Goat Cheese Stuffed Turkey Burgers with Roasted Red Pepper Relish

It’s that time of the year isn’t it?  Burgers and grilling!  The Boy loves burgers… CRAVES burgers.  If he’s eating out, he’ll likely go for a bison-burger, or local organic grass-fed beef.  Here at home, I like to make chicken and turkey burgers.  I found this recipe while browsing the Epicurious App on my iPhone one night.  This might be my favorite recipe app.  You can browse by categories, such as “Grilling Entrees, Ice Cream, Low-Fat”, or simply type in an ingredient, like ground turkey, and you can easily flip through the recipes that come mainly from Gourmet & Bon Appétit, but also from SELF magazine.  With a click you can add a recipe to your favorites, a shopping list, or email it to yourself.  I highly recommend this app if you’ve got an iPhone.  (PS. Can I add I am SO FREAKING EXCITED ABOUT iPhone 4?!  I still have the 8GB original iPhone.  I’ve had it for well over 2 years, and I’m SO READY for the new one!)

This recipe was a huge hit with us.  The relish had a sweet flavor, with just the slightest hint of a sour tang from the vinegar.  Having the goat cheese stuffed inside the burger made for a delicious surprise!  Goat cheese is such a rich, savory, & salty addition to balance all the flavors.

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Goat Cheese Stuffed Turkey Burgers with Roasted Red Pepper Relish

from Bon Appétit July 1996, via Epicurious

Ingredients:

Burgers:
1 1/2 pounds lean ground turkey
6 tablespoons fresh breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
6 tablespoons soft fresh goat cheese (such as Montrachet)

Relish:
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 7-ounce jars roasted sweet red peppers, rinsed, drained, patted dry, chopped
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
3 teaspoons finely chopped garlic

4 1/2 tablespoons cider vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

6 whole wheat, hamburger buns

Directions:

Combine turkey, breadcrumbs, lemon juice, lemon peel, thyme, salt and pepper in large bowl. Mix well. Divide turkey mixture into 6 equal portions. Form 1 portion into two 4-inch diameter patties. Place 1 tablespoon goat cheese atop 1 turkey patty; place second patty atop cheese. Seal patties at edges to enclose cheese. Repeat with remaining 5 portions. (Can be prepared 4 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add red peppers and sauté 2 minutes. Add onions and garlic. Cook until onions are tender, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes.

Mix vinegar and sugar in small bowl until sugar dissolves. Stir vinegar mixture into red peppers. Mix in mustard and cayenne pepper. Season with salt. Continue cooking relish until all liquid has evaporated, stirring frequently, about 6 minutes. Cool to room temperature. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before using.) Makes about 2 cups.

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Grill burgers until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Grill hamburger buns, cut side down, until lightly toasted, about 1 minute. Place turkey burgers on bottom half of buns. Top burgers with Roasted Red Pepper Relish, then bun tops and serve.

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Barley & Bean Salad

I can’t help it, I’m just so drawn to grain salad recipes.  I find that various grains such as quinoa, barley, and cous cous, are much more exciting and flavorful than rice, and are healthier than pasta.  This recipe uses barley, most often seen in soups and stews, which most people associate with colder weather.  I think this salad is a great way to utilize this healthy grain in the summer, while taking advantage of seasonal produce such as corn & peppers.  I love the combination of flavors & colors, which makes this salad the perfect addition to a summer potluck or even just a grill-out at home.  It also made for incredibly tasty & filling lunches the rest of the week!

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Barley & Bean Salad

adapted from The Piggly-Wiggley

Ingredients:

1 cup pearl barley
2 cups water
1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed*
1 cup canned kidney beans, drained and rinsed*
(*I used 1 can of Kroger's organic Tri-Bean Blend, which includes black beans, red kidney beans, and pinto beans)
1 cup fresh corn cut off the cob, or canned corn kernels, cooked according to package
1/2 cup red onions, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced

Dressing:
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2/3 cup olive oil

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan, bring 2 cups water to boil. Stir in barley and reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer 30-40 minutes or until tender. If using a rice cooker, increase water to 2 1/2 cups. Allow barley to cool.
2. In a large bowl, combine the cooled barley, beans, corn, red onion and bell pepper. Mix well.
3. Combine remaining ingredients, whisking in olive oil. Pour over salad and toss well.*
4. Serve at room temperature or chill in fridge for several hours.**

* You may not need all of the dressing, use your discretion.
** If serving chilled, reserve some of the dressing to pour over salad just before serving.

