Hello Again ... Cooking for One

Hi Cafe folk,

Before I start today's post, I have to give a big ole shout out to my friends here at the Cafe for filling in for me for the past few months. These ladies have been so amazing and supportive, and I am forever grateful for their friendship and love. Thank you Jan, Mindy, Missy, and Ruthy!

For those of you who don't know, back in February, my husband suddenly took ill. After about 3 weeks of false starts, the diagnosis of a very aggressive cancer took our breath away. Just about two months after that - three months almost to the hour I first called the ambulance - on May 21st, my husband was called home.

I'm still reeling from the suddenness of the loss, but it's time to ease my way back into life. That means resuming my hostessing duties here at the Cafe.  The only problem is - cooking for one just hasn't been inspiring me much.

Unfortunately, our summer heat wave doesn't really inspire either.

But a woman does have to eat something other than pizza (though I could happily eat pizza every day!).

One thing I've begun to do is cook something that can be frozen for future meals. So, I thought I'd share a recipe today that my daughter and I made for 4th of July.

Way back in May of 2016, I shared my love of the Beet Burgers I'd first enjoyed at the Marriott during RWA 2015 in NYC.  You can read that post here.

So how ironic is it that I finally got around to sharing a really fabulous version that I loved as much as those burgers just as everyone is gathering for RWA 18 in Denver.

Okay, so what that really tells you is I'm a snail when it comes to trying out recipes.

But the real reason it took so long is that no matter how many beet burger recipes I looked at, none of them looked like they'd be right. They all had quinoa or brown rice and I just knew that wouldn't be the same consistency.

So this summer, when my vegan daughter decided to humor her mom and make beet burgers as the red in our red, white and blue meal, she found a recipe that looked promising.

To give credit where credit is due, I'll just post a link to the recipe. It's so simple and has only 4 main ingredients plus spices and water.

Power Hungry Beet Burgers

(Her pictures are much more appetizing than mine, too, so I encourage you to go check out the link even if you don't love beets as much as I do. Go ahead, I'll still be here when you come back.)

The recipe was FABULOUS (despite the fact that I broke the food processor as I started and had to do it in batches in the mini-Cuisinart).

Don't be put off by the coconut flour. It was PERFECT. The burgers were moist and juice and the spices made them pop with flavor.


So these are my photos. Don't you just have to admit that the beets look gorgeous? So jewel-like.

Blending the black beans and roasted mushrooms.

Mixing it all together.

Next time I'll make fewer patties and make each one larger.

These froze really well. In fact, I'm having one tonight as I type this. I added slices of avocado and served it on a Hawaiian roll which is appropriate since I first learned of them from Missy!

So yes, the one with the weird recipes is back. I've missed you all!