BLACK-BEAN BURGERS

SERVES4

• ACTIVE TIME:10 MIN
• START TO FINISH:15 MIN

• 2 (14-oz) cans black beans, rinsed and drained, divided
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup plain dry bread crumbs
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 soft hamburger buns

• ACCOMPANIMENTS:

  sour cream; salsa; lettuce

• Pulse 1 can beans in a food processor with mayonnaise, bread crumbs, cumin, oregano, and cayenne until a coarse purée forms. Transfer to a bowl and stir in cilantro and remaining can beans. Form mixture into 4 patties.
• Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Cook burgers until outsides are crisp and lightly browned, turning once, about 5 minutes total. Serve on buns.

Asparagus Napoleons with Oriental Black Bean Sauce

Impressive looking, not so impressive tasting. These had the potential to be good, but somehow the combination of the rich, buttery puff pastry and the bitter asparagus didn’t go so well. If it weren’t for the curry salmon this meal could have been a bust.

Asparagus Napoleons with Oriental Black Bean Sauce

Recipe from Epicurious. Makes 6 appetizer servings.

INGREDIENTS
For the pastry rectangles
1/2 pound frozen puff pastry, thawed
an egg wash made by beating 1 large egg yolk with 2 teaspoons water

For the sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/3 cup water
2/3 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons Scotch or medium-dry Sherry
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon fermented black beans (available at Oriental markets and specialty foods shops), rinsed well and drained
2 tablespoons fine julienne strips of orange zest
1 1/2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh gingerroot
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 1/2 pounds asparagus, trimmed and peeled

DIRECTIONS
Make the pastry rectangles:
Roll out the pastry 1/8 inch thick on a lightly floured surface, cut out six 5- by 2-inch rectangles, and transfer them to a dampened baking sheet. Brush the tops of the rectangles with some of the egg wash, being careful not to let the egg wash drip down the sides, score them in a crosshatch pattern with the back of a paring knife, and brush them again with some to the remaining egg wash. Bake the rectangles in the upper third of a preheated 400°F. oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until they are puffed and golden, transfer them with a spatula to racks, and let them cool. The pastry rectangles may be made 1 day in advance, kept in an airtight container at room temperature, and reheated. Halve the rectangles horizontally with a serrated knife and with a fork pull out carefully any uncooked dough.

Make the sauce:
In a small bowl dissolve the cornstarch in the water and stir in the broth, the soy sauce, the Scotch, and the sugar. In a heavy saucepan heat the oil over moderately high heat until it is hot but not smoking and in it stir-fry the beans, the zest, the gingerroot, and the garlic for 1 minute, or until the mixture is very fragrant. Stir the broth mixture and add it to the bean mixture. Bring the sauce to a boil, stirring, simmer it for 2 minutes, and keep it warm. The sauce may be made 1 day in advance, kept covered and chilled, and reheated.

In a large deep skillet of boiling salted water cook the asparagus for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the stalks are just tender but not limp, and drain it well. Arrange the bottom half of each pastry rectangle on a plate and divide the asparagus among the pastries. Spoon the sauce over the asparagus and around the pastries on each plate and top the asparagus with the top halves of the pastries.

Honey Glazed Salmon and Black Bean Corn Salad

This is a refreshing take on salmon, and comes with a built in side dish. The salad is almost the best part of the meal, and could definitely be made on its own without the salmon. Feel free to drizzle more honey on top of the cooked salmon, if necessary. :) Sometimes Rachel’s recipes are a bit too… simplified? I guess? But this is one of hers that we really do love.

Honey Glazed Salmon and Black Bean Corn Salad

Makes 4 servings. Recipe from Rachel Ray’s 365: No Repeats.

INGREDIENTS
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium red onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon (or to taste) red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon ground cumin
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 limes, juiced
3 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon chili powder
4 6-oz. salmon fillets
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
1 10-oz. box of frozen corn kernels, defrosted
1/2 cup chicken stock or broth
1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
6 cups baby spinach

DIRECTIONS
Preheat a medium skillet over medium heat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onions, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes.

While the onions are cooking, preheat a medium nonstick skillet over medium high heat with the remaining olive oil. In a shallow dish, combine the juice of 1 lime, honey, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Add the salmon fillets to the lime-honey mixture and toss to coat thoroughly. Add the seasoned salmon to the hot skillet and cook until just cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes per side.

To the cooked onions, add the bell peppers an corn kernels and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock and continue to cook for another 2 minutes. Add the black beans and cook until the bans are just heated through. Remove the skillet from the heat and add the juice of the second lime, the cilantro, and the spinach. Toss to wilt the spinach and adjust seasonings to taste. Serve salmon on top of the warm black bean and corn salad.

Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Feta and Cabbage Slaw

Tacos don’t need meat. In fact, sometimes they can be much more hearty and satisfying without it. Case in point: these delicious and meatless black bean tacos. Don’t skimp here and buy pre-made hard taco shells, the fresh tortillas are cooked until crisp with the black bean filling inside them, making for a perfectly crunchy and hot taco. I think we might have overfilled ours a bit, and didn’t have much room for the slaw after the fact. Next time we’d probably make 6 or so tacos (instead of 4), and save more room in each one for the slaw. I also felt that the slaw could have a bit more flavor to it – maybe some chipotle mixed with some plain yogurt would give it a nice bite and consistency.

Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Feta and Cabbage Slaw

Makes 4 tacos (2-4 servings, depending how hungry you are). Recipe from Bon Appetit, January 2009.

INGREDIENTS
1 15-ounce can black beans, drained
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
5 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 cups coleslaw mix, or finely shredded red and/or green cabbage, and grated carrot
2 green onions, chopped
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
4 white or yellow corn tortillas
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
Bottled chipotle hot sauce or other hot sauce

DIRECTIONS
Place beans and cumin in small bowl; partially mash. Mix 2 teaspoons olive oil and lime juice in medium bowl; add coleslaw, green onions, and cilantro and toss to coat. Season slaw to taste with salt and pepper.

Heat 3 teaspoons olive oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add tortillas in single layer. Spoon 1/4 of bean mixture onto half of each tortilla; cook 1 minute. Fold tacos in half. Cook until golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Fill tacos with feta and slaw. Pass hot sauce alongside.

Goat Cheese Crostini with Blood Orange and Black Pepper Marmalade

I managed to score a bag of blood oranges at Trader Joe’s a few weeks back, something I absolutely love but haven’t been able to find since we left the produce-laden hills of California. Hooray for Trader Joe’s! After my find, I immediately scoured the internet for the perfect way to use these ruby red gems. And you know my affinity for goat cheese, so when I stumbled upon this recipe, well, how could I not make it?

The marmalade is surprisingly tart. I wouldn’t eat a spoonful of it on it’s own. But paired with the creamy goat cheese and toasty bread, well, it’s perfect. Can’t say much more about it than that.

Goat Cheese Crostini with Blood Orange and Black Pepper Marmalade

Makes 6 servings. Recipe from Epicurious.

INGREDIENTS
8 ounces soft fresh goat cheese, room temperature
4 blood oranges, divided
1/4 cup honey
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
Fresh lemon juice (optional)
18 1/2-inch-thick slices French or raisin baguette, toasted

DIRECTIONS
Place goat cheese in small bowl. Finely grate 1 teaspoon peel from 1 blood orange; stir peel into cheese.

Using vegetable peeler, remove peel (orange part only) in strips from remaining 3 oranges. Cut peel into 1/8- to 1/4-inch pieces and place in medium saucepan.

Using small sharp knife, cut white pith from all 4 oranges. Working over another small bowl to catch juices, cut between orange membranes to release segments. Squeeze any remaining juice from membranes into bowl. Discard membranes. Coarsely chop orange segments and add to saucepan along with any juices. Add juices from bowl to saucepan. Stir in honey and 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper.

Bring to boil over medium-high heat and cook uncovered until thick and reduced to 1/2 cup, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Cool. Season with more ground black pepper to taste and with fresh lemon juice, if desired.

DO AHEAD: Cheese and marmalade can be made 1 day ahead; cover separately and chill. Bring to room temperature before assembling crostini. Top toasted baguette slices with goat cheese, then marmalade. Place crostini on platter and serve.

Black & Gold Dark Chocolate Caramel Cupcakes

If you want to indulge in something incredibly rich and decadent, I can think of no better way than this cupcake. The moist chocolaty cake is paired with a caramel spiked dark chocolate buttercream, a chocolate on chocolate combination that can’t be beat. Using the Special Dark cocoa powder gives the cupcakes themselves an almost coal-black appearance, a richness of flavor, and a decadence that regular cocoa just can’t compete with.

I attempted to infuse the cakes themselves with caramel. Hoping for a gooey caramel center suspended in the cake, I plopped some caramel candies into the batter before baking. Makes sense, right?

Well, it didn’t quite turn out as I planned.

Instead of a gooey center, the caramel sunk and spread out on the bottom, and then solidified, making for a solid caramel ‘crust’ on the bottom of the cupcake. You couldn’t eat it with the rest of the cupcake, so it was basically like eating a cupcake followed by a caramel candy. I only added the surprise caramels to half of the cupcakes, so you never knew whether your first bite would sink in smoothly in the moist cake, or would it be stopped suddenly by a chewey block of caramel? It’s like cupcake roulette.

Next time? The caramel-filled concept was a good one, but it needs work. I think maybe using a liquid caramel topping instead would work – a dollop on top of the uncooked batter before going in the oven. Or, go the filled route. Bake the cupcakes sans-caramel, and then pump them full of gooey goodness after they’re good and baked.

Black & Gold Dark Chocolate Caramel Cupcakes

INGREDIENTS
1 cup coconut milk
1/3 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup special dark cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Frosting:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, room temperature
1/3 cup special dark cocoa powder
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons milk or soymilk
2 tablespoons caramel topping

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin pan with paper liners.

Whisk together the coconut milk, sugar, oil, and vanilla extract and beat till foamy. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add to wet ingredients and beat until no lumps remain (or very few remain).

Pour into liners, filling each with 1/4 cup of batter. Optionally add a dollop of caramel sauce to each cup. Bake 18-22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.

For frosting, cream butter until smooth and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add cocoa powder and beat until incorporated. Add 1 tablespoon soymilk and mix to combine. Add confectioners’ sugar 1/2 cup at a time and mix until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes total. Add caramel topping and mix well. If frosting is too thick, add more soymilk and beat until fluffy. If frosting is too soft, add more sugar and again, beat until fluffy. You want the frosting to keep it’s shape when piped on to the cupcake, but still fluffy enough that it stays light and soft when eaten. Top with a drizzle of caramel sauce if desired.