Chickpea Burgers
And it’s time for more travel! I’m off again this evening – just popping across the pond to visit my parents for a few days. So this week’s goal has been to get through the groceries, and by last night my produce looked a bit picked over. So I peered in the pantry and came up with a delicious dinner despite the dearth of food in my fridge.
Nothing a can of chickpeas can’t handle right?
This may not make it into the top ten most visually appealing meals I’ve made, but these chickpea burgers certainly were satisfying.
Chickpeas, almonds, ginger, cumin…you know I’m a sucker for anything with cumin.
All whizzed up in the food processor and ready to eat in no time at all. The original recipe suggested eating these burgers sandwich-style, on an English muffin with mayo – but I went another route. I mixed up a little Greek yogurt, lemon juice and cumin (I seriously have an addiction) and ate my burger sans bun. It was creamy, spicy and filling…
Amazing what an empty fridge can produce.
Chickpea Burgers
Adapted from Everyday Food
Serves 4
1 can (15 ounces) Chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4 Scallions, roughly chopped
2 slices bread (I used whole wheat)
1/3 cup unsalted almonds
1 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, roughly chopped
Salt & pepper
1 egg
In a food processor, combine chickpeas, scallions, bread, almonds, cumin, and ginger. Season generously with salt and pepper. Pulse until roughly chopped. Take hald of the mixture out of the food processor and place in a large bowl and set aside. Add egg to the remaining mixture in the processor and pulse until smooth. Add to the reserved mixture and mix well.
Heat a grill pan or skillet over high heat.
Form the mixture into four 1-inch thick patties. Lightly brush each patty with olive oil and place in pan until cooked through – about 4 minutes per side.
Savoring the Last of Summer – Corn & Basil Tart
Well now I’m completely confused. I spent the past week at the beach – saying so long summer…or so I thought. I heard NYC had some slightly less sultry temps while I was away and was hoping that things would stay that way. But of course – this city summer is a stubborn one and wants to give us one last blast of her infamous 90-plus days.
I’m starting to think she’s overstayed her welcome. But instead of whining I’ll make the most of it.
I’m giving myself one last chance to savor all the summer foods and flavors I love so much. And yes I’m desperate (so desperate!) for fall’s crisp and clear days…I’m definitely delighted I had the chance to make this tart.
Fresh summer corn, basil, tomatoes – oh my the tomatoes!
All simply prepared in a cornmeal crust…perfect.
So summer, listen up – thanks for this tart. It’s completely lovely.
Now simmer down and bring on fall…
Corn & Basil Tart with Tomatoes & Goat Cheese
Adapted from Better Homes & Gardens
Makes 8 servings
For the Crust:
1/3 cup butter, softened
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 eggs
2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
For the Filling:
1 cup half and half
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels
1/2 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Basil, cherry tomatoes & goat cheese (for garnishing)
To make the crust, beat butter in the bowl of an electric mixer for 30 seconds. Add sugar and salt and beat until mixed. Add 1 egg and beat again until mixed. With the mixer on low, add cornmeal and flour and mix until completely incorporated. Shape dough into a disk, wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
While the dough chills, preheat oven to 350 F. Spread dough evenly into a 9 inch tart pan with removable bottom. Line pastry with foil and bake 10 minutes. Remove foil and bake 5 more minutes.
While the crust bakes, whisk together 2 eggs and half and half. Stir in corn, basil, salt and the pepper. Pour into the cooked crust and bake 35 to 40 minutes or until center is set. Let cool for 10 minutes. Remove sides of pan to serve – topping with chopped cherry tomatoes, basil and goat cheese.
Oh To Be In…
…Nantucket! I’m wrapping up a whirlwind summer with a relaxing week in my favorite place with some of my favorite people. Posting has been sporadic this summer I know – but I’ll be back to blogging soon – just as soon as we send summer on her steamy way with one last Nantucket hurrah.
I hope everyone’s enjoying the last few weeks of summer…! See you in September!
Lemon Parmesan Risotto Cakes
I love leftovers. Truth be told I probably eat leftovers most nights of the week. Sometimes I get creative and turn my Thursday baked tilapia into Friday fish tacos. And then other times…er I don’t.
But there are leftovers that require a bit of kitchen creativity. Some suppers just don’t take too terribly well to reheating or re-eating in their original form. Example – risotto. Quite possibly one of my most made mid-week meals – its creamy consistency just never seems to come back after a day or two in the fridge. Enter the risotto cake.
This recipe actually works better with chilled (read – leftover) risotto – and miraculously brings that creaminess that risotto is known for right back – paired with a crunchy, crispy coating. Toss some greens into a bowl with a bit of balsamic and you’re ready to relive last night’s dinner in a delicious and simple new way.
Lemon Parmesan Risotto Cakes
3 cups chilled Lemon Parmesan Risotto (recipe follows – although you can use whatever recipe you like or have on hand)
1 cup flour
2 large eggs, beaten
2 cups fresh bread crumbs
6 tablespoons olive oil
Line a baking sheet with wax paper.
