Cuban Burger

Unless I'm at a barbecue, I don't really go out of my way to make a burger on my own. I actually can't even remember the last time I had a burger! Beef does not appear very frequently on my dinner menu. Yet somehow, I still ended up with a pack of ground beef in my freezer. On weekdays, I usually don't have the time (or the patience) to make chili or sloppy joes. I also don't trust my slow cooker to behave while I'm gone for 10 hours. My brain couldn't come up with creative ideas to cook the beef since I really don't so I went a-searching on Foodgawker.



This is a burger I would go out of my way to make. It's a Cuban burger and I couldn't tell how it would taste just by reading the list of ingredients so I didn't have high expectations. I still wanted to make sure I did it right, so I went out to buy some pickles and ham as I didn't have any. I'm glad I did because every ingredient in this burger matters. I mean, I like each ingredient on its own but all together? Amazing!



Now, I didn't follow the instructions completely. I just used the bread that I had instead of getting rolls (I kinda forgot about that part) and I didn't toast it either. Next time, I'll have to as I think it will add even more to the flavor. Next time could be very soon. Make it part of your dinner menu as it's a change from the traditional that everybody will surely enjoy.

Cuban Burger
From Simple Comfort Food

1/2 lb ground chuck
1 tsp salt, to taste
1/2 cup of ham, paper thin
1 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp yellow mustard
Dill pickles, approximately 5 oval slices
2 slices of Swiss cheese
1 sturdy Hamburger bun
1 tbsp unsalted butter

Begin by shaping your hamburger patty. Lay down a bit of wax paper on a plate. Lay down another piece of wax paper on top of the patty. Take the back of a dinner plate and press down on the patty. Season liberally with salt.

Preheat your cast iron skillet or just a skillet on medium to medium-high heat. Once heated, add the patty, salt side down. Season the other side with salt. Let the burger cook, untouched, for a few minutes as you want to get a great sear on the patty.

Meanwhile, slice the buns, and add a bit of butter to each one. Add the buns onto a preheated skillet, and cook until they are lightly toasted. Once toasted, remove them and set aside.

Flip the patty, and cook another couple of minutes, or until your desired doneness.

Add the mayonnaise to the bottom of one bun. Add the mustard to the other bun. To the bottom bun, add the ham, then one slice of Swiss cheese. Top with the cooked patty. Add the pickles, then top with the remaining Swiss cheese. Add the top bun.

Wipe the skillet, and return it back to the burner, setting the temperature to low, to medium low. Remember that any good Cuban sandwich has that crunch exterior, that when knocking on the bread itself actually makes a noise. Once the burger is on the skillet, add something heavy to the top of the bun. After a minute or so, take a look at the bottom and make sure you are not burning the bread. After cooking for a few minutes, flip the burger, and add the weight back on, flattening the other side.

Once you have achieved the crispy exterior on the other side, remove, and put that baby on a plate.

Classic Bean Burgers

This is how I spent my day off today:





A fellow teacher that I carpool with twice a week knows a lot about hiking trails in the area, so she showed me around this morning. Our day started at 9 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Our first stop was a trail just off the parkway. I forget what it's called, but it was a nice short hike. After that, we went to Roanoke Mountain and we somehow missed a turn and ended up walking in a circle, so that was a really short hike. The pictures above are views from Roanoke Mountain. Pretty amazing that we could see a clear view so far out. It was such a great day to go hiking. It was chilly during our first trail, but it warmed up by late morning.

Our last stop was Mill Mountain. Mill Mountain has a zoo at the top. There's also a huge star that is lit up every night. After a short walk around the zoo, we headed back down and ended the day there. When I got back to my apartment, it was lunchtime and I was huuuungry. These bean burgers were perfect. Veggie burgers are always something I found difficult to make and perfect, but these are pretty good. I love the addition of nuts, though it sure gave my jaw a workout. I don't have a food processor, so I tried my best to chop them into small pieces, but there were still some coarse pieces. These also didn't stay together very well. Maybe the addition of an egg will help.



