Main Dish

Filthy Burgers (Beef, Barbecue Pulled Pork, & Bacon Burgers)

May 31, 2013 by Rebecca 20 Comments

Filthy Burger (Beef, Barbecue Pulled Pork and Bacon Burgers) | www.foodiewithfamily.com

“What do we want for dinner?”

“MEAT!”

If I had a dime for every time that call-and-response happened in this house, I’d be able to buy some amazing cuts of meat. Meat is expensive!

I walked into the fabulous meat market Oscar’s in the Adirondacks with my dad a couple of weeks ago. Oscar’s specializes in bacon. Am I the only one who starts drooling at the mere thought of a meat market full of bacon? Next to their beef bacon, hickory bacon, applewood bacon, jalapeno bacon, English, Irish and Canadian bacons were their preformed, fresh burger patties. One burger type in particular stood out because, well, it looked wonky. The meat was full of chunks of something I couldn’t quite identify from a distance. As I scootched along the glass case admiring all the porky goodness, I got close enough to catch the name on the tag; “Dirty Burgers”. In tiny little letters below the name were the words “Beef and BBQ Pork”. What? WHAT?!?

This was brilliant for a whole host of reasons.

Make your ground beef stretch further!

For starters, beef is expensive: pork shoulder (the base for my favourite pulled porks, both Number One and Number Two) is wickedly cheap. Using the far less expensive barbecue pulled pork as an extender in the beef lowers the overall cost of the burger. Don’t worry, though, they play nicely together: barbecue pulled pork brings a whole lot of flavour to the party without overwhelming the distinctive beefiness of a burger. The Evil Genius is usually a purist when it comes to burgers; salt, pepper, beef and NOTHING ELSE, but I didn’t have to work hard to sell the idea of these burgers at all. Guys love meat. More meat with your meat? BRILLIANT!

So why are my burgers filthy instead of merely dirty? I added bacon. Why? Well, shoo. You know what bacon does… It makes things delectable. Again, it’s meat upon meat upon meat. After being in Florida for four days then over at my dad’s for another three, I missed my hubby and wanted to knock a meal out of the ballpark. I was Big Papi Ortiz with this one, people. This was a home run of epic proportions bouncing off of windshields in the parking lot…

What beef should I use for the best burgers?

I’m a ground chuck girl. I love the proportion of fat to lean protein. In ground chuck’s case we’re talking about eighty/eighty five percent lean to fifteen/twenty percent fat. There was a time when that amount of fat would’ve sent me running, but I love a moist burger that’s cooked clean through and leaner ground beef just can’t deliver the moisture and flavour that the higher fat percentage does. Would I go fattier? No way, José. Then we’re just talking grease bomb. Ground chuck is my happy medium. I prefer to grind it myself because I like knowing how fresh it is and how clean my equipment is, but if you don’t have a grinder, just make friends with the folks at the meat counter and ask them to grind a chuck roast fresh for you! The fresher the beef, the better your burger will be!

Burgers with add-ins tend to fall apart

There’s no getting around it: if you add mix-ins to ground beef you have to fight the burger’s tendency to be fally aparty. You don’t want to smash the ground meat together too much because that yields a sorry hockey puck of a burger. Sad, sad, sad. So what’s the solution? I use the largest sized ring from my beloved cutter/mold set. (That’s an Amazon affiliate link below, folks.)

I set it on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, drop five ounces (my ultimate burger size) of meat into the mold and gently press it into place before pulling the mold straight up and off of my now perfectly shaped burger that isn’t overworked. Yes. I weigh it on a kitchen scale. Do you have to? Heck no. I just like uniformly sized burgers to help the pernicious yard-stick eye-balling of other people’s plates that happens around here. Oh, I also do it because I have a little obsessive compulsion issue… I also use my scale for baking, but that’s another cup of coffee (and another Amazon affiliate link.)

Do you need the cutters/molds and a scale to make this recipe? Oh gosh no. I just think they help things along. If you want to form them by hand, just try to be consistent, not smash them together too hard, and keep it a uniform thickness throughout the burger. Tapered edges tend to burn before the center of the burger is cooked and get raggedy from sticking to the grill.

How does this crazy mixed up burger taste?

It tastes like beefy, bacony, porky heaven. It made my burger purist husband so happy I thought he was going to burst. All of my boys inhaled these burgers like their middle names were all Hoover. And me? I loved them. I loved them madly. A perfectly grilled beef burger by itself is a very good thing, but a perfectly grilled beef burger studded with flavour bursts of barbecue pulled pork and crispy bits of bacon, topped with melted pepperjack cheese, tangy barbecue sauce, and tender lettuce on a toasted bun is my idea of bliss.

Mix up extra and freeze those burgers!

You can most definitely make a double batch of these! If you form them on the parchment like I suggest, you’re one step closer to a freezer stash of these burgers that are ready to pop on the grill. Just drape a quick piece of plastic wrap over the pan and stick it in the freezer until the burgers are solid.

Filthy Burger (Beef, Barbecue Pulled Pork and Bacon Burgers) | www.foodiewithfamily.com

You can then stack them (with parchment between the patties) in a freezer bag and keep there for up to three months or until you’re ready to grill. Put them straight onto the grill without thawing and cook like you would any frozen burger patty. Are you getting Independence Day party ideas yet? A plate full of meat always works here!

Filthy Burger (Beef, Barbecue Pulled Pork and Bacon Burgers) | www.foodiewithfamily.com

Which pulled pork should I use in the recipe?

I love using Slow-Cooker Cola Barbecue Pork in here because of the oomph from the chipotle pan juices. If you want a milder flavour, use my Slow-Cooker Cuban Pork. If you’re in a hurry, grab a deli-pack of purchased pulled pork from the store. I won’t tell!

Don’t undercook your bacon here!

We are a house divided on bacon. I like it crispy bordering on petrified: The Evil Genius loves it chewy. The kids all fall somewhere in between. For this recipe, you want to be sure to cook the bacon all the way to the crispy point because it will soften ever so slightly when it’s mixed in with the more moist ground chuck.

