Pumpkin Chickpea Burgers

This recipe was inpspired by Megan's Munchies' delicious-looking Pumpkin White Bean Burgers. I wanted to cook something unique last night for dinner, something that I could prepare ahead of time and then not worry about until dinner time. I also was really in the mood for an Autumn recipe - something that tastes like fall. I knew that Megan has been on a major roll with all her pumpkin recipes, and was sure that I could find some sort of delicious savory pumpkin meal that would taste just like fall - and this recipe didn't disappoint at all!

Megan's recipe calls for great northern beans, but I happened to have some cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans) in the freezer, so I thawed some of those to use instead.

Pumpkin Chickpea Burgers
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp oil (I skipped these first three ingredients, and just used dried minced onions and garlic to save myself a bit of effort)
1 cup great northern beans (I used chickpeas, aka garbanzos)
1/2 cup canned pure pumpkin
1/3 cup quick cooking oats (equal to one packet instant oatmeal)
1/4 tsp sage
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet, saute onion and garlic in oil for about 5 minutes or until soft, then set aside. In a large bowl, mash beans with a fork. Be sure to mash most of the beans until a paste forms, leaving some whole beans are okay (at the end of this step my arm was very tired! I used beans cooked from dry, so they were a lot more firm than the canned variety. Just a fair warning). Add pumpkin, oats and seasonings to beans. Add onions and garlic to mixture. Mix until well combined. Allow mixture to rest in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, the mixture can be left overnight or up to 3 days. Divide bean mixture into 4 equal balls. With hands, shape mixture into patties about 3 inches around and 1/2 inch thick. To cook patties, bake in 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes, turning once. Or, place 1 tsp oil in large skillet over medium heat. Place patties into pan and cook for about 5 minutes. Turn patties and cook an additional 5 minutes, or until patties are browned on both sides.


I served these like regular burgers, on some homemade bread with tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, and a special sauce!

Special Burger Sauce (tastes similar to Thousand Island, but better :-)
2 tbsp. mayonnaise
1 1/2 tsp. ketchup
1 tsp. chili sauce
1 tsp. sweet relish

These amounts are approximate. I didn't really measure; I just made it up as I went along, squirting stuff here and there until it looked right!

Combine all ingredients, and spread on bread or buns for burgers. This tangy-sweet sauce went so well with these uniquely flavored, spiced burgers!


Inadvertently, I realized that without the cheese, this is a completely vegetarian meal. We don't usually care about that kind of stuff - we're not at all opposed to eating meat and other animal-based products. But I have noticed that plant-based foods are much more inexpensive than animal-based ones, so we're totally fine with eating vegetarian meals once in a while. It's economical, and tasty!

I'm submitting this to the October I Love Baking event.

Another Deliciously Fast Yeast Bread

I love homemade bread. I love the way it smells as it's baking, I love to eat it fresh out of the oven, and I love the satisfaction of knowing that I made it myself. I don't, however, love having to spend four hours waiting for the bread to be done. So it follows that I love recipes for homemade bread that allow me to have that bread in my hand and on the way to my mouth in a very short time. Recipes like Michelle's 60-Minute Rolls, Jeanette's Four-Grain Batter Bread, and my favorite Yeastless Focaccia Bread all get me really excited - delicious bread on the table in a short period of time. I also love things like biscuits and Hoe Cake for the same reason.

This is another one of those breads that are fast and delicious. This recipe comes from the Tightwad Gazette, and is done in less than an hour and a half. Hooray!

Cuban Bread
5-6 cups all-purpose flour (you can substitute whole wheat flour for 1 or 2 cups)
1 tbsp. yeast
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. salt
2 cups hot water (120-130 degrees)
1 tbsp sesame or poppy seeds (optional)

Mix 4 cups of the flour with the yeast, sugar, and salt. Pour in hot water and beat 100 strokes, or 3 minutes with a mixer. Stir in the remaining flour until the dough is no longer sticky. Knead 8 minutes. Place the dough in a greased bowl, and cover with a damp towel. Let rise 15 minutes (yeah, 15 minutes - isn't that amazing?). Punch down. Shape into two round or oblong loaves, and place on a baking sheet. Cut an X or a few slashes 1/2 inch deep on top with a sharp knife. If desired, brush with water and sprinkle with seeds (I chose not to do this because I don't like it when the seeds fall off as you slice the bread - it's really annoying).

