What's cooking this week?

Dear El + Em,

Things are getting real "Christmasy" and real exciting around here! We saw Santa TWICE this past week....once at Grandma's job and a second time at an awesome model train show that we went to. Last night we went to Chloe and Corinne's house to make gingerbread houses, and today I plan to start our first batch of Jelly Buttons for the year! Exciting!

XO, Mom

There is still so much to be done....mostly gifts to be bought and wrapped. YIKES! I'm not one of those people who have that done early. I've never been, yet this year I feel more behind than usual. Oh well, it always comes together in the end, but this week is going to be a super easy week of dinners. It's a pretty unimpressive lineup of meals, but I'll share anyway...

Sunday: Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

Monday:  Hummus Pizza (it's been too long)

Tuesday: Tacos!!!
Wednesday: Turkey Bacon BLT's on pretzel buns (Ella and I are going to a Christmas concert)

Thursday: Steak for Hubs and Mac n' Cheese for the girls (I have a Christmas dinner thing with some work peeps)
Friday: White Pizza (IF I get out of work at a decent time we may shape it into a snowman....just maybe)

Happy Sunday!

What's cooking this week?

Dear El + Em,

This weekend has been quite eventful and it's not even over! It started with a visit to the horse farm with pony rides AND hayrides. Then, we took a trip to get late night donuts and hot chocolate in our jammies, followed by driving around and looking at Christmas lights. Now it's Sunday, and we've got a cozy home day planned. Let's get the Christmas movie marathon started!

XO, Mom

I'm still learning how to use my instant pot. Tonight I'll be stepping up my game and making a pot roast for the whole fam. Hopefully it's good! Pot roast isn't usually my "jam", but the video for the recipe makes it look really yummy. Turns out, I'll be "instant potting" for most of the day in order to better prepare for the week ahead.

Sunday: Instant Pot - Pot Roast with Cauliflower Mash

Monday:  Vegan Lentil Soup (never had a chance to make this last week)

Tuesday: Chicken Black Bean Enchiladas
Wednesday: Easy Skillet Lasagna

Thursday: Instant Pot Cilantro Chicken and Rice

Things went a bit off-course last week for a lot of reasons, mostly falling wayyyyy behind at work. Luckily I'm a pro at improvising and figuring out how to switch things up at the last minute. This week I've got to do a little bit of prep beforehand in hopes that I'm able to still get dinner together on the late nights. The black beans and shreddy chicken will be ready to go for Tuesday and I also plan to make Monday's dinner today. Looks like I'll have that instant pot fired up for most of the day, but I know it will be worth it!

Have a Happy Sunday!

What's cooking this week?

Dear El + Em,

We are back to our normal routine and in full-blown holiday mode over here! Today was our first day home to really decompress after our trip and a long week of work and school. What a day! I know you love each other very much but it would be super helpful for ALL of us if you got out of each others personal space! Just a lil' tip from Mom...but what do I know?!

XO, Mom
*Side-note....even if it ends terribly, I do appreciate the chance to get a sweet photo like the one below before things go downhill!

UPDATE: The instant pot is phenomenal! So far, I'm really impressed. I went with the 6 quart Duo and LOVE it. I used it for 3 different dinners last week and I'm looking forward to using it more this week. The other day I literally raided our library and checked out every book they had pertaining to instant pots or pressure cookers. Obsessed. Here's what I've got planned...

Sunday: Sunday Sauce with ravioli 

Monday: Pastina soup with carrots for the girls and a veggie burger for me (Ella requested that I put hummus pizzas on hold for a little bit)

Tuesday: Sweet Potato and Black Bean Tacos
Wednesday: Vegan Lentil Soup and Steak for Hubs

Thursday: Taco Pasta (Hoping the girls love this)

Friday: Skinny Crack Chicken (a recipe from THIS book)

I'm trying to keep the week somewhat light again...also I'm thinking there should be lots of leftovers to have for lunch through the week too. BONUS!

Enjoying the view AND my fave movie! 

Have a wonderful Sunday!

"Antipast" Repost

It's been SIX years since I posted my Mom's yummy recipe and I still don't know how to say it. I'm realizing that the correct way is probably "antipasto", yet I swear I've hear Giada say "antipasti" (maybe I imagined this). ALL throughout my life....Mom (and the rest of the fam for that matter) has called it either "antipasta" or just "antipast" for short. I'm pulling an executive decision and going with that! Since we're in the midst of the holiday season, I thought it was time for a repost. Absolutely nothing has changed as far as the secret formula for this deliciousness....BUT this year I opted to hold out on the romaine lettuce for two reasons....

