My wind chimes are singing, the weather is warm but it’s foggier than a steam-room door outside…. ah yes, June Gloom is in full effect here on the Central Coast! That won’t keep me down though with all the free concerts, wine festivals, beach days and Farmer’s Market visits I have planned for the rest of the month… me and my girl Jennifer are going to be BUSY!
Jennifer and I at the Tribal Seeds concert in Avila Beach last Sunday. Those are $12 drinks… no joke.
Speaking of free concerts, if you haven’t heard already Alex’s Bar-B-Q, where Andy works, is closing its door for GOOD on August 31 after 70 plus years of business. It’s the oldest bar around and everyone is pretty bummed out… but…. they’ll be plenty of celebrations and goodbye parties to come- the first of which is happening this Sunday, June 22 from 1-6 p.m. There’ll be bands, beer and BBQ so come down and hi, or bye for that matter!
Hubby on the grill.
So speaking of chilling and grilling, I have an easy peesy burger recipe for you to try today. I whipped this recipe up last night in 10 minutes, and they cooked in less than five. I’m not a huge meat eater (I can’t remember the last time I had a steak!) but this Foster’s ground turkey is so lean and the ingredients are so fresh that I ate it up within just a few bites! And if you’re gluten free or staying away from bread, you can eat this in between lettuce instead of a bun. It’s just as good!
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Green Goddess Turkey Burgers- makes 5 patties
Ingredients:
-1 lb ground turkey
-2 serrano peppers (I left the seeds in to make these spicier but you don’t have to)
-1 bunch cilantro
-1 T taco seasoning mix (I used Trader Joe’s brand)
-slices of onion for top
-salt and pepper
-hamburger buns
Directions:
1. Chop up the peppers and cilantro and place in a large bowl with the ground turkey, salt and pepper and taco seasoning. Using your hands, mix everything together.
2. Form the mixture into burger patties and flatten using the palm of your hands.
3. Place the patties on a warm pan and cover, flipping every 2 minutes or so.
4. Get your condiments and toppings out and enjoy! Clean Eating!
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I also served a beet salad with this burger for Andy and I. He’s always making fun of me and my obsession with salad! I mean, there’s like a million different ways to make a salad and a million different ingredients to put in them, so what’s not to love? My student/friend Lisa brought me a Green Goodie Bag to yoga on Saturday filled with cabbage, cauliflower, fresh eggs, and candy cane beets… Never heard of them? Me either! But Santa Claus are they good and much sweeter and less earthy tasting than regular beets! Lisa is always bringing me produce for this here blog and I encourage you to do the same! Haha!
Candy Cane Beet Salad- serves 2
Ingredients:
-2 candy cane beets
-1 cucumber peeled and quartered
-1 packet Trader Joe’s Oh My! Omega Nuts
-1 cup spinach
-1 cup arugula
-1/2 cup red wine
Directions:
1. Slice off the ends of the beets and boil them in a large pot with the red wine and water until they are soft.
2. Add everything into a large bowl and toss! Dressing is below!
So colorful!
For this dressing use: 1 T olive oil, 2 T apple cider vinegar, 2 T rice vinegar, 1/4 tsp sesame seed oil, a dash of sugar and salt and pepper.
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Before I close, let me update you on some books I’ve read in the past week. Yup, I’ve been book worming it big time this month! The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green, took me about three hours to read… it was that good I COULD NOT put it down. I actually haven’t been to the cinema since Black Swan and The President’s Speech were showing (ridiculous right?), but I think I may go see the movie based on the book this weekend! Also Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier is another fast read if you dig historical fiction as much as I do. Check them out! You won’t be disappointed! I’ve just started my second Wally Lamb book this month, We are Water, and if you know his writing, this one won’t take long to finish either… 900 pages or not!
I should have been a librarian!
