Author Archives: Jess

Week in Photos

Barbecue Lentil Burgers

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I’ve got a little meatless barbecue for you today.

I am asked sometimes if I miss meat, since I don’t eat it anymore.

I always answer no, I don’t miss meat. I never loved it anyway.

If there is anything that I ever miss sometimes, maybe, it is bacon. I maybe (do) sometimes miss it. 🙂

I don’t miss meat, but what I do miss is barbecue sauce.

I mentioned it to Greg one day that I miss the taste of barbecue sauce. I haven’t had anything with the flavor since I have stopped eating meat. Other than barbecue chips, which I like, but don’t satisfy my craving.

I thought, why is meat the only thing we put barbecue sauce on? This needs to change!

So, one day, we were eating lentils. And Greg came up with the idea of making a barbecue lentil burger. I loved the idea and got to work right away.

At first we were thinking of it being filled with veggies, lentils and barbecue sauce. But, more and more I am loving super super simple and easy recipes.

These burgers are it. Super simple. Super barbecue-y. Super delicious. And completely meat-free.

There is nothing in them but lentils and barbecue sauce. And possibly breadcrumbs. The breadcrumbs are up to you. Let me explain.

I made these once with equal parts barbecue sauce and breadcrumbs. I used 1/2 cup bbq sauce and 1/2 cup breadcrumbs. The burgers were great and worked perfectly. The second time around, I tried leaving the breadcrumbs out. I had to refrigerate the burgers before they were ready to cook, just to stiffen them up a bit. They still worked out well, but were definitely a bit more messy. If you don’t mind refrigerating before cooking and you don’t mind a messier burger, try it without breadcrumbs. If you are in a hurry and want a burger that is more sturdy and together, add breadcrumbs. It’s up to you. Experiment. Find what works for you and what you like!

The toppings are kind of important too. These burgers would be good just plain — no bun and no toppings. They just taste good. But, they are awesome with a toasted bun, melted smoked cheddar, a big sliced tomato and caramelized onions. That is my suggestion. Try it!

Barbecue Lentil Burgers

2013-08-15 08:24:42

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Ingredients

1 cup uncooked lentils
2 1/2 cups liquid (water or broth + some white wine)
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
1/2 cup breadcrumbs, optional, read above for explanation
Olive oil
Buns

Toppings

Smoked cheddar
Sliced tomato
Caramelized onions

Instructions

Rinse lentils well. Add to a saucepan with 2 1/2 cups of liquid (any mix of water, broth and wine).
Cook for about 40 minutes, or until all liquid is absorbed and lentils are soft.
Add lentils to a bowl and let cool a bit.
Mash lentils lightly with a potato masher or fork.
Add the barbecue sauce and breadcrumbs (if using) and stir well.
Add olive oil to a pan over medium heat.
Once hot, add lentils to pan, made into patties.
Cook about 5 minutes on each side, until golden brown and heated through.
Serve on toasted buns with smoked cheddar, sliced tomatoes and caramelized onions, or topping of choice.
Enjoy!

The Dreaming Foodie https://www.thedreamingfoodie.com/

Happy Happy

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First things first: sorry!

I’m sorry I’ve been so sporadic with posting. Last Wednesday I popped in to let you know that I would post as often as possible during Greg and I’s move. Well, the move has happened and now I’m trying to catch up.

Next (and most importantly): Happy birthday Momma!

I didn’t get to spend my mom’s actual birthday with her (Monday) but I did get to spend Saturday with her. I made these s’mores rice krispie treats for the special day. I told you at Mother’s Day that s’mores are my mom’s favorite. 🙂

Now, let me share an update.

On the move: We are in our new apartment. Saturday was so much fun. We had help from my parents and Gregs and we got everything big into our new apartment. There are, of course, still things to do, and Greg and I are slowly working on making it our home. 🙂 I will be busy in the next couple of weeks getting the old apartment completely cleaned out and working on a list of things to do in our new one. We do really love our new place. Perhaps some photos in the next couple of weeks?

On the job search: It is over. I found a job (!) that I so far love. It happened last week and I was trained Monday. I will be working at an adorable cafe in Wissahickon park!

