Lamburgers with Feta, Arugula, Kalamatas, and Sundried Tomatoes

I discovered this one earlier this month via Saveur (my most favorite cooking source!!) and have already made it three times.  I've made only slight modifications to the quantities, more because of the package sizes that are conveniently sold than anything else.  Everyone went for seconds - the flavors are magnificent!!  

Lamburgers with Feta, Arugula, Kalamatas, and Sundried Tomatoes

Parsley, dill, cumin, and garlic give these burgers a lively flavor reminiscent of a lamb gyro. The burger is enhanced by a tangy topping of feta, arugula, olives, and sun-dried tomatoes. The recipe is based on one from Michael Psilakis, the chef at Anthos, a New York City restaurant.  I think I may need to stop by next time I'm in the Big Apple.

Ingredients:

Burgers

• 2 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 C. minced yellow onion
• 1 lb. ground lamb
• 6 oz. ground pork
• 1 tbsp. dijon mustard (omit for Whole30)
• 1-2 tsp. each finely chopped fresh parsley, mint, and dill
• 1 1/2 tsp. dried Greek oregano
• 3/4 tsp. ground coriander
• 3/4 tsp. ground cumin
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 scallions, chopped
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

 Garnish

• ⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese  (omit for Whole30)
• 10 leaves baby arugula
• 10 kalamata olives, pitted, and roughly chopped
• 12 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 4 hamburger buns, toasted (omit for Whole30)

Directions:

1. Heat 2 tbsp. oil in an 8" skillet over high heat. Add onions; cook until browned, about 6 minutes. Transfer onions to a plate; let cool. 
2. In a bowl, mix onions, lamb, pork, mustard, herbs, spices, garlic, scallions, and salt and pepper. Form meat into four 1"-thick patties; set aside.  
3. Prepare a medium-hot charcoal fire or heat a gas grill to medium-high (or heat a tablespoon of canola oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat). Grill burgers, flipping once, until browned and cooked to desired doneness, about 10 minutes for medium rare. 
4. In a small bowl, combine feta, arugula, olives, and sun-dried tomatoes; toss with the remaining oil and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.
5. Place each burger on the bottom half of a bun and top each with the vegetables and bun top.
6. To make this Whole30 compliant, omit the dijon, feta, and buns - serve on top of a large bed of arugula. 

You can totally make a bunch of these and freeze them for a quick weeknight meal.  Freeze them flat, then store them in an airtight container or zip-lock.

Sweet Potato Paprikash - let's have seconds ... and thirds!

Yet another huge win on the whole food journey with my dear husband.  He took a huge food step with me in February with his own Whole30 and I couldn't be prouder of him for branching out from his culinary comfort zone.  He started out disliking sweet potatoes and after several weeks has voluntarily included them in his food repertoire. 

This was a surprise win.  The first few times I made it, I made half a pan with yukon golds for him and half with sweet potatoes for me ... now I just do the sweets but you can go either way.  They both were delish.

Sweet Potato Beef Paprikash

 Ingredients
2 lbs ground beef
1 TBSP olive oil
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 large onion, chopped
3 tsp Sweet Hungarian Paprika
2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 (6-oz) can tomato paste
3 sweet potatoes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel sweet potatoes and slice to about 1/4″ thickness. Lay a single layer in a 9×13 pan. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, add onion and garlic and cook until translucent. Add in the meat, browning it, then draining off extra fat.  Stir in tomato paste, 1/2 C. water, and seasonings and cook for a few minutes, stirring until everything is well combined. Pour a layer of meat over the sweet potatoes in the dish. Layer another layer of sweet potatoes, then meat, then potatoes, then meat, until everything is used up. For best results, a meat layer should be last.  Sprinkle another 1/4 C. of water over top.  Cover tightly with foil and bake for about 35-40 minutes, until sweet potatoes are cooked through. Let sit for a few minutes before serving.

If you need to make more - you can easily bump this whole recipe up by 50% and it will still fit in the pan.  Amounts aren't precise - I've made it with as little as a pound and as much as three pounds of beef ... the seasonings flex nicely either way.

Good luck with leftovers - we seldom have any.  If you're lucky though - they reheat beautifully.

Props to Shanti Landon at LifeMadeFull for this winner!!!

Gambas Al Ajillo (Spicy Yummy Garlicky Oily Decadent Shrimp!!!)

There's a local Mediterranean cafe that has Gambas Al Ajillo to DIE for.  I tried to make it myself.  So far this is my best recipe (based on food.com) ... still looking for others with the magic though.  This can serve as an entrée, a tapas dish, or an appetizer.

I'm sure this goes without saying, but peel the darned shrimp.  For some stupid reason, the first time I made this I totally missed that step and of course the flavors didn't reach the meat.  Dooh!



Gambas Al Ajillo

Although I haven't tested other proteins yet, another commenter wrote:  The same dish can be made with squid, cut into rings, or scallops. Serve with lots of warm crusty bread to sop up the sauce…. You will not want to waste a drop! (Make sure you are "warming" the olive oil and the butter, not cooking it off..... cause you'll want every last bit of it for the sauce).  Great input, thanks :)

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup butter or ghee (or use all olive oil - pick your fat!)
• 2 lbs shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 8 garlic cloves, minced (more if you are a garlic lover)
• 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
• freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (to taste)
• 4 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, chopped
• sea salt
• fresh ground pepper

Directions

In a wide, shallow sauté pan over high heat, warm the Olive Oil and the Butter; add the Shrimp, Garlic and Shallots and sauté quickly for about 2-3 minutes.

Add the lemon juice, paprika, pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. Adjust seasonings to your liking.

Transfer to a warmed serving dish, sprinkle with the parsley and serve at once.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size:  1/4 lb.

Amount Per Serving

Calories 233 Calories from Fat 109

% Daily Value*

Total Fat   12.1g    19%

Saturated Fat 4.3g    22%

Cholesterol 251mg    84%

Sodium 310mg    13%

Potassium 245mg    7%

Total Carbohydrates 4.3g     1%

Dietary Fiber 0.5g     2%

Protein  26.3g

Vitamin A 17%       Vitamin C 13% Calcium 12% Iron 4%

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Nutritional Analysis

Good points

• Very low in sugar
• High in phosphorus
• High in vitamin B12

Bad points

• Very high in cholesterol