Caramelized Onions and Mushrooms Burger with melted Gouda & Garlic Dill Aoili

Well Spring is officially here is Chicago, however it is not what we had dreamed about all Winter. It hasn't stopped raining all week and we haven't seen much of that thing called the Sun! Thankfully though, I will be able to skip out on this weather for a long weekend in Vegas with my best girlfriends.

A few weeks back I made THE BEST burger, I have had in our kitchen. We go to a lot of specialty burger places such as Butcher and the Burge, Kuma's & Burger Bar, but I hadn't made a gourmet burger in my house until this baby!

We use a simple seasoning on our burgers, just salt and pepper. Grilled to a perfect medium, couple slices of melted Gouda, placed on a toasted sesame bun with caramelized onions and mushrooms, arugula, slice of tomato and my garlic dill aoili.

To caramelize the onions and mushrooms will take about 15 minutes, maybe more. While my husband was preparing the burgers, I started chopping the veggies we would need for the burger.

Caramelized Onions and Mushrooms
1/2 to 1 medium onion
1/2 package of mushrooms
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper

Slice the onions and mushrooms and place in a large skillet  with a good portion of oil. Heat should be at medium to high. Be sure to find the right temperature to allow the onions and mushrooms to cook slowly and gradually turn a deep golden brown color.  Cook for probably 5 minutes longer than the picture below:

Garlic Dill Aoili

2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp garlic powder (more or less depending on desired flavor)
1 tbls or more of chopped fresh dill
1/4 cup mayonnaise
Juice from 1/2 lemon
Cayenne pepper to taste

Add ingredients in a small bowl and combine well. Add more of less of each ingredient based on your tastes. The texture should be rather liquidy due to the lemon juice. I prefer to use a lot of lemon juice as to make the sauce lighter and less thick. Add enough garlic and garlic powder so that you can definitely taste the garlic flavor.  I had dill in the house so I thought that would be a nice fresh addition as well.

Once I was finished with the garlic dill aoli, I still felt that it was a little heavy for my tastes, so I added a bit of cayenne pepper to cut the savoriness of the sauce.





Hope you guys are having a great day!!

Mary

Turkey Burgers

I'm knocking on wood as I say this... but, the past few days in Brooklyn have been sunny and in the 50s, which has me dreaming of flowers, spring dresses, and my GRILL! 

While it's not quite yet warm enough for backyard cookouts, this past Sunday I still opted for a yummy reminder of warmer months--burgers!--and just substituted the stove for the barbecue. Although I am a huge fan of red meat, I decided to use turkey for these burgers because not only is turkey much leaner than beef, it's also more of a brain food--and after the all-nighter I pulled this weekend, my brain needed all the help it could get before Monday morning!

Directions:
1 lb ground turkey
2 carrots, peeled and diced
3-4 spring onions, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
Few dashes of Worcestershire sauce
Chipotle and lime aioli

Preheat oven to 375°F.

In a large bowl, combine ground turkey, carrots, onion, and garlic. If spring onions aren't available at your local market, substitute a medium-sized red onion, diced. Because I am a huge fan of spice, I also added a dash of fire sauce that my friend gifted me after her trip to the Bahamas. Divide the meat mixture into fourths and shape into patties.

Next, heat about a teaspoon of olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the burgers on both sides, and then transfer to the oven. Cook for about 10-15 minutes, or until the meat is cooked through, about 165°F. 

Of course if you are luckier than me and do have access to your grill, you could always just toss these babies onto the grill for about 7 minutes on each side or until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.

While the burgers finish cooking, prepare the buns for assembling. I like to use "The 3 Meal Muffin"  from Central Bakery. However, if these aren't available in your local market, you could substitute English muffins or just regular old hamburger buns. I also topped my burgers with some spring mix, a slice of muenster cheese, and the fresh chipotle lime aioli that Mary posted last week. If I had an avocado in the house, I would have added a slice or two as well. 

Finally, keeping with the spirit of spring, I'd pair this dish with those delicious coriander pickles Mary posted yesterday. Check them out! And, ENJOY!!

Sweet Potato Burger with Chipotle Lime Aoili

I came up with this recipe one night when my husband was out of town and I was limited on groceries. A sweet potato was the only substantial thing I had in the house. So I started brainstorming about what I could do with a sweet potato besides bake it and eat it with brown sugar, and this is what I came up with!

I cooked the burgers in a large nonstick skillet, however you can also cook them in the oven at 350` for 15-20 minutes. Additionally  the burgers are not as structured as a regular meat burger, so I would suggest serving the burger on a bed of greens as opposed to a bun. 

The sauce I use on this burger is a staple in my kitchen. Using plain Greek yogurt as a substitute for mayo is a huge calorie saver while still getting the same taste. The chipotle masks most of the flavor of the mayo, therefore you can't taste that the sauce is made from yogurt. And the lime juice helps to thin out the sauce and add a bit of freshness. 

TIP: Chipotle in Adobo comes in a can and typically a recipe will only call for 1-2 chipotles. Instead of throwing away the leftover chipotle, puree the the contents of the can and the pureed chipotles will be good in an air tight container for up to three months in the refrigerator. Time and cost saver! Then you can add a bit of chipotle to any dish throughout the week- stir-fry, spicy guacamole, tacos, ect!

Sweet Potato Burger

1 Sweet potato

1/2 cup cooked Quinoa

1/2 cup your choice of Beans

1/4 cup shaved Carrots

1/4 cup chopped Red Pepper

1/4 cup chopped Red Onion

Cilantro

Juice of 1/2 lime

1/2 tsp garlic powder, cumin

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, chili powder 

Salt and pepper to taste

Chipotle Lime Aoili

1 tbs plain Greek yogurt

1 tbs mayonnaise

1 tbs chipotle in adobo (more or less based on your desired heat level)

Juice of 1/2 lime

Directions

Bake sweet potato or cook in microwave. Discard skin and add to a large bowl. Add cooked quinoa and beans. Using a pastry cutter mash the mixture until the ingredients are combined. Add the rest of the ingredients and combine well. 

Form mixture into burger patties and preheat a large nonstick skillet with a few tablespoons of oil. Cook covered over medium to high heat for 5 minutes on each side. Be careful when flipping the burgers. They are not very structured and can break apart if you are not gentle.

While burgers are on the stove, prepare the Chipotle Lime Aoili and prepare your desired toppings- I went with sliced tomato and avocado on a bed of spinach. To prepare aoili, simply combine all the ingredients.

Once burgers are done, assemble and enjoy!

Thanks!

Mary