Black Bean Burgers/Tacos

It's bee a while, how've you been? We've been GREAT!! We went on a little family trip, which was a true test of how well we are coping with Archie's medical status. The results? Not great. It was very tricky, and a little sicky, but I think we learned a lot. Armed with a big rubbermaid tote filled with his snacks, and containers of Cuban Beans and Rice with quinoa, cooked oats, and rice grits, we headed off. It was good for a bit; about a day actually. Then we had a night of hotel-dry-heaving, 3 days of a blistering, red bum, and we are still going with day 6 of diarrhea. To top it off nicely, he did not much enjoy his medicinal baking soda bum-wash in the teeny hotel sink.

 We don't really know what set him off. We are suspecting Honey Nut (almond) Chex, or too much watermelon? It may be the soy lecithin in the presumed-friendly cereal bars. We just don't know. That's kinda our little motto lately. The day we headed home, we were running low on Archie-supplies, so it was perfectly timed. We also learned that he can only take so many meals of Cuban Beans and Rice in a row. Poor guy was over them by day 3, but who can blame him? We all like a little variety in our lives, right?

The day after we got home, we were all vacation-fooded out, so I made one of our favorite vegetarian meals, Black Bean Burgers. YUMMY! Except, I like them as tacos on corn tortillas instead of on a bun, just my preference. I don't know if I've said this, but I pretty much prefer anything better with corn tortillas...masa is my best friend! I originally found this recipe years ago on the website cuisinenie, and it has been a favorite of ours for a while. The only tweeks I have to do, is substitute a gluten-free bread crumb, and not give him the cotija or cilantro-lime mayo (poor guy! Those are the best parts!). When I made this on Saturday, I used a prepackaged corn-chip crumb which worked with the flavors really well! If you do this, or make your own corn-chip crumbs, note that I used only a 1/2c, and it was a little more than I needed. I hope you love this as much as we do, it is simply spectacular!! A flavor fiesta in your mouth!

Black Bean Burgers with Lime-Cilantro Mayo

From the kitchen of Cookin' Canuck www.cookincanuck.com Burgers: 4 pieces day-old or toasted whole wheat sandwich bread 2 tbsp olive or canola oil, divided 1 medium onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 tbsp minced jalapeno pepper, membranes and seeds removed  1 tsp ground cumin 1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed 1 1/4 cups cooked brown rice 2 tsp fresh lime juice 1/2 tsp kosher salt 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper 1/4 cup chopped cilantro Cilantro-Lime Mayo: 1/2 cup mayonnaise 2 tsp fresh lime juice 2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro 1/2 tsp ground cumin 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper 4 whole-wheat buns 1/2 cup cotija cheese (found in most supermarkets) 4 large slices tomato 12 slices avocado Burgers: In the bowl of a food processor, pulse sandwich bread to form breadcrumbs.  Pour into a bowl and set aside. Heat 1 tablespoon olive or canola oil in a large skillet set over medium heat.  Add onion and sauté until soft.   Add garlic, jalapeno, and cumin.  Saute for additional 2 minutes.   Scrape the mixture into the food processor.   Add black beans, brown rice, lime juice, salt, and pepper.  Pulse until the beans are chopped, but not pureed.   Scrape the black bean mixture into a large bowl.   Add half of the breadcrumbs and the chopped cilantro.  Using a wooden spoon, stir the mixture until combined. Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions and form into patties.  If the mixture is too moist to form patties, add more breadcrumbs.   Place the patties on a baking sheet lined with plastic wrap and cover with additional plastic wrap.   Refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour. Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in a large skillet (preferably not nonstick, so a good crust can form) set over medium heat.   Add the burgers and cook for 4 minutes per side. Cilantro-Lime Mayo: In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, lime juice, cumin, cilantro, and pepper.  Stir well.  Lightly toast the whole wheat buns.  Spread 2 tablespoons cilantro-lime mayo on each bun,  and top each with a black bean patty,  2 tablespoons crumbled cotija cheese, 1 slice tomato, and 3 slices avocado.  Serve.

Tomato Lentils

Do you know what makes me happy? When I discover something I have always made that happens to be allergen free; easy peasy! I've decided that I like food that is Yummy first, and allergen-free second, not the other way around. This is one of those recipes...naturally allergen-free! The fact that it is PACKED with healthy goodness is just a bonus.

I have to admit that this next recipe isn't something I make for my whole family, it is something Archie and I have been enjoying secretly for lunch for the last few months. Not everyone loves lentils, so I don't force it on my family, but Archie and I agree that it is yummy! It's adapted from a recipe called Indian Red Lentils from wholenewmom.com. I didn't have some of the ingredients, so I made some substitutions, and when I made it later like the recipe said, I realized I liked my version better! Nice when that happens. Another note, I serve it on brown rice or quinoa, so a little goes a long way. I half the recipe, and Archie and I eat it for about 4 days (I don't half the onions, because, c'mon, onions are awesome).