1. I feel like it ends up getting soggy when it comes to leftovers

2. It's apparently contaminated again

Sooooo....I decided to pass. I also seasoned the dressing a little differently, but otherwise I didn't mess with what works. It is VERY tried and true! I promise it will be a big hit AND it is just as good for breakfast the next day! #traditions

(*Sidenote - if anyone has one of those GIANT old school, light green tupperwares they would like to pass on to me that would be super. The aluminum tin is not the classic Rose Scoma way to make this!!!)

This fed a crowd of over 20 people the other day - with leftovers to spare!!!

You will need:

Meat...

*chop into half inch cubes

(get salami from the deli counter....ask them to cut it in one or two large chunks)

-1/2 lb. of genoa salami

-1/2 lb. of hard salami  

-1 large link of pepperoni (or 2 small links of pepperoni) ***Make sure you peel off the casing

Cheese...

*chop into half inch cubes

-Wedge of sharp provolone

-Wedge of soft/mild provolone

-Large block of mozzarella (part skim)

-Large block of cheddar

Produce...

-4-6 stalks of celery (slice in half then chop)

-2 carrots (slice in half then chop)

Cans/jars....

-3 cans of extra large black olives (drain....slice in 3)

-2 jars of small green olives (no pits...drain...slice in half)

-2 jars of marinated artichoke hearts (slice them if they aren't already quartered) ***USE THE JUICE

-2 cans of regular artichoke hearts (quartered) - DRAINED

-2 small jars of sliced marinated mushrooms ***USE THE JUICE

-2 cans of regular (non-marinated) mushrooms (sliced) - DRAINED

-2 jars of DRAINED sliced pimentos

Also...

-olive oil

-red wine vinegar
-balsamic vinegar (this is my addition)
-Italian seasoning - oregano, garlic powder....whatever you like (also my addition)

-Italian bread

*Sorry to get all "shouty" about the draining, and non-draining of liquids - but this is VERY important!  (There I go again.)

SO....you put everything together, meats, cheeses, veggies...and very carefully the canned/jarred ingredients (paying close attention to what gets drained, and what doesn't).  

The dressing is obviously made up of the juices from the marinated artichoke hearts and mushrooms + olive oil and red wine vinegar (to taste).  My mom doesn't add any extra seasoning...she keeps the dressing simple...but I threw in a little oregano and garlic powder because I'm an animal. 

Toss it all together, let it sit in the fridge for about 30 minutes before serving with bread....and enjoy (even though I know you will have already been picking on it during the whole prep process)!!!!

Chop up the meat and cheese the night before to help with assembly on the day of! 

Watch out for olive snatchers!

Okay, I lied...I threw on a little parmesan cheese too....but this isn't necessary!

What's cooking this week?

Dear El + Em,

Our Thanksgiving trip to NY was amazing! You both had an incredible time visiting with friends and family. You loved the leaves, climbing all the stairs, playing in all the basements/playrooms and spending time with so many people who love you both so very much! We just got home tonight after a long day of traveling, and you're both tucked into bed and sound asleep. I'm over here trying to figure out how to plan healthy meals that we ALL will enjoy this week. After that...I'll be joining you in dreamland! Thank you both for being the sweetest little travelers there ever were.

XO, Mom

What's cooking? Wait! Do I really have to cook? What I really mean is.....do I really have to eat?! I'm  SO full. Full from Thanksgiving dinner and then the subsequent delicious leftovers....but also just full overall from...eating New York. Yup. I ate New York. 

Looks like I'm cooking LIGHT this week! I'll at least try to keep it light for myself, and bulk it up for the rest of the fam. This week also kicks off a TOTAL game-changer! My Instant Pot arrives on Monday (at least it better), and I plan to put it to use right away! 

Here's what I'm thinking...

Sunday: Red Lentil Pasta w/ Homemade Spicy Tomato Sauce and Spinach (the girls will have with butter/EVOO and some broccoli)

Monday: Hummus Pizza

Tuesday: Instant Pot Refried Beans (I'll have over cauliflower rice....prob make burritos for the rest of the crew)
Wednesday: Instant Pot Ramen

Thursday: Greek Chicken Bowls (I'm going to attempt my first creation in the instant pot)

Friday: Veggie Pizza for me and steak for Hubs

Besides attempting to make up for a week of indulging, we will be over here getting our lives back on track and of course decorating the house for Christmas! Yay!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and that today you have a festive and restful Sunday!

