Carne Asada Guacamole Burgers

These burgers take a few steps to make but are SO good!

Recipe is from Cafe Delites, www.cafedelites.com.

INGREDIENTS

Burgers
1 lb lean ground/minced beef
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
4 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1/2 of a red onion, grated
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 large cloves garlic, minced
4 small slices pickled jalapeños (optional)
1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes (or chili powder)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground paprika
Salt to taste (about 1 teaspoon)
4 slices cheddar cheese
4 small bread rolls of choice

Guacamole
2 ripe avocados
1/4 of a red onion, finely chopped
1/2 lime, juiced
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice (or lemon juice)
2 small slices pickled jalapeños
Salt to taste

Pico De Gallo:
2 ripe tomatoes, diced
1/4 of the remaining red onion, finely diced
3 tablespoons shredded fresh cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon lime juice
Salt to taste

INSTRUCTIONS
Burgers
Combine beef, lime juice, orange juice, onion, cilantro, garlic, jalapeños, chilli flakes, cumin, paprika and salt in a large bowl. Mix well with your hands for about a minute, until the meat has combined with the other ingredients. Divide the meat mixture into 4 equal parts and firmly mold them into round patties about 1-inch thick. 

Drizzle a skillet or non stick pan with a small amount of oil; preheat pan over medium-high heat. When pan is hot, sear the burgers for 5 to 6 minutes on each side until cooked to your liking. In the last minute or two of cooking, add the sliced cheese over the patties and allow the cheese to melt.

Build burgers with lettuce (optional), beef, guacamole and pico de gallo.

Guacamole
Cut the avocados in half lengthwise. Remove the pit from the avocado and discard. Remove the avocado from the skin and place the avocado flesh into a bowl.

Add the orange juice, lime juice, red onion, jalapeños, and salt. Mash with a fork until half smooth and creamy. Taste and add more salt if desired.

Pico De Gallo
Combine the tomatoes, onions and cilantro together in your serving dish. Drizzle with the lime juice; salt to taste.

Juicy Steakhouse Burgers

These burgers are worth making at least once! I doubled the garlic, salt, pepper, ketchup and Worcestershire and cooked them on a grill pan medium heat for five minutes on each side, added american cheese and served on brioche buns. We loved them!

Recipe is from Once Upon a Chef with Jenn Segal, www.onceuponachef.com.

INGREDIENTS
2 pieces white sandwich bread, crusts removed and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1/3 cup milk
2-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
1-1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons ketchup
3 pounds 85% lean ground beef
3 scallions, finely sliced (optional)
Non-flammable cooking spray to grease grill
8 hamburger buns

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the grill to high heat.

In a large bowl, mash the bread and milk together with a fork until it forms a chunky paste. Add the salt, pepper, garlic, Worcestershire sauce and ketchup and mix well.

Add the ground beef and scallions and break the meat up with your hands. Gently mix everything together until just combined. Do not overmix. Divide the mixture into 8 equal portions and form loose balls. Flatten the balls into 3/4-inch patties about 4-1/2 inches across. Form a slight depression in the center of each patty to prevent the burgers from puffing up on the grill.

Grease the grill with non-flammable cooking spray. Grill the burgers, covered, until nicely browned on the first side, 2-4 minutes. Flip burgers and continue cooking for a few minutes more until desired doneness is reached. Before serving, toast the buns on the cooler side of the grill if desired.

Caramelized Apple and Goat Cheese Tartines

This is a little snack perfect for afternoon tea or a very informal dessert. I concocted it on a cloudy Sunday evening for Paul and me to share. It will have been the first of many times it appears in my snack rotation. I used lavender (which my neighbor grows whole bushes of) and thyme with the apples, and although you could substitute different herbs or spices, I highly recommend this combination. So go get yourself some lavender and goat cheese and make this right now.

• baguette
• soft goat cheese
• 2 large apples
• <1/4 t lavender
• <1/4 t thyme
• 1 T butter
• 2 T sugar
• 1 T apple cider vinegar

Preheat the oven to 450º with the rack in the top third of the oven.

Slice 6 diagonal pieces of the baguette (I used French, but I think whole grain bread would be nicer) and spread each slice with a generous smear of goat cheese. Set aside.

Peel, core, and finely chop the apples. The herbs should be finely chopped as well. Heat the butter in a medium skillet until browning, then add the apples and herbs. Toss over medium-high heat until the apples begin to brown.

At this point, place the bread in the oven, either on a baking sheet or directly on the rack. Keep an eye on it, but it should take about 10 minutes to toast and for the cheese to melt.

Add the sugar and cider vinegar to the apples and turn the heat down to medium-low. Toss occasionally until the vinegar is cooked off, the sugar is melted, and some of the apples have a dark brown edge.

When the toast is done, remove from the oven and top each slice with a spoonful of the apples. Serve warm.

Makes 6 tartines.

Greek Fajitas

Heat a heavy skillet until a splash of water spits, then turn down the heat to medium and add a tablespoon or two of extra virgin olive oil. Let the oil heat till it slides over the pan easily as you tip it to evenly coat the skillet bottom.

Add about 1/2 tablespoon each of cumin seeds, dried or fresh oregano, thyme, and parsley to the oil and stir quickly to prevent burning, especially if you're using dried herbs.

Toss in thin slices of 1/2 red pepper, 1/2 large red onion, 1-2 cloves garlic. Lower the heat if necessary to keep from scorching, and sauté until all the vegetables are tender and browned.

Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of allspice over the sauteed veggies, then sweep everything to a pile at side of the pan and turn the heat back up to high.

Add 1 cup of thinly sliced meat (can be beef, chicken, lamb, or, if you can get it, gyro meat) to the skillet and toss over high heat until browned/seared, about 45 seconds.

Turn down the heat and mix the vegetables with the meat and cook on medium or low until the meat is done, about 5 minutes.

Prepare 2 pitas by warming them in a preheated oven, wrapped in a damp towel. Slice in half and gently separate. Spread a spoonful of mint sauce (optional) inside each pita, then crumble feta cheese into the bottom of the pocket. Spoon the fajita mixture over the cheese, drizzle with red wine vinegar, and serve warm with yogurt or tzatziki.

Serves 2.

Then leave the skillet on the stove overnight with the leftover skim of oil and herbs. For breakfast, heat the skillet very hot to kill any germs that might have collected, and then crack a few eggs in, scramble them up with the herbs, and turn off the heat so as not to overcook the eggs. Crumble some more feta cheese into the eggs, and serve on wholegrain bread or toast.