Tag Archives: Photos

Sweet Potato + Black Bean Burgers with Curry Ketchup

I’ve made more burgers for you!

pots

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.

beans

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.

onion

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.

mix

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.

burgers1

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. 🙂

finished

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

finished2

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!

ketchup

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.

finished1

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!

DC: The Last of Day Two + Day Three

The time has finally come. This will be my last post chronicling my family’s trip to Washington, D.C. over a month ago! While I enjoy looking back at the photos, I would say that the time has come to wrap up the DC posts. To see my previous posts, click herehere, here and here.

The end of day two  was spent walking to Georgetown. It was quite the trek, but worth it, in my opinion. The sights were lovely, especially with the sun setting along our walk. We passed George Washington University and the Watergate Hotel.

We stopped at a boardwalk area, right along the water, where people were enjoying the sunset at outdoors bars, despite it being slightly chilly. That area was beautiful, as you will see in the photos. There were several boats on the water and the sun was too picturesque. Greg and I talk about going back to that part of Georgetown this summer, sitting outside for some food and drink while enjoying the weather.

In Georgetown, as I talked about before, we made a stop at Baked and Wired for some sweet treats. We then walked up and down the streets, taking in the busy nightlife. The streets were packed the night we were there, but that did not stop us from enjoying our time there. Just after dark, the group decided to be done for the day. We hopped on a bus and then a metro line to make our way back for pizza then games and beer at the hotel.

Day three was our final day. We spent it in Old Town Alexandria. We also stayed in Alexandria, but a much newer part. Old Town is just charming. It is beautiful. I could have spent days there. The cutest shops, desirable restaurants and bars and again, a waterfront area. This is another place Greg and I would like to make it back to, soon.

We visited the Torpedo Factory Art Center. The Torpedo Factory was in fact a torpedo factory during World War I. Now, it is home to artists galleries and workshops. It is open to the public and also has a little cafe in it. We spent a fair amount of time there, and Greg and I feel that we could spend an entire day browsing all of the beautiful artwork. Definitely a must-see in Alexandria if you are in to unique, authentically made artwork.

We ate lunch at The Fish Market where I had crab stuffed avocados (yum!) and “The Port City Po Boy.” It was an open faced po’ boy sandwich with fried oysters, shrimp and crawfish. In complete honesty, I would not order the sandwich again. The seafood was too fried for my taste and I would have liked more veggie toppings. Overall, however, I would go back to The Fish Market in a second! Great atmosphere, and other than my choice for me, great food!

Our time in Alexandria ended with a stop at Lavender Moon Cupcakery. The first thing that drew me to the place was the name. Love it. And the cupcakes did not disappoint. At Lavender Moon, I tried a strawberry cupcake and Meyer lemon lavender cupcake. The strawberry cupcake was my favorite. It reminded me of strawberries and cream. Another great cupcake spot in DC!

We were sad to leave DC, but we are excited for the next trip. There are so many things to do in the DC area, I could go a thousand times and never get sick of it!

Please enjoy, the last of the DC photos.

mmj

shawn

monument

flags

lights

momdad

gandme

water1

sky1

old town

greg

bikes

flowers

statue1

window

window1

flowers1

manddad

waterfront

birds

waterfront1

momanddad

stairs

reading

fishmarket

erin1

pops

lavendarmoon

board

pig

dad

indian

monaco

street1

street

street2-2

trolley

truck

mom

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.

cookie4

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

cookie6

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

cookie5

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.

cookie7

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.

cookie9

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

cookie8

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?

Week in Photos

I read this and want to share:

“Don’t overlook life’s small joys while searching for the big ones.”

That is one part of a quote from H. Jackson Brown, Jr., New York Times best selling author of the book Life’s Little Instruction Book.

As soon as  I read that, I thought of my week in photos posts. I’ve been wondering lately if I should continue posting them, thinking that I’m eventually going to have a really long list on my photography + life page.

That quote rightly sums up why I love posting my week in photos. I’ve said before, it’s important to notice the little things, and that is what this post helps me to do. It enables me to look back at my week and appreciate the little things that are happening among the hectic everyday.

So, for today, and for now, enjoy, four little things that made my week special.

{This scarf. Because I have officially put away the winter one. It’s time for spring.}

scarf

{This smoothie. Because I decided to try smoothie making again this week. This one was a delicious success.}

IMG_5438

{This ice cream sundae. Banana, chocolate and maple peanut butter. Definitely satisfied my ice cream craving.}

IMG_5439

{This view. Because I saw it today, and it needed to be photographed, and shared.}

IMG_5437

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday. 🙂

Asparagus, Kale + Mushroom Skillet Pizza

What goes together better than Friday and pizza?

asparagus

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

onion

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.

veggies1

The inspiration for this pizza came from two places.

onions

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.

cheese

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.

pizza

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

pizza4

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.

pizza5

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

pizza7

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!