Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club- Warm White Beans with Roasted Fennel

For this month's Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club, Roz chose the theme of Late Autumn Harvest. Check out Val's post here to see the rest of the menu.

I decided to make Warm White Beans with Roasted Fennel, a reader recipe that came from the
October issue of Cooking Light. I have really grown to love fennel and it is delicious when roasted in the oven. This recipe mixes roasted fennel with warm beans and wilted spinach. It is a very quick recipe to make and it is absolutely delicious. My kids loved it, especially the beans.
Check out the rest of the menu and enjoy the Autumn Harvest!

Here is the recipe for Warm White Beans with Roasted Fennel
* I added the ground red pepper to the adult portion after I had served my kids

Homemade Veggie Burgers on Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns

I have been wanting to make these Veggie Burgers for a very long time. I saw the recipe and saved it for later. Somehow it just didn't feel right to make these bright Veggie Burgers during the colder months, so now that the weather is beautiful and sunny and people are starting to cook out and use the grill more, I decided to try them. I think one of the other reasons I kept putting them off is because it seemed like there was a really long list of ingredients, but once I got down to it, I realized it wasn't really that lengthy or complicated. I decided to throw them together on a day when I was busy chopping and dicing things for a couple other recipes and then I formed the patties and let them sit in the fridge for a couple of hours.

I also decided to make my own buns, just for fun. A whole wheat bun seemed to be the perfect partner for a veggie burger.

These burgers were really good. I loved the texture and they had great flavor. These are a great way to enjoy a meatless option whenever you want a burger.
I also have to add that I really love being able to go to my garden and cut fresh lettuce whenever I want. The red leaf lettuce I used on this burger is really yummy.

Here is the recipe for Homemade Veggie Burgers
from Ezra Pound Cake

Here is the recipe for Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns from Baking Bites

Purple-eyed Peas and Spinach

I don't know what to call this, so if you can think of a better name for it, go ahead and call it whatever you want. All I know is that it was really delicious.

I did something I have never done before in order to make this dish. I bought real bacon. I was at the Farmer's Market and a man talked me into buying these beautiful, fresh purple-eyed peas. But, since I am not a Southerner, I wasn't really sure what to do with them. I had never had fresh any color-eyed peas.
The man told me to cook them with a piece of fatback and I said "What?", because I don't know what fatback is and I really don't want to know. I knew that wasn't happening. Someone else mentioned a ham hock, but once again, not familiar with that.
I decided I would make my family happy and buy bacon. I know it can give great flavor to things, even though I prefer not to cook it or use it. I guess this was a special occasion.

We enjoyed this dish with Roasted Shrimp
and fresh corn on the cob.

Purple-eyed Peas and Spinach by Mary Ann
4 slices thick cut bacon
1 red onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, minced
1 green bell pepper, minced
1 6-oz bag baby spinach
1/2 cup chicken broth- give or take
4 cups purple-eyed peas (you could use 2 15-oz cans drained, rinsed black-eyed peas)
1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley
salt and pepper

If you have fresh purple-eyed peas, put them in a large pot with double the amount of water as peas. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook for 30 minutes, mostly covered.
Drain and set aside.

In a large saute pan, cook 4 pieces of bacon over medium-high heat until nice and crispy. Remove the bacon to a plate covered with a paper towel and drain the bacon grease, but do not wipe out the pan.

Add the red onion to the pan and saute for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add the red and green peppers and cook for about 3 minutes.
Add baby spinach and cook until wilted.
Add chicken broth and season with salt and pepper.
Let cook for a few minutes.
Stir in purple-eyed peas and remove from the heat.
Stir in chopped parsley.
Crumble bacon and sprinkle on top.

Mexicali Chop Salad with Crunchy Tortilla Strips

I don't usually get posts up this quick, but somehow I did with this one.
We had this salad for dinner a couple of days ago and it was really good.

The salad caught my eye in a recent issue of Vegetarian Times. It looked too delicious to pass up and seemed like the perfect summer meal.

First you crisp up some lightly seasoned corn tortilla strips in the oven. While that is happening you mix up a quick, light dressing. The dressing starts with warming some olive oil, garlic and spices, which is then combined in the food processor with lime juice, scallions, and cilantro.
The dressing was really good!

Then all sorts of veggies are chopped and added to a bunch of romaine. You've got celery, tomatoes, avocado, cucumber, fresh corn kernels, roasted red peppers and really, whatever else you want to add. I decided to add sliced mushrooms since my family likes them. Oh, and don't forget the pinto beans, for some protein.

