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Banh Mi Sliders

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Vietnamese food is one of my favourites. It’s a healthy balance between herbs, meats, spices and flavours that kick my tastes buds into over drive. The family loves it as much as I do and since it’s affordable, we eat Vietnamese almost as often as we do pizza. With several Vietnamese restaurants in Calgary, it’s fun to go out and try new ones.

There is never a dull moment when we decide to make some Vietnamese food at home. The kids love to help make salad rolls so we try to make them at least once a month. Fish sauce is a staple here so we buy the large size and use it in several dishes. And the kids adore fresh bean sprouts, cucumber and carrots.

Tips and tricks: make the patties bigger if you prefer manly sized burgers vs sliders. You should get 6 patties out of this lot. If you are short on time, don’t worry about pickling the vegetables for this burger. Fresh sliced cucumbers and peeled carrots work just fine. The sriracha mayo is pretty wicked, cut back on the sriracha if you don’t like the heat. Or add more if you like it spicy. Want to skip the bun? Use a lettuce cup to wrap up the deliciousness.

The flavours in the burger stand out so much I had to convince my 8 year old to not add any ketchup to the burger. He did add a little plain mayo and after a few bites he agreed. Then he proceeded to eat 3.

5.0 from 1 reviews
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Banh Mi Sliders
Author: 
Recipe type: lunch, bbq, snack
Serves: 5
 
Ingredients
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 1 cup rice wine vinegar
  • 1 cup grated or peeled carrot strips
  • ½ cup cucumber, chopped
  • 2 scallions, sliced
  • 2 lbs ground pork
  • 2 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp grated ginger
  • 1 cloves minced garlic
  • 2 tsp rice wine vinegar
  • 2 tsp fish sauce
  • 1 tsp brown sugar
  • salt and pepper
  • ½ cup fresh jalapeno peppers thinly sliced
  • sprigs of fresh cilantro
  • lettuce leaves
  • buns
Instructions
  1. Quick Pickles: In a bowl or small jar mix together sugar and rice wine vinegar, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Add the carrot strips, cucumbers and scallions. Set aside in refrigerator until ready to use.
  2. Preheat grill to medium high.
  3. Place the pork in a mixing bowl and add in sesame oil, ginger, garlic, rice wine vinegar, fish sauce, brown sugar and a pinch of salt and pepper. Divide the meat into 10 equal parts, and form each part into a slider.
  4. Grill the burgers until the meat is no longer pink inside about 4-5 minutes per side.
  5. Assemble: On a bun slather on some sriracha mayo if using, add your burger, a piece of lettuce and about ¼ cup of the pickle mixture onto the burger. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro and thinly sliced jalapeno peppers.
Notes
To make sriarcha mayo mix together ½ cup mayo, 1 thinly sliced scallion, 1-2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro, 1.5 tsp sriracha (or to taste), pinch of salt, zest and juice of of half a lime. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.

 

 

Blueberry Turkey Burgers

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Carrying on with our blueberry theme for National Blueberry Month (July), I had planned to whip up some blueberry turkey burgers for dinner since I had lots of BC Blueberries in my fridge. It’s not a new to me idea as I’ve tried turkey/chicken sausage with blueberries before, and last year at the BC Blueberry Launch we made up some blueberry turkey sliders.

Since I had the Blueberry Bourbon BBQ Sauce ready to go, I tossed in about 1 tbsp of this sauce into my burger. We also topped the burgers with the sauce, some havarti cheese and prepared to chow down and a relatively healthy burger. It was the ideal dinner to have on the deck.

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Blueberry Turkey Burgers
Author: 
Recipe type: dinner, lunch, camping, burgers
Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • 1 lb ground turkey
  • ½ cup sliced blueberries
  • 2 green onions, sliced thin
  • 1 tbsp blueberry bbq sauce
  • salt & pepper
  • Havarti cheese
  • fixings (lettuce, pickles, tomatoes)
  • mayonnaise
  • buns
  • canola oil
Instructions
  1. Gently mix all ingredients together including a pinch of salt & pepper.
  2. Form into 4 equal patties. Sprinkle each with salt & pepper and a drizzle of oil.
  3. Over medium high heat grill the burgers until golden brown about 3-5 minutes.
  4. Flip over the burgers. Cook until turkey is cooked throughout, about 5 minutes on the second side.
  5. Spread a little mayonnaise on your bun, add your burger, cheese and another dollop of blueberry BBQ sauce.

 

 

Blueberry Turkey Burgers
Blueberry Turkey Burgers

 

Teriyaki Pork Burger

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Since we are shying away from beef more and more lately due to the more than 18% price increase, we are buying more pork. And chicken. But those items are getting more expensive to. And the cashiers in the stores are noticing less people buying meat. Guess we will all become vegetarians. But before then we will enjoy these Teriyaki Pork Burgers!

