Swiss Chard Burgers

Last week, a friend of mine asked if I could do something with Swiss chard.  I had never taken a request before, and I really enjoyed the challenge!  It felt like I was on some reality t.v. show and my mystery ingredient a well-beloved friend.

For many of us during this season, this leafy green is abound but tends to get marginalized on the dinner plate.  Greens with garlic and olive oil is certainly a staple (and not a dish to be ignored), but I thought I would try to make Swiss chard the hero of the dinner plate today, especially since I’m pretty sure Michael asked for a Swiss chard recipe precisely because he, like many of us, was tired of serving it up in the same old way.

So to help us get through another Monday, I thought we could pretend it’s Saturday and bake up some burgers!  Swiss chard burgers, that is. I was extremely tempted to call these Swiss charred burgers, but I abstained. :)

The really wonderful thing about these burgers is that if you don’t have something on hand, you can pretty much substitute anything you like!  The quinoa can just as easily be replaced by any grain you have on hand; instead of Panko breadcrumbs, try whole-wheat. Don’t have almonds? Any nut will do!  As unappetizing as it might sound, think of this as burger stew.  Ewww… but you get the drift.

You might be noticing that the mixture in the stand mixer does not look like Swiss chard.  You’d be right.  Why not skip the supermarket burger buns and make your own?  You really won’t regret it.  These burger buns, recipe courtesy of Elra’s Baking, puff up like no bread you’ve ever made and the taste!  They truly taste how burger buns should taste.  Sweet, light on the inside, and crusty on the outside.  Mmmmm….

To hold these patties together, I use egg whites.  I’m saving the yolks to make a custard to throw in Rupert Murdoch’s face.  But if you don’t mind the extra fat or custard ala Murdoch isn’t really your style, feel free to use 2 whole eggs instead.

Swiss Chard Burgers:

• 1 lb Swiss Chard
• 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
• 1/2 cup roughly ground almonds
• 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 3 egg whites
• 2 tbsp greek yogurt
• 1 tbsp honey
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 tsp dijon mustard

Burger Buns

• 2 cups bread flour (or all-purpose)
• 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast
• 2 1/2 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tbsp salt
• 3/4 cup skim milk
• 1 small egg or 1/2 large egg
• 4 tbsp butter, room temp, divided
• Sesame seeds for topping
• 1-2 tbsp milk for brushing

1. Prepare dough. Beat milk and egg. Set aside. In a mixer bowl using a dough hook attachment, combine flour, yeast , sugar and salt. Make a well in the center and pour egg mixture into the well. Beat on low-speed for a minute; then on medium for three minutes.  Add butter in two additions, making sure the butter is completely incorporated before each addition. Continue to beat for about three more minutes.
2. Form the dough into a ball and place in an oiled bowl to raise until doubled (1-2 hours).
3. Prepare burgers. Preheat oven to 375. Set a large pot of water to boil.  While you’re waiting, use your food processor to roughly grind almonds (see above).  When processing almonds, process for one second; wait; process again. Processing too much or too quickly could make almond paste.
4. Combine 1/2 cup ground almonds, breadcrumbs, and cayenne pepper. Set aside.
5. Beat egg whites; add yogurt, honey, garlic, mustard and mix thoroughly.
6. Boil Swiss chard until just tender (3-5 minutes). Cool slightly; squeeze out as much water as you can and place in a food processor. Blend for just about 1 second (be careful not to make Swiss chard paste by processing for too long!).
7. Using a spatula, mix Swiss chard and quinoa.  Then add almond mixture and finally add egg white mixture.
8. Make six patties (1/4cup of the mixture per patties) and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for about 30 minutes; flipping halfway through.  Patties should be slightly browned and crispy on each side.
9. While patties are baking, divide bun dough into six pieces and shape into balls.  Place on parchment paper lined baking sheet and let rest for 10-20 minutes.
10. When patties have finished baking, set on a cooling rack and heat oven to 350.
11. When oven reaches 350, bake buns until browned (about 30 minutes). You may have to cut one open to be sure they’ve cooked all the way through.
12. Serve and enjoy!

Banana Flatbread with Greens

I love sweets.  Even at dinner, I want something sweet and substantial, but I like to save the big calories for dessert.  This banana flatbread–which is fat and refined sugar free–along with the carrots and raisins in the filling, give this dish the sweetness I crave without ruining your appetite for dessert.

Grilled Lettuce Salad

I’m probably not the first person to suggest the grilling of lettuce to you. If that’s true, then I’m definitely not the first person to say: do not be afraid.

Double Chocolate Tart with Spiced Sour Cherry Compote

Yesterday, I found myself at my favorite booth at the farmer’s market and the berries were abound!  Raspberries, cherries, and these tiny, bright red berries.  “What are these?” I asked.  Sour cherries.

Well, I ate most of what I bought on the way home, but in thinking about what I could do with these precious little things I was at a loss.  The acidity level is pretty darn high and it seemed like sugar and cream were the only answers.

Raspberry Creme Brulee Tart

Can you tell I have a thing for raspberries?  I also have a thing for creme brulee.  A serious thing.  Whenever I see this on a restaurant menu, I go for it. But I thought creme brulee at home was out of my reach.  Without a fancy torch, taking up space in my kitchen with only one known use, I assumed I was to be creme brulee-less. Not so.

Got a broiler?  You too can have creme brulee. :)

Watermelon Lemonade

It’s heating up here in Chicago in a pretty serious way.  Our summer has been full of cool temperatures and thunderstorms until now.  I’m grateful for the sun (not much makes me happier), but it’s getting too darn hot to bake!

So, a welcome change to hold us over until the heat breaks–watermelon lemonade.

Serving up CSA: Almost Fat-Free Summer Squash Quiche-za

Think crostini, then think quiche. This recipe uses a thin layer of pastry and a thin layer of egg to make scrumptious, pizza-like pieces of summer-squash quiche.  I know, it sounds a little crazy, but don’t kid yourself–this is good.  We devoured it in a matter of minutes.

Masala & Quinoa Stuffed Tomatoes

Got some big ol’ tomatoes at the farmer’s market this week!  Whoo!  I’ve been dreaming of stuffed tomatoes and now, finally, they’re here.  I had been considering what filling I could use that would utilize the cored part of the tomato and, finally, then it hit me: masala!

Raspberry Cream Puffs

That’s right. More raspberries. More decadent raspberries. As you might have noticed (thanks to the price tags on these babies), raspberries are a symbol of decadence–not basic nutrition.

Since they’re such a small, low-calorie food, hunter gatherers used to discard these.  They weren’t even cultivated until the sixteenth century (that’s pretty late in the game for food cultivation).  Even then, they were used for their medicinal qualities.  Like rhubarb, raspberries didn’t really make it to North America until the early 19th century, so again, I think we can call these some pretty revolutionary berries.

Raspberry Jalousie

Raspberries are in at the farmer’s market and I’ve got some! I decided to make three different dishes with these raspberries in order to spread them out and enjoy them for as long as possible (raspberries tend to mold very quickly).

I adore puff pastry, and think it was just made to be paired with berries and sugar; so I started here.