Summer Cookout Veggie Burger

I'm for sure no vegetarian (I could never live without chicken or turkey!) but I try to eat vegetarian several times a week. In the past, though, "eating vegetarian" meant pasta. Delicious, yes, but not exactly protein-packed or very healthy.

So you can imagine, of course, that I was happy to come across Leslie Sarna's Veggie Burger. I've always been intrigued by this concept; a burger? Made without MEAT?! Really? But why not, right?

These were SO easy to make, and I was able to throw some into the freezer for quick lunches and dinners. I gave my husband and kids their burgers on a regular bun, but I put mine on a deli flat and then put it on the panini press. Perfection.


Summer Cookout Veggie Burgers
from Leslie Sarna

• 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.

Thanksgiving Burger

I've made Thanksgiving Burgers before, but when my friend Colleen posted a different variation, I had to try it. I really loved that hers was more of a all-inclusive patty rather than the messier option of having the extras on TOP of the burger.

Colleen mentioned omitting the gravy in favor of cheese; I chose to use both!

I had wanted to serve these with sweet potato fries to be a little more Thanksgiving-y, but the bag I thought I had in my freezer turned out to be regular fries. Oh well.


Thanksgiving Burgers
slightly adapted from Cooking This and That; originally adapted from Taste of Home

• 1 pounds ground turkey
  
• 1 cup whole berry cranberry sauce
• 1 cup stuffing mix, dry
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 1 cup shredded cheddar
• 1/2 cup turkey gravy, warmed
  
• 4 sandwich thins or hamburger buns
  

In large bowl, mix together turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing mix, cheese, and thyme. Form into 4 patties. Grill over medium-high heat, about 6-7 minutes a side or until cooked through. Top with gravy and serve immediately on buns.

Thanksgiving Burgers

Thanksgiving is such a wonderful holiday; as long as you avoid the Black Friday madness, it's one of the few holidays that are really centered around family and NOT consumerism. The huge meal full of comfort food doesn't hurt either.

This year, I have much to be thankful for, and I have to add Rachael Ray's Thanksgiving Turkey Meatloaf Burger to that list (and Juliann, from whom I got this recipe!). When it's April and you're craving a Thanksgiving meal but don't want to do the work, this is a pretty great alternative!

This burgers were perhaps the most delicious and flavorful patties I've had in a really long time. I had one leftover, and it was so good that I didn't even eat it on any bread. I just warmed it up and ate it. Heavenly!

I served them with sweet potato fries in an effort to be as Thanksgiving-y as possible.


(I probably should have remembered to take a photo BEFORE putting the top bun on the burger, huh...)

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 small mcintosh apple, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 small rib celery, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 1/3 cup plain breadcrumbs
• 1 pound ground dark-meat turkey
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning (about 2/3 palmful)
• Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), for drizzling
• Sliced sharp white cheddar, for topping
• 1/3 cup whole-berry cranberry sauce
• 3 tablespoons sour cream
• 2 tablespoons chopped chives
• 4 large sandwich-size sourdough English muffins, split and toasted
• 4 thin slices red onion
• 4 leaves red-leaf or red romaine lettuce

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the butter to melt, then add the apple, onion and celery; season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the breadcrumbs, then transfer to a bowl to cool; reserve the skillet. Mix in the turkey, egg, parsley, mustard and poultry seasoning; season with salt and pepper. Form into four 4-inch patties.

Wipe out the reserved skillet and add a liberal drizzle of EVOO. Warm over medium-high heat, add the patties and cook, turning once, until cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Top with the cheddar during the last minute.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix the cranberry sauce, sour cream and chives.

Serve the patties on the English muffins with the onion, lettuce and cranberry-sour cream sauce.

Superbowl Snack Throwdown: Cheeseburger-Ka-Bobs

In the middle of Disney World, the idea for these Cheeseburger-Ka-Bobs popped into my head for this week's edition of HighLowAha's Superbowl Snack Throwdown. Make sure you visit their site and vote on the right for your favorite this week!

Due to my Rebel's untimely fall during our vacation last week (on our last night, luckily), I had to use my Cybershot for these pictures. Coupled with the lack of natural light here in New Jersey these days, I doubt I'll be scoring any photography points this week (and for as many weeks as it takes for my poor camera to be fixed!). But that's okay, because what I miss out on from behind the camera, I'm sure to make up for in taste!


While shopping for this appetizer, I stumbled upon Grill Mates Hamburger Seasoning. I've never used it before (I've actually never even seen it before!) but grabbed it to use in this recipe. I am SO glad I did; I might never make a burger without it. The perfect blend of spices made these mini burgers as tasty as they are cute.