On the blog: I told you last week that I am making some changes. I will continue making small changes here and there, trying to take my blog a couple of steps forward. Some things on the right side may change and there may be some appearance changes.

So, between the move, the new job and the blog transition, it has been hard to keep up. I feel like I am finally at a point now where I can start to play catch-up and then eventually fall into a regular posting schedule again. I hope you don’t mind bearing with me as life is happening and I hope you are looking forward to some new content!

I will hopefully be sharing something new with you tomorrow. Talk to you then! 🙂

Corn Soup

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I was originally skeptical to share this recipe with you.

Soup in the summer. It just didn’t feel completely right to me.

It’s mostly hot where I am. But, early in the week last week, I saw that it was supposed to be cool + rainy on Thursday. I immediately planned soup.

I’ve been absolutely craving soup. And, normally I’m one to indulge in it, even in warmer temperatures. But lately, it’s been too much. Way too hot even for me to eat soup.

But Thursday was the perfect soup day. It was dreary and rainy, and honestly, kind of cool. Eating this for dinner felt so right.

So, I was originally skeptical. I didn’t know if I should share this in the summer. And then, I ate this soup again for lunch yesterday. After one bite, I convinced myself that sharing this recipe was the right thing to do.

My mom always made a similar recipe. We call it corn chowder. It’s a thick soup, definitely chowder like, and made mostly of corn. This version, and I’m pretty sure hers too, also has potatoes and leeks. It’s simple. There are really just few ingredients.

And, it’s hearty. This soup will fill you right up. One bowl will probably be enough.

I think it’s a great soup for summer using fresh sweet corn from the cob. But also save it for those cool autumn days that will be here before we know it.

Corn Soup

2013-08-07 10:25:19

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Ingredients

5 baby leeks, or 2-3 medium ones
2 large garlic cloves
6 small-medium potatoes
6 ears of corn, roasted or grilled and taken off the cob (save a little for topping, if desired)
4 cups broth (vegetable or chicken)
Olive oil
Dash of heavy cream

Seasoning

Salt
Black pepper
Paprika
Onion powder
Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

In a large pot over medium heat, add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
Add the garlic and the sliced leeks and cook for about 5 minutes, or until leeks have softened.
Add the potatoes and cook for an additional 5 minutes, or until potatoes have begun to slightly brown.
Add the corn and the broth to the pot and bring to a boil.
Cover, turn down heat slightly and let boil for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender.
Add about half of the mixture to a food processor or blender (or use an immersion blender) and blend until smooth.
Add back to the pot.
Stir in enough salt, black pepper, paprika, onion powder and Worcestershire sauce to taste.
Top with additional corn and seasoning, if desired.
Enjoy!

By Jess

The Dreaming Foodie https://www.thedreamingfoodie.com/

The Dreaming Foodie Update + Weekend Recap

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I am so sorry for my absence.

The Dreaming Foodie has definitely been neglected this week.

One good thing. Look at the top of your browser. I am now thedreamingfoodie.com. Yep, I’ve taken that step. No more .wordpress.com. The Dreaming Foodie is officially a thing.

So, that happened Monday. I wasn’t able to touch my site that day. I figured that was a good enough reason to take a day off.

On Tuesday, I woke up and found out our internet had been disconnected. Unexpectedly. By the time I got moving yesterday and could have been to a coffee shop to have internet and post, I decided against it. I figured I would wait until today to let you know I’m still around, but life is happening.

We are officially moving starting tomorrow. I plan to bring you a recipe tomorrow and a Week in Photos on Friday, but I can’t make promises about early next week. I also have a couple of job-related things going on today and tomorrow (wish me luck!), but I am still hoping to get some blog work done, too.

If you’re interested, I’m posting some weekend recap photos today. I told you on Friday that I headed home this past weekend for some best friend wedding festivities and for a nice visit with my family. It was so great. Every last bit of it. I did take some photos of Amanda trying on dresses, but I don’t want to take a chance of posting them and her fiance, Abe, seeing them! But, here are some photos from a perfect summer evening.