Harvest Month- Greek-Style Quinoa Burgers

I have had very little experience in cooking with the great variety of grains available for your pantry shelves. So a few weeks ago, while thinking about the next challenge I might present to myself once my self-imposed grocery budget was lifted, I thought that the fall season would be the perfect time to try out some of these different grains. Fall, harvest, grains- you get it. So, my goal for the month of November is to try one recipe a week that utilizes a grain that I have never cooked with before. And with that in mind I went searching for my first recipe while meal planning this weekend. I rather quickly found this recipe, which is from Martha Stewart's wholeliving . I recently had a more or less failed attempt at making baked falafel, so this recipe seemed like a good challenge in a slightly similar vein. And I had a much more successful attempt with this one. These came out so deliciously! They were also very easy to make and despite my concern that the burgers would not stay together through cooking I had no problems once I chilled them as the recipe suggested. Highly recommend these as a very filling vegetarian meal option. Quinoa is the member of the grain group with the highest amount of protein, so combined with the beans and an egg you definitely don't feel like you've missed out on anything during your meatless meal.

Greek-Style Quinoa Burgers
Recipe from Martha Stewart's wholeliving; Serves 4














1/2 cup rinsed quinoa
1 medium carrot, cut in large chunks
6 scallions, thinly sliced
15 oz. great northern beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup plain dried breadcrumbs
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon ground cumin
Coarse salt
Ground pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
4 pitas (each 6 inches)
1/2 English cucumber, thinly sliced diagonally

• In a small saucepan, bring 3/4 cup water to a boil; add quinoa, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook until liquid is absorbed, 12 to 14 minutes; set aside.
• In a food processor, pulse carrot until finely chopped. Add cooked quinoa, half the scallions, beans, breadcrumbs, egg, cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; pulse until combined but still slightly chunky.
• Form mixture into four 3/4-inch-thick paties (dip hands in water to prevent sticking). If too soft, refrigerate 10 minutes to firm. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium; cook burgers until browned and cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes per side.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, and the remaining scallions; season with salt and pepper. Serve burgers in pita topped with cucumber and yogurt sauce.

My notes: I served this with a hastily thrown together greek salad, using some of the cucumber, a 1/4 of a red onion I had in the fridge, two seeded tomatoes, juice of half a lemon, drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of feta. Oh boy, I love Greek salad- even a hasty one! The tart dressing and salad, and salty feta were good compliments to the slightly spicy burgers. Wetting your hands when forming the patties and refrigerating them are both key, in my opinion, to getting these burgers ready for the pan. I definitely look forward to making these again.

Salmon Burgers and Black Eyed Pea Salad

I was supposed to make these delicious Salmon Burgers Tuesday night, but I got all caught up in my civic duty and didn't have time, so they got shuffled to Wednesday night. I had been craving them for awhile, so I'm glad that I finally added them to the menu. This recipe makes 4, and I cook 2 and freeze the other 2 so I'll get to have them again real soon. I can't remember where I got this recipe at all. It's one of the first one's I tried when we started eating a bit better. At the time I had just scoured the interwebs for recipes, not paying much attention to where they were coming from. That was before I even had the idea to have a cooking blog. In fact, that search for recipes is what lead to my discovery of a lot of the food blogs I still read today. Anyway, I've got no idea where this one came from, but it's a keeper for sure. I served it with one of my favorite sides, Black Eyed Pea Salad. This dish is easy to throw together and has a great kick to it.

Salmon Burgers
Makes 4












16 oz. canned salmon, drained, cleaned and flaked
1/2 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 cup fine, dry, unseasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 egg
2 tablespoons chopped green onion
1/2 teaspoon prepared mustard
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

• In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients until well mixed. Divide into 4 equal parts and form 1/2" thick patties. Preheat a generously greased skillet on medium-high heat.
• Cook 8-10 minutes or until browned, turning them after 4-5 minutes.
• To freeze extra patties: place on waxed paper on baking sheet and flash freeze for at least 30 minutes. Then transfer to freezer bag or air-tight container and replace in freezer.

Black Eyed Pea Salad
Recipe from Everyday Food; Serves 4















1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 can black eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1 10 oz. package frozen corn, thawed
1 red bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, finely diced
2 scallions, thinly sliced
Coarse salt and ground pepper

• In a medium bowl, whisk mustard, vinegar and oil. Add all vegetables. Season with salt and pepper, toss to combine. Serve room temperature or slightly chilled.

