Kitchen Experiments 1

I have been playing around in my kitchen lately. I do love cooking and Lent tends to inspire me to create meals from scratch that require little or no fake meat products.

One of my favorite meals to make is Aloha Burgers, which are veggie burgers sauteed with teriyaki sauce and pineapple. I sometimes top them with curry mayo and always make sure to put spicy Dijon mustard on them.

However, in the past the v.burgs tended to stick to the non-stick skillet because there was an insufficient amount of oil in the sauce. The pineapple tended to suffer as well.

Recently, I decided to add a little dark sesame oil in the pan prior to putting the v.burgs and pineapple on to cook. The result was FANTASTIC -- nice crispy outside with all of the lovely salty tang of teriyaki.

Aloha Burgers:

- Veggie burgers (1 per person -- I like Annie's low sodium CA burgers and recently discovered Chez Gormet by Marie, Oregon Treat. Both veggie burgers are low in sodium and contain almost no soy. The Chez Cormet burgs are also gluten free.)

- Multi-grain hamburger buns (1 per burg - I like the ones at Trader Joe's. If I have extras, I toss them in the freezer for next time.)

- 2 pineapple rings per burger (canned or fresh doesn't make much difference -- if I have extras, I also toss them in the freezer with the pineapple juice which could be used for smoothies)

- Teriyaki sauce

- Dark sesame oil

- 1 tbsp Mayo + 1 tsp curry powder: approx 1/2 tbsp mayo per burger)

- Mixed greens (approx 1/2 cup loosely packed per burg)

(You can roast butternut squash or sweet potato to accompany this dish -- I just choose whatever starch is hanging around pre-made in my fridge.)

1. Heat dark sesame oil in pan over medium heat -- about 1 tsp per veggie burger.

2. Place pineapple and v.burgs on plate. Put approximately 1 tsp teriyaki sauce on one side of each and spread evenly.

3. Place pineapple and v.burgs in pan TERIYAKI side DOWN. Leave alone for about 3 minutes. While they cook, toast buns and put together curry mayo.

4. Just before flipping pineapple and v.burgs, place another teaspoon of teriyaki sauce on one side. Spread evenly, THEN flip. Leave alone for another 2 minutes or so. Have buns lined up and ready (mayo spread, lettuce on hand to top burgers).

5. When burgers are ready, place on the bottom bun, then place pineapple on top, then add lettuce onto pineapple, and top with top of the bun. Eat immediately!

I also have been experimenting with buffalo and scones, though not together. Will post that later as I need to wake my offspring soon!