Tag Archives: Food

Sweet Potato + Black Bean Burgers with Curry Ketchup

I’ve made more burgers for you!

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I don’t exactly consider these veggie burgers. The last burgers I made for you were definitely veggie burgers. They were packed with veggies. These burgers are simpler, with much fewer ingredients. They really only have one veggie in them + sweet potatoes and beans.

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Are sweet potatoes veggies? Greg and I always do this thing where we count the number of veggies in the meals that we eat. I feel like I always count sweet potatoes.

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I loved the black bean + cilantro burgers I made for you, but they are just a bit time consuming. They don’t take that much time, but this time around I wanted something that can really be whipped up any night of the week, easily and quickly.

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The roasted sweet potatoes lend the perfect texture to these burgers. They are soft + binding. Also, delicious + flavorful. The black beans add  great texture as well, and go great with sweet potatoes. I love caramelized red onion, and also think that they + sweet potatoes are a great combination.

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I made these burgers vegan by using Dijon mustard as a “wet” ingredient rather than an egg. I’m not vegan, but I’m vegan-interested. I also thought recently – if people who eat meat try to go meatless once a week (Meatless Monday), what can already-non-meat-eating people do? They can try to go vegan once a week. So, here is my attempt at once-a-week vegan eating. Dijon instead of an egg. I’ll take it. 🙂

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Also, I topped these burgers simply. Some greens and some curry ketchup. Yes, curry ketchup!

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I first heard of curry ketchup from Greg’s mom. She said she made it and I was immediately super interested. I had never heard of it. And then, Greg and I went out to eat with his sister and we had fries with curry ketchup. It did not disappoint at all. I loved it!

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I followed this recipe. And love it. It will be good on so many things! And, if you don’t want to make your own ketchup, you can undoubtedly just stir some curry powder into ketchup from a bottle.

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You’ve got to try this. Sweet potatoes + black beans + caramelized red onion + curry ketchup = one delicious burger.

Ingredients:
2 medium sweet potatoes
Olive oil
1 medium red onion
Salt
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 – 15 oz. can black beans
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup Dijon mustard

Preheat oven to 350*. Peel and cube the sweet potatoes. Combine the sweet potatoes with about 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Toss well to coat the potatoes. Roast on a baking sheet for about 30 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are very soft.

While the sweet potatoes are roasting, dice the red onion. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a pan on the stove over medium-high heat. Add the onions to the hot oil with a pinch of salt. Stir, and let cook over medium-high heat for about five minutes, or until onions begin to brown. Turn heat down to medium-low and cook for 20-30 minutes, or until onions are caramelized.

When the sweet potatoes are done roasting, add them to a bowl and mash them using a potato masher. I left mine semi-chunky for texture, but they can also be mashed well so there are no chunks left. Add the black beans to the bowl and mash again, to incorporate the beans. Add the red onion, breadcrumbs and Dijon mustard. Stir well to combine everything. The mixture should be thick + gooey.

Add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a pan over medium heat. Form the mixture into patties and cook in the oil for about five minutes on each side, or until the burgers are golden brown, slightly crispy and warmed through.

*Notes:
-You could definitely use an egg here instead of the Dijon, if mustard is not your thing. If using an egg, substitute one egg for all of the mustard. Using the mustard definitely gives the burgers a mustard-y taste.
-To make this gluten free, just use certified gluten free breadcrumbs.
-Click here for the curry ketchup recipe. Seriously so delicious!

French Macarons

Macarons for your Monday!cookies

I mentioned before that I tried a french macaron for the first time while I was in DC about a month ago.

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The one I tried was pistachio flavored. It was amazing. I wondered why it took me so long to try a macaron.

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I waited 23 years to try one, but I have a feeling that I will now eat macarons as often as possible.

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Making them is definitely a delicate process. But, it’s not hard. Just something you have to pay close attention to. There are only a few simple ingredients. And most of the time is spent whipping egg whites, or letting the cookies sit before baking.

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I flavored mine with lemon and raspberry. That is another thing I love about these. The flavor possibilities are endless. I can’t wait to try more soon.

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Hard on the outside, but soft inside. Light as a feather and slightly crunchy. Sweet and delicious. This is the perfect spring cookie.

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I used this method, from Martha Stewart. I used the Swiss meringue buttercream for filling. Also, this video helped me out a lot.

Enjoy!

*What flavor of french macaron do you like? What flavor would you like to try?

