Simple black bean burgers with a side of healthy

Black bean burger topped with pineapple salsa & avocado

True Food Kitchen's raw vegetable bouquet with tzatziki

I love a good homemade black bean burger. I love them so much that I have written about them before (here). With a few simple ingredients, most of which I have on-hand, I can forget about eating meat for a night without hesitation. That’s actually most nights for me. Who needs meat when you have filling fiber & protein rich black beans topped with avocado as a substitute? On the side of my burger, I enjoy raw veggies & tzatziki dip as inspired by the uber healthy True Food Kitchen Cookbook. Those traveling to or residents of Phoenix, Colorado, San Diego & LA can have TFK's bounty year round but for those of us inland, TFK's cookbook is a good substitute for the health conscious home cook. To round out the meal I garnished my black bean burger with a simple pineapple salsa & avocado.

For a stunning party presentation as seen in the second photo, serve the veggies with the tzatziki dip in a big bowl or colander. This idea was taken straight from the True Foods Kitchen in Phoenix. I couldn't resist sharing. I hope you do too!

Black Bean Burgers with Avocado & Pineapple Salsa

Burgers:
6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
1 small carrot, peeled and shredded or chopped (about ½ cup)
1 15oz can black beans, rinsed & drained (I like Whole Food's 365 brand no-salt added)
½ cup cornmeal
½ cup bread crumbs (I use whole wheat which I keep in my freezer)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
¼ cup of water
1 avocado, sliced
1/2 cup store bought or fresh made pineapple or mango salsa

Black bean burger instructions:

1. In a large non-stick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add onions and let cook, stirring often, until tender & slightly caramelized, about 10 minutes. Add in the carrots & a pinch of kosher salt. Cook until carrots become soft, about 5-10 additional minutes, again stirring often to prevent a burnt mess. Transfer onion mixture to a large bowl.

2. Add beans, cornmeal, breadcrumbs, chili powder, salt, cilantro and water to the bowl with onion mixture. Use a large spoon, fork or your hands to mash it all together. If the mixture is too dry to hold together, add water, 1 tablespoon at a time.

3. Using your hands, form the bean mixture into 6 equal sized patties. In a nonstick or cast iron skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat and pan-fry 3 patties for about 3 minutes on each side, until lightly browned and crisp. Before pan-frying the remaining 3 patties add the last 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the skillet and once heated, begin cooking the patties 3 minutes per side. Serve on toasted whole wheat buns with salsa, sliced avocado & a side of raw veg with tzatziki dip.

Serves 6
Black bean burger recipe from Chloe's Kitchen

Note: black bean burgers freeze well. Freeze each on a parchment lined sheet tray. Once frozen pop them into a Ziploc & defrost individually as needed.

Raw Veggies & Tzatziki

Tzatziki dip:
1/2 cup low-fat mayonnaise
1 cup 2% Greek yogurt
1-2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
1 scallion, minced
1 jalapeno, seeded & minced
Zest & juice of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Seasonal veggies of your choice:
green and yellow green beans (blanched)
snow peas
broccoli stems
thin asparagus spears, tough ends snapped off
cherry tomatoes
long and thin carrots or baby carrots
cucumbers, cut in half lengthwise
Red and white Belgium endive, separated into spears

Dip instructions:

1. In a bowl, whisk together the mayo & yogurt. Whisk in the remaining dip ingredients. Taste & adjust seasoning. Chill & serve as desired.

Makes 2 1/2 cups
Recipe from True Food Kitchen

Simple Chinese chicken salad

The finished dish - Chinese chicken salad

blanching snap peas



napa cabbage 



rainbow radish

peeling ginger with the back of a spoon

salad ready to be tossed with miso sesame dressing

By this point in the winter season, I have had my fill of stews, braises and other comforting one pot meals. Now it's time to start thinking about spring! Lighten up your dinner table with a crunchy, colorful and slightly nutty Chinese chicken salad. This is no Wolfgang Puck Chinese chicken salad nor is it a riff my favorite from Comforts in San Anselmo, California. Rightfully so, those salads have serious followings. They are destination salads with a sweetness I enjoy but dare not touch. Instead, my version of a Chinese chicken salad has been influenced by a sugar snap pea salad from the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook which also happens to be this month's cookbook project. Enjoy!

Chinese Chicken Salad
1 pre-cooked rotisserie chicken, meat shredded
1/2 lb sugar snap peas

1/2 lb napa cabbage, leaves stacked & cut into thin strips (3 cups)

5 romaine lettuce leaves, shredded like cabbage

1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted

2 radishes, quartered & thinly sliced

3 scallions, thinly sliced on the bias

1 tablespoons sesame seeds, well toasted (heat a dry skillet over medium high heat, shaking pan constantly, until golden brown, about 4 minutes)

1/2 cup shredded carrots (or grate one medium carrot)
1 seedless tangerine, peeled and split into sections (or use canned)

Sesame-miso dressing

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1 clove garlic, peeled

2 tablespoons miso paste or low-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste) or 1 tbsp creamy peanut butter

1 tablespoon honey

1/3 cup rice vinegar

2 tablespoons sesame oil

2 tablespoons olive oil

1. In a large bowl, place shredded/chopped chicken. Set aside.
2. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Prepare a bowl of ice water and set on your counter while water snap peas cook. Boil sugar snap peas for about 1 minute, or until just barely cooked but still crisp. Scoop them out of water with a large slotted spoon and drop into ice water to stop the cooking. Once they have cooled, drain and pat dry. If desired, cut peas on the bias into thin slices or leave whole. Toss in with the chicken.
3. To the salad bowl also add the cabbage, romaine, almonds, radish, scallions, 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds, carrots and tangerine segments.

4. Meanwhile, to make the dressing, place all but the sesame and olive oil in blender. Give it a quick whirl to combine the ingredients and chop the garlic. While the motor is running, slowly drizzle the oils through the removable inner lid until the dressing comes together. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.

4. Toss salad with half the dressing. Taste and add more if needed. Sprinkle salad with the remaining sesame seeds. Serve mounded in the center of each plate.
Note: this salad also tastes great without chicken.

Serves 4-6