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Is that a Zucchini in your pocket…? Mini Turkey-Zucchini Burgers with Tzatziki Sauce

Published by Tracey

We unintentionally brought home a human-baby sized zucchini from the Portland Farmer’s Market. I swear, I had every intention of returning this behemoth to its rightful owners (our friends who purchased it for all of $2) but this zucchini had other plans and instead managed to stow away in my suitcase headed for the bright lights of Las Vegas–sorry Janette! We spent almost all day Memorial Day making things with this giant zucchini! First I made a casserole with the ingredients you see pictured below. That was tasty, but not quite tasty enough to share with you yet. Then we made a zucchini pizza with parmesan, basil pesto and olives. Now, that was really tasty and I’ll be sharing that one soon. But this recipe for “Turkey & Zucchini Burgers with Green Onion and Cumin” from the cookbook “Jerusalem” by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi was the clear winner. Can you believe I was able to get three entire dishes from one giant zucchini?

I mean, look at the size of that thing! 5 pounds, easily!

I have had this cookbook for a few months now and so far I’ve just been drooling over the recipes in it. I’m so glad I stopped drooling and finally made a recipe from it! What excited me most (as always) was that I had everything available and didn’t have to go to the grocery store! Win! Turkey meat is characteristically bland, but it’s also low in fat. What’s great about turkey burgers is that they are almost impossible to over-season. This recipe calls for lots of fresh herbs and what you’re left with is a perfectly seasoned patty that you can cloak in a bright, lemony tzatziki sauce and fold into a crisp lettuce leaf! I have included the measurements from the original recipe, but know that I am heavy handed with herbs, so I may have used a little more than what was called for. As I said, it’s almost impossible to add too much flavor to ground turkey so don’t worry about being too precise! Also, in place of store-bought ground cayenne pepper, I used cayenne peppers that we grew, dried and ground last summer. So flavorful!

The original recipe recommended frying the turkey burgers in oil and finishing them in the oven. I had planned to grill the turkey burgers, but quickly learned that there was a very good reason for the recommended cooking method! These burgers are very loosey-goosey. Downright sloppy. They don’t hold their shape well enough to stay intact on the grill. I was able to grill a few of them, but they stuck to the grates even though I oiled both the grates and the burgers themselves. I’m not saying you can’t grill them, but if you do, just be prepared to feel annoyed by your choice. Another thing I learned was that the best pan to fry them in is a simple cast iron skillet–you know, the kind your grandmother used. I made most of the burgers in an enameled cast iron pan using the amount of oil recommended in the original recipe. That worked just fine, but I discovered that using the black (non-enameled) cast iron frying pan allowed me to use very little oil and the burgers seared gorgeously.

I served the burgers in lettuce cups with crunchy sliced radishes and a creamy tzatziki sauce that I made on the fly!

Mini Turkey-Zucchini Burgers with Tzatziki Sauce

Servings: 4-6
Time: 1 hour
Difficulty: easy
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Adapted from: Jerusalem, A Cookbook, Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

1 pound ground turkey
2 cups of grated zucchini
3 green onions, sliced thinly
1 large egg
2 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
2 cloves garlic crushed
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper
Coconut oil for frying

For the Sauce

1/2 large cucumber, seeded and grated
1 tbsp fresh mint leaves, chopped
1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
1/2 cup sour cream (I used full fat sour cream)
2/3 cup Greek yogurt
zest of one lemon
juice of 1/2 lemon
three-finger pinch of kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
drizzle of olive oil

First make the sauce. Slice the cucumber in half and with a spoon, scoop out the seeds and discard. With a food processor fitted with the grating disc, grate the cucumber. If you do not have a food processor, simply grate the cucumber with a box grater. Place the grated cucumber in a bowl and sprinkle with a three-finger pinch of salt. Allow the cucumber to sit undisturbed for about 10 to 15 minutes while you work on the rest of the sauce. The salt will cause the cucumber to release its water.
Combine the rest of the ingredients in a medium sized bowl. After the cucumber has rested, drain the water from the cucumbers and add the drained cucumber to the sauce. Place the sauce in the refrigerator to allow the flavors to mingle.

