Roasted Garlic Burgers With Peppercorn Chevre

This is definitely one of my favorites. These burgers ooze with flavour. Ooze? Really? But they do.

Roast the garlic. Mix with extra lean ground beef(No need to mash roasted garlic. It comes apart in the mixing process. And leaves pockets of warm sweet roasted goodness in the burger) Coat patties with salt and pepper. Cook on BBQ or however you like. Add a tablespoon or so of peppercorn goat cheese in the last few minutes. (Peppercorn goatcheese can be bought at the grocery store or you can make your own by rolling the goat cheese in coarse ground pepper.)



Source:Photos:Shawn Campbell

Sun Dried Tomato Burger with Garlic Basil Mayo

~ Maternity Leave Burger Party ~

~ Of Two ~
In the past I would mix ground beef with egg, onion and garlic. Then I learned that it's not necessary. Not necessary at all.

Garlic Basil Mayo:
1/4 cup Mayo
2 T. Finely chopped fresh basil
2 Cloves of garlic
Generous pinch of salt

Sun Dried Tomato Burger Mixture:
Extra Lean Ground Beef
Sun Dried Tomato
Kosher Salt
Fresh Ground Pepper

Mix ground beef with finely chopped sun dried tomato. Form patties. Coat each side generously with salt and pepper. Fry.

Photos:Shawn Campbell

Mexican Lettuce Wrap

Like the Asian Lettuce Wrap we want to incorporate a super flavourful meat/vegetable mixture with a slightly crispy texture. We replaced noodles with baked torilla strips and topped it with hot sauce, cheese and a sour cream mixture. Then wrapped it up into a crispy coat of lettuce.

Sour Cream Mixture:
1 Cup sour cream
1 t. Chili powder
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 t. Sugar
Cilantro to taste(Optional)

Ground beef
Cumin
Chilli powder
Cayenne pepper
Onion
Green pepper
Tomato
Jalapeno
2 tortillas
Cheese(Jack)
Hot sauce

-Slice tortillas very thin. Lay on baking sheet. Brush with oil. Bake for 10 minutes at 375.
-Brown Ground beef. Add cumin, chili powder, and cayenne pepper. Cook with onion, green pepper, tomato and jalapeno.
-Fill lettuce with beef filling. Top with sour cream mixture, hot sauce, cheese and crunchy tortilla strips. Wrap up nice and tight and enjoy!

Photos:Shawn Campbell

Asian Lettuce Wraps With Beef

Lettuce wraps can be made with so many different ingredients. This is how I made them today and they were delicious. The sauces make them fun to put together, trying different combinations with every serving. Healthy, quick, and delectable.





Filling:
Ground Beef
Sliced mushrooms
Garlic
Ginger
Soya sauce
Black bean sauce
Sesame oil

Cook beef with the above ingredients.

Vermicelli noodles(Boiled or deepfried--today they were deepfried)
Hoisin sauce
Sweet chili sauce
Hot chili sauce
Green onion
Lettuce

Wrap beef filling inside pieces of lettuce, topping with green onion, whichever sauce you feel like and noodles.

*****To deepfry vermicelli noodles-simply place a small handful of noodles into about an inch of hot oil. Repeat until you have desired amount. They will puff up immediately. Be ready with a slotted spoon to scoop them out. This way the noodles are crispy, but very very light.****

Photos:Shawn Campbell

Beef Barley Soup

The rockstar is still ill. So he says. I personally think he just wants more soup ;)

Did you know that the intake of barley is likely to help maintain your overall health in the long term? Barley is also considered a whole grain and is rich in protein, vitamins, minerals and amino acids essential for our health! It's so exciting!! And tasty....It absorbs all the delicious flavours that surround it and provides a pleasant chewy texture to the soup.



-1 T. vegetable oil
-1 clove minced garlic
-1/2 a pound to 1 pound of stew beef(Cut into smaller pieces)
-1/2 cup chopped celery
-1 whole onion-chopped

Cook beef in pot, add and saute celery, onion, garlic salt and pepper.

-1 Litre Vegetable stock (Low-sodium if you can)
-1 Litre of Beef Stock (Low-Sodium if available)
I used vegetable and beef cuz I couldn't decide which would taste better, but you could probably just use one type.
-1/2 Cup hulled Barley
-2 whole chopped carrots
-1/2 cup chopped green beans
-1/4 cup peas

Once beef is cooked, add stocks, barley, carrots and beans(This will need to simmer for 1/2 hour or longer in order for the barley to cook properly. Pearl barley takes less time to cook but is not nearly as healthy). About 5 minutes before done, add peas.

Photos:Shawn Campbell

Mozza Stuffed Meatballs

I took the idea from blogger Homemade but her recipe is from Racehel Ray...I'm worried that if I see the word EVOO I'll stab myself in the eye with my shiny Cuisinart knife. So I made up my own recipe. Good but no signature. I prefer spaghetti with Chorizo.

Ground Beef
Ground Pork
Mozza cubed
Freshly grated parmesan
Panko Crumbs
Chopped onion
Diced garlic
Egg

I shaped the meat mixture around the cheese cube. I seared them in a hot pan. Then I put them in the sauce and simmered for about 30 minutes.


Photos:Shawn Campbell

Stuffed Meatloaf

I think I made this recipe up. He said it was delicious. And I enjoyed it also. It was really easy to make and handy for lunches the next day. He says I'm too good for it. A signature, but maybe not THE signature. He looked at me like this too when he said it. It was super intense.













Meat Mixture (top and bottom):
lean beef
pork
onion
garlic
tomatoe paste
smashed crackers
egg

Filling:
sliced mushrooms
seasoning salt
pepper
havarti (Or other white cheese)

Topping:
ketchup
mustard
honey
hot sauce

Preheat oven 350.

Saute mushrooms with spices.

Mix meat with garlic, onion, paste, and crackers until just mixed. The less you handle meat the better.
Place half meat mixture in bottom of loaf pan. Create a bit of well. Layer of havarti, Layer of sauteed mushroom. Layer of havarti. Layer of beef mixture.

Top with salt and pepper. Place on lower rack for 25 minutes. Spread topping. Bake for another 10-15 or until meat is cooked.