Black Bean and Quinoa Burgers VIDEO

What's this?  Another vegetarian recipe?  Yes sir it is!  With all of the great feedback from my "Fiber Balls" post I decided to keep the vegetarian love going with these yummy burgers packed with fiber, protein, and veggies!  I also came up with a quick and easy topping that is the perfect compliment for the burger.  So, go ahead and embrace Meatless Monday tomorrow after a little cooking video inspiration!

Black Bean and Quinoa Burger

Print Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup Quinoa
• 1 Cup Water
• 1 Can Black Beans, drained and rinsed
• 3 Scallions, green parts only, sliced
• 1 Carrot, chopped
• 2 Garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 Egg
• 2 Tsp Salt Free Steak Seasoning, such as Mrs. Dash
• 3/4 tsp Salt
• 1/3 Cup Bread Crumbs (I used fresh Whole Wheat crumbs)
• Optional-Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns and Feta Cheese

Directions:

1. Cook Quinoa: Bring 1 Cup of water and 1/2 cup quinoa to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook for 12-15 minutes, until liquid is totally absorbed.  Set Aside
2. In a food processor, blend together 1/2 of the beans, all scallions, carrot, garlic, and egg until smooth.  Next add in the 1/2 of the quinoa and spices, process until smooth again,
3. Remove mixture from the processor and stir in the bread crumbs and reaming beans and quinoa.  Chill mixture for 20-30 minutes.  TIP: You can also do this ahead and time and leave in the refrigerator for a couple of days until your ready to cook the burgers.
4. Next heat olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat.  Using a 1/3 cup measuring cup, sprayed with cooking spray, scoop out patties and place in the skillet, gently mashing down to even out the patty.  
5. Cook on each side for 6 minutes.  Serve with Avocado-Tomato Topping and Feta Cheese if desired

For the Topping:

• 2 Avocados, cubed
• 1 Tomato, chopped
• Juice of 1 lime

Directions:

Combine all ingredients and smash gently with the back of a fork, serve on burger.

Fiber Balls

Yep, it's Fiber Balls not Bars, get it?!  I know, pretty catchy right? haha  Well anyways...on my quest to eat less proccessed foods, I have not been eating my usual Fiber One Bar every morning.  And I must say I have missed it, whole wheat toast with natural peanut butter is fine and all, but it gets a tad boring after a few days. 

You see, I have been sort of a bar fanatic for the past 25 years, the love affair started with candy bars, moved onto Nutri Grain Bars, next was Energy Bars, Protein Bars, Expensive All Natural Bars, and then I landed at Fiber One Bars and all the generics of that particular brand. 

So what's the problem?  Well even though Fiber One bars only have about 7 grams of sugar which for a bar is not that bad and they do provide Fiber, what is the rest of that stuff on the ingredient list?  I have tried to ignore it, but with my new eating style I had to come face to face with it.  Should I really start my day off with a bar full of "mystery" ingredients?  Hmm, probably not.  Oh and not to mention the all natural, organic ones are so dang expensive, I just can't pull the trigger on regularly buying them.


I know you can't really read it, but see how long it is...
 

 So I began trying out a few versions of my own bars, and I think I have finally found a winner.  You can make these into actual bars, but balls seemed a little more fun, plus if you just need a little something, you can eat 1 to hold you over.  I have been known to take half of a bar and stick other the half back in the package in the pantry.  So, Fiber Balls it is, problem solved!

Fiber Balls

Print Recipe

Makes 18-20 1 inch Balls
Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Whole Almonds, unsalted (For a shortcut, you could use 1/2 Cup Natural Almond Butter)
• 1 Cup Prunes
• 1 Cup Unsweetened Coconut
• 1 Cup Oats
• 1/4 Cup Ground Flax Seed, you can find this in the organic section or in the baking aisle of the grocery store
• 2 Tbls Honey or Agave Nectar
• 1/4 Cup Dark Chocolate, chopped or good quality semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

• Place almonds in a food processor and process on low for 5-6 minutes, or until almonds are become an alomnd butter consistency

• While almonds process, toast coconut and oatmeal in a skillet over medium heat for about 6 minutes, toss occasional until golden, then set aside.

• Add prunes to proccessor with almond butter and proccess until ingredients are well combined
• Next add in Flax, Oats, and Coconut to the processor and pulse again until all mixed together

• Lastly add in the Honey, Chocolate, Cinnamon, and Salt.  Pulse 3 or 4 times.
• Roll mixture into 1 inch balls and chill for 20 minutes, ready to eat!

Grilled Rainbow Trout w/Herb Crumb Topping-Video

Rainbow Trout...not something I have cooked a whole lot of.  However, in an attempt to eat more fish, whole grains, and veggies I am getting a little creative and experimenting with some new ingredients.  

