Once upon a time, I ran a vegetarian restaurant in a college town, and one of its signature dishes was the “Big Veg.” The Big Veg was a scratch-made soy veggie burger.

As such, it was pretty good for its time, but it needed some serious updating. These days, I want something better than “pretty good.”

Making the Best Black Bean Burger

I get tired of beef burgers and sometimes want to incorporate more plant-based meals into my diet. For these reasons, I love the idea of a vegetarian alternative to the standard beef burgers of summer.

I turned to black beans as the base. I was tempted to veer toward Southwestern/Mexican spices since they’re such a good pairing with black beans, but ultimately decided against that obvious flavor profile so that the condiments could shine.

No, this is not like a beef burger, but yes, this is a winner in the vegetarian category: it’s full of vegetable flavor, it is filling, and it is not painstakingly time-consuming to make.

Your food processor is your secret weapon

Compared to hamburgers, which you can buy already formed into patties, these veggie burgers take a little more time. But by the time you pull all the ingredients together, you are only looking at about 15 minutes of total prep with the aid of a food processor.

First, pulse the vegetables to break them down a bit then throw them in a skillet to cook. While they are cooking, make soft breadcrumbs (no need to bother with cleaning the processor).

Finally, chop the beans in the processor, and stir them, the veggies, and the breadcrumbs all together with a beaten egg. Cover the mixture and refrigerate for at least an hour, then form into patties and cook!

Cook the Veggies For Best Texture and Flavor

Do you have an extra five minutes? They will be well spent if you cook the vegetables and dry the beans with a paper towel. This step ensures the burgers won’t be mushy because some of the water will be released from the veggies, plus the flavors of vegetables mellow from cooking.

Poblano peppers add some earthy spice to these burgers, and soften pleasingly when cooked first. In general, they are mild, but every once in a while a rogue hot one pops up, so be sure to taste the pepper before you add it, and cut back if it is too spicy for your taste. If you can’t find them, substitute Anaheim peppers or just plain old green bell peppers.

Onions and garlic lose their raw and sometimes jarring flavor and become sweetened by cooking. In addition, zucchini adds a creamy texture, but it can make your burgers soggy if it’s not cooked before adding it to the burger mix.

Make-Ahead Tips for Veggie Burgers When You Want Them

This recipe makes four large, filling burgers, suitable for hungry folks. One of these with all the add-ons and a bun makes a substantial meal all by itself. If you want smaller burgers, say for lunch, you will end up with four to six burgers, depending on the size you want.

Once shaped, the patties will keep in the fridge for a day or two—stack them between layers of parchment and wrap them in plastic.

You could also freeze them: Spread them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze, then stack them with parchment squares in between and enclose in a plastic freezer bag. Let them sit out at room temperature to partially (25 to 30 minutes) defrost before cooking.

Finally, the cooked patties do well reheated—brown them in a skillet, refrigerate them, and reheat them later in the oven with the cheese on top. It’s a handy way to make them ahead if you are having friends over.

Low and slow cooking

I prefer to make these in a skillet, but they could be grilled if handled carefully — they are more fragile than a meat burger. I’d recommend chilling the burgers in the fridge for about an hour before grilling.

In either case you need plenty of oil (in the pan or on the grill grates) and medium heat. The burgers need time to heat all the way through and if the heat is too hot, they will brown on the outside but stay cool in the middle.

Top with Spicy Mayo!

The spicy mayonnaise I’ve created for these burgers is mildly hot with a sharp punch of lime. If you like more spice, add more chili powder, or substitute finely chopped chipotle chilies in adobo to taste.

With flavorful beany burgers, and onions, tomato and avocado as toppings, you already have a feast—but the spiced mayonnaise makes them sing.

MORE SUMMERTIME MEATLESS MAINS TO TRY!

Tell me, what’s your favorite summer salad?

If you said panzanella, you’re at the right place. If you didn’t say panzanella, that’s ok too, because I think you’ll be converted after you try this one! ? It’s the ultimate summer salad to make with a bounty of fresh tomatoes. Or in this case, if you have a few tomatoes and a bounty of fresh sweet corn.

Panzanella may be an Italian bread salad, but the special part about this panzanella is that it’s not entirely about the bread. I think bread salads can often get a bit too bread-y, which is where the corn comes in. It’s fresh, crisp, and it soaks up the tangy vinaigrette and tomato juices so well. Plus, corn is my favorite summer vegetable and it’s just now coming into season, so I’ll be eating it pretty much every day from now until the end of September.