I'm in love with hiking. Yeah, I'm out of shape and it was rough at first, but it was peaceful and so much fun. I still had a lot of energy after hiking that I was sad I had to go back to lesson planning.

Classic Bean Burger
From Pinch of Yum

1/3 cup red onion (about 1/2 onion)
5 cloves garlic
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1 tsp hot chili powder
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 to 3/4 tsp salt
Fresh ground pepper
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs
1 15-oz can pinto beans

1 Preheat a grill to medium heat.

2 Peel the 5 garlic cloves. In the bowl of a food processor, add 1/2 red onion and garlic and process until finely chopped. (If no food processor, chop finely with a knife.)

3 Add 1/2 cup almonds, 1/2 cup sunflower seeds, 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, 1 teaspoon hot chili powder, 1 teaspoon olive oil, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a good amount of fresh ground pepper. Pulse 10 to 15 times until the mixture is coarsely chopped. (If no food processor, coarsely chop the almonds, sunflower seeds, and cilantro, and combine with the other ingredients.)

4 Drain and rinse the beans. In a medium bowl, mash the beans with a potato masher. Stir in the ingredients from the steps above, and add 1/2 cup bread crumbs. Mix together with your hands; taste and add more salt if desired.

5 Form the mixture into four patties. Place on a grill and grill for 6 to 8 minutes per side, depending on the heat of the grill. Or, bake them in a 450°F oven for 30 minutes, flipping after 15 minutes.

Chicken Parmesan Burgers

Why is Mother Nature so cruel? When I drove up to Jersey last week, it rained non-stop. When I drove down to Virginia yesterday, it rained for the last half of the trip. At least it wasn't as bad as last week. I got back around 2 p.m. and decided to go food shopping. What would be an easy meal to throw together when I'm feeling oh-so-tired? Burgers! After unpacking and cleaning up my room, it was already dinner time and my stomach was growling at me. Thank goodness all I had to do was throw a bunch of ingredients together.



Honestly, these were somewhat disappointing. The idea is awesome, but the results -- not so much. I couldn't even taste the Parmesan, so I guess I should add a bit more. I'd prefer to leave the breadcrumbs out next time. I went back to the original post and read the comments that people left and nobody else seemed to have this problem. I must have added too little seasoning or too little cheese, but it didn't amaze me too much. Maybe the finishing touches are what really makes this burger taste great. I didn't have any pasta sauce so I left that out, but did sprinkle some shredded mozzarella cheese on top. I'll have to work on how to improve this recipe before I make it again. Please, if you try this recipe, let me know how it turns out for you!



Chicken Parmesan Burgers [Makes 4 burgers]
From Erin's Food Files

- 1 lb ground chicken
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup plain bread crumbs
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced or pressed
- 1 shallot, finely diced
- Salt and pepper

1. Lightly mix together all the ingredients for the burgers. Form into 4 patties. I like to make them about 30 to 40 minutes ahead of time, to let the flavors meld a little bit.
2. Preheat and spray the broiler with a little oil (or use the grill, or a pan). Broil the burgers for about 4 minutes on the first side, then flip and broil for 3 minutes.
3. Top each chicken burger with 2 tbsp pasta sauce and a slice or 2 tbsp of cheese. Place back under the broiler for 30 to 60 seconds, until cheese in melted and burger is cooked through.

Beef and Zucchini Burgers

Happy April Fools' Day! Trying to find a good way to trick people? Well, then you should make these burgers... It's a great way to make sure you or anyone else who doesn't like vegetables actually eat vegetables. You can clearly tell that my burgers have zucchini in them, so I couldn't trick somebody, but they at least wouldn't be able to taste that zucchini is in the burgers. At first, I was disappointed because I wanted the flavor to be more prominent, but it's still good. The zucchini adds a lot of moisture so even when I used extra lean ground beef, the burgers weren't dry. The only other seasoning I added was garlic to replace the steak seasoning in the original recipe. I wonder, though, if I could add anything else to make this more different and extraordinary. Any suggestions are welcome!