I asked a question on our Foodie with Family facebook community but I want to ask it here, too. Are you a burger purist? Or do you like your burgers gussied up? Are you willing to try a Filthy Burger? I think you oughta… Filthy (at least in this case) is good!

Filthy Burgers (Beef, Barbecue Pulled Pork, & Bacon Burgers)

Rating: 51

Yield: Between 6 and 8 burgers, depending on size

This blissfully meaty, juicy, perfectly grilled beef burger is studded with barbecue pulled pork and crispy bits of bacon, topped with melted pepperjack cheese, tangy barbecue sauce, and tender lettuce on a toasted bun. It's sure to make you a grilling superstar this summer!

Ingredients

1/2 pound of bacon, cooked until crisp through, drained and crumbled
2 cups fully cooked barbecue pulled pork roughly chopped with a knife
1 1/2 pounds ground chuck
kosher salt

For serving:

Toasted burger buns
tender lettuce (like mixed spring greens or butter lettuce)
slices of pepperjack or Monterey jack cheese
barbecue sauce

Instructions

Using clean hands, mix together the ground chuck, pulled pork, and bacon until everything is evenly distributed.

For the most uniform burgers, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add 5 ounces of the meat mixture to a ring mold and gently press it into the edges of the mold forming a uniformly thick burger patty. Gently pull the ring mold straight up and tap down any edges that come up with it. Replace the ring mold on the parchment next to the burger and form another until all the meat mixture has been pressed into patties. Don't despair if you have a little meat that doesn't make a full burger. That can be your test patty and cook's tax. Eat that bad boy!

Place the tray with the burgers in the refrigerator while you preheat the grill to MEDIUM HIGH heat. After cleaning the hot grill, gently place the burgers over direct heat and sprinkle with kosher salt. Keep a spray bottle of water handy for flare-ups. Do not move the burgers once you've placed them on the grill until the brown (cooked) area goes at least halfway up the burger and you can easily slide your spatula under them, about 4 minutes. If there are flames flaring up because of fat from the burger, give them a little spritz with water. That should help long enough to cook the burger to the point where it will turn more easily. Flip the burgers carefully and continue grilling over MEDIUM HIGH heat until there are grill marks on the underside of the burger. Transfer the burgers over to one side of the grill and shut off the burners immediately under the burgers, turning the remaining burners onto MEDIUM LOW heat. This means your burgers will finish over indirect heat. When the interior temperature of the beef is 5°F below the point you like it (RARE: 125-130°F. MEDIUM: 140-150. WELL: 160-212°F.), lay the slices of pepperjack cheese on the burgers and use a spatula to immediately transfer them to a sided tray. Let them rest, lightly tented with foil, until the cheese is melted. Serve on top of tender greens on a toasted bun with as much barbecue sauce as you fancy!

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/05/31/filthy-burgers-beef-barbecue-pulled-pork-bacon-burgers/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

Disclosure: The links to the cutters/molds and kitchen scale are both Amazon affiliate links. If you click through those links and purchase the items, your price does not change, but I receive a small commission from Amazon to help keep things running smoothly on Foodie with Family. Thank you!

Filed Under: Main Dish, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: 4th of July, barbecue recipes, budget friendly, family-friendly, Independence Day, kid friendly, party food, seasonal, Super Bowl

Asian Salmon Burgers with Wasabi Mayonnaise

May 15, 2013 by Rebecca 13 Comments

Asian Salmon Burger with Wasabi Mayo | www.foodiewithfamily.com

Disclosure: This is part of my continuing series as a member of the Kraft Tastemakers team. All recipes, opinions and wasabi are my own.

My tastebuds are controlled by the weather. When it’s cool, chilly or downright cold, I want hearty, stick-to-your-ribs fare. When things start warming up, though, my body says, “Don’t weigh me down!”

It’s getting toasty out there, folks, so it’s time to lighten things up a bit. Fish is a perfect way to accomplish that deliciously. It’s satisfying, protein-packed, fast, and simple. It’s a wonderful solution for the on-the-go family in the summer.

Salmon is a crowd-pleasing fish choice under most circumstances, but when it’s turned into a burger, it can convert even the most entrenched fish-haters.

A food processor makes fast work of breaking down the fish. Admittedly, when you’ve pulsed the fish into a chunky puree, it looks like you might be going down the wrong road, but stick with it because it’s so darned good when it’s all said and done!

When it comes to serving these beautifully moist salmon burgers with a hint of ginger, you have a couple of options. The kids like them on toasted whole wheat hamburger rolls with just a smear of Wasabi Mayonnaise. The grown-ups in our house like them wrapped in a tender lettuce leaf with a dollop of Wasabi Mayonnaise, some Asian Marinated Cucumber Salad, and some Asian Pickled Carrots.

Asian Salmon Burger with Wasabi Mayo | www.foodiewithfamily.com

The lettuce leaf makes a fabulous lower-calorie and lower-carbohydrate substitute for a bun. (Ya know, for the second and third burgers you eat. If you’re like me, that is…)

Either way, they are fabulous.

Serve these up on Memorial Day for a surefire hit! How will you eat them?

Visit Kraft Recipes for more Memorial Day friendly sandwich recipes!

Asian Salmon Burgers with Wasabi Mayonnaise

Rating: 51

Asian Salmon Burgers with Wasabi Mayonnaise

Crunchy, flavourful, Asian Salmon Burgers with a hint of ginger and scallion in them are as easy to make as they are delicious. Topped with a dollop of Wasabi Mayonnaise that can be as mild or as wake-you-up as you wish, and served on a toasted bun or lettuce leaf (for an even more waist-line friendly option) these are a surefire crowd pleaser and a wonderful addition to your Memorial Day fare.

