Chicken and Veggie Burgers

As you saw earlier this week, I was in the mood for fresh summer flavors to go with this beautiful weather. These chicken burgers are super-easy and delicious. You can substitute the veggies depending on what you have in the house. I like this recipe because the patties hold together on their own…no need to add bread crumbs or eggs for binding. It’s just meat, veggies and love.

Chicken and Veggie Burgers

• 1 package lean ground chicken
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 red onion, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped (or a mix of peppers equivalent to one whole pepper(
• 2 handfuls (big handfuls) spinach, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
• salt and pepper to taste
• A pinch of love

In a large mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients. I find a large fork helps to break up the meat and get all the veggies incorporated.  Or you can just get your hands dirty. I usually go with a pinch of salt and a few twists of the pepper mill for seasoning, but if you have some other fresh herbs you want to use up, go ahead and throw them in.

When the ingredients are thoroughly mixed, form four, equal-sized patties. You can either refrigerate until you’re ready to cook or get the grill (or grill pan for you urban cooks) hot. I spray my pan before putting the meat on to prevent any potential cooking.  You should hear a good sizzle when the meat hits the heat.  I typically cook for 5-7 minutes on each side, depending on thickness.  You might need to turn down the heat if the surface starts to get too hot or you notice burning.

I brought my burgers for lunch this week, served on sourdough bread with hummus, spinach and cucumbers.  But you can top them anyway you like. They’re also great on salads.  Enjoy!

Tabouli Salad

Let me begin by thanking all my blog fans for your inquiries. It’s nice to know that when I don’t post, people notice. This month has been a whirlwind of family, weddings, and travel…and it’s not over. Throw in a trip for work and I hit 4 states in 5 days last week. Needless to say, I haven’t been doing a lot of cooking. In anticipation of this busy stretch, I’d banked a few ideas but I lost the pictures of my creations in a cellphone mishap. So I’ll have to recreate and post at a later date. In the meantime, I was actually home for 4-nights and 5-days this week and managed to get to work in the kitchen. The weather has been so nice, I wanted fresh, delicious flavors that said “summer is here!”

First up: Greek Tabouli Salad. This traditional middle eastern dish gets a kick of Greek flavor with some feta cheese. Sometimes I make tabouli completely from scratch but this time I cheated. I used the Near East wheat salad mix as the base. This includes the fine ground wheat and a packet of seasoning. Then I added my own favorite ingredients to really kick up the flavor.

Greek Tabouli Salad

• 1 package of wheat salad mix
• 1/4 seedless cucumber, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 2 tbsp. finely chopped fresh basil
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 – 1 cup crumbled feta (start with 1/2 cup and add more to taste)
• A pinch of love

 

Prepare the wheat salad as called for on the box. Typically, you pour one cup of boiling water over the wheat and seasoning, stir, cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes (or until the water is absorbed and the wheat has fluffed up).

 

 

When the wheat is fluffy and moist, add the cucumber, tomatoes, basil, lemon, olive oil, feta and love.  Stir.

 

 

Chill before serving and enjoy!

 

Tortilla Espanola….also known as a Potato Omelet

Sometimes it’s time to make dinner and you realize all you’ve got to work with are eggs, potatoes and an onion.  Good thing that’s all you need for a delicious Tortilla Espanola. This is a super easy, light dish that you can eat for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It’s kind of like eggs and home fries in one dish. Great hot out of the oven and easy to warm up for leftovers.

Tortilla Espanola

• 8 eggs
• 1/2 onion or 1 shallot, chopped
• A heart handful of fingerling potatoes (or thinly sliced regular potatoes)
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• Shredded cheese (optional)
• A pinch of love

Spray an oven-safe skillet with non-stick spray. Warm the olive oil over medium heat and cook the onions/shallot until they soften.

Slice the potatoes into discs.  Add to the onions and continue cooking until the potatoes start to brown.

In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs.  Pour eggs over the potatoes and continue cooking on low-medium heat. Season with salt, pepper and love. I like to sprinkle a little shredded cheese (cheddar or Monterey jack) on top. You’ll want to run a knife or spatula around the edge of the omelet periodically to keep the sides from sticking.  Once the eggs start to cook and firm, you’re supposed to flip the omelet in the pan.  But that seems like a recipe for a cooking disaster so I cheat and throw the whole pan in a 350-degree oven until the omelet is cooked through.

Serve hot and enjoy!