I would usually choose a lighter bread like ciabatta bread for panzanella, but I like this particular salad with cubes of hearty & seedy whole grain bread like this one:

Did I mention that this salad comes together in just one bowl? It’s great to make ahead and it’s the perfect side dish to go with whatever you’re grilling. If you have a bit left over, it makes a great lunch the next day by adding some chickpeas and another handful of arugula.

A peach-avocado salsa is a delicious complement to this grilled salmon. A grill pan ensures the salmon stays crispy throughout the cooking process without sticking to the grill. Winner!

Photography Credit: Sabrina Modelle

Warm weather conjures images of nights spent outdoors, sitting around a campfire surrounded by friends. And with that image usually comes s’mores.

The combination of graham crackers, chocolate, and gooey marshmallows is a classic summertime treat for a reason. With this recipe, we have transformed the dessert into pie form, ideal for serving a crowd of people a summer dinner party or as part of a BBQ dessert spread.

The crunchy graham cracker crust contrasts the cool chocolate pudding filling. But the gooey marshmallows—toasted under the broiler not a campfire, in this case—will have you coming back for more.

HOW TO MAKE A S’MORES PIE

This riff on Simply Recipes’ classic chocolate cream pie starts with the graham cracker crust, which can either be store bought or homemade.

The next step is a modified version of our microwave chocolate pudding. I used standard cocoa powder and semi-sweet (56%) chocolate in this recipe (because that’s what was available at my grocery store), but feel free to go with a higher cocoa percentage for a richer filling.

If you’re feeling a bit skeptical about making pudding in the microwave (I was at first, because in my mind, microwaves are meant for reheating and not cooking!), you’ll love this recipe — it’s very easy and fool proof.

The only part of this entire recipe that you really need to take into consideration is the amount of time it takes for the pudding to set. As such, I’d recommend filling the pie crust the night before you plan to serve it the afternoon of the next day, or first thing in the morning if you plan to serve it that night.

Top with Marshmallows!

To finish the pie, top the pie with some marshmallows and place it under the broiler until it gets nice and toasty on top. You’ll want to keep a keen eye on this as it can go from beautiful to burned very quickly. Alternatively, you can freehand it with a kitchen torch if you happen to have one in your arsenal.

For extra flourish, I topped the pie with some broken graham crackers and chocolate curls, the latter of which I made by simply running a vegetable peeler along a bar of chocolate.

Messy Pie Means Delicious Pie

Now comes the hard part: slicing. It’s going to be messy. The combination of a crumbly crust, pudding, and marshmallows does not make for picture-perfect slices. However, if you coat your knife with nonstick spray it really helps to cut through the marshmallow layer so that you get less of a mess.

It also helps if you angle your slices so they go between adjacent marshmallows instead of through them.

The crust will soften the longer it sits because the chocolate pudding is so moist, so I’d recommend eating this pie within 12 or so hours after making it for the best results. It still tastes great scooped into a bowl for a couple days after, but it becomes more parfait than pie at that point.

Whether you’re sitting around a campfire under the stars or at your dining room table, this is a crowd-pleasing dessert that’s great for the summer (or any other time of year).

MORE SUMMERY DESSERTS!

A free 7-day flexible meal plan including breakfast, lunch and dinner and a shopping list. All recipes include calories and Weight Watchers Freestyle™ SmartPoints®.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend, if you have any suggestions for recipes you want to see next week, let me know! I included the famous Bagel Recipe and Chickpea Egg Salad to make ahead on Sunday so you’ll be ready for the week.

If you’re new to my meal plans, I’ve been sharing these free, 7-day flexible healthy meal plans (you can see my previous meal plans here) that are meant as a guide, with plenty of wiggle room for you to add more food, coffee, beverages, fruits, snacks, dessert, wine, etc or swap recipes out for meals you prefer, you can search for recipes by course in the index. You should aim for around 1500 calories* per day.

There’s also a precise, organized grocery list that will make grocery shopping so much easier and much less stressful. Save you money and time. You’ll dine out less often, waste less food and you’ll have everything you need on hand to help keep you on track.

Lastly, if you’re on Facebook join my Skinnytaste Facebook Community where everyone’s sharing photos of recipes they are making, you can join here. I’m loving all the ideas everyone’s sharing!

THE DETAILS:

Breakfast and lunch Monday-Friday, are designed to serve 1 while dinners and all meals on Saturday and Sunday are designed to serve a family of 4. Some recipes make enough leftovers for two nights or lunch the next day. While we truly believe there is no one size fits all meal plan, we did our best to come up with something that appeals to a wide range of individuals. Everything is Weight Watchers friendly, I included the updated Weight Watcher Freestyle Points for your convenience, feel free to swap out any recipes you wish or just use this for inspiration!

