Big Beef and Veggie Burgers

Big Beef and Veggie Burgers

1 lb lean ground beef
1 zucchini
1 c mushrooms, I use portabellos
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic
1 jalapeno (seeded if you don't like the spice)
1 teaspoon dill
1 tablespoon seasoned salt
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce

Process zucchini, mushrooms, onion, garlic, and jalapenos in a food processor. I process until the consistency of pesto. Mix ground beef, veggie mixture, and remaining ingredients in a bowl. Form into 4 big patties. Cook immediately. If you wait, the juice will start to come out of the squash and mushrooms and you will have a soupy mess!

These can be grilled, pan fried, or broiled. Just know that they are a little on the fragile side. If you grill them, use care when flipping them over b/c they will be soft until fully done.

The best part is that all of your points are in the ground beef! These burgers were a huge hit!

Zesty Mexican Fish

Zesty Mexican Fish

2 4oz fillets of white fish (any fish should be fine, we used flounder)
1 T minced cilantro
1 T dijon mustard
1 T water
1/4 c seasoned breadcrumbs
2 T salsa
2 t grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray.

Mix cilantro, mustard, and water in a bowl. Set aside. Place breadcrumbs on a plate and set aside. Dip fish in mustard mixture and then in breadcrumbs, coating all sides. Place in baking dish.

Top with salsa and grated cheese. Bake for 15 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Note: This recipe will also work if you mix all of the toppings together and top the fish with it before baking. It also makes less mess that way!

Product Kudos

First of all, I apologize dear blog for leaving you astray for a few months. We have been traveling up a storm...which leads to lots of eating out or eating things that don't require a lot of cooking.

So, for today, I'm going to start with a couple of product raves!

Just a big kudos for Trader Joe's. TJ Everything! Growing up in TX, and now living in AR, I've never gotten to experience the joy of TJ's. While visiting a friend in AZ a couple of years ago, I did get the chance to step foot in one. Well, being in GA over the holidays, I got to go TWICE! The big purchases 2 cases of Two Buck Chuck and cans of black bean and lentil soups. Yum. If you live near a TJ's, do yourself a favor and shop there often!

Next, upon visiting Jason's Deli a few weeks ago, I scoped out a new cracker. An organic flatbread covered in seedy goodness. Well, I was very pleased to be perusing The Fresh Market today and saw Dr. Kracker Crackers! They are low point and come in all kinds of yummy flavors. And, if you can't find them in a store near you, you can order online!

Ok, recipes to come in the next couple of days. I did try a new one last night but it was not so great.

Hummus Stuffed Chicken

This is an adaptation from another RR recipe in October's issue. I made it a little healthier by omitting butter. I also garlic to the filling and used regular breadcrumbs instead of panko. It was good and even Bryan liked it. I was worried since he doesn't like hummus or spinach separately, but imagine my surprise when he liked them together!

Hummus Stuffed Chicken
Serves 2

Stuffing:
5 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed
2 tablespoons pine nuts, lightly toasted in pan, chopped
1/3 c hummus
1 clove garlic, pressed
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
salt and pepper

Chicken:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (4 oz each), pounded to 1/4 inch thickness
1/4 c flour, seasoned with salt and pepper to taste
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/3 c breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 350. Combine stuffing ingredients. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Place half of stuffing mixture on one side of each chicken breast. Fold over and secure with toothpicks. Set up an assembly line with the flour, then the egg, and finally the breadcrumbs. I do this on one long sheet of wax paper. I have a pile of flour, the egg in a bowl, and then a pile of breadcrumbs...this equals less dishes to clean up! I also set them up moving towards the pan on the stove...that way, once I'm done dipping in breadcrumbs, I can put them straight in the pan.

Heat pan over medium-high heat and spray with cooking spray. Dip the chicken packets into the flour and shake off the excess. Then dip in egg, followed by breadcrumbs. Put into pan and cook 3-4 minutes on each side. This helps the crust to brown up a little.

Transfer chicken to baking dish (sprayed with cooking spray) and put in oven for 10 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Greek Gryos

Ok, you know the drill...the new RR magazine came. I highly recommend everyone pick up this issue. I usually dog ear recipes that I want to try...I dog eared the entire magazine! I adjusted this recipe a bit, so here goes. It was so good, but I will add more seasonings next time. I was eyeballing it, and we ended up adding more salt and pepper. The recipe calls for ground lamb which is very high in points (to the tune of 4 pts per 2 oz). I did use lamb tonight. I think it would be awesome with ground chicken or turkey, which is how I will probably make it next time.

Greek Gyros
Serves 4

Sauce:
8 oz light sour cream
1/2 cucumber, finely diced
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
salt and pepper

Gyro:
1 lb ground lamb
1 slice light bread made into crumbs
2 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1/2 teaspoon ginger
2 poblano or cubanelle peppers, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons dried parsley
salt and pepper to taste
4 flatbreads or pitas (I used flatout brand wrap bread)

Mix ingredients for sauce together and put in fridge.

Combine lamb, bread, 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin, and ginger. Form into 4 patties. Spray pan with cooking spray. Cook burgers on medium high heat (about 6 minutes each side). Remove from pan and set aside.

Add the peppers, onion, garlic, parsley, 1 teaspoon cumin, salt, and pepper to the pan. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes. During that 5 minutes, wrap pita bread in foil and place in low heat oven and chop up the lamb patties. Add the lamb back to the pan, increase to medium-high heat and cook a few more minutes.

Place 1/4 of meat and 1/4 of sauce in each pita or flat bread. Add lettuce and tomatoes if you so desire.

Basic Crockpot Pork (or Chicken if you fancy)

Ok, so after my last post...we got hit with some crap of a stomach bug. And we seem to have eaten out a lot or have a lot of simple things like grilled chicken and the sort. Today was the first time I've "cooked" in a while. This is a very quick versatile recipe that has unlimited possibilities

Basic Crockpot Pork
Serves 4

1 lb frozen boneless pork chops, trimmed
1 can flavored diced tomatoes (tonight I used Italian)
1 small can mushrooms
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Spray crockpot with cooking spray. Toss in porkchops. Top with tomatoes and mushrooms.

I cook on high for 3 hours. I find that cooking from frozen ensures that your meat won't dry out. I wouldn't do it for more than 8 hours on low though.

When done, sprinkle in cornstarch and wisk quickly to avoid lumps. Recover and allow "sauce" to thicken.

Upcoming Meals for the Week

Sunday: baked red snapper
Monday: Beefy Tomato Mac
Tuesday: Chicken and Dumplings
Wednesday: S/B pork chops
Thursday: Chicken Cacciatore
Friday: Slow Cooker Brisket
Saturday: out or leftovers