For the turkey burgers:

Grate the zucchini using the food processor or with a box grater. Combine the zucchini with the turkey meat and the remainder of the ingredients (except the oil) in a large mixing bowl. Thoroughly mix the meat with your hands (I know, it’s sticky and messy but your hands really are the best mixers). Shape into 2 inch patties and set them aside on a plate or cutting mat in a single layer. Refrigerating them for about 20 minutes prior to cooking makes them a little firmer and easier to handle.
Heat about 2 tablespoons of coconut oil in the frying pan over medium heat until very hot. Cook the patties in batches, being careful not to crowd them. I cooked about six at one time. Place the patties in the frying pan and sear for two minutes on each side until golden brown and use additional oil if needed. Transfer the patties to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and place into the hot oven for 5 to 7 minutes until cooked through.

These burgers were a great light dinner for us! We had enough for dinner that night and leftovers for lunch the next day!

Oh, and another thing that makes me happy is that my herb garden is bursting with all the fresh herbs that I need for cooking! I always do a little happy dance when I don’t have to buy herbs from the grocery store any more (except for cilantro which I cannot seem to grow, ever).

My 100th Post! Plus, Surviving the Portland Boil of 2014

Published by Tracey

It’s my 100th post! A couple of weeks ago, after I published my 99th post, I started to feel a little anxiety over what my 100th post would look like. I initially thought that I wanted to do something BIG and insanely complicated. A blog post that would cause balloons and confetti to fall from the sky. But, that didn’t exactly happen. Instead, I got myself so wound up about my 100th post, that I couldn’t seem to write anything at all. And soon after that, I was out of town for two weekends in a row! So, instead of a big, complicated recipe, I’m going to show you some of my vacation photos!

I make no bones about the fact that someday I would like to retire in Portland, Oregon. Our dearest friends ~~abandoned us~~ relocated to Portland in 2011 and have been enticing us to move there ever since. And since my feet first landed on Portland soil that first time in 2011, I’ve fallen inextricably, entirely in love with the place. Every year that we visit, I fall in love a little deeper and every year, it gets a little harder to adjust to being back in the desert. I’m trying to put my finger on exactly what has captured me so–is it the coffee? the microbrews? I’m not entirely sure, but I have a feeling it has to do with all those green things that seem to grow so easily there!

Normally we visit Portland during the height of the summer in order to give ourselves a break from weeks of triple digit temperatures. Portland summers are warm and dry, although much cooler than what we’re used to at home. This year, we decided to visit a little early for the simple reason that I wanted to see the rain. That might sound funny to you, but I seriously cannot remember the last time it rained here so a vacation with grey skies is exactly the kind of vacation I need! Even still, I was not prepared for the riot of chlorophyll that greeted me when I stepped off of the plane! Portland in Springtime can only be described as verdant; aggressively green and covered in flowers.

Portland had a little more in store for us this year…a “boil water notice”. I’m sure you heard about it on the news, but the City of Portland issued it’s first ever boil alert after discovering e-coli in the water supply the day after we arrived! I promise, we had nothing to do with it! Turns out that part of the city’s water supply is stored in uncovered reservoirs at the top of Mt. Tabor. When testing revealed the bacterial contamination a “boil water notice” was put into effect which basically meant that any water to be consumed had to be boiled first! So, we did what any good Portlander does in this situation. We drank lots of beer and coffee! We also had some of the best meals we’ve ever eaten! The first night in town we had amazing 5 course dinner at Le Pigeon. Last year we dined at their sister restaurant, Little Bird, but where Little Bird is more rustic-French, Le Pigeon is its refined older sister. I tried something I’d never had before–a dish of pigeon in a blood sausage puree. Let me tell you, pigeon is freaking amazing! The flesh is deep red, like duck breast, and it was so juicy and flavorful! The blood sausage was a revelation–faintly minerally in a way that reminded me a little of liver, but more subtle, it was lick-the-plate good! The restaurant itself is tiny, so reservations are a must–but if you are ever in the area, you must try it out!

