Turkey Pesto Burger

This might be the easiest and most tasty recipe ever!!  It's only 3 ingredients and takes minimal work on your part.  Sorry about not having a photo, I'll take one next time I make this, which should be very soon!  Each patty has a points+ value of 5.  Lots of flavor and protein! Woohoo!

Turkey Pesto Burger

(serves 5)

1 pound lean ground turkey meat

1 cup shallots, chopped

1/4 cup pesto sauce or this dairy-free pesto (store bought is fine too)

Spray a large saute pan with non-stick spray and cook shallots until translucent, about 10 minutes over medium heat.  Transfer shallots to a glass bowl and let cool.  Once cooled, add ground turkey and pesto and mix with clean hands until combined.  Form 5 patties and cook them on the BBQ or if you are indoors use a grill pan.  Cook each side for about 7-8 minutes.  Serve burger with a slice of provolone.  It goes really well with some Creamy Jalacado Spread. 

Brisket anyone??

So Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, is quickly approaching and most Jews eat brisket on the eve of the holiday. It's usually made with loads of ketchup, spices, onions, carrots, etc. My family on the other hand either doesn't eat this typical dish known to most Jewish families so I've always heard about brisket but never made one.  After seeing a recipe in this month's Food Network magazine last week I thought that I'd try making one.  I wanted to make the brisket with a twist, so I went for a spicy pulled brisket burger.  The leftover meat can be used for beef tacos or over cous cous or quinoa.


Here's a photo of the brisket before going into the oven.

Spicy Pulled Brisket Sliders
This recipe was adapted from Smitten Kitchen's Southwestern Pulled Brisket recipe.
makes enough for 4 buns


1/2 pound beef brisket (See Note Below)
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper
4 garlic cloves roughly chopped
1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon chili powder (omit if you don't want it that spicy)
1/4 apple cider vinegar
1 12 oz. can of diced tomatoes

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup store bought bbq sauce 
3 chiles (from a can) in adobo sauce (if you want it less spicy use 1)
4 potato buns


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Season both sides of the brisket with salt and pepper.  Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in an oven proof pot on high.  Sear brisket in the pot for 5 minutes on each side.  Remove brisket and place on a plate.  In the pot place the onions, garlic, cumin, coriander, chile powder, salt and pepper to taste, and apple cider vinegar.  Stir with a wooden spoon to scrape up the pan, when vinegar is almost all gone add the brisket back into the pot. 
Pour in the  the water, diced tomatoes with the sauce, brown sugar, chiles in adobo, and bbq sauce.  Stir until well combined.  Cover the pot with parchment paper and then with tin foil.  If the pot has a cover place the cover on top of the foil. Place in the over and cook for about 3-4 hours, until meat is super tender and able to be pulled away with a fork. (If you need to leave the house for some reason, like I did, put your oven on 200 degrees and leave it alone for a few hours until you come back, as long as the pot is filled with liquid and sealed with foil and a top it should be good to go! Thankfully my apartment was still standing when I got home!)


Remove the meat from the pot and let it cool.  When cool enough to handle fork the meat into shreds.  Pour cooled sauce into a blender and blend until smooth.  
Place a large scoop of shredded beef on each bun and serve immediately drizzle with blended sauce if desired.  Serve with coleslaw or salad.


NOTE:  When I went to the butcher to buy the brisket they only had huge 2 lb pieces. I asked the butcher if he could cut it in half and I was able to purchase that.  When I got home I cut the 1 lb in half again and only prepared that much.  I put the rest in the freezer for another time.  This recipe is for a half pound piece of brisket.

Lunch for me and a friend for tomorrow! No soggy buns here!

Tex Mex Burgers

My friend makes these burgers and I thought I'd adapt it a bit and share it with everyone!  They are healthy, full of protein, and very tasty!  You don't even need to add salt! 

Turkey Tex Mex Burgers (serves 6)
1 pound ground lean turkey or chicken
1/2 cup canned black beans (drained and rinsed)
3/4 cup canned corn (drained and rinsed)
4 tablespoons BBQ sauce
1/2 cup cooked quinoa (red or white)
1 cup finely chopped cilantro

Combine ingredients together in a bowl and divide into 6 patties.  Mixture will be sticky so wet your hands before making the patties.  Grill, pan fry, or broil burgers for about 5-6 minutes on each side. Enjoy with some more of your favorite BBQ sauce with some roasted or grilled veggies for a delicious healthy meal. 

Calorie Count per burger: about 220 calories
Protein Count per burger: about 18 grams protein

Tex Mex Turkey Burger, roasted zucchini, and sauteed spinach

Aioli on Your Burger?

Roasted Red Pepper Aioli

6 garlic cloves

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 cups light mayonnaise

Salt and pepper to taste

1 15oz jar of roasted red peppers, drained

Finely chop garlic cloves in a food processor. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Then add the mayonnaise. Add salt and pepper to taste and blend until smooth. (This is your basic aioli.)

To make red pepper aioli, blend peppers and 1 cup basic aioli in processor until mixture is smooth. Can be made 1 day ahead, keep covered and refridgerated.

Spinach Artichoke Chicken Burgers

Spinach Artichoke Chicken Burgers

2 pounds ground white meat chicken

1 box frozen spinach, defrosted with the water squeezed out (use cheese cloth)

1 can artichokes in water, drained well

salt and pepper to taste

Place drained spinach and artichokes in a food processor and process until ingredients are chopped finely. Add chicken, salt, and pepper, and spinach artichoke mixture into a bowl until well combined. Make mixture into about 10-12 patties and grill on the BBQ! Serve on a toasted potato bun with caramalized onions and roasted red pepper aioli sauce, ENJOY!!

NOTE: To know if you have enough flavor (salt and pepper) in the burgers, make a mini tests burger on a pan and taste, adjust accordingly.

After cooking they looked like this...

Even the Dubie dog enjoyed!!

BBQ on Father's Day???

I've been pretty busy over the past week, hence no new posts....sorry! Please don't fret, this weekend is Father's Day and I plan to do a lot of preparing and cooking for the BBQ my parents are having in honor of the fathers.

Here's a sneak peek of some of the menu:

-Spinach Artichoke Chicken Burgers served on a potato bun with caramelized onions and roasted red pepper aioli

-Greek Style Quinoa Salad (I'll be sure to take a picture of it this time!)

-and some other stuff that I may or may not post

I might even bring some compost cookies for dessert since I have a whole bag of dough balls in my freezer that I shouldn't be eating.

Look out for the burger recipe and maybe a few others! Happy Father's Day!