Panko Party

I am super into my new friend Panko lately. Our relationship started because I was craving fried fish..specifically Captain D's fried fish. But you know I am not going to Captain D's and I probably wouldn't even like it once I got there if I did go. I always think I want fast food but even if I cheat, my body HATES it now and I feel disgusting after eating two bites and then I freak myself out thinking about all the nastiness that was in whatever I just took two bites of.
 Total gross out. 
Anyway, I wanted to figure out a way to make a super crunchy baked fish and once I did I wanted to figure out how to make a super crunchy 'fried' chicken. I love healthy fried stuff.
Soooo I would like to introduce you to Panko.  Panko is a Japanese style breadcrumb that is used for deep frying foods. It comes out super crunchy. Basically, it's breadcrumbs made without the crust of the bread. Then the crust less bread is coarsely ground into airy, large flakes that give fried foods a really light, crunchy coating. The flakes tend to stay crispier longer than standard breadcrumbs or a flour coating because they don’t absorb as much grease.
But you know I'm not using any grease or fats in my cooking and I sure as heck am not frying anything. 
We have been using this Panko coating recipe on fish, chicken and pork loin. It always comes out crunchy, lets me get my 'fried food' cravings knocked out and is super easy. 
This recipe would be a great way to make some homemade chicken nuggets for your kids. Just prepare this recipe using chicken, cut into whatever size you'd like and store some in the freezer after you bake them.
Speaking of frozen, I'd like to bring to your attention my deep deep love of frozen veggies. I buy Kroger brand because Kroger charges $0.89 for a bag of veggies that will make up four veggie serving for Jason and I. In the world of veggies you want to go fresh than frozen then canned. I try to never eat anything out of a can  (bisphenol-A y'all bisphenol-A) ever and I do not always have time to prepare fresh (you will notice my pics are always dark and that is because I am cooking pretty late in the evening,after the sun goes down, losing the natural light needed for a great photo). Using frozen veggies gives me the opportunity to make a variety of veggies quick and fast. So in one meal I can serve cauliflower, snap peas, lima beans and broccoli. I will confess to you that the old school "mixed vegetable" variety is my favorite. Anyway back to Panko.
The brand I prefer is Kikkoman. Im going to be using one cup of Panko. There are a 110 calories in a cup. I'm going to stretch that cup real far. 

If you been following this blog you know I am also not going to use any sort of egg or milk or anything to get these crumbs to stick...because why add the extra fat? They will stick with the water you used to rinse the meat (I always rinse  meat) just fine. 
 I am also only going to put Panko on one side of the meat because once again I, don't need the extra calories of coating both sides and it wont effect the taste. 
Season the Panko with some garlic powder, a little salt and some pepper to taste. A couple of shakes of Parmesan cheese is also really good. The Panko will taste the same on the meat as it will before it is cooked so make sure you are happy with your seasoning job.
Rinse your meat and do not pat dry.
Throw your meat in your panko and press down so the Panko really sticks.

Let them hang out while you preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper ( I do this so I don't have to scrub the pan later, don't have to flip the chicken..easier clean up..and nothing sticks) and throw your meat on there.

Notice how they aren't totally coated? That's OK guys. This is going to be so delicious and crunchy  just wait.


Bake for 20-35 minutes (mine were in for 35 because I like to see my meat with a little brown tan)

TA DA!! crunchy and delicious!
I served mine with some frozen mixed veggies (heat on the stove while your chicken is baking..and we don't even season ours..they are all delicious just plain and taste super fresh) and some curry coconut milk rice leftover from another meal.

