INGREDIENTS
1 pkg Puffed Pastry
1/2 lb. Laura’s lean Ground Beef
3 cloves Garlic, minced
2 Eggs, hardboiled and diced
1/4 cup Green Olives, diced
1/4 cup canned Tomatoes, chopped and drained
1 tsp Parsley
1/2 tsp Cumin
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp fresh Ground Black Pepper
a few dashes of Cayenne Pepper

METHOD
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Allow puff pastry dough to thaw.
Meanwhile, brown the ground beef and drain off any excess grease.
Stir the rest of the ingredients into the ground beef.
Taste and adjust seasoning, if desired.

Set aside to cool.
Roll out your puffed pastry dough.
Cut rounds about 5 inches in diameter… I used a martini glass with a wide rim.  

Place a heaping tablespoon of the meat filling in the center of the round.
Lightly wet the outer rim of the pastry round and fold pastry dough over, using a fork to pinch ends together and seal.
Continue until you have used all the pastry dough and filling.

Now you have the option to bake them in the oven or fry them in vegetable oil.
Bake in a 350 oven until the pastry if lightly browned and puffed, about 20 minutes.

– – OR – –

Fry individually in hot oil for about 3 to 5 minutes, until brown and pastry dough is cooked through.
If the dough is not cooked through you can continue to cook them in a 350 degree oven for 5 minutes.
I like to serve mine with Sriracha Sauce and sour cream.
Enjoy!

This picture is pink because I was outside and our table umbrella is red!! Oops!!

Do you remember that commercial about beef… saying “Where’s the beef?” Around here we’re saying “Where’s the beet?” Yep, that’s right! These beet burgers were delicious and now I can’t wait to make them again.

Thank you to the Neighborhood Food Blog for the initial inspiration to make a beet burger! Your picture looked so good that it inspired me to come up with my own version of beet burgers using the flavors that I love best.

I used Chilies in Adobe Sauce, which imparted a wonderful smoky flavor. If you’re not familiar with these chilies, you can usually find them in the Hispanic section of your supermarket or at a Hispanic market. If you can’t find these chilies, you could substitute some smoked paprika to give a smoky flavor to your burgers.

Since this is the first time I’ve made beet burgers , I experimented a bit. I did end up adding an egg to bind them together. I think one of the potential problems with these burgers would be that they fall apart while cooking (and eating), so the egg and corn meal really did help.

I dressed our burgers with cheese, lettuce from the garden, cucumbers in sour cream, and chopped onions. They were absolutely delicious and I’m already craving these beet burgers again!!

INGREDIENTS
3 Beets, roasted and peeled
3 cups Brown Rice, cooked
¼ cup Raisins
1 can Black Beans, drained
7 Garlic Cloves
1/2 Onion
2 Chilies in Adobe Sauce (found in the Mexican section)
2 Tbsp Corn Meal
1 Egg
2 Tbsp Parsley, minced
Salt & Pepper, to taste
Olive oil, for frying
Whole Wheat buns, or buns of your choice
Condiments, of your choice

METHOD
To roast the beets:
Wash the beets and cut off both ends.
You don’t have to peel them because the peel will come off very easy after they are roasted.
Place some tin foil on a pan, place your beets on the foil.
Put a little olive oil and salt on the beets.
Cover tightly with the foil and place in a 400 degree oven for 40 minutes, or until beets are fork tender.
Remove beets from oven and allow to cool.
You can wipe the skins off the beets using a paper towel.
Place the roasted beets, brown rice, raisins, black bens, garlic, onion and chilies in the food processor.
Pulse until everything is incorporated but still crumbly (you don’t want it smooth).
Add in the corn meal, parsley, salt and pepper.
Taste and adjust seasoning, if desired.
Now add in the egg (cause you don’t want to taste it with the raw egg in it).
Mix until combined.
Refrigerate for about 30 minutes and it will be easier to form the patties… but if you’re in a hurry you can skip this step.
Form patties.
Place a little oil of your choice into a cast iron pan.

Fry beet burgers over medium heat for about 12 to 15 minutes, or until crispy.
Serve on the bun of your choice, with whatever condiments and toppings sound yummy to you.
Enjoy!!

I’m a Maryland girl. Even though I was born in Pittsburgh, I was raised in Maryland. To me that means CRABS! Any which way I can get them. Here’s a simple way to prepare soft shell blue crabs. Let me tell you… these sandwiches were delicious.

INGREDIENTS
Vegetable Oil for frying
4 soft shell Crabs
1 cup Flour
2 Tbsp Cayenne Pepper
1 tsp each, Salt and Pepper
2 Eggs
2 cups Saltine Crackers, finely crushed in food processor

For sandwich:
2 large Soft Sandwich Rolls
2 ripe Tomatoes
Lettuce
Mayo

METHOD
Pour oil about an inch deep into a large frying pan.
Get your splatter guard ready, if you have one.
These crabs sometimes squirt while frying.
Set up a 3 bowl station to coat the crabs:
First bowl contains the flour, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper.
Next bowl contains the 2 eggs, beaten.
Third bowl has the crushed saltine crackers.
Rinse each crab and set on paper towel.
Dip each crab in the flour, coating completely.
Next the egg, and finally into the saltine crackers.
When you have the first 2 coated place them into the hot oil.
Cook over medium heat, about 3 minutes per side, until golden and crispy.
While they are cooking coat the other 2 remaining crabs.
Remove the cooked crabs from the oil and place on paper towel.
Lightly salt while still warm.
I assembled the sandwiches simply by placing the crispy fried crab in the warm sandwich roll.
Topped it with sliced tomato, lettuce,  mayo, salt & pepper.
Enjoy!

