Greek-Style Quinoa Burgers

I am finally getting around to sharing a few new summer recipes. Here is a nice vegeterian option and is really tasty (Bryce had 2 1/2 of them). The cool yogurt is a nice contrast and they are quick and easy. (Just so you know, Wegmans is having a hard time getting quinoa in--I had to talk to about 5 people before someone even knew what it was. Luckily I still had some from TJs.)

Greek-Style Quinoa Burgers

serves 4

prep time 35 mins

1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed

1 medium carrot, cut in large chunks

6 scallions, thinly sliced

1 can (15 ounces) great northern beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup plain dried bread crumbs

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon ground cumin

coarse salt and ground pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

4 pita breads (6-inch)

1/2 English cucumber, thinly sliced diagonally

1. In a small saucepan, bring 3/4 cup of water to a boil, add quinoa, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook until liquid is absorbed, 12-14 mins, set aside (stop here for basic quinoa recipe).

2. In a food processor, pulse carrot until finely chopped. Add cooked quinoa, half the scallions, beans, bread crumbs, egg, cumin, 1 teaspoon slat, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; pulse until combined but still slightly chunky.

3. Form mixture into four 3/4 inch think patties (dip hands in water to prevent sticking). If too soft, refrigerate 10 mins to firm. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium; cook burgers until browned and cooked through, 8-10 mins per side. 4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, and the remaining scallions; season with salt and pepper. Serve burgers in pita topped with cucumber and yogurt sauce.

per serving: 493 cals, 20 g protien, 14 g fat, 75 g carb, 13 g fiber

*I made a few changes: I added coriander to the burgers and yogurt and added lemon rind and cayenne pepper to the yogurt too. I also served with tomatoes since we had them.

chicken tikka masala

i guess i've been on an indian food kick lately, since i've finally started to cook again. and really, i have yet to meet a person who doesn't like chicken tikka masala, the standard, almost quintessential, indian dish (although it was first created in london). the chicken is marinated over night and is delicious even without the masala - just grill it on skewers and you won't be sorry!

i love the garlic naan - it came from the trader joe's frozen section and is great quality - i put it on the warming rack of the grill after the chicken was done and didn't even have to turn on the oven. bless grills, they are salvation in the summer. i added some peas at the last minute because i never plan for a vegetable side. does that make me a bad person?

chicken tikka

5/8 cup plain yogurt

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger root

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 tablespoon oil

1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts, cubed

in a bowl, add all ingredients except chicken and mix well. add the chicken and stir to coat. cover and refrigerate overnight.

masala sauce

1/4 cup ghee or vegetable oil (i used butter)

1 onion, quartered and thinly sliced

1-inch piece of fresh ginger root, finely chopped

1 garlic cloves, minced

6 cardamom pods, bruised

2 teaspoons garam masala

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon chili powder, or to taste

1 1/4 cups heavy cream

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1/4 cup hot water

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

heat ghee in a large dutch oven, add the onions, ginger and garlic and cook over a gentle heat, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes, until softened but not colored.

add the spices and fry, stirring, for 2 minutes, until fragrant then add the cream, tomato paste, water, sugar and salt. bring slowly to a boil over medium heat, stirring, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. while sauce simmers, skewer the chicken. when sauce is done simmering, remove from heat and broil or grill chicken.

when chicken is cooked, remove it from the skewers and put it in the sauce, return to a low heat and simmer for another 5 minutes. garnish with chopped cilantro and lime wedges, serve with white rice or naan. or both. (and watch out for the cardamom pods!)

spiced molten chocolate cakes

yes, another lava cake recipe... but this one is special, exceptional, killer. it's full of unexpected spices that make it perfect for a cold winter evening, or, in my case (per request), for your husbands birthday.

this is a variation on a recipe i found in bon appetite years ago, and i've tweeked it a bit each time i make it. tonight's was the best so far. we just served it with whipped cream, but it's best with ginger ice cream or gelato. an added bonus to lava cake recipes is you can make the batter a day in advance, pour into bowls, and refrigerate until you're ready to bake.

this recipe makes 8 cakes, i usually cut it in half.

ingredients
14 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/4 cups unsalted butter
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
6 large eggs
6 large egg yolks
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/3 cups powdered sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt

generously butter eight 3/4 cup ramekins, preheat over to 425 degrees.

stir chocolate, butter, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and white pepper in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until melted and smooth. cool slightly. whisk eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla in a large bowl to blend. whisk in 3 cups powdered sugar, then chocolate mixture, the flour. transfer batter to prepared dishes, filling to top and dividing equally.
bake cakes until batter has risen above dish, top edges are dark brown, and centers are still soft and runny, about 13 minutes or 16 minutes for refrigerated batter. run small knife around cakes to loosen. allow cakes to rest in dishes 5 minutes. invert onto a dessert plate and dust with powdered sugar.

goan shrimp curry

it's marks birthday today and this is what he requested for his birthday dinner. i just realized this recipe comes out of a cook book (30 minute indian - one of my favorites) i bought mark for his 30th birthday, how apropos. this is one of our all-time favorites, we still remember the first time we had it in our crappy apartment in plainsboro. it was like we had been transported to india (or at least a great indian restaurant) and served the local specialty. you must try this.

