2 minute read
KITCHEN
burgers and fries
Nothing says summer like grilling burgers. And, here at SLO LIFE Magazine we’ve taken the liberty of revamping the All-American classic with a tangy twist and paired it with delicious baked sweet potato fries.
BLUE CHEESE BURGERS
Hamburgers? Yes. But basic fare? Definitely not! These blue cheese burgers always get a warm reception for their creamy and spicy profile. Use a fine, piquant blue cheese that will stand out; something creamy, but with an almost nefarious amount of veining such as Stilton, Valdeon, or Cabrales. The biggest cloves of garlic you can find are a must, as is a smashing Dijon or homemade mustard.
2 pounds organic grass-fed ground beef 2 tablespoons of Dijon or homemade mustard 2 cloves garlic, minced 4 green onions, finely diced or processed 4 ounces crumbled blue cheese (about 1 cup) 2 egg yolks 2 tablespoons water fresh cracked pepper to taste sea salt to taste
1. Combine all the ingredients together in a bowl until well-mixed. Form eight balls of the meat into patties about 1/2 to 1-inch thick and allow to rest in the fridge for about 15 minutes. While the meat rests, grease and heat the grill to medium-high. 2. Grill the burgers about 5 minutes on each side, or to taste. After the burgers are done allow them to rest for about 1-2 minutes. Serve on buns and garnish as desired.
*Try these tasty burgers served on a roll of your choice such as a Kaiser, brioche, or sourdough along with arugula, sliced tomato and purple onion. And, if you like your burgers spicy, try hot buffalo sauce for garnish.
SWEET POTATO FRIES
While you can’t beat the flavor of a perfectly crisp French fry, you certainly could live without the grease-filled fryer they are cooked in and the blood sugar spiking properties of white starchy potatoes. We’ve made these doubly healthy by baking, not frying them, and by using insulin-friendly sweet potatoes.
2-3 sweet potatoes or yams, sliced to ¼ inch
thick fry shapes 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted ½ teaspoon cumin ½ teaspoon oregano *
½ teaspoon coriander 1 teaspoon sea salt 1 teaspoon parsley fresh ground pepper to taste
1. Preheat oven to 400°. 2. In a small mixing bowl, add the melted oil and spices. Wisk until combined. 3. In a large mixing bowl, add sliced sweet potatoes and drizzle with spiced coconut oil. Toss until potatoes are coated. 4. Evenly spread potatoes on cookie sheet and bake 30-40 minutes, turning halfway through cooking time. Sweet potatoes have a lower glycemic index than other spuds, which helps soften their impact on your blood sugar. And research shows that their high carotenoid content may be particularly useful in the blood sugar battle when it comes to managing diabetes. SLO LIFE
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