Hold Me Closer Tiny Burger

You know what's awesome about sliders? They're just tiny versions of something tasty! Sliders have such mass appeal that next to the regular hamburger and hot dog buns, you can now purchase tiny buns too. Sliders are a great way to portion control and also stretch your budget. You can make a pound of ground anything or a slab of tuna or salmon go farther and feed more folks.

These sliders are made of lamb--a great source of protein and iron--and are topped with an equally Greek-inspired tzatziki sauce. You get two recipes for the price of one today!

As always, if you make this or anything else please email me or hit me up on the interwebs so I know how much you liked it. Our Facebook friends can also post their own pictures and I guarantee your photography is probably better than mine...

Lamb Sliders with Tzatziki
--1 lb. ground lamb
--garlic, minced
--small onion, minced
--salt and pepper
--1 egg
--1 cup mixed greens
--12 wheat slider buns

Tzatziki Sauce
--2 cups greek yogurt
--garlic, minced
--1 small cucumber, diced
--1/4 cup of shredded mint leaves, stems removed
--1 tsp olive oil
--2 tsp lemon juice
--pinch of salt

Place the ground lamb, garlic, onion, and egg in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper and then use hands to mix. It will feel super gross but trust me, mixing this up with your hands is better than using a spoon.

Form the ground lamb mixture into 12 equally sized patties. Fire up the grill and cook the sliders for 3-4 minutes on each side or until cooked to desired doneness. Hey, who am I to judge how rare or well done you like your meat? I do, however, highly recommend that you toast your buns...

In a separate mixing bowl combine the tzatziki ingredients.

Place each slider on a toasted bun. Top each burger with some mixed greens and a dollop of tzatziki sauce. Happy grilling!

Dammit Jim, I'm a cook, not a doctor...
Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 12 sliders
Calories: 217 calories per slider

Rapini On The Ready

Rapini--also known as broccoli raab, raap, or rabe--is a green similar to kale or turnip greens that adds beautiful color and texture to dishes. It melds well with the flavors it is combined with and is a great source of vitamins and minerals. You could easily substitute kale, turnip greens, collards, or another hearty green.

Today's dish can be used as a side or a main dish and can be made for a carnivore easily by adding meat. As the season shapes up and your garden becomes overwhelmed with fresh tomatoes, substitute the canned tomatoes for a fresh look and taste!
Garlic Rapini with White Beans and Tomatoes

--2 Tbsp olive oil

--garlic, minced

--1 bunch rapini, roughly chopped

--red pepper flakes

--1 can (14.5oz) diced tomatoes

--1 can (14.5oz) white/cannelini/great northern beans, rinsed and drained
Heat the oil in a wok or skillet with deep sides over medium heat. Saute garlic for a few minutes before adding the rapini and a few shakes of red pepper flakes. Saute for 5-ish minutes until the rapini is wilted. Remove to a plate.

Add the can of diced tomatoes and the beans and stir together to mix. Turn heat up to medium-high and cook for 10-ish minutes or until tomato sauce begins to reduce.

You can serve the dish either by spooning the bean/tomato mixture over the rapini, or by dishing up the beans and tomatoes and then placing the wilted garlicky rapini on top.

Dammit Jim, I'm a cook not a doctor...
Serves: 2 as a meal; 4 as a side dish
Cook time: 15 minutes
Calories: 378 as a meal for 2; 189 if serving 4 as a side dish

Impressing Your In-Laws

I love making dinner for other people and this is one of those simple dishes that tastes really awesome and seems more complicated than it really is. It's the kind of dish you make when trying to impress your mother-in-law. Or, guys, this one is good to make for a date.

Most recently, I made this for my friends, Matt and Andra, and their tween daughters. For our meal we served it with broiled kale and sweet potato biscuits (pictured here), but the recipe below serves it with greens two ways.

Pork Tenderloin & Two-Way Greens

--olive oil
--garlic
--6 slices of prosciutto (available at the deli counter)
--salt & pepper
--1 lb. pork tenderloin
--balsamic vinegar
--bag or bunch of spinach
--bag or bunch of arugula
--bag or box of grape, plum, or cherry tomatoes (I like to mix n' match)

Prep:

Wash the greens. Cut off stems and dry.
Trim excess fat off of pork loin. Slice into 1/2" thick rounds
Roughly chop prosciutto into fingernail sized chunks. You can also rip it with your hands instead.
If tomatoes are large, chop them in half. If they are smaller this is unnecessary.

Heat oil on medium high heat. Cook garlic and prosciutto until brown. Set aside.

Salt and pepper the pork rounds. Sear pork rounds, cooking 5-7 minutes on each side (depending on size and thickness of the rounds). Set aside.

Deglaze the pan with balsamic vinegar. Newbies, what this means is dump some vinegar into that hot pan and scrape all the bits up. The vinegar will evaporate some and what's left will make a thin sticky sauce.

Add half of the arugula and half of the spinach in fist fulls and toss with tongs. Add more greens as mixture cooks down. Add 3/4 of the tomatoes into the greens mixture, tossing and heating until tomatoes are warm and squish in your mouth. Add 3/4 of the cooked prosciutto/garlic mix and toss until evenly mixed. Spoon this over the pork pieces.

Use the remaining uncooked greens, tomatoes, and prosciutto to make a salad. Top with balsamic vinegar as a dressing.