Veggie Bean Burger

This morning, my friend Lauren shared this recipe on her blog, and I was intrigued.  I love the health element of beans, and love the idea of eating something that's easier on my health, the environment, and my wallet.  My husband, however, refuses to eat beans.  When we go out for Mexican, he will say, "No beans, anywhere on the plate," so it was awesome that she shared it on a night he was not expected to be home for dinner.

This was so stinking easy, and it had so much delicious flavor.  I do have to admit, I wasn't nuts about the texture of the food, but it was yummy.

The boys, however wouldn't touch it.  E wouldn't even touch the cheese I put on top. We got A to give it a good try, but it was still a no go.

I encourage you to give this a try, especially if you're just looking for something to feed adults, though I do suggest giving it a try with your kids.

I froze the leftovers, and hope they'll be good for me for lunches over the next few weeks!

The recipe calls for "white kidney beans," and I've never seen those before, so I used Great White Northern Beans.


Summer Cookout Veggie Burgers
from Leslie Sarna, via Lauren's Kitchen

• 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can of white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup rolled oats (non-instant Oatmeal)
• 3/4 cup bread crumbs (I like to use Panko also called Japanese bread crumbs if you can find them)
• 1 tsp. (or more) chili powder
• 1 tsp. paprika
• salt and pepper to taste
• about 3 tbsp. chopped chives
• 1 egg
• olive oil
• 1 small red bell pepper, finely diced
• 1/2 onion, finely diced
• 4 oz. mushrooms, finely diced
• 6 sun dried tomatoes, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced

In a medium frying pan, heat some olive oil. Add the chopped onion, garlic, bell peppers and a pinch of Salt. Let cook 2 minutes on a lower heat. Add mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes; let cook another couple minutes. Let cool when cooked. While the veggies are cooling, in a large bowl combine the Beans, Oats, Bread Crumbs and all the spices and chives. Toss a little and add the egg. Using your hands to mix the mixture until it's slightly sticky and about 3/4 of the beans are smashed. Add in the veggies. Continue to work with your hands. If the mix feels a little dry, add water by the teaspoon until right. If it's too wet, add bread crumbs : ) Form 8 burger patties. Refrigerate for about an hour. (you can also place these pouches in a ziploc bag and freeze for up to a couple of weeks) To cook, unwrap the burgers from the plastic and cook in a heated skillet with cooking spray or olive oil in the bottom. Cook about 3-4 minutes on each side.
PS these should always be cooked on a skillet or frying pan. Unfortunately, they can fall apart if cooked on the bbq.

Portobello Mushroom Burger

My original plan was to make a different Portobello recipe, but was out of a few of the key ingredients, so turned to the Food Network for help and came up with this one.

These really got mixed reviews here.  I really enjoyed it (though I can never figure out what people are talking about when they say portobello mushrooms taste like beef), but the three boys weren't on board AT ALL.  M ate it, but wasn't really thrilled about it, and the boys wouldn't even eat it.

I used a slice of tomato instead of a roasted red pepper and romaine lettuce instead of arugula.

Maybe someone else will have better success with her family than I had with mine!

Portobello Mushroom Burger from Paula Deen at FoodNetwork.comhttp://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/portobello-mushroom-burger-recipe/index.html

Ingredients

• 4 portobello mushroom caps, cleaned
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon prepared pesto
• 2 teaspoons coarse-grained mustard
• 4 hamburger buns, split, buttered, and toasted
• 1 cup baby arugula
• 1 (12-ounce) jar roasted red peppers, drained

Directions

Preheat grill to medium-high heat.

Brush mushrooms caps with olive oil; sprinkle evenly with salt and pepper. Grill mushrooms, smooth side down, covered with grill lid, for 6 to 8 minutes, or until tender.
In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, pesto, mustard, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Spread mixture evenly over cut sides of buns. Divide arugula evenly over bottom halves of buns. Top each evenly with peppers. Place mushrooms caps over peppers. Cover with tops of buns.

