Perfect Summer-time Recipes

Hello! It's been a while since I've updated. I have figured out that between work, traffic, and life...blogging doesn't always fit into my schedule! I do want to make it a point to update more, but we will see how that goes.

I made a recipe last week that was too good to NOT share. Actually - there are two recipes that I paired together.

The first is from the Eat Clean Diet. I don't follow the diet, but I do have to admit that a lot of the recipes are delicious (and a lot of the time require interesting ingredients that will really surprise you!) So I will jump right into the Turkey Guacamole Burger. This is perfect for summer and for anyone who doesn't like to spend hours in the kitchen. I made this recipe in under an hour and it was delicious (my husband thought so too and even brought left overs to work the next day!)

What you will need:

For the Guacamole:

• 2 avocados
• 1 tsp / 5 ml garlic powder
• ½ tsp / 2.5 ml freshly ground black pepper
• 2 jalapenos, chopped finely
• ½ white onion, chopped finely
• 1 cup / 240 ml cilantro, chopped finely
• Juice of one lime

For the Burger:

• 2 lb / 900 g lean ground turkey
• 2 tsp / 20 ml ground cinnamon (trust me, it's good! The original recipe calls for 4 tsp...but some of the reviews say that there is too much cinnamon so I cut it in half)
• 1 tsp / 5 ml garlic powder
• 1 tsp / 5 ml freshly ground black pepper
• whole-grain buns

**I also added swiss cheese to this burger because Lucas loves cheese burgers. The recipe didn't call for it

What to do:

Guacamole

1.  Remove the pits from your avocados by cutting the avocados in half and scoop the flesh into a medium-sized bowl.
2. Add the garlic powder, black pepper, jalapenos, white onions, cilantro and lime juice to the bowl.
   
3. Mix all ingredients until just combined. Try not to overmix it, it's better if not overmixed.
   
4. Allow it to chill for at least an hour in the refrigerator before serving.
   

 
Burgers

1. Preheat your barbeque (I used my foreman grill) to medium-high heat.
   
2. Add turkey, cinnamon, garlic powder and black pepper to a large bowl.
   
3. Mix the turkey and spices with clean bare hands!
   
4. Divide the mixture into parts and shape into flat patties. (makes 4-6 patties depending on how large you make them)
   
5. Lightly coat the hot grill with oil and add the patties.
   
6. Grill patties for 7 - 9 minutes (per side if not using a foreman grill) or until cooked through.
7. (If using cheese, put cheese on burger immediately after taking it off the grill)
   
8. Serve burgers on a lightly toasted bun with 1 Tbsp of Guacamole Spread and enjoy!
   

I served a Cold Corn Salad with the turkey burger on the side. I found this on Food52.com (check it out if you haven't - it's a really cool site) This salad is perfect for summer, as none of the veggies are cooked. I also brought this to our 4th of July cook-out, and everyone loved it! I

What you will need:

• 8 ears of white corn
• 2 quarts cherry tomatoes 
• 3 tablespoons of high-quality balsamic vinegar
• 1 quart of sugar snapped peas (this is optional in the original recipe, but I highly recommend using them!)
• Handful of roughly chopped basil or parsely (I used basil, but again this is optional)
• 1 medium red onion
• course salt (I did not add salt because the vinegar is salty enough for my taste)
• ground black pepper

What to do:

• Strip raw corn from ears. You can use a orn stripper or just run your chef's knife down the side of each ear about 8 times.
• Slice all cherry tomatoes in half or quarters depending on your preference. 
• Chop the red onion into a large dice. 
• If using the sugar-snap peas, cut in half or thirds to make more bite-sized. If you're not using them, and you want a little green for visual appeal, some rough chopped basil or flat-leaf parsley will do the trick. 
• Toss all vegetables in a bowl, along with the vinegar, salt and pepper