Place on the middle shelf of a cold oven. Place a cake pan of hot water on the lowest shelf. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake 40 to 50 minutes until deep golden brown.


I understand that it's best to let the bread cool completely before slicing, because it slices easier that way. However, I always cut at least a few slices right away, when the bread is hot out of the oven, because it tastes so delicious! In our house, everyone knows that when we make bread, the heel - the first slice cut - belongs to me. I love that crispy, crusty piece smeared with butter (okay, margarine; it's cheaper), when it's still hot enough to melt the butter right away and the bread is still steaming slightly. Oh, that's pure heaven!


Yum. I need to go get myself another slice now.


This post is being submitted to the "Need to Knead" blog event, hosted by Tamy at 3 Sides of Crazy and Joy at Joy of Desserts. There will be a round-up of all sorts of delicious breads on October 15, so check it out, and submit your own bread if you're interested!

Southern Plate Strikes Again!

Today I'm going to feature two delicious recipes from one of my favorite blogs - Southern Plate! Seriously, check out this blog, because not only are all the recipes fantastic, but Christy is the friendliest and cheerfullest blogger I've ever read! Every recipe I've tried from her website has turned out wonderful, and these two are no exception.

First we have the Southern classic - Fried Green Tomatoes. I first learned about fried green tomatoes a couple years ago when I saw a movie by that name. I loved the movie, and was intrigued by the concept of the dish. So Jeff and I looked up recipes for fried green tomatoes and have loved them ever since. Our first experience with FGT was frying them batter-dipped, just like fried chicken. Christy's recipe uses a cornmeal coating, and is much crunchier. I like it both ways!


Fried Green Tomatoes
Green tomatoes, thickly sliced
Corn meal, about 1 1/2 cups
Flour, about 4 tbsp.
Season All (or seasoned salt), about 2 tbsp.
Milk

Combine corn meal, flour, and season all. Dip thick tomato slices in milk, then in corn meal mixture. Press down to coat both sides well. Fry in hot oil. Christy uses lots of oil - looks like about 1/2 inch of oil. Jeff and I prefer to just use a little bit, only a thin coating on the bottom of the pan that we replenish after each batch. Either way - fry those babies until they're golden brown and crispy on each side. Drain on paper towels and eat!


Frugal bonus - since green tomatoes are something that you usually get in abundance from your garden, they are a very frugal food, in addition to being really tasty!


Next up is this delicious autumn recipe - Apple Orchard Snack Cake. This cake is definitely unique - it uses graham cracker crumbs instead of flour! The result is a moist and flavorful cake with a delicious chunks of apple. I used my homemade graham crackers for that extra really-from-scratch touch!


Apple Orchard Snack Cake
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 to 3 apples, peeled and diced
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
3/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional, I didn't add these)

Blend sugar, margarine, and eggs in bowl with a spoon. Stir in graham cracker crumbs, apples, and walnuts until blended. Spread batter into greased 8x8 pan. Bake at 35 for forty to forty five minutes or until firm to the touch. Sprinkle liberally with confectioner's sugar. Cool and then cut into squares.

My Kitchen My World - Morocco

Judy of Judy's Gross Eats has chosen Morocco for this week's tour for My Kitchen My World. In Morocco, the main meal is eaten at midday, and is comprised of several courses - hot and cold salads, then stews called tagines, followed by a main course of lamb or chicken, then heaping plates of couscous with meats and vegetables. Lastly, meals are finished with sweet mint tea, which is like a dessert in itself. Bread is served at every meal, and is used, along with the fingers, as an eating utensil.