Asparagus, Kale + Mushroom Skillet Pizza

What goes together better than Friday and pizza?

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If you ask me, not much. Friday + pizza + perhaps a beer, if that’s what you’re into (I am).

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This great combination just got even better. Pizza made in my beautiful cast iron skillet, with slightly sweet caramelized onion sauce, fresh asparagus, crunchy kale, balsamic mushrooms and salty parmesan cheese. O yes, Friday (or any day) is even better with this pizza.

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The inspiration for this pizza came from two places.

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The method came from the great Bev Cooks blog. I love Bev’s blog. She makes food that looks amazing and she is seriously hilarious. You have got to check out her blog. And this pizza idea? Brilliant.

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The flavor combination was inspired by a great restaurant, Earth Bread + Brewery in Mt. Airy, Pa. Earth is the coolest little restaurant. It was the first restaurant that Greg and I tried in Mt. Airy and we were obsessed from the very first bite of hearth-baked flatbread. Earth makes flatbreads and they make them well. They are cooked in a wood-fire oven with ingredient combinations that just blow your mind.

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We haven’t had anything there we don’t like, including their selection of small-batch, house-brewed beers.

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One night not too long ago, we tried their “special” flatbread of the night. It had an onion marmalade as the sauce, kale, asparagus and mushrooms. Well, not too much later, I tried recreating it and this is what I came up with.

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The delicious ingredients mixed with the skillet method makes for one great pizza.

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You have got to try it!

Ingredients
1 ball of pizza dough
Olive oil
1 large red onion
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 bunch of asparagus
2 cups chopped kale
4 oz. mushrooms
4 oz. parmesan cheese

First work on caramelizing the onion. Slice the onion thin. Add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a pan over medium high heat on the stove. Add the sliced onion and a pinch of salt, stir and let cook about 5 minutes or until onions begin to soften. Add the balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar and brown sugar and stir well to incorporate into onions. Turn down heat and cook on medium low, stirring occasionally, until onions are caramelized, about 25-30 minutes.

While onions are caramelizing, prep all of your veggies. Preheat oven to 350*. Chop the asparagus into thirds.Toss asparagus and kale with olive oil to coat the veggies well and roast in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Set aside.

Slice the mushrooms. Toss with olive oil and a splash of balsamic vinegar. Roast in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Set aside.

Once onions are caramelized add to a food processor or mini food chopper (what I used). Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil with the onions and process until they are completely broken down and are thick and “sauce” like.

Now get ready to assemble the pizza. You can read the skillet method in-depth here. Place your cast iron skillet on your stove over high heat. Preheat your oven’s broiler. On a floured surface, roll out the pizza dough to fit into the skillet. Mine was 8 inches. Bev used a pizza skin to transfer her pizza from the counter top to the skillet. I don’t have a pizza skin so I used an extra wide spatula. Transferring the uncooked pizza from the counter to the skillet is tricky, so make sure you have a plan before you add the toppings.

For the pizza, spread a thick layer of the caramelized onion sauce onto the rolled out dough. Top with cheese. Then add on the asparagus, kale and mushrooms. Transfer the pizza to the hot skillet. Quickly transfer the skillet to the oven and broil. Bev said her pizza took 2 to 3 minutes, however, mine took around 10. Keep in mind that cooking time will vary depending on your oven.

Once the dough is cooked through and crust slightly crispy, remove the pizza from the oven, slice and enjoy!

*Notes:
-You can definitely make your own pizza dough like Bev did in the link
-I used a store-bought pizza dough that was 8 oz.
-You could also use the asparagus, kale and mushroom combination on a pizza without using the skillet method
-Do what works for you!

Fresh Apple Upside-Down Skillet Cake

I’m so excited about sharing this!

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This recipe, yes. I love upside-down cake. Especially peach upside-down cake. And I have been craving peaches lately. I can’t wait for them. Since peaches aren’t ready yet though, I decided to try an  upside-down cake with apples. Not only do apples top this cake, there are apples throughout the entire thing, too. It’s so good!

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But! What I’m really excited about is the skillet part of this cake. I made the cake in a skillet!

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I showed you last Saturday that I received a cast iron skillet as a sweet + thoughtful gift from Greg’s mom and stepdad. It’s just so perfect. I have been wanting a cast iron skillet and never did I dream that I would get an authentic, beautiful antique one! It is just so exciting!

