Grilled Eggplant Sandwiches with Red Onion, Tomato & Fresh Mozzarella

I have a long-standing distaste for eggplant. As a kid, when I tried my grandmother's eggplant Parmesan, I was shocked. Her ravioli, Italian wedding soup, pasta (which she always called "macaroni) and incredible repertoire of Italian cookies were so delicious, so perfectly crafted through decades of practice, each all fantastic in their own right. But this - this mushy, squishy stuff - people actually liked this? And indeed, like it they did. At age 10 (which was probably the last time I ate eggplant, until tonight) I was so utterly horrified by the texture of the vegetable that I had effectively sworn it off.

But 1) it is eggplant season, 2) in theory we all must grow up eventually, and 3) "eggplant" is my favorite color, so I thought it was time I give them another chance. And Brady, the resident eggplant-parm connoisseur, told me that if I like grilled portobellos, then the texture of eggplant would probably not gross me out anymore. There are many varieties of eggplant, and I was lucky enough to find one of the fanciest-looking ones at my very own grocery store:

 This sandwich, which is somewhat like a Mediterranean veggie burger, combines two to three slices of grilled eggplant with fresh tomato, mozzarella, some thinly sliced red onion with a bit of balsamic vinegar on bakery rolls. The Kaiser rolls we had on hand were slightly over-sized with respect to the circumference of the eggplant, so for high presentation points you probably want to use a globe eggplant and/or smaller buns, or toasted English muffins (why didn't I think of that before?). Likewise, larger balls of mozzarella make for better stacking. My recipe serves two:

Ingredients:

1 eggplant of any variety, sliced crosswise into 1/4 inch-thick rounds

1 large ball of fresh mozzarella, sliced into 1/4 inch-thick slices 

1 slicing tomato, cut into... you guessed it, 1/4 inch-thick slices

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

2 buns or English muffins

Balsamic vinegar

Red or white wine vinegar

Cooking spray

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Line a tray or platter with paper towels. Lay the rounds of eggplant on the paper towels in a single layer. Salt generously on both sides and allow to sit while you prepare the other ingredients.*

2. In a shallow dish, combine 1 tablespoon of the balsamic vinegar and 1 tablespoon of red or white wine vinegar, and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Place sliced onions and tomatoes in the dish and turn to coat.

3. Spray a grill pan with cooking spray and heat it up over high heat.

4. When the eggplant slices have been sitting for at least 15 minutes, pat dry with paper towels and brush on both sides with olive oil. Grill for 3-4 minutes per side. Meanwhile, toast your buns, if desired.

5. To build your sandwich, first lay out your buns. Then stack two to three grilled eggplant slices, adding a slice or two of tomato and some red onion on top. Add a slice or two of fresh mozzarella and top with some fresh basil leaves.

Cook's Note: The salting-over-paper-towels step and general concept for this sandwich came from Elise's Grilled Eggplant Sandwich Recipe on SimplyRecipes.com. Her cooking instructions offer much more direction for using a traditional grill, but they can be easily adapted to grill pans, broilers or George Foreman Grills.

Sandwich construction: Phase 1, where I realize that Kaiser rolls are either too large or too small for this sandwich, and I can't decide which.

So, here's the thing. I can't really claim to be an eggplant convert. I can't say that the texture didn't gross me out a little, or that I didn't wonder what this fancy-looking vegetable was doing with all those thousands of tiny seeds. What I can say is that like many things, I can definitely enjoy it on a "once in a while" basis, or purely as a change of pace from my usual favorite ingredients. It didn't hurt that the other things in this sandwich - the mozzarella, the tomato, basil and red onion - are all among my top-10 favorites.

Still, I really can't hate on this sandwich. It's all the flavors of summer wrapped up in a soft, yummy roll. Get on it!

Quote of the Day: I doubt that the imagination can be suppressed. If you truly eradicated it in a child, he would grow up to be an eggplant. ~ Ursula K. LeGuin

Veggie Week: Portobello Mushroom Cheeseburgers on Pretzel Rolls & Stoplight Salad

As is inevitable, the menu for this week got switched around a little bit. Last night I made sesame-peanut noodles with broccoli, which while delicious, wasn't anything exceptional. I used a jarred sauce, okay? I admit it. I did doctor it to make it more delicious, but I can't act like I now know how to make a peanut sauce. So, moving right along, we find ourselves here at the Portobello burgers that I promised you yesterday.