Also this is the oldest, most broke down plate we own. It was Jason's when he was a bachelor and I used to go over to his house when he wasn't home, make him meals and then leave them in the fridge for him for when he came home from work.  I'd serve them on this plate for him (they had maybe 3 plates in the house) and wrap it in saran wrap and put a little love note in there. It's my favorite plate we own even though it prob needs to go in the trash. I'm a big mush ball sentimental.
Hope you guys are having a good week. I am looking forward to this weekend! We are going to watch some great MMA fights on my cheat day  with my husband. I love the Pasadena Convention Center's nachos and I've been craving a beer all week. See? We don't always eat mega healthy Meghann. :) Have a great weekend guys! xoxo

How i convince my husband to eat Italian food

Welcome to the world of Fiber One 'Frying'!!!! First we will do eggplant then you will realize all the possibilities...chicken, squash, green beans...they all work and they are all delicious. The trick is to use seasonings to mask the slightly sweet taste of the Fiber One. 




Ingredients:
1 large eggplant
1/2 cup egg whites (about 4 large egg whites)
1 cup seasoned (with A LOT of garlic powder, onion powder, some crushed red pepper flakes and salt) Fiber One bran cereal (original); ground to dust in the blender
1 can crushed tomatoes (such as Hunt's Tomatoes  with Basil, Garlic & Oregano)
1 cup shredded fat-free mozzarella cheese 
1/4 cup reduced-fat grated parmesan-style topping
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
Optional: dried or fresh Italian seasonings (basil, oregano, etc.)
Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Slice ends off of eggplant, and cut it lengthwise into 1/2-inch strips. Use a paper towel to blot eggplant slices on both sides (to remove excess moisture). Spray a large baking pan with nonstick spray. Season Fiber One Dust with garlic powder, salt, pepper and, if you like, additional seasonings. Coat eggplant slices on both sides -- first with egg whites, and then with Fiber One dust. Place slices flat on the baking pan, and cook in the oven for 30 minutes. Then, flip slices over and bake until browned on both sides (about 10 minutes longer). Remove pan from oven, but leave oven on. Spread some sauce over the bottom of an 8" X 8" baking dish sprayed lightly with nonstick spray. Arrange half of the baked eggplant slices evenly over the sauce. Continue to layer ingredients evenly in this order: sauce, mozzarella and parm topping (half of each), sauce, eggplant (remaining slices), sauce (1/4 cup), and cheeses (remaining amounts). Cover dish with foil and return to the oven. Bake for 25 minutes, or until heated throughout. Allow to cool slightly, and then cut into quarters. 
We eat this with a side salad and if we are gettin real crazy, maybe some whole wheat angel hair pasta. 


I don't know why this is gray. I will have to come back and fix this. Blogger is sassy yall. 

bad girl movie black bean stuffed poblanos

I needed to make a quick vegetarian recipe to bring over to a girl friend's house. Did a quick search and stumbled upon a good recipe. After a few modifications I made the following.
A quick word of warning: even if youre only using ONE jalapeno put some plastic baggies over your hands. both of them. I had a rough night just because I thought I was in the clear because I was 'only cutting one jalapeno." Also annoying about jalapenos is that you never know how hot they are. Remember you can remove the membrane and seeds to help put some of the fire out.

• 
  
• 1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes puree
• 1  jalapeno
• 2 small onions, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, 2 whole, 1 minced
• coarse salt, ground pepper
• 2 cans (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 4 large poblano chiles, halved lengthwise [stems left intact] ribs and seeds removed

Preheat oven to 425 F degrees. In a blender, combine tomatoes puree, jalapeno, half the onions, and 2 whole garlic cloves. Puree until smooth. Season with salt. Pour the sauce into a 9x13-inch baking dish and then set it aside.

In a medium bowl, combine beans, 1/2 cup cheese, remaining onions, minced garlic and cumin. Season with salt and pepper. 

Place poblanos in microwave for 10 minutes to help cut down on cooking time because you are in a hurry and you are starving.  Remove and place poblanos in baking dish on top of sauce. 

Dividing evenly, stuff the poblano chile halves with the bean mixture. You don't have to stuff all of them completely....the beans are really filling so even if they dont look 'full' you will get full. Sprinkle the poblano chiles with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil.

