Portabello Mushroom Burgers

These burgers are just the most delicious, healthy summer eat; they are literally better than a meat burger!! The recipe is inspired by Webers Art of the Grill by Jamie Purviance

You Need: 

4 fresh Portobello mushrooms
2 red bell peppers
2 green zucchinis
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary
1 tablespoon finely chopped red onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 large ripe tomato
Raw red onion cut into rings
8 oz fresh goats cheese
12-16 fresh basil leaves
8 buns (we use Oetzer One Buns - whole wheat, 100 calories and taste great)
ketchup & mustard

Directions:
Remove stems from mushrooms. Cut the bell peppers into planks. Cut zucchini lengthwise into 1/2" thick slices. Put all of this into a ziplock bag.

In a small bowl mix oil, rosemary, chopped red onion, salt and pepper. pour mixture into the bag of vegetables and seal bag tightly. Marinate at room temp. for 15 minutes.

Prepare Grill for direct cooking over medium heat (350-450 degrees F)

Remove veggies from the bag and grill them over direct heat with the lid closed until tender, turning once. The mushrooms will take 12-14 minutes; bell peppers 10-12 minutes, zucchini 8-10 minutes.
Transfer to a large platter and drizzle wit the balsamic vinegar. season with salt and pepper.

Build your burger with grilled vegetables, a slice of goat cheese, raw onion, sliced tomato and basil leaves and add ketchup and mustard if you so desire. 

Salmon Cakes with Parsley gravy

So I was stuck with a big piece of salmon leftover from a bbq and nothing to do with it and i stumbled open a great recipe from the Barefoot Contessa for salmon cakes. I just made a few minor changes to fit my pallet.  The Parsley Gravy just compliments it beautifully! serve with some baby potatoes or quinoa, broccoli, carrots and avocado as garnish. 

Salmon Cakes:

1/2 lbs cooked salmon (mine had been bbq'd but oven cooked is just as good - season with olive oil,      salt and pepper and cook covered with foil in the oven at 400 degrees for 25 minutes - cool down)

4 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 red onion finely chopped 
1.5 cups small diced celery
1/2 cup small diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup small diced yellow bell pepper
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1 tablespoon capers, drained
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce (I use Siracha)
1/2 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Crab boil seasoning
3 slices stale wholewheat bread, crust removed
1/2 cup mayonnaise 
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
2 extra large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1/2 teaspoon pepper 

Place 2 tablespoons  olive oil in a large pan and add onion, celery, red and yellow peppers, parsley, capers, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, Old Bay, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and sauté over medium-low heat until vegetables are soft - approximately 15-20 minutes. cool to room temperature. 

Break the bread slices in pieces and process the bread in the food processor. you should have about 1 cup of bread crumbs. Place the crumbs on a sheet pan and toast in the oven for 5 minutes until lightly browned, tossing occasionally. 

Flake the chilled salmon into a large bowl (beware of any bones). Add the bread crumbs, mayo, mustard and eggs. Add the vegetable mixture and mix well. Cover and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. 

Shape into approximately 10 cakes.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. In batches fry the salmon cakes for 4-5 minutes on each side until browned. keep them warm in a preheated oven 250 degrees and serve hot. 

Parsley Gravy

3 tablespoon butter
2 1/2 tablespoon flour
1 3/4 cup non fat milk 
1 1/2 - 2 cups finely chopped parsley (I normally do this in the food processor)
dash of lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in a pot and add the flour under constant stirring. When it is a thick paste add a little milk and stir until the consistency is getting thicker, then add a little more milk. continue like that with all the milk. Add lemon juice and parsley. add salt and pepper.

Let the grave boil a little for a couple of minutes after the parsley has been added so as to kill any potential earth bacteria from the parsley.

Enjoy

BBQ Leg of Lamb

Lamb is such an underestimated meat and BBQ Lamb is just so delicious. I would recommend always serving lamb with a little bit of mint jelly or mint sauce - compliments the meat perfectly. 

You Need: 
1 Leg of lamb - bone in 
3 tablespoons melted butter
salt to taste (enough to rub into whole leg)
2 tablespoons of rosemary

Instructions:
30 minutes- 1 hour before bbqing take the leg out of the fridge so as to reach room temp. 

using a brush, cover the leg with the melted butter
rub with salt and rosemary

Put on the bbq at 400 degrees indirect heat
add more coals when temp. down to 325 degrees and bring back to 400 degrees

Take the meat off the bbq when inside temp reaches 140 degrees (approx 1hr 15 minutes)
Let the meat rest for 20 minutes covered with foil.

enjoy!

