While I love a good beef burger, sometimes I want to be a bit healthier, so I go with black bean burgers. Plus, my kids would rather have black bean burgers, as odd as that may sound. In fact, they request these more often than not. 

The recipe calls for cooked forbidden rice, which is a black rice that can be found in most supermarkets with a bulk food or organic section. If I know I'm making these burgers during the week, I make sure to serve the rice with another meal and make a little extra to save for the burgers. However, you do not need to use forbidden rice in the recipe. There are many different types of rice that can be substituted. My only suggestion is to choose a whole grain rice (brown rice, etc). In a pinch, cooked quinoa could be substituted as well. 

And... as with all my recipes, this one can be tailored to meet your family's tastes. My family loves spicy food, which explains why I always use chili peppers whenever possible. If your family prefers mild flavors, you can omit the chipotle peppers and add whichever seasonings you want. 

Black Bean Burgers
Makes 4 burgers

• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce 
• 1 15-ounce black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup cooked forbidden rice (or other whole grain rice)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs (or quinoa flour if gluten free)
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• Cheese, buns, and burger fixings

Place the onions, garlic, and chipotle peppers in a food processor. Pulse a couple of times to finely chop the pieces. Add the black beans, rice, salt, pepper, and cumin. Pulse several times to puree the mixture. How smooth you want the mixture is up to you. I prefer the burger to have a little texture, so I only pulse a few times to make it semi-smooth. Scrape the mixture into a bowl and stir in the bread crumbs. 

Heat the olive oil in a non stick skillet over medium heat. Form the bean mixture into patties. Cook on each side for 2-4 minutes or until lightly browned. Add cheese if desired. Serve on toasted buns with typical burger fixings. 

If you are looking for a good salad that is easy to make and great for a cookout, then look no further. Made with fresh, crisp fennel, this salad has a slight anise flavor (from the fennel) playing against the sweetness of the grapes. The salad can be served with any grilled meat or seafood. It's a lovely alternative to the standard garden salad. 

You can find fennel at the supermarket but I encourage you to look for it at your local farmer's market. That way, you are sure to get the crispiest, freshest fennel. 

Fennel and Grape Salad
Serves 4-6

• 2 fennel bulbs, sliced thin
• 2 cups red and green grapes, sliced in half
• 1/2 cup sliced celery
• 1/2 cup sliced onion
• 1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

In a large bowl, toss together the fennel, grapes, celery, onion, and parsley. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, garlic, mustard, salt, and pepper. Drizzle in the olive oil while whisking. Pour vinaigrette over the salad and toss together to mix well.

​The salad can be made up to 1 day ahead of time. Keep refrigerated until read to serve. 

The berries are here! The berries are here! The berries are here!

This is what I want to scream each time I visit my local farmer's market. I might get strange looks but I don't care. I love fresh local berries. For the past few weeks we've had the pleasure of eating fresh cherries (my favorite), but now raspberries and blueberries (and other berries) are making their debut. Every time I see lots of fresh berries, I feel the need to bake a pie or tart. With the plethora of fresh berries right now, I will have to find many uses for them since I cannot eat pie every day. Well, I could eat pie every day but I don't think I should do so. 

Until I find the time to make jam (lavender blueberry jam is in the works), I decided to bake a pie. I love 3 pies -- Apple pie, Cherry pie, and Mixed berry pie. What I love about this recipe, is that you can use whatever berries you have available. I used blueberries and raspberries for this recipe but you can use blackberries and black raspberries as well. It's up to you. 

And ... you need to make a crust. Or you can purchase a ready made pie crust. Even though I won't tell on you (people are busy, I know), I will say that a homemade pie crust is much better than store bought. The recipe for the crust is below. 

Mixed Berry Pie
Yield: 1 10-inch pie

• 1 double pie crust
• 4 pints berries -- use a combination of blueberries, raspberries, and/or blackberries
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• zest of 1 orange
• 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• sugar for sprinkling the top

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. 

On a lightly floured surface, roll one pie crust out into a 12-inch circle. Carefully transfer crust to the pie plate. Gently tuck it in to the plate. 

Place the berries in a large mixing bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Add the mixture to the berries. Toss to coat well. Add the orange zest and juice. Toss mixture to combine well. Pour mixture into the pie crust. 

Roll out the other pie crust on a lightly floured surface. You can either cut strips to make a lattice design or simply transfer the crust to the pie. If choosing the latter, be sure to cut for slits in the top of the crust (for vent holes). Trim the edges of the crust to make about a 1-inch overhang. Fold the crust under to create a seal with the bottom crust. Brush the top with the heavy cream and sprinkle with sugar. 

Bake for 25 minutes at 400ºF. Reduce heat to 350ºF and bake for another 25-30 minutes or until the filling starts bubbling through and the crust is golden brown. 

