Tuna Burgers with Lemon-Sage Aioli

To download a copy of the recipe for Tuna Burgers with Lemon-Sage Aioli, click HERE.

In this week’s recipe, three of my favorite things – tuna, food that’s low-fat and nutritious, and fresh-cooked burgers – are combined into one delicious meal that’s easy to make and satisfying to eat. Whether you’re cooking dinner for your family or feeding friends at a summer cookout, Tuna Burgers with Lemon-Sage Aioli are a great alternative to the usual ground beef or ground turkey burger. And the natural goodness of tuna – including high quality protein, omega-3 fatty acids and the antioxidant mineral selenium – is made even better when you serve them on whole grain rolls with turkey bacon, low fat cheese, cooked onions, or any other low fat topping you like!

The nutritional value of tuna in its many forms is worth checking out. Many on-line sources are available; the Livestrong site (http://www.livestrong.com/tuna-nutrition-information/) is one I continue to recommend for useful nutritional background information.

This recipe makes 4 meal-size burgers.

Here are the ingredients you need:

For the lemon sage aioli: ½ cup low fat mayonnaise; 2 cloves garlic; 1 tablespoon dried sage; 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice; kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

For the tuna burger patties: 1 pound fresh (preferred and strongly recommended) or good quality canned; 2 egg-substitute eggs; 2 Tbsp grated carrot; ¼ cup chopped green onions; 2 Tbsp minced celery; 1-1/2 Tbsp prepared horseradish; 2 Tbsp prepared sweet pickle relish; ¼ tsp Worcestershire; ¼ tsp ground ginger; ½ tsp salt; ¼ tsp fresh ground black pepper; 2 tsp dried parsley; ½ cup corn meal; olive oil for sauté.

Other Items for Serving: 4 whole grain burger rolls; burger toppings as desired (e.g. low-fat cheese, turkey bacon, tomatoes, reduced fat potato chips, etc.).

First, we’ll make the aioli:

Chop the garlic cloves. Use the flat of the knife blade to press them into a paste.

Combine the remaining aioli ingredients with the garlic paste in a bowl.

Whisk until smooth. Cover and refrigerate till ready to serve.

Next, we’ll prepare the burgers patties:

If using fresh tuna, use a very sharp knife to cut the tuna into a ¼” dice.

Combine the tuna, egg, onion, carrot, green onion, celery, horseradish, pickle relish, Worcestershire, ginger, salt, pepper, and ¼ cup of the aioli in a bowl.

Mix well.

With the corn meal and parsley combined in a bowl, divide the tuna mixture into four equal parts. (It will feel a little loose, but that’s ok. Just handle it carefully.) Using wet hands to keep the tuna mixture from sticking to them, form each into a patty and gently dredge in the corn meal mixture until lightly coated.

Place the patties on a baking sheet lined with wax paper or parchment and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

To cook the burgers:

Heat a small amount of olive oil in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Working in batches if necessary (depending on the size of the pan), place the patties in the pan.

Cook the patties till cooked through and well-browned; this will take about 3 – 4 minutes per side if you’re using fresh tuna, and a bit less if you’re using canned. Set aside when done.

 To serve the burgers:

Use the same pan to lightly toast the burger rolls, applying a little more oil if needed.

Place each patty on a toasted bun, and top with 1 Tbsp of the aioli and any other desired toppings.

To download a copy of the recipe for Tuna Burgers with Lemon-Sage Aioli, click HERE.

Hope you and your family and guests enjoy having these very special burgers!

Please visit again next week for another easy, delicious, kitchen-tested recipe. Till then, stay well, keep it about the food, and always remember to kiss the cook. ;-)

Quinoa Salad with Tomato, Roasted Red Pepper, Pine Nuts and Cherries

To download a cookbook style copy of the recipe for Quinoa Salad with Tomato, Roasted Red Pepper, Pine Nuts and Cherries, click HERE.

A warm welcome to new subscriber Ruby. Great to see you here!

