The Cooking Streak: Double Bean Burgers with Spicy Basil Avocado Cream

Since day 4 of the cooking streak involved the mass consumption of cheese (see Spinach Zucchini Lasagna), I needed to return to healthier, more low key ways for evening number 5. After careful consideration, I decided on a compromise between proper football watching eats and healthy hippiedom- the double bean burger.

Double Bean Burgers with Basil Avocado Cream
Adapted from How Sweet It Is
Servings: 4 large patties
Time: 20 minutes

Soon this mush will be transformed into goodness

Burger
15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
15 oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
3 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2-1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2-1 tsp onion powder
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Red chili flakes to taste
1 large egg + 1 egg white, beaten
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
Olive oil
Toasted buns

Spicy, creamy perfection

Spicy Basil Avocado Cream
2/3 cup sour cream
1 avocado
10 basil leaves
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Red chili flakes to taste
Sriracha to taste

1. Mash the beans together in a large bowl.
2. Stir in the cilantro, garlic, smoked paprika, onion powder, salt, pepper, and red chili flakes.
3. In a separate bowl, mix the beaten eggs and panko together.
4. Combine the panko egg mix with the beans until well incorporated.
5. Form the bean mixture into patties.
6. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the patties for 3-5 minutes per side until a nice crust forms.
7. While the burgers are going, combine the sour cream, avocado, basil leaves, salt, pepper, red chili flakes, and sriracha together in a food processor or blender until smooth. 
8. Serve the burgers topped with the avocado basil cream on toasted buns.

Success! It looks like an actual patty!

Herbs were the key to this burger's deliciousness. The patty itself may have been primarily beans, but the cilantro really stood out. As for the cream, the powerful basil made its mark in a wonderfully smooth yet sneakily spicy sauce that helped even out the somewhat dry burger. Be careful when making this to get a good crust on the patty and a nice toast to the bun, or you may end up with quite the mushy mess on your hands. In the end, this was one non-traditional burger that really managed to pack in the flavor for a unique and filling meal.

The Cooking Streak: Spinach and Zucchini Lasagna

Momentum seemed to be building as my cooking streak hit 3 days last night, but if I was going to make it 4 straight, I was gonna need help. With my kitchen in shambles from the nonstop bombardment of pumpkin cheesecake muffins, veggie stroganoff, and my Indian extravaganza, I required a new workspace (maybe I should just move whenever the pots and pans pile up). Naturally, I decided to take over the kitchen of Kevin, the man who I used to take advantage of count on to keep my kitchen clean. But the great cooking streak bandwagon wasn't done yet. We also got a hand from new friend to the blog, Michaela, who is as renowned for her skill of stealing her sister's mandolin as she is for her gluten-allergy.

Could the three of us work together to create the perfect noodle-free lasagna, or would Kevin's shiny new kitchen be reduced to a pile of rubble?

Spinach and Zucchini Lasagna
Adapted from Primavera Kitchen
Servings 8-10
Time: 90 minutes

Is there anything Kevin can't do?

2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes w/ juice
4 baby carrots, shredded
Red Chili flakes to taste
Oregano to taste
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 tbsp chopped fennel
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
3 cups spinach
15 oz. ricotta
1 large egg
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 medium zucchini sliced 1/8" thick
16 oz shredded mozzarella cheese

If your'e lazy, just dip garlic bread repeatedly in this sauce.

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F.
2. Saute the onions and mushroom in olive oil over medium heat until soft and translucent (6-8 minutes).
3. Add the garlic and saute for an additional 2 minutes.
4. Stir in the tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, shredded carrots, oregano, red chili flakes, salt and pepper.
5. Cover and bring to a low simmer for 20 minutes. Then add the fennel and let cook for an additional 5 minutes. 
6. Remove from heat and add basil and spinach, incorporating well.
7. Mix the ricotta, Parmesan and egg together in a medium bowl.
8. Coat the bottom of a 9x12 casserole dish with the sauce.
9. Layer 5-6 zucchini slices to cover.
10. Make another layer of the ricotta cheese mix and mozzarella.
11. Repeat until you run out of room.
12. Top with sauce and mozzarella.
13. Bake 50 minutes covered (turning once) and 10 minutes uncovered. You want a delicate balance between the noodles being malleable but not mushy and the cheese not being burnt. 
14. Let cool for 10 minutes before eating.

Sadly, the foil took away a large chunk of cheese in the middle. This cheese still somehow managed to make its way into my stomach.