Fresh ginger in this burger makes it taste even more delicious. Use your favourite store bought teriyaki sauce (or home made). Sometimes easy reigns supreme when you have busy activity nights and just need to feed the kids and head out the door stat. These burgers are awesome to whip up, mold into patties, freeze and take camping. Or serve to a crowd.

Toast your buns and add your favourite burger toppers. We served our burgers with some Salsa Baked Beans.

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Teriyaki Pork Burgers
Author: 
Recipe type: lunch, dinner, BBQ, camping
Serves: 8
 
Ingredients
  • 1.5 lbs ground pork
  • 1 large scallion or 2 small, chopped thin
  • ½ tsp ginger, grated
  • ½ tsp dried mustard
  • 2 tbsp teriyaki sauce
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • buns
  • condiments & burger toppers
Instructions
  1. In a medium sized bowl add pork, scallions, fresh ginger, mustard, teriyaki sauce and a pinch of salt & pepper to taste.
  2. Lightly mix to combine and form into 8 patties or 6 x ¼ lb patties.
  3. Grill over medium heat until completely cooked through.
  4. Build your burger with your favourite condiments and burger toppers.

 

Badlands Pickle Burger

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Like it or not, Fall is around the corner. It’s the perfect time for pickling or canning extra vegetables from the garden. In fact I am wanting to make another batch of these tasty Quick Pickle Cucumbers since there are so many of the smaller cucumbers in the stores and markets. Everyone in our family loves these little bites.

Our Bakers Burger Blast Burger Recipes have been far and few between this year. I’ve created a couple of burgers but haven’t tested them to the point of perfection (in my books). When I came up with this burger recipe I tried a few different kinds of cheese, with the sausage, without the sausage until eventually these flavours really worked well together. Biggest challenge was trying NOT to eat all the pickles before the burgers were done!!

Here in Alberta we have what’s known as the “Wild West” Badlands. They are a type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been eroded by wind and water leaving behind beautiful statues and scenery. We love to visit the Badlands and this is how the name came to be.

The perfect burger for the pickle lover!

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Badlands Pickle Burger
Author: 
Recipe type: dinner, lunch, burgers
 
Ingredients
  • 1 lb ground chuck (burger)
  • 1 link Italian sausage in casing (we love Spolumbos)
  • ½ small onion, grated + juice
  • ½ cup dill pickles, minced
  • Salt & pepper
  • 4 slices Aged Applewood Cheddar Cheese, (slice thin)
  • Tomato, sliced thin
  • Butter Lettuce
  • Buns
  • Bacon slices, cooked
  • Dill Pickle Aioli
Instructions
  1. Remove sausage from casing and place in a bowl. Add ground chuck, grated onion with juice, pickles and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix to combine.
  2. Form into 4 patties. Over medium high heat, grill burger until done, about 3-4 minutes per side.
  3. Place cheese slices on burgers just before burgers are ready to come off the grill and cover grill for a couple minutes or until cheese is melted.
  4. If you like your bun grilled, put it on grill and toast it while cheese is melting.
  5. Assemble burger with tomato, lettuce, bacon slices, and dill pickle Aioli.
Notes
To make Dill Pickle Aioli combine 1 cup mayonnaise, ¼ cup dill pickles chopped fine, 1 tbsp pickle juice, ¼ tsp cayenne pepper, 1 tsp fresh dill chopped, 2 tsp jalapeno minced, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Let sit in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving.

 

Cheese Stuffed Burger

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Who doesn’t love a stuffed burger? This simple Cheese Stuffed Burger is a great way to change up burger night with the family. Or friends.

Tried making a version of a stuffed burger last year, following a luscious and tasty outing to Naina’s Kitchen here in Calgary. My burger was nothing to write home about about but Naina’s stuffed burger was the talk of the town. So much so they won the first ever YYC Burger Week, 2013.

The great thing about making a stuffed burger is, well, you can stuff it with anything. A little sauteed mushrooms, caramelized onions, pesto, any kind of cheese, sundried tomato and olive tapenade, almost anything goes!

As YYC Burger Week 2014 is fast approaching I was bound and determined to make a stuffed burger, again. This time it worked and it worked well. Don’t you find that happens sometimes. You make a recipe and it’s OK. Make it again another time and it just bedazzles.

In this family of four my girl doesn’t like hot dogs or burgers. I know it’s a sin. But she does like quinoa salad and tabbouleh salad so that’s a fair trade in my books. When I was growing up I was forced to eat the food I didn’t like. Tragic. Fortunately it didn’t affect my love for all kinds of food. Now grown up with kids of my own, we don’t follow those same ridiculous rules I grew up with. But we do make amendments. Our kids are required to try one bite of food at each meal, and this night was no different. So she did. And she liked the burger, or so she said. But still wouldn’t eat it. Fair enough, here’s your bowl of tabbouleh salad kid, save some for me.

We had a day or two last week where the weather was decent enough to fire up the grill and slap on some meat. So we called it Burger Night. Or the return of the Bakers Burger Blast. So many burgers, so little time. These burgers tasted so good I think we will be having them again this weekend. Although the weather forecast is dreadfully cold (-39 with the wind chill), and as such, all grilling will happen indoors, on our grill pan.

