It’s been a good food week. Donnie’s parents and grandma are here so we’ve been finding excuses to live it up. I had a killer vegetarian BBQ “chicken” sandwich at a really good restaurant in Fresno (New Star Vegetarian, check it if you’re ever here
!), an almost perfect pesto and sundried tomato pizza at Pizza Factory, a delicious white hot chocolate at a really cute coffee shop, fresh and from scratch strawberry shortcake a lá Paulette, a trip to the farmer’s market which resulted in fresh croissants, organic honey, obsidian black berries (and every other sort of berry you can think of), along with some fresh, organic basil and garlic that resulted in a really good batch of pesto tonight. I even found some morel mushrooms growing next to our house today! They were as good as I remembered them after I sautéed them in butter with some of that fresh garlic I mentioned. How lucky have I been? This series of delectable meals started about a week ago with a really great batch of pasta. Several of us found ourselves very hungry at the same time last week. I took matters into my own hands and reverted to my college pasta formula which I perfected during my very hectic last year of college: pasta + veggies + cheese (optional) + veggie meat + seasoning = perfection. Since w
Morningstar sells several burger variations including the Tomato and Basil Pizza burger, the Chipotle Black Bean burger and even the Asian Veggie Pattie. These are obviously great for sandwiches, but are really good in other dishes as well. Chopped up, they’re delish in a fajita, with rice, on nachos or with pasta, of course.
However, these should be used sparingly. Although they’re low in fat and calories and are a pretty good source of protein, they have lots of sodium (350 mg in the spicy black bean burgers) and more carbohydrates than other veggie burgers since they have some special ingredients like rice, beans, etc. However, they’re really flavorful, so a patty or two will go a long way in a dish. This spaghetti is proof of that.
South of the Border Spaghetti with Morningstar Farms Spicy Black Bean Burgers
Serves 8
13 oz package of dried spaghetti
2 Tbls olive oil
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced
1 red pepper, chopped
2 Morningstar Farms Spicy Black Bean Burger, chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, diced
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
Half a package of Sazon Goya
salt
Fresh Cilantro, chopped
Cook spaghetti according to package instructions until almost done.
In frying pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic and onion and sauté for 3-5 minutes.
Add red pepper, jalapeno, burger pieces, seasonings and salt to taste. Mix together and cook until peppers are soft. Sprinkle fresh cilantro over top and serve.
Tips: This recipe is so easy, but you can make it even easier if you have some leftover spaghetti in your fridge. Also, the jalapeño gives this dish serious kick. If you can’t handle spicy food, don’t use the whole thing. If you’re in the mood for queso, this dish would be great sprinkled with some sharp cheddar, monteray jack, or even some goat cheese. If you don’t have any Sazon Goya, don’t sweat it, but it gives some extra Latin flavor and color.