My notes: See, didn't I tell you it was easy. Since the only real prep work is dicing the pepper and scallions I can pretty much get this salad together while my salmon burgers cook and everything is ready to go to the dinner table in a flash. This salad goes great with lots of things, from salmon, turkey, and beef burgers to some nice pork or chicken. Love it!

Valentine's Day Dinner

I decided I wanted to put a little extra effort into Thursday night's dinner, since it was Valentine's Day. But at the same time I needed something not too difficult for a weeknight. In the same issue of Everyday Food and in fact just one page before the warm spinach salad below, I found my inspiration. The EF recipe for Open-Faced Cheeseburgers with Mushrooms and Onion was the starting point for my less-fancy sounding Mushroom Swiss Burger Stacks. The recipe called for fontina cheese and tomatoes, serving the mushroom and onion on the side, and resting your burger on a slice of sourdough. I canceled the tomato, substituted swiss cheese, and eliminated the bun altogether- instead choosing to place our burgers directly on the mushrooms and onion. Josh loves mushroom swiss burgers, and I'd never made them in any form before so I knew this would be a good Love Day treat.

Mushroom Swiss Burger Stacks
Adapted from Everyday Food; Serves 2












1-2 tablespoons olive oil
5 oz. white mushrooms, sliced
coarse salt and ground pepper
1/2 medium red onion, halved and thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon red-wine vinegar
1 pound ground beef chuck
Worcestershire sauce
2 slices swiss cheese

• In a large skillet, heat 1/2-1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms release their liquid and start to brown, 5 to 7 minutes; transfer to a bowl.
• Add onion and remaining 1/2-1 tablespoon olive oil to skillet; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion starts to brown, 5 to 7 minutes (if bottom of skillet becomes too dry, add a little water and scrape up browned bits). Return mushrooms to skillet; stir in vinegar, and set aside.
• Season your beef with salt and pepper and several dashes of Worcestershire sauce. Very gently mix and form meat into patties. Season again with salt and pepper. Cook to your personal preference. Add swiss cheese slices several minutes before burgers are done to allow cheese to melt over top. Serve burgers on top of mushrooms and onion.

My notes: The original recipe called for broiling the burgers. I cooked mine in my grill pan on the stove. This was easier for me since Josh gets home much later and I eat before him. Does your husband like to grill? Put him in charge of the burgers while you make the mushrooms and onion. However you'd like to prepare the burgers is up to you, but I highly recommend you prepare it all soon!

Re-run One

It's like there's a writer's strike in my kitchen or something. As I mentioned in the last post I'm cooking for two this week. And when cooking for someone else you want to make something you know is good, right? So last night's menu included Southwestern Turkey Burgers. I made these because they freeze so well. Two for us, and two for the new mom & pop. To freeze for later I place two of the patties on wax paper and then into the freezer for 3o minutes or so, until firm. Then wrap in wax paper and seal in a freezer bag for later use. Don't forget to date your bag, so that you don't let good food waste away. (I should listen to my own advice here, what is that foil wrapped blob and how long has it been in there?) When you're ready for a re-run of your own just pop them in the fridge overnight and you'll be ready to go for the next day's dinner. Didn't have the foresight to thaw the burgers ahead of time? Toss your freezer bag into a bowl of cool water and change the water every 30 minutes till they're ready to go. I also made the Chili Oven Fries last night, so I figured I'd re-post both recipes for you here.














Southwestern Turkey Burgers
Recipe from Everyday Food; Serves 4

1 1/2 lbs. ground turkey, 93% lean
1 jalapeno, minced, seeded and ribbed
2 ounces Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded (1/2 cup)
1/4 cup plain dried breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
Coarse salt and ground pepper
Vegetable oil for grates (if grilling)

• Heat grill/pan to medium-high. In a medium bowl place turkey, jalapeno, cheese, breadcrumbs, mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Mix very gently with fork to combine, being careful not to over mix.
• Gently form meat into 4 equal-size patties, 4" in diameter and 1" thick. Press thumb in the center of each patty to make an indentation approximately 1/2" deep.
• Moisten a folded paper towel with oil; rub on cooking surface. Season burgers with salt and pepper; grill until cooked throughout, 5 to 8 minutes per side. Serve on buns with desired toppings.

