mediterranean chickpea burger

with only a couple months before my title changes from "college student" to "young professional" i have decided its about time i get in the habit of skimming the daily paper to keep up-to-date with what is going on in the world. and as much as i hate to admit it, i have read all sorts of interesting articles, used news stories as conversation starters, and even come across recipes! this week i tried a recipe from the newspaper that incorporated all sorts of nutritious ingredients. 


if you haven't already figured it out, its like a game for me to make my meals healthy. whether its by substituting greek yogurt for sour cream or wheat flour for white flour. this recipe cuts out some of the red meat thats in your average burger and replaces it with filling, flavorful ingredients. mixing chickpeas and bulgar into the ground beef adds fiber and protein. this mediterranean burger is a great way to mix things up. don't forget to top it off with a side of sweet potato fries(click for my recipe).


with Easter just around the corner i have a couple fun recipes on my list to try...stay tuned!

Ingredients (Serves 4):
2 ounces (approx. 1/4 C.) feta cheese
1/4 C. low-fat plain yogurt (i used greek yogurt and 1/4 C. water)
coarse salt and ground pepper
1/4 C. bulgar (could use breadcrumbs if you want)
1 can chickpeas
1/2 lb. lean ground beef
1/3 cup roughly chopped mint leaves
4 burger buns
1 small cucumber, thinly sliced
1 large tomato, sliced
*next time i would add an egg to the meat mixture


Directions:
In a small bowl, mash the feta with the back of a fork until smooth. Stir in yogurt and season with salt and pepper to taste, set aside.

In another small heatproof bowl, combine bulgar and 1/2 C. boiling water. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 10 minutes. 
Meanwhile, in a food processor, pulse chickpeas until coarsely chopped. 

 

Transfer to a large bowl and add beef and mint. Drain bulgar and add to chickpea mixture. 

With your hands, mix until mixture is evenly combined and holds together when pressed into a ball. Divide into 4, 1-inch patties and season with salt and pepper.
Lightly coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add the patties and cook until browned and crispy on the outside, approximately 4 minutes on each side. 


Serve on a bun with sliced cucumbers, tomato, and feta-yogurt sauce.

healthy mac & cheese

after babysitting for 8+ years i can't bear the thought of eating one more bite of kraft macaroni and cheese. however, mac & cheese is not just a food for kids. it is still an american favorite, comfort food. it is becoming more common to see restaurants serve mac & cheese as a side dish or on their happy hour menu. i highly recommend hi-life's $4 happy hour macaroni and cheese baked en casserole with roasted anaheim peppers & four cheeses.

unfortunately mac & cheese is traditionally loaded with calories and fat. but the recipe i have for you is comfort food made healthy. by substituting whole milk for skim milk, using low-fat cheese, and adding cauliflower for nutrients this recipe has, get ready for this...half the calories and a quarter of the fat of traditional recipes. this crowd pleaser has less than 200 calories per serving!!! i made it for my family and both my Dad and 11 year old sister gave it two thumbs up. 

this recipe does take about 1 1/2 hours to prepare and bake so i would recommend making it on the weekend or on a night when you have some extra time. enjoy!!

Ingredients (8 servings):
7 oz. elbow or shell pasta
1 head of cauliflower, roughly chopped
1 1/2 C. low-fat (2%) shredded cheddar or cheese blend
1/4 C. shredded Parmesan
2/3 C. skim milk
1 egg
1/2 t. salt
1 t. butter, melted 
2 T. panko breadcrumbs (i used regular breadcrumbs)


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


Boil water and cook pasta until al dente, about 8 minutes
While pasta is cooking steam the roughly chopped cauliflower until very soft.
Drain the pasta, drizzle with olive oil, and let cool.
Shred the cheese if not pre-shredded. 
Beat the egg, milk, and salt in a separate bowl. 
Mix the melted butter and breadcrumbs (or panko) in another bowl.
Now your ready to start putting it all together!


Mash or blend cauliflower and gently mix in with pasta.
Take a pinch of all the cheeses and mix in with the breadcrumb/ butter blend...set aside.
Mix the rest of the cheeses in with the pasta/cauliflower.
Pour the milk mixture in with the pasta/cauliflower. Carefully stir and fold in the milk mixture until combined.
Fill 6-8 ramekins with pasta mixture and sprinkle with breadcrumb topping (you can use a casserole dish if you don't have ramekins).


Bake for 30-40 minutes, uncovered, or until tops just start to brown.

I bought my ramekins at Target from the $1 bins!