To my surprise, this is a very simple fish to cook and it's super quick!  You can make this dish within 15 minutes, no problem!   If you can't get any trout, try this recipe with Salmon, it would be a great substitute.  Also if you don't have a food processor you can use store bought bread crumbs, but of course fresh is always best :)

Serve this dish with this Grilled Squash Recipe (pictured above) and Brown Rice.

Grilled Rainbow Trout w/Herb Crumb Topping

Print Recipe

This is a light, simple side to serve alongside the fish.  If you are short on time you could marinate this squash in a red wine vinaigrette instead of making one yourself.  But to control the sodium, sugar, and preservatives it's always good to make your own.

Marinated and Grilled Summer Squash

Print Recipe

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 4 medium sized summer squash, sliced diagonally to get more surface area
• 2 Tbls Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 Tbls Red Wine Vinegar
• 1 Garlic Clove, Minced
• 2 tsp Fresh Thyme
• 1 Tbls Chives, minced
• 2 tsp Honey
• ¾ tsp Salt and ½ tsp Pepper

Directions:

1. Whisk together all ingredients except squash
2. Place squash in a large resealable bag and pour “dressing” in as well.  Toss around to make sure all of the squash is coated.  
3. Place in the refrigerator and marinate for at 10 minutes, up to a couple hours.
4. Preheat grill to high heat, grill squash on each side for 2-3 minutes, until grill marks are formed and there is a nice char.

New York Trip Part 2

As promised, I am delivering on the NYC Trip part 2 post, all about the food and fun!  Let me start off by saying my first time to NYC was back in November of 2010 for my TODAY Show experience.  It was one night, and we stayed right by Rockefeller Center.  It was getting to the holidays and the crisp air, the lights, and Christmas decor was seriously magical.  I really had never seen anything like it.  I went again that Spring which was a great trip full of a little more exploring and sightseeing since we had the whole weekend.  This latest trip was 2 nights and 2 days, since one day was pretty much taken up by the filming process which you can read about here: NYC Trip Part 1 Filming with Claire Robinson

 With that said, I can honestly say I really adore this city.  I have actually missed it since we have been back.  There is something about the energy, the adventure, and the variety of options for where to go, what to eat, and what to see.  I also love the prospect of walking everywhere, we only took a cab for the filming days and airport trips, because we just wanted to soak in the environment.  On a side note, don't wear your cool, brand new, "New York shoes" for walking.  Trust me.  However, if you ever get a chance to go, do it.  Some day when we have kids, it is a place I want to take them once they get to that middle school age.  I wish I could have gone earlier in life, just to see how big the world is, so many possibilities and different types of people.  It's an eye opener.

Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream

When we arrived Monday afternoon in Chelsea, the neighborhood in Manhattan we were staying at, we immediately went to explore.  First things first, we saw an ice cream truck so of course Zach indulged, it was Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream,  really amazing flavor in this ice cream.  He got the simple Vanilla in a cone, it had the most amazing Vanilla bean sweet creamy texture...YUM!

Photo by Snackish

Chelsea Market

After that little excursion we headed over to Chelsea Market.  It is a foodie's paradise and Food Network is right above it!  There is everything from an amazing Meat Market to a Creperie to a Lobster place where people just have whole beautiful lobster on paper plates walking around.  It's really amazing, definitely a cool place to visit next time your in the city.

Bluewater Grill

So, that first night we went to Bluewater Grill which was suggested by one of the film crew on our conference call.  They have a raw bar and lots of great seafood.  The decor was beautiful, very fancy!   Also from here on, excuse these pictures for not being awesome...most were taken with my Iphone...

I order the sea scallops and shrimp with lemon herb gnocchi, sweet corn, and fava beans.  The Shrimp and Scallops were large and very fresh, they were really nice.  However, I must say the Gnocchi did not hold a candle to Alfresco Pasta's Gnocchi.  Overall it was a really good dish, but I wasn't just blown away.

Bathtub Gin

After our dinner, we decided to go over to place I had researched beforehand  called Bathtub Gin, it is a Speakeasy style lounge/bar that is sort of hidden.  There is a little coffee shop you walk into with a little red light above a "hidden door" you walk into this door to get in to the place.  It had a really cool atmosphere to get a unique after dinner drink at.   Definitely worth checking out if you were in the area, it has a similar feel to the Patterson House in Nashville which we love!

Mesa Grill

The next day was all shooting with food they brought in, but that night was the biggie, we went to Mesa Grill, Bobby Flay's restaurant.  OMG.  It was amazing, it blew the night before out of the water, this is what you expect from an expensive NYC restaurant.  I would dare to say it was the best meal I have ever had, but that could also be due to my excitement from the day ,and because they were giving us the star treatment in such a fancy place.  

