Quinoa Turkey Burgers

Something I've been doing for awhile now is attending the Presidents Choice (Superstore) Cooking School.  They offer a wide variety of classes,  Gluten Free, Vegetarian, Italian, French and many more.  There is even a class dedicated to Chocolate!  I enjoy going so I can try out different or new to me foods and  cooking techniques that I wouldn't necessarily try on my own.  You don't actually get to cook, but what you do get is a chance to sit and relax while a Chef prepares a full meal (appetizer, main dish, and dessert) for you to enjoy, a copy of the recipes to take with you, and the best part is you get a break from cooking and dish duty!  The supper classes are very reasonably priced at $18 + HST.

They also have a What's For Dinner session at lunch time (check with your local store to see if it's available). This is an hour long class where you show up the Chef prepares lunch (usually salad and main dish, or main dish and dessert). They have most of the prep work done so you basically just sit down and eat.  Easy to fit in on your lunch break if you work close to a location that offers them.  Here's the best part.... these classes cost $10, but when you go you get a $10 Presidents Choice gift card so lunch is in fact FREE! How can you beat that, real food cooked for and served to you for free.

One of the classes I went to was "Cooking with Quinoa" and these burgers were one of the items on the menu.

Quinoa Turkey Burgers

2 lbs Ground Turkey

2 cups White Quinoa, cooked

2 garlic cloves (minced if you don\t use the food processor)

1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

3 Tbsp Tzatziki, plus additional for serving

2 Tbsp fresh Rosemary, (chopped fine if you don't use the food processor)

Salt and Pepper

Feta, and Tomatillo Salsa for topping finished burgers

12 Ciabatta buns

Combine all burger ingredients in the food processor, and pulse till combined.  Form into 12 burger patties.  Cook burgers on preheated grill, BBQ or in a saute pan with a small amount of olive oil.

Top burgers with Feta, salsa, and veggies of choice.

*Note - I don't usually use the food processor just combine everything in a bowl.  I also use other fresh herbs if \I have them on hand (oregano, thyme).  

 

I wasn't in the mood for a bun so I just topped some Arugula with the burger and accompanied it with a Carrot Beet Salad and homemade tortilla crisps and guacamole. Delish!!

It's back to work for me tomorrow.  Have a great week.

~ Jackie

Chicken Burgers and Wine in a Can

Happy Monday everyone.  It’s a happy Monday for me because I am on VACATION this week!!!! 
This weekend was fairly uneventful.  Saturday was filled with household chores, I think I did 50 loads of laundry.  I have no idea how two people can go through so many clothes.  Sunday was the usual trip in town to visit the parents, with a quick trip to Dartmouth Crossing to spend some money (my favorite past time).  Then home to relax on the deck with a book. 
Here’s a look at some of my eats over the weekend.
I wanted a salad for lunch but was feeling the need for some extra protein, and tuna was the protein of choice. I had some black beans and pasta in the fridge, added some red onion, salt, pepper, garlic powder, lemon juice a pinch of cayenne to give it a kick and the secret ingredient Tzatziki.  I tried this once in an attempt to decrease the calories and I like it much better than mayo.  It’s much lighter tasting, not thick and heavy like with mayo.  Served on a bed of mixed greens.  It was very good, if I do say so myself.
        
       
I made a quick trip to the grocery store and they had Lean Ground Chicken on sale so I thought I would give chicken burgers another try.  I’ve made chicken/turkey burgers many times but just didn’t find they ever had enough flavor for me.
      
In the mix
Extra lean ground chicken, salt, Pepper, squirt of lemon juice, garlic powder, a little EVOO, feta cheese and some fresh oregano, and parsley that I have growing on the deck.  Nothing better than fresh herbs.
      
Ready for the BBQ.          
      Finished product        I rarely have hamburger buns in the house so I schmeared some Tzatziki on a tortilla added some greens, red onions, and tomato slices.  This attempt had much more flavor than previous attempts but could still use a little tweaking. 
Hubby and I were visiting the NSLC a couple of weeks ago and they had these cans at the check out, and low and behold it was wine.  Yes that’s right wine in a can classy, I know but I had to give it a try.

This was a Merlot but they also had Shiraz.  I was pleasantly surprised, it was much better than I expected.  Sometimes I just want a glass of wine but don’t want to open a bottle, so this would be good for that. Not too mention easy to take to an outdoor party, campfire etc. 
Since this post is turning out to be longer than I planned I’ll cut it off now.  Maybe I’ll do two posts tomorrow.  I am on vacation after all so I should be able to find the time.
Cheers
~~~Jackie