Let me just preface this recipe post by saying that before my relationship with Pete, I never properly cooked. During family gatherings or holidays, I dreaded potentially having to bring an item of food or help out in the kitchen. I was the girl who went to the grocery store the day of a 4th of July barbecue to buy whatever version of potato salad they still had left in stock. I liked the idea of cooking. I had shiny kitchen gadgets! I dog-eared recipe books and favorited baking websites, but that was the extent of my energy spent in or around the kitchen. My meals consisted of chicken tenders with fries, frozen pizza, ground beef burgers or if I was feeling really energetic, ground beef tacos! It came as no surprise that my cholesterol was through the roof during this time.
I remember when Pete and I had one of our first "dates," he came over to my apartment and we made dinner together. We walked hand in hand at the local ACME while browsing fresh produce. I remember thinking to myself "Have I ever had basil? Do I like basil? What if he makes me this amazing basil-centric dinner and I hate the main ingredient?" I was a twenty-five-year-old who had never ventured far from whatever aisles had processed cheese, snacks and meat. The evening ended with us making caprese salad (turns out I love basil) and some amazing, Ricotta-based pasta dish which Pete conjured up.
After that evening, I was officially ecstatic about food. I looked forward to spending time together with Pete, cooking meals and trying out new recipes. He surprised me with a subscription to Everyday Food, which may or may not be one of the most thrilling times of the month when we receive a new issue in the mail. I love thumbing through the mini magazine to jot down a grocery list for the weeks ahead. Since we began living together, our diet has gone in more of a vegetarian direction. That's not to say I won't instantly eat a bacon-infused cheeseburger if given the chance, but for the most part, our fridge is stocked with vegetables and on occasion, seafood.
That being said, we had been anxious to try out a black bean burger recipe as of late, to see if they would be worthy of future backyard barbecue shenanigans. We found a recipe on Everyday Food for the burgers, which we combined with a beet, red onion and orange salsa recipe from Epicurious. Pete's mom had recommended the salsa recipe, and after sampling some of it at her house, I was looking forward to making some of my own to top on our burgers.
I began by heating one tablespoon of oil in a skillet and adding onion, red pepper and garlic. Once they were translucent, I added cumin and ketchup and cooked everything for a minute before adding them to a food processor along with a wee bit of rice and beans (specific measurements can be found on the link mentioned above).
After making sure the ingredients were well combined, I transfered them to a large bowl and added breadcrumbs, salt, pepper and a bit of hot sauce.
I mixed a bit too much for our two burgers, so I made them extra thick. I'd recommend flattening them out more, but overall they worked out well and (surprisingly) didn't fall apart.
Meanwhile, I was boiling beets for the salsa recipe, which called for olive oil, lemon juice and honey to be mixed into a small bowl.
Once the beets cooled off, I chopped two to add to the salsa bowl.
Finally, I mixed in chopped orange, red onion and pitted green Greek olives and stirred everything before seasoning with salt and pepper.
Here is a glimpse at our black bean burgers with spinach salads, which included goat cheese, beets, walnuts, pomegranate craisins and avocado slices with balsamic vinaigrette. I apologize for the blurry photos, I was in a rush to devour my dinner and didn't snap the most flattering pictures. Also, what may appear to be a pitcher of urine in the background was in fact lemon/orange-infused water, I promise. Anyway, our final verdict was that we'd definitely like to offer these for upcoming barbecue shindigs, along with a "normal" option for those Ron Swanson-esque meat lovers out there.
I'd like to start sharing more of our cooking adventures now that we are settled in at our new home, so brace yourself for more foodie posts in the future! My friend Kerry, who is a culinary god in my (somewhat biased) opinion, introduced me to Foodgawker, where I have become hooked on "heart-ing" recipes to store away for upcoming meals.
So tell me, has anyone else become more enthusiastic about cooking because someone important in their life has influenced them in the kitchen?
Another item is crossed off my 30 before 30 list! Pete, Betty White and I picked out our first Christmas tree together (and my first ever real tree) at Shady Brook Farm. It was absolutely arctic outside, I felt awful for thinking Betty White would have fun with us since she spent the entire process shivering. She really liked standing next to the trash can fire by the tree helpers though.
Pete gave Betty smooches to warm her up while we had our noble fir tied to the roof of my car. She was super content with this, since he is not usually one for bathing her with kisses.
I got Pete his first ornament for our tree—a heart with buttons—since the other ornaments are mine from growing up and I didn't want him to feel left out. Nothing is ever going to top the baby with the plastic bag on its head (courtesy of my grandfather), or the flamboyant elf and mouse sitting in a tree (k-i-s-s-i-n-g).
Now that I finally have a wee bit of free time, we've been spending our evenings by the fire and watching Mad Men marathons. It's absolute perfection. I'm so incredibly happy and look forward to what 2011 brings.