What's cooking this week?

Dear El + Em,

We took some family photos this weekend. We also put up the Christmas tree so that all we need to do is decorate it when we get back from NY.  Ella, you keep asking if we could put the "organments" on. I think we'll wait so we could have the whole festive experience...with Christmas movies and hot cocoa! The rest of the weekend will be spent getting ready for our big trip. I know that's not too fun for you both, but luckily you're entertaining each other by destroying the family room with Teenie Genies and Shopkins. Just a typical Sunday!

XO, Mom

What's cooking?

Sunday: Sunday Sauce and  Tomato Mozzarella Arugula Towers

Monday: Hummus Pizza (Yes, again.)

Tuesday: Roasted Broccoli and Chick Pea Tacos (Sounds weird, but I promise it's good...inspired by this Thug Kitchen recipe.)

Wednesday: Veggie Pizza for me and Steak for Hubs
Thursday: Black bean and sweet potato veggie bowls

Friday: Buffalo cauliflower wraps

Although I do cook veggie/plant based meals ALL the time, it's usually not every day of the week. I try to break it up a little more, however I'm going heavy this week in order to balance out all the food I'll be consuming while we're on vacation. That's how it works, right?

Hoping you all have a fantastic Sunday!

Black Beans "1905"

Dear Em, 

You were in my tummy when I went to the Columbia restaurant in St. Augustine and had this fantastic dish! Daddy and I had JUST found out that you were in there just a day or two prior! The whole experience was very memorable, especially the part where I just couldn't stand the idea of eating meat (blehhh)! Maybe this is why you love beans so much?! I've tried my best to recreate this very special meal, for my very special little girl...and Big Sis loves it too! BONUS!

XO, Mom

Ingredients:

1 lb. dried black beans

1 small onion - diced

1 clove of garlic - crushed

3 cups of low sodium chicken broth

3 - 4 cups of water

2 tbsp. cumin

1 tbsp. sweet paprika

2 bay leaves

salt and pepper to taste

For the "1905" Dressing

2 garlic cloves - crushed

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 -3 tbsp of white wine vinegar

1 tbsp. oregano
salt and pepper to taste

To Finish it off:

diced tomatoes

sliced red onion
cooked brown rice

shredded cheddar

sliced avocado

crumbled up tortilla chips - the kids LOVE this

Directions

1. Rinse the beans well, pick out any yucky stuff. Soak the beans overnight in a large bowl with water. I cover the beans with water and then some, to allow room for expansion. Usually I make sure the water comes up to about an inch or two above the beans. 

2. In the morning, strain the beans and give them another good rinse. Put the beans, diced onion, garlic, chicken broth, water, cumin, paprika, bay leaves, salt and pepper into a crock pot and let it cook for 8 hours on low.
When it's about that time to eat....
3. Whisk together all of the ingredients for the dressing.
4. I added the dressing to the diced tomatoes and red onion and let it marinate for about 20 minutes...but you could skip this if you're short on time and didn't read this recipe through beforehand like I normally forget to do.
5. Assemble! I topped the brown rice with the beans, then added cheese, and avocado, a generous amount of dressing with the tomato/onion mixture and sprinkled some tortilla chips on top for some crunch! (I picked the red onions out for the girlies...the grown up version is pictured below.)

El + Em are decent eaters...sometimes. The onions that cook with the black beans in the crock pot are fine since they can't see those. Mama isn't pushing her luck with raw onions though. We are not quite there yet!
I hope you enjoy this meal like we all do!

What's cooking this week?

Dear El + Em,

We went to the pumpkin patch yesterday for some "Fall fun". It was somewhere around 150 degrees but felt "Halloweeny" nonetheless. Today, the temps have finally dropped ...Mommy is making chili and I'm pretty sure we will all be bundled up under a blanket watching movies for a good part of the day! 

XO, Mom
(Side note - the temperature is currently 71 and the high is going to be 79, but I'll take it!)

Here's what's cooking!

