Hillstone's Veggie Burger

When it comes to veggie burgers, flavorful isn’t usually the first adjective that comes to mind. Hillstone's (formerly Houston's) has long been the exception to this.

Photo Credit: DishBlogger.com

While meatless burgers have come a long way, they have yet to catch up to the chain's long-standing signature (the first time I tried it was 15 years ago). So mouthwatering an experience, it never occurred to me to try and replicate it myself. But thanks to my culinarily curious and talented fiancé Steve, I'm discovering the fun of broadening my home cooking horizons. What better way to do so than by attempting to recreate a favorite restaurant dish?

A quick Google search and I found a recipe on Food.com. At first glance, the main ingredients don’t seem like they would form a tasty mixture – brown rice, oat bran, beans, beets. Rest assured the whole is more delicious than the sum of its parts. What brings it all together and gives it the zing noticeably absent from most veggie burgers -- hickory barbecue sauce. I used Newman’s Own.

The recipe is rated four of five stars by users. It falls short in two areas – preparation time and execution. Food.com recommends egg whites for binding, and grilling burgers for only 2 minutes per side. I found that you really need the yolk to hold the patties together. It takes 10-12 minutes to sufficiently brown each side and give the patties a burger-like consistency. Definitely plan for more time in the kitchen than the stated 30 minutes. Between the longer grilling time and cooking the rice, it took me closer to an hour. Well worth it, though, for a delicious, guilt-free burger that does Hillstone’s proud.

A New Chapter Begins

When I last posted here in 2011, I was a typical New Yorker – single in my mid-thirties and more intimately acquainted with Gotham’s restaurant scene and dizzying array of delivery options than I was with my (tiny) kitchen.

Alot happens in eight years.

Along with a much-needed kitchen makeover, I undertook some significant, long overdue work on myself. As I discovered a new recipe for happiness, life – like dessert – saved the best for last, sending me my two greatest loves.

All smiles with my two main squeezes

Like me, my dream guy Steve and my beloved pup Benji appreciate the pleasures of good food -- especially when it’s shared. Steve also happens to be a fantastic cook. In the 11 months we’ve been together, he’s whipped up several delicious dinners including one-pot Spaghetti Bolognese, a pre-Thanksgiving feast I'll never forget and perfectly grilled steaks rivaling the best steakhouses.

Steak & potatoes à la Steve

My soulmate both in and out of the kitchen, Steve has made me fall in love with cooking all over again as we explore new flavors and dishes together. Last night, we reminisced fondly about the greatest meal (so far!) that we’ve prepared together: breaded chicken cutlets and spiralized zucchini ‘pasta’ with mushrooms, olive oil and truffle salt. Simple yet simply divine. I smile every time I land on the picture of it in my phone.

Chicken cutlet & zucchini pasta...delish!!

Thankfully, my own culinary repertoire has expanded since I first discovered a kitchen could be used for more than microwaving. DNA may have something to do with it. I come from a long line of incredible cooks, most memorably my beloved maternal grandparents. They never knew from recipes. Their generous hearts and Ecuadorian and Puerto Rican roots gave them all the ingredients necessary to make enduring magic in the kitchen.

Grandpa and Abuelita  ♥♥

I’m excited to continue this beautiful family tradition of home cooking that has been passed down generation after generation. And to continue sharing what I learn along the way.

Bon appétit!

--Melissa

Garlic Lime Chicken Fajitas

I’ve been a little quiet lately and with good reason – a brand-new job in PR. For as much as I’m loving where I’ve landed professionally, the neophyte chef in me is missing the greater amount of time I used to have for culinary exploration.

As I figure out how to make sure my budding talents in the kitchen don’t drop off, I think I’ll be turning more and more to recipes designed for the busy woman on the go. Which is why I loved trying out another one of McCormick’s Recipe Inspirations – garlic lime chicken fajitas.

Using the pre-measured packet of ingredients, I savored the aroma as I mixed together garlic, onion, cumin, black pepper, oregano and cilantro. In addition to being quick and easy – from prep to eat in less than 30 minutes – what I loved about this recipe is how much of the Mexican-style sauce I had left over. It makes about 8 servings, so if you’re cooking solo, you can get more than a few meals out of it. Though the sauce works best on chicken, it adds a nice kick to veal and pork chops too.

I have a feeling I'll be exploring McCormick's entire product line as I navigate the new time constraints on my culinary passion.

Turkey Burger Redux

One of the best things about being a neophyte chef is reaching a point where you feel comfortable experimenting -- and are pleasantly surprised by the results. That’s exactly what happened when I recently combined two of my favorite go-to staples for easy meals, turkey burgers and Paul Newman’s Own Bombolina tomato sauce.