Perhaps the biggest benefit to these little guys is the very valuable lesson I learned: my kid will eat anything on a stick. Over the course of 24 hours, he probably devoured close to half of these (minus the onions, aka "the yucky purple things"). If I had given him a cheeseburger with all of these ingredients, he'd probably have 8 bites and call it a meal. Shrink things down and impale 'em with a toothpick, though, and you've got a kid who's in dinnertime heaven!

These adorable and delicious little snacks are perfect for your Sunday (or Monday!) game watching, and if I may deviate from the football theme slightly - they'd also be perfect for some World Series viewing. Go Yankees!!

Ingredients

• 1lb ground beef
• 1 tablespoon Grill Mates Hamburger Seasoning
• 24 cubes cheddar cheese
• 1 red onion, chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 24 pickle slices
• 24 cherry tomatoes

Combine the beef and seasoning in a bowl. Create golf-ball sized patties (I got 24) and flatten slightly; grill outside or on a stovetop grill pan.

Stack the mini burgers along with the rest of your ingredients. Stick a tomato at the top of your toothpick, with a pickle underneath, then an onion chunk, then a burger, and finally the cheese as a base. Continue with the rest of your ingredients. Serve, eat, and enjoy!

Superbowl Snack Throwdown: Fiesta Sliders

The third week of the Superbowl Snack Throwdown brought us cheese as a secret ingredient. Please make sure you head over to HighLowAha to vote for your favorite snack, as well as the next ingredient! The last two weeks have been VERY close, so every vote counts.


At first I was excited about cheese because the possibilities are endless. But on the flip side, the possibilities are endless - I had so many ideas and it was hard to narrow them down. I ended up channeling a burger I've had for awhile and turning them into a bite-sized snack: the Fiesta Slider.

These little treats came out even better than I expected. They are so versatile and anyone can adapt them to their own tastes and preferences. They were juicy and flavorful, and they vanished in no time!

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground meat (I used turkey, but beef would be great)
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1 160z jar salsa, divided
• 1 1/2 cup Mexican blend cheese
• Breadcrumbs, unseasoned, as needed
• Optional add-ins: cilantro, onion, tomato, olives, etc
• Optional toppings: sour cream, tomato, lettuce, etc
• 12 slider rolls

Preheat grill or grill pan; spray with cooking spray.

Combine meat, taco seasoning, approximately 1/4 to 1/2 jar of salsa, cheese, and optional add-ins in a medium bowl. Mix with a fork. Add breadcrumbs, just a little bit at a time, as needed if the mixture is too moistForm into 12 mini burger patties and cook for about 4 or 5 minutes on each side, or until done.

Meanwhile, smear a little sour cream on the inside of each bun. Add the patty and top with a spoonful of the remaining salsa. Add more shredded cheese, lettuce... whatever your heart desires!

Marsala Burgers

This hasn't been a very good summer for grilling, at least in my opinion.  It pretty much rained through July, and then gave way to humidity of evil, tortuous levels.  On those days, the idea of stepping outside for 10 seconds longer than absolutely necessary was pretty much ruled out.

So when I found this yummy-sounding burger recipe on Smells Like Home, I was excited to make a burger that didn't require a shower afterwards.

These were different from any burger I've had, but I really enjoyed them.  They felt almost like a gourmet or upscale kind of patty, and I liked that.  The only issues I ran into were my own fault; I made the burgers a little too thick, so they didn't cook all the way through.  Of course, I didn't notice this until the part when you put them back in the pan, so they had to hang out there a little longer than I wanted - which in turn made the marsala sauce reduce a bit too much.  But the flavor was fabulous, and now I know for next time!

Ingredients

• 12 oz ground beef (85%/15% works well here) or ground chuck
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large shallot, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed
• 2 ounces assorted mushrooms, sliced
• 3/4 cup sweet Marsala
• 1/2 cup low-sodium beef broth
• 1 fresh rosemary sprig
• 4 oz sharp cheddar cheese
• crusty French bread baguette

Heat a cast iron skillet over medium high heat.

 

Shape the ground beef into 4 oblong patties, about 4 inches long each. Drizzle the patties with a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper; repeat on the opposite sides. Cut the french bread into pieces a little shorter than each of the patties and set aside.

 

Brown the patties in the skillet on both sides until the burgers are medium rare. Transfer the burgers to a plate and keep warm; leave the juices in the pan.

