Week 37: Recipe #2--Best Burger Ever (with Secret Sauce)

"Best Burger Ever" is the name of this recipe on a site called Little Miss Momma (see link below).  I don't know if it in fact is the best burger ever, as I've never tried them all, but I will tell you it was pretty darn good.  My 4 year old ate her entire burger (granted it was a half-burger, but still...she generally eats very little).  It was also extremely easy to throw together.  I followed the directions exactly, and it yielded about 6 burgers.  I served these burgers with corn on the cob and fresh fruit.  Yum!

Photo from www.littlemissmomma.com

You'll Need:

• 2 lbs. ground beef 85/15
• sesame seed buns
• 1/2 c. grated monterey jack cheese
• 1/4 c. BBQ sauce (Sweet Baby Ray's is recommended; had some on hand so that's what I used)
• seasoned salt to taste
• cracked black pepper to taste
• onion powder to taste
• 3/4 c. mayo
• 1/4 c. ketchup
• 1/4 c. relish
• 2 Tblsp. worcestershire sauce
• seasoned salt

Preparation:

1. Combine the ground beef, grated cheese, bbq sauce, and seasonings.  Shape patties that are about 1 inch thick.
2. Then, it is very important to push a 1/2 inch indent into the center of the patty--this is what prevents the patty from becoming a dome.  These burgers stay extra moist because the bbq sauce and cheese are mixed in with the meat.
3. Wait for the skillet to get super hot and then apply a very thin layer of butter to the pan.  Place the patties on the pan, indent side up.
4. Reduce heat to medium and allow this side of the patty to cook for about 4-6 minutes, but make sure it doesn't burn.  Then flip the burger over and cook until done.
5. For the sauce:  Combine the last 5 ingredients (mayo thru seasoned salt) and whisk until well mixed.  Taste and adjust ingredients to your liking.
6. Butter and toast the buns on a skillet.
7. Assemble the burgers and serve with your choice of burger toppings.

Recipe and link:  http://www.littlemissmomma.com/2011/10/best-burger-ever-recipe-with-secret-sauce.html

Week 34: Recipe #2--Spicy Black Bean Burgers

I found this recipe on the Tasty Kitchen blog (see link below).  These were pretty good, although I made mine not-so-spicy.  I usually buy the Morningstar brand of frozen black bean burgers from Costco, but these had more flavor, and weren't really that hard to make.  The only trouble I had was getting the burgers to stay together; they fell apart pretty easily, but that didn't matter once they were inside the bun.  I served these with sweet potato waffle fries and fresh fruit.  Yum!  Makes 4 burgers.

Photo from Tasty Kitchen blog

You'll Need:

• 1 can (15 oz.) black beans
• 1/2 whole onion, cut into wedges
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and rough chopped
• 1 whole red pepper, stem and seeds removed, chopped
• 1 whole egg
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 Tblsp. of your favorite hot sauce (I used much less)
• 1/2 c. finely chopped cilantro
• 1 c. panko bread crumbs
• 2 Tblsp.  canola oil
• 4 whole burger buns or kaiser rolls

Preparation:

1. Drain the can of black beans.  In a mixing bowl, mash the black bean with a fork or a potato masher.
2. Use a food processor to chop the onion, garlic, and red pepper until very fine.  Stir the mixture in with the beans.
3. In a separate mixing bowl, combine the egg, cumin, onion powder, chili powder, hot sauce, and cilantro.  Add this into the bean mixture and combine well.
4. If the mixture has a lot of liquid, strain with a cheesecloth or let it strain through a colander with very fine holes.  Once the excess liquid has drained off, return the bean mixture to the bowl and stir in half the bread crumbs.
5. Use your hands to form four evenly sized patties.  Coat the outside of the burgers in the remaining bread crumbs.
6. Heat the oil in a skillet on medium-high heat.  Cook burgers in the pan until heated through and slightly browned on both sides.
7. Put the burger on top of a bun.  Dress with all your favorite burger condiments and enjoy!

Recipe and link:  http://tastykitchen.com/blog/2012/03/spicy-black-bean-burger/

Week 16: Recipe #5--Mar-a-Lago Turkey Burgers

This is another recipe from Our Best Bites (see link below), which they got from the Mar-a-Lago club because these burgers were featured on Oprah.  They look tasty and great for the summertime.  I will serve these with fruit and some corn on the cob.  Makes 8 half-pound burgers, so I will half it when I make it; they suggest using 20 oz. of meat when halving the recipe, which will yield about 6 large sliders.  Here is the recipe for the 8 burgers.

Photo from ourbestbites.com

You'll Need:

• 2 Tblsp. canola oil (you could also use butter)
• 1/2 c. finely chopped celery
• 3 granny smith apples, peeled and diced (you could also grate them)
• 1/4 c. thinly sliced green onions
• 4 lbs. ground turkey breast (remember, when halving, use 20 oz.)
• 2 Tblsp. kosher salt
• 1 Tblsp. black pepper
• 2 tsp. tabasco sauce
• 1 lemon, juiced and zested
• 1/2 bunch parsley, chopped
• 1/4 c. Major Grey's Chutney, pureed (our best bites thinks pureeing is unnecessary)

Preparation:

1. Saute the scallions, celery, and apples in the canola oil until tender.  Let cool.  Place the ground turkey in a large mixing bowl.  Add sauteed items and the remaining ingredients.  Shape into eight 8-oz. burgers.  Refrigerate 2 hours.
2. Season the turkey burgers with salt and pepper.  Place on preheated, lightly oiled grill.  Grill each side for about 7 minutes until meat is thoroughly cooked.  Let sit for 5 minutes.  Serve on your favorite toasted bread, pita, or hamburger bun.
3. The recipe calls for chutney to spread on top of the burgers.  Our Best Bites used Major Grey's from the jar, but here's the recipe Mar-a-Lago uses if you're interested:  http://www.oprah.com/food/Mar-a-Lago-Pear-Chutney

Haven't decided yet which I'll use.  Let me know what you think!

Recipe and link:  http://www.ourbestbites.com/