Mushroom Bleu Cheese Turkey Burgers

It was gorgeous today! It was the perfect jeans-and-a-t-shirt weather, which is my absolute favorite. It's not so chilly that you wish you had a sweater but also not so hot that you wish you had a pool.

Pure perfection.

The weather in NY is so bipolar. Two posts ago, I shared a recipe for white hot chocolate because I so cold all the time!

Well, nice weather makes me crave summer food. For me, summer food is anything that either requires no cooking or can be made on the grill.

Burgers are one of those foods. And I think a burger tastes best when eaten straight from the grill while wearing Aviators and sitting on a deck. So that's what I did.

Except mine came off of a grill PAN on the oven because my landlord doesn't allow grills. Major summer bummer.

My favorite part of a burger is the toppings. I generally use a Sandwich Thin or two pieces of lettuce (don't judge... it creates more room in my stomach for meat) because I don't want a bun distracting from the juicy burger and the plethora of toppings. However, this can make for a pretty messy situation because I don't have a huge bun to hold all of the goodies in. So for this burger, I decided to throw some of my favorite toppings INSIDE the burger. Mushrooms, bleu cheese, and onions.

I'm a genius.

I think the additions helped to keep the turkey burgers really juicy. But it also made them a little tricky to flip without breaking because they were so jam packed with veggies and cheese. I found that making the burgers a little smaller and thicker made them stay together better. If you think the mixture has too much moisture, just add some breadcrumbs to soak it up!

I ate mine with lettuce, tomato, and onion and a combination of spicy barbecue sauce and bleu cheese dressing. Unfortunately, I did not have any bacon in my fridge. But if I did, I probably would have skipped the Sandwich Thin and wrapped this burger in bacon. Because that wouldn't counteract the idea of a healthy turkey burger at all. Nope.

Mushroom Bleu Cheese Turkey Burgers

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, finely chopped
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• ½ cup crumbled blue cheese
• Buns
• Lettuce, tomato, and onion for topping

1. Lightly saute the onion and mushrooms.  Drain well (you may even want to pat them dry).
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the ground turkey, mushrooms, onion, bleu cheese and soy sauce. Season with kosher salt and pepper. Form into 4 burger patties.
3. Spray the grill pan with cooking spray. Place patties on the pan and cook for 10 minutes per side, or until well done.   
4. Serve with buns and any desired toppings!

look at the beautifully browned exterior!

Reuben Sandwich

Today will be the last post of my St. Patrick's Day themed March :(

I'm a little sad. Luckily, I still have a bunch of leftover goodies in my freezer so I can pull them out when I'm going through withdrawal in a couple days.

And I still have a gigantic container of shamrock sprinkles! Springtime shamrock shakes? You better believe it!

Today's recipe is a good old fashioned Reuben! I love all sandwiches because of how creative they allow you to be with mixing and matching ingredients. And the Reuben is one of my absolute favorite combinations. The unique taste and texture of the corned beef, the strong flavor of the sauerkraut, and the tangy Russian dressing. Perfection!

For my personal twist on the sandwich, I used whole wheat sandwich thins. It just happened to be the bread I had on hand and I don't love rye enough to buy and use a whole loaf. I actually liked the sandwich thins. As I've stated before, I think that bread has a tendency to swallow up the flavors of a sandwich and I wanted to taste every delicious bite of this sandwich without the bread mellowing it out at all. Plus, it makes the sandwich quite a bit more diet friendly. I also substituted muenster cheese for swiss. I'm not the biggest fan of swiss cheese and I don't think it melts well. To me, muenster tastes like a cross between swiss and provolone so it seemed like the ideal substitution.

The highlight of this sandwich is the Russian dressing. I used a recipe I found that was based off of the Zingerman's recipe. The only changes I made were that I omitted the lemon juice because I didn't have any, I substituted soy sauce for Worcestershire sauce because I hate that stuff with a passion, and I increased the horseradish from 1/2 teaspoon to a full tablespoon for a liiiiiittle extra bite. This dressing is creamy and chunky and completely delicious. I'll never ever buy it from the store again. Period.

Just whip up this recipe next time you're craving a nice warm delicatessen-quality sandwich!

Reuben Sandwich (1 sandwich)

For the Russian dressing from Food Network

• 3/4 cups mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup chili sauce
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 2 teaspoons chopped curly parsley leaves
• 2 tablespoon onion, minced
• 2 tablespoon sweet pickle, minced
• 1 tablespoon grated horseradish
• 1/4 teaspoon soy sauce

1. Combine the mayonnaise, chili sauce, sour cream, parsley, onion, pickle, horseradish and soy sauce in a bowl and mix well.
2. This makes about two cups. Store in an airtight contain in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. 