My son doesn't like dressing on his salad, but this time I decided to go ahead and dress the entire salad before serving it to my family. I gave everyone a large bowl of salad and we all dug in.
The kids really liked this salad, even my son- with the dressing.
I loved it too. It was really fresh and delicious.
The tortilla strips gave just the right amount of crunch and the dressing was the perfect compliment for all the veggies. I had the leftovers for lunch today. Wish there was more for tomorrow!


Recipe for Mexicali Chop Salad with Crunchy Tortilla Strips
* I seasoned half of my tortilla strips with chili powder and half with paprika (for the kids)
* I used grape tomatoes, halved, in the salad
* I added sliced mushrooms to our salad
* I omitted the red onion

Caribbean Red Beans and Brown Rice

A couple of weeks ago I really wanted to make beans and rice. I don't know why exactly, it just sounded like a good option for a weeknight dinner.
I wanted to try Red Beans and Rice, so I searched for recipes online and in my cookbooks.
I kept looking and looking, but most of the recipes I saw had some sort of meat in them, either just for seasoning or to go along with the dish.
I wanted to try a recipe that was mainly just the beans and rice without any meat.

Since I have been using my Mayo Clinic Cookbook a lot lately, I decided to look there for a recipe and found one, with a Caribbean twist.
It also used brown rice, which made me really happy.

There is a unique combination of spices and herbs in this version- allspice and cloves- which add part of the caribbean flavors, as well as the cilantro.

I left out the hot sauce, mostly because I wanted my kids to be able to eat this without saying it was too spicy, but left in the cayenne pepper.

I also just used one kind of brown rice, instead of a combination.
You could probably substitute canned beans instead of cooking your own dried ones, just make sure to drain and rinse them and I would say use 2 cans.
Soaking dried beans doesn't really take that much effort, you just have to remember to do it the night before you are planning to make the dish.

We really liked this version of red beans and rice. It was full of flavor and very filling. A great weeknight meal.


Recipe for Caribbean Red Beans and Brown Rice

Creamy Hummus Dip

This is a creamier version of hummus than I have had before. It is not as thick as I am used to, due to a little more liquid but it is still just as tasty. A great snack and it would also be a great spread for a wrap or sandwich.
Creamy Hummus Dip
2 cloves garlic
1 can garbanzo beans, with a little liquid drained off , but not all
1/2 cup + 3 Tbls greek style plain yogurt
1/3 cup tahini
juice of 1 lemon
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
dash of pepper

Place garlic in food processor and pulse until minced. Add beans, yogurt and tahini, and puree until smooth, scraping down sides if necessary. Add lemon juice and spices. Puree until combined. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Spoon into a bowl and serve with pita chips and/or veggies.

Curried Carrot Spread

I thought this sounded interesting and we needed a snack for C day. Good and healthy.

Curried Carrot Spread from Better Homes and Gardens Magazine
Ingredients
3 cups sliced carrots
3/4 cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil or cooking oil
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 15-ounce can white kidney(cannellini) beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 teaspoon salt
Thinly sliced green onion (optional)
Directions
1. In a covered medium saucepan, cook carrots in a small amount of boiling water about 15 minutes or until very tender. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, in a small skillet, cook onion and garlic in hot oil until tender. Stir in curry powder and cumin. Transfer carrots and onion mixture to a food processor; add white kidney beans and salt. Cover and process until smooth. Transfer to a serving bowl; cover and chill for 4 hours to 3 days.
3. If using, garnish with green onion. Serve with crackers, melba toast, toasted French bread slices, or vegetable dippers. Makes 3 cups spread.

Garlicky Garbanzo Burgers

I love looking at the newspaper on Wednesday because I know that is when they print the Food section. Lately they have had some great recipes. We had these burgers along with Zucchini Soup (posted below) for a great meatless meal!

GREAT GARLICKY GARBANZO BURGERS adapted from The Deseret News

Start to finish: 20 minutes
1 1/4 cups bread crumbs

4 cloves fresh garlic

1 small onion (for about 1/3 cup finely minced)

1/4 green bell pepper (for about 1/4 cup minced)