Pickled Sliced Cucumbers

Ok, so its not the season for pickling things whatsoever but as soon as the sun pokes  out, I want to plant and pickle so here goes...
I like the sliced pickled cucumbers because they are easier to use in sandwiches, salads, on meats etc. This is inspired by a recipe I found in a Danish cookbook by Trine Hahnemann (Det Skandinaviske Køkken).

Ingredients:
2-3 english cucumbers cut into thin-ish slices
1 bundle of Dill separated off the stalk into approx. 1" pieces

4 cups white vinegar
2 cups sugar
2.5 teaspoons salt
juice of 2 lemons
1 tablespoon whole pepper corns

Instructions:
Put the vinegar, sugar and salt in a pot and bring to a boil and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat, add the lemon juice and cool down.

put the sliced cucumbers, dill and pepper corns in a large scolded (this can be done in  the dish washer) pickle jar - just squeeze it all in there.

Pour the vinegar mixture over the cucumbers and seal the jar. Next day there will be room for more cucumbers and you can add more if you wish. 

Let the pickles rest for 24 hours before eating. Store the pickles in a dark cabinet until you open the jar - thereafter they need to be stored in the fridge and should be used within 2 months.

Light Pasta Salad

I love this Pasta salad because of its lightness and great taste. It is inspired by a recipe by Elise Bauer on  Simply Recipes that I found years ago: 


You Need: 
16 oz torchiette pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1.5 cups cherry tomatoes - chopped
3/4 cups chopped olives 
2 handfulls pine cone seeds 
1/2 cup basil pesto 
1 cup peas
1/4 cup basil leaves chopped
salt and pepper to taste 

Instructions  
cook the pasta al dente (approx 10-11 minutes) in salted water and strain. 
Mix in a tablespoon of olive oil to prevent the pasta getting sticky and let it cool down.
Gently mix everything else in  and then it is ready to serve.

Enjoy! 

Guinness Ice Cream with Chocolate covered Pretzels

I have just made this ice cream in readiness for St Patrick's day tomorrow and it is AWESOME! Even for a non-beer drinker like myself - and so I felt like I had to share!
I got this recipe from Food & Wine and it is by pastry chef Cory Barrett.

You Need: 

2 cups of Guinness (16 oz)
2 cups of heavy cream 
1 3/4 cups of whole milk
15 large egg yolks
1 cup granulated sugar

Chocolate covered pretzels for serving

Instructions
In a large saucepan, combine the Guinness, heavy cream and whole milk and bring to a simmer over moderately high heat. In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar. Gradually add the hot Guinness cream to the yolks, whisking constantly until well blended. 

Pour the mixture into the saucepan and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly until it coats the back of the spoon, about 6 minutes; do not let it boil. Pour the custard into a medium bowl set in a large bowl filled with ice water. Let it stand until the custard is cold, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.

Pour the custard into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions (this may have to be done in two batches). Pack the ice cream into an airtight container and freeze until firm, about  4 hours. 

Spoon the ice cream into bowls and top with some chocolate covered pretzels and serve

Make ahead: The ice cream can be frozen for up to 1 week 

enjoy!

SAVORY TURKEY CRÉPES

I made these for my family on European Pancake Day. They were a total hit with all ages and a nice healthier and more nutritious alternative to the normal crepes with sugar, jam or ice-cream. The crepe recipe can be used for sweet as well.

Crèpes (approx. 12)

You need: 
1.5 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt

3 eggs
1.5 cup milk
butter or oil for frying

Mix everything together. Melt a little butter on a large frying pan. spread a thin layer of batter on  the pan. Pan fry at medium heat for a few minutes, then turn over (note: the first one has a tendency to go wrong - dunno why). Repeat until all batter is gone 

Meat filling: 

You need: 
1lbs ground turkey
1/2 red onion
1 tablespoon oil
1 medium carrot (grated)
2 celery sticks (chopped)
1 cup strained tomatoes or chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon oregano 
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 leaf of green cabbage finely chopped (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
Grated parmesan cheese to taste

Heat up the oil in a medium size pan and brown the onions and meat. Add everything else and let it simmer for 10 minutes on medium heat.

Put the filling on the crèpes (as shown in picture), roll and place in a lightly greased oven dish. Sprinkle a little grated parmesan cheese on top and place in the oven for 15 minutes at 390 degrees

Enjoy