Sizzling Salsa

I hate shopping on Amazon. Hate it. When I type leather messenger bag into the search engine I do not want to sift through 45, 956 result items. 20 pages of messenger bags? That seems a little over zealous Amazon.

You need to do a better job at reading my mind. If facebook can figure out that photography is a hobby of mine, that I exercise and take my nutrition seriously, that I am a science nerd and I dislike the color pink all on it's own and then supply me with random in your face advertisements on a routine basis, then you, Amazon, can at least narrow down the search results to a select few.

Does this irritate anyone else?

Change of subject. The end of the summer, means everything is in season. Yippee...except I can only eat cucumbers and tomatoes 18 days in a row before I start to dream of cucumbers and tomatoes. And I'm going to go ahead and make the executive decision and say that once you start dreaming of the vegetables you're eating, you're probably spending too much time with them.

The other day I decided to make cucumber salsa after I was inspired by a picture I saw on pinterest. I like salsa, a lot. I think it's pretty versatile. I used up anything I could find in my garden. This is what I had and some.

Tomato and Cucumber Salsa

1 c tomato, seeded and chopped

4 c cucumber, seeded and chopped

1/2 c red onion, chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, chopped

1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tblsp basil, chopped

1/4 c sour cream

1/4 c greek yogurt

3 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp smoked paprika

1/4 tsp salt

Prepare your vegetables. You really only want the 'meat' of your vegetables, so you need to seed them. You do not want watered down salsa right? Mix the first 7 ingredients together once prepared in a medium sized bowl. In a separate bowl mix the remaining ingredients (sour cream, yogurt, lemon juice and seasonings). Add the wet ingredients to your vegetables and mix. Serve with tortillas or whatever you want, but eat immediately. The longer it sits the more watery it gets.

This salsa has a little kick to it. So if you don't like spicy hot, don't use the jalapenos or chipotle in adobo sauce.

This would be amazing in fish tacos!

 Enjoy!

Black Bean Quinoa Burger with Honey Yogurt Sauce

A burger without meat....my family scoffs at the idea. My family is a meat and potatoes kind of family, living in a very meat and potato kind of area. That of rural Pennsylvania. It sometimes seems that I'm the sole proprietor of a reduced intake of meats and processed foods and an increase in green leafy vegetables.

I am slowly getting to my family though, because I've started winning them over with dishes like this one. Quinoa burgers with black beans and corn. There is no lack of flavor here. Or a lack of heartiness. What it is lacking though is cholesterol, fat and calories. It's a win-win if you ask me. I've talked about quinoa in a previous post (quinoa salad), so I'm not going to bore you with the information again.

However, I am going to mention a documentary that has become pretty popular as of late. It's called Forks over Knives. If you don't trust the documentary go look up the science, you'll notice that there is a benefit to the diet they recommend. But, I'll save that for another time.

I found this recipe online at Prevention RD.

Anyway, I present to you.....

Black Bean Quinoa Burgers with Honey Yogurt Sauce

Burgers

½ cup dry quinoa

1 tsp olive oil

1/2 red onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed

2 Tbsp tomato paste

1 large egg

2/3 cup frozen corn

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1 chipotle in adobo, minced

2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup almond flour

Yogurt Sauce

½ cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt

1 Tbsp honey

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

Cook the quinoa in 1 cup water, as suggested on the package. Set aside for later. Saute onions and garlic in oil until tender or translucent, salt and pepper to taste. Cool slightly and add to a large bowl, also add the black beans. Smash together the onions, garlic and black beans and then add the quinoa. Mix.

Stir in the tomato paste, egg, corn, add chipotle in adobo sauce. Then add the almond flour, oats and cumin. Mix and salt and pepper to taste.

You can refrigerate this mixture to allow for easy patty formation, or form the patties first and then refrigerate. The refrigeration is key. If they don't set (for about an hour) they tend to fall apart. Place patties on a greased baking sheet and bake for 10-12 mins per side at 400F. 

While the burgers are chilling or baking make the yogurt sauce. It's as easy as pie (if pie was easy). Just mix the greek yogurt, honey and mustard together and chill. This sauce is pretty great for how simple it is. I used the leftovers for chicken the next day. After the burgers are done, top them with whatever your little heart desires. I chose some spinach and tomatoes, sans bread. 

I hope you enjoy this little burger and let me know if I've convinced you to forgo meat for a day ;).