Ingredients

For the Salmon Burgers:

2 pounds salmon fillets, skin and bones removed carefully.
1 3/4 cups panko breadcrumbs, preferably whole wheat, plus more if needed
1 bunch green onions, washed
¼ cup Kraft mayonnaise
1 tablespoon pickling liquid from a jar of pickled ginger (Gari)
Oil (canola, peanut, or vegetable) for pan frying

For the Wasabi Mayonnaise:

1/2 cup Kraft mayonnaise
1-3 tablespoons wasabi paste, according to taste

Optional Ingredients for Serving:

Whole wheat buns, toasted ~or~ tender lettuce leaves (like butter or red leaf lettuce)
Asian Pickled Carrots
Asian Marinated Cucumber Salad
Pickled ginger

Instructions

To Prepare the Burgers:

Cut the salmon into 2-inch chunks and put into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse until the fish is broken down into chunky puree. It should still have pebble sized pieces (about ¼-inch) in it.

Scrape this into a bowl.

Cut the root end from the green onions, slice in half lengthwise, turn them 90° and slice them very thinly. Put this into the bowl with the salmon, ½ cup of the panko bread crumbs, mayonnaise, and pickled ginger liquid. Mix until uniform.

Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap or parchment paper. Divide the salmon mixture into 8 mounds and form those mounds into patties that are ¾-inch thick. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 1-8 hours before cooking.

Pour the remaining panko bread crumbs onto a plate. Gently lift and place each salmon patty on the bread crumbs, press down lightly to help the panko stick, flip the patties over and repeat.

Heat a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. When it is very hot, add about 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan and swirl it to coat.

Ease the panko crusted patties into the pan. A 12-inch pan should hold 4 patties at a time and still give you room to manoeuver the spatula when it comes time to flip them. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the first side is deep golden brown. Carefully flip the patties using a wide spatula. Be cautious because the oil will want to splatter. Fry the second side for an additional 3 to 5 minutes, or until golden brown and firm around the outer edges. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate or platter. Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan and repeat until fried all of the salmon burgers.

To Prepare the Wasabi Mayonnaise:

Put the mayonnaise in a small bowl and use a fork or small whisk to stir in the wasabi paste, starting with 1 tablespoon. Taste the mayonnaise and adjust with more wasabi if you want a stronger flavour.

To Serve the Salmon Burgers:

If you’re watching how much bread you eat, serve the Salmon Burgers on a tender lettuce leaf topped with a dollop of the Wasabi Mayonnaise and any other optional toppings you’d like. If you want to eat it burger style, put a patty on top of a toasted whole wheat bun, spread some wasabi mayonnaise over the burger and top as desired.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/05/15/asian-salmon-burgers-with-wasabi-mayonnaise/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

Disclosure: This is part of my continuing series as a member of the Kraft Tastemakers team. All recipes, opinions and wasabi are my own.

Filed Under: Happy Healthy and Wise, Main Dish, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: family-friendly, kid friendly, party food, quick and easy, seasonal

Skinny Jeans Pizza {Zucchini Pizza}

May 8, 2013 by Rebecca 11 Comments

Skinny Jeans Pizza {Zucchini Pizza} | www.foodiewithfamily.com

Have you ever tried jamming yourself into a pair of skinny jeans? I did last month.

Ugh.

Let’s just say the results were less than what I’d hoped to see after the work that went into pulling them up. Shoot, getting them off was as tough as getting them on in the first place. I needed to take a nap and eat some chocolate to salve my soul after that experience.

This, in part, led me to the grudging conclusion that PERHAPS I can’t eat the way I used to when I was *GACK* younger. Don’t get me wrong, I’m pretty fit. I work hard at it… but the effect of eating eight tacos or as many pieces of pizza for dinner is now less than desirable unless you’ve lost all your chairs in an oddly targeted fire and have nothing to sit on and are trying to pad your posterior for greater comfort. I think my point is clear.

I will not give up eating WHAT I want, I just have to show a little more control around it. In other words, I need to consume less of it. And we are coming into warmer weather which means we’re on the go a little more and feel a little less like spending hours in a hot kitchen producing food that makes us feel VERY full indeed. (Sometimes. On the other hand, I’m looking forward to my annual Fried Chicken Birthday Feast at the end of blazing-hot July.)

Satisfy Pizza Cravings on Busy Nights the Healthy Way!

Tasty food that is fast, healthy, and doesn’t make you feel weighed down is the order of the day. Skinny Jeans Pizzas to the rescue! These pizzas use good ole zucchinis (which are about to become abundant to the point of being nearly viral) cut in half lengthwise and topped with some classic pizza toppings; mozzarella and Romano or Parmesan cheeses, sun dried tomatoes, and pepperoni are what we use, but put whatever you’d like on a pizza on top. Much like ‘real’ pizza, this is customizable! Here’s the thing… these can be as healthy or as indulgent as you’d like. Load as much or as little grated cheese on them as you want! Ditto the pepperoni. Those sun dried tomatoes? Pile them on! Just be sure you have a little cheese over them or they’re likely to scorch a bit. Handily, you don’t have to soak the tomatoes if you put them next to the pizza sauce on the zucchini. This is because they’ll absorb some of the liquid given off by the sauce and zucchini as they cook.

Skinny Jeans Pizza {Zucchini Pizza} | www.foodiewithfamily.com

One pan, thirty minutes, super healthy, totally satisfying.

Important Note! Let’s be real here… If I eat eight of these like I would slices of pizza, I won’t be fitting much more quickly into those skinny jeans… But I don’t NEED eight halves of zucchini and furthermore, I don’t think I could eat that many. Even if I did eat eight halves, though, I’d still come out ahead of regular pizza in the calorie count. And goodness people, I’m not replacing or giving up regular pizza in our menu rotation; it’s my life blood! I am, however, looking for ways to maintain my healthy weight instead of creeping upward as I was doing. These more than satisfy that pizza craving on busy nights in a waist-line friendly way when the alternative to homemade is dialing it in to the local pizza place. Moderation, moderation, moderation!

…Except for dark chocolate.