Bake until the poblanos are tender, about 35 minutes. Remove foil and continue to cook until the sauce thickens slightly and cheese is golden brown, about 10 to 15 minutes more. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

making it work without a drive thru

There are times that I am in hurry or wiped from work and I need to feed myself and my husband. He typically gives me a hard time about preparing anything from a box.... but if I'm tired, too bad.  I made this the other night and he came home and started raving about great the house smelled. Although he did not eat any of this that night, when I came home the next day all of the leftovers were gone.
This is a good example of taking something from a box and making it better for you. You cannot remove the preservatives and unnecessary salt you are consuming, but you can add something your body can benefit from.  I will say that this is definitely better than fast food. And since everything in this recipe cost $1 or less (thanks Kroger 10 for $10 deals), I would say its cheaper than fast food too.

Brown Rice Jambalaya
1 box Zatarain's Brown Rice Jambalaya Mix (http://shop.zatarains.com/zatarains®-brown-rice-jambalaya-p-1523.html)
1 can red kidney beans
1/4 cup frozen okra
1/2 of a white onion
1/2 cup frozen mixed veggies (mine had zucchini, squash, corn, tomato and celery)
organic or homemade chicken stock in the amount of water required on back of package
1 link low sodium turkey sausage

Chop sausage and onion. Cook on medium heat until sausage is browned and onion is clear. Add in frozen veggies and cook until warmed through. Add in chicken stock in amount of water on box and then add in boxed ingredients. Drain and then rinse beans. Add those in too.  Cook to boxes directions (excluding any oil or butter), stirring frequently to prevent sticking (because you don't have any oil or butter in there). Pretty easy and delicious!
The serving size in this picture is one cup. I stick to the suggested serving size so I know about how many 'base' calories are in there. I was totally full off of one cup even though I thought it sounded small. I also  cut the salt with a plain side salad that has a little lemon squeezed over it...and as always, serving dinner up on the smaller plate makes the portion look huge and keeps me from putting more on my plate.

I say "JUM BAH LIE AH" how do you say it? I love when people say it JAM BAH LIE AH

quinoa yumminess

Tonight I made a giant batch of Quinoa (keen-wah) breakfast cereal. This is sort of like oatmeal but also very different. Quinoa is very nutty, slightly crunchy and light. This is a really comforting meal and since my family looks like this on this rainy day (thanks Tropical Storm Hermine):

I thought it would be great to have in the fridge ready for breakfast. Even though those two family members dont get any of it.
So why quinoa and not just oatmeal? Well, while we are a huge oatmeal house and use raw oatmeal in a lot of recipes, quinoa has a lot of special qualities.

One it is a great "healthy" carb. So it is a great  way to start your day with because it is FULL of protein and healthy energy.  Quinoa is high in  calcium and iron, a good source of vitamin E and several of the B vitamins. It contains an almost perfect balance of all eight essential amino acids needed for tissue development. It is also high in lysine, cystine and methionine-amino acids typically low in other grains. The protein in quinoa is considered to be a complete protein due to the presence of all 8 essential amino acids.  Quinoa is 12% to 18% protein and four ounces, about 1/2-cup, will provide a childs protein needs for one day. The 6-7% fat of quinoa is sort of high when compared to other grains, but it has a low sodium content and also provides  fiber.

So basically Quinoa is fantastic for you and as a bonus it is delicious.

There is so much more you can do with quinoa but this is a good start and an easy way to incorporate Quinoa into your diet.



Hot Quinoa Cereal

1 cup quinoa (red or beige), rinsed thoroughly

1 cup water

1 cup milk (almond milk or cow's milk)

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp nuts  (shelled I like pistachios, almonds and pecans)

2 tbsp raisins

Zest of one orange

3 tbsp honey


1) In a saucepan, bring quinoa, water, milk, cinnamon, and pinch of salt to a boil. Keep an eye on it to keep it from boiling over
and keep stirring it


2) Turn heat down to a simmer, and cook for 15 minutes until quinoa is tender, and curly-cue white germ appears on each grain. Add more milk if it gets too dry. In the last 5 minutes of cooking, add raisins and nuts.