These were our favorites from the meal:

"Rough Cut Tuna Nachos"
"Goat Cheese Queso Fundido"
"Cornmeal Crusted Chili Relleno"
"Roasted Corn w/Chipotle Aioli"

Eataly

The last day we went over to Eataly which I've always heard about but never had the chance to go.  It is an amazing Italian Market, with every kind of Italian product you can imagine as well as lots of different restaurants.  We both ordered an espresso drink that was delish, and we bought these little almond shortbread cookies that were amazing.  Highly recommend going there if you get the chance.

Crumbs

Our last stop Crumbs Bake Shop...cupcakes...all kinds of amazing flavors...can't really go wrong.  My only complaint is that I would prefer smaller cupcakes, mainly so I can try many different kinds :)  However, that didn't stop us from getting 4 cupcakes and snacking on them the whole way.  The Peanut Butter-Chocolate Cupcake was my fave of course.

Well that was pretty much our trip, probably way more information that you needed.  But if you or a friend is going to NYC anytime soon, they may want to check this post out for some fun tips and places to go.

Also the Winner of the Walmart Gift Card Give away is "Sleepy Headed Mom."  Congratulations and thanks to everyone who entered! 



 

Mexican Steak, Chipotle Cream Corn, and a GIVEAWAY!

Don't worry, New York Trip Part 2 is still coming!  I know you were pretty concerned about it...ha!  However, I made a cooking video yesterday featuring 2 recipes that are absolutely DELISH!  There are recipes that I post that I think are good, and then there are some recipes that are just over the top, you really gotta try them!  These two fall into that category.

The GIVEAWAY...

Well if you comment on this blog post with your favorite cut of steak (Ribeye, New York Stip, Sirloin, etc)  your name will be entered into a random drawing which will take place next Sunday.  The winner will be mailed a $25 gift card to Walmart.  I bought most of the ingredients from Walmart for these recipes, so they are all easy to find inexpensive items!  But hey, it's Walmart, you can get whatever you want :)

Mexican Spiced Steak and Chipotle Cream Corn

Just want to see the Corn recipe?  Go to the 6:00 point in the video for that recipe.

Mexican Spiced Steak 
Print Recipe
Serves 4
Ingredients:

• 2-12oz Strip Steaks (or any good grilling steak)
• 1 tsp Ancho Chili Powder (Found in Spice section of Walmart or any grocery store)
• 1 tsp Cumin
• 1 tsp Paprika
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1/4 Cup Molasses
• 1/8 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
• 1/2 of a Chipotle Pepper in Adobo, minced (Found in Mexican section of Walmart or any grocery)
• 1 Tbls Dijon Mustard
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Canola Oil

 Directions:

1. Mix together spices and rub liberally on both sides of the steaks, set aside at room temperature
2. Then mix together Molasses, Balsamic, Chipotle Pepper, and Dijon in a small sauce pan, whisk together over low heat.
3. Preheat grill to high heat, lightly drizzle steak with extra virgin olive oil and place steaks on grill for 3-4 minutes, flip and brush with molasses glaze.
4. Continue to flip and glaze both sides and cook until desired doneness.  About 8 minutes total will be medium with thick steaks like these.

Chipotle Cream Corn

Print Recipe

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 4 Ears of Corn
• 1/4 Cup Mayonnaise
• Half of Chipotle Pepper, minced
• 1/2 Cup Queso Fresco Cheese
• 2 Tbls Cilantro, chopped
• 3/4 tsp Salt (or to taste)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Cut the tops off of the corn, then place directly on oven rack for 30 minutes
3. Once corn has cooled remove husks and cut off kernels (see video for tips) 
4. Combine corn, mayo, chipotle, cheese, cilantro, and salt together
5. Place all ingredients in a skillet over medium heat, just to heat through, and Enjoy!

NYC Trip Part 1: Filming with Claire Robinson

Zach's view in the green room, while we were shooting

Well I just got back from an amazing trip to NYC, and of course today I am in recovery from the whole experience.  Physically and mentally I am pretty spent, but no complaining here, because it was so incredible!

Claire and one of the Natural Bliss Team members on set

I am going to tell you all about the trip in two parts because there is so much to tell!  So, for this post it is all about my time shooting with Claire Robinson all day on Tuesday.  Here is a little sneak peak video my husband, Zach, took while I was getting ready for the shoot...

So how did all this happen?

Basically I entered a video cooking contest a few months ago through Natural Bliss Coffee Mate Creamer, called "Film My Bliss" recipe contest.  You had to enter a video of yourself creating a recipe using Natural Bliss coffee creamer.  The celebrity sponsor of this contest was Claire Robinson, host of Food Network's "Five Ingredients Fix."  So, I found out a few weeks ago that I was the winner!  I won a trip to NYC, and while I was there we filmed a segment for Better TV which will air either next Monday or the next.  I will know the date for sure tomorrow and will be sure to post as soon as I know!  We also filmed a couple segments for the Natural Bliss Facebook page.

