Black Bean and Quinoa Burgers

When I was about 13 I decided I no longer wanted to eat red meat. This was after years of being far too pickey about the meat I would eat, and it just felt easier to avoid this whole category of protein. This decision was followed by an introduction to veggie burgers, a food group I have been studying closely ever since that time. As I've become a better cook I have experimented with different veggie burger recipes, but too often the mushy product was flavorful but hard to eat.

These Bulgur Burgers were the first breakthrough we've had with homemade veggie burgers, and Joe and I have made them a couple times in the last year. But I was still searching for the perfect recipe, one that I could double and freeze. I've been wanting to end our relationship with grocery store frozen veggie burgers, which are filled with too many questionable things to be considered good for you. The recipe below is one I discovered at a grilling class at The Chopping Block, and I think it has won the coveted spot of best homemade veggie burger. The recipe made 8 burgers, and after grilling them all we froze the leftovers. They were perfect to pull out on a busy night, as a more natural alternative to the boxes of frozen patties that we'd gotten so used to. I loved serving it on a bed of lemony arugula, and we also enjoyed these on a traditional bun. Even our meat-loving guest we served these to said she loved them!

Take a minute to check out The Chopping Blog, where I also shared my experiences with this recipe and other creative grilling ideas!

Quinoa and Black Bean Burgers with Chipotle Mayonnaise

From The Chopping Block Vegetarian Grill class

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, medium dice

1/2 cup quinoa

1 cup water

1 cup cooked or canned black beans, rinsed and drained

1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce

3/4 cup walnuts

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup packed cilantro sprigs

3/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup flour

1/2 to 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs

2 eggs, lightly beaten

Chipotle Mayonnaise (recipe below)

2 cups arugula

Lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat a sauté pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Sauté the onion until caramelized, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the quinoa and toast for 1 minute.

2. Add the water, bring to a boil, and then lower the heat to a simmer. Cook, covered, until the water is absorbed, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and rest, covered, for 10 minutes.

3. Place the cooked quinoa in a food processor and add the black beans, soy sauce, walnuts, garlic, cilantro, cumin and cayenne in a food processor until finely chopped. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a mixing bowl and fold in the flour, 1/2 cup panko and eggs. If the mixture is very loose, stir in the rest of the panko.

4. Form rounded 1/2 cups of mixture into four (3 1/2-inch-diameter) patties. Chill until firm, at least 20 minutes. (Patties may be frozen at this point.)

5. Preheat a grill to medium-high heat. Set up a grill grate with narrow slats to support the burgers.

6. Place the burgers on the grill and cook until browned and crisp on the outside and warm all the way through, about 5 minutes per side.

7. Place the burgers on a platter and top each with a dollop of Chipotle Mayonnaise.

8. Toss the arugula with the lemon juice and olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Top each burger with the dressed greens and serve.

Chipotle Mayonnaise

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 chipotle pepper, minced

Juice of 1/2 lime

2 tablespoons cilantro, rough chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Mix together the mayonnaise, chipotle pepper, lime juice, cilantro, salt and pepper.

Mediterrenean Grilled Vegetable Wraps

These wraps were inspired by a recent lunch we hosted at The Chopping Block. I love eating wraps at restaurants, but haven't messed around much with making them at home. When we made a bunch of these sandwiches at work, I realized how easy it was, and how one night of grilling could result in 3 nights of lunch or dinner. The pieces of this wrap stayed separate until it was time to make dinner, so everything was fresh tasting and ready to go. I did all the grilling at once, then peeled and sliced the red peppers, and sliced up all the other veggies. I mixed the cooked vegetables with salt, pepper, and just a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar. This mix of grilled vegetables went into the fridge, where it sat waiting to become a fresh Mediterranean wrap.

Grill the peppers until they are completely charred, then put them into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let them steam in the bowl for 15 minutes or so, and then take the plastic wrap off to let them cool. When the peppers are cool enough to handle, the skins should easily peel off. Then, cut out the seeds and core inside the pepper, and slice the peppers into bite sized pieces.

Grill each vegetable until it is done. The mushrooms are easy on skewers, or also great in a grill basket. The eggplant, mushrooms, and zucchini will cook at different rates, so take each vegetable off the heat when it is grilled to your taste.