3) Finish with orange zest (only a little, I do a teaspoon or one swipe across the microplane/cheese grater, this gets strong fast), honey and more almond milk if you like it a little soupier.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I store this in the fridge for about 3 days and heat up each portion in the microwave. I add a little more milk each time I heat this up because the quinoa soaks it all up.

low fat but still delicious comfort food

Today is a rainy day and on days like this I want heavy Southern comfort food.  I also want to prepare something 'comfort-food-esque' for my exhausted husband who is going hard at the gym, school and work today (like every day)
The other day I picked up half a pound of some thinly sliced pork top loin roast from HEB. It was cheap ($2.85) and at 160 calories and 6 grams of fat for  a 4 oz.  serving, pretty ok in the calorie department. I also grabbed some fresh zucchini and a few red potatoes. A white potato rarely shows its face in this house so they are a pretty big treat for us.
I know my husband will be happy to see this in the fridge when he comes home late tonight. It's pretty funny when making  healthy mashed white potatoes mean 'love.' It's all in the small things though, right? I do think this is somewhat of a 'cheat day' meal but I also think a three hour work out earns you a little breading and a small serving of white potatoes.
This meal will help to demonstrate how to prepare traditionally 'bad' foods while cutting out fats. It will also teach you how to get the crunch of frying/breading without the extra added fat of eggs and milk and heavily coating both sides of the meat with empty carbs. I think it's also a reminder of how much flavor you can still have in foods without the fats and empty calories we just so mindlessly add into our food because 'that's just how you make it.' Garlic, rosemary, cayenne, onion...all these offer tons of flavor without any calories. You can make delicious things without all the extras. It will also open up the world of 'oven frying' which really helps me while trying to put good but still tasty foods in my body. I love fried food..a lot.
Ok so here we go.
Special equipment needed: hand mixer, non-stick pan (adding no oil and no butter means you MUST use a non stick pan)
Rainy Day Oven 'Fried' Rosemary Garlic Pork with Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Sauteed Zucchini and Onions

1/2lb thinly sliced pork (boneless ribs, pork loin or pork tenderloin)
1/4 cup Progresso Garlic and Herb Bread Crumbs
2tblsp (or to taste) Rosemary
Garlic Powder
Black Pepper
Cayenne
3 medium sized zucchini
1 half of a white onion
5 small red potatoes (these potatoes have a lot more flavor than a baking potato)
2 peeled and smashed garlic cloves
chicken stock (homemade or low sodium, no msg, organic)

Wash and slice potatoes. I like to leave the peels on. You want to try to cut them all about the same size so they are all done at the same time. Place in pot with two smashed garlic cloves and cover with water. Bring to a boil and let cook until soft.

Wash and slice zucchini. Chop onion. Heat up a frying pan and drop zucchini and onion into pan. Season with pepper and garlic powder to taste.

I like to let this sit for a minute so the zucchini caramelizes a little on the bottom. This will bring out a lot of flavor in the zucchini. I like it to look like this:

While zucchini and potatoes are cooking prepare the pork. Remember to stir the zucchini every few minutes so it doesn't burn.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a  baking pan with foil and after rinsing pork, lay on pan. Sprinkle top with garlic powder, pepper, cayenne and rosemary. Sprinkle top lightly with breadcrumbs. Pork should not be totally covered and you may not  actually use the entire 1/4. I only measure out 1/4 cup so I know about how many calories in bread crumbs I am working with. You wont miss the extra breading or the egg and milk normally used I promise. And yes, it will all stick just fine.

Sprinkle rosemary on top and place in oven.

Drain your potatoes once they are really soft and place back in pot. Keep those garlic cloves in there. Sprinkle in some garlic powder, pepper and cayenne. Add in a splash of chicken broth and blend until fluffy. You need to be careful that you do not over blend them. There's something weird that happens with potatoes when over mixed and the starch releases. They get gluey and gross. Blend until just mixed and smooth. You can add in as much chicken broth as you need to achieve this but be careful that you don't make them too soupy. I used two generous (2 second) pours of broth. I blended for maybe 45 seconds on high.  Potatoes should be smooth and stay upside down on a fork. Like a Blizzard.

