Samwich: Bean Burger (two ways!)

Pinto Bean and Corn Burger

• Ingredients: 
• 1 small onion 
• 3 garlic cloves 
• 3 celery stalks 
• 1 can of pinto beans (drained)
• 2-3 tbs worcestershire sauce 
• 1/2 to 2 cups of breadcrumbs, until it's thick enough to form patties (I also like to throw in some flax powder)
• 1 tsp sea salt 
• 1 cup of corn kernels 
• 2-3 tbs of taco seasoning 
• Or
• 2 tsp ground cumin 
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper 
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp turmeric (optional)
• 
  

Combine onions, celery, and garlic in food processor until chopped at desired amount. Add beans, breadcrumbs, and seasonings. Process till combined. Stir in corn last so you can avoid chopping them up. 

Scoop a handful of bean mixture, form patty and grill on oiled pan. You can grill until completely cooked or bake at 425 degrees fahrenheit for about 15 minutes. 

I paired it with fresh greens, cheddar cheese, homemade pickles (recipe coming soon!), pickled jalapenos, and chili sauce. 

Black Bean Burger

• Ingredients: 
• 1 small onion 
• 3 garlic cloves 
• 3 celery stalks 
• 1 can of black beans (drained) 
• 2-3 tbs worcestershire sauce 
• 1/2 to 2 cups of breadcrumbs, until it's thick enough to form patties (I also like to throw in some flax powder)
• 1 tsp sea salt 
• 2-3 tbs of taco seasoning 
• Or
• 2 tsp ground cumin 
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper 
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp turmeric (optional)

Combine onions, celery, and garlic in food processor until chopped at desired amount. Add beans, breadcrumbs, and seasonings. Process till combined. 

Scoop a handful of bean mixture, form patty and grill on oiled pan. You can grill until completely cooked or bake at 425 degrees fahrenheit for about 15 minutes. 

I paired it with fresh greens, cheddar cheese, roasted pineapple and habanero dip, and wickles sandwich relish. 

(I especially loved these two condiments combined. The relish is a little tangy but the pineapple dip adds the perfect amount of sweet and spicy to balance it off!) 

I'm not a bean lover by any means but bean burgers are a new obsession. They're easy to make with what you have in your kitchen and to change to suit your own tastes! I wanted to put these two together as an example of different things you can put in them, you really can get creative with these! Plus, they're a great source of protein for all those vegetarians out there. Which is important, right? 

Other things you can add in: garbanzo beans instead of pinto/black beans, bell peppers, jalapenos/green chiles, carrots, cranberries, mushrooms, brown rice, blueberries, flour, corn meal, rolled oats, quinoa, I could go on and on... 

Some other bean burger recipes I'm going to try in the near future: 

http://simplyhealthyfam.blogspot.com/2012/04/black-bean-and-cranberry-burgers-with.html

http://www.self.com/fooddiet/recipes/2004/12/portobello-black-bean-burgers

Guest Post: True Blue Abbi

Hello all you readers of My Latest Obsession! Samantha and I swapped buttons a little while ago, and she was kind enough to let me post on her blog! Let me introduce myself.

My name is Abbigayle Rashae, and I'm a fifteen (soon to be sixteen!) year old lifestyle blogger from Iowa. I've been homeschooled since the middle of sixth grade, and will be a Junior this fall. I've always adored fashion, music, photography, writing, reading, and food. I've had my lifestyle blog, True Blue Abbi, for nearly three years now. When I started out, I never would have thought it would turn into such a huge part of my life. But, I'm so glad with where things have gone and the people I've met along the way!

Today I wanted to go ahead and share with you guys a little bit about my style. I mainly post personal outfits on my blog, so I wanted to let you guys see how weird I am, for yourselves (:

I've described my style in the past as 85% Minimalistic and 15% Maverik, meaning, I mainly stick to basics (jeans and tees anyone?) but like to take small risks, especially with accessories and such. My blog has been such a big confidence booster (my self-esteem is still not high..at all, but getting a little better) and has also helped me to take more fashion risks. Seeing how other bloggers style things and being able to soak in more inspiration has been so great. Over the past year I've really played around with my style, and have loved what has come from it!

These are a few of the photos I've put on my blog for outfit posts in the past couple of months! Enjoy!

If you guys are still interested, I'd love for you to hop over to my blog. I love meeting new people online and making new friends, so leave a comment letting me know you stopped by! Thanks for reading through my guest post on Sam's blog today!

Ricotta Enchilada Casserole

Ricotta enchilada casserole. This is like the tex-mex version of lasagna. And let me tell you, it is yummy. I actually combined my Enchilada Casserole recipe with the Corn, Ricotta, and Arugula Enchiladas so it would include a little bit of everything! Here's the recipe (from scratch!): 
Enchilada Sauce  3 tbs Flour   3-4  tbs Vegetable Oil

2 tbs Onion (chopped)  2 cups of Roasted Tomato Puree
Dry Ingredients:  ¼  tsp Cayenne Pepper 1 tbs Salt  4 tbs Chili Powder  2 tbs Flour  1 tsp Cumin  1 tsp Garlic Salt  1 tsp Oregano  1 tsp Cocoa Powder 1/2 tsp paprika (I used smoked) 1 1/2 cup Water

