Greek burger

Tonight an inspired burger came to life by combining my favorite ingredients into such a simple dish and born was a masterpiece for my mouth's enjoyment. I call this a Greek Burger by association of ingredients. This didn't come from any certain recipe but when I ate it, I thought... Greek. So there you have it.

Start with lean ground beef. 96% lean to be exact. Pressing into a patty, gently salt and crack a light coat of pepper. Next, sprinkle with garlic and red pepper flakes (careful here, not too much). For the next part of the recipe you will need:

Sun dried tomato and olive paste
Red onions, sliced and separated into strings
Butter, 2 tablespoons
Hamburger bun
Avocado
Feta cheese

Rub a tablespoon of the tomato olive paste on the hamburger patty. Mix the meat together and reshape into a patty. In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Dip the inside of each side of your bun in the butter and set aside. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

In the same skillet, drop the patty to cook, making sure to flip often until the natural juices from the meat coat the pan. Once the patty has browned on both sides, add onion strings to the skillet to cook along side the patty.

Pop the hamburger bun into the oven, face down on the middle rack to warm. Let cook for 5 - 7 minutes and plate. Once the hamburger patty is cooked to your desired temperature, place on the bottom bun. Top with onion strings, feta cheese and a ball of avocado.

Serve with veggies, salad or corn on the cob. Enjoy!

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Eggs over rice with lentils -- sunny side up!

I have stumbled on a breakfast combination that is both unexpected, and the most perfect recipe for morning enjoyment which was created from leftover lentil rice and a carton of eggs. The boxed (yes, boxed) variety of rice with lentils is delicious for both dinner and at breakfast time. On a plate, reheat a few spoonfuls of the rice.

In a large skillet, melt a dab of butter, crack and egg and let it cook unbroken until the white starts to firm. Carefully, slide a spatula under the egg and quickly flip over. Let the egg cook for another 10 seconds or so and flip back to the original side. Serve over the rice and enjoy!

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Slow roasted chicken

For dinner tonight I decided to use my dutch oven which has been safely stored on the top shelf of my cupboard for about the last 7 years, when I received it as a gift from my grandmothers cousin. What to cook in the dutch oven, I asked myself? A chicken. Perfect! So, I bought a whole chicken to test out the slow cooking method. With the cute little bird on my counter, I patted with salt and pepper, then laid it to rest in the pretty little dish. Surrounding the bird with chopped carrots, leeks, scallions, red cabbage, parsley and mushrooms, and adding in a sufficient amount of chicken stock and a few basil leaves, I topped off the dutch oven and put in to cook.

About two hours later, I pulled the dutch oven and opened the lid to find a delicious treat. The most tender chicken and veggies I have ever had. I love my dutch oven and and sorry I have ignored it for so long!

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Mahi Mahi with mango butter sauce

Tonight I prepared a new dish that brings together a few of my very favorite ingredients. Playing off my idea for a restaurant someday called FishBerries (if you are reading this, you must promise not to take my restaurant name!), I paired a mahi mahi with mango, kiwi and pear butter sauce. The ingredient list for the dish is:

Mahi mahi (skin removed)

Mango (skin removed and finely chopped)

Kiwi (skin removed and finely chopped)

Pear (cored and chopped)

Mustard powder

Unsalted butter

Garlic

Red wine vinegar
Light rum

To make the mango butter sauce, combine 3/4 of each fruit variety in a food processor or blender with 1 teaspoon of mustard powder, chopped garlic and red wine vinegar. Add in 2 tablespoons of butter and blend until smooth and creamy.

In a large skillet over medium heat, toss the mahi mahi with mango butter sauce, coating all sides. Cook in sauce, turning periodically. Just before the fish is flake done, add the remaining 1/4 chopped fruit to the pan to heat. Toss in a splash of light rum if you are as bold as I!

Serve the fish with vegetables and rice. When plating your fish, sprinkle the fruit topping over top and add a dab of the heated mango butter sauce. Enjoy!

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Pan fried halibut with green beans

For dinner this evening, I whipped up a quick pan fried halibut with fresh snapped green beans. After arriving home late after a going away party for a friend, I needed something quick and easy, but of course, tasty.

The ingredients which came together for dinner included:

Halibut
Fresh snapped green beans
One egg
Bread crumbs
Flour
Lemon juice
Cherry tomatoes
Capers
Scallions

To start, beat the egg in a medium bowl with a fork. Add in equal parts flour and bread crumbs and stir until the dry ingredients are coated with egg. Tending to the halibut, remove the skin from the bottom and coat in the breading mixture. Place in a hot skillet with melted butter and cover, turning periodically.

Separately, prepare the green beans snapping or cutting the ends from each bean. Toss into a skillet with a variety of cherry tomatoes, lemon juice and add a pinch of salt and crack pepper over the top.

Wash and cut your scallions and add to the halibut skillet with a spoon full of capers. Let cook for another couple of minutes until the scallions and capers are heated through.

Plate and serve immediately. Enjoy!

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Beef tenderloin with sweet potatoes and wilted spinach

Tonight my delight of the evening was centered around a fine cut of beef, paired with the sweetest sweet potatoes and wilted spinach. The difference in flavors--sweet and citrus, pepper and garlic--made a great combination.

To start, you need the finest cut of meat you can get from your local grocer. I went for an 8 ounce fillet of beef tenderloin. To cook, rub the steak, uncut, with extra virgin olive oil then salt and pepper all over, patting the seasonings into the steak. In a hot skillet, quickly sear all sides of the steak to lock in the juices, then transfer to the oven where you will cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees.

Once the steak is in the oven, thoroughly wash your sweet potatoes and place into a pan of salted water which just covers the top of the potato. Boil until toothpick soft in the center, approximately 30 minutes. As the potatoes are nearly done, turn off the oven and let your steak sit, undisturbed until ready to serve.

Transfer your potatoes to a large bowl and remove the skins (they should come right off) and discard skins. Mash the potatoes with a fork, add in a pat of butter and blend on a low speed with a hand blender. Add in orange juice and continue blending until consistency is as you like it.

In a small skillet, melt a pat of butter and add washed spinach leaves, chopped fresh garlic, salt and pepper. Cook quickly until just wilted.

Remove the steak from the oven. Plate your food and top potatoes and spinach with crumbled feta cheese. Enjoy!

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