It’s been a little over 3 weeks since I watched the movie “Forks Over Knives”. It’s also been a little over 3 weeks since I’ve eaten meat; no beef, chicken, pork, lamb, etc. Basically no land animal. I am still eating fish, seafood, eggs and dairy, so it’s been kinda easy.  I’m not sure how long this will go on, but for now I’m committed to eating healthier, which for me is mostly a plant based diet. My husband is along for the ride, and he will stick with it if the meals I’m making are still delicious and satisfying.

I was a vegetarian in my 20s. Yes, that was a while ago and things have certainly changed as far as meat substitutes. It’s incredible how many soy food products there are available that you can make fantastic meals with and not even miss the meat. The other night I made “chicken” parmesan and my husband thought it was chicken! Seriously.

Yesterday I was craving Sloppy Joe’s. I had bought some Smart Ground veggie protein crumbles by Lightlife. I had never tried them before but I figured it would work well as a ground beef substitute. I made Vegetarian Sloppy Joe’s for lunch and I must admit they were absolutely delicious. We could not tell that it wasn’t ground beef. The consistency and taste were incredible. Plus, I felt really good about eating it!

Now, I can’t wait to make lasagna, tacos, etc. using Smart Ground. Basically anything you would use ground beef for. It’s easy to be a vegetarian when you have meat substitutions like this! Yum!!

Below is my recipe for Vegetarian Sloppy Joe’s. I hope you’ll give them a try!  

This recipe serves 4.

INGREDIENTS
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/3 Orange Bell Pepper, diced
1/3 Red Bell Pepper, diced
1/3 Yellow Bell Pepper, diced
1/3 cup Onion, diced
1 container Smart Ground protein veggie crumbles by Lightlife
1/4 cup Ketchup
1/4 cup Chili Sauce
1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 tsp Sugar
1/2 tsp Granulated Garlic
1/2 tsp Granulated Onion
1/2 tsp Tabasco (more or less, to taste)
salt and pepper, to taste
1/3 cup water
Buns, whatever type you prefer!

METHOD
Put olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
Add peppers and onions, and cook for a few minutes, until translucent.
Add all the rest of the ingredients into the pot, mixing thoroughly.
Add 1/4 cup of water into the pot and allow everything to simmer on low for about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, toast up some buns and serve right away.
Enjoy!

I love egg salad. There’s something comforting about an egg salad sandwich. For me the secret to really good egg salad is adding Horseradish. It really bumps the flavor up a notch.

I used real Mayonnaise in mine, and I’ve also used the Mayonnaise made with olive oil for a healthier version. Both taste great!

I had mine as a sandwich on some whole grain bread with lettuce.  It’s also delicious served with crackers as a snack, or on top of a green salad. However you serve yours it’s delicious.

Makes enough for 3 to 4 sandwiches.

INGREDIENTS
6 hardboiled eggs
3 celery stalks, diced
1 shallot, diced
1 Tbsp Horseradish
1 Tbsp Mayonnaise (more or less depending how you like it)
1 tsp parsley
1/4 tsp celery seed
salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

METHOD
The secret to making great hardboiled eggs is to place your eggs in a pot and cover them with water.
Bring them to a rolling boil and then turn off the heat and allow them to sit in the water until it is cool.
Peel and chop your hardboiled eggs.
Add all the ingredients into a bowl and mix together.
Taste and season as desired.
Enjoy!

I always make my egg salad in a plastic container because I like to put it in the fridge to get cold before serving… but it’s also really delicious when the eggs are still a little warm. Of course I always try it warm to make sure it’s seasoned properly. That’s one of the benefits of being the cook!

I used chicken thighs for our sandwiches because I prefer the dark meat, I think it’s juicier and more flavorful. But if you like the chicken breast, by all means, go for it. The cooking time would just be less (don’t want to dry it out).

We love radishes and they are so delicious this time of year. We’ve been eating a lot of them, and they made the perfect addition to our plates (served with sea salt for dipping).

No recipe was really necessary because it’s so simple, but here you go!

INGREDIENTS
2 Whole Wheat Buns
2 Skinless/boneless Chicken Thighs
2 Pineapple Rings
Lettuce
Teriyaki Sauce
Salt & Pepper, if desired

METHOD
Grill chicken thighs on medium heat until cooked through, about 15 to 20 minutes.
During the last few minutes of cooking brush a little teriyaki sauce on the chicken.
Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.
Meanwhile, toast or grill your bread.
Place the chicken on the toasted bottom of the bread.
Top with pineapple ring, teriyaki sauce and lettuce.
Enjoy!

Nothing beats a great juicy burger. Over the weekend I made these chicken burgers. They were really delicious with just the right amount of heat. I hope you give the recipe a try!