Rebecca

Skinny Jeans Pizza {Zucchini Pizza}

Rating: 51

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Skinny Jeans Pizza {Zucchini Pizza}

One pan, thirty minutes, super healthy, totally satisfying. Top halved zucchinis with pizza sauce, shredded cheese, and sun dried tomatoes. If pizza just isn't pizza without pepperoni for you, add a couple of slices. Bake 'til bubbly and satisfy your pizza cravings the fast and healthy way!

Ingredients

3 medium sized (about 8-inches long) zucchini
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons pizza sauce (Homemade or purchased
1/2 to 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup shredded Romano or Parmesan cheese

Optional Toppings:

sun dried tomatoes (Homemade or purchased)
thin pepperoni slices
minced fresh parsley and/or basil

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray ~or~ use an unglazed stoneware rimmed baking sheet. Set aside.

Slice the zucchinis in half lengthwise. Remove a little disc from any protruding parts of the zucchini to help it lie flat on the pan without rocking from side to side. Arrange the zucchini halves -skin side down- on the prepared baking sheet.

Spoon 1 tablespoon of pizza sauce on each zucchini half and spread it evenly over the top. If using sun dried tomatoes, arrange them over the pizza sauce, reserving a couple for the top. Scatter the shredded cheeses evenly over all of the zucchinis. If using pepperoni, put no more than three pieces on each zucchini half.

Place the pan in the hot oven and immediately lower the temperature to 375°F. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the zucchinis are tender, but still have enough body to be lifted from the pan without falling apart.

If desired, garnish with minced parsley and/or basil immediately before serving.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/05/08/skinny-jeans-pizza-zucchini-pizza/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

Filed Under: Happy Healthy and Wise, Healthy Foods, Main Dish, Rebecca, Recipes, Vegetarian

Sweet and Sour Ham Ball Stir-Fry | Make Ahead Mondays

April 29, 2013 by Rebecca 5 Comments

Today’s Make Ahead Mondays recipe makes use of a recipe for Ham Balls that I shared about two and a half years ago. The recipe by itself remains one of our family’s all-time favourites. It gets a little new life breathed into it in the form of the stir-fry shared below. The ham ball recipe will hook you, but the stir fry recipe will make you love me. Best yet, with a stash of ham balls in the freezer, you’re only about fifteen minutes away from that pot full of deliciousness pictured above. Who loves you? Me! MWAH!

This is one of those meals that reinforces the value of having some meal building blocks stashed in the freezer at all times. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I can’t and/or won’t do once a month cooking. I’m far too fickle and what sounds good the day I put it in the deep freeze sounds abhorrent just days later. Aside from just plain being capricious, once a month cooking tends to rely on casseroles and I’m -while not anti-casserole- not a huge casserole lover. I sometimes think that the freezer is the most misused gadget that lives in every single home.

That meal in the picture above, though? I could eat that six ways from Sunday and that makes great use of the freezer as do many Make Ahead Mondays recipes. Ham balls are fabulous to freezer both because after eating them like a gluttonous pig for Easter Sunday dinner and a couple of days beyond, I’m anxious to stash them beyond my sight so I don’t eat myself ill. Popped into a heavy-duty resealable zipper-top bag with the air squeezed out, they take up very little freezer space and are there waiting for the inevitable day a few weeks later that I once again crave them.

Usually, that craving involves gussying them up a bit as in the case of today’s drool-worthy dish: Sweet and Sour Ham Ball Stir-Fry. I love this dish brimming with the sweet and salty ham balls, crisp-tender rainbow bell peppers and onions, tart pineapple pieces, all enrobed in an Asian-inspired sauce of chicken stock, soy sauce, Sriracha, and sesame oil. This beautiful meal is thrown together faster than it takes the pot of rice or noodles on which you’ll serve it to be done. The ham balls are already fully cooked, so they don’t need much more than a heat-through to be table ready. In order to keep from having warm ham balls with mushy stir vegetables and pineapple, we cook them separately and combine them at the end. This keeps our meat hot, sauce just-thick-enough, and vegetables crisp-tender… just the way it oughta be.

I mentioned noodles or rice just a second ago, so I want to address that for a moment. Serve it on whatever you want, obviously, but I’m partial to using rice here because it soaks up all that luscious sauce.

Friends, if you don’t already have post-Easter ham balls stashed in your freezer, I encourage you to whip up a batch toute de suite. If you make a full sized batch (or even a double batch!) you’ll have enough for a big, hearty ham ball meal AND a couple of batches of Sweet and Sour Ham Ball Stir-Fry. I call that a delicious return on your time investment!

XO,

Rebecca

Sweet and Sour Ham Ball Stir-Fry | Make Ahead Mondays

Rating: 51

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Sweet and Sour Ham Ball Stir-Fry | Make Ahead Mondays

The whole family loves this dish brimming with the sweet and salty ham balls, crisp-tender rainbow bell peppers and onions, tart pineapple pieces, all enrobed in an Asian-inspired sauce of chicken stock, soy sauce, Sriracha, and sesame oil. This beautiful meal is thrown together faster than it takes the pot of rice or noodles on which you'll serve it to be done because it makes use of previously cooked ham balls.

Ingredients

3 medium sized bell peppers, any colours (I prefer one each of red, orange, and green.), stems and seeds removed and thinly sliced into strips
1 large yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced into strips
2 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons canola, peanut, vegetable or grapeseed oil, divided
24 frozen or refrigerated ham balls along with any syrup with which they were frozen or refrigerated
1 can (20 ounces) pineapple chunks packed in juice (*See Notes), drained with the juice preserved
1 to 1 3/4 cups low-sodium or home canned chicken stock or broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1-3 tablespoons Sriracha hot sauce, depending on heat preference
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
hot cooked rice or noodles for serving

Instructions

Pour the pineapple juice into a 4-cup capacity liquid measuring cup. Add enough chicken stock or broth to bring the liquid level to 2 cups. Whisk the sesame oil and Sriracha into the pineapple juice/chicken stock mixture and set aside. In a separate small bowl, use a fork or whisk to create a paste from the soy sauce and cornstarch. Set this aside as well.

