Beef, Bacon, and Egg Burgers

Adapted from Real Simple Magazine

Hands-on Time 20 minutes; Total Time 30 Minutes

Serves 4

 Ingredients:

2 packets of unflavored Marinade Express Seasoning Mix
2 teaspoons grape seed oil
1 ¼ pounds ground beef chuck
4 slices bacon, prepped in the Marinade Express, then chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
4 English muffins, split
4 large eggs
1 large tomato, sliced 

Directions:

1. Prep the bacon in the Marinade Express with the Unflavored Seasoning Mix for 10 minutes. Remove bacon, chop and set aside, and rinse drum.

2. Prep the ground beef in the Marinade Express with the Unflavored Seasoning Mix for 4 minutes. Use a cheese cloth or a mesh laundry wash bag (sounds strange but it really helps the ground beef to not fall apart during the rotations). Squeeze out the excess water, remove from cheese cloth or mesh bag.

3. Gently mix together the beef, bacon, and ½ teaspoon salt and pepper with your hands until mixed well. Form the beef mixture into four ¾ inch-thick patties. Use your finger to make a shallow well in the top of each patty (this will prevent over-plumping during cooking).

4. Grill the burgers on medium-high heat for 5-8 minutes on each side. Grill the split English muffins, split-side down, until toasted, 10 to 20 seconds.

5. Meanwhile, while burgers are grilling heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet on the stove top over medium-low heat. Crack the eggs into the skillet and cook, covered for 2 to 3 minutes for slightly runny yolks. Season with salt and pepper.

6. Stack the tomato slices, burgers, and eggs between the muffins. Enjoy! 

Grilled Lemon-Herb Chicken

Adapted from Nordstrom Family Table Cookbook   by:  Michael Northern

Prep time: 10 minutes

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2013/06/consumer-reports-investigation-talking-turkey/index.htm

When I saw Rachel Ray’s recipe for Moroccan- Spiced Turkey Burgers I couldn’t wait to try them. This recipe takes your taste buds on a trip to Morocco with all of the right spices. It is topped with a zippy Mango Chutney Slaw and accompanied by a robust Veggie Chickpea and Couscous Salad. The recipe fittingly calls for pita bread in place of a bun. Unfortunately my local grocery store doesn’t carry pita bread. I substituted an English muffin, which worked great. Although, I must admit, I ate a burger without any type of bread and I found that the bread detracted from the medley of spices and Mango Chutney Slaw. In the future I will prefer to eat these burgers bun-less. This burger would be a great option for gluten-free eaters. I promise, you won’t miss the bun one bit.

 Worry-Free Grilled Moroccan-Spiced Turkey Burgers with Mango Chutney Slaw; 8 servings

 Adapted from 2,4,6,8 30 Minute Meals by: Rachel Ray

 Ingredients:

 Unflavored MX Marinade Seasoning
3 ½ to 4 pounds ground turkey breast
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
2 teaspoons smoked sweet paprika
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup fresh cilantro or flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 teaspoons each of salt and black pepper
Grape seed oil  (for drizzling)
½ cup prepared mango chutney (find it in the International aisle)
¾ cup plain Greek yogurt
½ red cabbage, chopped
½ green cabbage, chopped
8 pita breads

 Directions:

1.  Prep the ground turkey in the Marinade Express with the Unflavored Seasoning Mix for 4 minutes. Use a cheese cloth or a mesh laundry wash bag (sounds strange but it really helps the ground beef to not fall apart during the rotations). Squeeze out the excess water, remove from cheese cloth or mesh laundry wash bag.

2. Preheat a grill on medium heat.

3. Combine the turkey, cumin, turmeric, paprika, coriander, cayenne, curry powder, onions, garlic, cilantro or parsley, lemon zest, salt, and pepper in a bowl and mix well with hands to distribute the spices. Form the mixture into 8 large patties, drizzle with grape seed oil. Grill burgers for 6 minutes on each side, or until cooked through.

4. While the burgers are grilling, mix the mango chutney, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and yogurt. Add cabbage, mix to combine.

5. Open up the pita pocket (or English muffin) and nestle a turkey burger inside each one, and spoon in some of the mango chutney slaw.

  Veggie Chickpea and Couscous Salad

 Ingredients:

4 cups vegetable stock
2 ¼ cups couscous
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small red onion, chopped
2 seedless European cucumbers, cut in half lengthwise, then sliced into half moons
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley or cilantro leaves, chopped
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained, rinsed
¾ cup plain Greek yogurt
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
Hot Sauce (to taste
15 fresh mint leaves, chopped

Directions:

1.  Bring the stock to a boil. Pour the couscous into a large bowl, add some salt and pepper and olive oil, and stir with a fork to coat the couscous in the oil.

