Black Bean Chili Burgers

I've made these twice in the past month or so. They are very good. The avocado and salsa/mayo mixture really make them pop. :)

Black Bean Chili Burgers

2 T. chili powder
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. cumin
2 lb. lean ground beef
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/3 c. plus 3 T. medium salsa
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1/2 c. light mayonnaise
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced

Combine chili powder, garlic powder, and cumin in a small nonstick skillet. Cook over medium heat for 2 minutes, until fragrant. Remove from heat.
Mash beans with a potato masher.
In a large bowl, combine ground beef, black beans, spice mixture, onion, 1/3 c. salsa, salt, and pepper. Mix well.
Coat burgers with nonstick cooking spray. Grill 4 minutes, then flip over and grill another 4 minutes or until an instant read meat thermometer registers 140 degrees in the thickest part of the burger.
Combine 3 T. salsa and mayonnaise.
Serve on toasted buns with the avocado and salsa/mayo mixture.

Occupo victus!!!
Paula

Seize the Food

Upon closing my last post, I realized that I wanted to have a little saying that I use to end each post. I have decided that my little saying is "Seize the Food" in Latin, which according to the English to Latin translator, is Occupo Victus.
I love to eat and the thought of seizing my food excites me. :)
More to come soon.
Occupo Victus!
Paula

Veggie Pull Apart Bread

Two days ago, I set out to make veggie pull apart bread. I've made it many times, but this time in particular, time got away from me and I had to suspend my bread making efforts for the day. I put my dough in the refrigerator, covered it with plastic wrap, punched it down a couple of times Wednesday afternoon, and yesterday morning, I picked up where I left off. I wasn't sure what to expect because I've never left yeast dough in the frig for that long, but it turned out very well!!
The recipe was in a Quick Cooking magazine several years ago and I double it. This is the doubled recipe.

Veggie Pull Apart Bread
3 T. butter, melted
1 c. very warm water
1 c. sour cream, room temperature (I use light or fat free)
6 T. sugar
1 T. salt
5 1/2-6 c. flour*
1 T. yeast
Vegetable mixture:
1 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 c. chopped celery
1 c. chopped green pepper
1 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. butter
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Place butter, water, sour cream in a mixing bowl. Add sugar, salt, 2 c. flour, and yeast. Mix dough on medium setting with dough hooks. Add flour to make a soft, but not sticky dough. Continue kneading with dough hooks for 6-7 minutes.
Let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
Meanwhile, in a skillet, saute celery, green pepper, and onions in butter. Remove from heat and stir in bacon and cheese.
Punch down dough and divide into 36 balls. Dip into the vegetable mixture. Place in a 9 inch fluted tube pan. Let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake at 350 for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown.

*When I bake, I usually grind wheatberries and use the flour for part of my recipe. This one in particular has 2 c. of freshly ground wheat flour. The rest is all purpose flour.

Paula

Fish Tacos

Last year, my mother-in-law took my sisters-in-law and me to Hawaii to celebrate her 70th birthday. On the evening we flew home, we visited a little mexican restaurant in Kahului, not far from the airport. I had fish tacos there and they were DELICIOUS!!!
This week, I have been thinking a lot about Hawaii. It's cold, snowy, and just nasty in general here, so that's where my mind has traveled. I found a fish taco recipe on allrecipes.com that I tried out. They didn't really taste like the ones in Maui, but they were good and definitely worth posting!

Fish Tacos
1 c. flour
2 T. cornstarch
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg
1 c. beer

1/2 c. plain yogurt
1/2 c. mayonnaise
1 lime, juiced
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
1 tsp. minced capers
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. dried dill weed
1/2 tsp.-1 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 qt. oil for frying
1 lb. cod fillets, cut into 1 inch cubes
12 oz. pkg. corn tortillas
1/2 head cabbage finely shredded*

White sauce: In a medium bowl mix together yogurt and mayonnaise. Gradually stir in lime juice, then season with jalapeno, capers, oregano, cumin, dill, and cayenne.

Beer batter: In a large bowl combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Blend egg and beer, then quickly stir into the flour mixture.

Heat oil in a deep fryer to 375.

Dust fish lightly with flour. Dip into beer batter and fry until crisp and golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Lightly fry tortillas, but not too crisp.
To serve, place fish in tortilla, top with shredded cabbage, and white sauce.

*When I made mine, I sauteed the cabbage for a few minutes in bacon grease. Everything is better with bacon. ;)


Bon appetite!!
Paula, aka Polar Bear

New Blog!!

This is my new blog dedicated to FOOD!!!
I will be posting recipes, my critiques of recipes I've tried, and anything else related to food that I feel like blogging about.
ENJOY!!!
Paula :)