Does anyone have some tricks up their sleeves? I haven't participated in any April Foolery, but I know of some that my housemates are playing on others. Oh, the hilarity. It's always great when you get to watch the tricks being played on others and the tricks are not being played on you!



Beef and Zucchini Burgers
Adapted from Healthy Delicious

- 2 small zucchinis
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 tsp garlic
- Salt and pepper

1. Peel the zucchini, then use the side of a box grater to shred it into thin ribbons. Place the zucchini ribbons between two paper towels to remove some of the moisture.
2. In a large bowl, combine the shredded zucchini, ground beef, and garlic. Use your hands to mix the ingredients until they are combined the zucchini is evenly distributed. Form into six patties.
3. Spritz a heavy skillet with cooking spray and set over medium-high heat. When your pan is hot, add the burgers. Cook burgers for 5 minutes on one side, then flip and cook on the second side until they are done to your liking — about 3 minutes for a medium burger.

Mexican Turkey Burgers

Oh, Daylight Savings. How I am not a fan of thee. I've been going to sleep an hour earlier than usual to make sure I'm not losing any sleep this week. I can't afford to be cranky when I'm teaching. Waking up at 6:30 a.m. when it's still dark outside is hard enough. But I've also got to pack lunch, pack for Weight Training, clean my dishes, eat breakfast, pick out an outfit, and be out the door by 7:40. That's why I've been loving burgers this semester. I can just put one in the oven and let it bake while I go do my thing. Flip, let it bake and do my thing again.



I adapted a bit from the original recipe because I didn't like how it was made. The original had you make a "corn salsa" by mixing salsa and corn together and then spreading that over the patties as they bake. But I'm going to freeze all but one of the burgers, so I didn't want to deal with making an individual serving of corn salsa every time I make these at 6:30 in the morning, still half asleep. So, instead, I added the corn into the patty mixture. I'd probably spread a bit of salsa on top after flipping them in the oven since that would take but 2 seconds.



Mexican Turkey Burgers
From Allrecipes

- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 medium green bell pepper, finely chopped [I replaced this with celery]
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup corn
- 1 1/3 pound ground turkey
- 1 (1.25 oz) package taco seasoning mix

1. Preheat oven to 450F (230C). Coat a medium baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, and saute the onion, green pepper, and garlic 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and cool slightly.
3. In a large bowl, mix the onion mixture with the turkey, taco seasoning, and corn. Divide into 6 patties. Arrange patties in the prepared baking dish.
4. Bake the patties 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Drain any liquid from the dish, turn patties, and spread with the remaining salsa mixture. Continue baking 10 minutes, to an internal temperature of 165F (75C).

Feta and Olive Turkey Burgers

Normally, I would be at the high school right now working with students in Algebra. But we got quite a bit of snow on Wednesday and it started snowing this morning. The snow has melted off the main roads, but since the high school is a county school, there are students who live way out in the county on farms and whatnot where roads are still bad for buses to travel so I haven't had school after Tuesday.

I did a bit of food shopping before the snow started on Wednesday so I would have things to eat while home all day. I was going to make these turkey burgers this weekend, but with the time off, I thought why not make them earlier. Best decision I've made this week. Whatever you had planned for your next meal, put them off until tomorrow because you need to make these now! Cheese in burgers is possibly the best idea ever, especially when they get melty and gooey, like the feta in this recipe!



Not only does the cheese add deliciousness to the burgers, but the herbs and spices are perfect. I thought the Mushroom Blue Cheese Burgers tasted good, but as soon as I took a bite of this Feta and Olive Turkey Burger, I changed my mind. This tastes better! I don't have Italian seasoning so I left that out and added the optional basil. Otherwise, I followed everything as is and cooked it on the skillet instead of grilling.



Feta and Olive Turkey Burgers [Makes 5 servings]
From Food.com

- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1/2 cup olive, chopped
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp dried basil (optional)
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- Ground black pepper, to taste

1. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Form into 5 patties, then grill or cook in skillet on medium heat.