Boom Shaka Laka…here’s how you make your very own delicious stuffed burger.

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Cheese Stuffed Burger
Author: 
Recipe type: dinner, lunch, burger, entree, main
Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • 1.5 - 2 lbs ground beef (80 lean/20 fat)
  • ½ - ¾ cup cubed (1 inch) old cheddar cheese, or more
  • salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. Take some burger, flatten it and form it into a flat patty. You will need to form two thin patties for each burger.
  2. In the center of 4 patties, place 2-3 cheese cubes. You may get a 5th or 6th burger depending on how big you make them.
  3. Take a second thin patty and place on top. Gently push/pinch together all the edges surrounding the patty to seal the burger.
  4. Over medium heat on the BBQ, grill burger for about 15 minutes, flipping once or twice as you go. Once cooked remove from heat, cover with foil and let sit to rest for a few minutes.
  5. Get your bun ready and add your favourite condiments. Make my slaw (recipe below) or top with your favourite burger toppings.
Notes
To make the slaw combine: ¼ cup sliced cabbage, ½ seeded & chopped jalapeno, ½ cup sliced red onion, 3 julienned radishes, 1 julienned green apple. For vinaigrette whisk together 3 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp red wine vinegar, 1 tbsp lemon, 1 tsp dijon mustard and a pinch of salt and pepper. Pour over slaw and stir to combine.

 

Dilly Pork Burger

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A hint of dill in our Pork Koftas not only flavours the meat but provides a delicious taste experience. So much so I decided to scale the recipe down a bit and turn it into a regular burger. How about that, a food blogger changing up one of her own recipes to create something new!

The kids and the hubs really liked this burger. I ate mine in a lettuce leaf topped with a Jicama & Green Apple Slaw. They ate theirs on buns. Husband went back for seconds. I wish I had his metabolism and appetite. This was even better the next day for lunch. Will post Jicama & Green Apple Salad soon.

 

Dilly Pork Burger in Lettuce Cup
Dilly Pork Burger in Lettuce Cup

 

We doubled the pork in this recipe so we would have leftovers the next day. Normally for our small party of 4 we use 1 pound of burger and still end up with leftovers since we make our burgers smaller. Maybe that’s why husband can down two of them at one sitting without thinking twice and then contemplate a third.

In any case add your regular fixings to your burger on a bun. You could even mix in a little dill with mayo for an added dill-elicious treat. Or change it up by adding a salsa or slaw and eating it in a lettuce leaf (do this if on Wild Rose D-Tox). Either way it’s a keeper!

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Dilly Pork Burger
Author: 
Recipe type: Burgers, dinner, lunch, grilled burgers, bbq
Serves: 8
 
Ingredients
  • 2 lbs ground pork
  • ⅓ cup fresh dill, chopped
  • 2 tbsp coriander
  • 1 tbsp ginger
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. Toss everything into a bowl including a pinch of salt and pepper.
  2. Lightly mix to combine.
  3. On a heated, oiled grill, drop your burgers and cook for approximately 5 minutes per side (depending on the thickness of the burger) or until desired doneness.
  4. Grab some buns, lettuce leafs and add on your favourite fixin's. Enjoy!

 

Ginger Beef Burger

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We are definitely not fair weather BBQ people. How can you be living in Canada where winter comes 6 months a year! Hubs and I both grew up in small Northern Canadian Towns, and as such you learn early that most winter weather is acceptable to BBQ, unless it’s blizzarding and/or below -10. At this point it becomes challenging to manage the heat as the BBQ starts to get grumpy.

The night I created these burgers we were drinking a ginger beer. I decided to pour some into the burger mixture along with some fresh ginger. I tossed a few other things in from the fridge and a ginger burger was born. We devoured these burgers that evening and to quickly to document or photograph.

Enter round two of ginger beef burger. Started with the same base by adding ginger beer and fresh ginger to the burger, but went a different route and tossed in a few other items I had sitting around. The flavour was even better. I’m sure if I aimed for a round three the burger would be outstanding, but I’m going to stop here because it was pretty darn good and sometimes you just need to quit while you are ahead.

Because I am having a love affair with caramelized onions, I had to top my burger with a slice of cheese, little mayo, some lettuce, my Caramelized Onion with Ginger mixture and some Quick Pickle Cucumbers. I found keeping the condiments simple, allows the subtle flavour of the burger to shine.

And yes in case you are wondering the bun in my burger photo is upside down. Why be ordinary? I wanted to shake it up a bit and help stop the burger from sliding. Don’t laugh, it worked!