Portobellos have long been the omnivore's cookout concession to their vegetarian friends, which has earned them kind of a bad rap. They're looked at by the meat-eating population as a bland, bloodless (literally) farce of a burger. This is pretty unfortunate. I won't even get into the question of whether they're "just as good" as a beef burger, because that's a fight nobody is winning, but I will say that they are certainly delicious. The texture is a bit softer than I was expecting, but the yummy nutty flavor made up for it. Mine were grown in Chester, Pennsylvania, which is a big plus to good sense and a big minus on fuel use. I based my 'bellos off of this recipe:

Ingredients:

Balsamic vinegar

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Portobello mushroom cap - 1 per serving

Goat cheese (I used garlic & herb), slightly softened

Pretzel roll, or other fresh deli roll

Veggies for topping, like lettuce and/or tomato, & condiments

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper to form a vinaigrette. Pour this mixture into a shallow bowl or container, and place both mushroom caps inside.

2. Allow mushrooms to marinate at room temperature for 15-20 minutes, flipping once. (For the sheer fun of it, when they were upside down I filled in the little crevices in the underside with the balsamic mixture. As a flavor-boosting technique, It was pretty effective).

3. Heat grill or grill pan on medium heat, and grill the mushroom caps for about 5 minutes per side, or until tender.

4. Once cooked, spread the mushroom caps with goat cheese, pop them in a bun, and top with whatever you like. (We had ours with some baby spinach on top.)

Brady is admittedly not the hugest fan of mushrooms, but I think he wants to like them, so when I ran this idea by him he was on board, and ultimately did enjoy them. This is one of the things that I really love about him: Whether in food or politics or anything else, he is interested in new ideas and experiences. I know so many guys that would think Veggie Week was an incredibly dumb idea and not even pretend to play along. This is why I am not dating any of those guys.

As for the salad... I am a huge fan of zucchini, and at this time of year, I'm coming up with every reason I can think of to eat them. Stoplight salad is a super simple, tasty way: Slice up some zucchini, yellow summer squash, and red bell pepper, and toss with a little olive oil and vinegar, or a vinaigrette or Italian salad dressing. (Also, I just came up with the name "Stoplight Salad" today - is it working, or is it too Rachel Ray? Sometimes I need to be saved from myself.)  

Portobellos make a pretty satisfying meal, I would say, though I was pretty surprised to find that they only contain about 3 grams of protein. I think it is only surprising because they've been compared to burgers for so long that I assumed the protein count was a little closer to being comparable. Nope! Still, I ate a Greek yogurt earlier today that had a whopping 14 grams of protein in it, so don't think that veggie week is going to kill me or anything.

Brady tells me that the texture of these portobellos, when grilled, is very similar to eggplant, something I have avoided like poison since an unsavory experience with it in my childhood. I guess an eggplant recipe or two is in our future.

Quote of the Day: Love is like a poisonous mushroom: You don't know if it's the real thing until it's too late. ~ Unknown

Vegan Black Bean Burgers on Pretzel Rolls & A Short Rant about Sandra Lee

Some of you may be familiar with the (perhaps lovably) inane television food personality Sandra Lee. Notwithstanding her extremely questionable taste in, well, everything and her complete failure to comprehend the term "home-made," I have to credit her for the base recipe for these yummy, healthy black bean burgers. (I know, this closely parallels a previous rant I posted about Rachael Ray, but this one is way better because of all the evidence. And also funnier. See links).

I can't say they're 100% better than the quinoa burgers I attempted recently, since these are still fairly soft, and a bit squishy. As a pick-it-up-and-put-it-in-your-face burger, they would be a bit disappointing, but this recipe makes a lovely flavorful knife-and-fork-style burger. I also think the flavor is much more appealing than the quinoa burgers were.

My version of the black bean burgers uses whole wheat bread crumbs, plenty of cilantro and fresh, yummy bakery rolls instead of burger buns. I've basically halved Sandra's recipe, except for the egg. I skipped the egg, since I realized rather late in the game that we were out. (I know, what kind of weirdo had ground flax on hand, but not eggs? Apparently, this kind.) I learned, though, that you can use 1 tbsp of ground flax seed simmered in 3 tbsp of water as an egg substitute. Brilliant!

Ingredients:

1 can black beans, thoroughly rinsed and drained, divided into 2 equal portions

1/4 yellow onion, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1/4 cup bread crumbs

2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped 

1 tbsp ground flax simmered in 3 tbsp water, or 1 egg

Directions:

1. Place garlic and onion in food processor, and blend until finely chopped.

2. Add cilantro, onion, pepper flakes, egg or egg replacement, and about half of the beans, and blend.

3. Dump mixture into a large bowl. Add the rest of the beans and the bread crumbs, and mix thoroughly. Form into two patties.

