Vegan Cuban Bean Burgers

• 2 cans of black beans OR 3 cups of cooked black beans
• 1 onion, chopped finely
• 1 red bell pepper (you can use green), chopped finely
• 4 cloves of garlic, smashed and chopped finely
• 1 tbsp of tomato paste
• Handful of cilantro, rolled and chopped finely
• Juice of a lime (about 2 tbsp)
• About 3 tbsp of spanish green olives with pimientos, chopped finely
• 1 tbsp of capers
• Tsp of each: Badia Complete Seasoning, Cumin, Oregano, and onion powder. (yes there's fresh and dried onion in this)
• Scant 1/2 tsp of Spanish smoked paprika
• Salt/Pepper to taste (should be fine between olives/capers)
• 1/4-1/2 cup of panko

Optional Mayo Sauce:

• 1/2 cup of "mayo"
• 1/4 tsp of each: badia complete seasoning, oregano, cumin.
• Healthy pinch of smoked paprika
• Pinch of salt

1. Spread one can or 1 1/2 cup of beans on a cookie sheet and bake 15 minutes at 375 to "dry" out,
2. In a saucepan/skillet, add a little olive oil. Saute onion, peppers, and tomato paste till soft. About 5 minutes on medium heat. Then add garlic, stir and remove from heat.
3. In a bowl combine cilantro, lime, olives, capers, and seasonings. Add the remaining 1 1/2 cup of beans and mash finely. (not the oven-baked ones yet) Add in the onion mixture and oven-baked beans. Mash/stir. Add just enough panko till it's a tad try but still clumps easily. Taste for salt/pepper at this point and add if needed.
4. Form into patties, air fry or pan fry till slightly crispy and flip. Make optional mayo sauce by combining all into a small bowl/ramekin.
5. Toast buns if using. (I just eat with the mayo) Add sliced tomato/avocado drizzled with lime as well to the burger if you wish. We also use potato strings to make it "authentic".

NOTES: If you don't have Badia complete seasoning, you can use any mixed spices blends like Spike or just leave out completely. It's fine.

Bang Bang Shrimp in a hurry

Bag of Boom Boom shrimp (found at whole foods, see note below for more details)
Sauce:
1/2 cup of mayo
1/2 cup of sweet chili sauce (see note below)
1/4 cup of honey
1-2 tbsp of sriracha

Airfry or oven fry shrimp till cooked through and piping hot.

In a large bowl mix above sauce ingredients while shrimp is cooking.

Add hot shrimp to the bowl and swirl to coat and shake out onto a plate and serve immediately.  I serve this with this site's Tom Yum Fried rice.

Notes:  Boom Boom shrimp is a gluten-free coated shrimp that is all ready to be cooked.  You can sub out for tempura or batter-fried shrimp.  Breaded shrimp won't work as it will just get soggy.

You can find sweet chili sauce in most stores.  I have seen it called Thai Sweet Chili.  It is also the dipping sauce for spring rolls.  You can make it as well but this is a quick recipe for nights that I dont' want to order in but want comfort take out foods!

Tom Yum Fried Rice

TIP: Use cold leftover rice.  If cooking on same day, cook earlier than dinner time and place in the freezer till you start cooking.  Or in the fridge if you do it on the morning of.  The goal is cold rice.

4-5 eggs, lightly stirred with optional below.
Optional-Add 2 green onions chopped to eggs. Or 2 tbsp of fresh chives.
1 bag of broccoli slaw (Unsauced and found in produce dept-great short cut)
2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
3-4 tbsp of Tom Yum Paste (see note below)
3 cups of cold rice
4 stalks of green onions
Soy Sauce to taste
Cold-pressed sesame seed oil

In a large wok/pan add oil of choice to cover the bottom of the pan.  Set heat on medium and when shimmering, add eggs.  Cook till just done, slide eggs out to a plate to reserve. 

Add more oil to the pan and saute the slaw, garlic, and onion on low heat as not to burn.  Add a couple of tbsp of water to steam slaw.  Cook till evaporated and tender.  About 5 minutes.

Add tom yum paste and stir it through veg.  Scrape to sides of pan leaving space in the middle.  Add a touch more oil, turn the heat on high and dump rice.  Rice will be a block but use a sturdy spatula to mash it down into the oil.  It will soften as it heats up. (gives your arms a great workout!)  Be patient and keep stirring/breaking up the chunks.  Also incorporating the veg into the rice as well.  Once the rice is well mixed and no chunks, add egg and green onions.  Stir to incorporate.  Then in a swirl around the pan, add a few circles of soy sauce and stir.  Taste.  Keep adding till you like the taste.  It usually takes me 2 tries.  (about 2 tbsp)

Remove from heat and give it a few swirls of sesame seed oil and stir.  Serve.

Notes:  You can make tom yum paste but it's so many ingredients and wasted in this rice as you might as well make the soup!  You can reserve some of the paste if you do make soup for this rice as I have done.  But for a quick dinner, I just use the ready made paste from my local Asian grocery store.

Also, be careful when you add soy sauce, you don't need much.  If you add too much, rice will be sticky and lose that fried texture. 

Quick notes on times for Instant Pot:

On High Pressure unless noted.

40 minutes for unsoaked black/red/white/garbanzo beans.  Drain and use in the recipe as directed.

15 minutes for bagged idaho potatoes. Drain and use.

6 minutes for grits. Natural release. 4 cups of liquid to 1 cup of grits.

7 minutes for rice.  (same if you add veg/onions/chicken pieces etc)

10 minutes for kale. Add rest of soup items and cook again for 7 minutes. (zuppa toscana)

10 minutes for Minced meats/veg

5 minutes for frozen shrimp.  2 minutes for thawed shrimp.

Pasta-equal parts water/pasta and add more water if top is exposed.  Cooking time is the lowest time indicated halved then minus 2.  Ex. 10-12 minutes on the package.  Half of 10 is 5, minus 2 equals 3 minutes of cooking time.  MUST DO QUICK RELEASE.