Mt. Tabor Reservoir

We managed to fit in a short hike to Multnomah Falls, which is almost indescribably beautiful!

Multnomah Falls, Oregon

And no trip to Portland would be complete without a trip to the Portland Farmer’s Market! I have yet to visit a farmer’s market that rivals it in size and variety of produce, meats and food stalls! The farmer’s markets that I have access to in Las Vegas are tiny in comparison, so my mind is blown every year. Since we were there early in the growing season, there wasn’t the usual abundance of summer berries and heirloom tomatoes, but there were plenty of other tasty treats!

Morel Mushrooms

Look at these gorgeous eggs!

We bought a couple of pints of these amazingly sweet strawberries!

The market was brimming with the most dazzling peonies!

Peonies $2.00 a stem

Even more peonies!

After all was said and done, we gathered up our treats to make a candlelight dinner with our friends! We had such an amazing time, but it went by way too quickly.

Meats from Olympic Provisions, breads from Pearl Bakery, Pepper Jams from Packer Orchards and Bakery

I can’t take these guys anywhere…

A couple of goofballs.

Well, I’m back home now and it’s time to get back in the kitchen to make some great food! If you’d like to see more photos from this trip, you can find them on my Facebook Page and on Instagram.

Purple Kale and Farro Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

Published by Tracey

Last week in a fit of health-filled exuberance, the Husband declared Mondays “Raw Food Monday”. Now, I know this man and I knew the look I would get if on Monday evening I brought him a nice pile of crudités. It would be the look of “well this is tasty, but where is dinner?” I think an important part of being in a relationship is understanding what your partner really means when they say stuff like “Let’s have Raw Food Mondays”. In my relationship, it means, “I’m feeling like I overindulged on the weekend and would really like to eat healthier”. So, without saying a word, when Raw Food Monday came around, I set to work making this Purple Kale and Farro salad. Filled to the brim with leafy greens, whole grain farro, zucchini and tomatoes, I knew it would check all the healthy boxes and be filling as well even it if didn’t fit the qualifications of “raw food”.

As normal, around dinnertime on Monday, the Husband asked “what’s for dinner?”. “A salad” I replied. He immediately looked pretty bummed out, but then cautiously asked what kind of salad I had made. When I replied “farro salad” you would have thought he’d hit some kind of jackpot! “YES!” he cried, fist pumping in the air!

So, maybe the Husband likes farro salad a little more than the average man, but this salad is such a hit–so loaded with goodness, that I know you will love it as well. We had this salad twice this week. For “Meatless Monday” (which is our normal practice) we had this salad with raw spinach. I made it again during the week with purple kale because I was taking some to a dear friend who is in the hospital and I wanted to choose greens that were a bit sturdier and could be refrigerated and eaten the next day. You can easily make it vegan by omitting the feta cheese and by cooking the farro in either vegetable broth or water.

I was frustrated to discover that my local Whole Foods Market stopped offering farro in their bulk section, but they do sell it in their packaged grains section. For this recipe, use “pearled” farro. It cooks in less than 30 minutes and does not require soaking overnight.