4. Cook burgers on oiled grill pan or George Foreman Grill until slightly charred outside and heated throughout. 

Serve on a lightly toasted bun with your favorite burger toppings. I recommend chipotle mayonnaise.  True, it is another step to mix the whole beans in separately, but I think it does great things for the texture.

I served these on something new to me, pretzel bread rolls. AMAZING. How did I not know that these existed? They were deliciously moist and, well, pretzeley. I whipped up a chipotle mayonnaise (one chipotle pepper canned in adobo sauce sent for a spin with some mayo) which went fabulously with the burgers. We had ours with a little baby spinach on top, and a tomato-cucumber salad on the size.

If you're looking for a meaty texture, these are not the thing. Or do us both a favor and improve my recipe! As long as you don't mind using a fork, these are fabulous.

Quinoa Garden Burgers

Despite our omnivorousness, Brady and I are always interested in vegetarian (and sometimes even vegan) food options. Even if you love chicken and beef, a little variety is nice, right? For us, eating meat only 3-4 days per week is part of our small-time effort to be more Earthdwellers. So when we started trying meat-free burgers made with veggie protein and the like, I started to think, why can't I make these? I can make these, right? I'm making these.

Well, I was half right. I made them. They were tasty, but they were not what I would call a "burger." More like quinoa falafel. They were fragile, and too soft to be eaten in a bun. I think I had all the right ingredients happening, but perhaps in the wrong ratios. Also, the addition of black or pinto beans would do a great deal to improve their solidity. I was going for the "vegan" thing with these, so I used ground flax instead of egg as a binding ingredient. With about 1/2 cup of beans and an egg or two, these would be a much more solid patty. Hindsight is 20-20.

I used quinoa as a base because of its protein, fiber, and  hearty texture. I happened to have a little pearled barley hanging around from some more wintry recipes, which I decided to add, but I think you could use all quinoa, increase the barley ratio, or use a mixture of quinoa and brown rice.

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked quinoa 

3 1/2 tablespoons ground flax

1/2 onion 

2 cloves garlic, smashed and coarsely chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped

1/2 green bell pepper, coarsely chopped

1/2 - 1 chipotle chili canned in adobo sauce (optional)

4 oz fresh, clean mushrooms, coarsely chopped

1/3 cup - 3/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs

small handful cilantro, torn

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Salt and pepper

Olive oil

Directions:

1. In a food processor, combine the garlic, salt and pepper, a drizzle of olive oil, the onion, cayenne, ground flax, cilantro, and chipotle chili if you're using one. Combine well.

2. Add bell pepper, onion, and mushrooms. Process until veggies are chopped - not liquefied.

3. Dump the contents of the food processor out into a large bowl, and mix in the quinoa. Sprinkle in breadcrumbs until the mixture is just solid enough to form into patties. Mix well, and form into patties.

4. Cook garden burger patties in a grill pan for 8-10 minutes each side over medium heat, or cook them in a George Foreman Grill for about 8-10 minutes total. Serve on a bun or in a pita with veggies or a yogurt sauce.

I served these on burger buns with a super simple tzatziki sauce and steamed green beans on the side. Besides eggs lurking in the buns, and the tzatziki (which is easily swapped out for lettuce and tomato, or an animal-free topping like salsa) this is a vegan meal.

In the end, these weren't what I was going for, but if you made them as mini-patties and served them in a pita, they would be just as delightfully delicious as the dish I had imagined.

Quote of the Day: CBS has no problem with airing commercial after commercial advocating the consumption of fried chicken, pork sausage and fast-food burgers, even though eating these products are making Americans fat, sick and boring in bed. ~ Lisa Lange

NOTE: I have to say, since Lisa Lange is a well-known figure and the VP of PETA, I do not support or advocate for PETA in any way. I believe there is a relatively humane and compassionate way to enjoy reasonable amounts of meat in our diets, and I am a really big fan of animals in general. This quote is funny and poignant, but I do not support the guilt, exaggeration, and fear-mongering perpetrated by PETA. Of course, we all have our own feelings on the topic and must do our own research and make the decisions that are best for us and our families.

Veggie-loaded Turkey Burgers & Some Very Exciting News

I've made some version of these yummy, healthy burgers about a half a dozen times. Each time has been kind of a haphazard "throw in all sorts of herbs and spices and veggies until you're bored with it" endeavor, but since this blog makes it look like I should know what I'm talking about, this time I actually payed some attention to what went in, and how much. (Also, the one time I made them for anyone but just the two of us they ended up a bit over-garlicky, and I'd like to avoid this in the future with an actual game plan).

This recipe calls for two appliances: a small food processor (I used my Ninja), and a George Foreman Grill. Neither are necessary to the success of the recipe, though, and hand-mincing and pan-grilling or baking will work beautifully also.

