This new free ebook is about to turn your summer grilling and entertaining up to 11.
(Yep, that's a Spinal Tap reference, I'm dating myself.)
Introducing The Not Ketchup Burger Book. This book has 10 of the most delicious burger recipes you've ever tasted. My sweet and tangy Not Ketchup sauces make every burger something truly special.
The recipes:
Cherry Chipotle Breakfast Burger
Citrus Crab Cakes with Tangerine Dressing
Blueberry Bison Burger
Cherry Chipotle Southwestern Turkey Burger Bowl
Smoky Date Banh Mi Pork Burger
Spiced Fig Lamb Sliders
Spicy Salmon Burger
Smoky Date Veggie Burger
Classic Cherry Chipotle Burger
Tangerine Shrimp Cilantro Burger
I was lucky to have my friend Laura Bashar, who writes the gorgeous blog Family Spice and is co-author of Cooking Techniques with Olive Oil, do all the styling, photography and graphic design. I'm telling you, these are some of the most beautiful burger photos I've ever seen. (If you're looking for an ebook for your business, I highly, highly recommend her and would be happy to put you in touch.)
But for chicken burgers - even when the ground chicken mixture includes plenty of dark meat - I find the grill too aggressive. There's nothing worse than a dry chicken burger. And that's what I get when I cook chicken burgers on the grill.
My favorite chicken burger is moist, well seasoned, studded with chopped green onions, and cooked in a skillet on the stove. Three ingredients, not counting the bun, the garnish, and the sauce. You'll have dinner on the table in less than half an hour.
About the sauce: My favorite for chicken burgers is Blueberry White Pepper Not Ketchup. The combination of sweet, tangy, peppery and savory brings a lot of zest to the delicate chicken. In fact, when I was first working on the recipes for my Not Ketchup sauces, I tested the blueberry prototype on chicken breasts, chicken thighs, chicken tenders, and roast chicken. Blueberries and chicken...who knew?
In a large bowl, mix the ground chicken, green onions, and garlic salt with your hands until well combined. Divide the chicken mixture into four equal parts, then shape into four patties.Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil, then place the chicken burgers in the pan. Cook about 10 minutes on the first side, then flip and cook until the burgers are cooked all the way through, about 8 minutes more. Put the burgers on a plate, cover with foil, and let rest 5 minutes.To serve, spread some Blueberry White Pepper Not Ketchup on the bottom half of each bun and place a chicken burger on it. Drizzle with more Not Ketchup, add a handful of lettuce or arugula to each burger, and place the other half of each bun on top. Serve immediately.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 4 servings
If it were January, I'd be making some New Year's resolutions.
Work less. Pay more attention to the kids. Stop multitasking. Breathe. Exercise. Cook dinner. Blog more!
But it's June. I can't work less or important things won't get done. My kids are busy themselves, thank goodness, too busy to realize just how distracted I've been. Multitasking feels essential. I'm breathing and occasionally exercising. Cooking dinner? A few times a week, better than nothing.
But hey, at least I'm here writing this post.
On Memorial Day, for the first time in months, we had friends over for dinner. I made pulled pork and (of course) served it with a Not Ketchup bar. Guess what? All four flavors taste great when mixed with slow-cooked shredded pork shoulder. My favorite for pulled pork is Cherry Chipotle Not Ketchup, with Spiced Fig Not Ketchup a close second. Blueberry Not Ketchup always has its fans. And Smoky Date Not Ketchup is a good all-around choice too, especially for kids who might not like the spices in the other flavors.
The next day I mixed the leftover pulled pork with shredded Mexican blend cheese and rolled it up in flour tortillas, then baked them until crispy. It was one of those forehead-smacking moments: Why haven't I ever thought to do this before? They were tasty and so much fun to eat - especially when we dipped them into guacamole and more Not Ketchup.
Of course, you can put just about anything inside a tortilla and roll it up. Beans, cooked vegetables, leftover rice, chopped rotisserie chicken. Just mix it with some shredded cheese before rolling and baking. And serve a delicious dip on the side.
