Burgers for the boys

To keep this short and sweet these will be the best burgers you will ever eat (haha that rhymes).

Ingredients

1/2 kg lean ground beef
1/4 cup BBQ sauce
1 onion, diced
1/2 jar pickled jalapeño peppers, drained and chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 egg
1/2 cup of bread crumbs (you might need a little more)
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
4 awesome buns, not those crap ones from the grocery store that come in a 12 pack. Get something like kaiser or ciabatta.

Toppings to make these burgers even more awesome:

Brie cheese
Caramelized onions
Fried mushrooms
Pickles!!! (obviously)
Sliced tomatoes
Mayo, mustard, ketchup? Maybe even relish if you're a daredevil

Combine all the burger ingredients into a bowl and mix with your hands (yes, your hands will get dirty but trust me its worth it). Once you've mixed everything together add in a little more bread crumbs if you need to so that the mixture is not too wet. Divide the mixture into 4 parts and form into burger patties using your hands. Meanwhile, turn on the BBQ so it gets nice and hot. Cook the burgers for about 3 mins on each side or until cooked through. And a little piece of advice; if you like juicy burgers (who doesn't) don't squish them down while you are cooking them. This is just squeezing all the awesome juices out. Add the cheese right before you take them off the grill and throw the buns on for a few seconds so they get warm and toasty. Now, dress those bad boys and prepare your mouth for a tasty treat.

Woah look at all that good stuff

Burgers for the boys

Thai Bowl

I bought a box of soba noodles after my last trip to Aux Vivres thinking that I would be able to create my own version of their Thai Bowl. Here is my attempt! Its lacking in lemon grass because I didn't have any on hand, but next time I'll be sure to add it in!

Ingredients

Stir Fry
1 package of low fat soba noodles
1 carrot, julienned
1 zucchini, julienned
1/4 red onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 thumb sized piece of ginger, grated
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 cup edamame beans
Toasted sesame seeds for garnish
Coriander for garnish

Saute the zucchini and carrots in the oil in a hot non-stick pan. After 2-3 mins add the onions, ginger and garlic and continue to fry until the onions are soft, about 4 mins (if you have lemon grass add it here). Add in the shrimp and heat until the shrimp are pink throughout. Turn off the heat and set aside. Meanwhile, cook the soba noodles according to package directions. In a microwaveable bowl, microwave the edamame beans until cooked, about 3 mins. Remove the beans from the pods and add them to the stir fry mixture.

Peanut Sauce
2 tbsp reduced fat peanut butter
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp reduced salt soy sauce, more to taste

In a microwaveable bowl, warm the peanut butter until liquid, about 45 seconds. Add the soy sauce and rice wine vinegar and whisk. Add more soy sauce or peanut butter to your liking.

Combine the noodles, sauce and stir fry mixture and stir until all the ingredients are combined. Serve and sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds and coriander.

Shrimp Tacos with Pico de Gallo

Its been a while since my last post. I've been busy running to the OR every chance I get. Now that I'm doing my family med rotation things have calmed down a bit and its back to the kitchen.


Tortillas
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon margarine
3/4 cup water

Whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder in a large mixing bowl. Add the margarine and mix in with your fingers until it is well distributed. Add the water and mix with your hands until a ball of dough has formed. You may need to add a little more water to form a solid ball of dough. Kneed the dough for a few mins and then separate into 12 balls. Roll each ball out until a flat tortilla is formed. Fry the tortillas in a dry pan for about 30-45 seconds on each side. Don't worry if the tortilla seems stiff once it is done cooking. As you stack them and keep them warm they soften up.

Shrimp Taco Filling
Ingredients:
1 medium sized onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 cups peeled shrimp
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp olive oil

In a pan, sauté the onions in the olive oil until soft, about two mins. Add the garlic, shrimp, cumin and red pepper flakes and cook until the shrimp have all turned pink.

Pico de Gallo
Ingredients:

• 2 medium tomatoes, diced
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 fresh jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1 green onion, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

Cut the tomatoes in half and remove the pulp (otherwise the pico de gallo will be too wet), then chop. Add all of the ingredients to mixing bowl and stir. Serve on top of the tacos. 

**If you aren't ambitious enough to make your own tortillas I'm sure store bought ones will work just fine. Add the shrimp mixture and a few tablespoons of pico de gallo and enjoy!