My notes: The only thing I change about this recipe is I usually use Pepper Jack cheese in addition to the jalapeño. Mmmmm, me likey spicy. It's not really that spicy though, ha.

Chili Oven Fries
Recipe from Everyday Food; Serves 4

3 large Russet potatoes (2 lbs.)
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons chili powder
Coarse salt and ground pepper

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Halve potatoes lengthwise; cut each half lengthwise into thirds.
• In a large bowl, whisk olive oil with chili powder; season generously with salt & pepper. Add potatoes and toss to coat.
• Transfer potatoes to a baking sheet, cut sides down. Bake, turning potatoes halfway through, until they are tender and golden brown, about 45 minutes.

My notes: This serves 4. I should remember that, so that I don't make too many and then eat too many. But what would be the fun in that? Oh well, I needed to use up those potatoes anyway.

Busy Bee

I'm having a bit of a busy week, and it's only going to be a busier weekend. Hopefully I'll get an opportunity to blog about what I'll be making. I've gotta make the pound cake I'll be taking to Easter dinner Saturday morning before we head off to our niece's 8th birthday. And then from there to the birthday party for my best pal, Stephanie at Frosted Garden. And of course Sunday will be more Easter preparations and celebrations. Oh yeah, I still need to go grocery shopping too, but I'm struggling with my menu plan and shopping list. My brain is swirling with lots of distractions. Which might account for the difficulties I had with dinner tonight. Okay, actually the problem is my love of Pepper Jack cheese. I put way more than I needed into my turkey burgers, thus making it difficult for them to stay together while cooking. They managed, but they were just too soft, moist, whatever. They might not have been pretty, but they were pretty delicious. I love making these burgers, cause the 2 we don't eat freeze really well. I served them on toasted wheat bread, cause we just don't eat any type of burgers often enough to justify buying a package of 8. And it's just healthier this way anyway. And despite the fact that there was too much cheese in the burgers, I topped mine with more Pepper Jack. We had these juicy burgers with a side of Chili Oven Fries, which are pretty darn easy to throw together and quite delish.

Southwestern Turkey Burgers
Recipe from Everday Food; Serves 4
1 1/2 lbs. ground turkey, 93% lean
1 jalapeno, minced, seeded and ribbed
2 ounces Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded (1/2 cup)
1/4 cup plain dried breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
Coarse salt and ground pepper
Vegetable oil for grates (if grilling)

• Heat grill/pan to medium-high. In a medium bowl place turkey, jalapeno, cheese, breadcrumbs, mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Mix very gently with fork to combine, being careful not to over mix.
• Gently form meat into 4 equal-size patties, 4" in diameter and 1" thick. Press thumb in the center of each patty to make an indentation approximately 1/2" deep.
• Moisten a folded paper towel with oil; rub on cooking surface. Season burgers with salt and pepper; grill until cooked throughout, 5 to 8 minutes per side. Serve on buns with desired toppings.

My notes: Okay, I take a shortcut and just use Pepper Jack cheese, I figure it kills 2 ingredients with one, uh, ingredient. Yeah, that's it. I've made it the proper way before, I've made it with jalapeno and Pepper Jack cheese, and I've made it with just the Pepper Jack, and every way has been delicious.

Chili Oven Fries
Recipe from Everday Food; Serves 4

3 large Russet potatoes (2 lbs.)
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons chili powder
Coarse salt and ground pepper

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Halve potatoes lengthwise; cut each half lengthwise into thirds.
• In a large bowl, whisk olive oil with chili powder; season generously with salt & pepper. Add potatoes and toss to coat.
• Transfer potatoes to a baking sheet, cut sides down. Bake, turning potatoes halfway through, until they are tender and golden brown, about 45 minutes.

My notes: Like I said, easy and yummy. I've also done these in chunks before, just need to cook them for a little less time.

Okay, here's hoping I can find time to update through my busy weekend! And a big thanks to Lindsey at Just Recipes for the shout-out. If you haven't checked out her page yet you should! I also dig her family blog, Cafe Johnsonia. You may know her from her recent stint as guest mom over at Design Mom. I think her kids have the cutest names.