Archie Red Lentils

Ingredients

• 3-4 Tbsp coconut oil or other healthy fat. Nature’s Way is one good brand.
• 1 onion, diced (or ~ 2 Tbsp. minced plus a bit of water to reconstitute)
• 8 garlic cloves, minced (see my tip on The Easiest Way to Peel Garlic)
• 28 oz (3 1/2 cups) chicken broth (vegetable broth is also fine – See my Homemade Vegetable Broth Mix recipe)
• 28 oz can diced tomatoes (of course, fresh is fine also)
• 2 1/2 cups red lentils, rinsed 
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper 
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• Salt to taste 

Method

1.  Melt oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat.

2.  Add onion and garlic.  Saute 5 minutes or until the onion is soft.

3.  Add broth and next 5 ingredients.

4.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low.  Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, approximately 30 minutes or until lentils are tender.  If using a pressure cooker, bring to a boil.  Place the lid on the cooker and bring up to high pressure.  Cook for 9 minutes on high [you may need a few more minutes since the tomatoes counteract the cooking of the lentils slightly.  Conversely, you could add the tomatoes after cooking the beans].  Let pressure come down naturally.  Remove lid carefully.)

5.  Stir in basil and salt to taste.

NOTE:  The lentils in the photo are red lentils.  Isn’t it interesting how they turn yellow when cooked?

Cuban Beans and Rice

I love to cook, and I love to be creative and cook new, ethnic, difficult and exciting meals. I am actually excited about the prospect of cooking for Archie's allergies; it's like my own personal food challenge: how to make food that satisfies my desire to try exciting things, tastes good, and he can eat it. FUN!

I'm pretty lucky that he was diagnosed so young, because he isn't that demanding an eater yet. I don't have to make every meal Archie-safe, because, honestly, he's pretty happy with a banana and some rice crackers most of the time. But, I do like the idea of him eating "real people food" sometimes, and that is where our family meals become time to test my skills! I am more inclined towards recipes that are naturally allergen free, not invented foods trying to pass as the real thing. I think it just makes life easier for me, the chef. I'm sure there will come a time when he will be asking for "bread" or "pizza" or "cookies", but for now, straight up allergen free food is the main thing on the menu.

Before his diagnosis, there wasn't much that I cooked that didn't involve gluten, egg, dairy or soy, but this is a recipe that I was making before that was already allergen free. I have to thank America's Test Kitchen for the recipe.

This recipe has great flavor, comes together without much work, and the beans are super good for him!
Just be careful that the stock (vegetable or chicken) that you use doesn't have soy in it and you will be good to go!

When I make it, I make the vegetarian version, but with chicken broth because my veggie stock has soy.

Cuban-Style Black Beans and Rice (Moros y Cristianos)

From the episode: A Latin Celebration

Serves 6 to 8 as an entree and 8 to 10 as a side dish

Serve this recipe as a side dish or as a main course with a simple green salad. It is important to use lean—not fatty—salt pork. If you can’t find it, substitute six slices of bacon. If using bacon, decrease the cooking time in step 4 to eight minutes. For a vegetarian version of this recipe, use water instead of chicken broth, omit the salt pork, add 1 tablespoon of tomato paste with the vegetables in step 4, and increase the amount of salt in step 5 to 1½ teaspoons.

INGREDIENTS

•   Table salt
• 1 cup dried black beans , rinsed and picked over
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth (see note)
• 2 cups water
• 2 large green bell peppers , halved and seeded
• 1 large onion , halved at equator and peeled, root end left intact
• 1 head garlic , 5 medium cloves removed and minced or pressed through garlic press (about 5 teaspoons), remaining head halved at equator with skin left intact
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 1/2 cups long grain white rice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 ounces salt pork , cut into 1/4-inch dice (see note)
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano leaves
• 4 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 medium scallions , sliced thin
• 1 lime , cut into 8 wedges

INSTRUCTIONS

• 1. Dissolve 1½ tablespoons salt in 2 quarts cold water in large bowl or container. Add beans and soak at room temperature for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours. Drain and rinse well.
• 2. In large Dutch oven with tight-fitting lid, stir together drained beans, broth, water, 1 pepper half, 1 onion half (with root end), halved garlic head, bay leaves, and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to simmer over medium-high heat, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook until beans are just soft, 30 to 40 minutes. Using tongs, remove and discard pepper, onion, garlic, and bay leaves. Drain beans in colander set over large bowl, reserving 2½ cups bean cooking liquid. (If you don’t have enough bean cooking liquid, add water to equal 2½ cups.) Do not wash out Dutch oven.
• 3. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Place rice in large fine-mesh strainer and rinse under cold running water until water runs clear, about 1½ minutes. Shake strainer vigorously to remove all excess water; set rice aside. Cut remaining peppers and onion into 2-inch pieces and process in food processor until broken into rough ¼-inch pieces, about eight 1-second pulses, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary; set vegetables aside.
• 4. In now-empty Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon oil and salt pork over medium-low heat; cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned and rendered, 15 to 20 minutes. Add remaining tablespoon oil, chopped peppers and onion, oregano, and cumin. Increase heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are softened and beginning to brown, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Add minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add rice and stir to coat, about 30 seconds.
• 5. Stir in beans, reserved bean cooking liquid, vinegar, and ½ teaspoon salt. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to simmer. Cover and transfer to oven. Bake until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, about 30 minutes. Fluff with fork and let rest, uncovered, 5 minutes. Serve, passing scallion and lime wedges separately.