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Ginger Beef Burger
Author: 
Recipe type: Dinner, Grilling, Lunch, BBQ,
Serves: 6
 
Ingredients
  • 1.5 lbs beef burger
  • 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated/minced
  • ⅓ cup ginger beer
  • 1 tbsp parsley, chopped
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 tbsp green onion, sliced
  • salt and pepper
  • burger buns
  • your favourite condiments
  • cheese slices
Instructions
  1. Combine burger through green onion in a bowl with a pinch of salt and pepper and mix lightly.
  2. Form your burgers. You should get about six good size burgers.
  3. Grill over medium heat until completely cooked through.
  4. If you like, toast your buns, cut side down, until lightly browned.
  5. While still on the grill top your burger with your favourite cheese and grill until cheese starts to ooze a little.
  6. Place burger on bun and add your favourite condiments.

 

The Blue Cheese, Pear and Dark Ale Caramelized Onion Burger

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I was recently at a private event here in Calgary for Jelly Modern Doughnuts. It was an interactive evening where we got to decorate doughnuts and as an ice breaker we were asked to create a new doughnut. Sounds easy enough right? Well then we were told to go around and ask other attendees what their doughnut creation was and give them a sticker if you loved their idea. The most stickers won. Sadly my doughnut idea didn’t win but the combination remains a tried and true favourite in many variations; blue cheese, pear, toasted walnuts on top with a honey drizzle. This is what lead to the inspiration for our new burger, The Blue Cheese, Pear and Dark Ale Caramelized Onion Burger. For the sauce I grabbed some chipotle peppers in adobe sauce, mixed it with mayo, and we ended up with a delicious Chipotle Mayo to accompany the burger.

Not every one in my family loves burgers but that doesn’t stop us from trying new creations regularly. This version, surprisingly, was loved by the entire family.

Burgers are also a great meal to have when you are camping. We mix up a batch of fresh burgers in advance, freeze them individually in burger containers/set given to us by friends and transfer them to the trailer freezer when it’s time to go. It’s the perfect camping meal. You make/take as many as your family will eat and won’t have any leftovers. Everyone loves a good burger while sitting around the campfire.

And here is the next addition to our Triple B (Bakers Burger Blast).

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The Blue Cheese, Pear and Dark Ale Caramelized Onion Burger
Recipe type: lunch, dinner, camping, main,
 
Ingredients
  • 1-1/2 lbs ground beef
  • ½ cup grated white cheddar cheese
  • 1 pear sliced thin and rough chopped
  • 1 onion sliced into thin rings
  • 1 tsp spice blend, your favourite, we used za'atar
  • Olive oil
  • 1 tsp butter
  • salt & pepper
  • ½ cup dark beer
  • ½ cup blue cheese crumbles
  • ¾ cup chipotle mayo
Instructions
  1. Melt butter and olive oil in pan over medium high heat. Add in your onions, turn the heat down and let your onions cook slowly. After about 10 minutes pour in your dark ale. Cook for another 10-15 minutes or until the onions are soft and lightly browned. The liquid will evaporate. Set aside to cool.
  2. Combine burger, cheese, pear, ¼ cup of the caramelized onions, spice blend, salt, pepper and shape into patties.
  3. Grill over medium heat until completely cooked through. Toast your buns, cut side down, until lightly browned.
  4. While still on the grill top your burger with some blue cheese and then the leftover caramelized onions. Leave on grill until cheese starts to ooze a little into the onions.
  5. Once off the grill spread some chipotle mayo on your bun and top with fresh spinach.
  6. This makes 5 good sized burgers or 8 medium sized burgers.
Notes
To make chipotle mayo combine ¾ cup mayo with 1-2 tbsp chipotles in adobe sauce. For a finer consistency puree.

 

 

 

Alberta Burger

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3 out of 4 of us really enjoy a good burger and I am proud my kids are not uber fussy about all the things we put in the burgers. They save the fussiness for the burger preparation “ketchup, cheese and some mayo please” is all they like on their burgers although they boy is becoming more experimental in his lettuce adventures.  Baby steps.

This burger is flavoured with spices of the Middle East and served up in a pita allowing everyone to choose their toppings. We served it with a minted yogurt sauce that my little girl mixed up (and liked!).

In considering what to name this burger I decided to firstly pay homage to my birth Province and place where my babies were born. Secondly celebrate the diversity in cultures that makes Alberta such an incredible place to live.  It’s not just plain beef & buffalo here anymore!

As always if you are on the Wild Rose D-Tox you can not have the yogurt sauce or pita. Use a lettuce leaf instead and add some fresh salsa.

You could easily substitute ground pork or lamb in this recipe. Yummy goodness all wrapped up in a pita.

5.0 from 1 reviews
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Alberta Burger
Recipe type: Burgers, Lunch, BBQ, Grilling, Dinner
 
Ingredients
  • 1½ lb ground beef
  • ½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • ¼ cup red onion, minced
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp paprika (smoked is good too)
  • 1 tsp coriander
  • ½ tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • Pinch of salt & pepper
  • Pita or buns
Instructions
  1. ADD all ingredients in a bowl and combine until just mixed. Shape into oval patties, you should get approximately 6-8 patties.
  2. ON a heated grill cook approximately 5 minutes per side on medium high heat. Serve in a pita with your favourite fixin's.
Notes
To make Minted Yogurt Sauce: In a bowl mix together ½ cup diced tomatoes (seeded), ½ cup diced cucumber (seeded), ½ cup plain greek yogurt, 2 tbsp fresh mint (chopped), 1 garlic clove (minced) and a pinch of salt.

