Black Bean and Squash Veggie Burgers

My event is over, I’m back from vacation, work isn’t stressful anymore, and there are no more excuses. Time to eat real food and better food. Time to cut the crap…so to speak. Last night Mr. J was wanting dessert. I was glad he didn’t end up suggesting a trip to our fav local ice cream place. I might not have had the will power to say go without me. I need to get back on track.

What a perfect segway to veggie burgers! I love them and don’t make them nearly enough. Homemade ones are sooo much better than store bought ones.
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I get it that folks dismiss them. I’m not vegetarian, but I can’t eat beef so I kind of have to like them. People who are lucky enough to eat beef without a problem don’t really understand and can mock them all they want. I love all the flavors, condiments, and options for burgers. I usually make chicken burgers and some restaurants offer turkey burgers and they are pretty good substitutes. It is just such a quintessential summer food I miss out on.

These are so simple, filling, hot-of-the-grill, and hearty. Veggie burgers are filling but not stuffed-can’t-think-about-food-again kind of burgers. I’ve made them with eggplant which I like but the nuttiness of the oatmeal and the crunch from the sunflower seeds is so great. My friend Flying on Jessfuel made Sweet Potato & Pecan burgers a million years ago before we had blogs. The butternut squash in these brought me back to that million-degree apartment in Boston way back when.

Black Bean & Squash Burgers

Ingredients:

1 can black beans
1 cup butternut squash cooked (I used frozen, mostly defrosted)
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 tsp garlic, chopped
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
2 tbs olive oil or 1 egg
1/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded/chopped/grated
1 tsp onion powder
salt & pepper

Directions:

Rinse and drain black beans.
Add black beans, butternut squash (mine was still a touch frozen/frosty), onion, and garlic to a food processor.
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Pulse for a few seconds until mixed leaving some black bean chunks.
Mix black bean mixture with oatmeal, sunflower seeds, egg, cheese, onion powder, and some salt & pepper.
Form into patties

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Grill until crisp on the outside. Flip once, gently.
Serve on a bun with all the traditional burger ‘fixings or on salad or in a pita or bunless.
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I topped mine with avocado, ketchup, and some whole grain mustard we’re obsessed with on the bottom. It was so good. I froze the other 3 burgers separated by parchment. They’re ready and waiting for the next burger night!

Mr. J saw me whipping these together (he formed his own beef burger) and saw something orange go in from the freezer. Mango? Hahaha, nope! That frozen butternut squash wasn’t our fav and it hung around so long he didn’t even think of it. He magically grilled this bad boy to perfection while I feared it would fall apart. He’s the grill-master for sure.

(p.s. wish him a happy birthday tomorrow!)

Blueberry and Brie Stuffed Waffle

Happy Monday! I’m back from a week-long vacation to Bermuda so even Monday is happy. It was such a great family trip and I will have some photos to share. Today we’re talking about brunch. I hosted brunch yesterday but my camera is still the residence to vacay & brunch photos, my luggage isn’t 100% unpacked, and I’m just happy to have a post for you.

I’m still on vacation mode in the sense that I went to find this recipe’s inspiration on Pinterest. Then I discovered a pin for a fun party theme which lead me to a blog, which later lead me to my reader with lots of unread blog posts which distracted me from this post. Short & sweet it will now be!

Blueberry & Brie Stuffed Waffles

adapted from Damn Delicious

Ingredients:

2 waffles (fresh or frozen)
1 cup blueberries
1/4 cup blackberries (or raspberries)
1 tsp sugar
1/2 cup blueberry pancake topping (or 1/2 cup blueberries macerated, 1/2 tsp lemon juice, 2 tbs water, 1/2 tsp cornstarch)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tbs heavy cream
4 oz brie, sliced

Directions:

In a medium sauce pan, add blueberries, blackberries, sugar, blueberry sauce, cinnamon, vanilla, and heavy cream over medium-low heat. Stir well and keep an eye on it for when it gently boils.
Prepare waffles to your liking
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Turn the blueberry sauce to low once it has boils so it can thicken.
Assemble waffles with 1/2 waffle on the bottom, topped with sliced brie, then topped with blueberry sauce. Finish it with the other 1/2 of waffle on top, or serve open faced.
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I loved this. I like brie and I don’t usually seek out sweet breakfasts. I think this was a good sweet/savory balance. I  prefer it cooked/melted. It is creamy and mild but has such a distinct flavor. It gets gooey which is balanced by the crispy waffle and the sweet blueberries popped. It was perfect! I usually eat/serve the rind on the brie, but that’s personal preference.