A lot of work may have gone into this lasagna, but it was absolutely worth it. The sauce was spot on with the perfect blend of Italian spices, that heat from the chili flakes, and the wonderful substance provided by the spinach and mushrooms. Zucchini was a superb noodle substitute (plus the term "zoodle" is pretty fun to say), but the real star (as it should be) was all of the glorious cheese. The ricotta/Parmesan combo was as satisfying as anything you'll find this side of manicotti, and the mozzarella provided all the gooey, stretchy cheese fun your clogged heart desires. This dish may not have gone a long way toward my goal of turning 30 in the best shape of my life, but it at least made sure I'll be a lot more satisfied when I do.

And now the stages of lasagna making!

1) The layering stage- a time of so much hope and promise.

2) The assembled stage- when you realize you still have over an hour before you eat and get sad.

3) The longing stage- note: be careful not to burn yourself on the oven.

4) The fall apart stage- because screw you, Pinterest, that's why!

The Cooking Streak Continues: Aloo Gobi

Last night's dinner was a little too simple to truly enjoy thanks to my penchant for multitasking and stressing myself out. If I was going to extend the cooking streak to three days, I was going to need something to properly wreck my kitchen and double as my exercise for the night. Given my love of all things Indian (see: The Triple C, Vegetarian Korma, and Robin), I knew exactly how to complicate dinner to perfection. I would make my favorite bhendi and garlic naan to go along with newcomer aloo gobi and stress my tiny apartment kitchen to its limits (I'm quite ready to have the house full time).

Aloo Gobi
Adapted from Love and Lemons
Servings: 4
Time: 35 minutes

Poor tofu had to wait all alone for so long

1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup firm tofu, drained well and cubed
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 small yellow potatoes, chopped into small cubes
3 tsp curry powder (plus more for tofu)
1 tsp cardamom (plus more for tofu)
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp grated ginger
1/3 cup water
1 small head cauliflower, cut into small florets
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup frozen peas
2 handfuls spinach
Juice of 1 lime
Cilantro
Red chili flakes to taste
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste

Just one of 3 pots I had going at once all for myself.

1. Sear the tofu in the olive oil over medium heat with a mixture of salt, pepper, curry powder, cardamom and red chili flakes.  Cook for about 2-3 minutes per side until a light crust forms. Set aside.
2. In a large pan, saute the onions in coconut oil over medium heat until tender and translucent.
3. Stir in the curry powder, salt, black pepper, cardamom, and cumin and coat well.
4. Add in the ginger, garlic, and potatoes. Stir once then let cook for 3-5 minutes without stirring.
5. Pour in the water, cover, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Let simmer 10-15 minutes until the potatoes become tender and the water is evaporated.
6. Mix in the cauliflower and cook until tender 5-8 minutes.
7. Add the coconut milk, peas, spinach, and lime and simmer for 5 minutes.
8. Stir in the cilantro and tofu to warm it back up. Adjust the seasoning and serve with naan.

So many things going on, but all of them working perfectly together for awesome veggie overload.

Aloo gobi was a fantastic compliment to the spicy bhendi and warm, comforting garlic naan. The potatoes, tofu, and cauliflower add much needed heartiness, while the peas and coconut milk bring just the slightest bit of sweetness. The curry and cardamom fuse it all together for a dish that tastes just as amazing as it smells and holds its own in the inevitable mixing of all components that is essential to any good Indian meal. 

Okra: an all-star in Cajun, Indian, and BBQ.

Stay tuned to see if I can extend the streak to four- a feat unheard of since the good old unemployment days of yore.

It's so pretty, multiple angles were required.

15 Minute Vegetarian Stroganoff

Following yet another Sunday of absurd food and alcohol (see Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Muffins) and a conversation with my sister who had just watched Fed Up, I decided it was time to take some action if I had any hopes of hitting my goal of being in the best shape of my life when I turn 30 in less than 9 months (which, given my eating habits during my near constant work travel, is quite the optimistic goal). Step one involves cooking more (and better) for myself (and all you faithful readers who have surely felt like your lives were missing something vital lately), while step two includes finding the time and energy to work out a lot more than I have been. So begins the quest to get back in shape (thanks, stupid ACLs).