Filming Day with Claire Overview:

I woke up that morning pretty anxious to get going and ready to get acclimated with the environment and people I would be meeting and filming cooking segments with all day.  I wouldn't say I was overly nervous, just a little tense.  A car picked us up at our hotel and we headed to Better TV studios where I saw Claire sitting in the green room dressed very casually getting her hair and make up done.  I met her and a few other people there to help me and got my makeup touched up a bit.  Claire was so down to earth and sweet, I felt comfortable with her immediately.

In the Green Room at Better TV

  Then before I knew it I was on the set with all of the ingredients ready to go for my recipe demonstration segment with Claire.  She came out, and we briefly talked about how it would go, then we waited until it was our turn.  Let me just say, thank goodness I have done some TV segments in the past, or else this would have been totally intimidating!  Once it was time to tape our segment, things went great, and I felt really comfortable! 

Just an average day being filmed while getting my hair and make up done...!

After that we all jumped in an Escalade and were whisked off to another studio in Soho.  Yes I felt pretty big time, haha!  At this studio, they had a big crew and my Peachy Bliss Bread Pudding was being made in all stages to get ready for the shoot.  It was the real deal, and Claire was with me the whole time.  I got the inside scoop on her pals at Food Network and what a day is like for her filming shows.  It was so surreal!  As we were shooting the segments and talking in between takes I felt like I really got to know her, she was so sweet and fun to work with.

On the Set!

The crew and Natural Bliss team could not have been sweeter to me, they made me feel like a star!  They had a great spread of food for breakfast and lunch, which Zach really enjoyed!  I didn't eat much since I had so much adrenaline going, but what I did have was delicious.

 I can now say I have a pretty good idea of what a day is like for a Food Network star, except their days are even longer than that.  I was done by 3, but it was pretty mentally draining.  I think I will need to build up some stamina if I ever hit the big time :)

Talking with Claire and the Director

Once the day was coming to an end, Claire asked where we were going to dinner.  I told her we weren't sure and she gave us some suggestions.  She also said if we wanted to go the Mesa Grill, she would give Bobby a call and they would take care of us...Bobby Flay that is!!!  So needless to say, we did go there, and boy did they take care of us.  Best meal of my life!  But more about that with my Part 2 post about the NYC Trip.  I will tell you all about the restaurants and food places we went to along with  pictures of it all!  Stay Tuned...

Taking a little break :)

Margarita Grilled Chicken with Fresh Mango Sauce

The other night we had a little Mexican style get together with my parents at our house.  And of course we had a few Margaritas to go with meal, gotta have em right?!  So the next day I noticed there was some margarita mix leftover, and I had some chicken thighs in the fridge.  That can only lead to one thing...Marination!  So once I made the marinade, I noticed a mango I had just waiting to be used in a fresh Mango Sauce to go with  the chicken.   Perfect, right?  It was delicious, the mango sauce is a little different, but once you drizzle it on the warm chicken, it is the perfect compliment!

I used chicken thighs in this recipe because they have such a great flavor, and they are just as easy to prepare.  They take a little longer to cook, but the flavor is totally worth it.  Did I mention they are cheaper than chicken breasts??

  Also if you aren't sure about how to work with a mango, here is a video that explains it all:  How to Peel and Chop a Mango, very simple!  I know, I know it should be my video, but I am working on learning my new camera before I post a new one.  It may be a week or two, but they will be coming soon!

Margarita Grilled Chicken with Fresh Mango Sauce

Serves 4

Print Recipe

Ingredients:
For the Chicken

• 1 lb Chicken Thighs, boneless and skinless
• 1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 Cup Margarita Mix
• 2 Tbls Tequila (optional)
• 1 Chopped Hot Pepper (any variety you find will work such as jalapeno, Serrano, Anaheim, etc)
• 2 Garlic Cloves, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup Cilantro
• 1 tsp Salt and 3/4 tsp pepper

For the Mango Sauce

• 1 Mango, peeled and cubed
• Juice of 1 orange
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 Tbls Cilantro
• 1/2 tsp Chili Powder
• 1/2 tsp Cumin
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

• Combine all of the Chicken Marinade ingredients then pour over chicken.  Store for at least 2 hours or overnight

• Meanwhile place all mango sauce ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth.  Taste for salt and pepper
• Preheat Grill to medium high heat
• Remove chicken from marinade and grill on each side for 6 minutes per side.

• Remove from grill and drizzle with mango sauce.
• Garnish with lime slice and cilantro.  Serve with Mexican style rice and/or  this Bean Salad Recipe