Baked Chipotle Sweet Potato Fries

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I decided to try to shake things up a little.  We had burgers and fries the other day, and instead of russet potatoes, I decided to make fries out of sweet potatoes.

I don't know if I am going to do that again.  They turned out really soggy, even though I followed the directions on how to make them crispy.  Sigh.  We shall see.

They were really easy to make.  I chopped up a bunch of sweet potatoes into fry size.  I bought 4, and oh my goodness, that made so many fries!  I think 2 would be enough.

I put them in a bowl of cold water and let them sit for an hour or two.  I then tossed them in a mixture of chipotle chile, cornstarch, garlic and salt.

I tossed all of that in olive oil and tossed it in the oven.

I baked them for about 10 minutes and put them on a cooling rack.

They were incredibly tasty, but somewhat soggy.  And it made too many.

I am going to have to tweak the recipe to see if I can get them to not be so soggy.

They were good, but... meh.

Pink Sauced Beets

not my photo.  I got it here.

I always hated beets as a kid.  Basically because the only time I ever had beets was at Thanksgiving, and they were always pickled.  Blech.  I am very much not a fan of pickled beets.  The only thing that needs to be pickled are pickles.  End of story.

And then a month or two ago, my mother introduced me to non pickled beets.  I was surprised by the taste.  Yummy!  And so I went in search of some recipes for beets.  There really aren't many out there.  I was surprised.  And then my mother (the angel that she is) found this recipe for me.

What you need:

¼ cup sour cream

1 T vinegar

1 tsp finely chopped green onions

¾ tsp sugar

½ tsp salt

dash of cayenne

What you do:

combine above. Add to 2 ½ cups halved cooked beets drained. Heat slowly, stirring occasionally to coat beets evently. Do not boil. Serves 4-5.

Oh so good.  Try it!

Creamy Summertime Vegetables

Back into my groove again.  Can't wait to start the experimentation of new recipes again.  This week is chalk full of new experiences for the taste buds.  I decided to do a weekly menu again as that helps me with my budget.  This week we are going to enjoy the bounty of my cherry tree, and other summery foods.

I thought I would start off with a recipe I received in an email.  It looks delicious!

Creamy Summertime Vegetables This recipe works well with any mixture of veggies you find at your local farmer's market.  Get creative! 1.  Chop 6-8 cups of vegetables.  Good ones are carrots, asparagus, broccoli, green beans, snap peas, summer squash, zucchini, kale, cauliflower.  (you don't need them all, choose 2-4 different kinds for this dish). 2.  Sautee fresh minced garlic in 2 Tbls of olive oil on medium heat. 3.  Add 1 tsp of Indian Curry powder or ginger and mix thoroughly. 4.  Add 1 cup of vegetable or chicken broth and 1 cup ofcoconut milk to pot. 5.  Add chopped vegetables (reserve quick cooking ones like kale, spinach, or asparagus for later), bring to boil, and then simmer for 10 minutes. 6.  Add rest of vegetables for 3-5 minutes. 7.  Add 1 Tbls of dry basil (or a 1/4 cup fresh) to vegetables. 8.  Add sea salt to taste. 9.  Pour over bed of cooked brown rice.  Enjoy! I will take some pictures of it when I make it this week, and if they (the pictures) turn out, I will tack them onto the recipe.

Black Bean Burgers

Okay, so the black bean burgers were a huge hit. Again, I got this recipe from a blog called "Eat Food, Not Too Much, Mostly Plants" and I LOVE it.
I am merely putting the recipe here so I can reference it easily. That is what I am doing with all the good recipes I find. Just putting them here, so I can have a bunch to cook from. Once I get a ton, I will then make a cook book out of it. Good plan? I thought so.

Black Bean Burgers

These burgers are awesome! Cooking the onions and peppers over high heat helps to give the burgers a "grilled" flavor. I also added a little Liquid Smoke which gave it a great taste.

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, large dice
1 red bell pepper, large dice
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp. grill seasoning (such as McCormick Grill Mates)
salt and pepper to taste
2 cans black beans, rinsed and well drained
1 egg, beaten
3/4 c. Panko bread crumbs

Heat oil over medium-high heat until it is just starting to smoke. Add the onion and bell pepper and stir constantly to avoid scorching. When onions are golden brown, reduce heat to low; add garlic, grill seasoning and salt/pepper to taste. Stir occasionally until onions and peppers are softened.

In a food processor, pulse the onion and pepper mixture until finely chopped. Add the black beans, and process until the desired texture is achieved. TASTE the mixture at this point to check for seasonings. If necessary, add more salt or pepper.

Beat the egg in a large bowl. Add the bean mixture and the bread crumbs. Stir to combine. Use a large ice cream scoop to form balls, and shape into patties using wet hands. Place patties on an oiled baking sheet, and cook at 375 for 10 minutes. Flip the patties over, and cook for another 5-7 minutes. Avoid overcooking or the burgers will be dry.

Serve the burgers on crusty rolls with your favorite burger fixins'.