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Pulled pork baked taquitos
by Erika Kerekes June-2-2014
Mix pulled pork with shredded cheese, roll it up in flour tortillas, and bake in the oven until crispy. Serve with a fun dip on the side, like guacamole, salsa, or Cherry Chipotle Not Ketchup sauce.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, then spray the foil lightly with cooking spray.In a medium-sized mixing bowl, blend the pulled pork with the shredded cheese with a large spoon.Lay one tortilla on a cutting board and spoon about 1/4 cup of the filling lengthwise on the bottom third of the tortilla. Roll the tortilla up tightly around the filling. Lay the taquito on the baking sheet, seam side down. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling.Bake the taquitos until golden brown and crisp, 10-15 minutes. Serve immediately with guacamole and Cherry Chipotle Not Ketchup on the side.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 8 taquitos
For many years I made my boys a hot breakfast every single day.
But as they've gotten older and I've gotten busier, I've left them to their own devices in the mornings more and more.
They're pretty self-sufficient on school days. Neither kid loves cereal, but between leftovers, toast, smoked salmon (the elder), Nutella (the younger), and the Keurig, they do pretty well.
One morning not long ago, I saw my older son rummaging dejectedly through the refrigerator and took pity on him. While he got his stuff together, I threw together a quick open-faced breakfast sandwich: a Stonefire Mediterranean Pocket Pita with pesto, a fried egg, and a quick saute of colored bell peppers. It tasted great and looked even better.
Every time I see this photo it reminds me of mornings in our Santa Monica kitchen: sunny, bright, warm, and cheerful, with a pure golden light that slants in through the southeast windows. Thus the name: California Sunshine Breakfast Sandwich. May it bring sunlight and warmth to all of your kitchens too.
Disclosure: Stonefire sent me their flatbreads to try. I have to tell you - they're fantastic. The pita bread is soft, pillowy, with just the right amount of chew, and it's not dry at all. We also enjoyed the naan and pizza crust, but the pita was the hands-down winner. Other than the free bread, for which my family was very grateful, I got no compensation for this post. We ate the samples faster than I could photograph them. Luckily, Stonefire pita is now available at my local Costco, and possibly at yours too.
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California Sunshine Breakfast Sandwich
by Erika Kerekes April-9-2014
Pesto, a fried egg, and sauteed tri-color bell peppers top a soft pita bread for this delicious breakfast sandwich that looks like California sunshine.
Ingredients
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup mixed color bell peppers, thinly sliced
1 pita bread round
1 Tablespoon basil pesto sauce
1 egg
chives, for garnish
salt and freshly ground pepper
Instructions
In a small nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and peppers; cook until wilted and starting to brown around the edges, 3-4 minutes. Put the pepper mixture on a plate.While the peppers are cooking, put the pita in the toaster. Toast until warm and soft. Spread the pita with the pesto sauce.In the same skillet in which you cooked the peppers, crack the egg. Fry the egg until it is done to your liking.To assemble the sandwich, slide the fried egg onto the pita and top with the pepper mixture. Garnish with the chives and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 1 sandwich
I hear a lot of complaints from parents who hate packing lunch for their kids.
Actually, I don't mind packing lunch. It sure beats having my high schooler eat crappy public school cafeteria food or having to shell out $8 each day for the catered lunch at my younger son's private middle school.
We get into a rhythm with school lunches. On a typical day each boy gets a sandwich, two pieces of fruit, and a chocolate milk box (one kid gets soy, the other regular). If I've baked muffins or cookies, each kid also gets a small treat.
I always keep canned salmon in the pantry to make this simple, flavorful salmon salad, one of the boys' favorite sandwich fillings. The secret: I mince petite dill pickles in the mini-processor and add them to the salmon salad. The pickles add a little tang and a little crunch, balancing the richness of the salmon perfectly.
(Why not celery, you ask? My husband hates it, so I'm out of the habit. And why salmon instead of tuna? The mercury thing.)