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When I got it, Greg asked me what would be the first thing I made in my skillet. Sooo many options ran through my head and I just didn’t know how I would choose.

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The decision seemed so important and I felt like I needed to put so much thought into it.

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Well, this apple cake just happened. I wanted cake. I wanted apple cake.

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And I can say, I will always be happy that it is the first thing I made in my beloved cast iron skillet. 🙂

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I will always appreciate beautifully decorated cakes. But there is something comforting about throwing ingredients into a skillet, letting it bake, and then serving it without much thought to decorating. I would call it rustic. A cake that is “rough around the edges.” Beautiful, but in a very different way.

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And the taste. Oh my goodness the taste. I based the batter off of this cake from Sally’s Baking Addiction. I substituted apples for carrots and made a few other minor changes. It is such a good base recipe. It’s perfectly spiced, so moist. The brown sugar/butter/apple upside down part of this cake is soft, sweet and the perfect topping for the already soft cake.

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If you make this, be ready to want to dig in, right after the skillet leaves the oven.

Ingredients

1  3/4 cup brown sugar, divided
4 tablespoons butter
3 large apples, 1 sliced thin and 2 diced small
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup yogurt
1/2 cup milk (I used almond)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup pecans, chopped

Preheat oven to 350*. Place a cast iron skillet on the stove over medium-low heat and add the butter. Let the butter melt and then sprinkle 3/4 cup of the brown sugar over the butter. Place the one thinly sliced apple on top of the brown sugar and melted butter. Turn stove heat to the lowest setting and let sit while you prepare the cake batter.

In a bowl, beat the remaining 1 cup of brown sugar and vegetable oil. Add in yogurt and milk and beat well. Add in eggs, one at a time, beating well between the addition. Add in the vanilla and beat well to combine.

In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. With a spoon, fold the dry ingredients into the wet ones. Gently fold in the golden raisins, chopped pecans and diced apples until everything is just combined.

Spoon the batter over the butter/sugar/apples in the skillet. Smooth the top with a spatula. Place the skillet in the oven and bake 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Serve and enjoy!

*Notes:
-If you don’t like raisins, feel free to leave them out!
-If the batter is too thick at the end, add another splash of almond milk at the end, right before you add the batter to the skillet. It should be thick, but stir-able.
-Baking time could vary. I made this once and it took a little under 35 minutes and another time it took a full 45 minutes.
-I used an 8-inch cast iron skillet. It developed a very thick cake. A larger skillet would definitely work too.

DC Day Two: Eats

To read my other DC posts, click here, here and here

Last week I showed you what my family and I did on day two of our spring Washington, D.C. trip. Touring of the city, walking near and far to see the sights of DC. Today I’m showing you the eats.

Our plan was to eat a quick breakfast at the hotel and then to get lunch at the Founding Farmers restaurant that we had heard great things about. When we got there to eat, there was a one or two hour wait (I can’t remember which). We decided not to take up all of that time waiting for a restaurant (even though Founding Farmers looked awesome — I still want to try again next time!).

Turns out, I was not disappointed at all that our original plan hadn’t worked. We stumbled into a little cafe called Paul.Paul was so good. From the second I walked into it, I knew it was an excellent choice. In Paul, you are greeted with freshly made pastries, breads, sandwiches and desserts. Everything looked so appetizing!

It was a tough choice, but I went with smoked salmon on a fresh baked baguette. It was such a good choice! Unfortunately  the picture I took of it came out really blurry.

For dessert, I ordered a pistachio french macaron*. It was my first macaron ever, and I could not believe how much I loved it! I can’t believe I’ve waited this long to have one, and it most certainly won’t be my last.

At the end of day two, we found ourselves in Georgetown, at Baked and Wired. Baked and Wired was out of this world. There were so many delicious looking sweet options, but if you read this post, you know I went with the cherry blossom cupcake. It was so good that I didn’t even save time for a picture. After my first bite, all hope of getting one was lost. I devoured that cupcake! So, so good.

Baked and Wired has a cool atmosphere. It is hip. Their tagline is “get baked.” There is a pink bike outside the shop and on the day we were there, a Charles Dickens quote written on a chalk board. If you are in Georgetown, I think Baked and Wired is the cupcake place you should be.

So, here they are. Photos from day two: the eats.

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baked bar

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*Do you know the difference between a macaron and a macaroon? I didn’t until I typed macaron and spell check told me it was wrong! Click here to read what the difference is.