Now, to assemble the wraps, start with a large tortilla. Mine were spinach flavor, and made specifically for wrapping. Smear on some hummus, and top with fresh spinach leaves. Pile on some grilled vegetables, then top with crumbled feta cheese and freshly ground pepper. Wrap like a burrito, cut into two halves, and enjoy!

I made a total of six wraps out of the following ingredients:

Wrap-size tortillas (pack of 6)

One tub of hummus

1 pack of organic baby spinach (some spinach was leftover)

2 red peppers

1 large eggplant

2 medium zucchini

1 package baby bella mushrooms

4 ounces Greek feta cheese

A pizza revelation

For as long as Joe and I have been together, pizza has been an important part of our lives. In college Joe worked at Shakespeare's, the quintessential college town pizza joint in Columbia. Back when I had a crush on him, I dragged my friends to there just so I had an excuse to run into him. On our first date, we spent a couple hours talking over beers at the downtown location. Some of his best friends from college were a result of his pizza making days, and he had plenty of fun nights working and hanging out with that motley crew.

Obviously, this means Joe is the chief pizza maker at our house. He still loves making fresh dough and topping it with various combinations of veggies and meat. I love this, too, because it means I should just get out of the kitchen and let him work his magic. And there are some nights when I've worked a few shifts in a row and have feet that are aching more that usual, when I like nothing more than to let him take the reigns with dinner. The results of this tend to be pretty delicious!

Last week I suggested we grill the pizza, which I've played around with a couple times before. In the summer it is a great way to make pizza without overheating your whole kitchen. We figured out the ideal pizza making technique this time around, and I think I will insist on having Joe grill our pizza from now on. You see, I am not the skilled pizza tosser that he is, and when I've grilled pizza in the past the crust has always been a little bit on the thick side. This never seemed like a problem, but once Joe pulled his thin crust pizza off the grates I knew his pizza had just blown mine out of the water. The thin crust had a perfect chewy texture from being cooked on the grill, since it is hotter than our oven, and it gets little charred bits in spots. It's reminiscent of the fancy wood oven pizzas that you pay $2o bucks for at trendy pizza places, and you can't beat the comfort of your own porch on a beautiful summer night. Even when it gets cold, I'm going to encourage Joe to keep grilling the pizza, because the texture of this crust is something we've never managed with our pizza stone in the oven. Give it a try, and thank me later ;)

Here's what you do. First, roll out your dough as thin as you can get it. Feel free to play around with tossing the dough, but have extra dough available if you're a novice. Get your grill nice and hot, and wipe an oiled rag over the grates to avoid having your pizza stick. Transfer the pizza dough to the grill, close the lid, and walk away for 3-4 minutes. Start checking the pizza every minute, and remove onto a cutting board or pizza peel when you start to see charred spots on the crust. Flip the pizza over, so the well done side is facing up, and top the pizza however you like. Then transfer the pizza back to the grill to finish cooking the bottom of the pizza. If it starts to look too crisp on the bottom, transfer to the upper rack on the grill until the cheese and other toppings are warm. Use the peel to get the pizza off the grill, slice, and enjoy!


If you make a pizza with fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil, the leftover ingredients can be tossed with pasta, tuna, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar to make a quick and easy lunch!

Graduation Celebration!

I've been traveling for the last 10 days, and head out again this afternoon for a long weekend visit to D.C. Most of the last bit of traveling was in St Louis, where I was able to help my mom adjust to (temporary) life in a wheelchair. She's home now, and doing really well! She'll be stuck in the chair for about 12 weeks total, and then will have to do lots of physical therapy once she can put weight on her hip again. It was wonderful to be able to help my family out for a while, to ease some of the burden on my dad, and to cook them some good food! I stuck to simple classics that were easy to transport to the hospital, such as my favorite couscous salad.

I also got to take the lead on planning my sister Colleen's graduation party. She's worked so hard in high school, and my family was thrilled to come together to celebrate her success! She's the baby in the family, and I'm still having a hard time believing she's headed towards college in the fall. Colleen and I decided to have a classic cook out, with burgers and BBQ chicken, plus all the necessary side dishes. I've blogged all these recipes before, but they're so great for summer that I had to share them again!

The potato salad and baked beans recipes both came from the Food Network website, and they are the best versions of two of my favorite foods! Plenty of bacon, good balance of acid and sweet, and just so satisfying. Next time you're planning to fire up the grill, try one of these recipes. Trust me, you won't go back to your old recipes.

