Monthly Archives: June 2013

Mushroom Cheese Burgers

25 Tuesday Jun 2013

Posted by in brown rice, Mushroom cheese burgers, yummy stuff

≈ 8 Comments

If you are a mushroom lover, this is a burger for you.

This is a different type of vegetarian burger. Usually you see bean burgers or maybe a thickly sliced grilled portabello mushroom for a burger.
This burger is made with white button mushrooms, brown rice, and cheddar cheese.
You can pile them up with all the fixings, but they are moist enough without additional condiments.

Plan ahead to make these.  The mixture has to chill so it will take several hours between mixing and chilling and cooking.
The first time I made these I forgot about the chill time and meal time was a little later than normal.

You will need a large skillet for frying.
You will also need a mixing bowl.

Ingredients:
4 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves minced garlic or 2 teaspoons garlic powder
8 oz. white button mushrooms, chopped into small pieces
1 cup cooked brown rice- follow package directions
1/2 cup uncooked oats, either quick or regular
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 egg
salt to taste
pepper to taste
2 to 4 Tablespoons ground flax seed- you can use bread crumbs

Heat 2 Tablespoons oil in your large skillet.
Add the onion and garlic and cook and stir until onion is soft
Add the mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms are tender and most of the liquid has absorbed.

Stir in the brown rice and cook for a minute.

Pour that mixture into your bowl.
Stir in the oats, cheese, and egg.
Season with salt and pepper.
Add the flax or bread crumbs. You just need the mixture to not be too wet and sticky.

Cover and put in the fridge until firm. This will take 3 to 4 hours.
When firm, take out of the fridge.
Line a plate with plastic wrap and make the burgers into 4 large patties. They are big so you might want to make 6 smaller ones.

Put back into the fridge for another hour. You can also quick chill them in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Heat the remaining 2 Tablespoons oil in a large skillet.
Add the burgers and cook for about 5 minutes on either side until hot and the outside is browned.

Serve on buns with your favorite toppings.
Makes 4 to 6, depending on size. 

Memphis Rub

24 Monday Jun 2013

Posted by in Memphis Rub, rub, seasoning, yummy stuff

≈ 4 Comments

This rub is full of complex flavors. You get a little bit of heat and a little bit of sweetness. Use it as a stand alone rub or grill your meat with the rub and add some BBQ sauce for the last 5 minutes of cooking.
I really like this rub on pork, but it is also fabulous on shrimp.

You will need a jar with a tightly fitting lid. An empty large spice shaker container or Parmesan cheese container is just perfect if you have one of those.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup paprika
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons cayenne(red) pepper
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder

Put everything into the container and screw on lid.
Shake it up.

This makes about a half cup.

To use: put some on meat and rub it in.

Pork chops with Memphis Rub.

 

Frugal Me Fridays- The Food Processor Investment

21 Friday Jun 2013

Posted by in food processor, yummy stuff

≈ 2 Comments

Sometimes in order to save money, you have to spend money.

A food processor is not a necessity, but it is handy and can save you money in the long term.

Some ways it can save you money:
Making your own almond flour or other nut or bean flours.
Buy the nuts and make your own nut butter- such as peanut butter.
Buy a pumpkin and make your own puree for making pies and breads.
If you have an inexpensive access to apples, make your own applesauce.

You don’t have to spend a lot of money on one.
You can find a good one for about $30 or $40, less if you catch one on sale.

If you get one that has a wide enough chute, you can slice whole potatoes or peppers.
They work great to shred zucchini.

I have used mine to make mayonnaise also.

You can use it to mix pie dough or cookie dough.

I mix up my black bean brownies in it.

Under Control

20 Thursday Jun 2013

Posted by in yummy stuff

≈ 2 Comments

Things have been a little hectic around here lately.
Hence, the lack of new recipes posted.

I have been busy transplanting volunteer tomato plants and trying to rid the rest of the garden of little maple trees.

Tons of whirlygigs descended on my freshly tilled garden and sprouted.

The garden was too wet to till so I hoed up what I could.
As large as the garden is, it took a lot of time to do small areas.

Finally the garden has gotten tilled and hopefully things will get a little more settled.

I did get a chance to grill last night.
This is what we had:

My asparagus is slowing down, but I am getting a few spears a day yet.
I decided to try grilling it.

I drizzled the spears with olive oil and sprinkled with curry powder and kosher salt.
Put on the grill and turn frequently so the spears don’t burn.
When the spears are tender, take off the grill.
It only takes about 5 minutes total to cook them.

I also cooked some thick cut Iowa chops with Memphis Rub.
I will be posting that recipe in the next couple of days.

In the roaster is frozen corn.
I add a pint of corn and 2 tablespoons butter, cover and heat until hot.
That takes about 30 minutes.

Until next time!

Frugal Me Fridays- Making Your Own Mixes

14 Friday Jun 2013

Posted by in Frugal Me Fridays, yummy stuff

≈ 2 Comments

Buying mixes of all kinds is very convenient.
But, it really isn’t a true money saver.

You can make up your own mixes for just about anything.
You can find them for brownies, cookies, biscuits, cocoa, or spice mixes.

You can find all-purpose cookie mixes and just change up the add-ins when you want to make them.

You can find these recipes online or in cookbooks.

I do have spice mixes-
Cajun Rub
Creole Rub,
Jerk Dry Rub,
Sazon

I do plan to share recipes for more mixes in the future.

It is more fugal to buy the individual ingredients and make mixes and store them for when you want to make them.

Frugal Me Fridays- When Cheaper Isn’t Cheaper

07 Friday Jun 2013

Posted by in Frugal Me Fridays, yummy stuff

≈ 4 Comments

A lot of times we got lost in the world of high priced foods.
Trying to get the best deal doesn’t almost mean the cheapest deal.

More nutritiously dense foods may cost more at the store, but we eat less.
So, we actually save more.

The healthier the food is, the less we get sick and have to go to the doctor or get medication.
So, we save money that way.

I am not meaning you have to buy organics if you can’t afford them.
But, many stores have a nutrition value listed by foods.
Check them out and find out what is a higher value.

A good trick for getting rid of pesticides on conventional produce is to soak it in a solution of two parts water and one part vinegar for 10 minutes.
Rinse off and dry.

Check out farmer’s markets.
Many times there are real bargains closer to closing time.
The vendors want to get rid of their produce and will usually mark it down, even if only a little bit.

It all adds up.

Cajun Rub

05 Wednesday Jun 2013

Posted by in Cajun rub, Dry rub, yummy stuff

≈ 4 Comments

I love dry rubs. I make up different kinds to use when grilling. They are easy to make and keep fresh tasting for several months.
A lot of dry rub recipes state that they are for a certain meat, poultry, or seafood. I like to add rubs to my vegetables too.

This is my recipe for Cajun Rub. It has a strong, complex flavor with just a hint of heat. If you don’t want any heat, cut down on the cayenne.

You will need a jar with a tight fitting lid.
I like to save my old larger spice containers or Parmesan cheese shaker containers for my rubs. They work great.

My cayenne has no label because I make my own and I have a pepper mill to grind my black pepper.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Kosher salt
2 Tablespoons garlic powder
2 Tablespoons onion powder
2 Tablespoons dried thyme
2 Tablespoons paprika
2 Tablespoons ground pepper
1 to 3 teaspoons cayenne pepper, depending on how hot you like

To your jar, add all the spices and salt.
Screw on the top and shake to mix.
There: you are done.

Last year I bought the wrong kind of pepper plants. Instead of throwing them out, I dried them and ground them up for pepper.