A flavorful, colorful lamb burger served with tomato, cucumber, onion, and feta
Yield: 

4 servings
Ingredients: 

Burger ingredients:

1 pound ground lamb
1 tablespoon dried mint leaves (or 2T fresh chopped)
1 tablespoon dried cilantro (or 2T fresh chopped)
1 tablespoon dried oregano (or 2T fresh chopped)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons red wine
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon molasses
1 teaspoon freshly ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice*
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes**
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

For serving:

4 pita bread rounds (or use hamburger buns)
Mayonnaise or dressing of your choice
Thinly sliced cucumber
Thinly sliced tomatoes
Thinly sliced onions
Lettuce, optional
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (optional)
Instructions: 

1.
In a large bowl, combine the lamb with the seasonings and mix well.
Shape into 4 patties (or cover and refrigerate until needed, up to 24
hours).

2. Preheat grill on medium. Brush grill grate with oil. Grill burgers
~5 minutes on each side (our Weber Q grill takes 4 minutes on each
side).

3. Heat the pita pockets or buns briefly on the grill (we spread a little butter on the buns first).

4. Serve burgers with the mayonnaise, cucumber slices, tomatoes,
onions, and lettuce or feta (if desired) in the pita pockets or on the
buns.

Additional Notes: 

*I didn’t have allspice, so I tossed in a sprinkling of black pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves.

**This sounds like a lot of crushed red pepper, but the burgers really aren’t what I would consider “hot”, so feel free to add more if you want some heat! I like 1 teaspoon instead of 1/2 for a spicy burger. 🙂

This recipe is from Tammy’s Recipes.

A
grilled cheese sandwich with a twist: between crisp buttery slices of
rye bread, you’ll find Swiss cheese, sauteed beef and onions, and some
green pepper!
Yield: 

4 large sandwiches
Ingredients: 

3/4 pound thinly sliced roast beef*, torn into large chunks (2-3″ in diameter)
1 small-medium onion, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper
1 large green bell pepper, sliced into 8 rings
8 slices of provolone or Swiss cheese
softened butter
8 slices rye bread
Instructions: 

1. Butter one side of each slice of bread and set aside.

2. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt 1-2 tablespoons butter.
Add the onions and saute for a few minutes, until onions start to turn
translucent.

3. Add the beef to the onions, sprinkle with a little salt and
pepper, and saute until meat is hot.  Remove onion and meat mixture
from the skillet and set aside.

4. Add a tablespoon of butter to the skillet and saute the pepper slices, just until crisp-tender. Don’t overcook!!

5. Assemble sandwiches by placing a slice of bread
buttered-side-down. Place 1 green pepper ring on the bread. Place a
slice of cheese on top of the pepper. Spoon about one fourth of the meat
mixture onto the slice of cheese and top with another slice of cheese.
Place a second pepper slice on top of the second slice of cheese, and
place another slice of bread, butter-side-up, on top.

So, from top to bottom, you will have:

Bread
Pepper
cheese
Meat/Onions
cheese
Pepper
Bread

And the buttered sides of the bread will be on the outside of the
sandwiche, like for a grilled cheese sandwich. Because… that is what
we are going to do next: grill it!

6. Heat a griddle or skillet over medium heat. Carefully place
sandwiches on the hot griddle. After a couple minutes, flip sandwiches
and toast the other side to a nice crispy brown. The cheese should be
melted. Yum!

7. These sandwiches are best enjoyed hot off the griddle, but if for
some reason you need to hold them for a few minutes until they can be
devoured, we find it works great to place them on a wire cooling rack to
prevent condensation from forming on the crispy buttery grilled side!

Additional Notes: 

*You can use deli roast beef, or slice your own from leftover roast beef.

Joshua created this recipe, combining a couple of his favorite
things: Grilled cheese and MEAT! 🙂 A big fan of Philly Cheese Steak
sandwiches, these grilled ones are an easy way to enjoy the same
flavors.

I have a rye bread recipe here. The bread in the photos of this sandwich, however, is from a store, not homemade.

This recipe is from Tammy’s Recipes.

Juicy tenderized New York strip steak with horseradish sauce served on a grilled bun with lettuce, cheese, red onion, and tomato
Yield: 

4 servings
Ingredients: 

2 large New York strip steaks*
liquid smoke flavoring
salt
pepper
granulated garlic**
oil, preferably in a spray bottle

For the sauce:

2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish

Toppings:

4 large thin slices of red onion
4 large thin slices of tomato
4 thin slices of cheese (Swiss, Provolone, cheddar, or American)
4 large lettuce leaves, washed

4 large hamburger buns
Softened butter, for spreading
Instructions: 

1. Trim fat and gristle from steaks and cut each steak in half, to form burger-sized pieces. Using a meat tenderizer (we have this meat tenderizer and it works great!), tenderize each steak several times (at least 4-5 times, and up to 10-12 times [with 16-blade tenderizer]).

2. Season steaks on both sides with liquid smoke (we put our liquid smoke in a spray bottle for convenience), salt, pepper, garlic, and oil. Preheat grill on HIGH for 10-15 minutes.