We also made the Brewmaster Burgers from the Brooklyn Brewery website. They were so well received at the beer pairing dinner we went to in April, and I was excited to introduce the recipe to my family. Can life get any better than butter in your burgers? This is a perfect example of eating amazing food in moderation. Most days, I'll reach for a veggie or turkey burger, but this burger deserves a place at any celebratory cookout. Everyone thought Joe and I were crazy as we made the burgers, but the silence as people started eating spoke for itself!

Fire up the Grill!

Last night I grilled our entire dinner, and it made me long for the days of summer that still seem so far away. School is done for me next week, and I feel like the weather should be sunny and warming up, instead of windy and cold enough for a jacket. No matter what the weather is acting like, I'm going to start grilling as though it's warm outside.

This was a simple dinner, all based around the fact I had some Gorgonzola I wanted to use up. I grilled cremini mushrooms (on skewers), zucchini (cut into planks), and a red and yellow bell pepper. I sprinkled the veggies with a little Herbes de Provence, crumbled Gorgonzola, and a splash of balsamic vinegar and olive oil. I also grilled some chicken sausages from Trader Joes, and some slices of rosemary bread that I brushed with olive oil. The flavors were fresh, the colors were beautiful, and the dishes were almost non-existent. This is a dinner I'll repeat in various ways throughout the upcoming warm months. Does it feel like summer (or at least spring) where you are?

Bulgur Veggie Burgers

Lately we've had a lot of success around here with eating less meat. While Joe and I are not becoming completely vegetarian, we have been limiting our meat to probably 2 or 3 dinners per week. This leaves us a lot of time to experiment with vegetarian cuisine. We're getting used to the different grains and protien sources used frequently by vegetarian cooks, but I think we still have a lot to learn.

We've loved veggie burgers as long as I can remember, and always have a box or two in the freezer for busy nights. More than once we've attempted homemade varieties, but the mushy texture has distracted us from the great flavor of previous tries. We made cannellini bean burgers and spicy lentil burgers, and both times the mixture squished out of the sides of the bun. No matter how good they tasted, that is a texture issue I can't look past. I didn't blog about either attempt, because I couldn't figure out how to make these burgers worth trying.

Finally, Joe stumbled across this recipe for Bulgur Burgers, and I think we've struck gold! They burgers held their shape AND tasted good... what more could I ask for? You could play around with the type of beans or the seasoning, but I think the bulger wheat is the key to keeping the burgers together.

Bulgur Veggie Burgers with Lime Mayo

from epicurious.com

Ingredients

1/2 cup chopped onion, divided
1 tablespoon olive oil plus additional for brushing
1/2 cup bulgur
1 cup water
1 cup canned pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
3/4 cup walnuts (2 1/2 ounces)
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup packed cilantro sprigs
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon grated lime zest
1/2 teaspoon fresh lime juice
4 slices multi-grain bread, toasted

Equipment: a perforated grill sheet (we did them straight on the grill)

Accompaniments: lettuce; sliced tomato (napa cabbage leafs leftover from Potstickers were good too!)

Directions

Cook half of onion with 1/4 teaspoon salt in oil in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Add bulgur and water and cook, covered, over low heat until water is absorbed, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and stir in beans and soy sauce.

Pulse bulgur mixture, walnuts, garlic, cilantro, cumin, cayenne, a rounded 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and remaining onion in a food processor until finely chopped. Form rounded 1/2 cups of mixture into 4 (31/2-inch-diameter) patties. Chill at least 10 minutes.

While patties chill, stir together mayonnaise, zest, and juice.

Prepare grill for direct-heat cooking over medium-hot charcoal (medium heat for gas). Put perforated grill sheet on grill and preheat 10 minutes. Brush patties all over with oil. Oil grill sheet, then grill burgers on grill sheet, covered only if using a gas grill, carefully turning once, until golden brown, about 8 minutes total.

Serve burgers open-faced on toast with lime mayonnaise.

I served this with leftover Couscous with grilled zucchini and chickpeas, a fantastic side dish.

