Pasta e Fagioli (Aka, Pasta with Beans or Cabinet Pasta)

An accidental discovery which those of you who follow the facebook page may have seen me posting a "Viola!" moment about.  It looks a little weird (and the ingredients don't necessarily scream, "We go well together!") but it is delicious, I promise.

Ingredients:
3 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 oz marinated artichokes, drained and hand torn*
15.5 oz great northern beans, drained and well-rinsed
14.5 oz diced tomatoes
About 1/4 cup of kalamata olives  pitted or pits removed diced or torn
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 box spaghetti
A little mozzarella (optional)

Directions:
In a very large skillet, combine everything but the spaghetti and mozzarella over medium high.

Meanwhile, in a large pot, cook your spaghetti for 2 minutes less than you would usually cook it.  You want it to be slightly less done than you generally like it.

When the spaghetti timer goes off, transfer the spaghetti in sauce using tongs or a spaghetti spoon.  Don't worry if you get a little water in the sauce: no harm done.

Let cook for another 2-4 minutes, tossing with tongs or spaghetti spoon, until most of the liquid from the sauce is absorbed by noodles.  Serve immediately with mozzarella if desired, stirring in to make the toppings stick to the noodles.

*I chose to tear by hand so I can feel if there are any tough pieces.  Sometimes the outside leafs of artichokes are not very appetizing.  This is a good time to make sure before you end up with one stuck in your teeth.

Vegetarian Bean Burgers

Let me share a secret with you: what makes most burgers taste the way they do (unless you're one of those people that just eats it plain) is the condiments, not the burger itself. These burgers, with condiments, will taste almost exactly like a regular burger, though the texture is a little different

Ingredients:

• 2 cans of black beans (I use low sodium, but that's optional)
• 2 cups cooked sushi rice
• 1 medium onion, ends cut off and paper removed, quartered
• 2 jalapeno peppers, half and seeds removed
• 3 cloves of garlic, paper and end removed

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Put both cans of black beans in a colander and rinse thoroughly. Drain, and shake until as dry as possible (patties will not form if too much moisture remains on the beans!) Set aside

Place the onion, peppers, and garlic in a food processor or blender (I recommend a food processor, as blenders tend to suck a certain amount towards the bottom and then fail to process the rest) and pulse until everything is roughly chopped. Be careful not to over-process or the onion will liquefy. Scrap into a large mixing bowl and set aside.

Put half of the beans and approximately 1/2 of the rice into the food processor and blend until totally smooth. Mix the puree and remaining beans and rice in with the onion mixture. Stir well. The mixture should stick together without being crumbly or too liquid (shouldn't ooze off the side of your hand if you pick up a handful)

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Pat mixture into approximately eight flat, round patties. If the patties are not flat, they may break when you flip them.

Bake for 10 minutes. Gently flip the burgers, making sure the spatula is under the whole burger before lifting. Bake 10 more minutes.

If you want to add cheese, do so in the last minute of baking.

Enjoy!


Notes:

These are also excellent with sour cream and chives as an appetizer (if you cook them in smaller patties, keep an eye on them so they don't burn)

They reheat well in toaster ovens, but microwaving tends to make the patties soggy.

Crockpot: Vegetarian Chili

Quick, easy, and delicious, this meal usually costs less than $1 a serving.

Ingredients:
2 cans black beans (I prefer low sodium)
1 container of fresh salsa, flavor and heat of your choice.

Directions:

Dump all ingredients into a crockpot. If you aren't going to eat for 4+ hours, put on your lowest setting. Otherwise set on medium. Ready to eat as soon as it's warm. I like it with sour cream and cheddar cheese.