A Better Burger

From Everyday with Rachael Ray



Ingredients:
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed
Salt and pepper
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 pound lean ground beef
3 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise
2 teaspoons tomato paste or finely chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
Four 3-inch potato rolls, split
1/2 head romaine lettuce, shredded
2 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, finely shredded
3 dill pickles, thinly sliced

Directions:
1. Preheat a grill to medium. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 teaspoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the mushrooms; season with pepper and cook, turning occasionally, until browned and tender, about 5 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons water and cook, turning the mushrooms once, until the water is evaporated. Transfer to a cutting board and let cool; reserve the skillet. Finely chop the mushrooms and transfer to a bowl.

2. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil and the onion to the reserved skillet. Season with pepper and cook over medium heat, stirring, until the onion is tender and golden, about 3 minutes; let cool. Add half of the onion and the ground beef to the mushrooms; season with salt and mix well. Form the mixture into a ball, transfer to a board and cut into 8 portions. Form each into 3- to 4-inch patties.

3. Transfer the remaining onion to a small bowl, then stir in the mayonnaise and tomato paste. Spread the sauce on both faces of the rolls and arrange open-faced on each of 4 plates. Divide half of the lettuce among the roll bottoms.

4. Add the patties to the grill and cook for about 2 minutes. Flip, divide the cheese among the patties, cover with foil and cook until melted, about 1 minute. Stack 2 patties on each roll bottom, top with the pickle slices and remaining lettuce and set the roll tops in place.

Comments:
First off, two burger patties is way too much for one sandwich. Both Adam and I had to take one off in order to even fit it in our mouths. Secondly, the burgers fall apart on the grill really easily. Other than those two issues, this was pretty good. We skipped the lettuce, but otherwise kept things according to the plan. Yes, even the mushroom part.

Weekly Menu 6/26 through 7/2

Saturday 6/26 - A Better Burger (got bumped)

Sunday 6/27 - Adam's going to a Brewer's game so I'm on my own

Monday 6/28 - Caprese-Style Stuffed Chicken Rolls

Tuesday 6/29 - Adam's on his own - I've got a summer board meeting

Wednesday 6/30 - Leftovers

Thursday 7/1 - Vietnamese Turkey Wraps (WW)

Friday 7/2 - The Lure Burger

Creamy Polenta with Sauteed Vegetables

From Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook



Ingredients:
8 large shiitake mushrooms (6 oz), stemmed and sliced
1 10oz package frozen peas, thawed
1/2 cup dry vermouth
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp + 1/2 tsp salt
4 cups water
1 cup instant polenta
3 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Spray a large skillet with nonstick spray and set over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the peas and cook 1 minute. Add the vermouth, bring to a boil, and cook until it reduces slightly, about 1 minute. Stir in the pepper and 1/4 tsp salt. Set aside and keep warm.

2. Meanwhile, to prepare the polenta, combine the water and the remaining 1/2 tsp salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Stirring constantly, gradually add the polenta in a slow, steady stream; reduce the heat and cook, stirring, until thick but not stiff, 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the Parmesan.

3. Divide the polenta on each of 4 serving plates and top with the vegetable mixture.

Serves 4. POINTS Value per serving: 5

Comments:
In my opinion, mushrooms and peas do not "sauteed vegetables" make. Boring! So I added a few things to this one. I did use mushrooms (which I picked out of my serving) and used fresh sugar snap peas rather than frozen. I also threw in a small zucchini, a small yellow squash, a red and a green pepper, and some broccoli. Now THAT is a vegetable mixture.

Of course, all this revamping meant I had to cook the veggies longer. I actually pre-cooked the broccoli a little. I also used chicken stock rather than vermouth. All in all, I think it turned out pretty well for my altering the recipe so drastically. And it was all vegetables, so it's not like it could be that much worse for you than the original recipe...

Weekly Menu 6/19 through 6/25

Saturday 6/19 - Father's Day with the Paalmans

Sunday 6/20 - Creamy Polenta with Sauteed Vegetables (WW)

Monday 6/21 - My Uncle Kirby is in the area on business so he's stopping by. Sounds like the menfolk will enjoy some steaks while I opt for chicken.

Tuesday 6/22 - A Better Burger. Maybe. I have an eye doctor appointment so we might end up having E&G's if I can't resist.

