Black Bean and Quinoa Burgers: Take Two

I made the correct decision to not eat every black bean and quinoa burger as soon as they came out of the oven.  I forgot several toppings to add to the burgers and figured I could share the wonderful sight that is this glorious burger/sandwich.

These are still the same old black bean and quinoa burgers that made just a few days prior and, as usual, somehow managed to forget about topping the patty with pineapple.  So I made one more burger that night and added pineapple (which is where the picture actually came from for the first post's photo).

The next day, I prepared yet another sandwich and realized I also had avocado to spare.  This may have been the best sandwich I have in some time, but I should mention as an aside that sometimes, too many toppings is, in fact, too much.  Enjoy the flavours by themselves.  Savour them individually at times.  Having said that, this was outstanding.  Go ahead and make these bad boys.

Black Bean and Quinoa Burgers

I have had the opportunity to enjoy these bad boys on several occasion, and every bite on every occasion has been phenomenal.  I would strongly recommend making these.  And when you do, go ahead and make at least a double batch.  These will go very quickly.  Not spoil, mind you, you'll just eat them too quickly.

This recipe will take some time to prepare and just a little more time to bake, but it is nearly effortless to put together.  Make sure you have a food processor on hand as well.  You'll need one.

Start with throwing the quinoa in a pot.  I like to boil the water and the quinoa together before I turn the heat down to a simmer (and cover).

While the quinoa is simmering, toss the sun-dried tomatoes and onion in a skillet and saute in a little coconut oil.  Allow the two to cook for just under 5 minutes or until tender.  Stir in half of the black beans (3/4 cup for one batch) and the garlic, steak seasoning, and 1 1/2 cups of water.  Turn the heat to a solid simmer and let cook for 10 minutes or until most of the water has cooked out of the skillet.  At this point, preheat the oven to 350 F

Spoon the skillet mixture into a food processor along with half of the quinoa and blend until smooth.  (The food processor I use is too small, thus I have to blend the mixture in two batches)  Once well blended, spoon in the remaining half of quinoa and half of black beans and stir well.

Allow the mixture to cool before shaping into 8 patties (for one batch) and place on a pan with parchment paper.  Bake the patties for around 20 minutes or until crisp and flip over and cook for another 10 minutes or so.

Now comes the hard part:  Try not to eat them all immediately.  Hopefully you have made a double batch and you can throw half of the patties in the freezer.  You can reheat them in a toaster oven or on the grill.

Otherwise, you can now put together a masterpiece.  I like to top the patty with romaine lettuce and pineapple, as I am a simple man.  But the important part is the hummus: spread some hummus on both sides of the bun and you are in business.

For this recipe
1/2 cup red quinoa (and 1 cup of water)
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, finely chopped
1 1/2 cup black beans, cooked
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp steak seasoning

For toppings (my preferences, but feel free to go wild)
hummus
pineapple
romaine lettuce

The picture above was taken later in the evening while I was eating my second burger and realized I had pineapple in the fridge and didn't use any! (which should be a sin)  And ignore the PB&J in the background.  I was really hungry at the time...

Gnocchi with Red Sauce

I have only heard of gnocchi a few times and definitely never experienced it.  A friend of mine convinced me to try and I was extremely pleased.  Of course, the entire dish was spectacular, but the gnocchi was absolutely fantastic.

For this recipe, I start with some spinach.  OK, more like a ton of spinach.  I use coconut oil for everything, so heat it some up in the pan and toss in the spinach.  When done, drain and set aside.

As the spinach is cooking, boil some water.  Once the water is at a boil, throw in a handful or two of gnocchi.  I used a sweet potato gnocchi and it had a wonderful flavour.  I do not have anything to compare it to as I have never tried gnocchi before, but it was good nonetheless.  Allow the gnocchi to cook for just under 10 minutes (or until a preferred tenderness is reached).  When done, drain and set aside.

Whenever the spinach is done, pour it into a bowl and set aside.  Add another drop of coconut oil to the saute pan and toss in some green beans (or any other side that strikes you).  Sprinkle some fresh minced garlic (about one cloves worth) all over the beans and allow to cook.  When done, set aside.  (This is really going to become a very familiar line)

Once the greens are going (or whichever side you chose), start on the red sauce.  Grab another pot and throw some more coconut oil in the pot.  Sprinkle the remaining fresh minced garlic all over the coconut oil (which sounds eerily familiar, doesn't it?).  As the garlic starts to roast/soften, toss in some diced cilantro.  Once the cilantro softens, add the sauteed spinach.  After the spinach rises in temperature, pour in the tomato sauce.  I prefer to use tomato paste (which requires a 1:1.5 sauce to water ratio).  So add the paste and water and simmer everything for as long as you wish.