For the Reuben

•  1 tablespoon butter
• 2 slices of your favorite bread (rye if you want to be tradition, sandwich thins if you want to be carb conscious)
• 2 slices muenster cheese (swiss, if you prefer the original)
• 1/4 cup sauerkraut
• 2 ounces shredded or sliced corned beef, warmed
• 1-2 tablespoons Russian dressing

1. Heat a skillet over medium heat. 
2. Butter the outsides of your bread. Place one slice of bread butter-side down in the skillet. Put one slice of cheese on the bread. Layer with half of the sauerkraut and half of the Russian dressing. Then put on all of the corned beef. Finally, layer with the rest of the Russian dressing, the rest of the sauerkraut, and the other slice of cheese. Place the other slice of bread butter-side up on top of the sandwich. 
3. Grill for about 3 minutes on each side, or until the cheese is melted and the outside of the bread is golden-brown.

Russian ingredients

homemade Russian dressing!

looks deli-worthy to me!

Goat Cheese, Brie, Caramelized Onion and Apple Sandwich

This sandwich is a great combination of fall and summer flavors, which is perfect for the crazy weather we've been having.  One day it's freezing and feels like the middle of fall and the next day it's sunny and feels like the end of summer.

Also, I'm in love with the fact that it contains two fancy cheeses. I love cheese.  Especially nice cheese with strong flavors.  Two in one meal?!?! Hallelujah!

The crunch of the apple counters the soft cheese beautifully.  The savory onion pairs well with the sweetness of the apple and the spinach adds a dash of color. I love everything  about the look, taste, and texture of this sandwich.

It's great plain because of all the complex flavors.  But I am the queen of condiments.  If I'm eating a salad, I generally chooses at least 3 dressing to try.  On a deli sandwich, I get sides of flavored mayos, mustards, and hot sauce. On hot dogs and hamburgers, I eat ketchup, mustard, 2 kinds of relish, sauerkraut, BBQ sauce, and basically anything I can get my hands on. Who knows if I even like hot dogs? I don't think I can actually taste it under my mess of condiments. Sometimes I think I just eat as an excuse to taste condiments... kinda gross, huh?  So I tried the sandwich with honey mustard dressing and raspberry vinaigrette and both were heavenly.

If you are a fellow lover of cheese and aren't sick of apples yet, you should make this.

Goat Cheese, Brie, Caramelized Onion and Apple Sandwich (1 sandwich – 490 cals) from healthy food for living

• 1 medium yellow onion
• 1 tsp olive oil
• pinch of Kosher salt
• pinch of sugar
• 1 oz soft goat cheese (about 2 Tbsp), at room temperature for easier spreading
• 1 oz soft brie cheese (about 2 Tbsp), at room temperature for easier spreading <– you can remove the rind if you’d like
• 1/4 apple, cored & thinly sliced
• fresh spinach
• 2 slices of bread (I used an English muffin, but this would be really tasty on some hearty wheat and nut bread)

1. Slice the onion in half lengthwise (through the “poles”) and then remove the papery skin. Thinly slice the onion widthwise (around the “equator”).
2. Heat the olive oil in a medium-sized non-stick skillet set over medium heat. Add in the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Add in the salt and sugar. Lower stove temperature to medium-low/low and cook, stirring occasionally, for an additional 20-25 minutes, or until the onions have turned a deep golden brown color. Let cool.
3. Spread the softened goat cheese onto one slice of bread. Spread the softened brie on the other.
4. Layer the greens, sliced apple, and caramelized onion onto one slice of bread; top with the other.

Grilled Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich

This isn't a recipe, just something you should do.  Like right now.

I love peanut butter. It's kind of a problem. I could sit down and eat a whole container with a spoon in one sitting. If I'm really starving while I'm cooking lunch or dinner, I'll eat a couple spoonfuls to tide myself over. I would venture to say that it's my snack of choice. 

Do you like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches? Do you like grilled sandwiches, like paninis or grilled cheese?  Yes?  Then you'll love this.

It's a grilled peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Make your sandwich with your favorite peanut butter and jelly (I threw a little fluff in there because I had it laying around), butter the other sides of the bread, and then put it in a skillet on the stove on medium high for about 5 minutes on each side or until the bread is golden brown.  Delicious.

I plan on making a bunch of different combinations. One with sliced bananas. Raisins. Honey. Nutella. Chocolate chips. THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS.  Put your own personal twist on this grilled version of a childhood favorite.