Asian Flavored Pork Burgers

I made these burgers for the first time last year, and I'm really surprised I didn't blog about them that time. Wrapping the mini burgers in lettuce leaves is such a fresh surprise, and the sauce on top is absolutely to die for. I always feel like a pretty badass chef when I make these, because I have to trim and grind the pork myself. Thank goodness for my KitchenAid pasta making attachment-- it is pretty much worthless for pasta, but the food grinding feature works great! If you looked hard enough, you could probably buy pre-ground pork, too. The flavor combination in this recipe is flawless, and I really wouldn't change anything! And if it happens to be raining like crazy when you're ready to grill, these work just as well under the broiler.



Asian Pork and Mushroom Burger Wraps
from Bon Appetit, July 2008

• 2 tablespoons canola oil or peanut oil
• 2 tablespoons minced lemongrass (from bottom 3 inches of about 4 stalks)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps chopped
• 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt, divided
• 1 3/4 pounds ground pork shoulder (Boston butt)
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
• 3 teaspoons Asian sesame oil, divided
• 3/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 1/2 cup hoisin sauce*
• 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon hot chili sauce (such as sriracha)*
• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 2 heads of Bibb lettuce, cored, leaves separated
• 1 cup matchstick-size strips red bell pepper
• 1 cup matchstick-size strips peeled carrot
• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add lemongrass and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add mushrooms. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt; sauté until mushrooms are tender, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat; cool in skillet.

Place pork in large bowl. Mix in 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, cracked pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, then fold in mushroom mixture. Using 2 generous tablespoonfuls for each, shape into 18 patties, each about 2 1/4 inches in diameter; arrange on plastic-lined baking sheet.

Whisk hoisin sauce, ginger, vinegar, chili sauce, and remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 2 teaspoons sesame oil in small bowl for sauce. DO AHEAD: Burgers and sauce can be made 6 hours ahead. Cover separately; chill.

Spray grill rack with nonstick spray. Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Grill burgers until cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Arrange burgers on platter; set out sauce. Place lettuce, bell pepper, carrot, and cilantro in separate bowls. Serve, allowing guests to wrap burgers in lettuce and add sauce and vegetables as desired.

'What's in my fridge?' Chicken Burgers

I have had a pound of ground chicken in my freezer since right before I gave up meat for Lent, and this past week I decided I needed to do something with that chicken before the ice crystals took over for good. I was inspired by Elly's Chicken Parmesan burgers, and originally wanted to just replicate her delicious sounding recipe. But looking in my fridge revealed a lack of the ingredients any Italian American like myself should have-- no marinara sauce (at least thawed sauce) or mozzarella cheese! So I pushed the Chicken Parmesan idea to the back of my mind, and took a survey of what ingredients I did have in stock.


The Mexican grocery store by my house is amazing for a lot of reasons, and their huge tubs of sun dried tomatoes for about $3 is on the top reasons I love going there. I've always loved sun dried tomatoes, but the price seemed a bit restrictive in the past. Now, however, I have sun dried tomatoes on hand all the time, and they find their way into more dishes than you would expect! Combining chopped sun dried tomatoes with a healthy amount of green onions sounded like a great combination for the chicken burgers I was dreaming up. I figured an egg, some bread crumbs, and seasoning of choice (lots of herbes de provence) would complete the ingredient list for these experimental chicken burgers.

These burgers were a home run! The chicken was so moist, and the flavors were light and fresh. Joe and I both loved these, and they were just as good leftover for lunch. I would love to serve these at a summer bbq, and think I could win over a couple of my beef eating friends!

Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Burgers

-1 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped
-6 green onions, white and light green parts, chopped
-1 lb ground chicken
- 1/3 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 1 Tbsp Herbes de Provence
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- salt and pepper

- buns
- goat cheese
- tomato slices
- mayonaise

Place chopped sun dried tomatoes and green onions in a large bowl. Add ground chicken, and other ingredients through onion powder. Mix gently with your hands, until ingredients are just combined. Do NOT overmix. Form into patties (I did five medium sized ones), and season with salt and pepper. Cook on the grill or under the broiler until cooked through. I had to slice one open to determine for sure they were done. Top burgers with goat cheese and tomato slices.

Two years down, a lifetime to go...

I got the new Ina Garten cookbook, Back to Basics, for Christmas this year. A few short days later it was my second wedding anniversary, and I knew that was the perfect occasion to test it out. We had initially planned a pretty posh dinner out for this anniversary (Blackbird in Chicago), but the state of the economy has hit close to home and we decided to be a little more financially responsible this year. There will be a dinner at Blackbird in the future, but for now we decided a nice night at home was the best way to celebrate.