Vegetarian Stroganoff
Adapted from Amuse Your Bouche
Servings: 3
Time: 15 minutes

I was almost certain the pan would overflow

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
12 oz baby bella mushrooms, sliced thin
1 package Gardein beefless tips
1/4-1/2 cup vegatable stock
1 tbsp smoked paprika
Black pepper to test
Red chili flakes to taste
salt to taste
Vegetarian Worcestershire sauce (Annie's has one)
3 tbsp reduced fat sour cream
Parsley (optional)
Noodles or rice

1. Saute the onion, garlic, mushrooms, and beefless tips in olive oil over medium heat for 5-10 minutes until softened.
2. Stir in the veggie stock, smoked paprika, black pepper, red chili flakes, salt and vegetarian Worcestershire sauce (normal has anchovies in it). Cook for an additional 5 minutes.
3. Mix in the sour cream and parsley when ready to serve. 
4. Scoop on top of rice or noodles and enjoy.
5. Spend more time writing the blog post than cooking the meal.

Properly cooked down goodness.

In order to begin my more frequent cooking quest, I was going to have to find something tasty and fast. This stroganoff seemed like just the ticket. In half the time it takes to watch a sitcom, I had a hearty, healthy meal ready to devour. The dish had a great hint of smokiness from the paprika and a little kick from the red chili flakes, but it had a few areas that needed improvement. I made the mistake of buying the mushrooms pre-sliced, which led to them being a little too thick and taking over a lot of bites. Additionally, the texture of the rice was less than ideal, and the dish would have greatly benefited from some slippery noodles. All-in-all, though, the dish was definitely worth the (lack of) effort and deserves a second test run with the new insight.

Check back tomorrow night as I attempt to hit a streak of three straight days of cooking with aloo gobi.

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Muffins

Today's edition of the Crystal Balls VI League's weekly meeting of grown men yelling at multiple TVs while incessantly checking their fantasy teams on their phone was sponsored by the always wonderful hosts Danielle and Marshall. Instead of the normal theme of meat and beer, they decided to class things up with a brunch theme complete with mimosas and absurdly decadent creme brulee French toast. For my contribution, I thought I'd show my appreciation to host Danielle and her gluten allergy by stepping up my baking game and braving the world of gluten-free cooking.

Would my gluten-free Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake muffins hit the spot, or would brunch be ruined forever?

Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Muffins
Adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction
Servings: 12 muffins
Time: 60 minutes + cooling

Crumb goop!

Crumble Topping
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Muffins
1 3/4 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Spiced!

1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup canola oil
1/3 cup milk
1 tbsp vanilla extract

Cheesecake Filling
8 oz cream cheese, softened to room temp.
1 egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp granulated sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 425 F. Line a muffin tin.
2. Make the crumble by mixing the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon together. Then stir in the melted butter until crumbs form (Note: mine just kind of turned into super wet dough, making me wonder if gluten-free flour isn't up to this task. But, it's still butter and sugar, so it can only add flavor). Set aside.
3. Make the pumpkin muffins. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice together in a large bowl.
4. Whisk the brown sugar and eggs together until smooth. Mix in the pumpkin puree, oil, milk, and vanilla until well combined.
5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ones and whisk until just combined.
6. Make the cream cheese filling by beating the cream-cheese in an electric mixer until smooth. Add in the egg yolk, vanilla extract and sugar until well combined.
7. Layer the muffin and cheesecake as such: 1 tbsp muffin batter-> ~1/2-3/4 tbsp cream cheese filling-> 1 tbsp muffin batter. Note: this will fill up the muffin tins to very close to the top, which you want in this case. Top with the crumble.
8. Bake for 5 minutes at 425 F. Lower the temperature to 350 (keeping the muffins in) and bake for an additional 12-15 minutes or until the toothpick test comes out clean (or nearly clean as you might get some melty cream cheese).
9. Let the muffins cool in their tin for 10 minutes then transfer to wire racks and finish cooling.
10. Enjoy autumn in style.

Note: one person would attempt to put the Whataburger Honey Butter on top of the muffins because Texas!

These muffins hit all the right autumnal notes I was looking for. The incredibly moist cake had just the right, powerful amount of pumpkin and spice to make you think you were having your favorite fall Starbucks treat, while the layer of cheesecake added a velvety richness making these worthy of even the most critical brunch-goer's Sunday Funday. My only complaint was that the crumble didn't really live up to its name, but, hey, added butter and sugar never hurt anyone.... The muffins were a huge hit, and I managed to not cross-contaminate them in my gluten-bomb of a kitchen meaning Danielle and her equally gluten-averse sister (now that's good genes!) were able to enjoy them. Now that I've recovered from the most wonderful of full belly lazy Sunday afternoon naps, I'm just hoping I can get my hands on that creme brulee French toast recipe.