Form the chilled risotto into 8 round patties (wetting your hands first helps keep the risotto from sticking). Place the flour, eggs and bread crumbs in separate shallow bowls. Coat each cake with flour, then egg and finally bread crumbs. Put flour, eggs, and bread crumbs in 3 separate shallow bowls. Coat 1 cake with flour, tapping off excess, then egg (letting excess drip off), and then bread crumbs. Transfer to baking sheet. (Cakes can be made up to this point and kept covered in the fridge for up to 8 hours).
Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a heavy nonstick skillet over medium high heat. When oil is hot but not smoking, saute cakes until browned, about 5 minutes each, turning once. Heat remaining oil and sauté remaining 4 cakes.
Summer Chicken Salad
So it’s really hot here. And I know it’s really hot all over the country. But I’m not all over the country. I’m in New York. I don’t have central air. I don’t have a shady backyard. I don’t have a pool. I don’t have a chilly car blasting air conditioning. I have a window unit. I have sticky, steamy sidewalks. I dream about pools and backyards.
I’m not complaining. Just relaying the reasoning behind my summer supper requirements. On the rare occasions when I turn on my stove, whatever is getting baked, broiled or boiled must be worth it. Worth making my apartment a little bit warmer (is that possible?). And worth me possibly breaking a sweat chopping vegetables as my less than large kitchen slowly becomes a little steamy. Oh, and since I try to limit oven activity to once a week…summer suppers should make lots and lots of leftovers. That I can eat cold. Because there is no way that oven is going on again…
So what’s my ideal summer supper? This simple chicken salad – you probably have all the ingredients in the house already, and if it’s just unbearably hot, nothing is stopping you from buying a store bought roast chicken. The recipe came from a friend and former NYC roommate who is all too familiar with the plight of warm weather city cooking.
Summer Chicken Salad
2 chicken breast halves on the bone
Salt & pepper
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
Juice of 1 lemon
3/4 cup Kalamata olives
2 tablespoons capers
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 1/2 cups green beans, blanched
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Put the chicken breasts on a baking sheet and rub them with olive oil, salt and pepper. Cook for about 40 minutes until just cooked through. Let the chicken cool a little, then discard the skin and remove the meat from the bones and shred the meat into a large bowl.
Pour olive oil ad oregano over shredded chicken and let sit for a hour. Meanwhile, blanch and chop green beans.
After an hour, add lemon juice, olives, capers, tomatoes and green beans to chicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Can be enjoyed cold or at room temperature.
Quick Zucchini Sauté
Well hellooooo summertime. Coming back to work after a long, lovely weekend is never easy. And it’s even more difficult when the thermometer is hitting the 90’s pre-9 AM and the only place you want to be is back on the beautiful Chesapeake Bay. But at least I brought back some bounty from my travels…
In typical city-dweller fashion – we oooh-ed and ahhh-ed at every farmstand (and possibly a few Wal-Marts) we passed on our drive down to the shore. We stopped on the ride home and filled the trunk with tomatoes, peaches, green beans, melons and zucchinis – one of my most favorite things. I bought a basketful – and I spent the the rest of the ride home dreaming of this…
The easiest, tastiest and simplest way to make zucchini taste like the best zucchini you’ve ever had…only better. Really, it’s less of a recipe and more of a quick chop and heat, but nonetheless, it’s divine. Adapted from The Red Cat – which is without question one of my favorite restaurants in the city – you’ll be amazed at how a few basic ingredients transform such a summer standby into the most spectacular squash you’ve ever tasted.
Trust me – get to the grocery store. Or farmers’ market. Or farmstand (oooh, ahhh). And make this.
Quick Zucchini Sauté
Adapted from The Red Cat Cookbook
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons sliced almonds
1 to 2 small zucchini
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
Pecorino Romano, shaved
Cut the zucchini into 1/4 inch matchsticks with a knife or a mandoline fitted with the julienne blade.
Heat the oil on medium-high in a large skillet. When it’s hot, add the almonds and cook, stirring frequently, until they’re golden – about a minute.
Add the zucchini to the pan – tossing to coat with the oil – for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper (be generous), top with as much or as little cheese as you like and serve immediately.
A Baking Blog – The Blue-Eyed Bakers
Don’t be alarmed if you notice an absent of sweets and treats on Nibble, Nourish, Run going forward. My super sister and I have launched our baking blog – Blue-Eyed Bakers – so I’m going to be posting my cookies and cakes over there.
Nibble, Nourish, Run will continue to be a place to post nourishing eats and healthy treats, but Blue-Eyed Bakers will house the delicious (and slightly more decadent) sweets. I lead a healthy, active life most of the time – but all things in moderation right? So if you’re like me and crave a weekly sweet treat to reward yourself for all the hard work – head over to Blue-Eyed Bakers and say hi!