I saw this recipe for Chipotle Turkey Burgers at the The Kitchen Sink blog, and thought they sounded perfect for a weekend barbeque. I don’t eat beef, so burgers for me are either ground turkey or ground chicken, and if you’ve ever cooked with either, you know they can lack flavor. Plus, patties made from the birds tend to fall apart because they lack the fat content that beef does. This problem is easily solvable by adding fat and moisture back in—good fat and good moisture. (Which we quickly compensate for here by topping the healthy turkey burgers with cheese and bacon. Ha!) Examples of good fat and good moisture: olive oil, fresh herbs, garlic, onions, veggies. You dice these ingredients up small, oh so small, and mix them into your meat before making the patties. The result is a moist burger bursting with flavor. I promise—you won’t miss the beef.

To spice up these burgers, I add adobo sauce from canned chipotle chiles (available in the Latin/Hispanic/Mexican section of your grocery store) directly to the ground meat. I also borrow The Kitchen Sink’s idea for Chipotle “Ketchup.” Her recipe is here. My version is in the guidelines. I’d use this sauce lightly. Too much and it overwhelms the flavors of everything else. Plus, it’s spicy, and if you’re not into heat, it might be too much for you. If you know you won’t dig it, simply leave the sauce off.

Ingredients:

1- 1 ½ lbs turkey burger
1 shallot, finely diced
2 cloves of garlic, finely diced
1 tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper (to taste)
4 tsp. adobo sauce, divided into 2 tsp. and 2 tsp.
1 tbsp. cilantro, finely chopped
4 oz. sour cream
squirt of lime juice
1 Vidalia onion, sliced into thick rings
smoked cheddar cheese, 2-3 slices per burger
bacon, about ½ lb.
1-2 tomatoes
onion hamburger buns

Guidelines:

Mix the first seven ingredients in a large bowl. Notice that you only use 2 tsp. of the adobo sauce in the meat. Shape the mixture into burgers roughly the same size and thickness. You should have 4-6 burgers.

While the grill heats, prepare the Chipotle sauce. Mix the remaining 2 tsp. adobo sauce with the sour cream and lime juice. Set aside.

If you haven’t already cooked your bacon, get that going, too.

Grill the burgers until done, but still juicy inside. Depending on thickness this doesn’t take long—about 5-7 minutes per side. During the last few minutes of cooking, put the smoked cheddar cheese on top of the burgers. Remove from grill and let rest for a minute.

Grill your thick sliced Vidalia onions, and toast your hamburger buns directly on the grill.

Once everything is cooked, assemble your burgers—bottom bun dressed lightly with sauce, burger with cheese, bacon, onions, a few slices of tomato, top bun dressed lightly with sauce.

Enjoy, and don’t be afraid to get messy!

I haven’t posted a “Brown Bag” lunch recipe in a while, but in attempt to bring the series back, I’m offering you Sundried Tomato Hummus. Hummus is a dip which originated in the Middle East. Its main ingredients are chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans), tahini (sesame paste), lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic. In this version, I omit the tahini and use smoked sundried tomatoes. I also roast most of the garlic cloves, which gives it a milder, sweeter flavor.

If you’re like me and don’t care for chickpeas, try hummus anyway. The chalky texture of the chickpeas, when combined with the other ingredients, disappears, and you’re left with a dish that’s refreshing yet filling. Plus, it’s healthy! If you’re not a big garlic fan, the roasted garlic is less… offensive. There’s less of a chance that you’ll return from lunch and stink up your workplace.

This dip is great served with flatbread (such as pita), and/or fresh veggies. For the brown bag lunch, place several large spoonfuls in a Tupperware container, and send along a baggie with whatever you choose to dip in it. My suggestions: whole wheat pita cut into triangles, baby carrots, cucumber, red and/or green peppers, and olives.

Ingredients:

3 cans garbanzo beans
3 oz. smoked sundried tomatoes (I find these in a bag in the produce aisle near the fresh tomatoes.)
6 cloves roasted garlic (see method below)
2 cloves raw garlic (optional)
handful of fresh parsley, chopped (3-4 tbsp.)
6 tbsp. olive oil
8 tbsp. lemon juice
salt
½ - 1 cup water, for thinning

How to make Roasted Garlic:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the unpeeled garlic cloves in a small baking dish. (Ramekins work perfect.) Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover with foil. Bake for 35- 40 minutes, or until a fork slides easily through the cloves. Let cool, then squeeze the garlic out.

Sundried Tomato Hummus Guidelines:

Rinse and drain the garbanzo beans.

If your sundried tomatoes are whole, coarsely chop. If they are already sliced, you’re good to go.

In a food processor, combine all of the ingredients, starting with the ½ cup water and adding more as needed, and process until smooth. The mixture should be grainy, but not chunky. If your food processor is small, you will have to blend the ingredients in batches. It’s more time consuming, but it works fine, I promise!