Barbecue Chicken Burgers

Annie's Eats has become my baking go-to resource.  Her baked goods have been complicated and time consuming for me, but the results have been exceptional.  Annie's blog is more than just baked goods, though, and I've also made some delicious dinners from her recipes.  I saw this burger recipe come up in her facebook feed, and knew I'd be adding it to the meal plan soon.

I thought it was cool that she added a homemade BBQ sauce; I'm always on the search for one without high fructose corn syrup and/or low sugar.  This one has molasses and brown sugar, so probably not so much on the low sugar, but at least there's no corn syrup.

Definitely a yummy burger; we all loved it and it was a perfect pairing with the veggie skewers I served alongside.

Barbecue Chicken Burgers

Source: burgers from Pink Parsley Catering, sauce from Cook’s Illustrated, via Annie's Eats

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Yield: 4 burgers
Ingredients:
For the sauce:
½ cup ketchup
¼ cup molasses
2 tbsp. grated (or very finely chopped) onion
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 tbsp. cider vinegar
1 tbsp. brown sugar
Hot sauce, to taste

For the burgers:
1 lb. ground chicken
¼ cup cornmeal (or ½ cup crumbled cornbread)
1 scallion, minced
1 tbsp. minced fresh cilantro
2 tsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. dry mustard
½ tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. paprika
¼ tsp. garlic powder
Pinch of cayenne pepper
2/3 cup chopped pulled pork (optional)
5 tbsp. barbecue sauce, divided

For serving:
Burger buns, toasted on the grill
Grilled onion slices
Sliced cheddar cheese
Additional barbecue sauce

Directions:
Heat a grill to medium-high heat.

To make the barbecue sauce, combine all the ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and is reduced to about 1 cup, about 7 minutes.  Remove from the heat.  Chill until ready to use.

To make the burgers, combine the ground chicken, cornmeal, scallion, cilantro, brown sugar, spices, pulled pork (if using) and 2 tablespoons of the barbecue sauce in a medium bowl and mix gently until well combined.  Form the mixture into four equal patties.  Transfer to a plate and refrigerate until ready to grill.

Oil the grates of the grill.  Place the burger patties on the heated grill and cook about 3-4 minutes.  Flip the burgers and brush the cooked sides generously with some of the remaining 3 tablespoons of barbecue sauce.  Cook about 3 minutes, then flip once more and brush the second side with barbecue sauce.  Top with cheese slices, if using.  Cook just until cooked through and cheese is melted.  Place the burgers on the toasted buns and top with grilled onion slices and additional barbecue sauce as desired.

Hot Dog Rolls

I didn't take pictures of these, because they didn't come out awesome or pretty.

So, I'm looking to save money.  I'm concerned about what's in our food, stuff like HFCS (which is in just about every bag of rolls in the bread aisle, except the potato rolls), too much sugar and salt, etc.  So, while making bread at home is a daunting task, I figured I'd go for it.  What do I have to lose?  Annie has great recipes that, thus far, have been pretty foolproof for me, so I gave it a go.

When Annie made her rolls, she made hamburger buns and not hot dog rolls.  So, I followed the original recipe's directions, from King Arthur flour.  It seemed strange to me that the directions suggested making the dough into 18 pieces, while Annie divided into 9.  Maybe that's where things went wrong.  I had a very hard time getting the pieces to be equal, and so some rolls were really large while others were teensy.

They didn't at all come out like hot dog rolls.  They are much firmer than the ones you'd buy at the store.  That's not to say they're not tasty, because we've been snacking on them, but they weren't so great as hot dog buns.

I'll be trying again another time, and if you have the gumption to try, go for making your own hamburger/hot dog buns.

Celebrity Chefs Challenge: Lisa Cooks Burgers!

VS

Lisa was the first participant to make something using two chef's interpretations, according to The Celebrity Chefs Challenge, and chose to make burgers following the recipes of Rachael Ray and Bobby Flay.

First, Lisa made Rachael Ray's Pub Patties with Horseradish Sauce and Cress.

Lisa didn't comment on this recipe, since she posted her thoughts about it as compared to the second, so see what she thought about it below!




