All I wanted was a pickle.

...so I made salmon burgers really quick.

Roaming around the grocery store after 7:00 pm hungry and without a list usually ends poorly. Luckily I had made it past the produce section with a few of my weekly staples (greens, carrots, mushrooms, berries) before my unavoidable impulse buy happened. I went looking for red wine vinegar when I am confronted with a wall of pickles! Sweet ones, salty ones, square ones, round ones, flat ones, chopped ones... and it's summer now, so they've got to be sweet. I do a quick scan of the ingredients lists to weed out any that contain the dreaded HFCS, for argument's sake, and I stumble upon this adorable-looking pickle product! Wickles- Wicked Garden Mix, with pickled cukes, baby pearl onions, and cauliflower. I figured it might be a local product... since wicked works its way into the vocabulary of everyone in New Hampshire. Later to find out... not made here, made in Alabama... but still a delish pickle that I'm happy made its way into my heart! I mean basket!

What on earth could I eat pickles with? Thank goodness I'm standing right across from a wall of canned tuna and salmon... perfect! Salmon burgers! (And the marketing majors win, again. I needed vinegar, and due to perfect product placement, now I'm buying pickles and making salmon burgers.) Okay then! Inspired by memories of my mom's tuna burgers (which we probably ate with pickles) and a recent spread in Women's Health on quick and healthy burgers, I didn't think twice. Got home, threw this stuff in the food processor, and in 20 minutes I was eating a fresh, summery meal.

Into the food processor (man I love that thing) go canned salmon, an egg, a handful of oats, half a lemon's zest and juice, garlic, dill, a handful of fresh parsley, salt, pepper, and a few squirts of Sriracha sauce. A few pulses later, I formed patties, trayed up, and stuck them under the broiler for (what should have been) 5-7 minutes per side. I made them pretty small and kept them in for too long, but that was my only complaint. Yummy!

perfectly plated with collard greens, curry ketchup, and my new pickles

I should also mention that I will make any salty thing if it means an excuse to use my German curry ketchup. Simply the best condiment ever known to the world. My parents bring me back a few bottles each time they return to the States. (Surely a perk to having international parents. Danke!) These burgs were a good, solid start to my week. I ate them reheated for dinner, plus packed them in a salad with yellow cherry tomatoes and red wine vinaigrette. Making them reminded me of one of Mark's and my all-time favorite recipes: Red Lentil Burgers. Oh, I just went digging in iPhoto to see if I had a picture of that recipe... here!

college kidz gotta eat- red lentil burgs, pea penne with lemon vinaigrette and goat cheese. circa aug 2010.

Only 1 more week of my clinical rotation! Then things are happenin', people! Until then... eat up.


Enjoy!

Beluga Tabouli

One of my favorite salads is tabouli- a bright, clean-tasting Middle Eastern dish traditionally made with bulgur wheat, fresh parsley, tomatoes, lemon juice, and olive oil. I'll eat it any way; with crackers, on top of greens, or on its own. It keeps for a few days, but it's best at room temperature the day it's made.

The first time I made it, I used short-grain brown rice instead of wheat. Still a winner! That classic flavor was there, with a different texture. I love the recipe out of Food to Live By, an amazing cookbook I've used to make many tasty things. Now, I would never make this for a Lebanese house guest... as I'm sure one would shudder at my grossly adapted version of the traditional salad. But it works for me!

The last time my mom visited, she brought me a new food to try... beluga lentils! Teeny tiny petite black lentils! So cute. The warm sunshine and free weekend called me to make Belugalinsen Tabouli.

My recipe was loosely based on Myra's. Check it out!

Beluga Tabouli
2 cups cooked beluga lentils (or bulgur, or short-grain brown rice, or cous cous, or wheat berries, or rye berries, etc!)
1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, minced
1/2 cup fresh basil, cut into thin ribbons
2 tbsp fresh mint, minced
2 large ripe tomatoes, diced (Disclaimer... I had to use gross tomatoes from the store this time. I can't wait for the good stuff to start growing up here! Soon I hope!)
1/2 cup scallions, thinly sliced, including white and 2 inches of the green
1 cup fresh shelled peas, or diced English cucumber (optional)
Combine above ingredients in a large bowl.
Combine following ingredients in a small bowl, and add to above ingredients.
1/4 cup olive oil
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ground cumin (optional)
1 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper.

Fresh, bright, high-protein, non-authentic tabouli!

Keeps for a few days in the fridge. And it sure is a welcome change to boring lettuce for lunch.

Enjoy!