I cooked my pork for 35 minutes. The pork should be 170 degrees to be cooked through.

The best hummus you will ever eat

Hummus
1 8oz can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans (reserve 3 - 5 tblsps of bean liquid amount depends on desired consistency)
2tblsp garlic powder
juice from 1 lime
1/4 light olive oil
1/2tsp cayenne pepper
1tsp paprika + extra for garnish
2 pinches kosher salt
3tblsp Tahini (love tahini I usually end up putting 5 in)
black pepper

Add beans with desired amount of bean liquid in the blender along with all other ingredients. Blend until smooth.
Remove from blender, sprinkle more paprika on top and drizzle with olive oil. Serve with carrot chips (sliced carrots), pita, celery, snap peas, red or green pepper or use as a sandwich spread.

Tilapia Tacos

Oh my gosh we eat a ridiculous amount of tilapia. For three reasons. 
1. It's good for you. 
2. It's $9.99 at Kroger for 2lbs of individually wrapped filets 
3. It's pretty hard to mess up as far as cooking fish goes. 


I make this in the oven instead of in a pan or the grill because it's easiest for me. I like to prepare the pico while the fish is cooking in the oven because I'm a multi-tasker like that. 


Tilapia Tacos with Corn and Bean Pico


4 Tilapia Filets (I use half a filet for one taco that should help you figure how many you need for you and your fam)
Powdered Cumin
Salt & Pepper
Cayenne
Olive Oil Spray
Wheat or Corn tortillas
1/4 of a white onion
1 can drained sweet corn (or a small bag of defrosted frozen corn)
2 medium sized tomatoes
2 medium sized avocados
9-10 sprigs of cilantro
Lots of lime juice (2-3 limes)
1 can drained and well rinsed black or red kidney beans


Heat your oven to 400 degrees. 
Rinse your filets (I don't know if you really have to do this. I just always rinse off chicken, pork or fish before I cook it) and pat dry. Spray baking pan with Olive Oil or non-stick cooking spray.
Lay fish filets down in pan, spaced apart.
Sprinkle with salt, pepper and cumin and little cayenne to taste. We like lots of cumin and a little cayenne.
Fish takes about to 15 to 20 minutes. You will know it's done when it's flaky and white throughout. It doesn't really brown like chicken.
While the fish is cooking, prepare the Pico. 
Chop the onion, tomato and avocado in about 1/2 inch bite sized pieces. Wash and chop up the cilantro. I use the stems too. Mix with corn and beans and drown in lime juice. Let sit in refrigerator while fish finishes cooking. 
When fish is done remove from oven and assemble taco. 
*We have had many times when tortillas of any kind have been banned from our household and so I can assure you that the fish and pico is still good without tortillas. You can also always have half of a tortilla if a full one isn't worth it to you. 
*Also I have only made these with a 'sauce' once. We usally use just more lime juice. If you want to make a sauce for these tacos I suggest using 1 part plain yogurt, 1 part lo-fat mayo,  1 or 2 of those canned chipotles in adobo sauce minced up well, a smidge of the sauce from the can (I freeze the rest of the chipotles for future use), and enough lime juice to give it a pleasant tang.

Cut Weight Soup

When my husband has had to cut weight in the past it was a MISERABLE time in our home. MISERABLE. We basically ate three things. Chicken breast and veggies, Tilapia/Salmon and veggies and vats and vats of Chicken Soup (with veggies).
 His favorite is the chicken soup. There are two versions I make. The regular and then the Green Chile. I will post the regular then include what to add to make it the Green Chile. I will also include a recipe for home made chicken stock.


