Beef...Yes, Have Some!!!

That heading is for my glorious husband; I hope he gets a laugh!! Tonight is "New Recipe Thursday" and boy-o-boy, get ready for this one. A little advanced warning, it takes some prep time. But it is TOTALLY worth the extra labor. I will admit, the kiddos got bored about halfway through and decided to go catch up on their "news" while I finished supper.

Veggie Beef Burgers with Summer Vegetable Salad

 

 

 

Ingredients Needed for the Veggie Beef Burgers

1 pound ground beef, 95% lean

1 small yellow onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

10 baby carrots (or 1 large carrot), diced

1 stalk of celery, diced

8 oz. block of your favorite cheese, sliced (I happen to love Tomato Basil Havarti)

1 tbsp. minced garlic

1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients Needed for the Fresh Summer Vegetable Salad (Farmer's Market, Here We Come!!)

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 red onion, diced

5 ears of fresh sweet corn, cooked and cut off the cob

16 oz. shelled edamame beans (soybeans for the lay-person)
2 palmful each of dried dill and chives (half to add to the corn water; half to add to the salad)
2/3 palmful each of curry powder, ground cumin and ground turmeric (half to add to the corn water; half to add to the salad)
1 tbsp. minced garlic
 
Equipment Needed:
Large Pot
Large Grill Pan
Sharp Knife
Cutting Board
2 Large Mixing Bowls
 
Instructions on How to Make the Best Burger You'll Ever Taste:
 
Step 1: In a large pot, add the shucked corn and cover with water. Add the garlic, 1 palmful each of the dried dill and chives and 1/3 palmful each of curry powder, ground cumin and ground turmeric. Bring to a boil. Remove corn from the water, let cool and cut the kernels off the cob with a sharp knife.
 

 

 
Step 2: Dice all vegetables. Pull up your bootstraps; this is going to take a while! Be sure to keep separate piles...one for the burger and one for the salad!! **Tip: As you dice the veggies for the salad, just toss them right into your serving dish.
 

 

 


Step 3: Over medium heat, add 1 tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil to the grill pan. Sauté the diced yellow onion, green bell pepper, carrots, celery and garlic until it is caramelized (meaning it has a brown hue to it). Remove it from the pan and place it on a freezer-safe plate. Cool down the veggies in the freezers until you are ready to mix them with the ground beef.

Step 4: Go back to your bowl of diced veggies for the salad. Add the garlic, remaining half of the herbs and spices and the rice wine vinegar. Mix thoroughly!!

 

 

 

 

Step 5: Add salt and pepper to taste. Store in the fridge until you are ready to plate your meal.

Step 6: Take your block of cheese and cut it into strips. This will make it easier to top on the burger and melt. (This is where I lost the kiddos. It was every man for himself after this step.)

 

Step 7: Get the sautéed vegetables from the freezer. In a mixing bowl, add the ground beef and cooled vegetable mixture. Mix with your hands (or if you are one of those squeamish people, use a spatula:-). Using the tip of your fingers, draw an "+" in the beef mixture. This will give you 4 perfectly portioned patties. **Tip: When making your patties, make an indentation in the middle. This will ensure you have flat patties after they are cooked as the middles will raise to the same level as the outer edge.

 

Step 8: Using the same grill pan over medium-high heat, add your veggie beef patties. **Tip: add a small amount of water to the pan and cover with aluminum foil. This will ensure your patties are really juicy. When moisture begins to form in the middle, they are ready to flip. Add a few more drops of water, top with desired amount of cheese and cover again with foil.

 

 

 

 

Step 9: Once the cheese melts, remove the burgers from the pan. Plate everything up and enjoy!! (Feel free to take a few pictures and share them with your friends. They'll never believe your greatness :-)