Wednesday 6/23 - Leftovers (Adam Golfs)

Thursday 6/24 - Smoked Turkey Panini (WW)

Friday 6/25 - Leftovers (Adam's going to a baseball game)

Inside-Out Pizza Roll

From Everyday with Rachael Ray



Ingredients:
1 cup lukewarm water
1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
Extra-virgin olive oil, for greasing
2 cups Meat Sauce
1/2 pound mozzarella cheese, cut into ½-inch cubes
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Directions:
1. Using a standing mixer fitted with the hook attachment, combine the lukewarm water and yeast; let stand for 5 minutes. Add the flour and salt and mix on medium speed until the dough is smooth and wraps around the hook, about 5 minutes. Grease a large bowl with olive oil, transfer the dough to the bowl and let rise, covered, for 1 1/2 hours.

2. Preheat the oven to 375°. In a medium skillet, cook the meat sauce over medium heat, stirring, until reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 10 minutes; let cool.

3. Punch down the risen dough and transfer to a lightly floured work surface. Using a rolling pin, roll out to a 12-by-16-inch rectangle. Scatter the cheese on top, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border. Spoon the meat sauce over the cheese. Brush the border with some of the beaten egg and roll the dough up loosely, beginning at the short end. Transfer to a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet, brush with more egg and cut 3 vents on top. Bake until golden-brown, about 40 minutes.

Comments:
I opted to use bread dough rather than pizza dough for this since pizza dough always seems to be dryer than I like. Plus it saved a lot of time. It worked out pretty well. But I obviously didn't seal that top seam well enough since it exploded open...

They want you to use their meat sauce, but I just made my favorite dependable stand-by slow cooker pasta sauce instead. I made it the night before, letting it bubble away all night. This also saved time since I didn't re-heat it before assembling the roll.

Overall, this is very good. Even though I let it hang out for ten minutes after taking it out of the oven, it was still a mess to cut and serve:



I also think I may have overfilled it since it blew out both ends (and the top.) I might try this one again, perhaps getting some dough from the grocery store or trying something like that.

(Fettuccine) with Chicken and Broccoli (Rabe)

From Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook



Ingredients:
1 bunch broccoli rabe, cleaned and chopped
6 oz spinach fettuccine
4 tsp olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1 onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 head radicchio, shredded
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Directions:
1. In a large pot of boiling water, cook the broccoli rabe 2 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl. In the boiling water, cook the fettuccine according to package directions. Drain.

2. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 tsp of the oil. Add the chicken, salt, oregano, and red pepper and saute until cooked through, 4-5 minutes per side. Transfer to plates.

3. In the skillet, heat the remaining 2 tsp oil. Saute the onion and garlic until tender, 3-4 minutes. Stir in the broccoli rabe and radicchio; cook, stirring frequently, until tender, 4-5 minutes. Add the fettuccine, the sprinkle with the cheese and black pepper. Serve topped with the chicken and sprinkled with the basil.

Serves 4. POINTS Value per serving: 7

Comments:
So, I had to do some improvising on this one. I can never find broccoli rabe at the grocery store so I end up using plain old broccoli. I also couldn't find radicchio, but I did find a bagged mix of baby spinach, radicchio, and romaine so I figured that was kind of close. I skipped the basil, mostly because I forgot to get it. Also, I used the awesome garlic olive oil again instead of oil + garlic.

Anyway. This was very good. Nice mix of flavors and textures. The greens kind of melt into the background so they're not anything to worry about. I'd have this again.

Strawberry and Mascarpone Granita

From Everyday Italian via foodnetwork.com



Ingredients:
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
2 cups chopped strawberries, plus 1 cup finely chopped
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
3 tablespoons lemon juice
Pinch salt

Directions:
Place the water, 1/2 sugar, and mint in a small pan and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally to help dissolve the sugar. Let simmer over low heat to steep the mint. Then strain the mint from the simple syrup. Discard the mint.

In a food processor combine 2 cups of strawberries with the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar. Run the machine to puree the strawberries. Add the mascarpone cheese, lemon juice, and salt. Run the machine until the mascarpone cheese is fully incorporated. Add the mint simple syrup and run the machine to combine. Place the strawberry mixture in an 8 by 8-inch glass dish and place the dish in the freezer. The mixture will take about 4 hours to freeze.

To serve, use a fork to scrape the granita. Spoon the mixture into chilled bowls. Top with the finely chopped strawberries. Serve immediately.

Comments:
Ok, first off, the Cooking Channel is just evil. Like I needed another channel to veg out in front of. It shows retro episodes of pretty much every Food Network show along with some new ones - mostly English it seems. Argh.

