Lentil Goat Cheese Burgers

Inspiration:
Cara's Cravings

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups water
  
• 1/2 cup dried lentils
  
• 1 bay leaf
  
• 1 teaspoon olive oi
  
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
  
• 2 ounces goat cheese
  
• 1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
  
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
  
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
  
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
  
• 3/4 teaspoon paprika
  
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
  
• 1 large egg white, lightly beaten
• whole grain rolls
• lemon-shallot vinaigrette, or other sauce, and lettuce for serving
  

Instructions:

1. Place first 3 ingredients in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes or until tender; drain. Discard bay leaf. Place lentils in a large bowl; partially mash with a fork. Cool slightly.
   
2. Heat oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; saute 5 minutes or until tender. Cool slightly.
   
3. Add onion mixture, cheese, and remaining ingredients to lentils; stir well to combine. Cover and chill 45 minutes.
4. Divide mixture into 3-4 equal portions, shaping each into a 1/2-inch-thick patty.Heat a grill pan coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Cook patties 5 minutes on each side or until done.

Notes: I *loved* these! I loved the flavor combination--thanks, Cara. Tim is not a big fan of goat cheese, so I made this for myself while he was gone. I kept half of the onion-lentil mixture out when mixing in the egg, breadcrumbs, and cheese. He ate it later as a salad and enjoyed it.

One more note: I obviously used yellow lentils. Don't be alarmed if you use green lentils and your burgers look totally different.

Liz's Rating: 9.5/10
Tim's Rating: n/a

Tim Cooks: Sloppy Buffalo Joes

Inspiration:
Rachael Ray

me: I think I have a recipe you might want to make for lunch.
Tim: Frozen pizza?
me: No, Sloppy Joes.
Tim: I LOVE SLOPPY JOES.
me: I know. These are a bit different. They are a buffalo chicken Sloppy Joe, from Rachael Ray.
Tim: Sigh. Do I have to listen to her yammering?
me: No, I printed out the recipe. I'll even chop the veggies.
Tim: Good.
me: :)


Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 pounds ground chicken
  
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped or grated
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup hot sauce (recommended: Frank's Red Hot)
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 8 good quality burger rolls, split and toasted
• 1 cup blue cheese crumbles
• 2 large dill pickles, chopped

Instructions:

1. Heat a large skillet with extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. Add meat and break it up with wooden spoon, cook 5 to 6 minutes. Add in carrots, celery, onions and garlic, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, cook 7 to 8 minutes more. In a bowl combine the vinegar, sugar, Worcestershire, hot sauce, tomato sauce and stock. Pour into the pan and stir to combine. Simmer a few minutes more. Pile sloppy Buffalo filling onto buns and top with blue cheese and chopped pickles.

Liz's Notes: We made a half recipe.
Tim's Notes: Add some Tabasco if you like spicy food.

Liz's Rating: 8.5/10
Tim's Rating: 9.5/10

And here's Tim's artistic shot:

"Spicy" Chickpea Soup

Inspiration:
Food & Wine

Ingredients:

• Two 19-ounce cans chickpeas, drained
• One 13.5-ounce can light coconut milk
• One 14.4-ounce can whole tomatoes, drained and chopped (1/2 cup)
• 1/4 cup naturally sweetened apple juice
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 cup chicken stock or low-sodium broth
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt
• 2 scallions, green parts only, thinly sliced

Instructions:

1. In a blender, combine the drained chickpeas with the coconut milk, chopped tomatoes, apple juice, cilantro leaves, garam masala and ground ginger and puree the mixture until smooth.
2. Transfer the puree to a medium saucepan. Stir in the chicken stock and bring to a simmer over moderately high heat. Season with salt and black pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls, top with the yogurt and scallion greens and serve.

Notes:
I didn't think this was spicy at all. There isn't anything spicy in the ingredient list. (?) Anyway, it was tasty, but the texture wasn't the best. I used my 11-cup food processor, and I exceeded the "maximum fill line" for liquids, so I caused a little bit of a mess. Don't make my mistake. :)

Tim's Rating: 8/10
Liz's Rating: 8/10

Chicken Biryani

Inspiration/Ingredients/Instructions:
Cooking Light

Notes: I have always wanted to make Biryani, and when I saw it in Cooking Light, I decided it was time. This was a pretty simple recipe and it smells and tastes great.

Tim's Rating: 8.5/10
Liz's Rating: 8/10

TWD: Savory Corn and Pepper Muffins

Inspiration:
A Tuesdays with Dorie recipe chosen by Rebecca of Ezra Pound Cake and found on page 6 of Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan.

Notes:
These were really, really good. A bit crumbly. I omitted the bell pepper and added extra corn. We enjoyed them with big bowls of Cumin Chili.
Tim's Rating: 9/10
Liz's Rating: 8.5/10

Fondue Party

My friend Lindsay is a real foodie. She's one of those super talented people that you can call up and ask her how to make something totally random, and she'll probably know. Check out her new blog and add it to your Google Reader. I am sure we will all get some great ideas from her.

Lindsay was lucky (and smart) enough to be temporarily relocated to Switzerland last summer for work. While there, she picked up a fondue pot. We finally got around to having a fondue party this past weekend, which was perfect for our subzero temperatures.

Menu:

• wine and beer
  
• green salad with lemon-shallot vinaigrette
• cheese fondue: emmental, gruyere, kirsch, white wine, and cornstarch
• dipping items:
• crusty bread
• cornichons
• pickled onions
• boiled waxy potatoes
• roasted Brussels sprouts
• sliced Honeycrisp and Granny Smith apples
• Meringues
  

Spicy Black Bean Hummus

Inspiration:
Maureen Redmond, featured in Cooking Light

Ingredients:

• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon tahini (roasted sesame seed paste)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 small jalapeño pepper, chopped (about 2 tablespoons)
• Dash of crushed red pepper
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Dash of ground red pepper
• Chips or veggies, for dipping
  

Instructions:

1. Using a mini food processor, finely chop garlic. Add next six ingredients and pulse until hummus texture. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with red pepper flakes.
   

Liz's Rating: 8/10
Tim's Rating: 8/10