Changing Things Up a Bit (and Burgers too!)

As a busy working mother, having a meal plan is really important.  Being flexible with the possibility of changing that plan on any given day is essential!  This week that is exactly what I have done..so far, not one night has gone "according to plan" - but that's o.k.  We adapt and move on.

So tonight we will have those hamburgers on the grill we didn't have Thursday night.  One thing I love about burgers is how versatile they are...seasonings, add-ins, toppings.  The possibilities are endless!  Tonight I am going to do my version of a Lipton Onion Soup burger.  (One thing I try to avoid as much as possible is pre-packaged seasoning mixes.  Sometimes I can find organic versions on sale at Whole Foods that aren't chock-full of weird ingredients,  but I really prefer just to add my own.)

This recipe falls right into my philosophy of using only items that come from my CSA box and what is already in my pantry, as I received 2 lbs. of grass fed ground beef!


Onion Burgers (Makes 4 1/4 lb. burgers)
1 lb. Ground Beef
2 spring onions, finely chopped (I use the bulb and the stem)
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
A few dashes of worcestershire sauce (to taste)

Mix all ingredients together.  Shape into 4 patties.  To keep burgers from puffing up, create a well in the center in the burger. Grill to desired temperature and enjoy.  One note - grass-fed beef tends to cook faster than other beef.  Turn your temperature down a little before grilling.

I would love for you to share your favorite burger recipe or what you are cooking this weekend!

Tropical Napa Slaw (and Grilled Stickey Chicken)

As I mentioned earlier, staying within budget is very important for me.  Every so often I go on an "eat from the pantry" binge, which is what we are doing right now.   That is how my Tropical Napa Cabbage came to be.  And boy, let me tell you, am I ever glad.  I might have a new favorite on my hands!  Everything I used was from a combination of pantry ingredients and Wednesday's CSA box. (I will be sure to take pictures next time...)


Tropical Napa Slaw (Serves 2 - two people who really really like it, so it could be 4!)
1/2 head Napa Cabbage, thinly sliced (I used my mandolin slicer)
Green ends of spring onions, sliced
3 palm-fulls of each - Sunflower Seeds and Pine Nuts (pan toasted in about 1/2 tbsp. of butter)
2 palm-fulls of currants
1 small can pineapple chunks, juice reserved
2 tbsp. lower sodium soy sauce
1/4 oil (I used safflower)
1/4 cup local honey
Fresh cracked black pepper to taste

To make dressing:

• Place reserved pineapple juice in an old jar or plastic container with tight-fitting lid.
• Add soy sauce, oil, honey, and pepper.  Adjust amounts of ingredients to your taste.
• Put lid on container and shake until well-mixed.

To make slaw:

• Place cabbage in large bowl.  NOTE - make sure your cabbage is very dry.  If it isn't it will become soggy and weighed down in the bowl.
• Sprinkle green onions over cabbage.
• Sprinkle pine nuts and sunflower seeds over green onions.  
• Top with currants.
• At this point, you can either top with the canned pineapple or put the pineapple on skewers and grill them and serve on the side.  (That is what I wish I had done and will definitely do next time).

I would suggest that you don't pour the dressing over the cabbage until you are ready to serve.  This was really nice change from the traditional cabbage salad with ramen noodles that you see quite often. Which by the way I love, but I can honestly tell you that ramen noodles are not something I have in my pantry - ever - unless I am specifically making THAT salad. But since this is eat from the pantry week...

The chicken was really really simple.

Dee’s Sticky Chicken

2 chicken breasts, butterflied

¼ cup local honey

¼ cup lower sodium soy sauce

Chopped green onions (or spring onions)

Garlic powder (or fresh chopped if you have on hand)

Fresh cracked black pepper

Place chicken breast in gallon size zip lock bag.  Whisk remaining ingredients together.  Pour into bag with chicken and seal tightly.  "Massage" the bag until all of the chicken is covered.  Store in fridge – the longer the better – until ready to grill or broil.

PLEASE NOTE:  All ingredient amounts are approximate.  I am an "eyeballer" and really don't measure anything unless I am baking.  I just go with the flow and keep working with it until it tastes good to me!!

Please let me know if you decide to give this a try...next up will be a BLT Pasta!  Until next time...