Open-Face Veg Burgers with Sauteed Onions

I really had some hesitations about this recipe. I am not a huge veggie burger fan (I prefer a veggie dog). But, hey, I am willing to try new things. And you know what? I am so glad I tried this recipe! Wow! I think the combination of the ciabatta bread, the mayo-mustard combo, and the onions really made this recipe fabulous. I used Yves refrigerated veggie burgers, and just microwaved them until they were warm.  These are open-faced (no top bun), but you can eat them with the bun on as well (that bread is so good!). We will add these to our dinner line-up, that’s for sure. With these, I served some curly fries and some cole slaw.

rating: 9.3

Open-Face Veg Burgers with Sauteed Onions
(from the May 2009 issue of Better Homes & Gardens magazine)

2 tbsp olive oil
1 large sweet onion, halved and thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
4 refrigerated or frozen vegetable burgers (10-ounce pkg)
2 tbsp mayonnaise or salad dressing
1 tsp prepared yellow mustard
4 1/2″ slices ciabatta bread, toasted
1 cup fresh baby spinach leaves
2 tbsp steak sauce

1. In large skillet heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion slices and cook 8-10 minutes or until very tender, stirring frequently.
2. Meanwhile, prepare burgers according to package microwave directions.
3. In small bowl combine mayonnaise and mustard; spread mixture on one side of each bread slice. Top bread with spinach and burger. Stir steak sauce into cooked onions. Spoon onion mixture on burgers.

I’m still here

But I’ve got my mother-in-law in town from Germany, so she’s doing all the cooking! I will be back next Tuesday with new recipes! Stay tuned!

Product Review- poachpod

I love eggs and use them all the time in cooking. I can make fried eggs, scrambled eggs, omelettes, boiled eggs, egg salad, etc. But I have only poached eggs a couple of times, and I always have to google “how to poach an egg” before I attempt it. I’ve heard that you need alot of water, I’ve heard you need very little water. I’ve heard you need some vinegar, I’ve heard you don’t need vinegar. So you can see where my frustration and hesitation with the poached egg lies. Toby has been asking for eggs benedicts lately (we used to go out for breakfast alot when we lived in DC (pre-baby), and one place we frequented offered like 10 different kinds of vegetarian eggs benedicts!), so I knew I needed to conquer the poached egg once and for all. And then I saw them: poachpod- a flexible silicone cooking tool for poaching eggs, baking and molding- floats in water during cooking. They come two in a package, and last night I finally gave them a try. The recipe I am posting I actually didn’t make, but rather used as inspiration. I didn’t want to deal with dried beans (that is another hill I need to climb), so I made a soup with garlic, 2 cans of Great Northern Beans, a bunch of Swiss Chard, veggie stock, homemade croutons, and poached eggs. I put the croutons and poached egg in the bowl, then poured the soup on top. The verdict? The soup was good! And the poachpods? Could it BE any easier?? The directions are: To poach an egg: evenly oil the poachpod. Bring about 1 1/2″ of water to a boil in a saute pan, reduce to a simmer, crack an egg into the poachpod and float in the water. Cover pan with a lid and cook in simmering water 4-6 minutes or to desired firmness. Use a slotted spoon to remove the poachpod from the water. For oiling the poachpod, I just sprayed it with a little Pam. As for the time, I set my oven timer to 6 minutes, and the eggs were perfect! I am very picky about my poached eggs- I don’t like any runny white AT ALL, but the yellow can be runny. And that’s exactly what I got! I handwashed them afterwards, but it says they are dishwasher-safe. I got them at my grocery store (Bloom) for about $8. Love them.

rating: soup- 8

rating: Poachpod-9.5

Cellini Bean Soup
(from the May 2009 issue of Yoga Journal magazine)

1/2 pound dried cellini or cannellini beans, soaked (I used 2 cans of Great Northern beans)
water
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 bunch green chard
salt
6 slices day-old hearty bread, cut from a large loaf, crusts removed
1/3 cup plus 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
freshly ground pepper
4 poached eggs (optional)

1. Put the beans and their soaking water in a stockpot and add cold water, if needed, to cover the beans by 1 inch. Put the garlic on a piece of cheesecloth, gather the corners, and tie the bundle securely. Add garlic to the pot and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
2. Reduce the heat to low and slowly cook the beans, uncovered, until tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Add water to pot as necessary to keep the beans submerged. Gently stir the beans once or twice.
3. Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Remove chard leaves from stems, reserving stems, and tear leaves into 1-2″ pieces. Slice stems on the diagonal into matchstick-size pieces. Generously salt the water, add the chard leaves,and cook until tender, 2-3 minutes. Remove leaves with a slotted spoon and drain. Repeat with stems. When chard is cool, squeeze gently to remove water and set aside.
4. Tear bread into small pieces and toss in a medium bowl with 2 tbsp olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Toast bread in a single layer on a baking sheet in a 350 degree F oven until crisp and golden brown, 25-30 minutes. Let bread cool in the pan.
5. When beans are tender, season with salt and pepper. Remove cheesecloth from pot and unwrap garlic. Process half the soup in a blender. Add the garlic cloves and 1/3 cup olive oil to the blender. Puree until smooth.
6. Adjust the liquid remaining in the pot for thinner or thicker soup. Add the pureed beans to the pot and set over medium heat. Add the chard and stems. Taste and adjust seasoning.
7. Serve in bowls. Sprinkle soup with the bread, drizzle with the remaining olive oil, and season with pepper.