Add the teaspoon of canola (or other) oil to the bottom of a high-sided, large skillet or frying pan over high heat. Toss in the sliced onion and stir fry it until fragrant and beginning to take on just a tinge of colour round the edges, about 2 minutes. Add in the thinly sliced bell peppers, garlic, and salt and stir fry,still over high heat, until the pepper strips are hot all of the way through, but still very crisp.

Transfer the peppers, onions and garlic to a heat proof bowl and set aside, uncovered. This prevents the peppers from overcooking.

Return the pan to the heat and add the remaining teaspoon of oil, heat until shimmery and add the ham balls along with any syrup with which they were frozen or refrigerated. Lower the heat to medium high and stir until the syrup has boiled and reduced to a dark, very thick and sticky consistency. Add the pineapple chunks to the pan and quickly stir fry.

The pineapple should become coated in the sticky ham ball syrup. Whisk the reserved cornstarch and soy sauce paste into the pineapple juice and chicken stock mixture then pour over the ham balls and pineapple and stir.

Bring the sauce to a boil and then drop the heat to medium low and simmer until it is thick enough to leave a trail when you pull your finger through it down the back of a spoon. Return the peppers, onions and garlic to the pan, toss to distribute everything evenly and cook just until the peppers and onions are hot all the way through again.

Serve over freshly cooked hot rice or the noodles of your choice with additional soy sauce and Sriracha.

Notes

*Do not use pineapple chunks packed in syrup if you can avoid it. If that's all you have handy, drain and rinse the pineapple chunks and discard the syrup. In place of the pineapple juice you would've used, use all chicken stock or broth. It won't be quite as tart as it would've been, but it'll still be delicious.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/04/29/sweet-and-sour-ham-ball-stir-fry-make-ahead-mondays/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

Filed Under: Main Dish, Make Ahead Mondays, Rebecca, Recipes

Spinach and Feta Grilled Turkey Burgers

April 24, 2013 by Rebecca 30 Comments

Turkey burgers usually suffer from an identity crisis. They’re shaped like a burger, they’re made from ground meat, they’re served on buns, but -good golly- they are usually shoe leather dry and sorrowfully bland. The dry bit is because we all like our stomachs where they are in the shape they’re already in and in order to keep them there, one must cook turkey to the requisite safe temperature (165°F in the thickest part, thankyouverymuch). This means it’s gonna take a while.

Because of this, turkey burgers need to have added moisture be it in the form of water, broth, egg, blahblahblah. When this happens, they’re unfortunately prone to falling apart which means that most people don’t want to bother grilling them because it’s a serious pain in the tuckus to avoid the fally apparty* nature of the juiced up ground meat.

*Don’t even give me grief for that. Can you think of a better way to describe it?

To add more body back into the burger, lots of folks add bread crumbs in as a binder which puts us back at the point we were trying to avoid: dry burgers.

HOWEVAH, there’s a solution. Not only does the solution taste great, but it also adds veggies to your burgers which ups the healthy quotient of the sandwich. Win/win, right?

How to Keep Your Turkey Burgers Moist:

Here’s how it’s done; we very gently wilt spinach in hot olive oil that is flush with roasted garlic. Are you happy yet? Roasted garlic always makes me happy! The roasted garlic is another flavour boost for the poor flavour-deficient turkey bird. Notice I said gently. You don’t want to cook the spinach down to mush… You’re going to stop at the point where the spinach has gone from a big old pile like this:

…to a little old pile like this. Please notice that the spinach isn’t mush and still has some body.

At this point, you gently load the spinach into a colander over a plate and let it drain WITHOUT squishing, squeezing or otherwise molesting the spinach. Because we’re letting the spinach take some of its naturally abundant liquid with it, the spinach stores the liquid until the meat heats up on the grill and releases it INSIDE the burger. That way we don’t have sloppy, wet, fally aparty (Yes, I said it again.), sorry turkey burgers.

Let it cool like this until it’s room temperature. Right here? I usually pop it in the refrigerator overnight in a covered container. You could carry on with the burgers immediately, but I like my spinach cold before I mix it into the burger meat. Whether you cool it or proceed toute de suite, the next step is the same: chop the spinach roughly. We’re not talking itty bitty spinach morsels here, we’re talking about just breaking it up so you can distribute it through the meat a little more evenly.

Mix the chopped spinach into the meat with the crumbled feta, some black pepper, and a bit of salt. Oh hey! That feta brings moisture and flavour to the party, too!

Divide into four or six even balls and form into burgers.

How to Keep your Turkey Burgers from Falling Apart on the Grill:

Okay, here’s one of my never-skip-steps for turkey burgers. After forming the patties, I put them on a parchment lined cookie sheet and pop them in the freezer while I’m preheating the grill. I don’t heat that grill ahead of time, because that little rest in the freezer (unlike beef, which you’d want to cook closer to room temp) helps hold them together in their initial slap onto the grill. This in turn gives the meat a chance to firm up under heat before you go messing with it and flipping it over. Don’t just take my word for it, though; give it a try.

Now I’m about to tell you something that you’d better not ignore. When you gently ease those patties onto the heated and oiled grill you want to be sure you’re putting each one exactly where you want it to stay for six minutes, because you are not even to THINK about moving those until the six minute mark. This is your truest hope of keeping the burgers intact. After six minutes, the meat will have cooked enough to hold together when you flip it. And once you flip it? DON’T TOUCH THAT GRILL for at least eight minutes (unless it’s to lower the heat because you got hungry and antsy and upped the temperature too much.) Turkey needs a little more finessing on the grill than beef, there’s no getting around it, but it tastes so good when it’s done right.

And let me tell you these smell insanely good while they’re grilling. How good do they smell?

Let’s just say my turkey burgers bring all the chickens to the yard.