The grocery list is comprehensive and includes everything you need to make all meals on the plan. I’ve even included brand recommendations of products I love and use often. Cross check your cabinets because many condiments you’ll notice I use often, so you may already have a lot of them.

And last, but certainly not least, this meal plan is flexible and realistic. There’s plenty of wiggle room for cocktails, healthy snacks, dessert and dinner out. And if necessary, you can move some things around to make it work with your schedule. Please let me know if you’re using these plans, this will help me decide if I should continue sharing them! 

MONDAY (7/30)
B: Easy Bagel Recipe* (3) with 1 egg (0), 1 ounce avocado (1) and 2 slices tomato (0)
L: Chickpea Egg Salad* (2)
D: Veggie Lasagna Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms (6) with a green salad** (2)
Totals: Freestyle Points 14, Calories 950***

TUESDAY (7/31)
B: Easy Bagel Recipe (3) with 1 egg (0), 1 ounce avocado (1) and 2 slices tomato (0)
L: Chickpea Egg Salad (2)
D: Southwest Chicken Skillet (5)
Totals: Freestyle Points 11, Calories 957***

WEDNESDAY (8/1)
B: Easy Bagel Recipe (3) with 2 tablespoons light cream cheese (3), 2 slices each: tomato (0), red onion (0) and cucumber (0)
L: Chickpea Egg Salad (2)
D: Unstuffed Cabbage Bowls (8)
Totals: Freestyle Points 16, Calories 950***

THURSDAY (8/2)
B: Easy Bagel Recipe (3) with 2 tablespoons light cream cheese (3), 2 slices each: tomato (0), red onion (0) and cucumber (0)
L: Chickpea Egg Salad (2)
D: Bacon Topped Petite Turkey Meatloaf with BBQ Sauce (6) and corn on the cob (0)
Totals: Freestyle Points 14, Calories 969***

FRIDAY (8/3)
B: Skinny Green Monster Smoothie (7)
L: LEFTOVER Bacon Topped Petite Turkey Meatloaf with BBQ Sauce (6) and an apple (0)
D: Grilled Salmon Kebabs (0) with Corn Tomato Avocado Salad (3)
Totals: Freestyle Points 16, Calories 1,002***

SATURDAY (8/4)
B: Roasted Strawberry Banana Bread (3) with 1 cup fruit salad** (0)
L: Greek Nachos (5) (Recipe x 2)
D: DINNER OUT!
Totals: Freestyle Points 8, Calories 353***

SUNDAY (8/5)
B: LEFTOVER Roasted Strawberry Banana Bread (3) with 1 cup fruit salad** (0)
L: Lentil Bowls with Avocado, Eggs and Cholula (2) (Recipe x 2)
D: One Skillet Chicken with Bacon and Green Beans (2) with ¾ cup brown rice (5)
Totals: Freestyle Points 12, Calories 905***

*Make Easy Bagels and Chickpea Egg Salad on Sunday

**Green salad includes 4 cups romaine ½ cup each: tomatoes, cucumber and light vinaigrette. Fruit salad includes 2 peaches, 1 pound sliced strawberries, 2 mangos, 6-ounces blueberries

***This is just a guide, women should aim for around 1500 calories per day. Here’s a helpful calculator to estimate your calorie needs. I’ve left plenty of wiggle room for you to add more food such as coffee, beverages, fruits, snacks, dessert, wine, etc.

Shopping List:

Produce

• 4 large portobella mushroom caps
• 6 medium ears of corn
• 1 medium apple
• 1 medium head cabbage
• 2 medium peaches
• 2 medium mangos
• ½ pound French green beans
• 1 small bunch/container cilantro
• 1 small head Romaine lettuce
• 1 medium shallot
• 1 (5-ounce) bag baby spinach
• 1 medium head garlic
• 1 small and 3 medium bananas
• 2 (1-pound) containers strawberries
• 1 (6-ounce) container blueberries
• 1 small bunch/container fresh thyme
• 1 small bunch/container fresh oregano
• 1 small bunch/container fresh basil
• 2 small (4-ounce) and 1 medium (5-ounce) Hass avocados
• 3 small limes
• 3 medium lemons
• 3 medium zucchini (2 of which can be yellow squash, if desired)
• 1 small and 1 medium cucumber
• 3 Persian (or 1 English) cucumber
• 1 small and 1 large red bell pepper
• 1 small red onion
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 4 vine-ripened tomatoes
• 2 dry pints grape or cherry tomatoes