ingredients

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tbsp paprika

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

4 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tsp grated fresh ginger

2 tbsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp palm sugar or soft brown sugar

1 cup water

2 cups coconut milk

2 tsp sea salt

1 1/4 lb raw shrimp

boiled white rice, to serve

mix ingredients through water and transfer to a large saucepan. bring mixture to a boil, cover, and simmer gently for 7-8 minutes.

add the coconut milk and salt, bring to a simmer.

stir in the shrimp and cook briskly until they turn pink and are just cooked through. serve hot, garnished with chopped cilantro and accompanied by white rice.

blackberry-sour cream ice cream

i bought blackberries at the store not really knowing what i would do with them. i do believe i made the correct choice to pulverize them and turn them into a most delicious ice cream, the flavor of which i have never experienced in any ice cream before. i was inspired by lindsey's strawberry sour cream ice cream and wish i would have had cream on hand instead of half & half. but fiddle-de-dee! it was amazing anyway. and i borrowed this photo from http://myhusbandcooks.wordpress.com/ beacuse mine was gone before i could get a picture.

18 oz package blackberries

3/4 cup sugar

juice of 1 lime

1 cup sour cream (i'm just now imagining what it would have tasted like if i had use fage...mmm)

1 cup heavy cream or half & half

1/2 tsp. vanilla

pinch of salt

put blackberries in a blender or food processor and mix until completely liquified. press juice into large bowl through a fine mesh strainer to remove the seeds. add remaining ingredients and whisk until sugar is dissolved and mixture begins to thicken. refrigerate until very cold, the freeze in ice cream maker according to it's directions. put in freezer until firm, then enjoy every mother loving bite.

ratatouille, c'est bon, no?

when you have a garden and find that you have zucchini, tomatoes, bell peppers, herbs and eggplant coming out your ears, this is a fabulous way to use a bunch at a time and cut down on your surplus. even if you don't have a garden but your friends do, they won't notice a few missing vegetables... or you can go the honest route (boooring) and buy them at the farmers market.

the name ratatouille comes from the french word for "mix" and was previously used as a familiar term for any stew. this recipe follows the traditional version, with each ingredient being fried separately before the final simmering.

my photo doesn't do this dish justice, i had to use what i had on hand which did not include a yellow pepper or eggplant, so i threw in an extra zucchini. although not french, we like to top ours with a healthy dose of parmesan cheese, which as we all know, makes just about everything better. i served it with pine nut & apricot couscous.

4 tomatoes
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 yellow pepper, diced
1 eggplant, diced
2 zucchini, diced
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 bay leaf
3 thyme sprigs - left on stem
2 basil sprigs - left on stem
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tablespoon chopped parsley


score a cross in the top of each tomato, plunge into boiling water for 20 seconds and then peel the skin away from the cross, chop roughly.

heat the oil in a frying pan (i used my le cruset dutch oven and felt oh-so-french). add the onion and cook over low heat for 5 minutes. add the red and yellow peppers and cook, stirring for 4 minutes. remove from the pan and set aside.

fry the eggplant until lightly browned all over then remove from the frying pan. fry the zucchini until browned (depending on your pan, you may want to deglaze it with a little white wine before starting the eggplant or zucchini, just so the browned bits on the pan don't get too dark and make the dish taste burned) and then return the onion, peppers and eggplant to the pan. add the tomato paste, tomatoes, sugar, bay leaf, thyme and basil, stir will, cover and cook for 15 minutes. remove the bay leaf, thyme and basil.

mix together the garlic and parsley and add to the ratatouille at the last minute. stir and serve.

serves 4.

Salads, salads

When summer starts, all I want to make are salads for dinner--pretty much any kind. I thought I would share a few of mine and then you would share some of yours, since I need some more ideas.

This one from the picture (sorry not a great picture) is Rice and Black Bean Salad with Lime and Cumin Dressing (recipe below). It would be great with grilled meat but we just had it with tortilla chips (also good).

A few others we have had recently:

Sesame Noodles with Broccoli (super fast and good)

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1599610

The next idea came from Giada on Food Network. I did an Italian orzo salad with kielbasa type sausage (you could grill or saute or use a summer sausage like salami for that matter) and red peppers, tomatoes and a bunch of fresh herbs from the garden and lemon juice and olive oil. Bryce was happy to have something meaty.

Finally a potato salad with bacon, fresh peas, vinegar and olive oil over arugala blend.

Rice and Bean Salad

Ingredients
Rice:

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1 cup brown rice (I used brown basmati)

2 cups water

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed

1 avocado, diced (optional)

1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper

1/2 cup finely chopped green onions

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1 tablespoon minced seeded jalapeño pepper

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

2 small or 1 large tomato, diced

Dressing:

1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

6 tablespoons fresh lime juice

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons water

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 garlic clove, minced
Preparation: To prepare rice, heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add rice; cook 1 minute. Add 2 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat; uncover and cool to room temperature. Add corn and next 7 ingredients (corn through tomatoes).
To prepare dressing, Stir together all ingredients and stir into rice mixture.

Can't wait to hear your ideas!