Try Something New

Reagan was in Chicago this past week and weekend, so that means I tried out some new recipes.  Kind of like the soup I made last time he went out of town, these weren't exactly man-friendly recipes.

First up, we have Black Bean Quinoa Burgers from Clean Eating Chelsey.  The burgers were actually a lot more involved than I anticipated, but I have to say they turned out great. 

Black Bean Quinoa Burgers (makes 6-7 large burgers)
from Clean Eating Chelsey

• 3 cups (or 2-15 oz cans) of prepared black beans
• 2/3 cup quinoa, dry
• 2/3 cup water
• 2/3 cup vegetable broth
• 1/4 white onion
• 3 baby carrots (I think about the equivalent of 1/2 of a regular carrot?)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. granulated garlic
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
• sprinkle of sea salt

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan, bring 2/3 cup quinoa, 2/3 cup water, and 2/3 cup vegetable broth to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat and cover for 15-20 minutes until all liquid has been absorbed. Remove from the heat and let the quinoa cool 5-10 minutes
2. Place quinoa and remaining ingredients in a food processor. Pulse the food processor until the ingredients are combined, but not smooth or pureed. The burger should hold together nicely in your hands if you want to check to see if your consistency is okay.
3. Using your hands, shape 6-7 equal sized burgers. Heat a greased skillet to medium high heat and cook for 6-8 minutes on each side, flipping once.

**At this point, I put my burgers on the grill to “bake” the insides a little more so they would stay together a bit better. If you aren’t grilling, I would say to cook them in a 375 degree oven for 5-10 minutes to cook the centers of the burgers a bit more. It’s not 100% necessary, but my burgers did stay together a bit better!
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days or freeze leftovers. Enjoy!

My parents came to visit this weekend! (Number one reason why Lubbock is great!) Since I had houseguests, I cooked our favorite Maple Ginger Pork Chops. 

Maple Ginger Pork Chops

The recipe was not new to me, but it was new to my parents and grandma.

Last, but not least, my mom and I decided to try out a Glowing Green Smoothie.  I've read a lot about Kimberly Snyder and her eating philosophy.  Since I have so many eating restrictions now, I'm interested in what people eat that have similar restrictions or lifestyles. 

Glowing Green Smoothie

I sent Reagan the above picture and he asked if it was chimichurri sauce. I wish.

The verdict on the smoothie: not for me. It has celery in it, and I hate celery. I thought the other ingredients may camouflage the celery (umm.... 8 CUPS of spinach?!) but no such luck.

I immediately made brownies. Much better! Pin It