End of Summer Salads

I recently brought some of this salad into work for DA today (recently being today) and he asked if the recipe was on the blog. I thought it was, because I remember writing the post, and when I checked I realized it had gotten lost in my backlog! So here is yet one more summer salad recipe before it's too late to make summer salads any more!

This year for the 4th of July we decided to stay in Boston and go to the gigantic fireworks display (I have been told it's the largest in the country) with my parents. It's the kind of thing my Mom has always wanted to do, but dealing with parking is such a pain that we never did. Since JR and I now live within walking distance of the river and downtown Boston, this was clearly the year to make it happen.


Mom & Dad came over in the afternoon and brought a big fruit salad and my Mom's world famous Copper Pennies. I then pulled together another coleslaw recipe from Smitten Kitchen, this one a bit different, had no mayo and an Asian influence. I knew my Mom and Dad would love it. We also grilled some corn and fish and had a feast.


Then we walked to the fireworks, which were totally worth it, and highly recommended.




Napa Cabbage and Sesame Seed Slaw

Wasabi Dressing Ingredients:
2 teaspoons wasabi powder (available at Asian markets, specialty stores and many large supermarkets)
1 tablespoon water
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup peanut oil
1 tablespoon honey
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Slaw Ingredients:
1 large head Napa cabbage, finely shredded
2 large carrots, peeled and finely shredded
4 green onions (white bulb and 3 inches of green), finely sliced on the bias
1 cup finely sliced snow peas (strings removed and sliced on the bias)
Wasabi dressing
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon white sesame seeds, toasted
1 tablespoon black sesame seeds, toasted

Instructions:
Combine the wasabi powder and water in a small bowl. Whisk in the garlic, ginger, lime juice, vinegar, oil and honey, and season with salt and pepper.

Combine the cabbage, carrots, green onions and snow peas in a large bowl. Add the dressing and coat well. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with the sesame seeds.

Side Note: This salad also made an appearance at Labor Day and about 5 other weekends this summer. We had it this past weekend with some spicy buffalo wings for the second Patriots game and it was the perfect accompaniment. It stores well and everyone loves it. I highly recommend it the next time you need to bring a salad somewhere!

Life Changing Turkey Burgers

I have always been a burger purest. In my world there wasn't room for turkey burgers, or veggie burgers or lamb burgers - they were all just cheap imitations of the real deal. Then my sister and brother-in-law gave me this recipe for Southwest Turkey Burgers that has completely changed my mind.

I believe my brother-in-law, JF, made up this recipe. He is the opposite kind of cook from me, he doesn't work from recipes and instead stands in his kitchen and pulls together amazing meals just by adding a little of this and a little of that. He is nice enough to write down the recipes so I can follow along.


The beauty of this recipe is that it's flexible. If I don't have one ingredient, I can add another or just a little extra of something else. It's easy to pull together on a week night and makes 4 burgers, so JR and I get left overs for lunch the next day. It's also healthy! You can use the 98% fat free ground turkey and whole wheat rolls and not feel guilty about shoving a quarter pounder in your face. Additionally these burgers can be made on a grill or in a fry pan, so if you don't have a grill this is still a recipe for you.


These are also the burgers that introduced me to Sweet Pepper Relish which I now cannot live without. I generally do them up with vidaliah onions, my BBQ sauce and some of this sweet relish. The burgers are tender and spicy and it's the perfect summer meal.


P.S. There is no photo of a perfectly made beautiful burger because, um, well...I ate it!

Southwest Turkey Burgers

Ingredients:
1 lbs ground turkey (preferably as free of fat as you can get)
2 cloves of garlic (garlic scapes work really well here too)
1/4 red onion, finely chopped
1/2 small bell pepper, finely chopped
1 serrano or jalapeno pepper
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
1 tsp. thyme
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. grill seasoning (McCormick's, any flavor will do)
couple drops Tabasco
Olive oil
Pepper jack cheese
Whole wheat buns
Condiments

Instructions:
1. Chop garlic, onion, peppers and cilantro or parsley and throw into a bowl with the ground turkey. Add the spices and mix well.
2. Form into 4 equally sized patties. I find that the turkey meat can be a little sticky when it doesn't have a lot of fat it in. Drizzle your hands with a little bit of olive oil while you are forming the patties and they come together much more easily.
3. Cook the burgers in a skillet or on the grill. Be careful not to over cook! They are best when they are still moist and tender.
4. Add the cheese for the last few minutes so it melts and toast your buns.
5. Build a perfect burger!

Making up lost time

JR and I are clearly making up for all grill time we lost while living in NY. This is a pretty standard meal for us these day (as in pretty much every night!) We grill up some meat (chicken, steak, burgers, sausages etc) and some vegetables (corn, peppers, onions, asparagus etc) and then I make up a salad. It's amazing, and I love it. I will never live without a grill again.