Mushroom Blue Cheese Burgers

I love how one ingredient can spark so many recipe ideas in my head. Last week, I bought an excess of mushrooms and wanted to use them in a recipe to get rid of them quickly. I haven't ever made stuffed mushrooms before so I wanted to make those, but I definitely was not going to be able to eat up so many stuffed mushrooms by myself, so I made only a fraction of the recipe. (Expect a recipe for those soon!) I decided to make burgers with the remaining 8 oz mushrooms. It's been a while since I've made some burgers and since I've had beef, actually! These are originally made with ground turkey, but I've been eating turkey sausages for breakfast so I thought I'd go for the beef instead.

I discovered, while in Paris, that I'm not a fan of stinky cheeses eaten as a block. I ordered a Roquefort crepe and it had just a huge chunk of the cheese inside. The smell was so intense that I could not bear to finish the whole thing. Then, this summer I got Panera's Chicken Cobb Salad for lunch every day and that had blue cheese crumbles. Crumbles worked better for me because I could taste just a bit of the strong blue cheese in every bite.



That was how it was with this burger. I increased the amount of cheese from 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup, which was a good decision... It was just enough. I could still taste the mushrooms and the beef without getting an overpowering taste of the cheese. I love it! I also baked the burger instead of cooking it on the skillet. I wanted to cook it in the morning so it would still be somewhat warm by lunchtime. Since I'm the only one up at 6:30, I didn't want to make too much noise. Baking was the quietest and easiest way for me to get my burger cooked. I did 28 minutes in the oven, flipping once, and it came out medium well. I can't wait to try this again but with different kinds of cheese!



Mushroom Blue Cheese Burgers
Adapted from Allrecipes

- 1 lb ground beef
- 8 oz fresh mushrooms, finely chopped
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the ground turkey, mushrooms, onion, soy sauce, and blue cheese. Season with kosher salt and pepper. Form into 4 burger patties.
2. Bake at 375F for 30 minutes, turning once. If cooking on the stove top, heat skillet to medium heat. Add patty and cook for 7 to 8 minutes on each side, or until meat is cooked through.

Oat Burgers

Hey! Four posts in four days! This is a great start in the new year, eh?

I've been cooking as much as I can the last two days because I start student-teaching tomorrow. Basically, I'm back in high school. For the next 12 weeks, I will be at the local high school with a math teacher, whom I am so glad to be working with. He is really passionate about getting his students to understand the material. He is also really enthusiastic about working with me. I worked with him before for my Practicum hours and instead of leaving me in the back of the classroom just to observe (which other Practicum teachers have done), he included me in the classes. I've heard that he has had a very high success rate with his students, so I can't wait.

I'm not sure how much time I'll have to cook during the week while I'm student-teaching so these frequent posts may be short-lived, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed. In order to prepare for my lunch for this week, I made these Oat Burgers. Easy to make and filling so that no students can hear my stomach growling during class. You can probably mix the flavors up a bit too. Try other veggies instead of just mushrooms alone or different spices and herbs.



I've always had difficulty flipping these things, but today, it wasn't too bad. What I did was first spray a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray. I poured the mixture into the prepared pan and then put it in the oven to bake the first time. To flip, I sprayed a piece of parchment paper (long enough to cover the baking pan) with cooking spray, put the sprayed side down over the baking pan, flipped it. Then just put the paper into the baking pan with the burgers and bake again.



Oat Burgers
From Fat Free

- 4 cups water
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 large onion, diced
- 4 oz mushrooms, diced
- 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp basil
- 4 1/2 cups oatmeal

1. Bring all ingredients except oatmeal to a boil.
2. Lower heat and add oatmeal. Cook until all water is absorbed.
3. Add mixture to a greased baking pan and bake at 350F for 25 minutes.
4. Cut mixture into 8 squares and flip. Bake for 20 more minutes.

