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Green Chile and Bacon Burgers {plus a Tillamook Cheese coupon!}

on May 8, 2013

This post was created for Tillamook Burger Month. Read on for a recipe and a coupon for Tillamook Natural Cheese Slices!

Around here, grilling season means any day that doesn’t have a high winds warning, but there’s still something special about cooking outdoors in the warmer months. Maybe it’s the excitement of not having to turn on the stove or oven. After all, grilling doesn’t count as cooking, right?

Burgers are, of course, one of our favorite things to grill up. They provide endless opportunities for customization, and yet you can also go classic with just ketchup and cheese, and end up with a stellar meal. Using quality cheese goes a long way in making a memorable burger. Our household graduated from rubbery, processed cheese slices long ago, and I’m happily using Tillamook Natural Sliced Cheddar Cheese on my burgers and my son’s grilled cheese sandwiches. The thick slices are excellent for any sandwich, and best of all, they don’t contain any funky ingredients. It’s even created without animal rennet (rennet being a key component in most cheeses), meaning it’s a great choice for vegetarians.

Sorry about this burger, however, vegetarians.

Green chiles are a common ingredient in the Southwest, and every year food lovers in Austin go completely bonkers for the new crop of Hatch chiles. Hatch chile season isn’t until August, but most stores carry tinned roasted green chiles alongside the jalapenos and salsas. You can also swap in a fresh Anaheim or Poblano pepper and roast it yourself, if you like. Note that the heat can vary on peppers, so be sure to try a bit of it before adding to the meat in case you want more or less heat. Topping with Tillamook cheese slices, avocado, and pickled onions makes this a hot-and-cool burger full of flavor. There’s also bacon, because why not?

Green Chile and Bacon Burgers

serves 4
1 pound ground grass-fed beef
4 slices thick-cut bacon, cooked until crispy and crumbled
1/4 cup roasted diced green chiles (such as Hatch variety)
Salt and pepper to taste
4 Tillamook Natural Medium Cheddar Cheese Slices
4 hamburger buns
Butter
Sliced avocado
Pickled onion

Preheat grill.
Mix together beef, bacon crumbles, green chiles, salt, and pepper. Divide mixture into four equal parts and shape into patties, creating a small well in the center of each patty.
Cook burgers 3-4 minutes per side.
While the burgers are cooking, butter tops and bottoms of hamburger buns.
In the last minute of cooking, add the buns to the grill butter-side down and grill for 1 minute. Remove buns to serving plate, and place burgers on bottom halves, topping with cheese slices immediately.
Top burgers with sliced avocado and pickled onions, and enjoy!

 

Don’t forget to grab your coupon!

The Tillamook $1 off Natural Slices coupon will be available until May 21, 2013. It will expire within 30 days of printing, so don’t forget to use it soon! Please reach out to Tillamook directly with any questions, comments, or concerns about the coupon: Contact Tillamook

What’s your favorite kind of burger?

 

 

Disclaimer: I received a box of Tillamook goodies and Natural Cheese Slices for participating in Burger Month. I was not otherwise compensated for this post. My opinions are my own, including that you should never ever “squeeze” a burger while it’s cooking.

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Raspberry Chipotle Wings

on January 30, 2013

Truthfully, once my beloved team gets knocked out of the playoffs, I stop caring about football or making plans to spend the big game annoying my native-Vikings-fan husband.

Oh, sure, I’ll watch it, but I’ll probably be multitasking with some other project, really only being there for the snacks. If there’s anything Americans do well, it’s making copious amounts of food for every slightly celebratory occasion.

These chicken wings are easy to put together and are a nice alternative to some of the other flavors out there. Raspberry chipotle is a favorite combo in certain parts of Texas, and I’m definitely not one to turn down anything with raspberries.

You can use fresh raspberries, of course, but organic berries are often hard to find at a good price in January. Frozen raspberries work just as well, and you can create the sauce without thawing them, letting the thawing happen in the pan.

These can be made ahead of time and reheated in a 350°F oven for 10-15 minutes. Be sure to put them on parchment or a silpat to reduce sticking!

Raspberry Chipotle Wings

2.5 pounds chicken wings, tips trimmed and drummettes and flats separated
1 cup raspberries
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons honey
1 whole chipotle in adobo
Pinch salt
Pinch red pepper flakes

Working in batches, cook chicken wings in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until browned but not cooked through, about 4-5 minutes per side.

Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients and simmer until berries and chipotle are broken down. (You might need to help the chipotle along by breaking it up with a spoon.) Sauce will thicken when cooked with the chicken.

Pour sauce over chicken and simmer, covered, for about 10 minutes.

Uncover and cook for another 5-10 minutes, turning chicken to coat as needed, until sauce has reduced and is a thick glaze.

Serve garnished with chopped parsley, if desired.

 

Need more dishes for Sunday? Try these:

What are you making on Sunday?

