Bean and Veggie Burger Enchilada Casserole

Bean and Veggie Burger Enchilada Casserole (adapted from Better Homes & Gardens, Servings: 6-8, Total Time: 1 hour)

Ingredients

·         4 Morningstar Farms Veggie Burger Patties, chopped

·         ½ cup chopped onion

·         1 tsp. chili powder

·         ½ tsp. ground cumin

·         1 15 oz. can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

·         1 4 oz. can diced green chile peppers

·         1 8 oz. carton light dairy sour cream

·         2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

·         ¼ tsp. garlic powder

·         1 10 oz. can enchilada sauce

·         1 cup shredded taco cheese

Directions

1.      Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2.      In a large skillet cook the chopped burger patties, onion, chili powder, and cumin until onion is tender. Stir pinto beans and undrained chili peppers into burger mixture; set aside.

3.      In a small mixing bowl stir together sour cream, flour, and garlic powder until combined; set aside.

4.      Spoon burger mixture into casserole dish (or use an oven-safe skillet in the first step),  top with the sour cream mixture, and enchilada sauce. Cover dish with foil.

5.      Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until bubbly. Uncover; sprinkle with cheese and bake 5 minutes more.

I decided to omit the corn tortillas in the original recipe because we had wheat tortillas that needed to be consumed.  We spooned the mixture into the tortillas – worked just as well (if not better, I know that in these casseroles the tortillas can get a bit soggy).

I really like this dish, but my husband found a tad too spicy.  I’ll admit, there was a little kick to it (I used green chile enchilada sauce, which is spicier than red), but that was fine by me.  I used the Burger Patties instead of Burger Crumbles because I had a large pack that needed to be used.  I think that it worked out quite well.  I liked the firm texture of the patties (and the beans) with the creamy sour cream, enchilada sauce, and cheese.  Just a total winner in my book and I cannot wait to make it again!

Spicy Szechuan Noodles

Spicy Szechuan Noodles (adapted from Good Housekeeping, Servings: 6, Total Time: 20 minutes)

Ingredients

·         12 oz. egg noodles

·         1 ½ cups vegetable broth

·         6 Tbsp. lower-sodium soy sauce

·         6 Tbsp. lime juice

·         2 Tbsp. sugar

·         2 Tbsp. Sriracha

·         2 tsp. ground ginger

·         2 Tbsp. canola oil

·         4 Morningstar Farms Garden Patties, crumbled

·         5-6 oz. baby spinach

Directions

1.      Heat large covered saucepot salted water to boiling on high.

2.      Add egg noodles. Cook as label directs; drain and rinse under cold water.

3.      Purée, in food processor, broth, soy sauce, lime juice, sugar, Sriracha, and ginger.

4.      Heat canola oil in 12-inch skillet on high.

5.      Add burger crumbles; cook 5 minutes. Add broth mixture; simmer 5 minutes or until heated through.

6.      Stir in baby spinach; cook 1 minute.

7.      Divide noodles among plates; top with sauce.

I actually doubled part of the recipe above (the “sauce”) because it was not nearly enough to cover the noodles.  I use quotations around sauce because it wasn’t very saucy; it was more of a topping.  I actually double checked the ingredient amounts because it wasn’t what I expected.  It was still good, though.  The dish is spicy, no extra Sriracha required!  Reading the ingredient list again, I feel like there should be some sweetness or tartness to the flavor, but the Sriracha definitely overrides that (not a bad thing in my book!).

I used the Garden Patties and crumbled them instead of the Mealstarters because I have a huge package of the veggie burgers and wanted to use them before they got too frost-bitten.  I like the difference in the look and texture – part of the burger patties stayed firm and provided a nice contrast to the noodles – the Mealstarters would not have done the same.  Morningstar also makes an Asian veggie patty, so you may want to try that with this dish. 

Enjoy!

Lasagna-Stuffed Mushrooms

Lasagna-Stuffed Mushrooms (adapted from AllRecipes, Total Time: 50 min., Servings: 2)

Ingredients

·         ¼ lb. Morningstar Farms Mealstarters burger crumbles

·         ½ cup fat-free small curd cottage cheese (I used a ½ cup mixture of shredded 5 Cheese Italian and Italian Pizza cheese)

·         1 egg

·         2 Tbsp. chopped green pepper

·         1 Tbsp. finely chopped green onion

·         1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

·         salt and black pepper to taste

·         ¼ cup prepared pasta sauce, divided

·         6 large fresh mushrooms, or more as needed, stems removed

Directions

1.     Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray an 8x8-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

2.     Cook and stir the crumbles in a skillet over medium heat, breaking apart as it cooks, about 10 minutes.

3.     Mix together the cheeses, egg, green pepper, green onion, parsley, and salt and pepper in a bowl until the mixture is well combined. Stir in the cooked crumbles.

