A yummy summer recipe idea!

If you've followed me for a while, you know I'm not opposed to trying a different way of eating to try see if I like it. I'm a semi-vegetarian. I like chicken and fish, but mostly stick to the vegetarian choices here at home.

I found a few recipes a while back ago that I wanted to make my own and try to see how they came out. Today, I threw together a kale salad with a home made lemon basil dressing and a quinoa burger base.

And, I am happy to report they were FANTASTIC!

I got the idea for the quinoa burger here. I followed the recipe including the carrots (I thought I had zucchini but when I got in my fridge, I was mistaken) I used mozzarella for the cheese since it melts better and overall is a little better for you than cheddar. I also added a tablespoon of fresh basil and used a lot more freshly ground pepper. I used less oil than was suggested, just enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Now, the big difference for me was that I wanted to make the mix to keep a few days to have for dinners the next few nights, so I did NOT put the egg in right away. I made the mix and put it in the fridge for a few hours. I separated it into thirds and added one egg to the serving I was making then. That way, a raw egg isnt just hanging out in my food for a few days. Of course, if you're making the entire batch right away, then you don't need to do this.

After making them, I'd suggest adding two cloves of garlic into the mix and omitting the cumin. It seems a little odd tasting in with the rest of the veggies...even though its a minimal amount, a little cumin goes a long way. I think just a little more salt and pepper or maybe even celery salt would be a little more flavorful.

I'd also consider adding another veggie, like a red onion with a fine mince or even a cucumber...  I love the taste of quinoa with fresh sliced cucumber and perhaps next time I'll substitute the cheese with a little bit of feta instead making it a greek quinoa burger.

On the side, I made myself a fresh kale salad.

I shredded the leafy parts off the stem and cleaned them well. I dried them and put a tablespoon of sunflower seeds and a pinch of fresh grated parmesan cheese on the top. For the dressing, I found a recipe here  but didn't have any oregano, so I subbed basil instead. I also used a little more garlic than they suggested and a ton more black pepper. I like the flavor that fresh ground black pepper adds (we have a pepper mill) so I would probably say I doubled what the recipe called for. I put it in the fridge for a few hours before I ate.

By far, this was the freshest tasting, satisfying summer dinner in a long time!  You should try it!