Black bean burgers/strawberry-pear cobbler (K):

ORIGINAL RECIPE:

Home-cooked Beans:
1 bag (16 oz) dried red kidney beans, 1 small onion--cut in half, 1 pressed clove of garlic, 1 sprig parsely, 1 bay leaf.
Rinse beans in colander well with cold water; discard any stones or shriveled beans. In 5 quart saucepot, place beans and enough water to cover by 2 inches. Cover pot and let beans soak overnight. drain beans and return to saucepot. Add onion, garlic, parsely, bay leaf, and 6 cups water; heat to boiling. Reduce heat to medium-low; partially cover and simmer 45-60 minutes or until beans are tender, stirring occasionally. Drain beans. Discard parsely and bay leaf. If not using right away, cover and chill for up to 5 days.

Veggie Bean Burgers:
2 cups home-cooked beans (recipe above), 2 T mayo, 1/3 cups loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves, 1 T plain dried bread crumbs, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp cayenne pepper sauce, salt, nonstick cooking spray, 1 T olive oil, 4 lettuce leaves, 1 large tomato cut into 4 slices, 4 hamburger buns split and toasted.

In large bowl, with potato masher or fork, mash beans with mayo until almost smooth (some lumps should remain). Stir in cilantro leaves, bread crumbs, ground cumin, hot pepper sauce, and 1/4 tsp salt until well combined. Divide mix into quarters; with lightly floured hands, shape eash into a 3-inch round patty. Lightly spray both sides of each patty with nonstick cooking spray. In nonstick skillet, heat olive oil on medium for 1 minute. Add bean patties, and cook about 10 minutes or until lightly browned on both sides and heated through. Arrange lettuce and tomato slices on bottoms of buns; top with patties and bun tops.


What I did:
I used a can of black beans instead and also put it in the food processor--which was a bad plan. Way too runny and I had to throw out half of the beans and add a ton more bread crumbs to get the consistency right. Case in point--just follow the recipe... and substitute black beans for red kidney beans to get that 'black bean spice.'
COLBY'S GRADE: B
SUGGESTIONS TO MAKE IT BETTER:
#1: Slice of swiss (or soy cheese for the perfectly devout), sauteed mushrooms, Teriyaki sauce. It was way too dry! But the patty was AMAZINGLY GOOD...
#2: Don't make the mistake of tauting this as a 'burger'--it is delicious as a black bean patty and it won't sell as a piece of meat!



Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie (healthy make-over from GHK):

Ingredients:

1 small orange
1 pound(s) strawberries, hulled and cut in half (or quarters if large)
10 ounce(s) rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1/4 cup(s) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon(s) cornstarch
1/3 cup(s) old-fashioned oats
1/3 cup(s) packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup(s) whole-wheat flour
1 pinch(s) salt
3 tablespoon(s) butter or margarine, slightly softened


Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. From orange, grate peel and divide between 2 large bowls; squeeze 1/4 cup orange juice into small bowl.
In 1 large bowl with peel, combine strawberries, rhubarb, and granulated sugar until well mixed. Into small bowl with juice, add cornstarch; stir until well mixed. Stir juice mixture into fruit mixture until well combined. Pour into 9-inch glass or ceramic pie plate; spread filling in even layer.
In other large bowl with peel, combine oats, brown sugar, flour, and pinch salt. With pastry blender or with fingertips, blend in butter until mixture forms coarse crumbs with a few pea-size pieces remaining.
Sprinkle oat mixture evenly over strawberry mixture. Place pie plate on foil-lined cookie sheet to catch any drips. Bake 45 minutes or until topping is golden brown and fruit filling is hot and bubbling.
Cool pie on wire rack until filling is set but still slightly warm, at least 1 hour. Serve warm.

What I did:
I didn't have rhubarb, so I diced two pears into large chunks instead. I didn't use granulated sugar, cornstarch, or the orange because I didn't have the orange and wasn't using the rhubarb. I also used Smart Balance instead of butter. So I ended up with a strawberry-pear cobbler instead and it was delicious!
COLBY'S GRADE: C (he said it needed whipping cream... of course!)
SUGGESTIONS: Colby doesn't love cobblers, but I do--so I give in an A+!!! It was easy, healthy and really good--the kids and I ate the whole dish without an once of guilt. I was happy Colby doesn't love cobbler because it left more for me! I can't wait to try the actual recipe when I get my hands on some rhubarb.