Black Bean And Pork Chipotle Burgers

If you don't grill year round, I'll bet you're itching to fire up the the old Weber! I'd venture a guess the mental wheels are already turning to pick the perfect inaugural protein. Chicken? Steak? Salmon? For most of us, probably the first thing you want is a damned good burger. After that annoying recent run of snow and cold, isn't a burger just the thing to put away all those chilly memories of winter? 

Since my grill gets lots of use during ALL seasons of the year (and includes non-stop sizzling hamburgers), I was craving something a little different than a traditional, first-of-the-season, basic burger. Maybe something with a little south of the border flair? I decided to mix up a ground pork burger with black beans for color and even more protein, some heat in the form of smoky chipotles in adobo, even more smoky flavor from a touch of cumin, and a TON of burger personality. Let the burger season begin!

Black Bean And Pork Chipotle Burgers

• 1/2 C canned black beans, drained and rinsed - mash beans coarsely with a fork
• 1 lb ground pork
• 1/4 C onion, finely minced
• 1 t salt
• 1 t granulated garlic
• 2 T canned chipotles in adobo - use some of the adobo sauce, too
• 1 t ground cumin

Mix all ingredients well, but lightly. Form into 3-4 patties - depending on how big you like your burgers.

Fire up the grill and cook to desired doneness...I like my pork burgers well done. I'm old school like that.

I topped mine with a fresh salsa, slices of ripe avocado, and a few crumbles of queso fresco. Top yours just the way you want!

    

Black Beans And Rice With Chunky Avocado Salsa And Crispy Plantains

Once in a while a basic, staple recipe gets a little gussying up, a little freshening to make it something altogether new...a makeover per se. Beans and rice certainly qualify as one of those basics. 

Cuban beans and rice, Jamaican beans and rice, New Orleans beans and rice...black beans, red beans, pinto beans...white rice, black rice, brown rice...all the classic ingredients in almost infinite combinations still have the same culinary bones. There's a reason the combination is a favorite in so many cultures - actually, there are a couple of reasons. Beans and rice are easy to make, cost smart and a real comfort food. 

What makes today's recipe different from the tried and true versions? Beans and rice are rich with earthy flavors, deep, creamy and smooth. Why not brighten it up with cool cubes of avocado tossed with citrus-y fresh lime, spicy and crunchy jalapeno, colorful sweet cherry tomatoes and just a teensy bit of cilantro for an extra fresh kick to a chunky counterpoint salsa? And what the heck...as long as we're doing a makeover, might as well gild the lily with  a garnish of plantains fried crisp in coconut oil that really takes the redo over the top!

Presentation? A bowl of beautiful black beans, topped with a healthy scoop of brown rice, then a pile of sassy avocado salsa with a couple of crispy sweet and salty, coconut-y golden plantains for good measure. I'm guessing even Clinton and Stacey would approve of this makeover!

Black Beans and Rice 

With Chunky Avocado Salsa and Crispy Plantains

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 large onions, peeled and chopped
• 1 large green pepper, seeds removed, diced
• 2 tablespoons fresh garlic, minced
• 3 cans black beans, drained
• 1 cup chicken stock - a good store bought one is just fine
• 1 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 ½ t. salt
• pepper to taste
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 cups cooked rice (white, black, red, brown - or whatever cooked rice you have tucked in the back of your fridge) (confession....I used Trader Joe's frozen brown rice - so good, so easy!)

In a large pot, add 2 T. olive oil and heat. Add the chopped onions and green pepper. Saute until soft, add garlic and cook another 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the drained black beans and stir into veggies. Cook another 10 minutes to meld flavors.

Add chicken stock, vinegar, bay leaf and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil, lower heat immediately. Cover and simmer about half an hour or until it’s not too runny, not too dry. If it’s too runny/soupy, let some of the liquid cook off; if it’s too dry, add more stock. Mash slightly with potato masher to thicken a little. Taste and adjust seasonings.

To serve: Ladle beans into individual bowls, top with a good scoop of  rice and crown with avocado salad and a sprinkling of cilantro. Serve with fried plantains.

Avocado Salad

• 1 avocado, seeded and cut into ½” cubes
• ½ cup quartered yellow grape tomatoes - I bought the heirloom kind with nearly all the colors of the rainbow!
• 1 small garlic clove, finely minced or pressed 
• 1/2 t. finely minced jalapeno
• 3 T freshly squeezed lime juice
• ½ t. salt
• 1 T olive oil or avocado oil
• 1 T finely minced cilantro - or more if you really like cilantro...I do!