It’s no secret that turkey burgers often lack the succulent, rich flavor of their beef counterparts. I’ve managed to give them a boost in the past with shredded mozzarella cheese and sautéed onions, but this time I wanted to try something different.

So I mixed a few tablespoons of Newman’s sauce into a ground turkey patty, thinking as I did that it looked like a version of healthy meatloaf. Sure enough, after five minutes on my trusty T-Fal grill, I had a flavorful burger. Yum-ola!

Mexican Pork Chops

I’ m a big fan of Mexican food, so I couldn’t wait to try a recipe for Mexican-style chicken from Glamour Magazine ’s 100 Recipes Every Woman Should Know cookbook.

Of course, the dish calls for ground cumin, so I took great delight in purchasing this heavenly seasoning for the first time. I also opted to make a few modifications – substituting jalapeno pepper with the milder green bell variety, and omitting ¼ cup of dry white wine (1/2 cup of a chicken stock provided more than enough liquid).

I got so caught up in seasonings and sauce that I’m embarrassed to say I forgot to pick up a key component of the recipe – namely, a chicken breast! Thankfully, I had a pork chop on hand in the freezer.

While defrosting the chop, I savored the rich aroma enveloping my kitchen – sautéed onion, pepper, cumin and oregano. Delicioso.

About an hour later, I had a most flavorful entrée. One that managed not to suffer from the absence of toppings (avocado, sour cream) that, along with the chicken, I also forgot to buy. So I guess you could call my version of this Mexican-lite. No matter -- still heavy with delight!

Here’s the recipe:

Mashed Cauliflower

Since embarking on my culinary journey six months ago, I’ve neglected one important area – side dishes. A recent conversation with galpal and more experienced cook Natalie had me wanting to change that, and to give mashed cauliflower a try.

As someone who loves mashed potatoes, I was especially excited to whip up this healthier alternative, especially when a recipe online seemed to confirm what Natalie had said about it being relatively easy. Unfortunately, this neophyte chef was almost defeated.

Having never really cooked cauliflower before, it seemed to take forever to soften in the pot. When I finally transferred it to a large bowl, I thought pureeing would be the fun part thanks to my brand-new Cuisinart hand blender/mixer. Though it definitely pureed perfectly, I struggled to get the hang of how to use this kitchen tool. After several minutes, I gave up, settling for a partly mashed mixture that wasn’t quite worth the hour-plus investment of time.

I think I’ll be sticking to entrees for the time being.

Rosemary Roasted Chicken And Potatoes

One of my favorite things about being a neophyte chef is the element of surprise. So I was especially delighted to stumble upon McCormick’s Recipe Inspirations collection during a recent trip to the supermarket.

Each packet includes pre-measured spices and herbs and a recipe card. I opted for the rosemary roasted chicken with potatoes, excited to try something that might spice up the chicken breast rut I feared I had fallen into. And much as I love cookbooks and measuring ingredients, this was one of those nights when I was craving a homecooked meal that didn’t require too much thought.

So, in a big bowl, I happily mixed together two chicken breast and baby potatoes with the packet of paprika, garlic, rosemary and black pepper. The rich aroma of rosemary quickly excited my senses and, about 40 minutes after cooking the chicken and potatoes in the oven, voila! A delicious meal made with shortcuts that didn’t scrimp on taste.

My thanks to McCormick’s for ensuring that a touch of laziness on my part had no effect on cooking something memorable. I can’t wait to try out some of their other inspirations…apple and sage pork chops, here I come!

Butter Chicken Wrap

As I mentioned last week, I managed to get a second meal out of my heavenly minute steak with seasoned butter.

After refrigerating the leftover mustard butter, I decided to use it in a chicken wrap for lunch. I sautéed and diced a chicken breast, spreading it and a handful of crisp spinach leaves onto a whole wheat soft tortilla.

Unfortunately when I took a bite of my creation, I was more than a little disappointed. The butter definitely packed more of a wallop when paired with steak, and it tasted like a certain something was missing but I didn’t know what.

That’s the thing about being a neophyte chef – not every culinary gamble pays off. Still, you learn from each misstep and the adventure continues.

Up next…a surprise discovery at the supermarket yields one of my best dishes yet!

Minute Steak With Seasoned Butter

I have a neophyte chef confession to make -- I am a little daunted by the idea of making steak. Or at least I was until recently, when I finally decided to take the red meat plunge.

