Whims | Food Whims

May 20 2013

Beef & Kale Burger Lettuce Wraps

This is one of those meals that just happened… and I’m so glad it did. I was reading through the most recent issue of Food & Wine a few nights ago and saw a recipe for a burger with diced dill pickles in it. My curiosity was peeked, and I’ve been itching to try out the flavor addition. That, added to the half a pound of beautiful ground beef from Winters Family Beef, and a little almond meal and Parmesan cheese left in their packages (and crying to be used), was the beginnings of a new fave.

You could eat this with a bun like you would a burger and fix it up just how you like it, but if you’re gonna do it lettuce wrap style, the sauce is a must. I served mine with some herb roasted carrot sticks.

Beef & Kale Burger Lettuce Wraps
serves 4

burgers:
1/2 lb beef
1/2 cup frozen kale
2 Tablespoon diced dill pickle
1 Tablespoon almond meal
2 Tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese (omit for dairy-free & paleo)
1 egg
salt & pepper

dressing:
1 Tablespoon vinegar (I used some of my onion scape vinegar)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon mayo
black pepper
pinch of cumin

hearts of romaine – leaves removed whole and washed (or buns for burgers)

In a bowl, combine all the ingredients for the burgers. Divide and form into 4 patties. Cook in a skillet with oil, a few minutes on each side, until cooked through.

While burgers are cooking, combine all the dressing ingredients in a small jar and shake until combined.

For lettuce wraps, crumble up a patty and fill a lettuce cup with some meat and drizzle a little dressing on top. Or make it into a burger with some lettuce and sauce on the bun.

Herb Roasted Carrot Sticks

Cut some carrots into sticks, toss with olive oil and herbs of choice (I used basil, chives, garlic, lemon zest, salt and pepper) and spread on a baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 30 minutes, stirring ocassionally.

Tagged burger, gluten-free, lettuce wrap, paleo, pickels

May 17 2013

1 Comment

Cravings, Whims

Grapefruit Ginger Mint Spritzer

Grapefruit Ginger Mint Spritzer
makes 4 oz servings

1 grapefruit, peeled
2 Tablespoons mint leaves
2 bottles ginger brew
crushed ice

In a blender, combine grapefruit and mint and blend until mint is completely blended. Place crushed ice in each glass. Pour grapefruit/mint mixture evenly into each glass and top off with ginger beer. Stir to combine. Garnish with a sprig of mint and a cute straw.

To make it a nice summer cocktail, add a splash of vodka or tequila.

Enjoy & have a great weekend!

Abigail

Tagged cocktail, ginger, ginger brew, grapefruit, mint, spritzer

May 07 2013

4 Comments

Food, Whims

Onion Scape Vinegar

A few weeks ago I found these gorgeous onion scapes at the farmers market and decided to use the tops of them to make an infused vinegar. My grandparents have a bottle of vinegar in the fridge that is stuffed full of peppers and they use it to put on top of cooked greens, among other things. This is my version of the pepper vinegar. It is great in salad dressings or used straight to flavor cooked greens – just the other night, I put some on top of some kale that I’d sauteed with caramelized onions. It adds a nice little tart kick to each bite.

And its as simple as stuffing a jar or bottle with bits of onion scape and filling the bottle up with your vinegar of choice. I used champagne vinegar. You could also use white, apple cider, or brown rice vinegar. Let sit for a few days before using so the flavors have time to release. Store in the fridge.

Enjoy,
Abigail

Tagged condiment, dressing, easy, onion scape, vinegar

Apr 18 2013

Filling my Time

I’ve had several days off in the past weeks… Why? Well, I decided to leave my job at Blackbird Bakery and spread my wings a bit – destination still unknown.

Wedged in between crazy days of antique week in Round Top, personal chef-work, and odd jobs here and there, here are a few of the things that have been filling my time:

At Anthro last week, I purchased a copy of Edible Selby – and read it from cover to cover before I went to bed that night! In the days since, I’ve been poring over Tom Selby’s blog The Selby. There is something so fascinating about getting a glimpse into such creative peoples’ homes. And the way Tom captures the smallest details makes the pictures even more intimate.

Sweetapolita – I have literally read this blog from beginning to end, drooling over the wonderful pictures and trying to rally the energy to get in the kitchen and recreate a few!

Late last night while sleep evaded me, I sat at my computer doing some work and stumbled up on these wonderful posts:

10 tips for blogging with soul

For Sarah, for all of us – one of those posts I read and immediately think to myself, “I’m glad somebody had the courage to write those words down.”

Taxes… enough said. The day after we both finished filing, roommate sent me this hilarious tumblr that helped us forget our tax woes!

Speaking of hilarious tumblrs… have you heard of thug kitchen?! (Warning: explicit content.)

Oh, and my brother and sister-in-law are making a movie! Help make the project a reality.

A few recipes I can’t wait to make:

Antioxidant Power Muffins + Clementine Glaze

Blueberry + Almond Buttered French Toast

The Best Coconut Soup Ever

Until next time… stay warm & dry in this crazy April Austin weather!

Abigail

Apr 05 2013

Apple Pie on Ice

Roommate and her beau are obsessed with a show called Justified. Have you heard about it? It’s about a U.S. Marshal who moves back to his hometown in Kentucky after a shootout gone wrong in Miami. Anyway… I’m halfway through the second season and there’s a character (Mags) who is the matriarch and leader of a “family” – you know, one that has a family “business.” Aside from being one of the most feared mamas, she is also known for her apple pie. Only, her apple pie isn’t the baked kind. It’s the, “the still’s out back, drink it out of a mason jar” kind.

When I was grabbing something from our bar a few days ago, I saw a small mason jar of my own “Apple Pie Vodka” that I started several years ago and couldn’t help but laugh at the connection to the show. Thankfully, that’s where the similarities between me and Mags stops.

This stuff is so easy to make and it only gets better with time. A few years ago, I was making an apple pie and had a bunch of peels and scraps left over, so instead of throwing them out, I doused them in vodka. Then a couple of months ago, roommate and I were organizing our bar and I pulled out the jar of goodness. I strained the vodka off into its own container, thought for a second about saving the scraps to eat, but then thought better of it and tossed them. Now I have a jar of apple pie vodka to enjoy in an evening cocktail.

To make your own: loosely fill a jar with apple peels, add a few slices of lemon, a cinnamon stick, a tablespoon or so of cane sugar, and fill the jar with some vodka – I used really cheap stuff that was in my liquor cabinet, but because of the time I let it sit, the sugar and flavors cancelled out the strength of the cheapness… BUT, I can only imaging how much better it would be with something smooth like Tito’s. I’m sure after only a few months the flavors will have melded and diffused well. The longer you leave it, the better it will get.

Enjoy it straight, over ice, or mixed with some ginger ale or sparkling water.

Abigail

Tagged alcohol, apple pie, cocktail, Justified, vodka

Food Whims

Tales of my food ventures.

Category Archives: Whims

Beef & Kale Burger Lettuce Wraps

Grapefruit Ginger Mint Spritzer

Onion Scape Vinegar

Filling my Time

Apple Pie on Ice

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