Quinoa and Black Bean Salad 10 October 08

Quinoa and Black Bean Salad

1-1/2 cups quinoa
1-1/2 cups canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1-1/2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1-1/2 cups cooked corn (fresh, canned or frozen)
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
4 scallions, chopped
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, diced finely
1 tsp. garlic, minced fine
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 cup fresh coriander leaves, chopped fine
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/3 cup olive oil

1. Rinse quinoa in a fine sieve under cold running water until water runs clear.
2. Put quinoa in a pot with 2-1/4 cups water.
3. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer 20 minutes or until water is absorbed and quinoa is tender.
4. Fluff quinoa with a fork and transfer to a large bowl and allow to cool.
5. While quinoa is cooking, in a small bowl toss beans with vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.
6. Add beans, corn, bell pepper, scallions, garlic, cayenne, jalapeno and coriander to the quinoa. Toss well.
7. In a small bowl whisk together lime juice, salt, cumin and add oil in a stream while whisking. Drizzle over salad and toss well with salt and pepper.

Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving.

 

Black Bean Tostadas with Avocado & Red Cabbage 23 May 08

I dig nachos. A lot. These are a delicious summer, fresh meal and in my opinion are a great stand in for nachos. Goes great with margaritas too!

Black Bean Tostadas with Avocado & Red Cabbage

1 (15 ounce) can black beans (drained)
1/4 cup prepared salsa fresca (you can definately make 1/2 of this recipe but I don’t recommend it…it won’t stick around long either way)
2 T nonfat plain yogurt
1 cup finely diced red cabbage
2 T minced fresh cilantro
2 T finely diced white onion
1 T fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. salt
1 medium avocado diced
4 corn tortillas
Queso fresca (if desired)

1. Preheat oven to 400. Place tortillas directly on oven rack and cook for approx. 5 minutes on each side.
2. Mash together the black beans and yogurt in a small bowl. Add salsa fresca to black bean mixture.
3. In another bowl, mix together red cabbage, cilantro, onion, lime juice, cumin, salt and avocado.
4. Spread black bean mixture onto cooked tortilla and top with cabbage mixture.
5. Sprinkle with cheese if desired.

Sometimes I prefer to warm the bean mixture before spreading it on the tortilla, but this is also excellent cold. If you have extra corn tortillas I would suggest brushing them with a little olive oil and salt, cutting into quarters and baking until crisp in the oven…you’ll probably have leftover salsa and fresh, warm tortilla chips are a great compliment to fresh, cold salsa.

Black Bean Burgers 13 May 08

All of the recipes that are found in A Pinch of This are special to me in some way and each has found it’s way into my life in different ways. Some are things that you will always find in my fridge, some are new favorites and some are special to me simply because they remind of a certain time in my life. All of them are tried and, in my humble opinion, delicious. While writing earlier about the Farmers Market in Madison I started to think about other favorites from my time in Madison. Monty’s Blue Plate Diner (read the reviews) was one of the first to come to mind. The Blue Plate Diner is part of the wonderful Atwood neighborhood of Madison and on any given weekend morning you can find droves of people waiting for an hour or more for a taste of their all day every day breakfast menu. Don’t let the diner decor fool you though. The menu is far from simple diner fare. On Saturdays the restaurant (which seats 80) serves 750 to 800 people. Monty’s is Voted the Best Vegetarian Restaurant and Best Breakfast Restaurant year after year – and is definitely worth the wait.

Although it’s not on their menu at present, the following recipe is both one of the staples of my diet and a favorite from the Blue Plate Diner.

Black Bean Burgers

2 cups cooked or 14-oz. can black beans, drained
1/2 cup of your favorite salsa
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup wheat flour
1/8 cup corn meal
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. black pepper
2 TB olive oil
Kaiser rolls, lettuce, tomato…and any fixin’s that you like.

Thoroughly mix black beans with salsa, egg and vinegar.
Add the wheat flour, corn meal, salt and pepper.
Mix and stir until ingredients are well blended. Form into round patties.
Place olive oil in a non-stick  frying pan on low heat.
Place formed patties into the frying pan and cook until firm and brown on one side.
Flip and fry until brown on the other side.

My boyfriend in college loved these burgers as well – when he told me one day that he was going to stop eating eggs (already a vegetarian) I found myself on a quest for a suitable egg substitute that would still allow these to be a favorite food. Here’s what I found:

Vegan Egg Substitute

1 TB ground flax seed
3 T water

Mix ground flax and water in a bowl and let sit until the water is absorbed by the flax.. (~10 minutes) This is the equivalent of one egg and also works great in baked goods.