Dinner 26: Oklahoma

Menu

Oklahoma-Style Onion Burgers
Best Ever Pinto Beans
Creamed Corn
Faux Pecan Pie

Review

I chose Oklahoma because it's OK! We looked at a lot of recipes, and I decided to have burgers with onions, beans, corn and a pie that usually has nuts, but my mom said we could make it with pretzels instead.

I went shopping with Daddy, but we didn't have to get anything special since it was all stuff we usually get. Except the beans, it took a while to find the right kind of beans because they were put in a different place.

My favorite part of dinner was the burger with onions. Usually I don't like onions, but I ate all of these, they were so good! I also liked the corn, and the beans were okay, too. The pretzel pie was very very sweet, and I loved it. Sometimes I don't like very sweet stuff, but this pie was great. Too bad I was only allowed small slices!

Recipes

Oklahoma-Style Onion Burgers

(original recipe from Serious Eats)

3/4 teaspoon canola oil
1 pound ground beef, divided 6 small balls
salt and pepper
2 small onions, thinly sliced
6 slices soy Cheddar cheese
6 soft hamburger buns

Heat canola oil over high heat until smoking. Add beef and press down with the back of a spatula until flattened and very thin. Season generously with salt and pepper.

Working quickly, spread onions evenly over cooking burgers and press down to embed them in the meat. Let cook until well browned, about 2 minutes more.

Carefully flip the burgers and onions with a spatula. Let cook until the onions begin to soften, about 1 minute. Add soy cheese and top bun. Place the bottom bun upside-down over the top bun to steam.

When buns are soft, transfer the bottom bun to a plate. Add condiments, if desired. Lift onions, burger and top bun all together and place on bottom bun.

Best Ever Pinto Beans

(original recipe from Allrecipes.com)

1 pound dried pinto beans
6 cups water
4 slices smoked bacon, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon brown sugar
6.5 ounces tomato sauce

Cover pinto beans with water in a large bowl. Soak beans for 4 hours, changing water every 30-45 minutes. Drain.

Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Add beans, bacon and salt. Add more water, if needed, to cover the beans by at least 1 inch.

Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until beans are just starting to soften, 2-3 hours.

Stir in brown sugar and tomato sauce. Simmer until beans are tender, about 1 more hour.

Creamed Corn

(original recipe from Allrecipes.com)

16 ounces frozen corn kernels
5 ounces soy cream cheese
1/3 cup dairy-free margarine
1/3 cup soy milk
2 teaspoons white sugar
salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 325F.

In a dutch oven, combine all ingredients. Cook for 30-45 minutes. Adjust seasonings, if necessary.

Faux Pecan Pie

(original recipe from Southern Plate)

4 teaspoons Ener-G egg replacer powder
7 tablespoons water
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons dairy-free margarine, melted and cooled
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 deep dish pie shell, unbaked

For topping:
1 1/2 cups crushed pretzels
3 tablespoons dairy-free margarine, melted
2 tablespoons sugar

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Combine the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl, whisking until well combined. Pour into the pie shell.

Combine all topping ingredients in a medium bowl and stir well, until pretzels are coated. Sprinkle evenly over pie.

Bake for 1 hour, covering the crust with foil after 30 minutes. Allow to cool completely before serving.