XO Rebecca

Spinach and Feta Grilled Turkey Burgers

Ingredients

1 bag baby spinach (6 ounces)
4 cloves roasted garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 pound 93% lean ground turkey
4 ounces crumbled feta cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
black pepper to taste
4-6 hamburger buns (I like whole wheat here.)
extra olive oil for oiling the grates and brushing the buns before toasting.

Optional Garnish:

mixed greens
mayonnaise
Dijon mustard
Roasted Garlic Whipped Feta

Instructions

Pour the teaspoon of olive oil in a heavy skillet with a tight fitting lid over high heat. When it is shimmery and hot add the roasted garlic to the pan and stir for about 10 seconds or until it's fragrant. Add the spinach all at once and flip it a couple of times with tongs. Turn the heat off, add the lid and let sit for 2 minutes. Remove the lid, flip a couple more times, add the lid and leave for 1 more minute. Use the tongs to gently transfer the spinach and garlic to a colander on a plate. Let it rest until room-temperature. Either chill in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or proceed to the next step.

Roughly chop the wilted spinach and garlic so you can more easily mix it through the ground turkey. Add it to a mixing bowl with the turkey, feta, salt, and pepper. Gently but thoroughly mix everything together until all of the ingredients are evenly distributed. Form into 4 to 6 burger patties that are at least 3/4 of an inch thick. Place the formed patties onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and let it rest in the freezer while you preheat your grill.

Preheat your grill to medium-high. Soak a wadded paper towel generously with olive oil and use tongs to rub it over the clean grill grates, heavily oiling them. Ease the burger patties onto the grill and do not move them for 6 minutes, leaving the cover of the grill open. After 6 minutes, flip the burgers just once and let them continue to cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the burgers release from the grill and the interior temperature of the thickest part of the burgers reaches 165°F. Transfer the burgers to a clean plate.

Brush each of the insides of the buns with olive oil and toast them directly on the grill just until they have grill marks. Use tongs or a spatula to transfer the buns to a clean plate or baking sheet.

Serve each burger on a bun topped as desired.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/04/24/spinach-and-feta-grilled-turkey-burgers/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

Filed Under: Chicken and other Poultry, Happy Healthy and Wise, Main Dish, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: budget friendly, family-friendly, kid friendly, party food, quick and easy, seasonal

Spicy Sweet Pulled Pork Empanadas

April 2, 2013 by Rebecca 4 Comments

It’s time for another installment of “I’m Obsessed with Empanadas”. I’ve made them stuffed with just about everything I can possibly think to stuff in them. The particular empanada recipe I’m sharing today starts with leftover pulled pork. Thi s pulled pork recipe is perfect because it is already spicy enough. If you don’t have any of this kind handy, there’s an easy kludge I’ll share with you, but I do like eliminating work for myself where I can.

…And because I like sweet with spicy, I soaked some golden raisins in rum for a little kick before stirring them into the pork. You could use any variety of raisin you have on hand. The only reason I went with golden ones is that I had an abundance of them. If you’re not a raisin fan, I suppose you could omit them if you’d like, but I think they bring something special to the party.

Rounding out the lineup with the spicy pork and the sweet, rum-soaked raisins is a bit of minced red onion. It adds just enough punch and brightness to make itself known without being overpowering. Now, added to all this is a neat little hand-held, fried package that makes my heart sing.

The longest part of the procedure is soaking the raisins and even that can be hurried a bit if you cover it with plastic wrap and put it in the microwave on HIGH for a minute.

If you have pulled pork and empanada wrappers in the freezer, and raisins, onions, and oil in the pantry, you’re mere moments away from chomping down on crispy, puffy, sweet and spicy pulled pork empanadas. I like to serve them with a side of sour cream that has just a little chopped cilantro and lime juice mixed in for dipping, but they’re equally great nibbled solo or with fresh salsa.

I can’t get enough of the spicy, juicy pork mixed with sweet, slightly rummy raisins and bright crisp-tender onion.

How about you? Are you a fan of empanadas? How about raisins with pork?

XO Rebecca

Spicy Sweet Pulled Pork Empanadas

Rating: 51

Spicy Sweet Pulled Pork Empanadas

Crispy, Spicy Sweet Pulled Pork Empanadas are just moments away when you have pulled pork and empanada wrappers on hand in your freezer. These hand-held meat pies get a little extra kick from minced red onion and raisins soaked in golden or dark rum. Serve these as a blockbuster appetizer or movie night main dish.

Ingredients

2/3 cup seedless raisins
2/3 cup golden or dark rum
3 cups fully cooked pulled or shredded pork *See Notes
1/4 cup minced red onion
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced or pressed
Optional: one chipotle from a can of chipotles in adobo, mashed with a fork
2 10-count packages frozen empanada wrappers (I use Goya Discos)
Enough canola, vegetable, or peanut oil or lard to fill a high-sided pan or skillet with 2-3 inches.

Instructions

Put the raisins in a heat-proof bowl. Pour the rum over the top and cover with plastic wrap. Let the raisins soak in the rum for at least an hour or overnight. **See Notes.

If there is any rum that has not been absorbed by the raisins, pour it off carefully. Toss the raisins with the shredded pork, minced onion, garlic, and chipotle (if using) until all ingredients are evenly distributed.

Lightly roll out each empanada wrapper (just to thin it out a bit) and place about 2 tablespoons of the filling slightly off center. Fold the wrapper in half over the filling and crimp the edges with a fork. If desired, you can fold and crimp the edges decoratively as well.

Heat your oil to 350°F. Line a plate with several thicknesses of paper towels. Carefully lower only as many empanadas into the oil as can fit with quite a bit of extra room for them to move about as they fry and expand. Fry the empanadas for 3-4 minutes, turning about halfway through frying, or until they are a deep golden brown. Remember that they will continue to darken when they are removed from the oil. Transfer the cooked empanadas to the paper towel lined plate and let cool slightly before serving.

Serve with fresh salsa or sour cream with cilantro stirred into it.