Mix lime juice, salt, oil and cilantro well. Set aside. Mix the avocado, tomatoes, garlic and jalapeno well. Pour dressing over, mix and serve.

Fried Plantains

• 2 plantains, cut across into 1 ½” sections
• canola oil

Heat oil in a heavy skillet. Saute plantain sections on each side until browned. Remove from skillet to paper towels. (You can do this earlier in the day.) 

When you’re ready to eat, heat oil in skillet again. Put in each precooked section and smash it down with a spatula to flat disks. Brown and turn over to brown on the other side. Remove to paper towels again and salt immediately. Serve.

Cuban Black Rice & Black Bean Soup with Jamaican Dark Rum

Ponderable question. Is it still technically possible for black bean soup to qualify as Cuban if the sweet, dark rum therein hails from Jamaica? How about if I call it Cuban-style? 

Sure, they make dark rum in Cuba, but unless you ARE or KNOW a rum runner we'll never be able to make this soup with authenticity. Damn Cuban embargo. Enter Appleton Dark Rum...from Jamaica.

How did this dark and rich soup come about? Like most of my soups, there was a bone...in this case, a ham bone...leftover from a Sunday dinner. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it at the time, so I wrapped it well and tucked it into the freezer until there was some inkling of what to do with it. The inkling never came. 

What did come was warmer weather. As the opportunity for hot soup waned, I decided to just wing it, make the stock and see what naturally developed.

Cooked, cold black rice waited in the fridge...what would work with black rice, but black beans. Beans and rice, of course! In soup form. This was made even easier by the cans of black beans I keep in the pantry just for such times. (Because you never know when you need a can for emergency black bean hummus or cowboy caviar!) The soup came together quickly and easily. Classic ingredients - with a twist - simply don't need much fussing.

You might wonder why, at first glance, dark rum was added to soup. It just seemed like a natural pairing. Dark rum is made from molasses so I thought that same dark, slightly smoky sweetness would echo the smoky sweetness of ham stock. That, and it just seemed like a fun addition! Doesn't rum make just about everything better?! 

Cuban Black Rice & Black Bean Soup

 with Jamaican Dark Rum

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 large onions, peeled and chopped
• 1 large green pepper, seeds removed, diced
• 2 tablespoons garlic, minced

• 3 cans black beans, drained

• 4 cups ham stock (see recipe below)
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

• 2 cups cooked black rice (or brown rice - or whatever cooked rice you have tucked in the back of YOUR fridge!)

• 1/4 cup dark rum

• 1/4 cup green onions, sliced well into the green

In a large soup pot, add 2 T. olive oil and heat. Add the chopped onions and green pepper. Saute until soft, add garlic and cook another 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
 
Add the drained black beans and stir into veggies. Cook another 10 minutes to meld flavors.
 
Add the ham stock, vinegar, bay leaves and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil, lower heat immediately and add rice. Cover and simmer about half an hour. Add rum and simmer another 15 minutes or until the raw rum taste dissipates.
 
Ladle into bowl, add reserved ham (that you've warmed in the microwave - make it easy!) and garnish with sliced green onions.


 
Ham Stock:  In a soup pot, add a large meaty ham bone. Add several large celery stalks with lots of leaves, 2 large quartered onions, 3 T. dried minced garlic. Bring to boil, cover and reduce heat to simmer. Cook for several hours until the ham fall easily from the bone.

Cool and remove all the meat from the bone. Reserve meat to add to black bean soup. You should have about 4 cups of ham stock. Proceed with black bean soup recipe.

Black (Bean) & Gold (Pineapple & Corn) Game-Winner Salsa

I know, I know...it's still summer...who in their right mind is thinking football and tailgate parties this time of year?  This gal! Mieke & Tall Matt bought pre-season tickets for the Steelers/Colts game to help celebrate my birthday a little early this past weekend.  Mieke, Tall Matt, Mark, Kimber and I kind of partied all weekend long, actually...and there's nothing wrong with that! 

Never having been to a Steelers game or to Heinz Field, Matt (he's from MI - land of the Detroit Lions) wanted to do it up right...and so we did.  Good Lord, we kicked off on Saturday morning for a Sunday night game! Meat & Potatoes and their magnificent Bloody Mary Bar brunch was the first stop and the beginning of one fantastic weekend.  (http://meatandpotatoespgh.com/menus/brunch_menu.pdf ).  We zigzagged through Market Square and the Strip District hitting several more fun spots, did some shopping - or looking before calling a timeout on Round One of the pregame festivities.  

