Southwestern Black Bean Burgers

J has been helping out in the kitchen a bit more lately since he has some free time right now. Last night, we made this yummy tuna casserole and black bean patties using the recipe below from the Moosewood Cookbook. I didn't know what to expect from the burgers since we had never made anything like them before. They were delicious! 

Make these on a day when you have some extra time on your hands because they do take a little while to put together. Also I recommend making salsa, pico de gallo, or guacamole to throw on top of them.

Southwestern Black Bean Burgers

from Moosewood Restaurant

Serves: 6

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 cup chopped onions

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

¼ teaspoon salt

Dash of ground black pepper

1 cup finely chopped mushrooms

1 cup grated carrots

1 fresh chile, minced or ¼ teaspoon cayenne

¼ cup orange juice

1 cup ground corn tortilla chips (Whirl tortilla chips in a food processor until they reach the consistency of coarse meal.

2 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°

Warm the oil in a skillet on medium-high heat

Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often.

Stir in the cumin, coriander, salt, and pepper and cook a couple of minutes until the onions soften.

Add the mushrooms, carrots, chiles, and orange juice.

Lower the heat to medium, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes or until tender.

While the vegetables cook, combine the ground tortilla chips, beans, and egg in a large bowl and mash well with a potato masher, or pulse in a food processor and then transfer to a blow.

When the vegetables are tender, drain, and stir into the bean mixture.

Form the burger mixture into six patties (a heaping ½ cup per burger), and place on a lightly oiled baking sheet.

Bake in a preheated 375° oven for 25 minutes, until firm and lightly crusted.

Notes

Serve on romaine, topped with tomato and avocado salsa, or optional Monterey Jack cheese.

Baked Lima Beans

We've all been feeling a bit under the weather this past week, especially J, who seems to have caught a nasty cold on the plane ride home. So, in true Manon style, I've been turning to the best form of medicine out there to help fight off the germs in our household: food. Yesterday, I made a hearty veggie soup with some root vegetables from our CSA box. Today, I threw together a chicken soup with some leftover chicken pieces we had. I also made these delicious beans, which turned out to be the perfect comfort food for the cloudy day we had today: 

Baked Lima Beans 
Adapted from: http://www.beardandbonnet.com/mediterranean-style-baked-lima-beans-gluten-free-vegan/

1/2 lb. dried lima beans (I used small ones but large would work too)
1 quart water
1 bay leaf
1 cup of vegetable or chicken broth or water
2 Tbs vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small yellow or white onion, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes (undrained)
2 tsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1/2 Tbsp agave nectar
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
freshly ground coarse black pepper

Rinse the lima beans and soak them overnight for 8 hours. In the morning, drain them and place them in a crockpot with fresh water (the water should cover the beans by about an inch or two). Cook them on low heat for about 6 or 7 hours or until tender.

When they are done cooking, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat the oil in a dutch oven or medium sauce pan. Add the garlic and onion, cook for about 3-4 minutes, stirring often. Add the tomatoes, stock, red wine vinegar, tomato paste, agave syrup, spices, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, and allow the mixture to simmer for 10 minutes so that the sauce thickens and the flavors meld together. After 10 minutes, mix in the lima beans and bay leaf (if using a dutch oven) and bake beans for 30 minutes (covered), stirring occasionally. If using a sauce pan, transfer the sauce to a casserole dish, mix in the beans and bay leaf, and bake (covered) for 30 minutes.

Remove the lid for the last 5-10 minutes to reduce the sauce a little bit more. Allow beans to cool for 10 minutes before serving. 

Serves 3-4

Enjoy!

10 Month Update: Where Has the Time Gone?

My beautiful baby girl is growing up so quickly. In just two short months, she will be turning a year old, and that is something that is hard for me to wrap my head around. We have spent the last three weeks in Los Angeles with both sets of grandparents and she already seems bigger, stronger, more coordinated, and more toddler-like than when we left the bay area just a few weeks ago.

They change so quickly at this age. It's exciting and a little bit sad at the same time. Each day, each little moment, seems so fleeting, like a feather blowing in the wind that is always within reach but never able to be caught. Early motherhood is a funny thing; the days drag on and on at times, and yet, when looking back, time seems to compress in a weird way. Memories are blurred, yet strangely distinct, and the whole thing feels like a movie you just fast-forwarded through. You catch glimpses of the important parts but you wish you could go back and pause time just for a minute to absorb the memory a little better.

I read a lot of mommy blogs these days. One of my favorites, Girl of Cardigan, has a beautiful post entitled “Why I Wear My Daughter—Because You Asked” (for those of you who don't have kids, “wearing” a baby refers to the practice of carrying the baby around in a sling or carrier, so they are attached to your body, rather than in a separate entity, like a stroller).

"I wear her because I prefer our hearts squarely leveled and the space between us perfectly sized for the whispering of secrets and the exchanging of smiles. I wear her because something of the days when we shared one body returns to us, and we are a unit, watching and interacting from the same vantage point...I wear her because my independent, wild, and magical girl is not the sort to cling to my lap in playgroups or resist being passed around rooms. She has never met a stranger, my extroverted wonderful child, and I wear her because the moments of “just us-ness” are fleeting and coveted and selfishly hoarded.  I wear her so I can send her out again, knowing she knows she will soon be back in my arms where I can whisper her secrets and nuzzle that noggin...I wear my daughter because life is short. These precious days when she is small and clutch-able, all tiny grabbing fingers and sweet baby kisses and that incredible incomparable head-smell – these days are mere minutes, here and gone and never to return."

This passage struck a chord with me because it reminded me so much of E. For the most part, my daughter is not the sort to fear being held by new people as long as she gets a chance to warm up to them a bit. She's not the sort to shy away from new situations and she's more independent than I like to admit. In new places, she ventures out confidently to explore, always looking back every now and then to make sure I am still there. I am proud of her confidence, and yet, each day that she grows a little less dependent on me is also a reminder of how quickly she is changing and how fast her first year of life is passing by.

I'm doing my best to journal often, record milestones, take pictures and videos, and relish this sweet time with my baby, but I know that all too soon, she will enter toddlerhood and I'll be chasing after her as she ventures bravely out into the big wide world.