There are tons of recipes in Back to Basics that sounded perfect to me, and I settled on Roasted Potato Leek Soup and Herb Marinated Loin of Pork. It sounded classy, romantic, and cozy on a freezing cold Chicago night. And since our anniversary was on a Monday, the meal I chose was also one that could be mostly prepared the night before. The soup was made almost entirely the night before, and then the last few ingredients were added when I reheated it on Monday night. I also did the marinade the night before, so I only had to throw the meat on the grill when it was almost dinner time. I did simple roasted broccoli as a side, and the meal ended up simple yet nice enough to feel special.

The soup was good, but not the most amazing thing ever. I ended up roasting the veggies for about half the time, then boiling them in the broth until the potatoes were soft. It might be my cheap pan, but the potatoes and leeks were browning way too much for my tastes. I was actually pleasantly surprised by the end result, because while I was cooking I really worried this dish might be a waste of time.

The pork, however, was FANTASTIC! It was so moist and flavorful, and grilling it was so much easier than the baking or broiling methods we've used in the past. Even a few days later, the pork was great left over. It was elegant on its own, and would also be delicious served on rolls as mini sandwiches for a party. And since the tenderloins were sold with two in a package, I froze the second one and get to make this again in the near future.




Roasted Potato Leek Soup with Crispy Shallots

Ingredients:
2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch chunks
4 cups chopped leeks (4 leeks), white and light-green parts, cleaned of all sand
1/4 cup good olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 cups baby arugula, lightly packed
1/2 cup dry white wine, plus extra for serving
6 to 7 cups chicken stock
3/4 cup heavy cream
8 ounces crème fraiche
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for garnish (see note)
Crispy shallots, optional (recipe follows) ** I didn't make these, but it sounds like a tasty addition**

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Combine the potatoes and leeks on a sheet pan in a single layer. Add the olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and toss to coat the vegetables evenly. Roast for 40 to 45 minutes, turning them with a spatula a few times during cooking, until very tender. Add the arugula and toss to combine. Roast for 4 to 5 more minutes, until the arugula is wilted.
Remove the pan from the oven and place over two burners. Stir in the wine and 1 cup of the
chicken stock and cook over low heat, scraping up any crispy roasted bits sticking to the pan.

(I did things a bit different here. I roasted the potatoes and leeks about 20 minutes, and when they seemed to be browning way more than softening I decided to change things up. I moved them to a saucepan, and added the broth to that. I simmered it until the potatoes were soft, then added things in and pureed it. I did scrape the brown bits from the pan as described above.)

In batches, transfer the roasted vegetables to a food processor fitted with the steel blade, adding the pan liquid and about 5 cups of the chicken stock to make a puree. Pour the purée into a large pot or Dutch oven. Continue to purée the vegetables in batches until they're all done and combined in the large pot. Add enough of the remaining 1 to 2 cups of stock to make a thick soup. Add the cream, crème fraiche, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper and check the seasoning.
When ready to serve, reheat the soup gently and whisk in 2 tablespoons white wine and the Parmesan cheese. Serve hot with an extra grating of Parmesan cheese and crispy shallots, if using.

Crispy Shallots

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of olive oil or vegetable oil
3 tablespoon unsalted butter
5 to 6 shallots, peeled and sliced into thin rings

Directions:
Heat the oil and butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat until it reaches 220 degrees on a candy thermometer.
Reduce heat to low, add shallots slowly to make sure they brown evenly. Remove them from the oil with a slotted spoon, drain well and spread out to cool on paper towels. Once they have dried and crisped, they can be stored at room temperature, covered, for several days.

Herb Marinated Loin of Pork

Marinade:
grated zest of 1 lemon

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4-6 lemons)

1/2 cup olive oil

2 Tbsp minced garlic (6 cloves)

1 1/2 Tbsp minced fresh rosemary leaves

1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme

2 tsp Dijon mustard

Kosher salt

2-3 pork tenderloins, 1 lb each

freshly ground black pepper

(I did a half recipe of the marinade, and one pork tenderloin)

Combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, mustard, and 2 tsp salt in a 1 gallon resealable plastic bag. Add the pork tenderloins and turn to coat with the marinade. Squeeze the air out of the bag. Marinate in the refrigerator overnight, or at least 3 hours. (I like to put the bag in a bowl, just in case).