Sunday: I went into the archives for this Turkey Veggie Chili (I think I need a do-over on this recipe, the pic is sooooo unappetizing)

Monday: Hummus Pizza (pretty sure this is officially a "thing" now)

Tuesday: "Tostada Tuesday"

Wednesday: Healthy Cream of Broccoli Soup and Steak for Hubs
Thursday: Fettuccini with Creamy Pumpkin Sauce (Spaghetti Squash for Mommy) 

Friday: French Bread Pizza Mummies

I'm hoping that the girls eat the pumpkin pasta on Thursday. You just NEVER know with them....they are so inconsistent. If one eats it then usually the other will too, but it's a guessing game. This morning we made these yummy Pumpkin Banana Pancakes, and I've got a bunch of pumpkin puree leftover so I figured it was worth trying.

Wishing you all a very sweet Sunday!

What's cooking this week?

Dear El + Em,

This weekend you got a big box of Halloween goodies from Grandma and Grandpa in New York. These crowns, tiaras and bracelets were picked out by Gramps! You loved them so much that you wore them to the craft stores yesterday. It was a fun family outing picking out Halloween decorations for outside....until....the sun was in Emmy's eyes on the way home and she screamed the entire way.
"All that screaming "noises" me". -Ella
You two sure know how to keep things interesting. 

XO, Mom

Yay for community yard sales! We participated in one on Saturday, and it felt good to get rid of a ton of stuff. Whatever didn't sell, Hubby brought straight to Goodwill. There's so much room for activities in our garage now. Just kidding, we still have enough stuff that we could pull together for another yard sale in OUR community in 2 weeks...which we just might do! 

Anyway, let's get to the point...what's cooking?

Sunday: Butternut Squash & Spinach Lasagna Rolls and this incredible looking Fall salad AGAIN

Monday: Crock Pot Creamy Tomato Soup and Cheesy Bread

Tuesday: Fiesta Chicken Cutlets & Black Beans

Wednesday: Baked Spaghetti
Thursday: Broccoli Pizza w/ fresh mozz!

Friday: Fresh Market Little Big Meal - Burgers!

Last week I went slightly off course due to a late night at work. The only thing I didn't get to make was the buffalo cauliflower flatbread and then my cauliflower went bad (worst smell everrrrrr)! Oh well, it happens. That's why this is just a plan. Sometimes we need to improvise! Hopefully this week I'll be able to stay on track. Luckily, I don't have 14 meetings to prep paperwork for! 

Have a wonderful Sunday, friends!

Emmy's face after the sun pissed her off. 

What's cooking this week?

Dear El + Em,

There's an endless list of the things each of you do and say that make me proud! High on that list is your love for tacos! I must be doing something right!

XO, Mom

On Friday night (Saturday morning?) Emmy woke up with a yucky tummy bug which led us into another lazy weekend. I don't want to jinx it, but we seem to be in the clear. Besides a little sleep deprivation, we're all good. This morning I woke up to Emmy screaming "Daddyyyyy....are you coming? Mommy....I make good choices". She's a character. El and Em had a rough start after Ella slammed the bathroom door in Emmy's face shouting "I need privacy"! It's been touch and go ever since but we are moving past it. It's probably for the best that we're getting out of the house this afternoon and heading over to my parent's house for some yummy dinner. Ella and I might even sneak over to the pool at some point....not very "Fallish" but I could use a little sun so why not!?

Sunday: Mom & Dad's house.....Baked Ziti....but I'm bringing this incredible looking Fall salad

Monday: Probably hummus pizza again - it's just so easy and they both eat it

Tuesday: Veggie Fajita Sheet Pan Nachos

Wednesday: Buffalo Cauliflower Flatbread and Steak for Hubs
Thursday: Turkey Meatball Stroganoff

Friday: Pretzel Bun TBLTAC (Turkey Bacon Lettuce Tomato Avocado and Cheese)

All set for another week! Hope you all have a great one! 

What's cooking this week?

Dear El + Em,

Don't be fooled by the loving looks you're giving one another in this photo. Of course you love each other, but this picture perfect moment is not exactly how things are on the regular! My camera roll is full of several "duds" before I get the right shot! A good part of the day is usually spent ripping toys out of each others hands, chasing your sister around and screaming "it's MINE" and sitting or standing on each other. Honestly, either of you could be guilty in any of these scenarios despite the three year age gap. This is what having a sister is all about (or so I'm told), and it sure keeps things interesting. This weekend has certainly been VERY interesting...and of course I wouldn't change a thing! 

XO, Mom

Another brewing ear infection for Little E = a pretty low-key weekend for the rest of us. It's nice and early, the meal plan is set, the list is made and I'm ready to enjoy this sweet little Sunday, especially after I get a little work out of the way. Here's the plan...