 

Double Bacon Burger

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When you hear double bacon burger, what comes to mind?! Double patties, double the bacon? For me it’s usually double the bacon. That’s exactly what we did with this burger. We’ve doubled the bacon by adding cooked bacon on the burger and mincing some bacon while still raw and adding it to the burger before forming.

Don’t fret. We’ve been doing this for over 10 years and never once gotten sick or has the burger/bacon been under cooked. The key is either to grind the bacon or mince it very small. By doing this it melts right into the raw burger adding extra flavour keeping it juicy. Now having said that if you like your burger still mooing, you may not want to try or slightly fry your bacon a little first before adding to the raw meat.

I topped my burger with a little mayonnaise – sometimes flavoured, spinach/arugula mix, slow cooked & caramelized onions, crisped bacon and Gouda or Manchego cheese.

double-bacon-burger-v3

 

 

5.0 from 1 reviews
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Double Bacon Burger
Recipe type: Dinner, Entree, Main, Lunch, Burger
 
Ingredients
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 4 slices bacon, chopped
  • ¼ cup parmesan cheese
  • salt & pepper
Instructions
  1. Combine all ingredients and shape into patties. 1 pound of burger makes 4 good sized burgers or 6 medium sized burgers.
  2. Grill over medium heat until completely cooked through.
  3. Build your burger with your favourite fixins and enjoy.

 

 

Quinoa Burgers

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When I was going to College in Vancouver I had a class mate who worked out daily and was very health conscious with her food choices. She was always bringing interesting food with her for lunch (grains I’d never heard of like quinoa & millet). My mom started cooking with grains in the late 80’s so this combined with my class mate’s healthy lifestyle really helped spark my interest in healthier food. When I lived in Vancouver the only place you could buy these grains were health food stores (1990’s).

The inspiration for this burger comes from a memory from those College days. Another classmate of mine invited me over to a BBQ at her place one Spring weekend. Her name was Ana and she was tall with a full mane of thick, stunning red hair. She made vegetarian burgers for the BBQ and it was one of the best I’ve ever had. The main component in her burger was sweet potatoes/yams.

I wanted to create a quinoa burgers so I cooked some sweet potato, added in some other tasty ingredients and the burger was born. This recipe makes 4 patties, enough for lunch for 4 days or dinner tonight. Note do not fry or grill this burger, it holds together nicely when baked. I have since updated the recipe and added in a little bread crumbs to bind it.

For toppings I added some sauteed, seasoned mushrooms, a spring lettuce mix, and tomato. The sauce included mayo mixed with chopped cilantro, salt, pepper and lemon juice.

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Quinoa Burgers
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • ½ cup water
  • ¼ cup quinoa
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil, olive oil or butter
  • ½ cup spanish onion, minced
  • 1 cup white mushrooms, minced (approx. 3-4 large)
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • ¼ cup dried bread crumbs
  • 2 tsp combined (fajita & bbq spices) use any spice you like
  • ⅓ cup cubed cooked yam or sweet potato
  • ⅔ cup old cheddar cheese, grated
  • ½ cup toasted pecans, chopped small
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp soya sauce or hoison sauce
  • Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 350 F.
  2. Put your water & quinoa in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook covered for 10-15 minutes. Take off heat and let sit another 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and set aside.
  3. Heat oil or butter in pan and add mushrooms & onions. Cook until they start to soften slightly then add your spices + your minced garlic. Cook on low for an additional 5-10 minutes.
  4. IN a bowl beat your egg. Add cooled quinoa, mushroom mixture, yam/sweet potato, cheese, pecans, dried bread crumbs, and sauce. Season with pepper and just a pinch of salt. Stir it all up.
  5. Scoop approximately ⅓ cup out and form into a patty about 1 inch thick. Mixture will be sticky but still workable. Place patty on parchment lined baking sheet. You should end up with 4 patties on the baking sheet.
  6. These burgers need to be baked for 25 minutes.
  7. Patties will become a little brown and crispy.
  8. Serve with your favourite bun & fixins.

 

Tex Mex Style Burgers

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We love burgers and these Tex Mex Burgers are yummy.  Having smaller hands I like to be able to hold onto my burger, easily, and it not be so big that it’s all meat.  It’s all about the fixin’s for me.  A couple years back (wow 5 already!) we started a quest to try & test as many different burger recipes as we could in one summer which came to be known as our Bakers Burger Blast. It became so successful it continues on to this day.

On the menu this time is a chipotle infused burger with a Tex Mex flair. Liking all things spicy (even though I pay for it later) I saw the recipe and immediately added it to last weeks meal plan.