Danielle was very relieved that these muffins were gluten-free and that she had just gotten a fresh manicure.

Labor Day Root Beer Pulled Pork or the Time I Learned to Use a Pressure Cooker

For Labor Day, I promised myself I would find the time and energy to get some quality cooking in. Thanks to rediscovering Final Fantasy VII and having spent the weekend being social with an old friend in town, this energy and effort was gonna have to be minimal, so slow cooking pulled pork seemed like the natural way to go. But when hunger (and Kevin) came calling, slow cooking just wouldn't suffice. We were gonna have to brave the feared pressure cooker.

Would we end up with melt in your mouth BBQ sandwiches, or would our day be ruined by something resembling baby food and a giant hole in my kitchen?

Root Beer Pulled Pork
Modified from Food Network
Time: 90 minutes
Servings: 8-10 sandwiches

Soon you will be delicious

Pulled Pork
3 lb pork tenderloin, cut into large pieces
1-2 tbsp salt
Ground black pepper
Red chili flakes
12-16 oz root beer (I used Barq's)
4 oz liquid smoke (I used mesquite)
1 small onion, diced
Whole garlic cloves
Oil for browning

Sauce and soda: together at last

Sauce
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup molasses
1-2 tsp garlic powder
4-8 oz root beer
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp liquid smoke
Ground pepper to taste
Salt to test
Cayenne pepper to taste

Fixins
Onions- regular or pickled, sliced
Pickles
Buns (I used these baguette buns)

The pork is so tender that you won't work up a sweat getting it this perfectly pulled.

The right bread is key.

1. Get really sad that you were lazy to start your day, and now won't be able to eat until 9 pm.
2. Have your cooking buddy come to your rescue by suggesting you try using a pressure cooker, and then trick him into buying one.
3. Learn how to use your pressure cooker so as not to have it explode. I highly recommend getting an electric one that does pretty much everything for you. There are several kinds of pressure cookers, so be sure you know how yours works.
4. Heat oil over medium-high heat, and use it to brown the pork and saute the onions until a nice color and crust start to form on the pork.
5. Add the pork, onions, red chili flakes, salt, pepper, liquid smoke, garlic and root beer to your pressure cooker (Note: levels of liquid required may vary by size of the pressure cooker but this worked well for our 6 quart one. Also, never start a pressure cooker without liquid).
6. Set your cooker to high pressure for 60 minutes (again be sure to follow whatever safety measures yours requires). When time has finished, allow the pressure to fully release before opening (I let it slow release for ~ 10 minutes then used the quick release valve to finish it off).
7. Remove the pork and pull apart with two forks. Reserve the remaining cooking juice.
8. Prepare the sauce by simmering all the ingredients together until smooth and all carbonation bubbles have been removed.
9. Prepare your sandwich by loading up a bun with pulled pork, onions, pickles, sauce and reserved cooking juice.
10. Bow before the awesome power of the pressure cooker.
11. Note: if you just want to do this with a slow cooker, let it cook covered over low heat for 8 hours and be careful not to let the anticipation build up to unsafe levels.

The sandwich would still be amazing bare bones like so.

Our first experience with a pressure cooker could not have gone better. We managed to cut the time down by 7 hours, while still getting unbelievably tender and juicy pulled pork (seriously this fell apart when you touched it). The pork itself had beautiful flavor with the liquid smoke really coming through to help mask the fact that we didn't spend 8 hours smoking it, and the root beer added some subtle sweetness and acidity. The chili flakes added a fun little kick and the pickles gave that vinegary smack that helps define a good pulled pork. My second try at the baguette buns was even more incredible than my first effort (see Banh Mi Burgers) as I generated a fantastic outer crust, but the pork was so good on its own that the bun isn't even required. The only real disappointment was the sauce, which came out like a fairly standard sweet BBQ sauce (which isn't to say it was bad, it just could have been better). I would highly recommend going to a more traditional heavy vinegar sauce for maximum enjoyment (or just smother on the pickled onions) and adding some more heat as well since that got lost once the full sandwich was assembled.

I'm a little disappointed that I didn't stack the pulled pork all the way to the heavens, but I was worried about dropping it on the ground.

Now if you'll excuse us, Kevin and I will spend the rest of the week plotting all the amazing things we're going to make with our newfound toy.