Turkey Sliders with Pesto, Fresh Mozzarella & Caramelized Onions

Good things come in small packages as they say...these mini turkey burgers are no exception!  These are very easy to whip up for dinner and serve with either homemade potato wedges or salad.  I topped mine with fresh mozzarella, pesto and caramelized onions.  If I had the time, I would have made some home made pesto but settled for store bought this week. If you want to make the onions but aren't sure how - check out this post for French Onion Soup and follow the instructions there but reduce the quantities unless you plan on making the soup too!

Ingredients & Preparation: Makes approx. 8 mini burgers

• 1lb ground turkey
• 1 egg
• 2 slices of bread, made into crumbs
• 1 tbsp Dijon
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 2 tbsp green onion, diced
• salt and pepper to taste
• olive oil
• dinner rolls or mini burger buns

Toppings

• fresh mozzarella
• pesto
• 1 onion, sliced and caramelized

Whisk the egg and mix through the ground turkey.  Add all the other ingredients and form into small balls so you have approximately 8.  Heat a large frying pan and add some olive oil. Add the turkey burgers and cook on medium heat turning half way to brown both sides. Cook them low & slow until cook all the way through.  Lightly toast the buns.  Put your burgers on the buns, add your toppings and enjoy!

You could do the burgers on the grill just take care they don't fall though the cracks!

Meatloaf with Oregano & Basil

Until last year, I had never made a meatloaf and as far as I can remember never saw my Mum make one either.  It was not a staple in our family growing up but has definitely become one in the past few months.  My husband and I didn't eat meat for a few years at all and then when we started to incorporate it back into our diet I started buying grass-fed organic beef from a small local farmer. I bought a couple of pounds of the ground beef and asked around on a cooking message board for a good meatloaf recipe.  The following is a compilation of the replies I got as well as a few tweaks here and there of my own. I really prefer the taste of grass fed / organic beef and highly recommend you use it as well. I find it more moist and much more flavourful. 

Ingredients & Preparation: Yields one 9"x5" loaf

• 2 lbs grass fed / organic ground beef
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 3 slices brown or white bread made into crumbs (use a food processor)
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1-2 tbsp dried oregano
• 1-2 tbsp dried basil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/3 cup of ketchup
• 1/3 cup barbecue sauce
• 1-2 tbsp brown sugar, if desired

Pre-heat your oven to 375F.  Put the ground beef in a large bowl. Add in milk, eggs, bread crumbs, mustard, and spices. Use your hands to blend it all together and make sure everything is incorporated evenly.  Add the ketchup and barbecue sauce to the bottom of a loaf pan (9"x5") - sprinkle the brown sugar in if using.  Next, make your ground beef mixture into a loaf shape and put into the pan.   Bake for 40 minutes, or until cooked. Beef should have a minimum internal temperature of 140F for rare and 170F for well done.

Serve with mashed potatoes and peas for a real comfort food meal.

Mashed Potatoes with Leeks & Greek Yogurt

I like to add leeks and plain Greek yogurt to my mashed taters.  It makes then slightly tangy and very flavourful.  Peel and boil your potatoes (4-6 depending on size) as you normally would, then in another pan saute about 4 leeks (only the white & light green part) in some butter until they are translucent. Add a little salt & peppeer plus 1/2 cup of stock (chicken or vegetable). Cook for another 3-4 minutes.  Once your potatoes are done, mash up with some butter, milk, Greek yogurt (about 3/4 cup) and add the leek mixture. Stir to incorporate all the ingredients. Delicious!

Elk you say?

Well, me and the husb have not been eating meat for the past few months. I did promise way back if we ever found someone selling pastured, antibiotic/hormone free meat where we could meet and talk with the farmer and the animal was not killed in a commercial slaughter house we could buy some. Well, the husb's prayers were answered. He got himself some spicy elk sausage the other day at the Brickwork's Farmer's Market in Toronto. The animal is killed in a local, Mennonite abattoir and the meat is also processed/flavoured there as well...

Here is a snippet from the farm's website about what they do:

"At Glen Ewen Springs, we strive as a family owned farm to provide a safe and natural setting for our Red Deer & Canadian Elk to live. We pride ourselves on providing a naturally raised animal and using no hormones, steroids, pesticides, herbicides or growth enhancers. Our feeding program includes seasonal pasture, alfalfa forage, natural grains and minerals. Our venison products are also antibiotic free."

So, while I am not big on the idea of eating any meat at all the husb was happy to have some animal protein back in his life for at least that one day. No need for the recipe as it is a straight forward pasta. If you ever get your hands on some elk sausage try and be more creative than I was with this dish! I did add some amazing organic King oyster mushrooms, also from the Brickwork's Farmer's Market, which were divine.

Rudolph is a Reindeer, right? Just checking.

Chorizo Corn Puffs (a spin on the classic corndog)

I received a new cookbook this week from my Mother-in-law which I am so excited about! It is the Surreal Gourmet Bites: Showstoppers & Conversation Starters. The recipes are all very whimsical and include such treats as pearls of wisdom, lucky duck, french fried polenta and bee stings. I am going to try and make quite a few items from this book as the pictures will be worth a thousand words.

Today I made something simple that didn't require the oven since it is so hot. This recipe is perfect for a day that may include baseball, squirt guns and swimming in the backyard pool.

It is a new take on the ballpark classic - corn dogs.

Ingredients & Preparation: (from Surreal Gourmet Bites: Showstoppers & Conversation Starters)

Dry

• 1/2 cup flour (I used whole wheat flour)
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 1/2 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Wet

• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 2 tablespoons of canola oil

Other

• 3-4 cups of peanut oil for frying
• 8 inches of chorizo , ideally 1 inch in diameter
• assortment of mustard

In a large bowl, mix all your dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, mix all your wet ingredients. Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until the batter is smooth (pancake batter consistency).

Pour peanut oil into a small, tall pot until 3" deep. Heat oil to 350F.

Peel and discard chorizo casing. Cut into 1/2 inch slices or form into little balls (which ever is easier for you).

Coat chorizo in the batter. Place 6 at a time in the oil and fry for about 1.5 minutes - turning half way through. Transfer to a paper towel and serve hot with the assorted mustard. I used traditional French's yellow mustard, Maille green mustard and Honey Mustard.

Serve as a light afternoon snack. Delicious with cold beer and sweet potato fries!