Dinner?  We simply threw some good steaks on the grill, cooked up beautiful ears of sweet local corn on the cob and I whipped up a quick tomato feta salad with basil from the garden.  Kimber surprised me with gluten-free chocolate birthday cupcakes filled with Nutella and piled high with Nutella buttercream.  Wow!

After a good night's sleep, pregame Round Two kicked off! Brunch at Verde Mexican Kitchen & Cantina in the fresh summer air made for one perfect start.  (Brunch menu: http://verdepgh.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Verde-Menu-Brunch-2012-07-14.pdf)  

From there, we hit several other lovely establishments before ending at James Street Gastropub and Speakeasy (great jazz & original eats & great cocktails, too): (http://jamesstreetgastropub.com/).  Next stop, the North Shore!

Once in the Heinz Field parking lot, we raised the tailgate and unloaded the main event: fresh made guac (yes, I packed the molcajete!), salsa roja, Black & Gold Salsa (Matt LOVED it!),  chicken salad with almonds, apple jalapeno coleslaw (I posted this one a while ago, here's the link: http://dinnerplan-it.blogspot.com/2012/03/apple-jalapeno-slaw.html ), melon chunks, rolls, tomatoes, even Rice Krispie treats...a variety of beers and Grilled Peach Vodka Basil Sweet Tea, too ( http://dinnerplan-it.blogspot.com/2012/07/grilled-peach-vodka-basil-sweet-tea.html).  We did NOT go hungry (or thirsty)...and we shared with our appreciative neighbors, too!

The hit of the tailgate?  Black & Gold Salsa.  Here's the recipe.  It even brought the Steelers a win!

Black & Gold Salsa

• 1 medium pineapple, peeled and cored, cut into chunks
• 1 large banana pepper, seeded and chunked - a nice yellow one
• 1 jalapeno, ribs & seeds removed ( or not, if you want it hotter)
• 1 small onion, peeled, chunked
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves, finely minced
• 1 large ear of corn, leftover, kernels removed (if you don't have a leftover ear of corn, use canned or frozen - 3/4 C or so)
• 2 teaspoons granulated garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin (more or less - however much you like cumin!)
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
• 2 limes, juiced
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 teaspoons hot sauce, I used Cholula lime, but use your fave

Using a food processor, chop the pineapple coarsely, don't puree it!  Keep some good texture to it.  Remove to a mixing bowl.  Process the jalapeno, but make that nice and fine - but not pureed by ANY means; add to bowl.  Do the same with the onion and banana pepper, achieving a dice somewhere between the pineapple and the jalapeno sizes and add that to the mixing bowl, too.
 
Add everything else into the mixing bowl and stir until well-blended.  That's it!
 
Serve with tortilla chips.
   

Chipotle Chicken Black Bean Burgers

One torrentially rainy Tuesday night last summer (our traditional burger night) when we were forced to cook inside, I came up with this recipe.  I was looking for something healthier even back then!   

We've done many permutations of the traditional beef burger here on Dinner Plan-it, but very few NON-beef burgers (you know I'm trying to keep things (somewhat) healthy after the over-indulgences of the holiday season). You also know I don't go crazy overboard about the health thing and I sure don't take out all the flavor along with the calories, fat and cholesterol - which is right where tonight's burger comes into play.


By itself, ground chicken can be pretty bland and dry, but HOO-BOY can you use that to your advantage!  It's like an empty canvas just waiting to be painted with flavors instead of color...well, it takes color pretty well, too, actually.   BLACK beans...sort of a color.  GREEN onions...definitely color!  Some nice deep red chipotle peppers...oh yeah.  All nice color against the pinky, creamy hue of the chicken.  


And the flavors we're painting with?  A nice bite of garlic, the sweetness of onion , a zip of smoky chipotles and cumin, an earthy velvety-ness of black beans...let's not forget the background of chicken(!)...all encased in a crisp crust of crunch in the form of panko breadcrumbs.  I've even found gluten-free panko!
 