When you're ready to cook, preheat the grill. Be sure to brush the grill with some oil to prevent the pork from sticking. Remove the tenderloins from the marinade and discard the marinade.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then grill, turning a few times to brown on all sides, for 20 minutes--until the meat registers 137 degrees at the thickest part. **Use your meat thermometer, or you will do what I used to and overcook it!**

Transfer the tenderloins to a platter and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Let the pork rest for at least 10 minutes before cutting.

Thanks to The Food of Love for typing this shorter version of the recipe for me to use!

Pizza on the Grill

I'm still alive! I know, it's been a while since I've posted, but August is quite a busy month for me. A wedding in Atlanta, visiting relatives from Europe, a wedding shower in Iowa, my husband's birthday, and a trip to Kansas City... yeah, August is busy! I've still been cooking a little when I have the chance, but I have to admit that the summer weather makes me much less inspired in the kitchen.

That's why I'm so lucky to now be able to take my cooking outside! We got the grill about a month ago, and have been using it at least three times a week. Some nights it's been basic marinated chicken or grilled veggies, but I've been experimenting with more creative grill recipes, too. Grilled Pizza is something I first heard about at The Wooden Spoon, and I knew once I had a grill that I would have to try it myself. This is one of those recipes that has limitless combinations, so you won't ever get bored. We've always been big on pizza in our household, so bringing it to the grill is a fun way to change things up.

For the dough, use whatever recipe you use for oven pizza. I didn't like the recipe I used, so I'll just say it seems like any dough would work. Just let is rise like normal pizza dough, and when you're ready, roll it out into thin ovals (or whatever shape you manage... don't worry if it's not pretty!).

Heat the grill to low, and when you're ready, brush olive oil on one side of the dough. Set the dough onto the grill, and let it cook for about two minutes, until it's puffy and cooked on one side. Try not to open the grill too much, and be careful not to let it burn!

When each crust is grilled on the first side, it's time to get creative. Add all your toppings to the grilled side of the crust, so that the second side will get grilled when you're cooking the topings.

We topped ours with tomato sauce, cooked turkey italian sausage, fresh and grated mozzerella, and red onions. We also put fresh basil on the top, but next time I wouldn't add the basil until I finished grilling. We had friends over when we made the pizzas, so each of us got to customize our own.

When they were assembled, we put the pizzas back on the grill to finish cooking. The cheese took longer to melt then we expected, so we moved them to the top rack of the grill to avoid burning the crust. The final result was a perfect summer pizza, and a cool kitchen to escape back into. I have a feeling I won't be able to give up this grilling thing just because it gets cooler... but check back with me in the middle of a Chicago winter and see if I'm still saying that :)

Joe was in charge of making dessert pizza with the leftover dough. We cooked the first side like before, and then brushed melted butter onto the grilled side. We sprinkled on a cinnamon-vanilla and sugar mixture, and tossed it back on the grill to finish cooking.

When it was done cooking, we brushed on a little extra melted butter, then drizzled a simple powdered sugar glaze on top. It tasted just like a cinnamon roll, and was tasty enough that we all regreated how much we ate. A great use of the extra dough!

Our new toy!

After a few years of living in apartments where we couldn't have a grill, Joe and I finally live in a condo with a great patio out back. The patio has been missing something since we moved in, though, and last weekend we finally filled that void. Check it out, isn't it nice?


I didn't think it was so nice at first, when we had to put the thing together ourselves. It was a 2 person job, and quite a challenge with the vague directions, but after an hour or two we had something that resembled a grill. That was last Sunday, and now this Sunday I'm happy to report we've already used the grill five times! We made kabobs with grilled potato salad, Asian Pork and Mushroom burgers (which I highly recommend), pattypan squash, award wining brauts, and round zucchini filled with turkey. It has been a good food week here at our house, that's for sure. I love the grill already, and Joe and I both are interested in cooking on it. I have numerous ideas for recipes I'd like to try on it, and I think I'll this is an investment that will be gracing the pages of this blog many times in the upcoming months.