1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

2 Tbls olive oil

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup fat free mayonnaise

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

4 sandwich buns, for serving

4 lettuce leaves, for serving

4 tomato slices, for serving

Put the bread crumbs into a medium-size mixing bowl. Set aside.
Peel the garlic, and drop the cloves through the feed tube of the food processor with the motor running to finely mince them. Peel the onion, cut it in quarters and place them in the food-processor bowl with the minced garlic. Cut the bell pepper piece into quarters, and add them to the processor bowl. Pulse the motor until the onion and pepper are finely minced but not mushy, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the minced vegetables to the mixing bowl with the breadcrumbs.
Open the chickpea can and pour 2 tablespoons of the liquid from the can into the processor bowl. Then drain the chickpeas into a colander, discarding the remaining liquid, and rinse the chickpeas under cool tap water to remove excess sodium. Shake the colander to remove as much water as possible, and add the chickpeas to the processor bowl. Add the egg. Pulse just until the chickpeas are finely chopped but still have some texture. Add the chickpea mixture to the mixing bowl, along with the black pepper and salt. Stir until all of the ingredients are well mixed. Taste the mixture and season with additional salt if necessary.
Begin heating the oil in an extra-deep 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Shape the mixture into patties by first squeezing 1/4 of the mixture in your hands to make a tight ball. Flatten the ball into a patty, making it as thin as you can before it starts to crack. Repeat with the remaining mixture to make three more patties. Pour the 1/3 cup of flour onto a plate, and dredge the chickpea patties lightly in flour on each side. (Discard any remaining flour.) Add the patties to the hot oil, and fry until golden brown on each side, about 3 minutes per side.
While the patties cook, stir together the mayonnaise, lemon juice and olive oil in a small bowl. Set aside.
To serve, remove the patties from the skillet and place each on a bun. Top with lettuce, tomato and 1 tablespoon of the lemon-mayonnaise mixture (or to taste).
Yield: 4 servings.

Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

Pretty peppers are so colorful and delicious.

These stuffed peppers were so easy. I just mixed the ingredients, stuffed 'em up, put a little sauce in the bottom of the slow cooker and a few hours later, the peppers were tender and the filling was bubbly. My kids gobbled these up. Sprinkle some cheese on top and you have a warm, cozy dinner. I love a dinner that relies on something besides meat as the star of the show!


Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers (from Taste of Home magazine)

Ingredients:
6 large sweet peppers
2 cups cooked brown rice
3 small tomatoes, diced
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 small sweet onion, diced
1/3 cup canned red beans, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup cubed Monterey Jack cheese
1 can (4-1/4 ounces) chopped ripe olives
4 fresh basil leaves, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup meatless spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup water
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Directions: Cut tops off peppers and remove seeds; set aside. In a large bowl, combine the rice, tomatoes, corn, onion and beans. Stir in the Monterey Jack cheese, olives, basil, garlic, salt and pepper. Spoon into peppers. Combine spaghetti sauce and water; pour half into an oval 5-qt. slow cooker. Add the stuffed peppers. Top with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese. Cover and cook on low for 3-1/2 to 4 hours or until peppers are tender and filling is heated through. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese.

Makes 6 servings.

Green, Green, and more Green

My fave lunch- a yummy salad. This consists of red leaf lettuce, red and black beans, low-fat cottage cheese and sunflower seeds

Our one pot St. Patrick's Day Dinner- I am not a huge fan of beef, but this was very tasty and quite pretty.

St. Pat's Beef and Veggies (from Better Homes and Gardens)

1/2 cup sour cream
2 Tbsp. coarse-grain brown mustard
1-1/2 lb. boneless beef rib-eye steak, 1-1/4- to 1-1/2-inch thick
2 Tbsp. cooking oil
4 medium carrots, peeled
1 large red onion, peeled, cut in wedges
32 oz. reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 lb. new potatoes; halve if large
1 lb. packaged fresh spinach

Directions
1. Stir together sour cream and mustard; cover and refrigerate. Heat oven to 170 degrees F. Heat 12-inch skillet over medium-high. Coat beef with1 tablespoon oil; season with salt, pepper, and 1 teaspoon sugar. Brown in hot skillet 4 minutes,turning once. Transfer to platter; set aside.

2. Add remaining oil, carrots, and onion to skillet. Cook and stir 5 minutes, until browned. Add broth and potatoes; bring to boiling. Reduce heat; cook, covered, 15 minutes, until tender. Return beef to skillet. Simmer, covered, 8 minutes for medium (10 minutes for medium-well).

3. Reserving broth in skillet, transfer vegetables and beef to oven-safe platter; keep warm. Simmer broth; add spinach. Cook and toss with tongs 3 to 4 minutes.

4. To serve, ladle broth in bowls; reserve some to drizzle over meat and vegetables. Divide beef and vegetables among plates. Serve with mustard sauce.
Makes 4 servings.

Pistachio Pudding Mini-Pies
Our completely Irish Dinner
Pistachio Pudding Mini-Pies

2 4-oz pkg. pistachio pudding, skim milk, mini graham cracker crusts, Cool Whip, sprinkles

make pudding according to pudding pie directions;fill crusts and chill until ready to serve. Dollop with Cool Whip and add sprinkles!