Cut Weight Soup


1 whole Rotisserie Chicken (not flavored)
1 bag of whole carrots
1 whole head celery
1 large white or yellow onion
2 cloves garlic or sprinkling of garlic powder (we love a lot of garlic)
1 bag frozen corn (feel free to add in any other veggies. I have used tomatoes, peas, broccoli and spinach)
6-7 cups water or sodium free organic chicken broth (homemade or bought)


Remove Chicken from container, reserving juice from bottom. Remove skin and discard (I know it's delicious but we aren't using it in this recipe) and pick through chicken breaking it into smaller pieces. Set aside.
Chop onion into small pieces. Wash and chop celery including leafy parts (lots of good flavor in there). Wash carrots and chop, I leave the peels on. Peel and chop garlic.
Heat large stockpot and cook onions until clear. Add in garlic, carrots and celery and any frozen veggies you are using. Cook until they begin to soften and are no longer frozen. (Remember when using veggies that fresh is of course best, then frozen then canned.)
Add in reserved juices from bottom of chicken container.
Add in about 6-7 cups of water /or stock (I just eye this, it really depends on the size of your pot. You want everything to have enough liquid to float around but I would figure 1 cup of water/broth per serving)
Bring to a boil then move temperature down to a simmer. Add in chicken. Cook until chicken is heated through.
* If the chicken flavor is not 'bold' enough I add in a little (about 1tsp) "better than bouillon chicken base." It's organic and MSG free. You usually can find it in any grocery store but if not you can order it online.  You only want to use a little because it is full of salt and if you are cutting weight you don't want too much salt. When I'm making this just regular and not because Jason is training, I add a lot more than that but it is a 'to taste' type of thing.


To make this a Green Chile Chicken soup:
* when cooking onions and veggies add in one fresh chopped jalapeno and three small cans of green chilies with liquid in cans. 
* When this is being made 'just regular' and not for Jason cutting weight, I use the onions and a add a mexican beer but omit the carrots and other veggies and will maybe just use the corn.


Have a crock pot? You NEED one. Especially if you are training and working. Dinner will be ready for you when you get home. I will post some great crock pot recipes later. They really save us as far as eating healthy and not stopping to 'pick something up' on the way home. Anyway, here is my recipe for chicken stock.


Homemade Chicken Stock
3 chicken breast halves or 4 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
1 onion, quartered
1 tomato, quartered
1 cup carrots
2 celery stalks
2 cloves garlic
fresh herbs like cilantro or parsley or thyme or rosemary
whole peppercorns
kosher salt (optional. I do not use any)


Place all ingredients into crock pot and fill with water. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.

When it's done, throw out all the vegetables, strain the liquid and remove the chicken for other recipes, like chicken salad, tacos or anything that calls for shredded chicken.

If you're not using the stock right away you can store it in containers and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for several months. When the stock is cold, the fat will rise to the top and harden and you can easily remove it.
To make this on the stove, place all ingredients in a large pot, cover and simmer low for several hours. 

granola

Granola is so super expensive. Jason could eat an entire $7 box of it in one sitting. I figured out how to make it home made so he can have endless amounts of it.  Like the Star Bars this is a base recipe. 


Granola

2 cups Old Fashioned Oats
1 cup oat flour
1/2 tsp table salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 TBSP honey or real maple syrup
2 cups of mixed dried fruits, nuts, and seeds (examples: a bag of trail mix chopped up, apricots, cherries, raisins, blueberries, cranberries, gojis, walnuts, cashews, pistachios, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, etc)
2 tblsps Milled Flax (to be added after baking)
1 scoop Protein Powder (to be added after baking)

