Spicy Black Bean Burgers

This is a recipe from the Skinny Taste blog. I make them without the mayo she has on her post. We aren't mayo people. These have become a house favorite. I double the recipe and keep them in the freezer and we have a quick and healthy lunch or dinner at a moments notice. We even tried freeze some buns so that we always have them. It worked well for us! When I am down to one or two in the freezer I make up another batch and it takes no time at all.

I top mine with a little cheese and avocado slices. Andrew like to add some hot sauce to his.

I seriously eat these about twice a week. They are filling, healthy, and budget friendly. You can't go wrong.

16 oz can black beans, rinsed & drained

1/2 red bell pepper, cut into 2-inch pieces

1/2 cup chopped scallions

3 Tbsp chopped cilantro

3 cloves garlic, peeled

1 egg

1 Tbsp cumin

1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup quick oats

Dry the beans well after washing, extra moisture keeps the burgers from sticking. In a medium bowl, mash beans with a fork until thick and pasty.

In a food processor, finely chop bell pepper, cilantro, onion, and garlic, then add oats, then eggs and spices. Then stir into mashed beans.

Divide mixture into four patties (using slightly oiled hands helps) and place them onto a flat surface covered with wax paper. If the mixture is too wet, chill for 30 minutes or add another tablespoon of oats.

Freeze at least 2 hours before cooking or keep frozen until ready to cook.

Heat a lightly sprayed skillet to medium heat and cook frozen burgers about 7 minutes on each side.

If grilling, preheat grill over medium heat, and lightly oil a sheet of aluminum foil; grill 7-8 minutes on each side.

Zucchini Quesadillas

4 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion, coarsely chopped

salt

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 medium zucchini, about 1 lb, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced

1 cup frozen corn kernels

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

4 (8-inch) flour tortillas

2 cups grated pepper jack cheese

Preheat oven to 400°. In a large skillet, heat 3 Tbsp oil over medium heat. Add onion and 1 tsp salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic; cook 1 minute more.

Add zucchini and frozen corn kernels; cook, stirring occasionally, until zucchini is soft and corn is tender, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in cilantro, if using.

Brush one side of all tortillas with remaining Tbsp oil; lay 2 tortillas, oiled side down, on a baking sheet. Place half of the filling on each, and sprinkle with half the cheese. Place remaining 2 tortillas on top, oiled side up; press down gently with a spatula to seal.

Bake until cheese has melted and tortillas are golden brown, turning once, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven; let cool slightly. To serve, slice each quesadilla into wedges.

Meatless Mexican Lasagna

I've been MIA lately. I didn't realize how much time I would not have to post recipes once I started staying home. Mostly becuase Colin is dropping naps and so that limits my nice quiet alone time. I am going to try and get back to posting more recipes. Espcially since I have been finding some really good ones here lately!

Here is a Mexican take on lasanga. It was a big hit in our house and in Hallies. The original recipe had hot sauce that I left out. Hallie said she added black olives. We both topped with avocado when we served it. It seems like you can't go wrong playing with this recipe.

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

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels

4-5 green onions, chopped

Scant 1/2 cup chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish

1 red or orange bell pepper, diced

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp garlic powder

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cumin

1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes, fire roasted

9-12 no-boil lasagna noodles

8 oz shredded Mexican blend cheese

Preheat the oven to 400°.

In a large bowl, combine the black beans, corn, green onions, cilantro, bell pepper, oregano, garlic powder, cumin, and salt.

Spread a thin layer of tomatoes over the bottom of the baking dish. Layer with 3-4 lasagna noodles, breaking them as needed to fit the pan. On top of the layer of noodles, spread about 1/3 of the bean mixture. Layer evenly with about one quarter of the remaining tomatoes and sprinkle with 1/4 of the cheese.

Repeat the layering process two times more. The last layer will be noodles, tomatoes, and cheese.

Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Bake 35-45 minutes, or until noodles are tender and cooked through. Remove the foil from the top and bake 5 minutes more, until the cheese is melted. Remove from the oven and let stand at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Baked Hummus & Spinach Dip

We are changing our eating habits up a little. We are reducing the amount of meat in our diet and upping the vegetarian options. I hope to have some good vegetarian recipes to post as I find more to try.

This is easy and delicious. You can make this as an appetizer or make it for an easy lunch (as I'm doing as I type this).

8 oz container of plain hummus
2 cups fresh spinach
1 cup shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 375.

In a food processor, pulse the spinach until it is shredded. Combine the shredded spinach, hummus, and 1/2 of the cheese. Spread into a small baking dish. Top with remaining cheese.

Bake for 20-25 or until hummus is hot all the way through.

Use as a dip for tortilla chips, pita, bread, & veggies.

Hell or High Water 5k

Today Hallie and I participated in our 2nd 5k. I was so excited and my goal was to be faster than my last race. I thought that was doable considering my normal practice runs were now faster than that.

Friday I started feeling sick. I am pretty sure it was just allergies and it made me feel exhausted, foggy, and even nauseous. Andrew gave me some "alone" time that night and I went to the GAP. Something is obviously wrong when I'm ready to leave the GAP and go to bed or maybe even throw up.

I went home and went to bed and got up bright and early this morning to have some coffee and light breakfast. Still didn't feel great. But figured I was nervous. We picked up Hallie and made our way to Nashville. We walked and warmed up, and I still didn't feel well. I used Andrew's nice heart rate monitor (I'm getting my own for my birthday!!!) because I had been using it in practice runs. I learned my average heart rate during my runs is usually 160 and I top out at 171.

Well, we began the race, me still telling Hallie was going to hurl. I spent the run watching my heart rate monitor knowing I didn't feel well b/c I couldn't get my heart rate down. When we got home I plugged it up and and found out that my average heart rate during this run was 173. And I topped out at 181. Andrew said I was obviously not feeling well..and then laughed that I even continued the run and never passed out.

Anyway, I finished...with a worse time that my previous race. But I finished. Hallie did AMAZING!! I'm not even going to tell her official time because I am sure she will want to share it herself on her blog when she makes her post. I am so so proud of her. She has a tough time to be at our future races!

She was a good friend and didn't want to leave me for fear of my barfing on the side of the road and being alone. I am so glad she listened to me and didn't stick with me. But I am glad I have a friend that would be willing to get a sucky time to stay by me when I'm sick.

So, here are some pictures from today. Our boys even came and watched. =)

For the record, my time was 36:39. I would love to erase that race from my history completely. But I will keep track of it and will never be slower than that again. Can't wait to make up for that time.