1. Saute onions in vegetable oil until soft. 

2. Mix in flour and cook for about 5 more minutes (should be slightly runnier than a paste. if too thick, add more oil.) 

3. Combine rest of dry ingredients in bowl. 

4. Add tomato sauce to pan with onions and flour. 

5. Add water and dry ingredients, whisk until blended. 

6. Cook for about 5 more minutes. 

7. Remove from heat and set aside

Casserole Filling  1 Onion (chopped)  1 Red Bell Pepper (chopped) 1 Green Bell Pepper (chopped) 7 Roma Tomatoes 2 Handfuls Spinach  (you can also use chard, collards, arugula, or bok choy)  15 oz. Ricotta  1 tbs honey  1 tbs lime juice 3 Ears of Sweet Corn (cooked)  2-3 Green Onions  Optional- a few tablespoons of cilantro 
Monterrey Jack Cheese 25 Corn Tortillas (or 15 flour) 1-2 Avocados  Small Can of Black Olives
1. Preheat oven to 375˚ 2. Boil a medium pot of water and place in tomatoes. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until skins crack. Remove with slotted spoon and place in ice bath to stop cooking.  3. Carefully remove corn from cob by placing the cob perpendicular to the bottom of a large bowl. Cut downward on the cob. 4. In a medium bowl, whip together ricotta, honey, lime juice, and arugula. Set aside 5. Once tomatoes have cooled, peel off the skins. Remove stem, roughly chop, and place in medium bowl.  6. Smash tomatoes with tomato masher until it's of the consistency you like (should remain slightly chunky but soupy at the same time).   7. Saute onion and bell pepper in large pan with vegetable oil until soft.  8. Add mashed tomatoes, corn, green onions, and cilantro (if using). Cook for 5-10 more minutes 9. Remove from heat.  10. Optional step: fry the tortillas in a pan with about a tbs of vegetable oil. About 30 seconds on each side, be careful not to burn them!  11. To assemble enchiladas, use and 13" x 9" pan. Place 1/2 of the tortillas in the bottom of the pan. Next, spread the onion/bell pepper/tomato mixture on top of that. Pour half of the enchilada sauce over that followed by another layer of tortillas. Next, sprinkle over a thin layer of cheese and the ricotta blend. Then put on another layer of the tortillas. Pour remaining sauce on top and sprinkle over with your cheese. And last top with sliced black tomatoes. Add avocados in the last 10 minutes of baking.  12. Bake enchiladas until lightly browning and bubbly, 20-25 minutes.
So good guys and it's even better as left overs the next day!

Lately: My Birthday

A few pictures from my birthday. It's a tradition that we go to Pappadeaux for special occasions... it's just so GOOD!  We had a bit of a wait but they had a nice little area and we just sat around, throwing pennies in wishing wells and enjoying the weather.  Like that henna? It's my new thing lately. 
So I'm 22 now. It's kind of weird? I keep forgetting that I'm one year older! But it's nice to not be "21". I just feel like there's a lot of stigma for people that are 21. Like they go around and party all the time. Not me though, cause I'm 22 now ;) 

Links Links Links!

Some Friday link love for you loves (: 
Survival permaculture (so so cool guys)-http://www.survivalpermaculture.com/sq/15591-survival-permaculture Create more, consume less- http://www.theminimalists.com/create-consume/ Embrace Simplicity- http://www.slowyourhome.com/2013/04/28/embrace-simplicity/ Manifestation- http://josephzenner.com/manifestation/ Tips to go green at home- http://simplemom.net/tips-to-go-green-at-home Living with less- http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/10/opinion/sunday/living-with-less-a-lot-less.html?pagewanted=2&_r=2
^^ This one is a favorite. So inspiring 

Quinoa with Chili Sauce

GUYS, my new latest obsession:  So a few weeks ago, I did a little market at this place downtown called Avant Garden. About the middle of the day, I decided to take a break from manning the store to check out the other vendors and what they were selling. As I was walking around, I came across this booth that struck me as.... interesting. There was just one guy standing there behind this little podium with a bowl of chips and a few jars of sauce sitting on top. He was very friendly and offered me a sample. So, being one that does not turn down free samples, I gladly had a taste and.....IT. WAS. SO. GOOD. 
So I bought one. And that was that. 
I've been using it on almost everything. It's good on everything. And it makes everything just that much more delicious! 
This quinoa dish was the first thing I made with it, kind of like a tester. But let me tell you, it was everything I had hoped for. Here is how I did it:  First, I sauteed some veggies which included onion, garlic, some kale, and a little corn. I also oven roasted some cherry tomatoes (my fav.) I mixed all that with some cooked quinoa (and a little bulgar because I need to get rid of it), stirred in a generous amount of the chili sauce, and then topped it off with the roasted cherry tomatoes and some fresh avocado.  YUM.  Sometimes I am delightfully surprised with the creative and driven people I come across. I just can't help but love everything about this product right down to the darn label!  They have one other sauce, Roasted Pineapple & Habanero, and another on the way. They're natural, homemade, and absolutely delicious. 
Seriously, what more could one ask for. 
I am officially a fan and am going to have to stock up pretty soon. My first bottle is just about done!
You can check them out at www.bravadospice.com. Support local ya'll! 

DIY: Seed Bombs

You need:  5 parts Red Clay (plus a little water to make it dough-y) 3 parts Soil  1 part Seeds  Mix all your ingredients together in a bowl Once mixed thoroughly, break into little 1 inch chunks and roll into balls Store in dry place for a couple of days (we left ours dry on that green lid). And then throw them all around town! We read one article that said to throw about 10 per square yard for full coverage. We threw ours in this large ditch by our house. Hopefully in a few weeks, they'll be sprouted and we'll do an update! So that's that. 
Happy seed bombing!