Purple Kale and Farro Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

Servings: 4 dinner salads
Time: 40 minutes
Difficulty: easy
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1 cup farro, rinsed
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 head kale, ribs removed, chopped into small pieces
3 small zucchini, sliced into rounds
1 1/2 cups small tomatoes, halved
1/2 red onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
10 kalamata olives, halved
2 sprigs basil, finely sliced
1 large lemon
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon agave syrup
kosher or sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
Feta cheese (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a medium saucepan, bring the broth to a boil, then add the rinsed farro. Allow the farro to come to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, covered for 30 minutes or until all the liquid has evaporated.
While the farro is cooking, slice the zucchini into rounds and place on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and lightly season with salt and pepper. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes, then remove the pan and set it aside.
While the farro and zucchini are cooking, prepare the remainder of the vegetables and the vinaigrette.
Chop the kale into small pieces and place into a mixing bowl. Drizzle the kale with a little olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Massage the oil and salt into the kale to tenderize it, and set it aside. Zest the lemon and add it to the kale.
Juice the lemon into a small bowl and whisk in the dijon mustard, a pinch of salt, black pepper and agave syrup. Slowly whisk in the olive oil and taste. Add more salt and pepper if needed.
Spread the cooked farro along the bottom of a large salad bowl and allow it to cool for about 5 minutes. Add the diced onion and stir into the farro. Add the zucchini, peppers, olives, basil, tomatoes and the kale to the farro and gently toss to combine. Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and give it a quick stir. Top with crumbled feta cheese if desired.

The Infusion Project – Homemade Infused Vodkas and Flavored Simple Syrups

Published by Tracey

I live in Las Vegas. And if you know anything about my town, it’s that good drinks ain’t free. A nicely crafted cocktail in a lounge on the Las Vegas Strip will likely set you back at least $18, and that’s before a tip and that’s part of the reason why I started learning how to make cocktails at home! Another reason for learning how to mix cocktails at home is that it’s just plain fun and in my opinion, it kind of makes you look like a bad-ass! My approach to cocktail mixing is really similar to the way I approach cooking: using fresh, homemade ingredients and really good quality spirits!

Lately, I’ve been thinking of ways to “up my game” in the home cocktail mixing arena. I have a couple of really great cocktail books at home, but I found that each time I wanted to make something from them, a key ingredient for the cocktail should have been made…last week! And that key ingredient was often an infused spirit. That scenario occurred enough that I finally decided to do something about it! So, inspired by two books on my shelf, Modern Mixologist, by Tony Abou-Ganim and The Drunken Botanist, by Amy Stewart, I set aside an evening to work on some all-natural infused vodkas! Now, I know that there are plenty of flavored vodkas on the shelf at your local liquor store, but you are going to be shocked and amazed at how easy it is to make flavored vodkas yourself, at home, with all-natural ingredients that YOU choose!

The process is simple. Choose your ingredient, then steep it in vodka over a period of a few days in a wide-mouthed jar. That’s it! I told you you’d be shocked! So, grab some jars and let’s get to work because in about a week, when I make a cocktail with these infusions, you’re going to want to have them handy!

I used these Weck Juice Jars for the project. The small sized jars turned out to be the perfect size since I’m already low on refrigerator space. Here’s a tip: when making infusions, don’t use your best vodka. I used a big bottle of vodka from the grocery store for these and it worked perfectly. I made four different infusions: hot pepper, lavender-vanilla, blackberry and a mixed fruit. Keep the infusions in a cool place for 5 days or until the infusion tastes the way you want it to taste. After that point, strain the liquid into a clean jar or bottle and store in the refrigerator for up to a month.

I am really excited about this hot pepper infused vodka. The Gilt Club in Portland, Oregon used to make an amazing cocktail with a hot pepper infused vodka, called Hot Monkey Vodka. I say “used to” because I just found out that the Gilt Club has closed and that makes me very sad because I loved that place! Anyway, I think the drink was called Tracey’s Revenge, which of course, appealed to me for obvious reasons! The drink was lip-sizzlingly good, but the vodka isn’t sold locally; so, I decided to try my hand at making my own.

I used a mixture of Serrano peppers and these really hot little peppers from my friend’s garden. I simply washed the peppers, dried them with a paper towel, and the pricked the peppers all over with a toothpick. I filled the jar 3/4 of the way full with the peppers, then filled the jar with the vodka. Yesterday, I took a taste of it and it is already spicy and really flavorful! I cannot wait to mix a drink with it!