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Roasted Butternut Squash Lasagna

on January 8, 2013

Almost every post I’ve read this new year features a salad or other “detox” recipe. I get that’s the way the food editorial calendar works, but considering I spent most of December just trying to eat anything, nevermind becoming a Christmas-cookie glutton, I figure there is no point in faking a dietary reset.

Bam. Here’s a lasagna.

This might seem more time-intensive than you’d like for a lasagna, especially if you normally make lasagna with the “open and dump” method. I like this version because I adore butternut squash, and the sauce makes enough for you to save some extra for another night. The flavors of the vegetables also come through better than on a standard lasagna – I dislike standard lasagna for its heavy hand when it comes to bland ricotta and overpowering “Italian-seasoned” sauce.

A few notes:

  • The butternut squash here is measured by cups rather than by the size of the whole squash. Squash varies a lot, and even two squashes of the same weight can yield different amounts of flesh, depending on how you peel and the amount of pulp and seeds inside. Butternut squash can be used in anything; get extra.
  • I used rubbed sage, which I bought at Penzey’s. You can use regular dried sage in equal amounts, or about half as much ground sage. Typically I grind the rubbed sage between my palms (holding my hands over the pot) after I measure to ensure even flavor.
  • You can substitute any winter green for the kale, if you like.

Roasted Butternut Squash Lasagna

6 cups cubed butternut squash
4 cloves garlic
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon salt, divided
3 cups diced tomatoes, or 1 24-ounce can, drained
1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon
Pinch cinnamon
2 cups vegetable stock
15 ounces ricotta
4 ounces shredded gouda, divided
2 ounces shredded Parmesan
1 egg, beaten
4 leaves kale, ribs removed and leaves chopped
12 no-boil lasagna noodles (or use regular, and cook according to package instructions)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss squash, garlic, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt together, then spread onto a large baking sheet. Roast for 20 minutes, stirring halfway. Turn oven down to 350°F.

Sauté tomatoes, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt over medium heat until tomatoes have broken down. Add 3 cups roasted squash and the garlic. (Reserve the remaining squash for later.) Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes.

Stir in sage, ginger, paprika, tarragon, and cinnamon. Stir vegetable stock and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Heat through, then purée with an immersion blender. Reserve 2 cups of the sauce for another use.

Mix together ricotta, half the gouda, Parmesan and egg.

To assemble the lasagna:

Spread about 1/2 cup sauce on the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Arrange 4 lasagna noodles on top, then spread on half of the ricotta mixture. Add half the kale, and 1 cup of roasted squash. Cover with 1 cup of sauce and repeat noodles, ricotta, kale, and squash. Cover with 1 cup of sauce, then place on last lasagna noodles. Top with remaining squash, 1/2 cup sauce, and remaining gouda cheese.

Cover dish with foil and bake for about 50 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

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Sweet Potato Pizza with Avocado Crema

on October 8, 2012

Just hear me out, OK?

I know this pizza sounds weird – it doesn’t have cheese, or traditional sauce, and it’s on whole wheat crust. But trust me when I say that it is good.

When I make pizza at home, I like to use ingredients we already have on hand. Sort of a pantry-cleaner pizza, in a sense. So when it came time to make my pizza for the Hodgson Mill Build a Better Pizza contest, I knew I wanted to try not only a healthier crust but healthier toppings as well. Don’t get me wrong, I adore a cheesy pizza studded with spicy Italian sausage (and even dipped in ranch dressing if I’m feeling extra gluttonous and/or hormonal), but I realize that if we are going to have pizza weekly, it isn’t the best idea to keep putting that in my stomach.

If you aren’t down with sweet potatoes and an avocado sauce on your pizza, just stick with the crust recipe. It rolls out well, isn’t too dense, and even stays tasty after a stint in the fridge and microwave (one of the key factors when it comes to pizza, in my book).

Note that you could also put the avocado crema under the toppings on the pizza and bake it together, but I like the added coolness that the crema brings when using it on top. You’ll probably also have some left over, and it can be used in anything from topping tacos to eggs.

Sweet Potato Pizza with Avocado Crema

For the crust
2 1/4 teaspoon Hodgson Mill Active Dry Yeast
3/4 cup warm water
2 tablespoons olive or grapeseed oil
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground flax meal
1 tablespoon hemp hearts
1 1/2 cup Hodgson Mill Whole Wheat Flour
1 cup Hodgson Mill White Flour, plus extra for the work surface

For the pizza
2 tablespoons olive or grapeseed oil, divided
2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into rounds
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
Salt to taste

Hodgson Mill Corn Meal
1 large Hatch or poblano pepper, seeded and sliced

1 small avocado
1/4 cup Greek-style yogurt
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon water

In a large bowl, whisk together yeast and the water and let sit 5 minutes until foamy. Add the olive oil, honey, salt, flax meal, hemp hearts, and whole wheat flour, and stir until well combined. (You can do this in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, if you like.) Add the white flour, a little at a time, until a cohesive dough begins to form. The dough should pull away from the sides and not be too sticky or too dry – you might not need to use all the flour. (Save the extra for kneading and rolling.)