If you do not have a BBQ or do not like to BBQ do not fret.  Anyone can cook a burger as they can be cooked in a grill/fry pan on your stove.  Before we get started I have a quick tip for you.

Tip: 2 tbsp of chipotle makes the burger a wee bit spicy – the kids noticed. But they still ate them. If you prefer less spice use only 1 tbsp chipotle/adobe sauce. Take leftover pureed chipotle in adobe sauce and freeze in 1 tbsp portions. Ice cube trays work great for this. Once frozen place in ziplocks and it’s ready to go the next time you want to use it.

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Tex Mex Style Burgers
Author: 
Recipe type: Bakers Burger Blast, Beef, Dinner, Grilling, Lunch
 
Ingredients
  • 1 lb lean ground beef
  • 2 tbsp grated onion or 1 tbsp dried onion flakes
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1-2 tbsp pureed chipotle/adobe sauce
  • 2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
  • ¼ tsp each salt & pepper
Instructions
  1. In a bowl mix together your ground beef, onion, garlic, pureed chipotle in adobe sauce, worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Form into patties and set aside. We usually end up getting 5 sometimes 6 patties from 1lb ground beef.
  2. Cook approximately 5 minutes per side on medium high heat (both on stove and/or BBQ).
  3. Put your grilled burgers on a bun and add your favourite fixin’s. My son and I added the tortilla chips right on the burger…added a nice crunch.
Notes
Fixin’s (all optional),bacon strips (your favourite brand cooked), monterey jack cheese with spicy peppers,diced tomatoes,pickled jalapeno peppers, banana peppers,diced spanish onion,cilantro, chopped tortilla chips (any variety), tex mex style cheese sauce (make your own or by one in a jar), Your favourite buns (mine are ciabatta)

Beer & Pretzel Burgers

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We love burgers and so we continue to experiment with new burger flavour combinations in our ongoing Bakers Burger Blast.  Today’s experiment: Beer & Pretzel Burgers.

This is a very interesting flavour combination which is dictated by the type/flavour of beer you use.  The first time we made it we used a wheat ale beer for this recipe (all we had on hand) and have to say we weren’t exactly sold on flavour.   The next time we used a lager and had much better results.  Different flavoured beers will appeal to different palates.  A Stout for example would be aromatic and give a caramel flavour.  Try a beer you like and go from there.

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Beer and Pretzel Burgers
Author: 
Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • 1lb ground beef
  • ⅓ cup coarsely crushed pretzels
  • ¼ cup pizza sauce
  • ¼ cup beer
  • ¼ cup chopped gr. onion
  • 1 tbsp mustard
  • salt & pepper
  • burger buns
Instructions
  1. Mix your ingredients together and shape into 4-6 patties. Since you will have beer left over splash some on the burgers before you put them on the grill (just a little).
  2. Grill over medium heat until burgers cooked. Serve with your choice of fixins, sides, buns, a bowl of pretzels and of course Beer.
  3. My fixins included crispy prosciutto, sliced tomato, an herb aioli, monterey jack cheese and avocado.

Cheddar & Apple Burgers

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Yet another installment from our Summer Bakers Burger Blast is our Cheddar & Apple Burger. The combination of the apple and cheddar makes it moist, juice and very flavourful. A hint of sweet from the apple cuts the richness of the old cheddar. Cheese and apple is a marriage made in heaven.

Next time I am going to add some thinly sliced apple as a condiment to give it a bit of crunch and perhaps a white cheddar melted onto the burger. Maybe even some salty bacon or caramelized onions. Mmmm.

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Cheddar & Apple Burgers
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Recipe type: Entree, Main, Burgers, Lunch, Dinner
Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • ¼ cup panko (dry bread crumbs)
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • 1.5 lb ground beef
  • 1 cup old cheddar, shredded
  • 1 green apple, grated
  • 1 tbsp dijon mustard
Instructions
  1. In a bowl mix together beaten egg, bread crumbs, salt & pepper and ground beef. Once combined add your cheese, mustard and grated apple. Form into patties and grill to your liking.
  2. Serve topped with bacon and your favourite condiments.

Greek Feta Burgers

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This is one of those great ways to get your family eating their veggies. My family is pretty good with veggies but anytime I can get more into them it’s a good thing. You can also add in chopped roasted red peppers or kalamata olives.  You could also substitute lamb for beef.

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Greek Feta Burgers
Recipe type: Main, Entree, Dinner, Lunch, Burgers,
Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • ½ - ¾ cup dry bread crumbs
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
  • ¼ cup chopped red onion
  • 3 clove garlic, minced
  • ½ pkg frozen spinach, chopped, thawed and squeezed dry
  • 1 egg
  • 1-2 tsp dried oregano
  • ¼ tsp seasoning salt
  • ¼ tsp pepper
  • 2 tbsp feta cheese, crumbled
Instructions
  1. Combine ingredients and shape into patties. Grill over medium heat until completely cooked. Build your burger and enjoy!
  2. Buns and condiments. (I grilled yellow pepper rings, thick slices of red onion and added lettuce, tomatoes and cheese.)
  3. Also try the Feta Aioli - even hubs loved it.
Notes
Feta Aioli In food processor mix ½ cup shredded dry pack feta cheese, ½ cup mayonnaise, 1-2 cloves crushed garlic and ¼ tsp ground pepper until smooth. Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate until serving.