Meat, Poultry and Fish

• 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 pound 93% lean ground beef
• 1 1/3 pound 93% lean ground turkey
• 1 package center-cut bacon
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 (1 ½ pound) skinless wild salmon filet

Grains

• 1 small bag white whole wheat flour*
• 1 small bag all-purpose flour*
• 1 small container seasoned breadcrumbs*
• 1 bag 100% whole wheat small pita rounds*
• 1 bag/box dry brown rice*

Condiments and Spices

• Extra virgin olive oil
• Cooking spray
• Olive oil spray (or get a Misto oil mister)
• Kosher salt (I like Diamond Crystal)
• Pepper grinder (or fresh peppercorns)
• Light vinaigrette (or make your own with ingredients in list)
• Chili powder
• Red pepper flakes
• Cayenne pepper
• Oregano
• Smoked Paprika
• Cumin
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Marjoram
• Hungarian paprika
• Honey
• Red wine vinegar
• Unsulfured molasses
• Liquid hickory smoke (I like Colgin)
• Cinnamon
• Vanilla
• Cholula
• Apple cider vinegar (I like Bragg’s)
• Optional bagel toppings: everything bagel seasoning, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dried garlic flakes, dried onion flakes
• Sesame seeds

Dairy & Misc. Refrigerated Items

• 2 (6-ounce) containers non-fat plain Greek yogurt
• 1 small container unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 2 dozen large eggs
• 1 small package cotija cheese (optional for SW Chicken Skillet)
• 1 wedge/container feta cheese
• 1 small box butter
• 1 (8-ounce) container light cream cheese
• 1 (15-ounce) container part-skim ricotta
• 1 wedge fresh Parmesan cheese
• 1 (8-ounce) bag shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1 small tub hummus

Canned and Jarred

• 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas (I use Goya)
• 1 small jar unsweetened apple sauce
• 1 small jar marinara
• 1 (8-ounce) and 1 (15-ounce) cans tomato sauce
• 1 (6-ounce) cans tomato paste
• 1 jar Better n Peanut Butter
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can low sodium chicken broth
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can reduced sodium beef broth

Misc. Dry Goods

• Baking powder
• 1 small box/bag raisins (you need 2 tablespoons)
• Baking soda
• 1 small box/bag light brown sugar
• 1 bag/package dry lentils (can sub refrigerated, pre-cooked if you can find it)
• 1 bottle crisp white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc

Non-Food Items

*Can sub gluten-free, if desired

Foil packs on the grill are so easy! Just toss together veggies and some sausage, and close them up in foil before tossing on the grill. It's a mostly hands-off process that brings together the best flavors of summer.

Photography Credit: Sally Vargas

1 Marinate the chicken: In a medium glass baking dish, whisk together the buttermilk, dill pickle brine, hot sauce, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Add chicken and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight, turning occasionally.

2 Meanwhile, make the pesto: Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add the collard greens and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until tender. Drain well in a colander and let cool for 10 minutes. Add the collard greens and remaining pesto ingredients to a food processor, and pulse until it forms a course puree. Refrigerate until you are ready to bake the chicken.

3 Prepare the chicken coating: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray. In a food processor, pulse pecans until they resemble the texture of coarse cornmeal and pour into a shallow dish. In separate shallow dish, whisk together the flour, salt and pepper. In another separate shallow bowl, place egg whites.

4 Coat the chicken: Drain and discard chicken marinade. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Lightly dredge chicken in the flour, then into the egg whites and finally into the pecans, coating thoroughly.

Place chicken on the foil-lined baking sheet and spray tops lightly with cooking spray. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

5 Meanwhile, make the cornbread grits: Crumble the cornbread into coarse crumbs and transfer to a bowl along with the milk and broth. Stir gently to moisten. For super creamy grits, blend in a blender until no lumps remain.

Transfer this mixture to a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat until thickened like grits, stirring often. Remove from heat and stir in the cheddar, salt and pepper until smooth. Fold in pimientos.

6 Make the hot pecan oil: In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients for the hot oil except honey until combined. Pour 1 tablespoon of the oil mixture into a small bowl with the honey, whisk briefly to combine, and set aside.

Pour remaining oil into a small skillet and heat over medium for 2 to 3 minutes or until heated through, whisking often.

7 Plate and serve: Spread 2 to 3 tablespoons pesto around the outer edges of each of two serving plates. Spoon about 1 cup of grits in the center of each plate. Carefully place chicken in the skillet with the hot oil. Spoon more oil on top. Place one piece of chicken over each plate of grits. Drizzle reserved honey-oil mixture over chicken, allowing any excess to drip over the edges. Garnish chicken with dill pickle slices.