2. Once the stock is boiling, pour it over the couscous and wrap the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, sit for 5 minutes.

3. While the couscous is steeping, combine the red onions, cucumbers, red bell peppers, parsley, grape tomatoes, chickpeas, salt and pepper in a large salad bowl.

4. To make the dressing, combine yogurt, red wine vinegar, honey, a few dashes of hot sauce to taste, mint, and some salt and pepper. Pour the dressing over the veggies and toss to coat.

5. Fluff the couscous with a fork and add it to the dressed veggies. Toss thoroughly, taste, and adjust the seasonings with more salt and pepper as needed.

Recipe adapted from Joy of Cooking. 3-4 servings
Ingredients:
1 beef flank steak (about 1 1/2 pounds)
2 Tb. ground dried ancho chili peppers, or chili powder
2 Tb. cracked black peppercorns
1 1/2 Tb. ground cumin
1 1/2 Tb. coarse sea salt

Directions:

1. Prep the steak in Marinade Express for 20-40 minutes, using your choice of the Signature Steak or Fajita or unflavored Express MX Marinade. Remove the steak and pat dry.
2. Combine the 4 seasonings in a small bowl and rub the entire surface of the steak with the spice mixture.
3. Grill or broil 3 1/2- 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Make a small incision and check the center; it should be slightly less done than desired; it will continue to cook somewhat off the heat. Remember that meat and fish prepped in the Marinade Express usually cook 20 % faster than normal because of the increased juiciness.
4. Remove the steak from the heat and let stand for about 5 minutes. Thinly slice it across the grain. Serve immediately, topped with Mango Salsa.

Mango Salsa

Recipe adapted from Joy of Cooking

Ingredients: (About 6 cups). Note: Cut this recipe in half unless you are planning to use the salsa with several menu items in the course of two or three days.

1 large red onion, chopped
1/2 c. fresh lime juice (squeezed from about 6-7 small limes after prepping in Marinade Express)
2-3 large ripe mangoes, peeled, pitted, and chopped (about 4 c.)
1 large red bell pepper, chopped after prepping in Marinade Express
3/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro (prep first in Marinade Express, before chopping)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c. fresh orange juice
2 fresh jalapeno peppers, finely chopped after prepping in Marinade Express
Salt and cracked black peppercorns to taste

Directions:

1. Prep the limes, peppers and cilantro in Marinade Express, using the unflavored Express Marinade for fruits and vegetables. This will eliminate most surface bacteria and pesticide residue. This was especially important since we used a citrus squeezer that causes the juice to wash over the lime rinds in the squeezing process. Limes and peppers can be prepped together, using both divider ribs, placing limes on one side of the divider and peppers on the other. Prep the more fragile cilantro in a second batch (but you can put lettuce or other greens needed for another use on the other side of the divider ribs for the sake of efficiency.) Rotate for about 4 minutes.

Pat dry the limes, peppers, and cilantro before juicing or chopping for this recipe. Thoroughly dry any extra fruits, vegetables, or greens before storing them in the refrigerator, and they will keep longer than normal, because Marinade Express eliminates nearly all the spoilage-bacteria that was present.

2. In a large bowl, combine the chopped onion and lime juice. Peel and chop the mangoes and other ingredients (see hint below about cilantro), setting them aside, then add all together to the onion mixture and stir well.

3. Serve immediately. Salsa will keep, covered and refrigerated, for one day. Hint: if you only add as much cilantro as needed for the serving size immediately required, the salsa keeps longer. Just put in fresh cilantro each time you serve the salsa; we did that and were enjoying the salsa for 4 days with various menu items.

Ingredients:  
MX seasoning mix: either Lemon Pepper or Unflavored
1 1/2 tablespoons grapeseed oil, divided
4   6 to 8 ounce boneless salmon fillets
1 tablespoon dried or fresh chopped thyme
zest of 1 lemon
salt and pepper to taste
4 lemon wedges, for serving 

Directions:

• Prep the salmon in the Marinade Express using your choice of the Lemon Pepper or Unflavored MX seasoning for 10 minutes.
• Remove from the appliance and pat dry. 
• Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.
• Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Brush with 1/2 tablespoon oil. Place salmon fillets, skin side down on baking sheet.
• In a small bowl mix remaining oil, thyme, and lemon zest. Spread mixture over the salmon fillets. Season with salt and pepper. 
• Bake salmon until opaque in center and flaky. About 12-15 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.

