Bistro quality burger

A burger topped with caramelized onion and blue cheese spread. Yum...

For the caramelized onions:

4 large onions, sliced

2 tbsp butter

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt

For the burger patties:

3 lb ground chuck

1 lb ground sirloin

Garlic salt

Pepper

Onion powder

Smoked paprika

Cumin

Chili powder

Dried parsley

Cayenne pepper

For the blue cheese sauce:

1/4 c mayo

1/4 c fat free sour cream

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp chopped chives

.3 lb crumbled blue cheese

Salt and pepper to your liking 

For the burgers:

12 Kaiser Buns

Arugula for topping

To caramelize onions:

Heat butter and olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and generous pinch of salt. Occasionally stir and cook for about an hour until the onions are caramelized. 

To prepare the burger:

Mix both ground meat together and portion out the meat to 1/3 lb each. You should get 12 patties after portioning them out. Shape them into parties. Next season the parties with the garlic salt and next 7 spices. Grill the burger patties to your liking. 

To prepare the blue cheese sauce:

Mix all the blue cheese sauce ingredients together in a small bowl. Chill in the fridge until ready to serve. 

To serve:

Toast the buns with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Place one cooked burger patty on a bun, top with caramelized onions, arugula, and the blue cheese sauce. 

Artichoke and Pesto Grilled Cheese

I just had the best grilled cheese sandwich. Melted muenster cheese, topped with artichokes, and homemade pesto...yum! 

Homemade pesto is so easy too. It's the perfect way of using leftover herbs. The basic things you need are usually some kind of nuts, herbs, and olive oil. Other optional additions can include Parmesan, lime, spices, etc. 

For today's pesto, I grounded 1/4 cup of pistachio, bunch of parsley leaves, 1 garlic clove, 1/4 cup of olive oil, salt and pepper in a mini food processor. I also decided to mix in a tablespoon of grated Parmesan. The parsley and garlic made the pesto so flavorful, and the pistachio really added texture to it. 

I spread a generous portion of pesto on two slices of whole grain bread. Then topped one side with three slices of muenster cheese. Yes, three. They were thin slices. Plus what's a good grilled cheese sandwich without the cheese, right?

On the other slice of bread I topped it with artichoke hearts from the salad bar. Okay, I must confess. I'm addicted to these little artichokes from the Kroger salad bar. I have seriously bought $10 worth before, just for snacking. 

These artichoke hearts are so much better than the jarred. It's fresher and tangier, which really adds a nice bite along with the pesto. 

Arranged the sandwich together and grilled it in a buttered skillet over medium heat. Be patient in letting it melt together. It'll be worth it. 

Cod Fillet Sandwich with Cilantro Cabbage Slaw

I was going for a light fish sandwich. The store didn't have mahi-mahi like I wanted, so I decided to try the cod. It worked and tasted good, but the cod fillet didn't hold up as well as mahi-mahi could have. The fillet broke apart so I ended up stacking pieces of fish onto the sandwich. But you can try out any other white fish you'd like.

The star of this dish was the slaw. It was so light and refreshing. The Greek yogurt added tang to the slaw, and the cilantro added the flavor. It can even be enjoyed as a side dish.

Cod Fillet Sandwich - with Cilantro Cabbage Slaw

Ingredients

4 cod fillet (or any white fish)
4 buns
1 small savoy cabbage, sliced
1/2 c cilantro, chopped
1/2 lime, juiced
1 c nonfat, plain Greek yogurt
4 tbsp mayo
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
salt and pepper
butter or olive oil

1. Prepare the slaw: Mix the cabbage, cilantro, lime juice, Greek yogurt, mayo, garlic powder, seasoned salt, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper together. Let it chill in the fridge while you prepare the fish. (That way the flavors can develop as well.)

2. Prepare the fish: Season both sides of the fish with salt and pepper. In a skillet over medium heat, add olive oil. Cook the fish about 3-5 mins on each side.