 

 

Potato Salad Slims Down

Weatherman says…it’s going to be a gorgeous weekend. And I can imagine lots of folks will be firing up their grills to soak in the sun. Last weekend the Corridan/Fisher/Temple crew put together a good old fashioned tailgate before the George Strait concert. I’d say we did a darn good job. One of the problems with a big group meal is that you want to try everything. So I try to lighten up a few of my contributions to lessen the guilt at the end of the night. This potato salad recipe is pretty easy on the mayo (and it’s reduced fat mayo at that) and uses Greek yogurt to keep things creamy and a little tangy.

 

 

 

 

Lightened Up Potato Salad

• 2 pounds red potatoes, cubed
• 1 tsp. dijon mustard
• 1/3 cup lite/reduced fat mayo
• 2/3 cup plain greek yogurt
• Salt
• Pepper
• 2 teaspoons chopped dill
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 3 hard boiled eggs, chopped (I added this ingredient)
• A pinch of love

Boil the potatoes until soft (easily poked with a fork). Drain and set aside to cool.

Once the potatoes are cool, mix with the remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Use salt and pepper to taste. You can leave the eggs on the side or on top if you’ll be serving to any non-egg lovers.

Chill before serving…best served with a juicy burger or sausage.  Enjoy!

The Cooking Club Cooks Out

This month we’re embracing warmer weather (or rather willing Mother Nature to take pity on us). The extra hours of daylight are a perfect excuse to fire up the grill (or grill pan for you urban cooks) and embrace the flavors of a good old fashioned cookout. For our cooking club dinner we each prepared some of our favorite cookout dishes. There’s no reason a casual dinner can’t have a touch of class and this one was one to remember.

MENU

Appetizer – Avocado hummus with blue corn chips

Entree – Salmon and flank steak

 SIde – Shaved Brussels spouts salad

Side – Gnocchi and honey roasted vegetables

Side – Corn salad

Dessert – Strawberry rhubarb pie

Avocado Hummus

• One 15-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 large or 2 small avocados, seeded, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1/2 packed cup arugula
• 1/3 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (I juice 1 lemon)
• 1 clove garlic, smashed (I use 2 cloves)
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for seasoning
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (I’ve never needed to add oil, texture usually just right)
• A pinch of love

Yes, this is a re-blog. It was my turn to contribute an appetizer and going with the cookout theme I opted for my favorite appetizer (and occasional dinner) avocado hummus. So fresh and delicious, it’s always a crowd pleaser. I add the ingredients to the food processor in stages, starting with the rinsed beans and avocado.  Then, add in the garlic, parsley and lemon juice.  Depending on the strength of your blade, you might want to give the arugula a course chop before you add it to the mixture.  Many recipes call for olive oil. I’ve always found the consistency is perfect without the added oil. You can save that fat and calories for another dish! Don’t forget the all-important pinch of love.

This dish is best served chilled so make it an hour or so before your guests arrive (or before you’re going to get a snack attack). Like other avocado dishes, this will start to turn brown after a day or two but usually still tastes fine.  Extra lemon juice will prolong the green color.

Honey Roasted Vegetables and Gnocchi

• 1 head of cauliflower
• 6-8 ounces brussels sprouts
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 16 ounces gnocchi (one package)
• 2/3 cup chopped pistachio nuts (roasted and salted)
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons butter
• salt + pepper to season
• 1 lemon
• A pinchof love

Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad

• 1/2 lb shaved Brussels sprouts
• 1/2 cup toasted/chopped hazelnuts or cashews
• 1 1/2 cups red grapes, halved
• 1 teaspoon of lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 cup evoo
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• Juice of half navel orange
• A pinch of love

Shave Brussels sprouts (or use a bag of shaved/chopped sprouts like the ones you get at Trader Joe’s). Toss most of the hazelnuts into the bowl with sprouts (save some for a garnish). Cut and add grapes and lemon zest. In a small bowl, whisk the lemon juice with olive oil, salt and pepper. Squeeze the half orange over salad, toss again. Add remaining hazelnuts and a pinch of love. Serve and enjoy!

 

The Most AMAZING Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

• Your perfect pie crust (homemade or store bought)
• 2 1/2 cups rhubarb (about 3 stalks) cut 1/4 inch thick on the diagonal
• 2 1/2 cups strawberries, hulled and halved (or quartered depending on size)
• 2/3 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• A pinch of love

     For the topping…

• 2/3 cup all purpose flour
• 5 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons packed light or dark brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon Kosher salt
• A pinch of love

You can earn bonus points and make your own pie crust for this dish or simply use a premade one (I don’t judge).  Combine the rhubarb, strawberries, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and love and pour into pie crust.  Make the crumble topping (using a fork to combine the cold butter with all the other ingredients) and pour on top of the rhubarb mixture.  Bake on a cookie sheet at 350 degrees until crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly.  Let cool before serving.  This pie will knock your socks off. As you can tell from this picture, we certainly saved room for dessert.