Creamy Cucumber-Fennel Salad
Adapted from Real Simple

Ingredients:
MX seasoning: Unflavored for Produce
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar 
1 fennel bulb, cored and thinly sliced 
2 tablespoons chopped fennel leaves
1 seedless cucumber (or regular cucumber with seeds removed), thinly sliced 
1/4 teaspoon salt to taste
1/4 teaspoon pepper 

Directions:

• Use a cucumber that has previously been prepped in the Marinade Express using the Unflavored MX seasoning for produce.
• Whisk together yogurt, vinegar, salt, pepper in a large bowl. Add fennel, fennel leaves, and cucumber. Toss to coat.
• Serve salmon with creamy cucumber-fennel salad. Enjoy!

MX seasoning, (unflavored for Veggies), to wash spinach
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 dashes black pepper
1 1/2 cups cooled, cooked white quinoa
2 5oz cans of chunk light tuna, drained
2.25oz can sliced black olives
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 sliced green onion
2 cups spinach
fresh parsley for garnish (optional)

 Directions:

1. Follow cooking directions for quinoa. 1 cup of dried quinoa makes 2-3 cups. Add rinsed quinoa to 2 cups of water. Generally, you need 2 cups of water per every 1 cup of dried quinoa. Bring the water to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Simmer for about 15 minutes, or until all of the water is absorbed by the quinoa. Season to taste and allow to cool.
2. In the meantime prep the spinach in the Marinade Express, using the unflavored seasoning for Veggies. Set the timer on the Marinade Express for 2 minutes; that’s all it takes! Using the Marinade Express kills up to 99.5% of bacteria and helps to eliminate pesticides. Remove the spinach from the Marinade Express, use a salad spinner to dry or pat with kitchen towels. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, stir olive oil, fresh lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Add the can of drained tuna, drained olives, drained can of tomatoes,  green onion, and cooled cooked quinoa. Stir together.
4. The salad can be made  ahead of time. Mix all ingredients except for spinach, cover and refrigerate. Gently stir in the washed, dried spinach just before serving and garnish with parsley.

The sauce for these Asian Steak kabobs packs a big punch of flavor. With one bite they lead your taste buds on a roller coaster of ginger, garlic, lemongrass, curry, with a slight kick of spice. It is the perfect medley of flavors. I used MX Seasoning, Sesame Ginger, to kick-start the Asian flavors within the meat. Ever since the snow melted in Iowa we have been using our grill whenever possible, trying to urge Mother Nature into warmer spring days. These kabobs could easily be cooked in your oven if you don’t have the option of a grill. Either way you won’t want to miss out on these Asian-inspired kabobs!

Asian Steak Kabobs, adapted from Epicurious.com , 4 servings:

Ingredients:

Sesame Ginger MX Seasoning
2 tablespoons of chopped lemongrass (I used the Gourmet Garden lemongrass in a tube; it’s easier to work with and still tastes great!)
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons fresh grated ginger
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 large shallot, minced
2 fresh jalapenos, minced (adjust to preference of spicy heat)
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, minced
2 tablespoons Asian sesame oil
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons pepper
3 tablespoons grape seed oil
1 1/2 pounds steak of choice cut into 1 inch cubes
1 large green bell pepper, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 large yellow bell pepper, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 large onion, cut into 1 inch cubes

Directions:

1. Prep steak in Marinade Express for 20 minutes with the MX Seasoning.

2. Mix all ingredients except steak, bell peppers, and onion into a medium bowl.

3. Measure 1/4 cup of spice mixture*, toss with steak cubes to coat. 

4. Assemble vegetables and steak onto skewers, alternating vegetables with the steak. 

5. Grill or bake in oven (350 degrees) for approximately 15 minutes, or until vegetables are tender and steak is browned.

6. Serve kabobs with the remaining spice mixture on the side.

*Note: Next time I make this recipe I plan to run the 1/4 cup spice mixture through a food processor before mixing it with the steak. This way it becomes more of a paste and adheres to the meat better during the cooking process.

Ingredients for 2 servings:

8 oz. cod prepped in The Marinade Express^TM then broiled
1 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon lemon-flavored extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons curry powder
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup celery, diced
1/2 cup red pepper, diced and divided
1/2 cantaloupe, cut into 2 pieces
1/4 cup fresh Thai basil leaves, or sweet basil, for garnish

Directions:

1. Prep the cod in The Marinade Express^TM using either the unflavored MX marinade or a flavor of your choice, such as Sesame Ginger. The Marinade Express^TM process will remove impurities from the fish, including the tripolyphosphate usually used to retain moisture in the fish when it is commercially caught.
2. Broil the cod, remembering that it will cook about 20 % faster than normal if it was prepped in The Marinade Express^TM. Cool and dice in large chunks.
3. Combine the yogurt, oil, curry powder, and salt and pepper. Stir in the celery and half the red pepper. Fold in the cod.
4. Spoon the mixture over the two cantaloupe cups, and garnish with the remaining red pepper and the fresh basil leaves.

Enjoy!