 

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter and 1/2 tablespoon of oil in the skillet. Add the shallot and garlic. Sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add another 1/2 tablespoon of the olive oil, if necessary. Add the mushrooms and sauté until tender and the juices evaporate, about 3 minutes. Season with salt. Add the Marsala. Simmer until the Marsala reduces by half, about 2 minutes. Add the broth and the rosemary sprig. Simmer until reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Return the burgers to the skillet. Cook burgers until they are medium, turning to coat, about 1 minute. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, to taste. Add 1 oz of cheese to the top of each burger and cover the pan to allow the cheese to melt, about 2 minutes.

 

When the cheese has melted, remove the burgers from the pan and place on the French bread. Top the burgers with Marsala sauce and then the top of the French bread. Serve hot.

French Onion Burgers

I loooooove things that are French Onion. My blog contains FO risotto, chicken casserole, pork chops, mac and cheese... it's just yum.

So of course, when The Rookie Chef posted this recipe for FO Burgers, I was all about it.


The recipe did not disappoint at all. I used a whole packet of FO mix even though I only used a pound of turkey. I also didn't mix the dip in with the meat; I spread it on the bun instead of ketchup. I would for sure make these again!


Ingredients

• 2 pounds ground beef (I used just 1 lb of ground turkey)
  
• 1 envelope (about 1 1/2 ounces) onion soup mix
• 8 ounces French onion dip (1 cup)
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1/8teaspoon pepper
• Buns and the other fixings you desire

Fire up your grill!

Mix all ingredients (minus buns and additional toppings) and shape into 8 patties

Grill patties to the degree of wellness that you prefer

Throw on a bun and top with lettuce, tomato, or whatever you choose!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Burgers

My sister-in-law Sherri emailed me this recipe for Rachael Ray's Chicken Cordon Bleu Burgers and said it was delicious. I had been wanting to make my own hamburger rolls for awhile, so I figured that the amazing weather we had this past weekend would be perfect to try them both!

I ended up cooking these babies on the grill pan inside because the "amazing" weather quickly turned into "way too hot to think about stepping outside."

I cut back a little bit on the spices and still felt they had a tad too much kick to them. I posted the recipe as is, but I personally would probably only use 1tsp of each and not 2. Then again, I only used one pound of meat and not two. Whoops.

In addition, I subbed mozzarella for Swiss cheese, and some sliced deli ham for bacon. Yum!


Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons vegetable or olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 4 slices Canadian bacon
• 2 pounds ground chicken breast
• 2 teaspoons sweet paprika, eyeball it in your palm
• 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
• 2 teaspoons grill seasoning blend (recommended: Montreal Steak Seasoning) or salt and pepper
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 4 deli slices Swiss cheese
• 2/3 cup mayonnaise or reduced fat mayonnaise, eyeball it
• 3 rounded tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons freshly chopped tarragon leaves, 4 sprigs
• 4 kaiser rolls or sandwich size sour dough English muffins, split and toasted
• 8 leaves leaf lettuce
• 1 vine ripe tomato, thinly sliced

Preheat grill pan, nonstick griddle, large nonstick skillet or table top electric grill to medium high heat.

Add 2 tablespoons of oil and Canadian bacon. Warm bacon and caramelize it at edges, 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Remove to a piece of foil. Fold foil over loosely to keep warm.

Combine chicken, paprika, poultry seasoning, grill seasoning, shallot. Score meat with the side of your hand to separate into 4 equal amounts. Make 4 large patties, 3/4 to 1 inch thick. Drizzle patties with oil and place on hot grill pan, griddle or in skillet. Cook 5 minutes on each side, until chicken is cooked through.

Top patties with reserved cooked Canadian bacon and Swiss cheese. Fold each slice of cheese in half to fit the burger. Cover loosely with tin foil. Turn off pan and let cheese melt, 2 minutes.

Combine mayonnaise, mustard, tarragon. Slather bun tops or English tops with sauce. Place Cordon Bleu burgers on bun bottoms and top with lettuce and tomato. Put bun or muffin tops in place. Serve with oven fries.

Turkey Parm Burgers

I don't even remember how I stumbled upon these Chicken Parm Burgers from Elly Says Opa, but I'm glad I did - they were SO GOOD!

As my title indicates, I used turkey instead of chicken, but I bet chicken would have rocked. The flavors are just so good and it was a great way to put a spin on an old favorite.


Just like Elly said in her original blog post, many people don't use their broiler often; I am for sure among them. I can probably count on one hand (maaaaaybe two) the number of times I've used mine. But really, she's so right - it's so fast and easy, like an upside-down grill! I definitely want to try to use it more often.


