"Big Al's" Becomes "Thin Gal's"

I work at a local downtown burger joint, called "Big Al's Burgers and Dogs." It's pretty rockin'.
We serve dang good burgers, fires (&truffle fries), along with Haagen Daz milk shakes&malts.
I suppose the forever haunting smell of burger grease, always sneaking up in my car, jeans, and backpack, finally got to me.
This week I created my own version of a Big Al's meal.
I made an eggplant burger, yucca fries with grilled banana ketchup, and zucchini chocolate banana nut shakes.

I didn't have to work today so I went all out. I even started preparing the night before. And, if you know me, this is a big deal.

Let's dig in.
I'll start with the eggplant burger:
half of a sliced and roasted eggplant (they are in season right now! buy em for a buck!)
I diced red onion
I can drained cannellini beans
I diced red pepper
palm full of almonds
1 crushed garlic clove
1 teaspoon cumin
salt&pepper
and several shakes of crushed red pepper.

Throw it alllll in a food processor.

Then, if you're like me, spend 10 minutes figuring out how to turn on the food processor. 

Take the mixture out and stir in 1 cup of breadcrumbs.
Than ya make ya patties and ya cook em too.

I dressed mine with a wheat bun, tomato slices, romaine lettuce, super caramelized/charred onions, and accidental tahini/mint/agave sauce.

(I say accidental because I was going for a regular tahini sauce, didn't like it, and just started adding miscellaneous ingredients)

Let's progress to the fries and ketchup.

This grilled banana ketchup was quite an ordeal. I was super pumped and nervous for it.

First things first- grill your bananas. 

~cuddle~

While bananas cool, chop up: 

1/2 a yellow onion

4 cloves of garlic 

and a tablespoon of thyme.

Throw it all into a blender along with 

a 6oz can of tomato paste 

and 2 1/2 cups of water.

Peel those bananas and throw them in, too. 

Blend it. Blend it good. 

Pour mixture into a large pot and add: 

1/4 cup molasses

1/4 cup honey

and 2 cups of apple cider vinegar.

Now spice it up!

Add 1 tablespoon paprika

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I got a spicier ketchup because I spilt in a little extra)

a pinch of each: cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice

and of course, salt&pepper to taste. 

(I was nervous approaching the taste test, but was greatly relieved when the flavors exploded in my mouth)

Bring mixture to a boil; then turn down heat and allow to simmer for about an hour. 

BAM

Yucca fires- also an ordeal. Yucca roots will make you feel silly. They are a lot like a potato except starchier, and look like a giant tree root.

Peel your yucca and cut it into agreeable fire-sized slices. The peeling was a challenge. We're talking bark rather than skin.

A tad bit awkward. 

But, it brings up good conversation with your grocer when he must ask, 'exactly what is this giant thing you are buying?'

Once you have your slices, boil them in water until tender. Throw slices onto a cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil, salt&pepper. Bake at 375 degrees until crispy.

Yucca root is also known as manioc. I spent a month in Paraguay and ate manioc almost every day. Having it again made me nostalgic. I don't remember it being so tree-root-looking though...

Now it's dessert time. Can I get an Amen!?

You will need: 

1 cup of shredded zucchini 

and 2 bananas.

I froze both of these the night before. Just be sure to not let them clump into one frozen chunk...

Throw them in a blender and add:

roughly 2 tablespoons crunchy peanut butter

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

and 1 cup of heavy cream. 

Indulgent, I know.

Shake it out! Shake it out!

ooo-whoa-oh!

Not bad for a first.

Upon request, I made a cucumber melon soup this week. The idea was taken from the Better Homes magazine; my aunt and I consistently receive two copies of it. Not sure why, but, now we each get one as our very own. oooo
The soup is made of:
1 seedless cucumber
2 large melon slices without the skin (I used casaba, it's wrinkly)
3/4 cup of greek yogurt
juice of 1 lime
and lots of fresh mint, picked from the backyard.
All you have to do is throw it all in a blender- easy as that.
Be sure to serve it chilled.

(My aunt bought these bowls at a drugstore, of course)

Since we are hungry bears after a long day at work, soup is not enough. So, I also made bruschetta: 

1 can drained diced tomatoes

3 cloves minced garlic

5 shakes of crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

juice of one lime

a good bit of chopped parsley

and lots of fresh coarsely chopped basil from a friend.

All you have to do is mix it up. It's best if you can let it sit for 3 hours before eating. 

"But, aint nobody got time for that!"

To eat the bruschetta I sliced up a pre-made baguette from King Soopers, my loved grocer. 

I painted the slices with olive oil and sprinkled on salt&pepper.

I put mounds of fresh mozzarella on some of them as well. 

I popped them in the oven at 350 degrees until toasted.

I got very impatient waiting for them to get toasted. I could not stop pacing and oven peeking. 

But it was worth it in the end!