A note on ingredients: Costco has excellent wild Alaskan salmon in cans, as well as large jars of petite dill pickles. As for mayonnaise, I am a Hellman's girl, although of course it's called Best Foods out here in California.
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Canned salmon salad with dill pickles
by Erika Kerekes September-14-2013
Minced petite dill pickles add crunch and a little tang to this easy salmon salad. Perfect for lunchbox sandwiches.
1/2 cup mayonnaise (or a little more or less, to taste)
1/2 small fresh lemon
Instructions
Drain the canned salmon and empty the cans into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add the pickles and mayonnaise. Squeeze the lemon over the ingredients in the bowl, taking care to fish out any pits. Mix everything together with a fork, flaking the salmon as you mix, until the salmon salad is well combined. Serve chilled.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: approximately 4 cups
My goal for this summer is to take my kids on more picnics. Whether we head to the beach, go for a hike or spread a blanket on the grass in the backyard, I want to spend more time eating fun food outdoors with my family. If a football is involved, so much the better.
This month the members of Food Bloggers Los Angeles convened at the beach in Santa Monica. We snagged a picnic table on the grassy belt near the bike path and set up our potluck feast. No sand in our beach picnic, but we were okay with that. All the food got eaten, but somehow, despite the June Gloom (it's a distinct season in coastal southern California), I took home a heck of a sunburn.
I brought hearty steak sandwiches. I like hand-held food for picnics, and the beach makes me hungry. I bought French rolls, spread them with homemade herb butter, laid on a layer of sliced New York strip steak, and topped the meat with a handful of spicy baby arugula. Cut in half and wrapped in foil, the steak sandwiches were perfectly portable and disappeared quickly.
What's your favorite picnic dish? I'd love to hear from you - will you take a moment to leave a comment?
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Gourmet steak sandwiches with herb butter and arugula
by Erika Kerekes June-18-2012
A dressed-up steak sandwich perfect for a summer picnic. Be sure to let the steak cool before laying the slices on the bread - the herb butter should be soft but not melted.
Ingredients
2 New York strip steaks, 10-12 ounces each, about 1 inch thick
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
6 oblong French rolls
1/4 cup herb butter, softened (at room temperature)
2 cups baby arugula, washed and spun dry
Instructions
Heat a ridged grill pan over high heat on the stove, or light your gas or charcoal grill. Sprinkle the steaks generously with salt and pepper on both sides. When the grill is very hot, lay the steaks down and leave them alone for 3-4 minutes. Flip the steaks and cook another 2 minutes on the second side for medium-rare. Remove the steaks from the grill and put them on a plate or cutting board; cover the steaks loosely with aluminum foil. Let the steaks cool to room temperature, then trim any visible fat and gristle and slice thinly with a very sharp knife.Cut the French rolls in half lengthwise. Divide the herb butter evenly among the 12 halves, coating the rolls with the butter all the way to the edges. Lay the steak slices on 6 of the pieces of bread and sprinkle with a bit more salt and pepper. Divide the arugula evenly among the 6 sandwiches, then top with the remaining buttered half-rolls. Cut the sandwiches in half crosswise, wrap each sandwich in aluminum foil or waxed paper, and pack in a cooler to take to your picnic.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 6 sandwiches
I'm on a kale kick. I'm putting kale in just about everything these days: smoothies, salads, quiche, soup.
So when Tillamook asked me to create a signature grilled cheese to celebrate Grilled Cheese Lovers' Day (it's April 12, in case you want to plan a party or something), my first thought was...kale. How could I get kale into a gooey, creamy, crispy grilled cheese sandwich?
I've been focused on kale for health reasons, but I have to tell you that this grilled Tillamook Colby Jack with kale-pistachio pesto might be the best grilled cheese sandwich I've ever eaten.
The key is the contrast. Creamy, mild cheese. Hearty whole-grain bread. And a smooth paste combining the slight bitterness of the kale, a sharp touch of garlic, and the salty pistachios. I used olive oil on the outside instead of butter to let the flavors of the kale pesto shine through.
Outrageous.