A combination of insecurity and falling into something of a chicken rut conspired to delay this little milestone. Which only made it that much sweeter when I stumbled upon minute steak in Gristede's -- and then found this easy peasy recipe for preparing it with mustard butter.

Within just 20 minutes, I had whipped up the seasoned butter and cooked my little steak to medium rare perfection. Any anxiety about not being able to get it just right melted as the flavorful, meaty taste hit my mouth.

What's better than a yummy, quick-to-make entree? Getting a second meal out of it too. Up next...how my first steak inspired lunch leftovers!

Fettucini Amatriciana

Though I've been cooking regularly for five months now, there's one relatively simple concoction that continues to bedevil me -- pasta sauce.

For as much as I've become adept at following (and where necessary modifying) recipes, I can't seem to prevent my sauces from thickening too much. It's happened to me with bombolina, bolognese and, now, amatriciana.

Once again, I turned to Glamour Magazine's 100 Recipes Every Woman Should Know, my sentimental cookbook favorite these days. The instructions were simple enough -- heat up a few tablespoons of olive oil, add in a garlic clove, 4 ounces of crumbled bacon and 28 ounces of canned chopped tomatoes.

Woops. Did I say 28? Actually, that's what Glamour said but I somehow ended up with only a 14-ounce can on hand when the time came to cook.

Needless to say, doing without half the amount of liquid recommended here probably contributed to the paste-like consistency. But that doesn't explain why other perfectly proportioned sauces have gone all goopy on me.

My good friend Caroline maintains that my amatriciana attempt was a tasty one (I think it helped that I threw in some diced chicken breast) . I give it a B minus.

Easy Penne Bomolina

When you’re learning how to cook, sometimes you need to take a break from cookbook recipes and keep it simple. Or, as my beloved sister-in-law and culinary goddess Barb likes to say – use enhancements with pre-made ingredients.

Recently, during a girls night in, I did exactly that. On the menu – penne with Newman’s Own tomato and basil Bomolina sauce. To liven up the already tasty sauce, I added ¼ cup of onions, a tablespoon of olive oil, a dash of green peppers, 1/3 cup of sliced mushrooms and 5 basil leaves homegrown (natch) in a little pot on my window sill.

The additions brought out Newman’s sweetness, and made for a perfect, easy pairing with some garlic bread and a bottle of Beaujolais.

Delicioso.

Meat-free Paella With Tofu & Veggie Sausage

There are some recipes that end up humbling a neophyte chef like me. Meat-free paella with smoked tofu and veggie sausages, my second selection from Glamour magazine's 100 Recipes Every Woman Should Know, turned out to be one of them.

I had already started the cooking process when I discovered the dish called for five cups of vegetable broth -- and I only had three. Thankfully, modifying how much rice I used (1 cup instead of 1:5) took care of that discrepancy. Another mistake was less easily corrected.

The recipe calls for ½ a teaspoon of turmeric and 2 teaspoons of sweet paprika. Well, I forgot which seasoning I had in my hand and ended up dumping 2 teaspoons of turmeric in the pot instead! Upon realizing my gaffe, I quickly scooped up what I could before it absorbed into the already brewing liquid.

This meat-free concoction truly got my out of my comfort zone – and all the way to Whole Foods in Union Square. Smoked tofu and veggie sausages aren’t exactly standard supermarket fare, and I have to say it was worth the trip for my first visit to the organic mecca of food shopping. You can tell many of the people who buy here are serious about what they eat/cook, and I couldn’t help feeling a little extra dash of inspiration from it.

Overall, I would say this is a dish that requires a little patience and a lot of organization. Total prep time is 80 minutes, and includes needing counter space for various items mid-cooking -- space that my galley kitchen (like most in NYC) has little of. But I didn’t let any of that defeat me, especially since the paella is dubbed as an alternative for Glamour’s so-called Engagement Chicken. Dating or not, us single gals need some home cooking we can cozy up to.

Here’s the full recipe:

Creamless Broccoli Soup

Now that summer is here, I find myself craving lighter fare when I’m in cooking mode. Soup has been on my to do list for awhile, so I took a crack at Food.com’s recipe for creamless broccoli soup.

There’s something about pureed soup that epitomizes comfort food. And I love that this dish is both filling and, since there’s no cream, guilt free.

I made a few necessary changes to the recipe -- thyme instead of dried dill (no luck finding any at the supermarket) and no celery (didn’t realize I had none until I got home). Thankfully, the finished product didn’t seem to suffer any when I gave my soup a taste test.

Food.com says total prep time for the soup is one hour. Between reserving a cup of florets and having to puree the soup in batches, I would say it’s closer to an hour and twenty. Still, totally worth the time. Yum.