TIP: I never buy oat flour. I just dump some oats into my food processor, blend for about a minute, and then I have oat flour! It's so much cheaper this way and is so easy-to-do. 
Preheat oven to 275F. In a large bowl, combine the oats, oat flour, salt, cinnamon. Stir to combine. Add the syrup/honey and stir well until evenly distributed. 
I like little, crunchy nuggets of granola when I eat it. To make the nuggets, grab a small handful of the granola mixture and firmly squeeze it in your fist to make glob. The mixture should hold together fairly well. Over a rimmed sheet pan, gently break the blob into smaller nuggets. Repeat with the remaining mixture. When finished, you should have a single layer of larger nuggets, smaller nuggets, and loose pieces of oatmeal. Don't move the granola once it is in the sheet pan or the nuggets will fall apart. Some people do not like larger nuggets of granola. If you prefer granola with loose pieces of oats, just dump the granola directly onto a sheet pan after you have mixed everything together. Just give the sheet pan a quick shake to evenly spread everything out.
Bake the granola for 20 minutes. Take the sheet pan out of the oven and very, very gently stir the granola. You, after all, do not want to break apart the nuggets you made earlier. Put the sheet pan back in the oven for another 8 minutes or so for a lightly toasted granola. If you like your granola really toasted, you can leave it in for several more minutes. Remove it from the oven and leave it in the sheet pan until it has cooled completely. The granola will get crispier as it cools. Toss with your desired mixed dried fruits, nuts, and seeds. Sprinkle in protein powder and flax. Store in a sealed container.
After you make this the first time, make a note to yourself and decide if you would prefer the next batch to be sweeter or less sweet. If you want sweeter add some brown sugar. We actually prefer granola less sweet so I dont add any sugar besides the honey. Others have preferred more sugar in theirs. You decide!

BBB's

Black Bean Burgers! They're healthy, fast and easy, and, best of all, can be frozen.
You  are going to love these. I've never tried grilling them so I'm not sure how they would turn out. If you try grilling them, let me know. They hold together pretty well so they should maintain their shape even when grilled (but be careful when turning them so they do not break apart and fall through the grates).


Black Bean Burgers
2 15-oz cans black beans, rinsed and well drained
1 TBSP olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 c chopped red bell pepper
1 jalapeno (ribs and seeds removed), finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 c seasoned bread crumbs
2 TBSP salsa
1 egg
1/4 c fresh cilantro (no need to chop)
1/2 tsp table salt or to taste
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp red chili flakes (optional)
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Hamburger buns and your favorite condiments

Rinse and drain the black beans well. Reserve 3 to 4 tablespoons of the whole black beans. Add the remaining beans to a blender and blend.

Heat a skillet over medium heat with the olive oil. Add the onion and cook 3 to 4 minutes or until softened. Add the red bell pepper, jalapeno and garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Set aside and allow the mixture to cool slightly.

While the onion mixture is cooling, add the remaining ingredients to the food processor except for the reserved whole beans. Pulse several times – scraping down the bowl as needed. The bean mixture in the blender should be thick and fairly smooth. Add the onion mixture to the blender and pulse only 3 to 4 times – scraping down the bowl after each pulse. You still want to see some chunks of red pepper and jalapeno so do not puree the mixture too much.

Transfer to the bean mixture to a bowl and mix in the reserved whole black beans and corn. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours to allow the bread crumbs to absorb any excess liquid.

If freezing the burgers, cut some parchment or wax paper into squares a little larger than the patties you will form. You will use the parchment to separate the patties so they do not stick together when frozen. Lay the parchment squares in a sheet pan in an even layer. Form a patty with some of the bean mixture. You can make the burgers as thick or thin as you would like. I prefer mine about 1/2" thick. Place the burger on one of the parchment squares and continue with the remaining bean mixture. Keep everything in a single layer. Freeze the burgers for a couple of hours then stack them (keeping a piece of parchment between each burger) in a resealable bag.

Cooking Burgers That Are Not Frozen: To cook the burgers, heat a skillet (uncovered) over medium heat with some olive oil (a tablespoon or so). Cook the patties until they are nicely browned – about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Serve on a bun with your favorite condiments. I like to serve them topped pepper jack cheese, spicy ranch dressing, lettuce, tomato, and a little onion – but you can add whatever you want.

Cooking Burgers That Are Frozen: You do not need to defrost the burgers before cooking them. Heat a skillet (somewhere between medium-low and medium heat) with the olive oil. Add the burgers and cover them with a lid while cooking. Because they are frozen, you need to cook them at a slightly lower temperature, covered, for a little bit longer than if they were thawed.