Sweet Potato, Black Bean, and Quinoa Burger

As a teenager and newbie pescatarian, veggie burgers never did much for me. I consumed them when I first stopped eating red meat and poultry 16 years ago, but only so that I'd feel included while everyone else chomped into hotdogs, hamburgers and grilled chicken. Over the years, I've learned that veggie burgers can be so much more than what I was served back then.

The joy of making them at home is that you can tailor them to your preferences, giving the patties some spice and all the textures you desire. When Negra Modelo reached out about partnering with them on their "Perfect Complement" campaign, there was no doubt that I was going to do a sweet potato burger. Working off the caramel and brown sugar notes in the beer, I roasted the sweet potato to bring out similar flavors.  A beer like Negra Modelo goes well with spicy food, so chopped jalapeño and a bit of smoked paprika felt like a natural fit. But, really, it wouldn't be a burger without some messy toppings. While you could easily throw blue cheese on there (and I fully support that), I went with a creamy, zingy avocado spread to brighten things up and purple cabbage slaw for crunch.

Disclaimer: Thank you to Negra Modelo for sponsoring this post. It's a pleasure working with brands who support my style of cooking.  All opinions expressed on my site are my own.

Sweet Potato, Black Bean, and Quinoa Burger

Servings Serves 4 (2 patties per person)

Ingredients

For the veggie burgers

3 or 4 sweet potatoes (3/4 lb.), cut in half lengthwise
3/4 cup chopped white onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 jalapeño pepper, seeds removed and diced
1 15.5 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
¼ cup all-purpose flour (or gluten-free flour)
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup cooked quinoa
Olive oil Salt

For the avocado spread

1 avocado, pit removed
1/8 cup cilantro leaves
1 garlic clove, chopped
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar

For the slaw

1 cup thinly sliced red cabbage
2 tablespooons rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar

4 hamburger buns

Directions

For the veggie burgers

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place sweet potato halves on the baking sheet and drizzle with 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. Cook sweet potato for 30 minutes, flipping them once halfway through.

2. Meanwhile, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and season with ½ teaspoon salt. Cook for 2 minutes and then reduce heat to low and cook for an additional 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and set aside.

3. Once the sweet potato is cooked enough that a sharp knife easily cuts into it, remove from the oven. Let cool and then peel the skin away from the sweet potato. Transfer the flesh to a mixing bowl and mash with a fork.

4. Stir in cooked onion and garlic and chopped jalapeno.

5. Gently mix in black beans, followed by the flour, garlic powder and smoked paprika. Once they are completely incorporated into the mixture, mix in the quinoa.

6. Line a plate with parchment paper. Scoop ¼ cup of mixture into your hands and mold into patties. Place on lined plate. Repeat with remaining mixture. Refrigerate patties for 30 minutes.

7. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add burgers and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until brown. Transfer cooked patties to a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and cook in the 375 degree oven for 15-20 minutes (or longer to dry them out and firm them up), flipping them half way through.

For the avocado spread

1. Using a blender (or an immersion blender), puree the avocado, cilantro, garlic, ½ teaspoon salt and white wine vinegar until smooth.

For the slaw

1. In a bowl, toss the sliced red cabbage with rice wine vinegar, salt and sugar. Let sit for 10 minutes.

How to Build the Burger
Place two veggie burgers on top of the bottom half of the hamburger bun. Top with slaw. Spread avocado mixture on the top half of the bun and place on top of the slaw. Serve with an icy cold Negra Modelo.

Sweet and Smoky Red Kale and Grape Salad

We're getting down to our last few weeks of enjoying the Cape house. It's hard to believe that we're so close to shutting things down. We won't be there these next few weekends as we have other things going on, but we definitely have a couple more days to enjoy it this fall. As much as I love the summer weather, this is some of the best time to spend on the Cape. The tourists have left and things are generally more relaxed. It's warm enough to hang outside for a bit, but at night we can bundle up by a roaring fire.

One of the weekends we have coming up is a trip to New York. Earlier this year, my parents got us tickets to see Fun Home for our anniversary. We decided on a matinee so that we'd have our night open. It's rare that we spend a night in New York, so I decided to try my hand at getting reservations at Le Bernardin, one of my bucket list restaurants. On September 1st, I called to see what we could get. Dial. Busy. Again... dial, busy. Again... and again. And again. After 40 minutes and over a hundred attempts, I finally got through. 5:30 or 10. Those were our options. I went with 5:30. Seeing that we're doing the tasting menu, I expect we'll be there for at least three hours. Then we'll have the night to walk around and check out some bars. Or we'll roll ourselves to bed and pass out at 9 o'clock.