Beef and Bulgur Burgers

After I made my own Curry Beef Burgers, I've been wanting to make more homemade burgers. It just feels so much healthier than eating out. I need to vary my sources of protein, too, instead of eating just chicken, tofu or eggs. I love bulgur so I'm totally up for trying it in burgers. I actually saw a recipe for Bean and Bulgur Burgers in a cookbook, but decided to go for beef instead. This burger was on the brink of falling apart so beans probably would have been more difficult to work with.

I made the rookie mistake of forgetting to season my food. Before eating, I just sprinkled some salt and pepper all over, but of course, that doesn't help the inside. I prefer not to season my food sometimes because you can fix something that is bland, but you cannot fix something that is salty. The bulgur, however, was a bit bland. Maybe if I had seasoned correctly, it would have been fine, but I actually think that it wouldn't have helped much. Next time I make this, I might try adding flavors to the bulgur while it's cooking for even more flavor in the end results. Otherwise, the spices blend together deliciously and this is definitely a keeper for me.

Here is what Whole Foods had to say about this recipe:

The addition of bulgur wheat to these burgers not only helps stretch a meal but it also achieves a more delicately flavored burger with a lower fat content and higher fiber than traditional burgers. Substitute ground lamb for the beef, if you like.

Beef and Bulgur Burgers [Makes 6 burgers]
From Whole Foods

- 2 cups water
- 1 cup bulgur wheat
- 1 1/4 pounds (95-percent) lean ground beef
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 3/4 cup finely chopped red onion, plus sliced onion for garnish

1. Bring water to a boil in a small pot over medium high heat. Add bulgur, cover, reduce heat to medium low and simmer until water is almost absorbed and bulgur is just tender, about 10 minutes. Remove pot from heat and set aside for 5 minutes. Uncover pot, fluff bulgur with a fork and set aside until cooled.
2. In a large bowl, mix together beef, bulgur, parsley, cumin, cinnamon, allspice and chopped onion. Form mixture into 6 patties and season all over with salt and pepper.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Cook patties, flipping once, until deep golden brown and cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes per side. Serve!




I ate this without a bun. I like big meaty burgers on their own. A leaf of lettuce, slice of tomato, and baked corn tortilla chips were great additions to make up today's lunch.

Curry Beef Burgers

I can't remember the last time I had a burger. I tend to stay away from burgers because of their artery-clogging effects and the big portions that the restaurants serve. I'm also paranoid and very suspicious of them because of some bad experiences with McDonald's and Burger King.

But that's fast food, so I should give them another chance, eh? Exactly my thought when I looked in my freezer and saw leftover ground beef. If I'm going to make burgers at home though, I don't want plain flavors. I wanted something exciting so I searched and searched until Whole Foods gave me one that sounded promising. I never would've thought to put curry powder in burgers, but the fact that there are raisins fascinates me! I had to try it immediately.

Curry Beef Burgers
From Whole Foods Market

1/3 cup plain Panko breadcrumbs [I omitted]
1/3 cup grated carrot
1/3 cup seedless raisins
1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
1 tablespoon mild curry powder
1/2 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 pounds ground dark meat turkey [I used beef]

1. In a medium bowl, thoroughly combine breadcrumbs, carrots, raisins, cilantro, curry powder, ginger, salt and pepper. Add turkey and gently bring all ingredients together with your hands, being careful not to overwork the meat.
2. With dampened hands, form turkey mixture into 6 patties of even thickness. Arrange patties on a lined baking sheet, cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
3. Light the grill or preheat the broiler. Cook burgers, turning once with a spatula, for 6 minutes per side, or until no longer pink inside.

I used these burger buns from Vermont Bread. Fantastic little things caught my eye when I was browsing the bread aisle. Besides looking like they would taste great, they've got the taste and also the strength to hold up to my burger.




I expected a stronger curry taste from the burger, but because I had to reduce the servings, my measurements could have gotten messed up. I will put in more next time. The raisins added random bites of sweetness. Another burger recipe I've been wanting to try has an Asian flair with the addition of Kimchi. Can't go back to the boring ol' flavors now!