I have to admit that the first time I made these Mark looked at the bowl of ingredients with suspicion.  ("Ground chicken? What is this woman trying to do to me?  I'm a BEEF guy!") HA!  He loved them.  He's even requested them!  He looks FORWARD to them!  We're both looking forward to indulging in our healthy favorite tonight with some fresh, green spicy guac alongside and some bright red, juicy tomatoes.  Well, I'm looking forward to the guac...maybe someday Mark will, too.  He does surprise me sometimes!




Chipotle Chicken Black Bean Burgers
 


• 1 pound ground chicken
• 2 chipotle chile canned in adobo, finely minced
• 1/2 cup black beans, cooked, use homemade if you have them, otherwise canned is fine
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic, or more to taste
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt, Janes Crazy Salt, of course, or more to taste
• 3 green onions, sliced thinly
• panko breadcrumbs (gluten-free to make this gf)
• cilantro, finely minced
• vegetable oil, enough to fry burgers (or broil - see below)
 

Lightly mix chicken thru onions and shape into 6 flat patties.  Dredge lightly with panko on both sides.
 
Heat scant oil in skillet & fry until browned & crispy on both sides and cooked through.
 
Sprinkle with cilantro and serve on buns with tomato and some pickled jalapenos...a little mayo & lettuce, too, if you're splurging on the calories.


 NOTE:  Alternately, you can leave off the panko and broil the patties to cut down further on the fat.  I'd suggest maybe sprinkling a little panko on the tops and spraying with a little olive oil to make them pretty.  The broiled version?  Approximately 190 calories and 7 total grams of fat.

Soup to Chase the Chill!

Spicy Black Bean Soup (another hambone recipe!)

Holy cow is it ever cold outside!  Single digit windchill temps out there this morning...brrrrr.  But I didn't have to check the weather report to know the winter chill has set in.  Just look back over  Dinner Plan-it blog posts the last month...yep, soups, stews and tummy warming one-pot dinners galore.  When the weather turns cold, we turn to foods that will warm us up from the inside out.  

Do you remember Mieke used her leftover hambone for Ham and Green Beans last week?  (If you missed it, check below for that recipe.) Once we got back from Michigan, I put a pot of black bean soup on the back burner to cook at our house and put our own leftover hambone to good use. 

This is an easy soup to make if you're new to from-scratch soup making.  Deep, hefty ham flavor packed with tender beans, sweet carrots and onions, garlic and smoky cumin....there's a nice punch of heat in there, too, from the RoTel tomatoes and chipotle chile powder!

I did notice another cold weather commonality in our posts recently...there sure are a few cocktails in there to warm up with, too!  Here's the recipe for the soup....cocktails are optional.

Spicy Black Bean Soup

• 3 cups dried black beans, picked over (I really like the fact that you don't have to soak these beans overnight before making soup!)
• 1 ham bone, with lots of meat on it
• 2 jumbo onions, chopped fine
• 3 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 2 large carrots, diced
• 1 can RoTel tomatoes & chiles
• 8 cups water
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder (McCormicks has it or try Penzey's if you have one near you or substitute regular chile powder)
• Jane's Crazy Salt to taste
• fresh ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar

In a soup pot, bring dry beans, hambone, onion, garlic, cumin, water, and broth to a boil.  Reduce heat to low, partially cover pot with a lid and simmer the soup until beans are tender, about 2-3 hours.  Check the beans for tenderness occasionally.  Transfer hambone to plate and cool.  Cut away ham, discarding bone and fat.
 

Transfer 1 1/2 cups beans and 1 1/2 cups of cooking liquid to a blender or food processor and let cool slightly.  Puree the mixture and return to pot.  Stir in ham, vinegar, sugar, and Crazy Salt salt and pepper to taste and simmer.  Taste and adjust seasonings.
 

Serve soup with a dollop of sour cream....we use Fage 0% fat Greek yogurt instead of sour cream now.  Even my husband loves it!

Spinach, Black Bean and Turkey Enchiladas

This recipe was first given to my mom and I by my sister Julie - this quick and easy meal is one of Julie's all-time favorites. And, it is delicious and healthy, too! The only change I've made over the years is to add meat to it - which makes it perfect if you have left over chicken…or turkey from Thanksgiving. Since the recipe was originally vegetarian, if you want to leave out the chicken, go right ahead! 