Orecchiette with Roasted Broccoli and Walnuts

I didn’t think this recipe would be that tasty, but boy was it! And it was sooo easy. I couldn’t find orechhiette pasta, so I substituted shells. They worked just fine. I think I could have added more broccoli, but Toby said it was fine the way it was. And that broccoli…I think I’ve found a new way to cook broccoli! This dish came together so fast and was delish. It’s a keeper. With this we had a salad and some garlic bread.

rating: 9

Orecchiette with Roasted Broccoli and Walnuts
(from the Feb. 2009 issue of Real Simple magazine)

12 ounces orecchiette or some other short pasta (3 cups)- I used shells
1 bunch broccoli (1.5 pounds), cut into small florets
1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
kosher salt and black pepper
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup grated Parmesan (1 ounce)

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Reserve 3/4 cup of the cooking water, drain the pasta, and return it to the pot.

Meanwhile, on a rimmed baking sheet, toss the broccoli, walnuts, oil, garlic, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Roast, turning once, until the broccoli is tender, 18-20 minutes.

Toss the pasta with the broccoli mixture, butter, and 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water. Add more water if the pasta seems dry. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese before serving.

Penne-Wise Pumpkin Pasta

This pasta is so good, and so easy! After I had made the sauce, I had to stop myself from drinking it, it’s that good! I did not add the hot sauce that it calls for, and when Toby started eating his, he said it needed hot sauce, so there ya go. I thought it was fine without it. The thing that takes the most time is getting the water to boil for the pasta! We enjoyed our pasta with some garlic bread and a salad.

rating: 8

Penne-Wise Pumpkin Pasta
(from Every Day with Rachael Ray magazine)

salt
1 lb whole wheat penne rigate
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
3 shallots, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, grated
2 cups chicken broth (I used a vegetarian chicken broth)
1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin puree
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp hot pepper sauce (I omitted)
2 pinches ground cinnamon
1 pinch nutmeg
pepper
7 leaves fresh sage, thinly sliced
grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese, to pass around the table

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain.
2. While the pasta is working, in a medium skillet, heat the EVOO, 2 turns of the pan, over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chicken broth, pumpkin, and cream. Add the hot sauce, cinnamon, and nutmeg; season with salt and pepper. Lower the heat and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the sage.
3. Toss the pasta with the sauce and pass the parmigiano-reggiano around the table

we went to Plan B tonight

I was supposed to go to the grocery store today for this week’s meals, but this happened, and then that happened, and well, I never got to it. So tonight for dinner we had Plan B: cheese tortellini, vodka sauce, garlic bread, and a green salad. New stuff coming tomorrow!

Happy Memorial Day- and I’m not cooking

I don’t cook dinner on holidays, so for tonight’s dinner we had leftover pizza (we had pizza Sat. night, and it was buy 1 , get 1 free…this is the free one). It was a thin crust Margherita (although at this place they add red peppers to it- it’s really good!). New recipes to come starting tomorrow….

Stuffed Shells

Ok, this wasn’t the dinner I was planning on making last night. Toby took Liam down to the playground so I could get dinner started, so I got out Veganomicon to start preparing it, and I totally forgot that I had to roast some garlic beforehand! And that takes about 45 minutes. So, plan B. Stuffed shells! I always have frozen pasta, garlic bread, and pasta sauce on hand for moments like this. So we had stuffed shells with vodka sauce, garlic texas toast, and a green salad with a new dressing I bought, honey balsamic. I liked the dressing, Toby said it tasted like every balsamic he’s ever had. So- no new recipe.  Note to self: ROAST SOME GARLIC TODAY.

Not a new recipe, but dinner nonetheless

We got back Wed. night from our vacation in Florida, so I haven’t had time to look for new recipes or grocery shop. For Thursday’s dinner, I just threw together what we call “slop”. Thursday’s slop was a (faux) bacon and cheese sandwich, pinto beans (which Liam loves by the way), mashed potatoes, and a salad. I will return with new recipes on Monday.

no posts for awhile

My mother-in-law is visiting from Germany, so she will be cooking for the next week. I should have taken a pic of HER food on Thursday but forgot. She made us a casserole with egg noodles, sour cream (she said it really needed creme fraiche), and different veggies, like zucchini, broccoli, green onion, and carrots. I think next week I will just post pics of her dinners. I will be back in action on April 7.