Black Bean Faro Veggie Burgers

What's nice about this recipe is that the burgers are not just mushy beans. The fresh veggies hold up under the quick cook time and the farro has a nice nutty/chewy texture (NOT overcooked and soft and more robust than rice). Those veggies and farro, together, give these burgers some texture, much the way ground beef is.

1 13.4 box or can of rinsed and drained black beans
1.5c prepped farro (3/4 c dry farro prepped with 1.5-2c water, see below)
1 red pepper, small chop/dice
1 red onion, small chop/dice
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tightly packed cups curly kale, chopped fine
1 purple carrot (about 8" long) diced (substitute orange carrot but purple is less prominent a flavor)
1 c. whole wheat bread crumbs
4 oz feta cheese, crumbled (I buy the 365 brand in the large white tub, which has a really nice tang)
1 c. fire roasted tomatoes, crushed
2 eggs, beaten
1.5 t salt, divided
1/2 t black pepper
1/2 t white pepper (optional but it adds a subtle kick)
1/4-1 t red pepper flakes, depending on how spicy you like things
2-3T canola oil for frying

1. Start the farro. Put about 3/4c farro in a dry pan. Lightly toast the farro till it smells nutty, about 5 minutes. Toss the farro around then return to heat and add about 1.5-2c water and 1/2 salt. The water should cover the farro so it is twice the depth of the farro. Simmer uncovered until the farro is chewy but not soft. Drain excess water off and set aside.

2. While the farro cooks, drain the beans and put them in a large bowl. With the back of a spoon, smoosh them a little. Add the pepper, onion, garlic, kale, carrot, bread crumbs, feta, and toss together till everything is evenly mixed. Add the farro, tomatoes, eggs, salt, and 3 peppers. Mix together. The mixture should be sticky so that it holds together. If it crumbles, it's too dry and add a bit more fire roasted tomato. If too wet, add some more bread crumbs.

3. Preheat a heavy saute pan (I like my le Creuset cast iron pan) with some of the oil. Form patties about 1.5" thick and 5" diameter. Place in pan, saute till crunchy on one side, carefully flip, and saute the other side (about 3-4 minutes per side on a medium high heat but not so hot that the oil smokes).

Yield: about 8-10 burgers

Serving suggestion: On a bun or on a plate next to some nice oven roasted yam fries, top with a mix of  1/2c yogurt, 1/2 c crushed fire roasted tomatoes, 1-2t chili sauce (to taste). I use this brand of chili sauce:

Pumpkin Tiramisu

This is is inspired by the Italian Tiramisu with the similar result of cookies that soak up flavors and cream, mascarpone cheese, and pumpkin create a fluffy, rich, and creamy mousse-like finish.

Ingredients:
2 appx. 10-oz boxes ginger or spiced wafer-thin cookies (e.g., Lars' Swedish Ginger Snaps or Moravian Spice cookies)
1 16-oz can or box of pumpkin puree (if canned, it's usually pretty thick as-is; if using Pacific organic boxed, it's somewhat watery, so i put it in a fine-meshed strainer to get some of the water out then proceed)
16 oz. Mascarpone cheese
2T-3T honey (more if you like a sweeter dessert; I prefer less)
1t molasses
1t cinnamon
1/2 t ginger
1/4 t cloves
1/4 t allspice
1c heavy whipping cream
2T powdered sugar
1/2c. roasted pepitos (can be salted or not; also known as pumpkin seeds)

1. Bring mascarpone cheese to room temp (about 1 hour on counter). Whisk together pumpkin, mascarpone cheese, honey, molasses, and spices. Set aside.

2. Whip cream till it is shaping into whipped cream, then add the powdered sugar then finish beating till somewhat stiff peaks stay (do not over whip or you will get sweet butter!)

3. Fold the pumpkin/cheese mixture into the whipped cream till blended (it can have some unblended streaks; no biggie).

4. Assemble. Starting with the pumpkin mixture on the bottom, layer about 1/4"-1/2" then a cookie; then more of the mixture, then a cookie, alternating until the the desired height. I use ramekin-sized little clear punch cups, but you could also do this in a 9x11 glass pan so that you can cut squares to "show off" the layers created. Finish the top with the cream mixture.

TIP: use a small ice cream scoop that you squeeze to drop the mixture out of it (ones that work have a "swiping" metal bar that glides inside the curve of the scoop to help release what you're scooping).

5. Chill for about an hour.

6. When ready to serve, finish by angling in one additional cookie per serving and sprinkle with the pumpkin seeds (about 1t of seeds per dessert).