Culinary inspiration, of course, can come from many places. The world is ready to tell us about many wonderful foods and ingredients; our job is to listen for them.

Recently, at my cousin’s wedding reception, I got my first taste of quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah). In use for literally thousands of years – it was an important part of the diets of the Incas of ancient Peru – quinoa is a delicious, easy-to-prepare superfood that is finding new popularity due to its high protein, iron, and fiber contents.

If you’re not familiar with quinoa, at first look you might confuse it with couscous. But the taste and mouthfeel of this nutritional powerhouse are totally different.

Quinoa can be used in many ways. This recipe features it as a warm side dish, and has the added benefit of including cherries, the anti-oxidant and melatonin rich superfruit.

A couple of Cook’s Notes before we begin:

• It is important to rinse the quinoa thoroughly as described above before cooking. Quinoa has a naturally occurring coating called saponins. If not rinsed off, saponins can cause the quinoa to taste bitter.

• Although this recipe uses chicken broth to cook the quinoa, to make this a vegetarian dish just use vegetable broth instead.

This recipe makes about 1 quart of quinoa salad.

Here’s what you’ll need:

1 cup grape tomatoes; olive oil; 2 Tbsp white wine vinegar; 1/2 Tbsp dried oregano;1 red bell pepper; 1 cup uncooked quinoa; ½ cup dried cherries; 2 Tbsp fine-diced onion; 4 garlic cloves, minced; 2 cups fat free, reduced sodium chicken broth; ½ tsp kosher salt; ¼ cup pine nuts; 2 Tbsp dried parsley; pinch fresh ground black pepper; and 2 Tbsp grated parmesan.

To prepare the tomatoes:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Quarter the grape tomatoes lengthwise.

Toss the tomatoes with a small amount of olive oil, about ½ tsp. Place on a baking sheet, and bake for 10-12 minutes.

 

Combine the vinegar, 2 Tbsp olive oil, and the oregano in a bowl.

Add the roasted tomato quarters and let marinate while you prepare the rest of the recipe.

To prepare the roasted red pepper:

Roast the red pepper on the stove top until the skin is blackened.

Wrap the blackened pepper in foil and set aside to cool. The pepper will continue to steam in the foil for a while.

Continue with the rest of the recipe. When the pepper has cooled, scrape off and discard the blackened skin, and dice the pepper flesh.

To prepare the quinoa for cooking:

Place the quinoa in a bowl and add enough water to cover. Let the quinoa soak for five minutes, then rinse well under the faucet. Drain well.

To rehydrate the cherries:

Combine the cherries and 1 cup of water in a large saucepan over medium heat.

When the liquid has just begun to boil, remove the saucepan from the heat. Transfer the cherries and liquid to a bowl and set aside for now till needed. (We'll drain the cherries later on before adding them to the quinoa.)

To cook the quinoa:

Warm ½ Tbsp olive oil over medium heat in a saucepan. (If you like, you can rinse and dry the saucepan you just used to rehydrate the cherries.) Add the diced onion and sauté just until tender, about 1 minute. Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Add the quinoa and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often.

Add the chicken stock and salt.

Heat to a boil, reduce the heat to simmer, then cover and simmer until the liquid is absorbed and quinoa is tender. (This should take about 15 minutes, but keep an eye on it.)

While quinoa is cooking, toast the pine nuts on a baking sheet in the oven, or in a nonstick skillet over medium heat.

When the quinoa has finished cooking, stir in the tomatoes (including marinating liquid), red pepper, cherries (drained), pine nuts, parsley, and black pepper.

To serve:

Sprinkle with parmesan, and drizzle with a little olive oil to serve. Serve warm or hot.

To download a cookbook style copy of the recipe for Quinoa Salad with Tomato, Roasted Red Pepper, Pine Nuts and Cherries, click HERE.

Never let it be said the ancient Incas didn’t know how to eat great tasting, healthy food!

Please visit again next week for another home-cook friendly recipe! Till then, stay well, keep it about the food, and always remember to kiss the cook. ;-)