Being on a budget, as we are, I chose not to do a full Moroccan meal! Instead, I found a delicious tagine recipe that was hearty enough to fill us even without all the additional courses. I forgot about using bread with the meal until the meal was over, or I would have included a special Moroccan bread. As it is, here is the tagine upon which we feasted!


Moroccan Tagine
1 tablespoon olive oil (I used vegetable oil)
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into chunks
1/2 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced (I used bottled)
1 small butternut squash, peeled and chopped (I substituted 2 yams)
1 (15.5 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed (I cooked mine from dried *see note*)
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
1 (14 ounce) can vegetable broth (I used water and bouillon)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground coriander (don't have any - substituted curry powder)
1 dash cayenne pepper

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and cook the chicken, onion, and garlic about 15 minutes, until browned.

Mix the squash, garbanzo beans, carrot, tomatoes with juice, broth, sugar, and lemon juice into the skillet. Season with salt, coriander, and cayenne pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, and continue cooking 30 minutes, until vegetables are tender.

Serve over couscous.

Couscous
1 1/4 cups water
2 tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup couscous

Combine water, butter, and salt in saucepan. Bring to a boil. Stir in couscous, reduce heat, cover, and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until all water is dissolved. Fluff and serve.


*Note* I often cook up one pound of dried beans at a time. Once they are cooked, I separate them into 2-cup servings and freeze them in freezer bags. One pound makes 3 or 4 bags. Once thawed, they are as convenient to use as canned, but are cheaper and less mushy, and you have the satisfaction of knowing you cooked them yourself!

The Moroccan tea that usually follows a meal is a special green tea that is laced with sugar and spearmint after being steeped. We don't drink real tea in our family, but the occasional cup of herbal tea is okay. So we just bought some packets of mint tea from WinCo (9 cents per packet!) and served it with plenty of sugar! :-)


I am really enjoying this My Kitchen My World experience. I love to experiment with new recipes and new cuisines. I am finding that I love the exotic flavors and ingredient combinations that are eaten in other parts of the world. I have been adding cinnamon and other spices to my food a lot more often, now that I know how delicious it is! If you've gotten into a cooking rut, and want to break out, just look up recipes from other countries, and have a ball trying them! I think you'll enjoy it - I know I do!

Check out what the other members of My Kitchen My World made this week.

Universal Recipes - Tightwaddery at its Best

I have this amazing book called The Complete Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyczyn. It has helped my husband and I through these first few years of our marriage, during which we've gone through both of us being in school, two children, and very little income. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to save money. It's a great book - a conglomeration of hundreds of random money-saving tips, ideas, and ... recipes!!! My favorite recipes are the universal formulas, in which Ms. Dacyczyn gives ingredient types and amounts, and you simply use what you have on hand. One example of this is the Universal Bread Recipe I used to create my Italian Herbed Tomato Bread a while back. Another example is the Universal Pilaf Recipe I'm about to share!

Universal Pilaf
Grain: One cup of uncooked brown or white rice, bulgur, couscous, or other favorite grain.

Fat: Two tablespoons of olive oil, butter, vegetable oil, or other favorite oil.

Base vegetable: Two or three cloves of diced garlic and one of the following, cut up: one small onion, three shallots, or one small leek (white part only).

Liquid: Two cups vegetable broth, chicken broth, cooking water from boiled vegetables, or water.

Meat or protein (omit if using the pilaf as a side dish): From 1/2 to 2/3 cup skinned chicken (may be diced and boned or left whole), tuna, cooked white or red beans, white fish, hamburger, or cheap steak cut into cubes.

Additional vegetable: About 1/2 cup frozen or fresh peas, cut-up carrots, frozen corn, green peppers, celery, and/or any other favorite vegetable except for leafy greens and potatoes.

Seasoning: Salt, pepper, chervil, parsley, whatever works well with chosen ingredients.

