Southwestern Turkey Burgers

When I hear the word "burger", I think big juicy red meat with melty cheese and golden, buttery fried onions.

 

Very rarely do I associate turkey with burgers.  Because so often turkey is boring, tasteless, and dry.

 

Blech.

 

But - when Tracey at Tracey's Culinary Adventures says that she likes turkey burgers, I totally trust her.

 

First, start out by making the sauce/ketchup/topping.  It's specifically for this burger.  Is it necessary you ask?  Yep.  It adds something a little extra special.

 

In a mini food processor, combine the ketchup, cumin, and chipotle peppers. (there's supposed to be a poblano in here, but I couldn't get any)

 

Process until smooth and well combined.

 

You should know that I didn't follow Tracey's instructions to make this - I did it differently because I was being lazy and wanted the ketchup to be super-smooth.

 

I've included both sets of instructions in the recipe below.

 

Most burgers have both eggs and bread crumbs to bind everything together.  These burgers do not.  These burgers have wheat germ.

 

What's wheat germ?  It's actually a small part of the wheat kernel, also wheat germ is a superfood and is packed with vitamins and minerals - so it can only be good to be getting a little bit of this in your diet.

 

In a large bowl, add the turkey and onion.

 

 

Then add the wheat germ.

 

Then the chile powder and cumin.

 

Then salt.



 

Combine and start cooking over medium-high heat.

 

Just before the burgers are finished, top them with slices of cheddar.

 

And serve on a healthy type bun with the chipotle ketchup sauce.

 

I have to say - these burgers were awesome.  Tender and flavourful, the ketchup adding a smokiness that was completely wonderful.

 

Yeah.  I'd make these again.

 

They are a perfectly acceptable substitute for a typical cheeseburger.

 

xoxo - the Cane girl

Lemon Sage Chicken

Some people loathe chicken as being sooooooo boring.  And really.  It absolutely can be.  But.  There are 10 million ways to make it INCREDIBLE.

Here's one of them from Tara at Tara's Multicultural Table.

 

First, you need to take chicken breasts, butterfly them, and pound them pretty thin.  Think scaloppini style thickness - about 1/4 inch, maybe a little less.

 

Then beat an egg.  I definitely recommend your 4-year old niece's bowl.

 But any style will do.  This one is just my particular preference.

 

Add the juice from a lemon and stir to combine.  Then you have to pour the egg mix into a bigger receptacle.

 

Then start heating some oil in a pan.

 

Salt and pepper the chicken, then dip into the flour.

 

 

Then into the egg mixture.

 

Fry in the heated oil for about 2 minutes.

 

When the chicken is flipped over, add the sage. 

 

Oh.  My.  Goodness.  Be prepared for the delish.

 

After the chicken is cooked through, remove to a plate and cover to keep warm.

 

Add the chicken broth and white wine to the pan.



 

Cook until reduced and add the butter.

 

Serve the chicken with the broth mixture.

 

Oh.  This was so good.  And seriously so easy.  Although next time I might do a double coating of egg and flour.

 

If you're looking for a quick, easy, delicious, gourmet weeknight chicken - this would be the one.  It takes hardly any time to throw together, it's delicious, and people will think you spent hours in the kitchen.

 

I love that.   Thanks Tara.

 

Until next time - the Cane Girl.

Pioneer Woman's Meatball Sliders

The thing I should tell you about these meatballs is that I've made them a handful of times.

 

But every. single. time I make them I forget to get them up here!

 

And I feel so guilty.

 

Because they're so terrific and tender and tasty, that I really feel like you're missing out.

 

Big time.

 

These meatballs come from the incredibly famous (in foodie circles anyway) Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman.  I adore her.  And her food.

 

She cooks for cowboys and kids and her recipes are simple and delicious.

 

I have spent MANY, MANY hours learning from this woman.

 



 

You know how I feel about simple - and these are just that.

 

Start with ground beef (or in this case Elk) and add some bread crumbs.

 

 

Then add in minced garlic.

 

Then salt and pepper.

 

Then some milk.  I know.  It's weird, but seriously.  Just put it in there and don't worry about it.

 

Then mix it all up and use a tablespoon to portion out the meat and roll it into balls.

 

In a skillet over medium heat.

 

And add some chopped onions.

 

Cook for just a minute, then add the meatballs - you kind of want to nestle them in the onions.

 

 

Cook for just a minute until the meatballs start to brown a little.

 

 

Add in a jar of marinara sauce.  Cook's choice.  Shake the pan a little, cover the pan with a lid and cover for about 20 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through.  (Give the pan a shake every so often so stuff doesn't burn)

 

You have a few options for how you want to serve these.  This particular day, I opted for shredded cheese and small sub buns. 

 

You could also quickly stick the sandwiches under the broiler to melt the cheese a little - whatever floats your boat.

 

Or you can do slider-style sandwiches.



 

 

All that you need to know is that they're delicious and messy and perfect.  They're even easy to feed to a smallish sized child.  Just be prepared to mostly likely needing to hose her (or him) down outside afterwards.  (And trust me - it's totally worth every slop of sauce!)

 

Race over to Ree's blog and show her some love.  There's a little something for everyone.

 

xoxo - the Cane girl

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

I've been seeing Cauliflower Pizza Crust rolling around claiming to be "DELICIOUS!" and "LOW CARB!" and "YOU'LL NEVER MISS REGULAR CRUST!"

But, being an irrefutable carb addict, I cannot accept these claims.

So when the brilliant Jessica over at How Sweet Eats posted a recipe for Cauliflower Crust Pizza - I was curious.

Very. Curious.

Because Jessica would never lead me astray.

And she would never joke about pizza.

I figured I'd give it a whirl.

And don't worry - there's nothing strange in here.  Very basic stuff.  I don't know a lot about gluten free diets, but this might be good enough for those folks too.

First, pulse up and microwave your cauliflower.  Then wring the ever-living crap out of it so you can get as much of the water out as possible.  And be prepared.  The cauliflower water left on the towel stinks to high heaven.  I would recommend making this on wash day.  Or putting the dried out towel in a zip-lock bag.

Then combine the following in a bowl....  The Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses.

Then the spices:  salt, basil, oregano, and garlic.

Then add in the really well ringed out cauliflower.

And mix together.

Add in one lightly beaten egg and combine.

Then spread out on oiled parchment paper.  This was rolled out to just under 1/8 inch thick.

Then bake for about 8 - 11 minutes, until it starts turning golden.

Add the toppings (sauce and cheese).

Then bake for another 5 - 7 minutes until the cheese is melted.

I was fairly surprised.  I could pick the pieces up just like regular pizza and it actually had quite a bit of flavor! 

To be honest, I am still a regular crust girl.  Always will be.  But when I'm in serious need of - let's call it "deflating" - I would totally do this to get my pizza fix in!

And, yeah, I would agree with the aforementioned claims.....  Totally.

This is the Cane girl - signing off.