Once your dough is formed, dump it out onto a floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes, adding a little flour as necessary to prevent sticking. Place in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place for about an hour.

Meanwhile, roast the sweet potato by tossing the rounds with 1 tablespoon oil and the cumin, chili powder, and salt to taste, then spreading on a baking sheet and baking for about 20 minutes at 400°F.

When you’re ready to make the pizza, preheat oven to 450°F. If using a pizza stone, place it in the oven before turning the oven on. Scatter a light coating of corn meal onto a pizza peel or baking sheet, if not using a pizza stone. Roll dough out on a floured surface until it is the size and shape you want. Carefully move dough to the pizza stone or baking sheet and reshape as needed.

Pinch up edge of dough so a slight rim is formed all around. Drizzle the remaining oil oil across the surface of the dough, then arrange the sweet potato and peppers over it. Bake for 12 minutes.

Make the sauce by pureeing the avocado, yogurt, lime juice, salt, and water together. Drizzle over the finished pizza and serve on the side for extra dipping.

Please vote for my pizza by heading over to Hodgson Mill’s page on Facebook!

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Butternut Cheddar Frittata

on September 12, 2012

Reasons I like frittata:

It’s easy.

It uses up anything I have in my fridge. Provided I have eggs, of course.

Any excuse for more butternut squash is a good one.

Minimal cleanup. If you cook your veggies in advance, you only need to worry about the pan. And plates, if you’re that kind of family.

It doubles as breakfast. Or lunch. Or snack. Whatever.

No fussy crust to deal with. Which means gluten free, which means I won’t kill my friends if they come over for a nosh.

Eggs, vegetables, cheese. What else do you need? (OK, I won’t say boo if you add bacon.)

Butternut Cheddar Frittata

Serves 6

2 cups diced butternut squash
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
8 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons herbes de Provence
1 tablespoon butter
3/4 cup shredded sharp or smoked cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss squash in olive oil, salt, and pepper, and spread onto a rimmed baking sheet. (Note: You can use the same skillet you plan on cooking the frittata in, if you like.) Roast about 25 minutes or until squash is tender and lightly browned, stirring halfway through cooking time. Remove from oven and set aside, and preheat oven to broil.

Whisk together eggs, milk, and herbes de Provence.

Heat a cast-iron or other oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat, and add the butter. Swirl the pan to coat it as the butter melts. Once the butter has melted, add the butternut squash to the skillet, then pour in the egg mixture. Cook on the stove approximately 5 minutes or just until starting to set on top.

Scatter cheese over the top and move skillet to the oven. Cook for approximately 5 more minutes, until cheese is melted and top is set and lightly browned.

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Lamb, Eggplant, and Fig Skillet

on September 5, 2012

The day after we returned from our Wisconsin vacation, I was a little at loose ends when it came to cooking. Our refrigerator was almost completely empty; its condiments an eerie throwback to when we were poor college kids. Since it was Sunday, I went over to the farmers’ market, hoping to be inspired.

Honestly, I still felt lost staring at the bins of fresh veggies, but I grabbed some tiny eggplants, zucchini, and tomatoes, thinking that at the very least I’d be able to make ratatouille again.

That idea got pushed aside when I saw that lamb stew meat was available (truthfully, I was hoping for the lamb cheeks that were advertised on the board, but they weren’t actually in stock). After grabbing some fresh figs at the co-op, it was on.

You know those things that hang around your house, beautiful but mostly unused? In my house, that would be the Le Creuset cast-iron skillet my husband bought for me last year. I adore it, but have only used it about 5 times. If that. One of my goals in cooking is to use everything I have more, from my stocks of jam to spices to kitchenware. Turns out the skillet was perfect for creating this dish – I’ll have to get the stepladder and pull it down more often.

This dish is a bit sweet, but if you don’t have small children sharing dinner, throw a few dashes of chile pepper in. Serve it over couscous or rice, if you like.

Lamb, Eggplant, and Fig Skillet

Serves 4

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound lamb stew meat
1-2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup diced onion
1/2 pound eggplant, diced
1/2 pound fresh black mission figs, quartered
1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Brown lamb on all sides, then remove to a plate and keep warm.

Deglaze the pan with balsamic vinegar, scraping up any stuck bits. Add the onions and eggplant, and saute for about five minutes. Add the figs and tomatoes, then return meat to the pan.

Mix the spices together in a small bowl and stir evenly into the vegetables and meat. Cook another 10 minutes, until liquid starts to evaporate a bit. Finish with lemon juice and serve.

 

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