For the record, the 13-year-old, who doesn't even like grilled cheese, liked this one. The 10-year-old, who loves grilled cheese but prefers it unadulterated, ate this grilled cheese with kale pesto two days in a row. He'd be eating it still except we finished all the Colby Jack.
You'll have more kale-pistachio pesto than you need for the grilled cheese. It keeps well (refrigerated). Try it on pasta or mixed into cooked rice.
Disclosure: No one paid me anything to write this post. I did, however, get some awesome Tillamook cheese samples, which my family decimated.
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Grilled Tillamook Colby Jack cheese with kale-pistachio pesto
by Erika Kerekes April-5-2012
One of my favorite ways to eat kale is in this smooth, garlicky pesto. The sharp garlic and slightly bitter kale pair perfectly with Tillamook's smooth Colby Jack cheese. Griddled on thick slices of hearty whole-grain bread, this is one of the best and most unusual grilled cheese sandwiches I've ever tasted.
Ingredients
2 cups raw kale leaves, center ribs removed, torn into rough pieces
1/4 cup pistachio nuts, shelled, roasted and salted (measure after shelling)
1 garlic clove
1/4 cup plus 2 tsp olive oil, divided
4 thick slices hearty whole-grain bread
4 slices Tillamook Colby Jack cheese
Instructions
Put the kale, pistachios, garlic and 1/4 cup olive oil in a blender or food processor. Process until a smooth paste forms.Using a pastry brush, coat the outsides of the bread slices with the remaining 2 tsp olive oil. Lay the bread oiled side down on a cutting board. Spread 1 tsp of the kale-pistachio pesto on the inside of each slice of bread (reserve the remaining pesto for another use - it's great on pasta). Divide the Tillamook Colby Jack cheese between two slices of the bread, then top with the remaining slices.Heat a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the sandwiches and grill until the cheese is melted and the outsides of the sandwiches are golden brown, watching carefully to make sure the bread doesn't burn. Remove the sandwiches from the skillet, cut in half, and serve immediately.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 2 sandwiches
Making the most of a quick lunch break from the convention center: Amish pickles, preserves and jams from Lancaster County and Italian muffaletta sandwiches at the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
It's only mid-October and I'm already thinking about turkey. That's because I hate Halloween. I know hating Halloween is a cardinal sin of parenting, but I dread the costume stress, can't stand the cutesy orange and black cupcakes and cookies, and fear the buckets of leftover candy (or, rather, my lack of willpower when faced therewith).
So I'm skipping Halloween and going straight to the day after Thanksgiving. When you're knee-deep in leftover turkey and can't face another plate of cranberries and stuffing, make these tostadas for lunch. It's a simple combination: savory turkey, melted cheese, corn tortillas gone crisp in the oven, and a smooth avocado crema as decoration. I made two per person, but I could have made twice as many and they would still have disappeared.
Leftover turkey takes a Mexican twist in these simple tostadas. Use any leftover avocado crema as a sandwich spread.
Ingredients
1 medium avocado
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/8 tsp salt
8 corn tortillas
2-3 cups leftover Thanksgiving turkey meat (light or dark), diced or torn into small pieces
1 1/2 cups Mexican cheese blend or Monterey jack, shredded
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.Cut the avocado in half, remove the pit, and scoop the flesh into your blender or mini-chopper. Add the lemon juice and salt. Puree until very smooth. Put the avocado crema into a squeeze bottle or a zip-top bag (cut a tiny piece off one corner if using a bag).Lay the tortillas on the baking sheet. Divide the turkey meat and then the cheese evenly among the tortillas. Put the baking pan in the hot oven for 8-10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly and the tortillas are crisp and brown around the edges.Drizzle the avocado crema over the warm tostadas. Serve immediately.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 8 tostadas
Grilled cheese on local artisan bread with heirloom tomato and fresh basil at the Woodstock farmers' market. There's some kind of delicious garlic spread inside, too. I ate it sitting on a bench under a beautiful maple tree. One of the best grilled cheese sandwiches I've had...ever.