Serves 6-8, depending on how tall you make these.
Variation: add 1 shot of your favorite bourbon or whiskey to the pumpkin mixture. 

Tilapia Fish Tacos with Ginger Soy Slaw

The fresh corn tortilla is simple and necessary. You can make the basic recipe on the Masa Harina bag/container or do the following- Sorry, i think measuring with weight and using a simple kitchen scale to do so is the way to go.

Corn tortillas: 200g masa harina, 8.9 fluid ounces of hot water, .1 fluid ounce lime juice, 1/4t salt

--NOTE: use a total of 9 fluid ounces of liquid- it's just a bit of lime juice to add a layer of interest.

Mix together the above ingredients in a bowl then transfer the mixture to a surface and knead for about 2-3 minutes, till your dough holds together and doesn't stick to your hands. Form a large ball, return it to your bowl, cover with plastic wrap, rest for 30-45 minutes. **if your dough is too sticky, add more masa harina; sprinkle with water if too dry.

Put aside and make your slaw.

Purple Cabbage Slaw with Ginger soy dressing

Julienne 1/2 head of purple cabbage for about 5-6 cups' worth

Dice 1 large fennel bulb and its stalks 

Dice 4-5 red radishes

1-2 diced shallots (about 1/3 cup)

dice or waffle cut 4-5 average sized carrots (waffle cut using the zig-zag blade of a mandolin and with every other swipe, turn the carrot 180 degrees and voila! Waffle cut.

Tilapia:
4-6 tilapia filets
salt, pepper
fresh or dried dill

Lightly spray olive oil onto filets on each side. Place them on parchment lined cookie sheet.
Salt, pepper, and dust with dried or fresh dill to taste Bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes, till fish is flaky.
(c) Marya Doerfel

Butternut Squash Soup with Spicy Seared Arugula and Toasted Almonds

This is a nice balance of sweet, spicy, bitter, and crunch. Enjoy!

For the soup:
1 Large butternut squash, skinned, de-seeded, and cubed into about 1" cubes
2 shallots cut in about 1/2" chunks (the ones I use are about the size of a golf ball)
2-4 cloves garlic
               - Leave them whole, but smash them to maximize phytonutrients (Robinson, 2014)
               - Use only 2 if the cloves are on the thicker/bigger side
2 T Olive oil
2 T Butter
1/2 t dried sage or one fresh sage leaf (leave whole then remove after cooking)
OPTIONAL: 2 T natural maple syrup;
OPTIONAL: 1/2t sea salt

6-8 oz. chicken stock (use vegetable stock if vegetarian)

Soup Instructions: 
1. Combine all ingredients EXCEPT BROTH in a 9x12 cast iron or heavier gauge baking pan, cover with tin foil, and cook for 1 hour at 350 degrees or until the vegetables are fork-tender.
2. Allow ingredients to cool slightly then puree, slowly adding the broth until smooth, in a food processor.
--HINT: during the minute or 2 of cooling off time, start heating up your saute pan for searing the arugula 
3. Put soup in a medium sized saucepan (about 2-3 quart) and simmer while preparing the other components of the dish.

Spicy Seared Arugula:
2T olive oil or enough to fully cover bottom of skillet
1/4-1 t. red pepper flakes (these can be hot)
1 minced garlic clove
3 cups then another 2 cups baby arugula

Arugula Instructions: 
1. In a medium (about 10") caste iron skillet that is preheated to medium/high heat, add the oil.
2. As soon as it swirls around, it's hot enough to add the pepper flakes and let them saute for about a minute.
3. Add the garlic, stir, then quickly add 3 cups of the arugula, turning it as it wilts with tongs. Once the first 3 cups have room, add the other 2 cups and turn the greens to wilt but not fully.

For the toasted almonds:
1 cup coarsely chopped roasted, salted almonds (I just buy them this way so the soup is not so complicated to put together)

Plate your food: Fill your soup bowl with the soup first. Add about 1/4 of the arugula mixture to the middle. Sprinkle with about a quarter of your shopped almonds.

Yield: Serves 4
Prep time about 15 minutes to prep soup vegetables for oven. About 15 minutes to prep other parts after soup comes out of the oven.

(c) Marya Doerfel 

Green Feta Spread

This is a tangy spread that is nice on toast points. As with all cooking, play with the amounts if you prefer some flavors to be more bold and up front.