Allow the pie to cool on a wire rack for 1 hour. Refrigerate for about 2 hours before serving. The pie is good warm or cold and best served with vanilla ice cream. 


Double Pie Crust

• 1 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 1/2 cup cold water

Place the white whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse for 10 seconds to combine ingredients. Add the butter; pulse several times until the mixture resembles coarse meal. With the processor motor running, slowly pour in the cold water. Pulse until the mixture starts to come together and form a ball of dough. 

Divide the dough half. Flatten each piece slightly. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, preferably up to 2-3 hours. Dough can be made 1-2 days ahead of time.

Going to the local farmer's market is always an adventure for me. So far, growers at my local market have many offerings from basic vegetables (lettuces, onions, radishes) to fruits like strawberries, cherries, and raspberries. I've already had my fill of cherries and strawberries. With the strawberries, we made gelato (recipe coming) and with the cherries, we made a tart (recipe forthcoming) and froze the rest. 

But with the raspberries, my daughter wanted to make muffins and I wanted to make scones, so we did both. Why not? Both are equally good and were equally devoured within a day. The scone recipe will be posted separately. 

Choose the sweetest, freshest raspberries you can find. I encourage you to find a grower (u-pick farm) or peruse the farmer's market. The raspberries at the store are ok (organic is best), but they are not as sweet and flavorful as the ones you will find locally. In fact, the same goes for any fruit. Local fruit is far superior to the fruit sold in the grocery store, even organic versions. 

Raspberry Lemon Muffins
Makes 12 muffins

• 1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup white flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup milk
• 1 large egg
• zest of 1 lemon

 
Preheat oven to 400ºF.  Line muffin pan with paper cupcake liners. Set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the white whole wheat flour, 1/4 cup white flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a small bowl, toss the raspberries in the remaining 1/4 cup white flour; set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the butter, milk, egg, and lemon zest. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined (do not over mix or make a smooth batter). Carefully fold in the berries. 

Fill the muffin cups 3/4 full with batter. Sprinkle the top of each muffin with sugar. Bake for 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. 

Cool completely before serving. Store in airtight container. 

What's for brinner? Waffles, of course. 

You might be wondering, what is brinner? Well, brinner is breakfast for dinner. You know, like how brunch is breakfast and lunch. We first heard of "brinner" several years ago on a little show called "Scrubs." Since then, my husband and I have made it a point to have "brinner" on a regular basis. But you just can't have any simple brinner like cold cereal or danishes. No, it has be to substantial - a full meal. While we love pancakes, sometimes you really want a waffle instead. Waffles are crispier versions of pancakes and this recipe makes them even heartier. Serve with fresh berries, maple syrup (the real stuff), and bacon (of course) and you have a delicious meal. Breakfast for dinner. Brinner. 

These waffles are full of whole grains and are incredibly filling. One waffle is quite enough for each person. 

Oat and Almond Waffles
Makes 4 standard size waffles

• 1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
• 2/3 cup sliced almonds
• 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour (white whole wheat flour works well, too)
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3/4 cup milk
• 3 large eggs
• 2 ounces butter, melted

Preheat the waffle iron according to manufacturer instructions. 

In a food processor, pulse together the oats and almonds until coarsely ground (not powder fine, but a little more coarse than that). Place oat mixture in a mixing bowl. Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Stir to combine. In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, and butter. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until combined. 

Pour about a 1/3 cup (depending on the size of your waffle iron) in the center of the preheated iron and press the lid down. Cook waffles according the iron's manufacturer's instructions. 

Serve with fresh berries, maple syrup, and anything else you desire. We love bacon or sausage with our waffles. 

A clafoutis is an egg custard typically made with cherries. In this version, I used Rainier cherries and blueberries but you can use Bing or sweet cherries instead. Or you can even use plums or blackberries. You know, the sky's the limit! 

Serve this with brunch or as a dessert to a nice meal. 

Rainier Cherry and Blueberry Clafoutis

• 1 pound (about 2 cups) fresh Rainier cherries, pitted
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups half and half
• 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
• 1/2 cup sugar
• zest of 1 orange
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 tablespoons butter, sliced

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Lightly butter an 10-inch pie or quiche dish.

Spread the cherries and blueberries on the bottom of the dish. Whisk together the eggs, half-n-half, mascarpone cheese, sugar, orange zest, vanilla, and flour until well combined. Pour the batter over the cherries and blueberries. Sprinkle the top with raw sugar and scatter the butter slices over the top.

Bake until puffed and golden around the edges, about 40 minutes. If the center seems too runny, bake for another 10 minutes or so. Cool for 30 minutes at room temperature. Cover and refrigerate until cold and set. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.