 

Asian Turkey Burgers

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This is a delicious Asian inspired Turkey Burger.  It’s lean but packs a unique flavour combination.  My kids love it.  The ingredients are simple but distinct.  While any topping works, shredded lettuce, cucumbers & carrots are extra delicious on this burger.

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Asian Turkey Burgers
Recipe type: Main, Entree, Burgers,
Serves: 5
 
Ingredients
  • 1 lb ground turkey
  • ¼ cup finely chopped green onion
  • ¼ cup dry bread crumbs
  • 1-2 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 1 tsp soy sauce
  • ¼ tsp garlic powder
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • pinch cayenne pepper
Instructions
  1. Combine ingredients and shape into patties. Grill over medium heat until completely cooked. Build your burger and enjoy.

Sundried Tomato Beef Burgers

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In a city known for it’s quality Canadian and Alberta beef, there’s no shortage of amazing burgers to be found here in Calgary. And with tasty burgers in every quadrant, inspiration comes from everywhere. One of our family favourite burgers just so happens to be our Pizza Burger. Every time we say we are having burgers tonight, my son always enthusiastically asks, Pizza Burgers?

The world is your oyster when it comes to making burgers although many feel burgers are best left without any add-ins. Just burger, salt and pepper. We say each to their own and we love a good burger oozing with flavours.

Our burger today is the Sundried Tomato Beef Burger combining simple Italian flavours of parmesan cheese and sundried tomatoes. If you are using sundried tomatoes packed in oil, pour in a little oil from the sundried tomatoes to kick up the flavour a notch. Pick up some soft delicious buns, all your favourite condiments (I like to top my burgers with feta cheese) and fire up that grill.

Here’s how we make them.

Sundried Tomato Burgers
Sundried Tomato Burgers

 

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Dried Tomato Beef Burgers
Author: 
Recipe type: lunch, BBQ, dinner, Camping
Serves: 6
 
Ingredients
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1-2 tbsp finely chopped sundried tomatoes packed in oil + 1 tbsp of the oil
  • ½ tsp dried basil
  • ¼ tsp dried thyme
  • ¼ cup parmesan cheese
  • salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. Combine ingredients and season with salt and pepper. Shape into 4-6 patties and grill over medium high heat until completely cooked.
  2. Add your favourite fixings and enjoy.

 

Pork Koftas with Tomato Dill Salsa

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Pork Koftas with Tomato Dill Salsa is of Middle Eastern/South Asian decent. Simplified a Kofta is a very flavourful burger or meatball infused with all kinds of spices and enjoyed on a stick. My family loves this style of eating!

We’ve made Koftas (beef) before and never had this kind of flavour burst. Use any salsa you like with this dish.  We served it with a Green Harvest Couscous.

If you are going to make this for the Wild Rose D-Tox, serve it in a lettuce cup and omit sugar from salsa.

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Pork Koftas with Tomato Dill Salsa
Author: 
Recipe type: Dinner, Entree, Main, Lunch,
Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • 1 lb lean ground pork
  • 2 green onions, minced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp dill (dried or fresh)
  • 1½ tsp each paprika (we used smoked) & ground coriander
  • ¾ tsp each salt & ground cumin
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 3 tomatoes, diced
  • 1 green onion, sliced
  • 1 tbsp dill (fresh or dried)
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • pinch salt & sugar
  • Pita pockets
  • Condiments - sliced Cucumber, sliced Red onion, tomato dill salsa
  • Skewers
Instructions
  1. If using bamboo skewers, soak in water for at least 30 minutes.
  2. In large bowl mix together pork through egg. Divide into 8 portions forming each into an egg shape or smaller if you prefer smaller bites. Thread onto skewer.
  3. Place on greased grill over medium heat, turning one time and cooking approx. 10 minutes. Once cooked remove from skewers and place one kofta onto pita, adding the condiments of your choice.
Notes
To make the Salsa: mix tomatoes through olive oil adding a pinch of sugar & salt as you go. Let sit for a few minutes to combine flavours. This salsa is unusually delicious!

Chicken Burgers with Mango Mayo

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Recreated Chicken Burgers with Mango Mayo again. Interesting flavour combination that surprisingly turned out quite tasty.  Hubs adored it with the Mango Mayo on the burger and the kids loved it as well.

The raisins add a sweetness to counter the wake up call of the cumin, garlic & cinnamon.  I can’t believe it took us so long to make this burger again – simply devine!

