Mediterranean Burgers with Tzatziki by Heather

I wanted to take advantage of all the great produce that's in season this month- especially zucchini and corn.  These burgers are so light and satisfying, especially topped with this tzatziki sauce.

Makes 4 burgers

Ingredients for the burger:
1 lb. ground turkey (light and dark meat)
3 shallots, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 green onions, chopped (light and dark green parts)
2 tsp. oregano (preferably fresh)
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
juice of half a lemon
salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients for Tzatziki sauce:
1 cup Greek yogurt
1/4 large cucumber, grated and squeezed of excess liquid
2 scallions, white and light green parts only
2 tbs. chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbs. chopped fresh chives
2 tbs. chopped fresh mint
zest of 1 lemon
juice of half lemon
1/2 tsp. sea salt

Garnish suggestions:
Grilled bread (I used a sourdough rosemary loaf from Whole Foods, but grilled pita would be good, too)
heirloom tomato, sliced
microgreens

Combine all ingredients for the burger in a large bowl and combine with your hands until just combined.  Form into 4 patties and set aside on a plate.

Combine all ingredients for tzatziki in small bowl and set aside.



If using grilled bread, grill the bread before the turkey burgers.  Drizzle olive oil on both sides of the bread and grill on medium high heat, about 4 minutes per side, or until you see golden grill marks form.



Heat 1 tbs. olive oil in a grill pan, and on medium high heat, cook the burgers for about 6 minutes on the first side, or until almost half of the burger looks cooked.  Take care to make sure the heat on the stove isn't too high so you aren't blackening the burgers.  Flip and cook for about 4.5 minutes longer, turning down the heat a little if necessary.

Serve with Garnishes and enjoy!

White Bean and Ramp Crostini by Heather

It's finally starting to feel like spring around NYC, and for Easter, I wanted to make an appetizer that took advantage of some seasonal ingredients.  Brandon and I have had some really good spring-y crostini around the city the past couple of weeks.  Locanda Verde's creamy ricotta crostini is to die for, and Cookshop's ramp salsa verde crostini is also excellent.  This crostini combines the best of both of these.  You'll have a ton of the white bean mixture left over, so it's also great to serve as a dip with some veggies or pita chips.

Ingredients:

For the white bean mixture:

2 cans cannellini beans

1/4 cup greek yogurt

2-3 tbs. basil oil or normal olive oil

1 tsp. chives

1/4 cup parsley

juice and zest of 1 lemon

3 tbs. goat ricotta or regular, whole milk ricotta

salt and pepper to taste

For the ramps:

1 tbs. butter

3-4 tbs. white wine

1 bunch of ramps, cleaned with ends removed

1 loaf bread, sliced

olive oil for drizzling

Thai Turkey Burgers and Brussels Sprouts by Heather

Brandon and I spent the weekend in a cozy house in upstate New York, and even though it was very cold out, we decided to do some grilling since the house had a nice grill.  It was 3 degrees outside, and the pipes in the house were frozen, but that didn't stop us from having a great weekend curled up enjoying each other's company by the cozy fireplace.

Thai Turkey Burgers:
whole wheat buns
1 lb. ground turkey (light and dark meat)
1 tbs. Greek yogurt
1/4 Jalapeño (I removed the seeds and ribs, but if you want more spice, keep them on)
2 shallots, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
5-6 dashes of soy sauce
ground black pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients (besides buns) in a medium bowl and mix together with your hands.  Form the mixture into 5 patties, using your thumb to make an imprint on one side of the patty so that it doesn't puff up into a ball while cooking on the grill.  Heat the grill up to a medium high temperature and cook for 7-8 minutes on the first side, and about 3-4 minutes on the other side.

While the burgers are cooking on the second side, toast the buns on the grill until slightly browned.  Take burgers off the grill and assemble with some or all of the toppings below.

Suggested Burger Toppings:
Avocado
Sriracha
Greek yogurt
Pickled radishes
Cilantro
Sprinkle of lime juice

Brussles Sprouts:
1 1b. brussels sprouts outer leaves removed and quartered
couple of slices of hard sausage
5 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
Juice of half a lemon
2 tbs. sriracha
1 tbs. fish sauce

Roast at 375 for about 25-30 minutes or until crispy on edges

Who wouldn't want to spend a weekend in this cute little house??

Lentil Meatballs with Lemon Pesto by Heather

This has to be one of my favorite recipes.  There's actually no meat in these meatballs, just lentils and cheese, but you won't miss the meat.  Lentils are a somewhat recent discovery for me- I always thought they would be bland and dry, but they're so tasty!   This is another recipe adapted from Sprouted Kitchen- I love Sara's recipes.  They're always packed full of flavor and healthy without making you feel like you're missing out on anything.  I hope you will enjoy this recipe as much as I do.

Ingredients:

Meatballs:
1 cup lentils (I use brown lentils)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup ricotta (use whole milk or goats milk)
1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste
2/3 Cup Breadcrumbs (use fresh breadcrumbs if you can find them)

Lemon Pesto Sauce:
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts or toasted almonds
Zest and juice of two lemons
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups basil leaves
1/4 - 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan
2-4 Tbs. water to thin if necessary