Next time...
1. make my own breadcrumbs with whole wheat bread (trim crust) in food processor. 
2. try whole wheat pasta.
3. add some black pepper and paprika.
4. try cottage cheese to create a creamer texture.

oven-roasted sweet potato fries

i haven't been cooking much this week because i am in cram mode with only one week left in the quarter!! fortunately, i have a freezer stocked with frozen meals that i made last month. for lunch i defrosted the curry soup with chickpeas (it was just as good as the first time).


however, i needed a study break tonight so i made roasted sweet potato fries and a juicy burger topped with caramelized onions to eat while i worked on a paper. the hour i "wasted" cooking was totally worth it! not only did i get to try a successful new recipe, but i also used my new silicone baking sheet for the first time...it was a birthday present from my friends. if you don't have one i highly recommend investing in one. enjoy!


Ingredients:
NOTE: this recipe only serves 1
1 Medium-sized sweet potato (rinsed and dried)
1 T. vegetable oil
1/2 t. paprika
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. pepper
1/4 t. cumin
Sprinkle of cayenne (optional)


Directions:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees
Cut the potato into 1/4" thin strips

Place the strips in a bowl and toss with the remaining ingredients (oil and spices)until the strips are evenly coated

Then spread the potatoes evenly on a baking sheet that is covered in parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet. Make sure you don't over crowd the strips so that they roast properly.

Place in the oven and cook for 20-30 minutes, turning the fries once or twice during that time to make sure they cook evenly.
Remove once they have turned golden brown and begin to crisp.

Carmelized Onions will be featured in the near future

As seen in Gimme Some Oven!

curry soup with chickpeas

after finishing two midterms today and with snow in the forecast i began craving my idea of comfort food...soup. in an attempt to stay within my food budget for the month i went through my pantry to see what i had on hand. chickpeas. spinach. 1 onion. garlic. 1 bell pepper. 


so naturally, i began exploring cooking blogs for ideas. i came across a curry soup recipe on Eats Well with Others and adapted it slighlty. even though i did not avoid the grocery store completely i was able to keep dinner very inexpensive. i swung by Trader Joe's for 1 can of light coconut milk (.99) and quinoa ($3.99). it was totally worth the stop. this recipe serves 6 so i froze half and put another serving in the refrigerator for my lunch tomorrow. im obsessed with this meal! its healthy and bursting with flavor.

Ingredients:
1 can chickpeas
1 C. quinoa
2 T. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium orange bell pepper, chopped
1 T. red pepper flakes
2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 C. vegetable broth
1 T. curry powder
1/2 t. salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 lb spinach
1 (14 oz) can light coconut milk 


Directions:
Cook quinoa (i used a rice cooker). 
Chop the onion and bell pepper. Heat 2 T. of olive oil. Satay onion and pepper in the oil. Cook until onion is transparent, about 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and stir consistently for about 1 minute. 
Add the broth, chickpeas, curry powder, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. 
Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and let simmer for app. 10 minutes.

Add spinach and stir until wilted.

Add 1 can of light coconut milk and the cooked quinoa. Cook until heated through, about 4 minutes.

Add seasoning to taste. I added a pinch more curry powder and salt. 

Serve Warm! 

cilantro-honey glaze

a balanced diet calls for 3-5 servings of vegetables everyday. you will have no problem getting in your daily vegetables with this recipe. roasting your veggies with this cilantro-honey glaze will have you wanting more. the chili powder gives it a slight kick, while the honey creates a sweet caramelized texture. this is definitely a recipe to record in your recipe book. 

Ingredients:

1 1/4 lb. cleaned and cut butternut squash
 (i used sweet potatoes and carrots)

1/4 C. honey


Juice of 1 lime (about 1 Tbsp.)


2 T. extra virgin olive oil


1 t. chili powder


1 t. sea salt


1/2 t. fresh ground pepper


1/3 C. coarsely chopped cilantro leaves

Directions: 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

Clean and cut your vegetables into 1 inch pieces

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until smooth (add cilantro last)

Place vegetables in the bowl until coated

Cover the entire baking sheet with foil

Evenly distribute the vegetables on the foil covered baking sheet 

This is what the vegetables look like prior to cooking.

thai honey peanut chicken

we all have nights when creativity and inspiration are just not happening. yes, the typical grilled chicken, bbq chicken and lemon chicken are great, but sometimes switching it up is much needed. last night all “the girls” came over to try this Asian inspired dish…and it was a hit! it is sweet and creamy with a little kick (if desired). i mean who doesn’t like an recipe involving peanut butter. this meal takes less than 20 minutes to prepare and get on the table! enjoy.  

Ingredients: (serves 3)

1 lb. chicken

¼ C. soy sauce

1 t. minced garlic

1 T. peanut butter

2 T. honey

½ t. curry powder

1 T. lime juice

1 t. siracha (optional)

Directions:

Start cooking rice according to directions then defrost and cube the chicken.

Mix all the ingredients into a medium size bowl.

Cook chicken and the sauce over medium-high heat for approximately 7 minutes or until chicken is done.

Serve over a scoop of rice and garnish with crushed peanuts and cilantro.

Cooking Tip: using the marinade as the sauce- even though it came in contact with raw meat- is safe because it will get to the necessary 160° when you cook it with the chicken.