Anywho, this was from an Everyday Italian episode I saw yesterday. Since it's strawberry season and we bought an obscene amount of strawberries from our local farm stand, I figured this would be a nice way to make use of some of them. It's pretty easy (given you don't tip your food processor when it's full of the strawberry puree mixture and create a pink, sticky mess all over the countertop, down the cabinets, and on the floor. Not that I did that. Just saying.) and tastes great. It melts really quickly though so you have to eat it fast.

Spanish Tortilla

From Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook



Ingredients:
2 tsp olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 medium potatoes, cooked and diced
10oz box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 cup egg substitute
2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 ground nutmeg

Directions:
In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil. Saute the onions until golden, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic; cook, stirring, 1 minute longer. Stir in the potatoes, spinach, egg substitute, parsley, salt, pepper, thyme, and nutmeg. Reduce the heat and cook, covered, until set and browned on bottom, about 10-15 minutes.
Loosen the edges with a knife and invert onto a warm platter, or serve directly from the skillet.

Serves 4. POINTS Value per serving: 2

Comments:
Simple, basic, tasty. Plus it's meatless and has potatoes. That's always good in my book. I actually used real garlic this time too since I needed it for something else later this week anyway. Wow, that stuff is strong - makes the whole house smell like an Italian restaurant. We'll see how it treats Adam's digestive system. :)

Weekly Menu 6/12 through 6/18

Saturday 6/12 - Spring Vegetable Carbonara (got bumped)

Sunday 6/13 - Spanish Tortilla (WW)

Monday 6/14 - Cheeseburger Meatloaf

Tuesday 6/15 - Fettucine with Chicken and Broccoli (WW)

Wednesday 6/16 - Leftovers (Adam Golfs)

Thursday 6/17 - Inside-Out Pizza Rolls

Friday 6/18 - Teriyaki Pork with Pineapple and Peppers

Spring Vegetable Carbonara

From Cooking Light



Ingredients:
1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed
12 ounces asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
8 ounces uncooked cavatappi pasta
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated pecorino Romano cheese
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
4 slices center-cut bacon, chopped
1 cup chopped seeded red bell pepper

Directions:
1. Cook peas and asparagus in boiling water for 3 minutes or until asparagus is crisp-tender; drain. Plunge into ice water; drain. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain pasta in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid. Combine pasta and vegetables.

2. Combine cheese and the next 3 ingredients (through eggs) in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Gradually add hot cooking liquid to egg mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk. Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings in pan. Add bacon to pasta mixture. Cook bell pepper in drippings for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add pasta mixture; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Remove pan from heat, and stir in egg mixture. Return pan to low heat; cook for 2 minutes or until sauce thickens slightly, stirring constantly.

Comments:
Not the clearest directions ever, but I figured it all out. I think. My egg mixture ended up all clumpy, which the picture in the magazine did not show. Oh well. It still tasted good. I did think the proportion of asparagus to all the other vegetables, and even to the pasta, was a little off. Way too much asparagus in my opinion. Other than that, fabulous.

Southern Oven "Fried" Chicken

From Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook



Ingredients:
1/2 cup fat-free buttermilk
1/2 cup cornflakes, crushed
3 tbsp flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
2 pounds chicken (skinless)
4 tsp canola oil

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Pour the buttermilk into a large shallow bowl. On a sheet of wax paper, combine the cornflake crumbs, flour, salt, and pepper. Dip the chicken in the buttermilk, the dredge in the cornflake mixture, coating completely. Place the chicken on the baking sheet. Drizzle with the oil. Bake 30 minutes, the turn the chicken over. Bake until cooked through, 15-20 minutes longer.

Serves 4. POINTS Value per serving: 5

Comments:
A few edits - I added some Red Hot to the buttermilk, although it didn't seem to come through in the end product. I also used boneless, skinless breasts so I reduced the overall cooking time - I baked 20 minutes, turned, then another 10. I also skipped the oil step and just sprayed the breasts with cooking spray before baking.

These were good. A little bland - could use some additional spicing up in the breading, but I think we'll definitely try these again. But I really need to keep the mental note to not buy frozen broccoli. It's always a rip off. There were two florets in the entire package. Boo. The potatoes were good though - new potatoes quartered with a glug of Tuscan Blend olive oil, a dump of Italian seasoning, some salt and pepper. Yum.

