Sashi Made A Recipe: The Chimichurri Up and Wait Burger (from Bob's Burgers)

 

When I saw this burger on the list, my brain immediately went to a recipe I made YEARS ago called Tango Joes so I based these burgers off that recipe which was modified from another recipe. It love how that happens! These had just a little bit of spice from the massive amount of garlic which paired well with beef, swiss, and mayo.

But I'm just going to say this now: I don't make authentic chimichurri sauce and I'm okay with that! Feel free to sub a different recipe if you feel so inclined. 🙂 A food processor is also very handy for making the sauce but you could also mince everything together manually if you need/ want to. I just used my mini 2 cup processor for this.

Bob's Burgers 
"Bob Belcher and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Kids"
Season 11

The Chimichurri Up and Wait Burger

Makes 4 burgers

• 3 celery ribs, roughly chopped
• 6 - 8 cloves of garlic
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar 
• 1 tightly packed cup of parsley leaves
• 1/4 cup tightly pack other herbs (I used 2 Tbsp cilantro leaves, 1 Tbsp thyme leaves, 1 Tbsp rosemary leaves)
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce 
• 1 Tbsp ketchup
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise 
• 4 hamburger buns, toasted
• 4 slices baby swiss cheese

1. In a food processor, add the celery, garlic, and vinegar then pulse on high until it makes a chunky paste. Add the parsley, herbs, and olive oil and blend to form a leafy sauce. I like mine on the smoother side but this is really a matter of preference. Set aside the sauce.
2. In a medium bowl, use your hand to blend together the ground beef, Worcestershire, ketchup, and  1/3 cup of the chimichurri. The mixture will be a little wet and loose. Form into 4 patties, each 3/8"-1/2" thick.
3. Heat a large nonstick over med-high heat and add the patties. Cook for 4 minutes, flip, and cook for 4 minutes more until the patties are cooked through. Flip again, add the cheese and turn off the heat. Cover to melt the cheese for 2 minutes.
4. While the patties are cooking, in a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise with 2 Tbsp of the chimichurri. 
5. Spread the mayo/chimichurri mixture on the cut sides of both the top and bottom buns. Add the burger patty to the bottom bun and cover with the top.
6. There will be leftover chimichurri sauce. Cover and refrigerate that green liquid gold and use it on things like scrambled eggs or potatoes!

Sashi Made A Recipe: Boom Boom Sauce

 

I was first introduced to Boom Boom Sauce at work in the cafeteria.*  It was on a shrimp po'boy and I was immediately hooked.  Once I knew they had this spicy ambrosia over at the hot sandwich station, which was also open for breakfast sandwiches, I started getting a small cup of it to put on my eggs as well as fries and pretty much anything else I could think of.

When I found a recipe for it on It Is A Keeper, I knew I had to make a slightly healthier version so, instead of mayo, I just used nonfat plain yogurt.  Easy peasy and just as tasty!  AND, on WW Blue, it's only 1 point for 2 Tbsp!

Boom Boom Sauce

• 1/4 c. plain nonfat yogurt OR plain nonfat Greek yogurt (either one works)
• 1 Tbsp ketchup
• 1 Tbsp sweet chile sauce (I use Maggi which is available in many major grocery stores)
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 - 1 tsp sriracha sauce, depending on your level of spice tolerance

Mix everything together in a small bowl until well mixed.  Refrigerate in a covered container until needed.  This is definitely better if you can make it ahead of time.

Makes 6 Tbsp

On WW Blue 💙, 1 point for 2 Tbsp

*Pre-pandemic, there were about 6,000 people that worked in our office buildings.  While this made parking a challenge for those who came in late, it meant that our company provided a lot of things to make it easier to stay in the building.  We had a Starbucks, CVS, Minute Clinic, drycleaners, and bank on site.  But our cafeteria was ah-ma-zing!  At breakfast, they had a short order grill, an omelet station, a breakfast sandwich station, a bagel/pastry station, and premade breakfast sandwiches as well as oatmeal, grits, cold cereal, etc.  At lunch, though, SO MANY options.  Short order grill, cold sandwiches made to order, hot sandwiches made to order, a self-serve salad bar, chopped salads made to order, pasta made to order, Mexican, Italian, Indian, Chinese, sushi, and spa cuisine (baked and steamed options).  I'm sure there is more that I am not remembering.  It was cheaper than going out to eat and, for the price, pretty darn good.  I read once that they served about 3,000 meals for breakfast and lunch.

The cafeteria is only opened partially right now since 95% of us are still working from home, but when the office opens up again, I hope the cafeteria will be back full capacity!

Sashi Made A Recipe: Easy Spicy Pasta Sauce with Homemade Italian Sausage

 

For the longest time, I made my own quick pasta sauces and sausage... then I got lazy. Now that I am trying to eat a little healthier, I'm reminded of how much more I enjoy my own sauces which only take a couple minutes longer to measure out the spices. If I were smarter, I would make a batch of the blends but, well, I am lazy.  😂  

For the sausage, you can use pork, chicken, or turkey with the same success. Again, it only takes a few minutes longer than opening a package of premade sausage. If possible, mix the sausage ahead of time to let the flavors meld, but it's still delicious if made right before you cook it.

I also use Palmini linguine instead of pasta for mine, but Andy still has regular pasta. Palmini is hearts of palm cut into strips. That's it! You just drain it, rinse it, then let it simmer in the sauce for a few minutes. It takes on the flavor of the sauce and has the look and mouthfeel of al dente pasta but without the additional refined carbs...which I save for garlic bread. 😉

Homemade Sweet Italian Sausage

• 1 lb ground chicken, turkey, or pork (I used ground chicken breast)
• 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 tsp dried parsley
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
• 1/4 tsp brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

1. Mix all of the ingredients together. You can cook it right away but if you can wait at least 30 minutes or the next day, it's even better!
2. Cook the sausage over medium heat, breaking up the pieces until crumbled and golden brown, 5-7 minutes. 
3. Add the ingredients for the pasta sauce below.

Makes 4 servings

On WW Blue 💙, 0 points per serving with ground chicken breast or turkey breast

Easy Spicy Pasta Sauce

• 28-29 oz can no-salt-added tomato sauce
• 15 oz can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 Tbsp jarred minced garlic
• 1 Tbsp dried parsley
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (more if you like it spicier)

1. In a large saucepan, mix everything together and bring it to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer, stirring often, for 10-15 minutes or longer if you prefer a thicker sauce. 
2. I usually let it simmer while I make my pasta.

Makes 4 servings

On WW Blue 💙, 1 point per serving