Portobello and black bean burgers

In an effort to reduce our waste, save money and eat even better I have seriously cut back on our intake of meat. I normally only purchase ground turkey, chicken breasts, the occasional pork loin and ever more rare- the elusive ground beef (the good kind of course!) As the kid is mostly vegetarian at this time (Yippee!) I found myself not cooking it. He likes to help me cook and pick things up at the farmers market each Wed. Each wed. morning we go and pick up our CSA box (go Tanaka Farms!) and with excitement go through and see what are prizes are this week. Veggies have become everything that surrounds us.

For the most part we have been eating beans and grains with our veggies. A lot of black beans, quinoa and couscous or wild rice. Cheese is a big one as well! So, while I am no vegetarian (uh, BLAT pizza anyone?) I have decidedly decreased the amount of meat we eat. Wouldn't you know that our grocery bill has been cut in half- not that meat took up that much at all but it really helped us focus on our waste or needs versus wants. Plus, those organic good for you meats and darned expensive and I will not feed my family anything less than that. We love burgers and on the rare occasion we eat one- Father's Office anyone?- we are happy folks but I don't make them in the home much anymore. I have been searching for a veggie burger that holds together and tastes delicious. I think I have found it this time. The portobello's- which the kid eats like an apple- really help the hearty factor. You can change out the black beans for pinto, kidney- whatevs. I liked topping them off with cheese and a little BBQ sauce. I served up some simple steamed green beans tossed with lemon juice, garlic, olive oil and mustard. I don't want to forget, the recipe came from Self magazine. Normally I twist and turn a lot of recipes but I kept this one to the original- mostly and it came out perfect. Next time I plan on making some variations on it- maybe some soyrizo mixed in with cilantro? Yum!

Enjoy!

2 medium portobellos, diced
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced
1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 egg whites
1 tablespoon mustard
1 tablespoon soy sauce or Worcestershire
6 tablespoons dried breadcrumbs

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook mushrooms, onion and bell pepper, stirring occasionally, until pepper begins to soften, 4 to 5 minutes. Add beans, paprika, garlic powder and black pepper. Cook, smashing beans with the back of a spoon, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer mixture to a bowl and mix in eggs, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and breadcrumbs. Form into 4 patties. Wipe out skillet; heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat and cook burgers until brown and firm, 6 to 7 minutes per side.

southwestern stuffed tomatoes straight from the farm

this was so good and comforting. i had just picked up my co-op box yesterday and had plenty of tomatoes to add to my fridge already bursting with heirlooms, Roma's and beefsteaks. after scouring the internet for recipes i decided on stuffed tomatoes. i admit that it took until this year to really love a farm fresh, blood red, sweet and juicy tomato. the key is to get them straight from the source and a natural source at that. the ones you pick up in the market, even my beloved trader joes and my least fav these days whole foods.. they are bland and un-appealing. never will i purchase supermarket tomatoes.. yuck!

the flavors can be totally interchangeable for whatever your feeling.. italian style, greek, indian, etc. we had a hankering for mexican last night. i paired it with a saute of mixed squash and a brown rice medley from tj's.

enjoy!

(because blogger SUCKS, i have not been able to post pics. keep up the good work blogger, ha!)

6 firm, juicy farm fresh tomatoes
4 garlic cloves
1/2 an onion, chopped. i used spring onions. the green tops and the bulb since i have so many on hand.
1 bell pepper (i did use one pepper, however i think it was a bell pepper. it had more heat than a regular one and was slender and a reddish orange color. the flavor was a cross between a bell pepper and a jalapeno.)
1 lb fresh ground turkey
1 can organic kidney beans, drained and rinsed
generous seasonings of: ground cumin, chili powder, oregano, salt and pepper.
grated cheddar

preheat oven to 450F.

cut off tops of tomatoes. remove pulp and save in a bowl. i freeze mine for today's pasta sauce. sprinkle with salt and pepper and let sit upside down to drain.

in a bowl mix garlic thru seasonings. scoop out enough to fill tomato. i toss the top and fill mine high as the sky. its like a self contained mini meatloaf!

place tomatoes in a baking dish and sprinkle tops with cheddar. bake about 40-45 min.

remove and enjoy!