Category Archives: Recipes

May 17, 2014 · 2:38 pm

Oklahoma Burger with a Georgia Twist

Have you ever eaten at Sid’s Diner in El Reno, Oklahoma? It’s part of historic Route 66 and famous for introducing the fried onion burger back in the 1920s. I’ll admit I haven’t because every time we get to El Reno, we have the bison burger. Love bison burgers! But my curiosity for the fried onion burger grew when my friend Chef Gary Straka made some for a cooking demo for the 360 Cookware skillet. He loves the onion burger, and so did his audience. So today I made fried onion burgers for lunch. Here’s how:

Finely chop Vidalia onion

Finely chop Vidalia onion

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Press onion into the meat

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Grill onion side over medium-low heat

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Carefully turn burgers and increase heat.

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Serve on a toasted whole wheat bun.

RECIPE

Oklahoma Burger with a Georgia Twist

Serves 2

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 pound lean ground beef
  • 1/2 Vidalia onion
  • salt and pepper
  • cooking spray

Directions:

  1. Preheat griddle or skillet over medium-low heat. Spray with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. Divide the beef in two equal portions and form thin patties.
  3. Thinly chop the onion.
  4. Salt and pepper one side of the patties. Press the onions into the meat.
  5. Carefully place each patty, onion side down, on the preheated griddle. Salt and pepper the second side of each patty.
  6. Cook for 7 or 8 minutes over medium-low heat. You want the onions to caramelize, not brown.
  7. Carefully turn each patty (you may need a second spatula as a “helper”) and increase the heat to medium.
  8. Cook burgers just until done, about 3 minutes or until juices run clear. Do not overcook.
  9. Serve on your favorite bun (we like whole wheat potato rolls).

If Vidalia onions aren’t available, substitute any sweet onion.

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May 4, 2014 · 2:34 pm

A Pantry Staple: Salmon Croquettes

Stuck for a hasty, tasty, and healthful entree? My standby is salmon croquettes. I keep a couple of cans of premium wild Alaskan pink salmon in my pantry. Similar to crab cakes, croquettes are nutritious and also a good way to stretch your grocery dollars.

I learned to make salmon croquettes when I was 18. My recipe and method has changed little through the years. Here it is:

RECIPE

Salmon Croquettes

Serves Three

Ingredients:

  • 1 14.75 oz. can salmon
  • 8-10 saltines, crushed
  • 1 Tbsp. finely chopped onion
  • 1 Tbsp. finely chopped sweet pepper
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • nonstick cooking spray

Directions:

  1. Drain canned salmon of liquid. Bones are optional–leave them in or remove them. (I usually pull them out and eat them before I cook).
  2. Combine drained salmon, crushed saltines, onion, pepper, and egg in a 1 quart bowl or measuring pitcher.
  3. Preheat a large cast iron skillet (or a stainless steel griddle) over medium.
  4. Using your hands, form 9 or 10 small patties of the salmon mixture.
  5. Spray skillet with cooking spray.
  6. Carefully brown both sides of the croquettes, turning them once after about five minutes. (If too browned, reduce heat).
  7. Serve with your choice of vegetables.

 

Salmon croquettes served with steamed broccoli and herbed carrots.

Salmon croquettes served with steamed broccoli and herbed carrots.

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December 29, 2013 · 7:44 pm

Start the New Year right!

Happy New Year! Here’s an encore post by request from readers. Enjoy!

Cheryl Norman's avatarHASTY TASTY MEALS BLOG

If you’re southern, chances are you have some kind of greens cooking up with some cut of pork, along with a pot of black-eye peas and a skillet of cornbread. Maybe your black-eye peas are part of a Hoppin’ John dish, which is mixed with spices and rice. It’s a New Year’s Day tradition and believed to bring good luck.

There are other traditions, worldwide, but I grew up with the southern version. I resisted it, too, until my adult years when I discovered the food tasted good together. Legumes and leafy green vegetables are healthful, so eating them on New Year’s Day starts off the year on a positive note, at least nutritionally. But where did the ideas that such cuisine brought good luck originate?

Who knows for sure. There is a theory that because the pig digs with its snout in a forward motion, the pig symbolizes progress…

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November 24, 2013 · 5:24 pm

Hasty Tasty Cranberry Sauce

It’s Thanksgiving week. Here by request is a repeat of my cranberry sauce recipe. It’s easy and so much better than canned, so give it a try. Happy Thanksgiving!

The tart cranberry is delicious and healthful. Unfortunately, the cranberry is overlooked except during the holidays yet is good any time of the year. But don’t open up a can of jellied cranberry sauce–make your own! In less than 30 minutes, you can have homemade cranberry sauce. You can store it in the refrigerator in a mold or in the serving bowl–your choice. Molds are impressive but not necessary. Here’s my Hasty Tasty version:

Ingredients Ingredients
Simmer for 15 minutes. Simmer for 15 minutes.
Stir occasionally. Stir occasionally.
Process until smooth. Process until smooth.
Serve or store in the refrigerator. Serve or store in the refrigerator.

RECIPE

Hasty Tasty Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients:

  • 12 ounce package fresh cranberries
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • dash salt
  • one orange, zested and juiced
  • 1 tsp. grated fresh ginger

Directions:

  1. Combine brown sugar and juice of an orange (reserve zest) in a 2-quart sauce pan. Add cranberries.
  2. Gently heat over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for fifteen minutes or until berries burst.
  3. Remove from heat. Stir in zest of orange and grated ginger.
  4. Carefully tranfer contents to the Vitamix or a food processor. Cover.*
  5. Beginning with the lowest speed (Vitamix variable speed 1), process cranberries to desired consistency. Just pulse a few times for a chunkier sauce.*
  6. Carefully pour sauce into a mold or a serving dish, cover, and refrigerate for a minimum of one hour. Overnight is better.

*Processing the sauce is optional. Cranberries taste great either whole sauce or pureed.

Yield: 1 pint cranberry sauce

Variations: add your choice of seasonings in place of the grated ginger, such as cloves, cinnamon, or even jalapeño pepper!

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