Notes

*I use this recipe because it is already spicy. If you don't have leftovers of a spicy pork, you can crush one chipotle from a can of chipotles in adobo and stir it into the pork to approximate the spice and flavour levels.

**If you're in a big hurry for empanadas (and who can blame you?) put the plastic wrapped covered bowl into the microwave and microwave on HIGH for 1-2 minutes, or until the raisins have plumped and absorbed much of the rum. Pour off any excess rum and proceed as directed above.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/04/02/spicy-sweet-pulled-pork-empanadas/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Main Dish, Meat Tagged With: budget friendly, family-friendly, Frugal Food, kid friendly, party food, quick and easy, quick meal

Slow-Cooker Honey Sriracha Barbecue Chicken | Make Ahead Mondays

March 25, 2013 by Rebecca 24 Comments

That is a sandwich you need in your life right now. Luckily, it takes little time to accomplish such a sandwich even though the Honey Sriracha Barbecue Chicken is made in the slow-cooker. Before I go any further, I’d like to thank Kalyn from Kalyn’s Kitchen for her original recipe that inspired my version you’re seeing here today.

Now, let’s get into what makes this chicken so very good. I am a chicken breast lover in a dark meat chicken loving household. Most often, I use chicken thighs because it seems to be a happy medium and it’s usually far less expensive per pound. This chicken, however, starts with boneless, skinless chicken breast. Mrawrrrrrrrr.

Although all by itself, boneless, skinless chicken breast tends to cook more quickly than dark meat chicken, it gets a boost here by being trimmed, cut in thirds lengthwise and then in half crosswise. What this does for us to reduce the cooking time even further. You start it cooking on HIGH for an hour then drop it to low for the remaining two hours. That’s right. Three hours to slow-cooked perfection. That means that you might even be able to squeeze this in on a week night.

Cutting the chicken thusly serves another purpose, too, though. It sets it up for shredding more quickly and into more manageable bite sized pieces. See? This is the chicken straight from the slow-cooker.

And two forks and five minutes later…

As for the sauce, there’s nothing complicated to it. I drop all the ingredients in the blender (including the onion and garlic) and whizz ’til smooth. If you’re blender-averse (or blender-less) you can chop the onions and garlic separately then whisk it into the liquid ingredients before adding to the slow-cooker. When you take the chicken out of the slow-cooker, simply pour the sauce into a saucepan and reduce it over high heat until it’s thick. You return the chicken to the slow-cooker while it’s reducing, then pour the thickened, reduced sauce over the chicken and toss. Fast and fabulous is hard to beat.

This recipe also holds the distinction of being something every one of our family members loved. My kids like spicy foods, so we went with the high end of the Sriracha. If you have more delicate taste buds in your crew, reduce that down, but don’t omit it; it delivers such flavour, the chicken would be lost without it.

So why is this a Make Ahead Monday recipe? Because this recipe feeds my hungry horde two full meals! It’s hard to believe that six little boneless, skinless chicken breasts could stretch like that, but it does. And you could easily increase it to the point where you’ve filled your slow-cooker. In that case, it might take just a wee bit longer to cook, but the end game remains the same: tasty honey tinged gently spicy barbecue shredded chicken for topping salads, pizzas, sandwiches, and more.

Speaking of sandwiches, I chose to serve the chicken on toasted whole wheat buns with a simple salad of cucumber ribbons (just cut a cucumber in quarters lengthwise and use a vegetable peeler to cut the ribbons) and fresh cilantro leaves. That was topped -in turn- with a runny-yolked fried egg.

It’s eye-roll-into-the-back-of-your-head good. Really. Just look at that. I can’t help myself around runny yolked eggs. I get weak in the knees with joy. I lose control of my better senses; I lick the plate in front of my children.

So today, YES, please today, make yourself a batch of this chicken and divide it into meal sized portions. You’ll be so glad you did!

XO,

Rebecca

Slow-Cooker Honey Sriracha Barbecue Chicken | Make Ahead Mondays

Rating: 51

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours

Total Time: 3 hours, 10 minutes

Slow-Cooker Honey Sriracha Barbecue Chicken | Make Ahead Mondays

Gentle sweetness from honey brings out the best of the tasty heat from Sriracha in this great Slow-Cooker Honey Sriracha Barbecue Chicken. Pile the chicken high on sandwiches topped with a cucumber, cilantro salad, and a fried egg ~or~ on a tossed salad, in tacos or on a chicken fajita or barbecue pizza. Leftovers store beautifully in individual portions in the freezer.

Adapted from and with thanks to Kalyn's Kitchen

Ingredients

For the Sauce:

3/4 cup ketchup
1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped (*See Notes)
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped (*See Notes)
1/2 cup honey
1-3 tablespoons of Sriracha, depending on your heat tolerance
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

For the Chicken:

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts trimmed of visible fat
salt and pepper to taste, but don't add until the sauce has been reduced.

For the Sandwiches:

1 English cucumber, cut in quarters lengthwise then into ribbons with a vegetable peeler
fresh cilantro leaves, to taste
1 fried egg per sandwich
1 whole wheat sandwich bun per sandwich

Instructions

Cut the chicken breast into three strips lengthwise, then cut once crosswise. This will reduce each chicken breast into 6 pieces for faster cooking and shredding when it is done. Lay all of these in the bottom of a slow-cooker crock.

Place all of the sauce ingredients in a blender, fix the lid in place, and blend on HIGH until smooth. Pour this over the chicken in the slow-cooker. Put the slow-cooker lid in place and cook on HIGH for 1 hour. At that time, reduce the heat to LOW and cook for another 2 hours or until you can pick up a large piece of chicken with the tongs and break it in half easily by pressing it against the side of the slow-cooker crock.

Use tongs to transfer all of the chicken to a cutting board. Pour the sauce into a saucepan and place it over medium high heat to reduce, stirring frequently to prevent scorching. While it reduces, use two forks to shred the chicken and return the shredded chicken to the slow-cooker on the Keep Warm setting or off, but either way, put the lid on to keep the chicken warm and prevent it from drying out.