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Chicken Burgers with Mango Mayo
Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • 1lb ground chicken
  • 1 cup panko dried bread crumbs
  • ½ cup finely chopped green onion
  • ⅓ cup ketchup
  • ¼ cup chopped raisins
  • 1 tsp grated lemon peel
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp salt & pepper
  • 2 clove garlic, crushed
Instructions
  1. Mix all ingredients together. Shape into patties and grill over medium heat on BBQ until completely cooked through. Serve in buns with Mango Mayo.
Notes
Mango Mayo1/2 cup finely chopped peeled mango1/3 cup mayo
2-3 tsp fresh lime juice1/4 tsp grated lime peel
Mix well and cover/refrigerate until serving

Pork Burgers with Peanut Sauce

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When it comes to burgers we’ve tried homemade beef, turkey, chicken and vegetarian burgers. Oddly enough we’ve never tried pork burgers, which brought us to Pork Burgers with Peanut Sauce.  When you first read the ingredients list you might go hmmmm…this should be interesting – or at least we did. In the end it’s a very tasty burger that pairs nicely with the peanut sauce.

Omit the cilantro if you are not a cilantro fan.  Serve in buns with lettuce, peanut sauce and whatever additional burger fixins you enjoy.

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Pork Burgers with Peanut Sauce
Recipe type: Main, Entree, Lunch, Dinner,
 
Ingredients
  • 1lb lean ground pork
  • 1-2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
  • 2 tsp soy sauce
  • 1-2 tsp grated fresh ginger
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • ⅓ cup smooth peanut butter
  • 2 tbsp sour cream
  • 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
  • 2 tsp soy sauce
Instructions
  1. To make burgers combine first 7 ingredients (pork through garlic) shaping mixture into four larger patties or 6 smaller ones. If your family likes heat try adding in some red pepper flakes. Grill patties over medium heat until completely cooked.
  2. To make peanut sauce mix peanut butter, sour cream, 1 tbsp lime juice and soy sauce until well blended.

 

 

Pizza Burgers

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Pizza Burger
Pizza Burger

The year was 2007 when we went on a mission to try and make as many variations of burgers as we could handle without getting “burgered” out. Some got documented, some photographed and some didn’t made the cut. This pizza burger was one from that summer and quickly became a family favourite. Kids love pizza so variations of pizza is a necessity here. Otherwise we are all going to look like a pizza. The boy requests two when we make them, and reminds us when we haven’t had it for awhile.

This recipe is a good one to take camping. We prepare it in advance, freeze and bring it in it’s frozen state. It thaws in the refrigerator or cooler and we grill them up usually the second day camping. You could add in some chopped peppers or mushrooms to change it up a bit. We like to eat it with some fresh basil (instead of lettuce), pizza sauce (instead of ketchup) and sauteed mushrooms.

Pizza Burger
Pizza Burger
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Pizza Burgers
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 8
 
Ingredients
  • 2lb ground beef
  • 1 cup chopped pepperoni (we buy it sliced from the deli and then chop it)
  • ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1.5 tsp basil, dried
  • 1.5 tsp oregano, dried
  • 2 tbsp pizza sauce
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 8 slices Cheese (provolone or mozzarella)
  • 8 buns (your favourite)
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl mix together ground beef, pepperoni, basil, oregano, pizza sauce, parmesan cheese and a pinch of salt and pepper until just combined.
  2. Form 8 burger patties.
  3. On a pre-heated BBQ, grill your burgers approximately 5 minutes per side over medium high heat.
  4. Place a slice of cheese on each burger, close lie and allow cheese to melt slightly.
  5. If you like your buns toasted, now is the time to put your buns on a the grill for about 1 minute or until toasted.
  6. Remove burgers, please on buns and serve with your favourite pizza toppings and/or condiments.

Chicken Pesto Burgers

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In honour of Hamburger Day…here is our favourite chicken pesto burger recipe as first posted on January 6, 2007.  This recipe has been modified since then.

If you love pesto you will love this burger. It’s not overpowering but adds such a flavour boost. My kids add additional pesto to their buns. And ketchup!

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Chicken Pesto Burgers
Author: 
Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • 1 lb ground chicken
  • ½ cup dry bread crumbs
  • ½ cup green onions, chopped
  • 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1-2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 tsp dry mustard
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp pepper
  • 1 heaping tbsp pesto (home made or bought)
  • Hamburger Buns
  • Fixins
Instructions
  1. In large bowl, mix together chicken, bread crumbs, onions, parsley, parmesan cheese, mustard, egg, salt, pepper and pesto. Form into patties. (we are able to make 6 patties)
  2. In non-stick skillet, heat oil over medium heat or heat BBQ grill to medium-high heat. Grill your burgers for 4-5 minutes per side or until golden brown and no longer pink inside.
  3. We serve these with mozzarella or gouda cheese melted on top, sautéed mushrooms and additional pesto on the bun. Add whatever additional fixins you enjoy (onions, lettuce, pickles, tomatoes, etc.).