She made Bobby Flay's Napa Burger second.

Here's what she had to say about this burger:

I LOVED this hamburger.  The Rachael one was really good, and I would definitely make it again, but this one was just as good as the one in the restaurant and it was so much fun to be able to replicate it at home.  I would say this is the winner.  [My husband] disagreed and liked the Rachael burgers better.  This was a little surprising since I overcooked the Rachael ones (to medium well, which is perfect for me but [he] likes rare, which I pretty much refuse to do) and took his off the grill pan tonight at medium rare, but he says he looked past the chef's error.  Ha, so funny.

So it's a tie, I guess -- but I am the blogger, so I can say that I give the edge to Bobby's Napa Valley Burger.


So, for Lisa, Bobby Flay is the winner!   Thank you for being such an enthusiastic participant in my silly little challenge!  Go check out Lisa's blog and all the tasty looking meals she's made!

What recipe will you try two interpretations of?  I'd love to have you participate and share your thoughts!

Bobby Flay's Napa Valley Burger

I love watching Bobby Flay's shows.  He's got such a great presence on tv, and his food always seems so yummy.  That said, I've never made one of his recipes before.  They always seem so complicated that I don't even try.  I'll just stick to watching yummy Bobby Flay...  wait!  Scratch that, reverse... Bobby Flay's yummy food.... on tv.

But when Lisa at Lisa's Cooking Adventures posted a rave review (for the Celebrity Chef Challenge; her thoughts on that in a minute!) for Bobby's Napa Valley Burger, I changed my meal plan for the week and added it.

Wow, all my pictures came out poorly.

Clearly, I forgot to melt the goat cheese.  I really can read, I promise.

My first bite was...  weird.  I think it was a bit too heavy on the Meyer lemon, but the burger itself was pretty good in all the other spots.  I did think it was strange that the burger was so simple; it was ground turkey sprinkled with salt and pepper, that's it.  It seems that there could have been more complexity or interest if there was more to the burger itself, though I guess doing so might distract from the other flavors.  Hubby complained that when he got a bite of just burger, it was plain because it was just turkey.  He went on to say the burger was good, but way more "sophisticated" than he typically likes.

I was a little disappointed in the process of the burger itself.  Not only was it just ground turkey, but there really aren't any instructions for cooking it.  I'm an inexperienced burger fryer, so really had no idea how or how long to cook these buggers.  I guess it came out ok, since they were juicy but brown throughout.

So, we enjoyed this, but probably won't go to the effort of making it again.  Thanks, Lisa, for bringing this one onto my radar!

Napa Valley Burgers
Recipe courtesy of Bobby Flay’s Burgers, Fries and Shakes, via Lisa's Cooking Adventures

Meyer Lemon-Honey Mustard
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 heaping tablespoon Clover honey
1-1/2 teaspoons grated Meyer lemon zest, or 1 teaspoon grated orange zest and 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1-1/2 tablespoons Meyer lemon juice, or 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice and 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Burgers
1-1/2 lbs ground chuck (80% lean) or ground turkey (90% lean)
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1-1/2 tablespoons canola oil
8 round slices fresh goat cheese, each 1/2 inch thick
4 sesame see hamburger buns, split, toasted
1 handful of watercress

To make the Meyer lemon-honey mustard, whisk together the mustard, honey, lemon zest, and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours before serving to allow flavors to meld.

Divide the meat into 4 equal portions (about 6 oz each).  Form each portion loosely into a 3/4 inch thick burger and make a deep impression in the center with your thumb.  Season both sides of each burger with salt and pepper.

Cook the burgers, using the canola oil, and topping each one with 2 slices of goat cheese and a basting cover during the last minute of cooking.

Place the burgers on the bun bottoms, drizzle with some of the Meyer lemon-honey mustard, and top with watercress.  Cover with the bun tops and serve immediately.