2 cloves garlic
1-2 c greens, washed, dried, and tightly packed (kale, spinach, or arugula are all nice)
3 oz tangy feta cheese or feta crumbles (i buy 365 in the white tub at Whole Foods. This is a nice tangy one; others can be way too mild and dry)
1/2 plain Greek yogurt (use whatever fat level you like. Since no cooking is involved, fat content is your prerogative)
1/4t lemon zest
1-2t lemon juice

1. Smash and peel the garlic. Set aside (for about 10 mins- I just learned from Dr. Jo Robinson, in her book "Eating on the Wild Side" that raw garlic is great once certain molecules co-mingle. Smashing, cutting, or chopping will enact the good stuff. See Eating On the Wildside for her resources. FYI, the 10 minute wait period is for when you are going to cook the garlic. BUT since this recipe mixes the garlic with other ingredients, I follow the 10 minute rule to ensure the good chemical reactions happen before I add the garlic to the recipe).

2. In a food processor, combine all ingredients till smooth (including the garlic, once it's been sitting for 10 mins).
TIP: food process the yogurt with some of the greens first. Then as the volume shrinks down from processing, add the rest of the greens (and even more if you want a nice phyto-nutrient punch) and the remaining ingredients.

3. Spread desired amount on toast points or other crunchy base (e.g., celery, endive live. Finish with the salt, pepper, and chiffonade of the green you selected.

Spinach smoothie

Ingredients:

1/2c light coconut milk (or dairy milk)
1/2-1c coconut water (or water or more dairy milk)
3c or more fresh spinach
2 t vanilla
1c frozen pineapple chunks
1 frozen banana (i peel then freeze once bananas are too brown or bruised to eat.
**frozen fruit means you don't need to add ice to this smoothie!)

1. Blend the coconut milk, coconut water, vanilla, and spinach until smooth. I blend for about a minute because I do not like getting a chunk of spinach in my drink.
2. Add the pineapple and banana, blend till smooth.
Serve immediately or freeze for frozen dessert.

Tip: when pineapples are cheap, i buy a few, and when they are practically over ripe, i chunk them up and freeze them. Frozen pineapple makes extra thick smoothies so you might need a bit more liquid.

Carrot Cupcakes

If you have a food processor, this is a very easy recipe and is fairly guilt-free. I'll post a picture next time I make them!!

Makes about 10 cupcakes at roughly 175 calories each. Add 2T of honey if you need them sweeter. But you won't.

- 5-6 uncooked cleaned but not peeled raw carrots (fewer if your carrots are on the large side; 6 if they're somewhat average... of course, if you've been buying baby carrots all these years, you might have a hard time remembering what a real carrot looks like!!)
- 2-3 very ripe raw bananas. 2 if the bananas are on the bigger side; three if they're somewhat petite. (hint, if you have some ripe bananas but not ready to use them, unpeel them and stick them in a freezer container till you do need them)
-6 T butter
-3 large eggs
-1 t vanilla
-2 t cinnamon
-1/2 t nutmeg
-1/2 t allspice
-3T minced raw ginger (optional and not recommended if you're making this for kids-ginger can be too bite-y for them)
-1t salt
-1/2 c old fashioned extra thick rolled oats (I use Bob's Mills, but any old fashioned ones will do)
-1/2 c whole wheat flour
-2 t baking powder
- 1/2c coarsely chopped dried sour cherries or other dried fruit (avoid grape-juice infused varieties)

1. Using one of the shaving/shredding accessories on your food processor, shred your carrots.

2. Put the carrots in a different dish so you can then switch to the regular food processing blade (the kind that has 2 sharp knives that sweep around in the bottom of your food processor).

3. Put the shredded carrots back into the food processor and process them till they're more minced and finely grained. They won't get pulpy without added liquid, but they'll be close.

4. While processing, drop in the bananas, butter, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, optional ginger, and salt.

5. In a separate bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, and baking powder. Add the wet ingredients and fold together till blended. Add the dried fruit.

Using a large ice cream scoop, fill lined cupcake tins to about the top, if not with a little heaping hill on top.

350 degree oven, about 20 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.

These are delicious and moist as-is. If they're not sweet enough for you, add 2 T of honey, but seriously, carrots and bananas do it for me and the cherries give a punch of sweet.

You can ruin the whole point of low- or no-sugar "cupcakes" and frost these with cream cheese frosting: 1/4 stick of butter, 1/2 cream cheese, 2-3 c powdered sugar, 1 t vanilla OR 1 teaspoon lemon juice plus some grated lemon peel.