• 1 package frozen spinach, cut kind, 10 oz. package, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1 tablespoon taco seasoning mix - I use HOT, of course
• 1 can black beans, drained
• 12 oz cooked diced or shredded turkey or chicken
• 10 rice tortillas (or tortillas of your choice) (soften tortillas by placing a damp paper towel on a plate, then the tortillas, another damp paper towel and microwave for 20 seconds or until warmed and softened - keep covered until ready to use)
• 4 ounces feta cheese (or more, what the heck!)
• 1 can RoTel
• 1/2 cup salsa, thick, saucy kind like Pace - HOT, if you dare!
• 2 ounces shredded cheddar cheese

Mix spinach, beans, turkey (or chicken), feta & taco seasoning. Dip a tortilla into salsa and fill with mixture. Roll and place into 9x13 pan that has been sprayed with Pam and has a little salsa spread on the bottom. Fill and roll rest of tortillas. If they crack, don't worry - it will be just fine. If you have any leftover filling, just scatter it over the top of the casserole before the next step.

Mix remaining salsa and a can of RoTeltomatoes together and spread over enchiladas and then sprinkle with cheddar.

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.
To serve, either lift enchiladas with two forks onto a plate or simply cut the casserole dish into squares like you would lasagna...which is how mom does it.

NOTE: We used to make these with flour tortillas until my mom had to go Gluten Free. Two years ago I made this dish for Mothers day and used gluten-free rice tortillas, I will use these from now on. The crunch and taste was just perfect! Mom sometimes uses soft corn tortillas, too.

Beautiful Black Beans

These are the homemade black beans that put the canned ones to shame.  Serve by themselves as a side dish or in any dish calling for black beans.  Yes, these are the ones I use on the Huevos Rancheros!

1      lb  dried black beans -- picked over and rinsed
2 t.  salt
1      onion -- chopped fine
1      green bell pepper -- chopped
1      red bell pepper -- chopped
4      garlic cloves -- minced
1 T.  cumin
1/3   cup  olive oil
3 T.  tomato paste
2 T.  red wine vinegar
                         
Soak dried beans in cold water to cover by at least 2" for an hour; drain.

In a large heavy pot, simmer beans in water, keeping the water at about 1" above beans.  Add water as necessary to keep them barely covered for 1-2 hours or until tender.  Add the salt and simmer for another 5 minutes.

While beans are cooking, saute the onion and peppers, garlic and cumin in oil over moderate heat, stirring until veggies are softened.  Add the tomato paste and cook for 2 more minutes.

When the beans are tender, stir the veggie mixture into the beans, add vinegar, salt and pepper to taste and simmer until the mixture is thickened how you like them.

Huevos Rancheros

Huevos Rancheros

A couple of years ago on Food Network's Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, Guy Fieri visited the Blue Moon Cafe located in the Fells Point area of Baltimore, MD.  The dishes there all looked soooo good that when Kimber and I visited, we headed straight to the Blue Moon for our first breakfast. 

The joint is known for their Cap'n Crunch-encrusted French toast piled high with berries and mounds of whipped cream.  Looked good, but the huevos rancheros knocked my socks off!   

The tortilla gets crispy on the bottom and substantial enough to pick up and eat like a slice of pizza.  Delish for breakfast or brunch!  Oh, hell…dinner, too, who are we kidding? Here is my rendition.


(makes 1)

• 1 soft corn tortilla
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons queso fresco, crumbled (or feta or cheddar or whatever you like!)
• 1 tablespoon black beans, drained, rinsed (this is where I use my homemade black beans instead of canned.  Of course, don’t rinse the homemade ones!)
• 2 tablespoons guacamole, homemade (or bought!)
• 1 tablespoon chorizo, cooked and crumbled (optional)
• taco sauce, the thin kind, not salsa
• sour cream or crema
• cilantro, choppoed, to taste
• salt and pepper, to taste

Spray a large skillet liberally with Pam and heat. Place the tortilla in the skillet for a few seconds and then flip it over for a few more seconds until the tortilla is good and hot. Gently break the egg onto the center of the tortilla and hold until the egg adheres to the tortilla – if it slides off, no big deal, just gently put it back with a spatula.


Season the egg with salt and pepper, crumble the cheese on top of the egg, sprinkle with the beans and the chorizo. Turn the heat down to medium and cover with a lid. Cook how you like your fried eggs (I like mine done easy so the yolk oozes) and remove to a plate.


Top the huevos rancheros with guac, taco sauce and cilantro….maybe a little sour cream or crema if you wish. The tortilla is crisp and crunchy, the egg and the toppings stay right in place, and you can pick it up and eat it all right down. YUM!