The lavender in my garden is in full bloom, so I picked a bunch of blossoms and used them to make a lavender-vanilla bean infusion. Simply give the blossoms a quick rinse to remove any dirt or debris, pat them dry and place them in the jar with a whole vanilla bean. Carefully expose the vanilla beans by slicing open the vanilla bean pod with a sharp knife. Pour the vodka over the mixture and seal the jar. The infusion is very floral with a hint of vanilla flavor and I think it’s going to work very well with an elderflower liqueur.

The blackberry vodka is made with fresh blackberries and using the same method described above. Blackberry martini, anyone? Why, yes! I’ll have one!

The final infused vodka was made using Tony Abou-Gannim’s favorite go-to fruit infusion: fresh pineapple, strawberries and blueberries, layered in a glass jar and submerged in the vodka.

After I finished with the infusions, I decided to restock my refrigerator with two of my favorite flavored simple syrups, ginger simple syrup and mint simple syrup. Simple syrup is just that–simple. I use a 1:1 ratio of sugar to water. In a saucepan, combine the sugar with the water and heat until the sugar completely dissolves. For ginger simple syrup, peel and slice a 2 inch knob of fresh ginger root and place it in a clean jar. Pour the hot simple syrup over the ginger and allow it to steep. After the mixture cools, add about a tablespoon of vodka to the syrup as a preservative. The mixture will last at least 3 weeks in the refrigerator.

For the mint syrup, pour the simple syrup over 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves and allow it to steep. Again, add about a tablespoon of vodka as a preservative and store in the refrigerator.

Next week I’ll post an update and a cocktail recipe using these infusions and simple syrups!

The Year I Learn to Bake: Savory Ham and Cheese Scones

Published by Tracey

Easter has come and gone leaving behind a huge container of leftover ham that has found itself in a multitude of dishes throughout the week, and all throughout the week, I’ve been dreaming of these scones! I could hardly wait for Saturday morning to come so that I could finally make them! Fluffy and golden, studded with bits of ham and pockets of melted cheese and slathered with butter; well, let’s just say these scones need to be in your belly, right now!

With the help of a food processor, you can mix up these scones in mere minutes, and before you know it, these hot, buttery scones will be on your breakfast plate, ready to be devoured–or as in our case, snatched hot off the baking pan and devoured while standing in the kitchen! Either way, you’re going to love these savory scones!

Savory Ham and Cheese Scones

Servings: makes 12 scones
Time: 1 hour
Difficulty: easy
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Source: Adapted from Spoon Fork Bacon

2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 stick cold unsalted butter cut into cubes
1 cup shredded medium cheddar cheese
1 cup ham, cut into cubes
1/4 cup green onion, sliced thinly
1/2 cup buttermilk**

In the base of a food processor fitted with a dough blade, add the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Pulse a few times to throughly mix the dry ingredients. Add the cold butter cubes to the flour and pulse until the butter is mixed throughout the flour. Add the cheese and the onions and pulse to combine, then add the ham. Pulse a few more times until the ingredients are well mixed. Slowly add the buttermilk through the feed tube and continue to pulse until a dough forms.
Remove the dough from the food processor and shape into a disc. Place the disc in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
After the dough has rested for 3o minutes, place the disc on a lightly floured surface and roll the dough to about 1/2 inch thick. Then cut the dough into rounds using a round cookie cutter. Since I don’t have a proper round cookie cutter (remember, I don’t do much baking!) I used a floured Pilsner glass–works just as well! Scoop up the leftover dough to shape into more scones.
Place the rounds on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes total. At the 20 minute mark, I brushed the tops of the scones with melted butter and popped them back in the oven for 5 more minutes until they were golden brown.
Serve warm with butter!

**Note: I had to add additional buttermilk because the dough was too dry and crumbly to form a ball–this is possibly because I live in a very dry environment. Start with 1/2 cup buttermilk and add additional buttermilk only if you need to.

I baked these scone in two batches. The second batch was made using the leftover dough from the first batch. While the first batch baked in the oven, I shaped the leftover dough into a disc and refrigerated it, then rolled it out using the same process as described above.