3. Assemble: Butter and toast the buns. Then top with a fish fillet and some slaw. Enjoy!

Chicken Club Sandwich

This is a yummy sandwich that was easy to put together. I simply grilled some chicken breasts in olive oil, that had been seasoned with salt and pepper. Just keep it simple because you want the toppings to stand out. Place the chicken breast on some potato buns. Top the chicken with some crispy bacon, avocado slices, and honey mustard. Easy! And so yummy! I loved the avocado in this. It added a touch of freshness and creaminess to the sandwich. And the sweetness of the honey mustard played well with the avocado, tying everything together. I made my own honey mustard. Just mixed about 1/2 c mustard, 1/4 c mayo, 1 tbsp whole grain mustard, 2-3 tbsp honey, and some salt and pepper. Just play around with the measurements to your taste bud's liking.

Lamb Sandwich with a Creamy Dill Sauce

Matt absolutely looooved this dish. I started to wonder if it's because he loves lamb so much, or he just really liked the sandwich altogether. Either way I was happy!

When I was at Sam's Club with my mom, I stumbled upon these beautiful ciabatta rolls. I have had a hard time trying to find individual-sized ciabatta rolls. At Kroger, they just have these huge ciabatta breads - so you have to cut them up into serving sizes. But Sam's Club had it baked in perfect sizes. 8 rolls for only $3...I was excited, not gonna lie.  

So to make the sandwich, first start with some lamb. We had a ton of different kind of lamb (lamb arm chops/sirloin chops, etc.). Any of those will work - just cut out the bone. Then pound out the lamb meat with a meat mallet. I pounded it out to about a quarter of an inch thin. Salt and pepper both sides. Then in a skillet over medium-high heat, add some olive oil. Cook the lamb for about 1-2 mins on each side. For the  ciabata roll, slice it in half and season the inside with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Toast the ciabatta roll in the skillet.

For the sauce, I was going for a tzatziki-like sauce. In a bowl, I combined sour cream with some chopped dill, salt, and pepper. And then I thinly sliced a cucumber. On a toasted ciabatta roll, just add a piece of your lamb, some slices of cucumber, and some of that creamy dill sauce. I also added some slices of truffle cheese that I discovered at Sam's Club as well. 

The earthy flavor from the truffle cheese actually paired nicely with the lamb. And the fresh cucumber and dill sauce helped tie everything together. For such a quick and simple sandwich, it was sure packed with tons of flavor.

Salmon Panini with a Tarragon Aioli

I went to lunch with my coworkers at this place in Cumberland Mall called Fresh 2 Go. Sounds not so good, but I was surprised by their menu. I tried the Salmon Panini because the picture looked so good. And it was so good, I had to go home and make my own version. Matt loved it; and I hope you give this different panini a chance!

Salmon Panini - with a corn cilantro relish, avocado, and tarragon aioli
serves 4

Ingredients:
4 salmon filets
4 ciabatta buns
1 avocado
1 ear yellow corn
1 small red onion
1/2 c. chopped cilantro
1 egg yolk
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 c. tarragon leaves
1/2 c. olive oil
lettuce
salt and pepper 

Prepare the salmon:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Remove any bones left in the filet. Carefully remove the skin. Season with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Bake for about 12-15 mins.

Prepare the corn cilantro relish:
Cut the kernels off one ear of yellow corn. Dice the red onion and then soak it in cold water. Drain well. Heat a skillet over medium heat with a tbsp of olive oil. Cook the corn and red onion until tender. Turn off the heat and mix in the cilantro.

Prepare the tarragon aioli:
In a mini food processor, add the tarragon leaves, egg yolk, and lemon juice. Blend. Then add a splash of olive oil to get the aioli going. Slowly add in the rest of the olive oil. (For a thinner aioli add more olive oil. For a thicker aioli add more egg yolk.) Add salt and pepper to taste.

To prepare the panini:
Spread the tarragon aioli on the ciabatta buns. Layer with a salmon filet, piece of lettuce, corn cilantro relish, and slices of avocado. Press the sandwich between a panini press that has been buttered. Enjoy!