Black Bean Burgers

I have heard of black bean burgers and, to be honest, they have always sounded a little strange to me. Last Sunday when I was sitting on the computer planning out my meals for the week, I cam across a recipe for homemade black bean burgers. All of the stuff that was in it was stuff I liked and sounded good together and it seemed easy enough so I thought I would give it a try! I cooked mine on the George Foreman grill and they came out really good, we will definitely have these again. You could probably half this recipe if you have a "normal" sized family. The recipe I am listing will make about 12 burgers. Here is what you will need:

*Rinse and drain 2 cans of black beans

*Put the beans in a big bowl and mash them up with a fork

*In a food processor add in 1 green pepper, 1 onion, and 3 cloves of garlic. Finely chop. (I actually used my Magic Bullet which I love!)

*Add the veggie mixture to the bean mixture and mix well

*In a small bowl whisk together 2 eggs, 2 tablespoons of chili powder, 2 tablespoons cumin, and 2 teaspoons of hot sauce.

*Add this to the bean/veggie mixture as well. Mix until combined.

*To hold it all together and to make it so you can form it into patties, add about 1.5 cups plain bread crumbs and mix thoroughly.

*Heat the George Foreman grill and form into patties

*Cook for about 8-9 minutes on the grill

*If you are making these in the oven: pre-heat oven to 350 and cook for 10 minutes on each side!

Chocolate Brownies (shhh... they're vegan!)

I am 3 days into the 21 Day Vegan Kickstart! I am not going to lie, it has not been easy. I have done without meat for quite a while now, but this is a whole new ball game. It is just a different frame of mind in regards to food and I am slowly getting there! I feel great though! I can really tell a difference. I was searching for some vegan desserts online and I found a yummy recipe for brownies. I changed it a little and used applesauce instead of oil. I am eating them right now with a cold glass of almond milk. Who says vegans can't eat anything?! Here is what you will need:

*Preheat oven to 350

*In a small bowl combine 1c flour, 1c sugar, 1/4c plus 2tbsp cocoa, 1/2 tsp baking powder, and 1/2 tsp salt

*In a large bowl combine 1/2c water, 1/2c applesauce, and 1/2tsp vanilla

*Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix well

*Pour into a greased pan (all I had clean was my silicone stuff...oh, well)

*Bake for 15-20min

*Let cool and enjoy!

Creamy Lemon Squares

Happy New Year's Eve! Hope you all have big, fun plans for this evening. My family will get together for food and fun for just about any occasion. Tonight will be no different! Anytime we have a get together and I am looking to make something new, the first place I look is to The Pioneer Woman. Either her website or her cookbook . I got this recipe off of her website. Much like pretty much everything I have made of hers, it involves a little time and effort but it is always well worth it. Here is what you will need:

*Cream together 1 stick of softened butter and 1 cup packed brown sugar

*Add in 1.5 cups flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp baking powder, and 1 cup oats

*Mix by hand until everything is well incorporated

*Press half of crumb mixture into a 9x13 pan

*For the filling you will need 1/2 c fresh lemon juice and the zest of 1 lemon

*Mix the lemon with 1 can sweetened condensed milk until smooth

*Spread the lemon mixture over the pressed crumb mixture

*Top with remaining crumbs

*Bake at 350 for 25 minutes

*Cool for 30 min and then cut into squares

*Keep refrigerated until ready to serve!

Meatless Tacos Version 2.0

If you have read through my blog at all you can probably figure out that I love Mexican food and I am not going to let the whole "no meat" thing out damper on that! Tonight we tried a different version of meatless tacos. Now that Christmas is over and we are stuffed to the brim with junk (wonderful, delicious junk!) it is time for some good, slightly more healthy, home cooked food. It tasted great and we will have it again for sure. It takes no time at all to throw these together. I actually folded some laundry while it was cooking! Ok, here is what you will need:

*In a large skillet pour a 16oz jar of chunky salsa, 1.5 tsp chili powder, and a splash of water

*Bring to a boil

*Add in 1 cup of instant brown rice, remove from heat, and cover for 5-10 minutes

*While the rice is cooking, drain a can of black beans and a can of mexi corn

*When the rice is done cooking, give it a stir:

*Add in your beans and corn and stir

*Serve with shredded cheese on a tortilla (don't you love E's pink plate?!)

Lentil Tacos

So, I don't know if anyone knew this but I have been a vegetarian for exactly 4 days now! (Probably not since I think I have told a grand total of 3 people.) It is something I have been thinking about for quite a while and I finally decided to just go for it. I am doing it more for the health benefits of it and not so much the "oh, please don't kill the animals" thing. Tonight I made lentil tacos. I have made them before but they were especially good tonight. I think I perfected cooking lentils and that makes a difference. I had these with my Spanish Rice and it was perfect! Here is what you will need:

*Heat up 1 tsp oil in a pan and add in 1 chopped onion and 1 tbs minced garlic

*When onion is tender: add in 1 cup lentils, 1tbsp chili powder, 2 tsp cumin, and 1tsp oregano.

*Stir and cook for about 1 minute

*Add 2.5 cups vegetable broth and bring to a boil

*Reduce heat to medium and cover. Simmer for 25-30minutes

*When liquid is almost gone, remove from heat

*Smash lentils slightly with a fork and add 1/2 cup salsa if desired

*Serve on tortillas with cheese!

Tater Soup

I had a big bag of potatoes sitting in my kitchen. I can't remember why I bought them but I think I had intentions of making mashed potatoes. Well, it was a cold night and none of us were feeling very well so I decided to concoct some type of potato soup. Here is what I used:

*First cut up about 10 potatoes and 1 whole onion and put them in a big pot

*Then cover the potatoes and onions in skim milk and brought it to a boil.

*Then add 2 cans of cheddar cheese soup and 1 container of sour cream. Mix well.

*Add some chopped up, already cooked bacon and about 2 cups shredded cheese.

*Heat until cheese is melted and soup is hot.

*Enjoy!

Homemade Spanish Rice

When I can and have time, I like to make things from scratch. It tastes better, is better for you, and I just enjoy cooking for my family. This Spanish rice is SO good and it is not loaded with salt like the stuff that comes out of a box or bag (which is really tasty, too...believe me!). It is super easy to make although it does take a little time. But isn't anything good worth waiting for? I could make myself sick eating this stuff. Enjoy! Here is what you will need:

*In a big skillet heat about 2 tbsp of oil

*Once it is warm, add in 1 chopped onion and 1/2 chopped green pepper. If you like your rice chunky, then leave the pieces bigger. If you like your rice smoother, then cut the piece smaller. We like chunky!

*Saute the veggies for a minute or so and then add 1c of rice

*Saute the rice/veggie mixture until the rice is brown and the veggies are tender

*Add in 2c water, 1 can Rotel (drained), 2tbsp chili powder, and 1 tsp salt

*Stir well

*Reduce heat to medium, cover, and let rice simmer for about 25 minutes

*Stir occasionally

*You could eat this alone but we had ours tonight with cheese enchiladas and re fried beans!