Whenever the red sauce is ready; toss the gnocchi in a bowl, pour in the sauce, and add your sides to the...side.  And enjoy!

For the dish pictured above, I prepared some black beans to enjoy with everything else.  It is definitely not something that pairs well with the meal, but I love black beans so much, so deal with it.

Just in case, I wrote this over the span of a few sessions and was fairly distracted when completing the recipe, so if this is a clear lack of understanding, let me know.

For one serving:
coconut oil
3 handfuls spinach
1 handful pasta (gnocchi)
2 handfuls green beans
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 handful cilantro, diced
1 can tomato paste

Black Bean and Avocado Sandwich

You may begin to notice a trend with most of my meals.  I tend to find an item that I like and then find ways to incorporate it into everything possible.  Black beans, though.  Today's lunch featured a slight twist on an old favourite.  Introducing the Black bean and Avocado sandwich!

For this sandwich, I would have definitely preferred to use Ezekiel bread, but the 9 Grain and Seed bread is without a doubt my second choice.  Throw the bread in a toaster oven and start slicing an avocado.  Toss some black beans (cause you should be cooking your own and freezing them by now) in a pot and bring up to temperature.  Once the bread has reached a level of preference, take it out and spread your favourite hummus on one or both sides.  Throw some sliced acovado (or make it into a paste and spread) on one side and drop the black beans on the other side.  Stare in awe at how beautiful this sandwich looks and put it together.

You can add tomato, lettuce, what-have-you for any sandwich, but I like to keep it kinda simple.  Other than that, enjoy!

Update; this desperately needs pineapple.  Always add pineapple to everything.

For one sandwich

1 handful black beans

2 slices bread

1 to 2 tablespoons hummus

1 half avocado, sliced

and pineapple!

Mixed Dish: Sweet Potatoes, Quinoa and Lentils, and Black Beans

So, this one is not really a recipe, but just a great way to combine cooking instructions for a few of my favourites that I add to almost everything that even comes close to sound like it pairs.  Or simply eat together without anything else.

The items to be discussed will include sweet potatoes, black beans, quinoa, and lentils.

To start, I like prepare dry black beans once every other weak.  I'll cook up a whole bag and freeze them.  Therefore, they will be the last item prepared for the dish pictured above.

I will start with the quinoa.  I have become quite fond of the red quinoa, but white quinoa is delicious as well.  To prepare, rinse 1/4 cup of dry quinoa.  Toss into a pot and add in 1/2 cup water.  Bring to a boil and quickly reduce to just over a simmer and cover.  (Now skip to the next item ) Allow to simmer until the all water is absorbed or evaporated.  Remove from heat and fluff with a fork.  Recover and set aside.

Once you first cover the quinoa, begin with the lentils.  I use green lentils more often as orange lentils are more "mushy" and better suited for other dishes.  Without any need, I rinse the lentils.  Dunno why.  Toss 1/4 cup lentils in a pot and add 1 cup water.  Bring to a boil and reduce to just over a simmer.  I will sprinkle a pinch of sea salt in at this point.  (Now skip to the next item) Let the lentils simmer until just before all the water is out of the pot.  Remove from heat.

Now that the lentils are going, lets get the sweet potatoes started.  Using a steamer pot combo, fill the bottom pot with water and begin to boil.  As the water is heating, cut a sweet potato in 1/4 to 1/2 inch "chips."  Once the water is boiling toss the chips into the top pot and cover.  Allow to steam for 7 to 10 minutes.

Everything should be finishing, so it is time to revisit the black beans.  Toss a handful or two of black beans in a pot and add just enough water to cover the bottom of the pot, not the beans!  Sprinkle in some sea salt and start to boil the water.  Once boiling, reduce to medium-high heat.  Just as the last drop of water is boiled out of the pot, remove from heat.

Toss everything onto a plate and dig into it!  I use ketchup with the sweet potatoes, mix the lentils and quinoa, and enjoy the black beans by itself.  But experiment with each one, add one or two to another dish, or never eat them again.  Its up to you!

For one plate,

1 sweet potato

~1/4 cup red quinoa

~1/4 cup green lentils

1 handful black beans

I like to use just under 1/4 cup of dry quinoa and lentils, as and full quarter cup seems to be just too much.