Raspberry Lemon Martini

Published by Tracey

How great is this cocktail? It’s so great that you just might forget that there is any alcohol in it and maybe drink it way too fast and then wonder where you left your shoes! I found the recipe for this Raspberry Lemon Martini on my friend Lori Rice’s blog during the week and I knew I had to make it immediately! The color was bright and springy and I just happened to have come home that day with a carton of beautiful raspberries and a bag of lemons! It was serendipity! It was so easy to prepare, so tasty and delicious, that I actually heard myself mumbling “yum, yum, yum” as I drank it! I really did drink it too fast, but I was at home, so it was all good–I just couldn’t remember where I put my shoes…

As with any cocktail, you’ll want to choose the freshest ingredients and use a good quality spirit. I used Grey Goose for this one. It comes together so quickly that you’ll be enjoying this one outside on your patio in 5 minutes flat!

Raspberry Lemon Martini

Servings: 1
Time: 5 minutes
Difficulty: easy
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Source: Slightly Adapted from the Daily Squeeze

1/2 lemon cut into three slices
1/4 cup fresh raspberries
1 tablespoon sugar
3 ounces good Vodka, I used Grey Goose
Additional sugar and lemon juice for rimming the glass

Sprinkle sugar on a saucer, then run a wedge of lemon around the rim of a martini or cocktail glass. Dip the rim of the glass in the sugar, then place the glass in the freezer.
Place the lemon slices, raspberries and one tablespoon of sugar into a cocktail shaker. With a muddler, muddle the ingredients together until the raspberries are well pulverized. Add the vodka and ice cubes to the cocktail shaker.
Give the shaker a few quick shakes, then strain into your chilled glass.

This is going to be making an appearance on my table for tomorrow’s Easter brunch for sure! Be sure to check out Lori Rice’s blogs: Fake Food Free and Daily Squeeze.

Roasted Asparagus with Clementine Butter Sauce

Published by Tracey

As I’m writing this, I just happened to glance outside and saw a hummingbird in the backyard! Hummingbirds make me so happy! It tells me, one, it’s Springtime and two, I have enough flowers blooming that they want to stop by for a quick sip!

This week I want to share a few recipes that really celebrate the fresh flavors of Spring. Easter is this weekend, and what I love about that holiday is that it’s the perfect opportunity to showcase bright, spring vegetables! Even though I buy asparagus throughout the year, this is the time when they taste the best and don’t break the bank! The recipe is so easy and I think it will be perfect on the Easter table. The asparagus is roasted in the oven and then finished with a sauce that is both bright and fresh as well as richly decadent. This is yet another one of those sauces that I have to keep myself from eating with a spoon!

Roasted Asparagus with Clementine Butter Sauce

Servings: 4
Time: 25 minutes
Difficulty: easy
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Source: Adapted from Williams-Sonoma, Mastering Vegetables

1 lb fresh asparagus
5 clementines, juiced
2 shallots, minced
3 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter cut into small cubes
Olive Oil
Kosher Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees

Rinse the asparagus and trim off the tough, woody ends. The easiest way to do this is to hold the asparagus stalk between the thumb and forefingers of both hands. Bend the stalk. The place where the stalk naturally breaks is the place where it’s tender. Spread the asparagus on a shallow baking pan and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes until the asparagus is tender, but not overcooked.
While the asparagus is roasting, combine the clementine juice with the shallots in a small saucepan. Over medium heat, cook the mixture until the juice is reduced to approximately one tablespoon. Remove the pan from the heat. Quickly whisk in the cold butter until the mixture is creamy and well-mixed. Season with a small pinch of salt and pepper.
Remove the asparagus from the oven and place on a serving dish. Spoon the sauce over the asparagus and serve immediately.

Latest Posts

Mini Turkey-Zucchini Burgers with Tzatziki Sauce

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Purple Kale and Farro Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

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Savory Ham and Cheese Scones

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Raspberry Lemon Martini

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Roasted Asparagus with Clementine Butter Sauce

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