With 1.3 lbs of turkey, this recipe yielded 5 good-sized burgers, and they freeze very well.

Ingredients:

1-ish lbs ground turkey - I used a 1.3 lb package

1 clove garlic, chopped

.75 tsp. seasoned salt - or .5 tsp salt and pinch each of garlic powder, paprika, and cayenne pepper

1 tsp. black pepper

2 tsp. olive oil

1 tbs. dry parsley

1 tbs. dry cilantro

1 tsp. prepared mustard - that is, not the dry type. I used Dijon.

.5 red bell pepper, roughly chopped

.5 green bell pepper, roughly chopped

.25 onion, or 1-2 green onions

1 rib celery, roughly chopped

1 carrot, roughly chopped 

1-2 tbsp. breadcrumbs

slices of the cheese of your choice

Directions:

1. Process garlic, onion, oil, mustard, herbs and spices in food processor until blended.

2. Add bell peppers, celery, carrot, and/or other vegetables and process until vegetables are minced

4. Break up ground turkey in a large bowl, add the vegetable mixture, and mix well

5. Form meat mixture into patties. If the mixture feels too wet, add breadcrumbs one tablespoon at a time combining between additions until you achieve the desired consistency. I used one tablespoon.

Since I am not fussy but I am impatient, I like to mix the burger mixture with my (clean) hands. It's faster, and I am convinced it is also more effective than mixing with a spoon or spatula. Plus you're going to have to make the patties with your hands anyway, so you might as well get in there sooner rather than later.

I cooked these on our George Foreman Grill for 10 minutes. At about 9 minutes I opened and unplugged the grill, placed the cheese slices on top, and let them melt before serving. When I feel like meddling I hold the grill lid about a half-inch above the cheese to make it melt faster. We used low-moisture, part-skim mozzarella.

There doesn't seem to be any limits to the vegetables you can use in these burgers. This was the first time that I used celery and carrot, and they did give them a decidedly more "vegetabley" flavor (according to Brady), but we both agreed they were just as delicious as ever. For texture and nutritional kick, next time I think next time I will try adding mushrooms. Adding a couple naturally-absorbent, fiber-packed mushrooms will probably eliminate the need for the breadcrumbs. You could also try zucchini, eggplant, or even greens like kale or spinach, though tough greens may need to be steamed and pressed ahead of time.

So maybe next time it'll be mushrooms, spinach, a little Feta, and Swiss on top. Maybe on crusty bread instead of a roll? With a side of baked oven-fries? Good thing I'm blogging this or I'd forget the next time I went to make a burger...

Brady mentioned this evening that he's never had burgers like "mine" in any other context. After being reassured that this was, in fact, a good thing, I started to think it was kinda cool to have a signature burger. And though I do sometimes make beef burgers (with lots of Worcestershire sauce), I'm glad that my "signature" is a healthy one. (I only made the ones with beef, cheddar and bacon the one time, so that doesn't count. Right?)

We ate these with a zucchini and tomato salad. Together, these would be a great meal for a summer evening. I often serve veggie burgers with steamed green beans, I think because of their similarity in shape to French fries. Somehow that seems right. But this salad was also great with the burgers: simple and fresh.

I can just about always count on Brady to pick a beer that will complement a particular dish, which we often indulge ourselves in on weekend nights. This was a GREAT pairing with Stone IPA.

Veggie-loaded turkey burger with zucchini and tomato salad & Stone IPA.

Despite my zeal for all things whole-grain, I can't resist a fresh, delicious-smelling bakery roll. Which is why we ate these burgers on fresh, delicious-smelling rolls. Which I did not bake. And I regret nothing.

Quote of the Day: "Chris: Have you ever tried a turkey burger?
Ron: Is that a fried turkey leg inside a grilled hamburger? If so, yes, delicious." ~ Parks and Recreation

Now for the more EXCITING part. I know you were curious. Which could be why you read this post in the first place. So I'll tell you. My fantastically beautiful, brazen and brainy big sister Alexandra became engaged this morning to her equally fabulous manfriend, Sebastian, of Sebastian Ebarb Designs. I know, right? Big news. It also happens to be her 25th birthday!

Since Sebastian is a staff member and student at the School of Visual Arts with another year to go, and Allie is about to graduate from Brooklyn Law School and take (PASS) the Bar Exam, their late spring/early summer wedding is probably two years away. And after a rather obvious "You know you're my maid of honor, right?," I think it's about time I find out just what a maid of honor is supposed to DO. My guess is "a lot," but I don't think there is anything that I wouldn't do for her. Except wear an ugly dress, but she wouldn't do that to me anyway. So here's to new chapters!