Sunday: Grilled Chicken and this crazy, amazing-looking Honeycrisp Kale Salad

Monday: Flatbread Pizza

Tuesday: Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpea Tacos

Wednesday: Turkey Swiss Sloppy Joes

Thursday: Vegan Corn Chowder and Steak for Hubs (Ha, that seems like an oxymoron)

Friday: Little Big Meal from The Fresh Market Meal - Chicken Sandwiches 

It seems simple enough! Well, that's the hope. This upcoming week is VERY busy...but as usual, having the meals planned out SHOULD help. Fingers crossed! Have a wonderful Sunday! 

What's cooking this week?

I haven't done one of these in FOREVER....haven't done much of anything in forever as far as this place goes. In honor of the fact that I very ambitiously planned a week full of yumminess...I thought this was in order. Also, the girls are painting nicely and I thought I'd take advantage of the next four minutes to myself! 

There's paint on Emmy's elbows...so let me make this snappy....

Sunday: Grandpa's Marinara and salad

Monday: Hummus Pizza

Tuesday: Crock Pot Black Beans and rice

Wednesday: Lemon Orzo Meatball Soup

Thursday: Skillet Honey Garlic Chicken

Friday: Piled High Zucchini and Cheese Topped Pizza

We'll see if I actually follow this plan. The past two months have been so hectic, I would plan and then make changes along the way. That's normal but week by week, it was all so unpredictable that when planning, I gave up on trying anything new. I guess the good news is that there's still a "plan". If there wasn't, I'd definitely be rotating tacos and hot dogs....which isn't too far off from how we've been living since this school year started! 

For today, we are having a home day. We're still in recovery mode since last week and all of the birthday celebrations. Emmy is fighting a NASTY cough, the girls are still tearing into all of their new toys and I'm running into work for a few hours....so a simple marinara will have to do! 

Soooo....there is now paint on Emmy's face....I'm gonna go....it's been fun Blogland! (Is this thing even still on?)

Cheesy Peach Pizza

Dear El + Em, 

For some reason, in which I do NOT understand....neither of you were digging this incredibly delicious pizza tonight. You both like when I make plain white pizza. You both love peaches. I'm confused, but then again you were both ganging up on Daddy and I today in an effort to drive us nuts. Congrats, you both succeeded in doing so. The rest of us gobbled this pizza up (of course)!!! I will be making this again, and something tells me that you both will have a change of heart as long as you aren't wearing your cranky pants!

Ingredients:

Pizza Dough (I buy mine from the bakery section at Publix)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 1 tbsp.

Ricotta - 1 1/2 cups 

Parmesan Cheese - 3 tbsp (grated)

1 Clove of garlic - crushed

Fresh Mozzarella - Sliced 

1 Peach - Sliced

Salt and Pepper 

Fresh (or dried) Herbs - basil, thyme, oregano - whatever you have on hand

1 peach - sliced

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

2. Roll out the dough. I usually like to make my pizza pretty thin so there's more surface area for cheese!

3. Brush the dough with extra virgin olive oil.

4. In a bowl, combine ricotta, grated parmesan cheese, crushed garlic, salt and pepper to taste, and whatever herbs you have on hand (I save some herbs for garnish when the pizza is done. 

5. Generously put dollops of ricotta mixture on pizza dough.

6. Top with sliced fresh mozzarella and sliced peaches. 

7. Cook for 18-25 minutes. I use a pampered chef pizza stone, and in about 23 minutes my thin pizza crust was nice and crunchy!

8. Sprinkle with additional herbs for garnish and ENJOY!

***Side note - this would probably be amazing with a drizzle of reduced balsamic vinegar! I didn't have any for tonight...but next time! (Ooooooh maybe that's what the girls were missing!!!)

Seeeeee! Ella was VERY excited about these peaches a little more than 24 hours prior! She  literally begged to take them home!

Rainbow Quinoa Salad

Give me all the quinoa! I love this one because you could make a giant batch and just eat it all week long. Coming from a girl that's not a huge fan of leftovers, that's saying a lot! Maybe it was the microwaved leftover spaghetti every Tuesday that scarred me for life? Sorry Mom! It was incredible the first time around I swear! This bowl of colorful goodness gets better by the day....and no need to heat it up, it's served cold. It's super easy to throw together too! 