When the sauce is reduced, pour it over the chicken and use the tongs to toss to coat it with sauce. Taste the chicken and adjust with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve hot on a toasted whole wheat sandwich bun topped with cucumber ribbons, cilantro leaves and a fried egg, cold on salads, tucked into tacos or baked on pizzas.

Leftovers can be frozen in individual meal-sized portions in airtight containers.

Notes

*If you do not have a blender, finely chop the onions and garlic and whisk them into the liquid sauce ingredients before pouring over the chicken in the slow-cooker.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/03/25/slow-cooker-honey-sriracha-barbecue-chicken-make-ahead-mondays/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com

Filed Under: Chicken and other Poultry, Happy Healthy and Wise, Make Ahead Mondays, Meat, Rebecca, Recipes, slow-cooker Tagged With: budget friendly, family-friendly, Frugal Food, kid friendly, party food, quick and easy, Snacks, Super Bowl

French Roasted Asparagus, Tuna and Hardboiled Egg Sandwiches | Lenten Friday Recipes

March 1, 2013 by Rebecca 7 Comments

We observe meatless Fridays through Lent. And while that should sound like no biggie, it’s surprisingly difficult for a meat-lovin’ family like ours to commit to one day a week sans meat even if we allow ourselves fish, which we do. For someone who spent nearly seven years as a vegetarian, I’m shockingly lacking in the creativity department when I’ve made a rule for myself.

That’s not to say that vegetarian and seafood dishes don’t ding my chimes. In fact, I kind of obsess over mushroom dishes and seafood on Pinterest. It’s really the rule that trips me up because I deliberately avoid food restrictions in my life. It makes me stop and consider why I have such a hard time giving up things for one little day a week but I think that’s good for me. Isn’t that the point of observing Lent, after all?

Last year, I saw a Spring Sandwich on TheKitchn that sounded like the perfect Lenten Fridays dish, and I pinned it like a good girl then forgot I had pinned it.

I’m good like that.

A bell went off in my little brain when I admired the bundles of super-thin asparagus at Aldi last week. I grabbed a couple bundles there, then a handful of fresh dill and a Parmesan peppercorn baguette at Wegman’s and congratulated myself all the way home on being clever enough to remember it.

At home, I decided to toast my crusty bread because as much as I love bread, I love it even better when it’s toasted. And here’s the thing, I had decided I wanted to put some olive oil packed tuna on this sandwich to really pile the protein on there and keep my meat-lovin’ tummy satisfied. It seemed like a good idea, so I opened the can of tuna and drizzled a little of the flavour-packed olive oil over the cut bread and brushed it around before toasting it. I’m pretty sure that was the best decision I had made in at least a week… It infused the bread with just a hint of tuna and crisped the surface beautifully and gave it an undeniably French touch. I’m going to repeat that again and again.

I roasted the asparagus because honestly, asparagus just can’t taste better than that.

I smeared some of my best grainy mustard on the toasted bread, piled the tender salt-and-pepper asparagus spears on top, flaked the tuna over the asparagus, laid on slices of hardboiled eggs, sprinkled coarse sea salt and cracked black pepper and added a few sprigs of fresh dill before laying that other fabulous piece of toasted baguette over all.

It took a little work eating the sandwich, what with having such a delicate little mouth and all (she says as two whole cookies fall out of her maw) but I managed. It was glorious, I tell you. I ate the entire thing by myself before assembling more for the guys.

It’s my new go-to Lenten recipe… Granted, there are members of the no-visible-veg contingent who feel compelled to pull the asparagus from their sandwiches, but that’s okay by me because I hoover the tender little spears from their plate before they hit the sink.

No asparagus left behind.

I’m curious… do you observe Lent? If so, how do you do it? Meat-free Fridays? Meat-free Fridays and Wednesdays? If you do, what are your favourite recipes for those days? Do you give up something else or have certain activities?

French Roasted Asparagus, Tuna and Hardboiled Egg Sandwiches | Lenten Friday Recipes

Rating: 51

Yield: 1 large sandwich or 2 smaller ones

Serving Size: 1/2 of a large sandwich or 1 individual sandwich

French Roasted Asparagus, Tuna and Hardboiled Egg Sandwiches | Lenten Friday Recipes

This French style sandwich is one of the best ways to fill up without weighing down on your meat-free days: toasted baguette with grainy Dijon mustard, tender roasted asparagus, hard-boiled eggs, olive-oil packed tuna, fresh dill, coarse salt and cracked black pepper. Serve with a nice glass of wine and you have a feast!

It can be prepared and refrigerated for up to 24 hours before serving.

Inspired by and with thanks to TheKitchn

Ingredients

1 crusty baguette or 2 crusty rolls
20 thin asparagus spears
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 can olive-oil packed tuna
grainy Dijon mustard
2 fresh hard-boiled eggs, peeled and sliced thickly
coarse salt and pepper to taste
fresh dill

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Trim any tough ends from the asparagus spears. Place the asparagus on a rimmed baking sheet and toss with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Arrange them in a single layer and roast for 8-10 minutes, depending on how thick the spears are and how tender you'd like the asparagus to be.

Turn on the broiler in your oven. Cut the baguette or crusty rolls in half and brush them with some of the oil from the oil packed tuna. Place 4-5 inches under the broiler, watching carefully, until golden brown. Do not walk away while this is toasting or you will have charcoal!

When the bread is cool enough to handle, spread all surfaces with the grainy mustard and arrange the roasted asparagus over it. Flake the tuna over the asparagus and follow with the slices of hard-boiled egg, a sprinkling of coarse salt and cracked black pepper and some sprigs of fresh dill before adding the final piece of bread.

Compress lightly with your hands and eat immediately or wrap tightly and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before eating.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/03/01/roasted-asparagus-tuna-and-hardboiled-egg-sandwiches-lenten-friday-recipes/

Recipe printed from Foodie With Family | Rebecca Lindamood http://www.foodiewithfamily.com