Easy Parmesan and Herb Risotto

I've been wanting to try my hand at making risotto for a while now, but I've only ever heard how much work and constant care it takes to cook. I knew I couldn't focus all my energy on the risotto and still cook other things as well. And who wants to just have risotto for dinner?


Ok, yeah. That wouldn't really be so bad. To be honest, the real reason I never tried is I wasn't sure my attention span would hold up to nothing but stirring a pot for that long. When I saw a recipe for "almost hands-free" risotto I knew I had to make it.


Whether you love risotto or have never tried it (since I highly doubt anyone has ever tried and disliked risotto) you should definitely make this. It's so easy to whip up, super delicious, and almost impossible to mess up. You can also tweak it to make it just what you like. Add your own favorite vegetables instead of or in addition to the bell pepper, spinach and tomatoes, switch the spices out for ones you like, serve it with chicken, over meatballs, with lobster mixed in...the possibilities are endless. 


What you need
6 c. chicken broth
1 1/2 c. water
4 Tbsp butter
1 medium onion
1/2 green bell pepper
1 c. spinach, frozen, thawed and squeezed dry
2 garlic cloves
2 c. Arborio rice
2 tsp. ground sage
2 tsp. ground basil
1 tsp. ground parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
1-2 oz (1/2-1 c.) parmesan cheese

1 tsp. lemon juice

1 medium tomato, chopped


What you do
Boil broth and water together, then reduce heat to just simmering. Meanwhile, melt 2 Tbsp butter in a large pot over medium heat, then add chopped onion and green pepper. Cook a few minutes until onion is translucent. Add garlic, rice, and spices. Cook just a couple minutes, stirring until the rice is translucent around the edges. Add 1 c. of the broth/water mixture and stir constantly until its absorbed. Add all but 1 c. of the rest of the broth mixture, and simmer, covered over medium-low heat until liquid is absorbed, about 15-20 minutes.


Add some more of the broth mixture (1/4 c. at a time) and stir constantly adding more broth mixture each time the liquid is fully absorbed until creamy, desired consistency is reached. Stir in cheese and lemon juice and tomato. Serve, sit back and enjoy all your compliments.

Black Bean Burger

So it's been about 110 degrees here for what seems like forever. Ok, that's not really true, but it has been in the 90s and suuuuper humid every day for at least 2 or 3 weeks. Yep. It's summer.


What food says summer more than a burger? Nothing, that's what. Although I do love a good ground beef burger, I think it's fun to experiment with different kinds of (healthier) burgers too. Like turkey burgers or veggie burgers. MMMmmm. I've been experimenting with this black bean burger recipe for a couple months. A few pearls of wisdom I can offer you with this recipe: 

1. Don't chop your veggies in the food processor. I know it's tempting. I thought it would be a great idea. I mean I hate chopping onions, I have the food processor out anyway, why not? Well it chops effectively  , but produces too much juice. Wet burgers that fall apart=not good.
2. Make your own bread crumbs. Healthier and super easy. Toast 2-3 pieces of bread. Break them into chunks, throw them in the food processor with some salt and pepper and pulse until you get finely ground crumbs. Measure out what you need, store the rest in an airtight container for your next bread crumb recipe. I mean, you're going to use the food processor anyway.
3. Make your own buns. Use this recipe and instead of baking 1/4 of the dough as a loaf, pull off and bake 1/12 of the dough per bun. Seriously. Just do it.


So anyway, here is a black bean burger that we've come to LOVE around here. Delish and easy. You could even chop the veggies ahead of time and store them in the fridge to expedite the process.

What you need
1 16 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed (or 1 1/2 c. cooked, black beans)
1/2 green pepper, diced
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 egg
3/4 c. bread crumbs
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. salt

What you do
Mash beans or pulse in a food processor. Transfer to a bowl and stir veggies in. Add egg and stir until combined. Stir in the bread crumbs and spices. Form into 4 patties. Cook for 8 minutes on each side on the stove or bake 20 minutes (flipping at 10) at 375.