Rainbow Quinoa Salad

3 cups of cooked quinoa (I found it best to cook the quinoa the night before and refrigerate it so it was nice and cold before adding the rest of the ingredients.)

As much of the following as you'd like....

Shelled edamame

Halved grape tomatoes

Diced red bell pepper (in retrospect, yellow would have made this more colorful!)

Diced cucumber (seeded)

Sliced red cabbage

Grated carrot

Sliced Almonds

Craisins

Green onion - thinly sliced

*Toasted sesame seeds - for topping when serving.

Dressing 

1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp. of sesame seed oil

1 tbsp. of red wine vinegar 

1 tbsp. of rice vinegar

1 tsp. of tahini

1 tsp. of agave

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Combine all of the ingredients for the quinoa salad in a large bowl and mix well. 

2. Whisk together the ingredients for the dressing and then pour over the quinoa salad.

3. Mix, mix, mix.

4. Serve cold, and top with toasted sesame seeds.

Enjoy!!!

#EllaApproved

Black Bean Quinoa Burger Salad

OMG, a recipe! I'm a little rusty, friends...so let's ease into this. I'm tired of feeling guilty every time a new recipe of mine goes unposted! Yes, I've been cooking and not sharing. My bad. Super selfish, I know! Don't get me wrong....most of our weekly menus have consisted of taco nights, pizza nights...the usual. My creative touch has been thrown in there from time to time, but maybeeeee not as much as it used to. Turns out that trying to mom, wife and school counselor (all verbs in this case) at the same time is very time consuming. Time consuming. Energy draining. Rewarding (duh). Did I say anything that indicates I'm tired yet? Oh hey there, I'm tired. Yes, all of these things. 

I'm nowhere near being on my "A-Game"....living moment to moment has been a means of survival around here for a while now. Hubby and I are nailing it (in my opinion) but it's a mess. An all over the place, mess. Love it, but mamma is tired. Hubs is too....but I couldn't do it without my other half! He rocks...and this is the time of year that he is seriously carrying the team! Okay, you feel me. Turns out the struggle IS real, but we've got this. I'll be over here enjoying the journey, and sharing when possible! 

Soooooooo, here it is! You might be thinking...."where is the meat at, Steph?" Lately we've been doing A LOT of meatless meals for a lot of reasons:

1. It's easier to not have to deal with that part of the meal - it's just a whole thing and frankly my meatless meals take much less time to prepare. 

2. I was trying to do some more budget friendly meals, and while working lots of beans and grains into the rotation it just sort of happened. 

3. I love the idea of a plant based diet. I see us fading meat out more and more...maybe not completely...but it has been happening for a while now. 

There's a new restaurant that opened up in my town, and "YAY" is all I could say. So fresh, so yummy and SO up my alley. They have a salad that is my absolute fave, and inspired this fun little dinner right here. 

I literally have NO measurements so this is a total estimate but you can't mess this up, at least I don't think you can. 

(*Just because I changed the name of my blog, doesn't mean that I changed....it's still going to always be - Never The Same Spice Twice).

Black Bean Burgers

2 cans of Black Beans drained and rinsed (I used a can and about 2-ish cups of black beans that I made in the crock pot which I'd say probably equals about 2 cans)

1.5 cups of cooked quinoa

1 cup of whole wheat panko bread crumbs

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. chili powder

salt & pepper to taste

*Mix all of the ingredients together until the beans are slightly mushed up - but still about 40% whole  (how is that for precision?) - add more bread crumbs if you feel like you need it to stick together better. Make burger patties and then grill them in some olive oil on medium heat until slightly browned. 

Salad

Greens (I used romaine lettuce and baby kale that I had on hand but use whatevs)

Diced Avocado

Diced Tomato

Diced Cucumber

Red Onion
Sliced Red Bell Pepper

*Assemble in the typical way one would put together a salad. You've got this. 

Dressing

Red Wine Vinegar

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (I usually do more olive oil than red wine vinegar)

Oregano

Salt and Pepper to taste

*Whisk it all together and mix it in with the salad. 

**Throw that yummy "burger" on top and you're done! But wait.......

Sriracha Mayo

BONUS - not pictured, but it definitely happened when I went back inside to join the family after taking food photos. Mayo mixed with as much sriracha as you could handle! OMGGGG, drizzle it over the burger....crazy good!

Can you still call this a recipe? I'm going to say "yes" and still pat myself on the back for this one. It's good, it's easy and you can't really mess it up - I promise! Enjoy!