Ingredients

Burgers:

• 1 lb. ground chicken (I used breast meat)
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup plain bread crumbs
• 2 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 1/4 cup chopped flatleaf parsley
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced or pressed
• 1 shallot, finely diced
• salt and pepper

• 1/2 cup pasta sauce
• 4 slices mozzarella or provolone (or 1/2 cup shredded)
• sauteed mushrooms (optional)
• 4 buns (brushed with a little garlic butter, they are even better)

Lightly mix together all the ingredients for the burgers. Form into 4 patties. I like to make them about 30-40 minutes ahead of time, to let the flavors meld a little bit.

Preheat & spray the broiler with a little oil (or use the grill, or a pan). Broil the burgers for about 4 minutes on the first side, then flip and broil for 3 minutes. Top each chicken burger with 2 Tbsp. pasta sauce and a slice (or about 2T) of cheese. Place back under the broiler for 30-60 seconds, until cheese in melted and burger is cooked through. Top with mushrooms, if desired. Place the buns in the broiler for about 10 seconds, just until toasted.

Basil-Tomato-Mozzarella Burgers

I found this recipe on the Food Network's site and thought it looked good, although I did tweak it a little. For example, the burgers? Way too blah for me. So below is MY recipe for the burgers, although I pretty much kept to the salsa and mayo steps.




I ended up cooking these on my grill pan on the stove since Ryan was awake and I couldn't really go in and out of the house! (Speaking of Ryan... I also learned that he'll eat anything if he can dip it in something...)


The burgers were REALLY good! I wasn't a fan of the salsa, but I think it's because I realized I don't really like raw onions. Next time, I will cook them first. And the mayo? YUM! I also used it to dip my fries into. I had no rolls, so I used these sandwich flats from Pepperidge Farm, I think.

I submitted this recipe to Joelen's Grilling Blogging Adventure - check it out to submit your own entry or to get some new ideas!

For the burgers:

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• About a tablespoon balsamic vinagrette dressing

Combine all ingredients and form into 4 patties. Place on heated grill pan. Cook for about 5 minutes on each side. Turn and cook for 3 more minutes. Serve with Basil Mayonnaise and Tomato Salsa.



Basil Mayonnaise:

• 2 cups mayonnaise
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves
• Salt and pepper

Place all ingredients in a blender. Puree until smooth. (I didn't do this; I just chopped the basil pretty finely and mixed it together by hand.)

Tomato Salsa:

• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup pimento olives, chopped (I omitted.)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Let stand for 30 minutes.

Chili Dog Cheeseburgers

This was by far one of the yummiest burger recipes I've tried in a LONG time. Probably not the healthiest, but hey - I'll skip dessert (Yeah. Right.). I can't wait to make this again...



I served this with French Fries topped with the leftover chili.

Ingredients:

• 8 slices center cut or other lean, thick-cut, smoky bacon (I omitted.)
• 1 pound ground lean beef
• 2 hot dogs, beef or pork, diced
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon grill seasoning (recommended: Montreal Seasoning by McCormick)
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire, eyeball it
• 1 teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon hot sauce, eyeball it, divided (I omitted.)
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• Vegetable oil, for drizzling
• 4 slices deli sliced Cheddar (I used American.)
• 1/2 cup chili sauce (I couldn't find this, so I used turkey chili.)
• 4 kaiser rolls, split
• 1/4 head iceberg lettuce, shredded
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves (Dried.)
• 1/2 lime, juiced

Preheat broiler to high.

Place bacon on slotted broiler pan. Cook bacon 10 inches from the heat and cook 3 to 4 minutes on each side until crisp then adjust oven to bake setting for temperature recommended on fries packaging. (I obviously skipped this whole step.)

While bacon cooks, make the burgers. Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Mix beef with diced dogs, chili powder, grill seasoning, Worcestershire, 1 teaspoon of hot sauce and ketchup. Form 4 large patties. Add a drizzle of oil, 1 turn of the pan and add the patties. Cook burgers 6 minutes on each side, then top with 2 slices bacon and 1 slice of cheddar, each. Turn pan off, cover with loose foil tent and let cheese melt, 1 to 2 minutes.

Slather chili sauce on the tops of split keiser rolls. Place bacon chili-cheese burgers on bun bottoms and top each burger with lettuce, cilantro, and lime juice. (I also added sliced tomato.) Set bun tops in place. Pile fries alongside and serve.