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I kind of cheated with the blueberry sauce. I had some from Stonewall Kitchen and really wanted to use it up. I added more blueberries and just a few other ingredients to liven it all up. The blueberries and blackberries were frozen and often appear in my smoothies. Frozen fruit is best suited to be cooked or made into a sauce after being frozen. I was using up stuff all over the place!

I hadn’t cooked a special breakfast in months. It was so great to have this treat one Sunday after my event, before vacation.

Need an idea for your leftover brie? Try a cranberry, brie and turkey panini or my very favorite calzone with prosciutto, apple, and brie.

What I Ate: Baked Falafel

Falafel is one of those sneaky take out items that seems so healthy but…

they’re fried. Womp. Womp.

I make it at home somewhat regularly and bake them. It is so much easier, less messy, and healthier.
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I’ve made them from scratch and honestly don’t really think it is worth it. I use a mix, bake them on a cookie sheet for 10 minutes at 375 degree and flip once. Leave the frying to your fav Falafel King/Palace/House-Of…you won’t even miss the fried crunchy outside.

The mixes taste good and are simple. Simple as in just-add-water. In the time it takes to get these buggers toasty and cooked through your salad can be ready and waiting. Toss feta, cukes, tomatoes, and greens with some Italian/Caesar/Oil & Vinegar.
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I love this as a perfect meatless dinner or I’ve served it as an app with little pita pockets. It is an easy meal to bring somewhere since you’ll just need refrigeration and maybe the falafel can get nuked or popped in the toaster oven. This time I served it on wheat naan but tortilla wraps, pita pockets are great too.
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Try it and I won’t even have to say told-ya-so.

BBQ Chicken Pasta

Did you remember my smokey kielbasa pasta I made a few months ago? It was a one-dish-wonder and it had me thinking about variations. I was thinking about making it with a Mexican slant, or Italian, or BBQ. I thought BBQ was perfect to bridge the New England gap of a chilly night while being almost spring.
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Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, chopped
1 pound box short pasta
1 cup milk
1 cups chicken broth
1, 16-oz can crushed tomatoes
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 1/2 cup BBQ sauce
2 tbs liquid smoke
2 cups red and green peppers
2 cups fresh spinach
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

In a large pan (with sides) saute chicken until almost cooked through (it will keep cooking).
Add tomatoes, chicken broth, milk, garlic, and 1 cup of BBQ sauce to a medium boil in the pan with the chicken.
Once boiling, add pasta, and peppers stirring and covering for about 8 minutes.
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Pasta will still be a bit firm. Turn to low and add spinach and cover again for 3-5 more minutes. The liquid will have reduced and the pasta will finish cooking.
Drizzle remaining BBQ sauce over the top and sprinkle with cheese before serving.
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I like how easy it is. There’s a great sweet and smokey flavor and it is a great alternative to a traditional tomato based pasta. It would be good without the chicken too. We just can’t get enough of the Campanelle pasta. #winning

Sausage Puff Roll Up

These were pretty addictive. I made them for dinner thinking they’d reheat well too but it got me thinking they’d be a good brunch addition! These Sausage Roll Ups use only a few ingredients and are quick to whip up while tossing salad together.
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Ingredients:

1 sheet of puff pastry (or crescent rolls)
3 sausage links, casing removed
1 tsp fresh thyme
salt & pepper
1 tsp garlic, chopped
2 tbs heavy cream
1 cup shredded mozzarella

Directions:

Defrost puff pastry to room temperature.
Saute sausage, thyme, salt & pepper, and garlic in a hot pan over medium heat. Add heavy cream when mostly cooked through.
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Lay out puff pastry sheet, top with sausage and cheese. Roll up into 1 long roll.
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Cut into 3/4 inch slices. Reform if the slices if they get a bit squished. Lay them on the cut side up in a greased baking pan.
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Bake 25 minutes until golden brown and puffed.
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I served it with salad and it was perfect. I appreciated how few ingredients it took. I knew it would be hefty so I used pretty minimal cheese. I had a few mozzarella string cheese laying around so they became my cheese addition (in case you were confusing my cheese disks for hearts of palm or something).
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