Cover and refrigerate. Mix before serving.

This is one of those super simple and satisfying snacks or side dishes that will leave you craving more. (Kind of like popcorn, but healthier. I think. )

To make for the ultimate cheesy experience, buy bread from your bakery that has cheese baked into it. Oh, yeah! You can also substitute the aged white Cheddar that I used for another cheese of your choice. I’m interested in trying Gorgonzola, but my other half isn’t into blue cheese. For a milder flavor, Fontina might be nice.

For a light summer meal, serve this salad with a bowl of assorted summer fruits, such as peaches, cherries, and plums, and a glass of red wine. Maybe Dan the wine editor will do a pairing for us…

Ingredients:

quality, bakery-style, crusty bread (preferably cheese flavored; I used Asiago cheese bread)
Parmesan cheese
aged white Cheddar cheese
fresh mozzarella
cherry tomatoes
fresh basil
olive oil
fresh ground pepper
sea salt

Guidelines:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Cube the bread. I used about 6 thick slices for the two of us. If you’re serving more, adjust as necessary. Place the bread cubes on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and toss. How much olive oil? You don’t want the bread to be wet, but you want to be able to see a very, very light coating. Sprinkle with sea salt.

Grate the Parmesan cheese and the aged white Cheddar. I used about a ¼ cup of Parmesan, and ½ cup of Cheddar. Again, adjust as necessary. Toss the bread cubes with the cheese.

Place in the oven and bake until the bread is toasty and the cheese is melted, about 10-15 minutes.

Remove from oven. Let cool slightly.

In the meantime, half the cherry tomatoes and chop the fresh basil. I used a large handful of each.

Cube about half a ball of fresh mozzarella.

In a large bowl, toss the toasted bread cubes with the cherry tomatoes, chopped basil, and fresh mozzarella. Add another splash of olive oil, and a generous grind of fresh ground pepper.

I love stuffed foods, but they’re often a pain to make. It’s no easy feat getting cheese, herbs, and other delectables inside often delicate food. Don’t even talk to me about stuffed chicken breasts. Or stuffed chiles! (Which happens to be one of my favorite dishes.) Stuffed pasta seems like a no-brainer comparatively, but it can still be tiresome and irritating. Your shells rip, you get your hands all goopy (because let’s face it, a spoon doesn’t always do the trick), you don’t get enough stuff stuffed in, or maybe you get too much and it all oozes out in a strange goopy mess. Really, the worst thing about stuffed foods is they take time to prepare. And who doesn’t want a short cut? Well, I’ve got one for you. Instead of stuffing jumbo shells or manicotti, why not just place a couple spoonfuls of filling on half of a lasagna noodle and roll ‘er up? It’s quick and easy and looks just as yummy. Give it a go.

Ingredients:

one package whole wheat lasagna noodles (not no bake)
marinara sauce (your own favorite recipe, or, if you’re in a hurry, marinara from a jar)
15 oz. ricotta cheese
1 egg
1 package sundried tomatoes (not packed in oil)
3 cups washed and dried fresh spinach, stems removed
1 head of roasted garlic (recipe below)
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese + ¼ cup for topping
fresh basil, optional
salt and pepper, to taste

How to Make Roasted Garlic:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Remove the outermost, flaky skin, leaving the peel around the cloves intact.

In a bread pan, or other small baking pan, place a small amount of water. Place your head of garlic in the pan, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover with foil.

Bake for 35-45 minutes, until a fork inserted into the cloves slides easily through. Let cool, then squeeze the roasted garlic from the skin.

Lasagna Roll Directions:

Boil the lasagna noodles according to package directions. Drain and separate the noodles so they don’t stick together.

Make, or heat, your sauce.

In a large bowl, combine ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, egg, and salt and pepper. Stir to combine.

In a large sauté pan, heat the spinach with a small amount of water until just wilted.

Slice the sundried tomatoes in half. Note: If the sundried tomatoes are tough, soak them in hot water for 10 minutes.

Add steamed spinach, sundried tomatoes, and roasted garlic to the cheese mixture. Stir to combine.

On a large work surface, cut the lasagna noodles in half. Toward the end each half, place a couple spoonfuls of the filling. Roll up and set aside.

Once all the filling has been used, spread a layer of sauce on the bottom of a 13×9 inch pan. Place the lasagna rolls in the pan so they fit snug. Spread the remaining sauce over the top. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes, or until filling is hot and sauce is bubbling. During the last 8 minutes of baking, sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup Parmesan cheese over the top of the rolls.

Remove from oven, let cool slightly. Optional: Sprinkle with fresh basil.

Note: Just like any pasta, lasagna rolls can be stuffed with anything—Italian sausage and sweet peppers, mushrooms and onions, herbs and cheese. Whatever your heart desires. Get creative!