4.     Place the mushrooms, hollow sides up, close together in the prepared baking dish. Spoon about 1 Tbsp. of the filling into the cavity of each mushroom, and allow remaining filling to overflow between mushrooms.

5.     Bake in the preheated oven until the filling is set, about 15 minutes.

6.     Remove dish from oven, and spread the pasta sauce evenly over the mushrooms. Return the dish to the oven, and cook about 5 more minutes.

7.     Let the mushrooms stand 5 minutes before serving.

Well, my mushrooms were kind of lasagna-stuffed.  The cottage cheese that we had in the refrigerator was not usable, so I used a mixture of 5 Cheese Italian and Italian Pizza Cheese.  Yummy!  I'm sure it would be tasty with cottage cheese as well.

I used portabella mushrooms and Tomato & Basil pasta sauce for this dish.  I thought that it tasted good and cheesy!  Next time, I will probably marinate the mushrooms in some balsamic vinaigrette, just to add to the overall tastiness.  Enjoy!

Cheesy Beef Stroganoff

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/velveeta-cheesy-beef-stroganoff-57514.aspx

    
 I don’t think that I would call this dish Beef Stroganoff – more of a Cheesy Beef Pasta.  This is a very creamy, cheesy meal (not a bad thing).  It has a good flavor and a little “bite” from the pepper (I used cracked black pepper).  A filling meal, but will add mushrooms next time to add some vegetables.

 I tried to make this a bit more healthy by using Morningstar Farms Burger Crumbles, 2% Velveeta, and Reduced Sodium Cream of Mushroom soup.  I needed to cook the pasta for about 10-12 minutes instead of the suggested 8 – remember to taste a noodle to feel its firmness before adding the additional ingredients.  This received an A+ from my husband, who is a big meat an potatoes guy – no wonder, since it’s cheese and pasta!

Sloppy Joe's

I really like this recipe for Sloppy Joe’s – the only thing I substitute is Morningstar Farms for the meat.  My fiancée doesn’t like all of the petite diced tomatoes – one can could suffice for those who are sensitive to that type of thing.  I probably put in about 2 tsp. of chili powder and joined with the BBQ sauce, it made for a very good flavor.  I served on a Martin’s 100% Whole Wheat Potato Roll.  A very nice combination.  I also had the Sloppy Joe with summer squash sautéed in a dash salt and pepper and (perhaps too much) Old Bay.  Tasty, but I had a few bites that were pretty strong.  Overall rating for me is an “A”!

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/community/recipe-exchange/userrecipedisplay.aspx?user_recipe_id=158088&group_id=1

Cheesy Mac Casserole

I wasn’t as much a fan of this as my fiancée was – but it is a good base for enhancements.  I used regular Kraft Mac & Cheese as the topper and Morningstar Farms burger crumbles instead of the other items.  The taste was a little bland overall, but adding Italian seasoning helped it along.  Next time I make it, I’ll use cumin, red pepper, diced tomatoes w/ green chiles, and Mexican cheese.  Also good to Mexi-it-up a little J 

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/cheesy-mac-topped-casserole-75975.aspx

Salisbury SoySteak

When I was a kid, I used to eat a lot of TV dinners.  My absolute favorite was the Salisbury Steak with mashed potatoes and vegetables.  Even though the peas and carrots got into everything, I really enjoyed eating this food.  

About a year ago, I found a recipe for Salisbury Steak and thought that the Morningstar Farms burger crumbles might work.  The first time around the “steaks” did not stay together and I ended up scrapping the idea and mixing the crumble mixture and the sauce together.  Tasty, but I wanted to find the right consistency.  I tried this a second time the other night (I know, a long time to get around to it again!) and am getting closer to the right consistency.


Salisbury SoySteak (expected time 45 minutes, 6 servings)
(adapted from Allrecipes.com)

Ingredients
2 eggs
1/3 cup dry breadcrumbs
1 (10.75 oz) can reduced-fat, reduced-sodium condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 package Morningstar Farms Burger Crumbles
1/2 cup fat free milk
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups fresh, chopped mushrooms

Directions

1. In a bowl, combine the eggs, bread crumbs, 1/4 cup soup and onion. Add the Burger Crumbles and mix well. 
2. Shape into six patties. In a large nonstick skillet, brown the patties on both sides.
3. In a bowl, combine the milk, salt, and remaining soup; stir in mushrooms. Pour over patties. 
4. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

The patties still crumbled a little bit when I was flipping them in the pan, but much better than the first time around.  I’ll continue to make small changes to the recipe until it’s right.

Overall, a very tasty “steak” that is high in protein and low in fat.  The fresh mushrooms and soup give this a very strong taste, so if you don’t like mushrooms, probably best to skip it.  The onions are hidden in the patty, which is good because my fiancé is not a fan!  I served with mashed potatoes and mixed veg – luckily, it was my choice whether or not I wanted the vegetables to get mixed together with the other parts :-)