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Browned Butter Toffee Blondies

These blondies may look somewhat similar to the Graham Cracker Chewy Bars, but they have a taste all their own.  If you’re not familiar with browned butter, according to Wikipedia, it’s also known as beurre noisette, which the literal French translation is hazelnut butter.  This is a good description of the resulting flavor you get when the milk solids and butterfat separate, then the milk solids sink to the bottom and turn to a toasty color.  The flavor is so deep, and delicious.  This recipe is yet another winner from my Martha Stewart Cookies Cookbook.  I whipped these up and sent them to work with The Boy, and… let’s just say they were a hit!  All his coworkers posted photos of themselves eating them!

These would be a great addition to any Memorial Day picnic… or perhaps a bakesale!  

Lindsay of Love and Olive Oil, (my fabulous web designer), is spearheading the event, and I’m sure it’s going to be a success!  Unfortunately I won’t be in town to help out, but I am planning on baking up something yummy to contribute.  If you’re looking for some yummy treats this weekend, be sure and stop by!  If you aren’t local, but still want to give, the two organizations I recommend are the American Red Cross, or an organization called Hands on Nashville that has done an amazing job coordinating relief efforts.  My work has had a partnership and great history with this organization, and when I did some volunteering, this is how I found out how to help.  Here’s a link to a video from the NBC Nightly News about the difference Hands on Nashville has made.

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Browned Butter Toffee Blondies

from Martha Stewart Cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus more for pan
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 cups packed light-brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup chopped walnuts (about 4 ounces)
1 cup toffee bits

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper; butter and flour parchment paper.

In a saucepan over medium heat, cook the butter until it turns golden brown; remove from heat, and let cool. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine browned butter and both sugars; stir with a wooden spoon until combined. Attach bowl to mixer; add eggs. Using the paddle attachment, beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add vanilla, and beat to combine. Add flour mixture, walnuts, and toffee bits. Mix until thoroughly combined, and pour into prepared pan.

Bake until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes (do not overbake). Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before turning out of pan onto a cutting board. Peel off parchment paper; cut blondies into 3-inch squares. Blondies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.

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Tuna and White Bean Salad

Growing up, Sundays were the only day of the week my whole family would eat lunch together.  Weekdays there was school, and Saturdays Dad was always out on the farm, and between my mom, sister, & brother we would often just do our own thing.  Sundays after church (if there wasn’t a big Baptist potluck going on) we would sometimes go out to eat at local restaurant.  But most often we’d head back home and eat leftovers, soup, or often my mother would fix tuna salad.  Her tuna salad always consisted of tuna, mayonnaise, a hard boiled egg, and salt & pepper.  We’d eat it on saltine crackers.  While I sometimes fix tuna salad like that too, it’s not something I crave too often.  It brings back good memories for me, but doesn’t exactly tingle my tastebuds.

That’s why, when I saw this in the Real Simple: Meals Made Easy cookbook, my tastebuds took notice.  This recipe offered the same type of combination of flavors I love so much in quinoa and cous cous salads.  A little lemon zest, oil, beans, and vegetables, and I’m there!  This is from the same cookbook I found the Soy Marinated London Broil recipe in.  I love that all the recipes in this cookbook are super simple to make, no need for tons and tons of ingredients.  This recipe was under the header “No-Shop Meals”.  And it’s true, most everything in this recipe is a pantry staple I often keep on hand.

I loved this recipe, even though I’m not a fan of capers.  What I am a HUGE fan of, is roasted red peppers, and cannellini beans, so that’s what drew me to this recipe.  Also, I knew it would be great to mix up, and use for lunches during the week.  I most often purchase tuna in water, but for this recipe I chose the tuna packed in oil.  I’m glad I did, because it added a touch more flavor.  I served mine on toast, but you could also eat it with cracker or on it’s own.  This is a great tuna salad recipe that packs a delicious, nutritious, and fresh take on a lunchtime standby.

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Tuna and White Bean Salad

adapted from Real Simple: Meals Made Easy

Ingredients:

2 6oz cans of tuna, drained (oil-packed recommended)
1 15oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 12oz jar roasted red peppers, drained and roughly chopped
2 Tablespoons capers
zest 1 lemon, grated
1 tomato, roughly chopped (optional)
3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
toasted bread, for serving

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the tuna, beans, red peppers, capers, lemon zest, and tomato (if using). In a separate bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, oil, salt, and black pepper. Pour the vinaigrette over the tuna mixture and toss. Serve with the bread.

**For a variation, try adding olives, red onion, or jarred artichokes.**

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