CHICKEN BURGERS WITH GUACAMOLE, CHEDDAR AND CHARRED TOMATOES

Another Robin Rescues Dinner recipe. This was a really tasty burger, but since I'm so new to grilling things, I still have a lot to learn. My burger patties really need to be flatter, and frankly, thinner too (although Robin suggested making them 1" thick!) Found the recipe online here (you can also see what Robin suggests for the extra tomatoes... the book has a recipe as well for what to do with the extra burgers).

These came out pretty well. I was the only one who actually ATE the guacamole, although A wanted it but didn't eat it. I wasn't that happy with how it turned out; next time I will be sure to use red onion instead of yellow, and I might even add a few other items that typical guac uses like jalapenos.

Also, we did these on the regular grill, which I think added a nice flavor. In the future, we will probably slice the tomatoes before grilling, then put the slices on the burger, instead of Robin's method. Also, a slice of cheddar cheese would have worked much better than the shredded.

So, another keeper from Robin. YAY, ROBIN!

• Cooking spray
• 2 pounds ground chicken I used ground turkey
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 ripe avocado, pitted and flesh removed from skin
• 2 tablespoons minced white onion
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 4 ripe beefsteak tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 4 hamburger buns, toasted if desired

1. Coat a stove-top grill pan, griddle or large skillet with cooking spray and preheat to medium-high.
2. In a large bowl, combine ground chicken, cilantro, bread crumbs, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Mix well and shape mixture into eight patties, each about 1-inch thick. Place burgers on hot pan and arrange tomato halves, flesh-side down, alongside burgers. Cook burgers and tomatoes 3 minutes per side, until burgers are cooked through and tomatoes are charred. Top burgers with cheddar cheese, cover with foil and cook 1 minute, until cheese melts.
3. Meanwhile, to make the guacamole, in a small bowl, combine avocado, onion, lime juice, and garlic powder. Mix well with a fork, slightly smashing avocado into small pieces. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Chop all charred tomatoes into small pieces. Serve four burgers on hamburger buns with half of the charred tomatoes and all of the guacamole. Reserve remaining tomatoes for the salsa. Refrigerate extra chicken burgers and tomatoes up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or in the microwave on the defrost setting before using.

Serves 4 (with leftover tomatoes)

Skillet Turkey Burgers

Recipe from ATK... coming soon

These were super easy to make, which is a huge plus. The only thing was that there wasn't much to it, so there wasn't a whole lot of flavor. I felt that the only flavor really came from the toppings I put on it. Plus, we had these huge buns from Shop Rite and the burgers were really small in comparison. I didn't want to make huge patties since I wanted to have some leftover for a future meal.

I didn't use the optional butter in the recipe, but I wonder if that would make it more flavorful?

Hawaiian Chicken Burgers

Hawaiian Chicken Burgers
Better Homes and Gardens Chicken Cooking For Today Copyright 1993
I got this from cookbookjunkie.blogspot.com

1 beaten egg
¼ cup fine dry seasoned bread crumbs
3 tablespoons chopped water chestnuts
¾ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 pound raw ground chicken
¼ cup bottled sweet-and-sour sauce I used teriyaki
4 canned pineapple rings
4 kaiser rolls or hamburger buns, split and toasted
shredded spinach I omitted

In a medium bowl combine egg, bread crumbs, water chestnuts, ginger, salt and pepper. Add ground chicken and mix well. Shape into four ¾-inch patties.

To grill, place patties on an uncovered grill directly over medium coals; cook for 15 to 18 minutes or till no longer pink, turning once and brushing with sweet-and-sour sauce during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Meanwhile, place pineapple slices on grill rack. Cook for 5 minutes, turning as needed. I did it all on the Foreman Grill.

To serve burgers, sprinkle bottom half of each bun with some shredded spinach. Top with patties. Brush patties with sweet-and-sour sauce and top with pineapple slices.

Makes 4 servings.

This was just ok. I might not have used enough teriyaki sauce, or maybe sweet and sour would really make a difference. I felt the only part of the sandwich that was actually good was when I had a bit of pineapple; everything else was just bland.

We only used half the mixture, since there are only two of us, and will freeze the rest to make again.