Directions: Heat fat in a large cast-iron or nonstick skillet. When hot, add the base vegetables and fry until golden and translucent. Add the meat and brown (but if using tuna, don't add it at this point). Add the grain and fry for a minute or so to coat it with the fat. Add the liquid and bring to a boil (add tuna now). Add the other vegetables, season, stir, return to a boil, lower the heat, so it just simmers, and cover. Check it often; if using whole grains, it will take up to 40 minutes to cook, while white rice takes only about 15 minutes. Don't stir too much. When the liquid is completely absorbed, it is done. Stir, season to taste, and serve.



Since this is such an inexpensive way to cook, and it's Friday, this meal is the perfect candidate for Frugal Fridays - serves four and costs under $10.







My ingredients tonight and their approximate cost:
Grain: 1/2 pound hulled millet - $0.45
Fat: Vegetable oil - negligible
Base vegetable: Bottled minced garlic and one onion - negligible, and the onion was gleaned and therefore free
Liquid: Water - free
Meat: 1/2 pound ground turkey - $0.68
Additional vegetable: one green pepper - $0.38
Seasoning: Bouillon and seasoned salt - negligible

Total cost: $1.51

Now that's cheap!!! I think it's my cheapest Frugal Fridays meal yet!


Normally I make pilaf with rice, but I chose to use millet tonight. Actually, this was my first time cooking with and eating millet. I learned a couple things - 1) millet smells funny while it's cooking; and 2) it tastes really good! I really enjoyed this pilaf, as did everyone else. And the best part is that is cost me next to nothing, because I was able to create it using inexpensive ingredients that I had on hand.

Our Anniversary recipes, and a blog award!

Happy Fourth Anniversary to Jeff and I!

When Jeff asked what I wanted as an anniversary gift, I quickly replied "A new purse." However, Jeff was less quick when I asked what he wanted. No matter how many times I asked what he would like, he simply couldn't think of anything. So yesterday as we did some quick shopping (had to pick up a prescription for my little broken-legged Thomas), he finally decided that I could get him some eggnog, ice cream, and imitation crab meat - three of his absolute favorite foods - and use them to make him some yummy foods for our anniversary.


With the crab meat, I chose to make a delicious crab salad. This recipe was originally one for coleslaw. But a couple years ago I thought it would be fun to try crab instead of cabbage, and this delicious crab salad was born!


Crab Salad
4 cups shredded imitation crab meat (oh, alright, if you can find real crab for really cheap, you can go ahead and use that instead!)
1/2 cup sliced olives
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1 or 2 carrots, shredded (I almost always add carrot, but today we were out, so I didn't add them)
3 tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
Dash pepper
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp. white vinegar
1 tbsp. lemon juice

Prep crab meat and vegetables, and set aside.

Combine sugar, salt, pepper, milk, mayonnaise, vinegar, and lemon juice. Whisk until smooth.

Add crab and vegetables and mix well.

Cover and refrigerate at least two hours before serving. This allows all the flavors to blend properly, and really makes this salad delicious!



As the main dish of our anniversary dinner, we made these delicious Sweet and Sour Pineapple Meatballs, using ground turkey instead of ground beef. In the interest of not making this long post too incredibly long, I'm not posting the recipe here, just linking to it. But here's a picture of tonight's sweet and sour goodness!



Next, what to do with the eggnog and ice cream? I thought it would be fun to make a frozen pie that incorporated cream cheese, eggnog, and softened ice cream. Doesn't that sound good? It sure did to me! As I was making this pie, I hoped that it would be good, despite the fact that it was so simple. I needn't have worried - it was incredible!


Incredible Anniversary Freezer Pie
(or Cream Cheese, Eggnog, and Ice Cream Pie;
or The Best Frozen Pie I Have Ever Ever Tasted!)

Filling:
1 package cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup eggnog
1/2 cup butter pecan ice cream, softened
1 9-inch graham cracker crust

Beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggnog and ice cream. Pour into crust and freeze until firm. Remove from freezer 10 to 15 minutes before slicing to soften the pie. Return any uneaten portion to the freezer.


Crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (I used those homemade crackers I made earlier today)
3 tbsp. sugar
3 tbsp. melted margarine

Combine all ingredients and press into bottom and sides of 9-inch pie plate.




In other business, Melissa of Mrs. Sac's Purple Kitchen has given me an award! Yippee!

** Please find at least 10 more blogs, of any kind that you love to read. Write a post about the blogs you picked, linking back to me and to them. Once you’ve posted, return here to let me know your post is done and be sure to let them know too!!! (If you don't come up with 10, that's fine too!)

Okay, here goes! I'm passing this award on to:

Southern Plate - Christy's blog is one of my favorites, and has been ever since I first discovered it. We've already made several recipes from Southern Plate, and so far every single one of them has turned out deliciously!

Megan's Munchies - Megan has been in a pumpkin phase for a while; she's enjoying Autumn as much as I am! Not only is she posting some seriously delicious-looking fall recipes, but she also is rounding up a variety of pumpkin recipes she wants to try, and boy, do they look tasty!

Real Mom Kitchen - Laura specializes in tasty recipes that are good enough to serve a regular family. Her recipes are simple and hearty, and are the kinds of food that can be enjoyed by kids and parents alike.

Mommy's Kitchen - This blog is full of delicious southern recipes that just look fabulous. Also, the little kitchen helpers, or "chefs in training," are just so adorable!

What's Cooking? - Ben's family owned a restaurant in Mexico, and he shares his love and talent for Mexican foods on his drool-inducing blog.

What's for Dinner - Marisa seems to share my love for sweets and simple meals. Her baked goods especially look fantastic.

My Kitchen Cafe - This blog could seriously win this award based solely on her Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars. I have this recipe bookmarked and plan to make it very soon!

Homemade Graham Crackers

I found this recipe for homemade graham crackers on the blog Zoe Bakes, and was immediately intrigued. I love the idea of making my own foods, especially foods that are typically bought - things like crackers. So I bookmarked it and planned on giving it a try. Now, a few months later, I finally got around to it!

Today, Jeff and I celebrate our fourth wedding anniversary. I like to cook up really special food in the kitchen for special occasions like this, and I had a particular dessert in mind. But this recipe needed a graham cracker crust, and I was out of graham crackers! Rather than run out to the store I remembered the recipe to make my own, so here they are - my very own homemade graham crackers!


Homemade Graham Crackers
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup graham flour (whole wheat)
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
6 tbsp. unsalted butter (or margarine)
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup water
1 tsp. cinnamon (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all the ingredients in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Mix until smooth and well combined, scraping down the bowl to make sure the butter is not stuck to the sides. (I don't have a stand mixer, so I used my little hand-held mixer as long as I could, then finished mixing by hand. Don't worry, my hands were clean!)

Spread the graham cracker dough onto a piece of parchment or a silpat. (I used cling wrap, since I don't have parchment paper)

Lay another piece of parchment or wax paper over the dough and roll it out with a rolling pin, until about an 1/8-inch thick. The thinner you get it the crisper the crackers and quicker they will bake.

Peel off the top parchment and transfer the bottom parchment with dough onto a cookie sheet. (For this, I peeled off the top sheet of cling wrap, inverted the rolled-out dough onto the baking sheet, then peeled off the second sheet of cling wrap. When I rolled the dough, I did it on top of a cutting board so I could invert the dough)

Bake for about 8 minutes and then turn the cookie sheet around and bake for another 5-8 minutes. (If you want them to break into even squares, then score the dough with a fork midway through baking.) The crackers should be golden brown.

Cool on a rack. Once the cracker is cool you can break up into pieces.


I think I rolled my dough a little too thick this time - the crackers were softer than I would have liked. But they tasted like graham crackers, and they ground up in the food processor just fine. Why did I grind them into crumbs? Well, you'll just have to stay tuned, won't you! Later tonight or tomorrow I'll be posting this fabulous dessert recipe, plus the recipe for another great dish I've made for tonight. But I can't post them yet - we haven't even eaten them yet!