So, let's see here. Where to begin with this salad? I went back and forth a bit about what direction I wanted to go with this. I had thought about adding all sorts of things to it, like broiled shrimp or quinoa or avocado, but when it came down to it I just wanted to provide something that could stand on its own or, if one felt so inclined could also add their other favorite toppings. This is not a salad that is lacking flavor. It's sweet, salty, smoky, creamy. It will leave your mouth tingly, but in the best possible way (thank you Chipotle Tabasco!).

Red Kale and Grape Salad | A Thought For Food

Red Kale and Grape Salad | A Thought For Food

Red Kale and Grape Salad | A Thought For Food

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Tabasco. Over the course of the year, I've created recipes featuring the Tabasco Family of Flavors. All opinions expressed on my site are my own.

You can check out my recap from my trip to visiting Tabasco here and my recipes for Smokey Shrimp Burgers, a Watermelon Shrub Spritzer, and Charred Corn and Mango Salsa.

Red Kale and Grape Salad

Servings
Approximately 6 as a side, 4 as an entree (with additional toppings)

Ingredients
1 medium bunch red kale,stems removed and leaves torn into 2" pieces
1 cup seedless grapes, cut in half
3 tablespoons sour cream
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 teaspoons Chipotle Tabasco
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup roasted pistachios, shelled and chopped
1 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Make the dressing by whisking together the sour cream, lemon juice, Chipotle Tabasco, brown sugar, and salt.

2. Pour dressing over kale and toss to coat. Add grapes.

3. Transfer to serving bowl and top with chopped pistachios.

Note: To turn it into an entree, top with shrimp, chicken, avocado, and/or quinoa.

Chilled Plum Soup

Chilled Plum Soup // A Thought For Food #recipe

I consciously took a week off from blogging. As much as I fought it, I think I needed a little break. Once again I was finding that I was putting pressure on myself to post because that's what I'd grown accustomed to. That's not a reason to blog. It's not why I want to blog. So, I took a little time off. I'm back now and feeling pretty darn good about this space, the creative process, and, most importantly, the recipes I plan to share over the next few months.

There was a bit of an inner struggle about what to post. I knew I wanted to do something seasonal, but I felt like I'd covered all the bases recently with the dishes I've created using tomato, corn, cherries and berries. What was there left to do? I looked through the local market and saw these beautiful plums. I didn't know exactly where it was all going, but I knew I didn't want to do a cake. Been there, done that. Poached? Eh. Not really doing it for me. Ok, so cooked and then turned into something. A soup. Cold. That's summer, but then, maybe, just a little hit of fall flavors. Cinnamon and ginger. This is one of those dishes I knew was going to work as soon as I smelled it cooking. Our whole house filled with the aromas that I find so comforting in the cooler months, and, yet, here we are with a chilled soup to enjoy during these last hot and humid days of summer.

Yogurt makes for the ideal garnish for a sweet soup like this, which needs a bit of tang to balance it out. In recent months, I've really grown to appreciate all the ways one can apply yogurt to a dish. For those interested in such a subject (believe me, I wasn't at first, but now I'm hooked), my friend, fellow blogger, and cookbook author, Cheryl Sternman Rule, recently came out with Yogurt Culture. Just flipping through the book will have you rushing to the store to pick up a container.

Chilled Plum Soup // A Thought For Food

Chilled Plum Soup

Yield 4 servings

Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs red or black plums (about 8), cut in half and pitted
1 cup apple juice
1 tablespoon ginger, peeled and sliced into chunks
1 cinnamon stick
1 tablespoon agave
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon tarragon leaves
Yogurt, for serving

Directions

1. Place plums into a pot with apple juice, ginger, cinnamon sticks, tarragon agave and salt. Bring to a boil and then cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes or until plums are very soft. Discard cinnamon stick.

2. Using an immersion blender or food processor or blender, purée mixture until smooth.

3. Transfer to a container and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour. Ladle into bowls and serve with a dollop of yogurt.