Middle Eastern Salad Wraps

From Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook



Ingredients:
2 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp plain fat-free yogurt (I used Greek)
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 1/2 tsp EVOO
1 small garlic clove, minced (I just used a garlic olive oil)
pinch salt
2 tbsp water
2 tomatoes, cut into 8 wedges each
1 cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh mint
1/4 small onion, thinly sliced
8 tortillas

Directions:
1. To prepare the dressing, in a small bowl, whisk the tahini, yogurt, lemon juice, oil, garlic, and salt with the water.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, cucumber, parsley, mint, and onion. Drizzle with the dressing; toss to coat.

3. To assemble the wraps, soften the tortillas according to package directions. Divide the salad among the tortillas. Fold up the bottom edge of each tortilla, then the left and right sides to enclose the filling.

Serves 4 (2 wraps each). POINTS Value per serving: 4

Comments:
I admit, I didn't eat this. Adam had picked the recipe and it didn't appeal to me at all. Plus, I had filled up on fresh strawberries from our local farm stand. (Eee! I love strawberry season!)

Adam said this was very good. I'll take his word for it. The dressing is kind of runny so perhaps halve that part unless you like runny wraps.

Garlic-Thyme Burgers with Grilled Tomato

From Cooking Light



Ingredients:
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound ground sirloin
4 (1/2-inch-thick) slices beefsteak tomato
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
4 (2-ounce) Kaiser rolls or other sandwich rolls
4 baby romaine lettuce leaves

Directions:
Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl. Divide mixture into 4 equal portions, shaping each into a 1/2-inch-thick patty. Add patties to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove patties from pan. Add tomato slices to pan; cook 1 minute on each side. Spread about 3/4 teaspoon mustard over bottom half of each roll; top each with 1 lettuce leaf, 1 patty, 1 tomato slice, and top half of roll.

Comments:
Adam was reluctant to grill the tomatoes at first, but I think we were both glad he did. They were warm, and soft, and sweet. Great idea! The burgers themselves had a nice flavor from the thyme as well.

Summer Vegetable Frittata

From Cooking Light



Ingredients:
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup diced zucchini
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup chopped seeded tomato
9 large eggs

Directions:
1. Heat olive oil in a 10-inch nonstick broiler-proof skillet over medium heat. Add zucchini, bell pepper, onion, thyme, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, and garlic. Cover and cook 7 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in tomato. Cook, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until liquid evaporates.

2. Combine eggs, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/8 teaspoon black pepper in a medium bowl; stir with a whisk until frothy. Pour egg mixture into pan over vegetables, stirring gently. Cover, reduce heat, and cook 15 minutes or until almost set in the center.

3. Preheat broiler.

4. Broil frittata 3 minutes or until set. Invert onto a serving platter; cut into 8 wedges.

Comments:
Pretty simple. It didn't take 15 minutes for the eggs to set though - maybe 10. The flavor isn't very bold. I didn't really even taste the vegetables. It could have used something - don't know what. Adam dumped a whole bunch of mozz/gruyere on his half, so perhaps his was better.

Cheddar-Stuffed Buffalo (or Beefalo) Burgers

From Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook



Ingredients:
1 pound ground buffalo meat
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground pepper
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4 English muffins, split
4 romaine lettuce leaves, trimmed
4 tomato slices

Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, combine the buffalo, onion, Worcestershire, salt, and pepper. Mix well to combine. Divide and shape into 4 balls. With your finger make a deep indentation into each ball. Fill each hole with 2 tbsp of the cheese. Pinch the meat closed to cover the cheese and shape each ball into a 3/4-inch thick patty.

2. Toast the English muffins. Spray a nonstick skillet with nonstick spray and heat over medium-high heat. Cook burgers 3-4 minutes per side for medium-rare.

3. Place the English muffin bottoms on 4 plates. Top each with 1 lettuce leaf, 1 tomato slice, and a burger. Place the muffin tops on each burger.

Serves 4. POINTS Value per serving: 6

Comments:
I used BEEFalo rather than buffalo. There's this great place down past FDL, Beefalo Bill's, that has fresh, natural meats for a pretty reasonable rate.

These burgers are pretty basic. But they are tasty. The romaine we had was, shall we say, past its prime, so we added some pickles instead. I also used the leftover cheese on top of the burger for some extra cheesyness.

Weekly Menu 6/5 through 6/11

Saturday 6/5 - Middle Easter Salad Wraps (WW)

Sunday 6/6 - Garlic-Thyme Burgers

Monday 6/7 - Cod Cakes (prefab)

Tuesday 6/8 - Adam's on his own - I have a summer board meeting

Wednesday 6/9 - Leftovers (Adam Golfs)

Thursday 6/10 - Southern Oven "Fried" Chicken (WW)

Friday 6/11 - Spring Vegetable Carbonara