I knew Bobby Flay was my go-to guy for a side dish from the grill, and this grilled potato salad was just the type of recipe I was looking for. The dressing on this salad was what made it great, and I thought grilling the potatoes was a fun way to make the dish summery. I should have boiled the potatoes a bit longer than I did, but I was afraid they would fall apart if I let them cook too much. We're going to have friends over to enjoy the grill in the next couple weeks, and I think this will make a great side dish for a simple get together.


French Style Grilled Potato Salad
by Bobby Flay on Boy Meets Grill

2 1/2 pounds small new potatoes (red and yellow), scrubbed
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
8 cornichon, finely diced
2 tablespoons capers, drained
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh chervil, for garnish

Cover potatoes with water in a medium saucepan. Add 2 tablespoons salt. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain potatoes and let cool and slice in half.

Heat the grill to medium.

Brush the potatoes with 1/4 cup of the oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the potatoes on the grill, cut-side down and grill until lightly golden brown, about 4 minutes. Turn the potatoes over and continue grilling until just cooked through, about 4 minutes longer.

While the potatoes are grilling, whisk together the vinegar, mustard and oil in a large bowl, add the red onion, cornichon and capers and stir to combine.

Remove the potatoes from the grill and immediately add to the bowl with the other ingredients and gently stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Let sit at room temperature at least 15 minutes before serving. Garnish with chopped chervil.

A Taste of the Islands

Recently, our friends Jess and Henry went on their honeymoon to St Lucia, and they can back with a gift and a challenge. The gift was the exotic treat of banana ketchup, and the challenge was to use it in my blog. Now I'm sure they would still be friends with me if I just ate the ketchup and left it at that, but I knew I couldn't let them down on blogging out it.

What a treat it was! My initial thought was that it would be just like regular katchup with a little banana flavor, and I assumed it would have tomato as the base. It turned out to be much more banana based than I expected, with the vingear taste that was exactly like regular ketchup. Joe and I each tasted it on its own, to really get the flavor. Joe liked it with fries, while I prefered to use it as a base for a marinade.

Shrimp seemed like the perfect canvas for my marinade; it felt like banana ketchup was meant for seafood. I made a marinade with olive oil, banana ketchup, salt and pepper, and scallions. I put the cleaned shrimp in a baggie with the marinade, threw it in the fridge, and forgot about it for a couple hours. When I was ready, I put the shrimp on skewers and grilled them under the broiler for a few minutes. Shrimp cooks quickly, so be sure to keep an eye on it! The resulting shrimp were tender and flavorful, with just enough banana flavor to keep it interesting. I had planned before hand to only buy enough shrimp for one dinner, and I have a feeling I would have eaten any leftovers that same night if there had been any extra!


I found a great new side dish in this month's Bon Appetit. The recipe for Quinoa with Grilled Zucchini, Garbanzo Beans, and Cumin jumped out at me as soon as I saw it, and I knew it would pair nicely with the shrimp. I loved this side dish! I've only recently discovered quinoa, and I love it as a new alternative to our standby couscous. I made the full recipe for 8, figuring I'd take it for lunch during the work week. It made at least 8 large servings, and by the end of the week I was ready to change up my lunch menu. But it was a great summer side dish full of flavors that I love. I highly recommed this, and hope to make it sometime soon to share with friends.

Quinoa with Grilled Zucchini, Garbanzo Beans, and Cumin

from Bon Appetit August 2008

1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

2 garlic cloves, peeled

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

1 teaspoon turmeric, divided

1 teaspoon smoked paprika, divided

2 cups water1 cup quinoa (about 6 ounces), rinsed well, drained

1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

1 1/2 pounds medium zucchini (about 5), trimmed, quartered lengthwise

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

4 green onions, thinly sliced

1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

Combine garbanzo beans and lemon juice in large bowl. Add 3 tablespoons oil; press in garlic and stir to combine. Let marinate at least 15 minutes and up to 2 hours.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add cumin seeds, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, and 1/2 teaspoon paprika; stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add 2 cups water, quinoa, and coarse salt; bring to simmer, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until all water is absorbed, about 16 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare barbecue (mediumhigh heat). Place zucchini on rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil. Sprinkle with ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, and 1/2 teaspoon paprika. Toss to coat evenly.

Place zucchini on grill; sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Grill until tender and browned on all sides, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to work surface. Cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces. Add zucchini, green onions, and parsley, then garbanzo bean mixture to quinoa. Toss to blend. Season with salt and pepper.

Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.