Preheat oven to 425.
3. To prepare spring rolls, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add carrots and next 4 ingredients; saute 3 minutes or until slightly tender. Remove from heat; stir in soy sauce and chile sauce. Cool 5 minutes. Stir in cheese.
4. Working with 1 egg roll wrapper at a time (cover remaining wrappers to prevent drying). spoon about 1/3 cup vegetable mixture into center of each wrapper. Fold lower right corner over vegetable mixture; fold lower left and top right corners over vegetable mixture. Moisten top left corner with water; roll up jelly-roll fashion. Coat spring rolls with cooking spray; place rolls, seam sides down, on a baking sheet. Bake at 425 for 18 minutes or until golden brown, turning after 9 minutes. Cut rolls crosswise at an angle; serve immediately with salad.

Grilled Whole Red Snapper with Citrus-Ginger Hot Sauce (Cooking Light, June 2008)

We used trout instead of red snapper because that was the only whole fish at our local grocery store. I'm sure any type of whole fish would work just fine.

Sauce:
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
2 Tbs. water
1 1/2 Tbs. fresh lime juice
1 Tbs. fish sauce [soy sauce]
1 1/2 tsp. honey
1 tsp. grated peeled fresh ginger
1 tsp. grated garlic
1/2 tsp. minced seeded serrano chile
1/2 tsp. Sriracha (hot chile sauce, such as Huy Fong)
1 dried hot red chile, seeded and crushed

Fish:
2 (2-lbs.) cleaned whole red snappers
1 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 lemons, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
cooking spray

1. Prepare grill to medium heat.
2. To prepare sauce, combine first 10 ingredients; set aside.
3. To prepare fish, score each fish with 3 diagonal cuts on both sides. Brush outside of fish evenly with oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stuff lemon and garlic slices into cuts. Place any remaining lemon slices into fish cavities. Coat outside of fish with cooking spray.
4. Place fish on grill rack; grill 40 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. (Fish does not need to be turned.) Serve fish with sauce.