3. To prepare the sauce, mix the horseradish and mayonnaise in a
small bowl and set aside. Get the buns ready to grill by very lightly
buttering the open sides.

4. Grill buns for a couple minutes, buttered side down, until lightly toasted. Remove and set aside.

5. Grill steaks on MEDIUM for 8-9 minutes, flipping once halfway
through grilling time, until desired doneness is reached.*** We like
ours a little pink in the middle still, but even fully cooked
steakburgers will be super tender and juicy.

6. Assemble sandwiches using the horseradish sauce, onion, cheese, lettuce, and tomato. Enjoy hot!

Additional Notes: 

*I
am sure other cuts of steak would work in this recipe as well.
Obviously, the better your cut of meat, the better this steakburger will
taste!

**Or use garlic powder or garlic salt (omit salt called for in ingredients list if using garlic salt).

***The FDA advises that tenderized meats should be fully cooked
unless irradiated meat is used, in which case some pink in the middle is
considered safe.

We tenderize our meat right before grilling, using a very clean tenderizer and cutting board, and feel safe consuming it with pink in the middle. If in doubt, fully cook and check with a meat thermometer! 🙂

This recipe is from Tammy’s Recipes.

Easy and flavorful bean tacos!
Yield: 

varies
Ingredients: 

Corn tortillas, lightly browned in oil
Cooked pinto beans*
Tapatio or hot sauce of your choice*
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Sour cream Instructions: 

1.
Heat beans. On a hot corn tortilla, spread a thin layer of hot beans.
Splash your favorite hot sauce on the beans. Sprinkle with cheese. Fold
in half into a taco shape.

2. Dip the end of the taco in sour cream after each bite. Delicious!

Additional Notes: 

You can easily add lettuce, tomatoes, or salsa to these tacos if you wish!

So easy and delicious!

*Tapatio is our favorite. 🙂

This recipe is from Tammy’s Recipes.

A fluffy butter mixture that’s easily spreadable
Yield: 

2 cups
Ingredients: 

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup water, at room temperature
Instructions: 

1. Using an electric mixer, blend butter on HI until fluffy.

2. Continue mixing, and slowly add oil. Continue mixing and slowly
add water. Mixture will turn white and be very light and fluffy!

3. Chill until set. (See additional notes.)

Additional Notes: 

*This
mixture may be stored in the refrigerator or at room temperature. At
room temperature, it is very soft and fluffy. From the fridge, it is
still spreadable, and softens or melts quickly.

This spread is great for toast, bagels, bread, pancakes, or grilled
cheese sandwiches. In fact, I thought the grilled cheese sandwiches were
extra crispy when I used this spread instead of plain butter!

We have tried adding salt to this recipe, which makes it taste even better (I love salt) but can make the water separate after being stored in the fridge a while.

This recipe is from Tammy’s Recipes.

A medium-textured spicy homemade lunch meat
Yield: 

5 pounds of salami
Ingredients: 

2 cups water
1 tablespoon liquid smoke flavor
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons mustard seed
1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
5 pounds freshly ground beef (80% lean or leaner)
5 tablespoons Morton’s Tender Quick (cure)
Instructions: 

1. Combine water, liquid smoke, spices, and Tender Quick. Add beef and knead with hands, mixing well.

2. Divide meat into 3 rolls. Wrap each roll separately in heavy-duty
foil. Meat will be soft and moist, so be sure to use heavy-duty foil.
Wrap foil tightly closed down center and seal ends. Refrigerate for 24
hours.

3. Using a fork, make holes through the foil on the bottom of each roll, about one inch apart.

4. Place rolls on the rack of a broiler pan with the hole pierced
part on the underneath. Place hot water in the shallow pan of the
broiler, underneath the rack.

5. Bake in center of oven at 325 degrees for 2 hours. Remove foil and set rolls on rack to drain and cool. Slice as desired. Cover and store in refrigerator for up to ten days, or freeze.

This recipe is from Tammy’s Recipes.

My recipe for a pork-free grilled version of the classic Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato sandwich!
Yield: 

1 sandwich
Ingredients: 

3 slices turkey bacon
2 large fresh tomato slices
1 leaf of green lettuce (your favorite kind will work!)
1 thin slice of cheddar cheese, optional
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
a small amount of butter
2 slices multi-grain bread (OR your favorite sandwich bun/roll)
Instructions: 

1. Preheat gas grill or prepare charcoal grill. Grill turkey bacon on low for about 4 minutes. Flip and grill 4 more minutes.

2. Spread a very thin layer of butter on the bread you are using.
Grill bread on low for a minute or two on each side (only do one side —
the inside — if using a roll/bun rather than sliced bread).

Instead of using an outdoor grill, you can do this inside on the stovetop using a griddle, stovetop grill, or frying pan.

3. Spread mayonnaise on bread and assemble sandwich with the turkey bacon, lettuce, and tomato (and cheese if using). Enjoy hot! (I like to serve these BLTs with a tasty salad.)

This recipe is from Tammy’s Recipes.

Grilled
chicken marinated in lemon and fresh herbs, served gyro-style on pita
bread with tzatziki sauce, tomato, onion, and feta cheese
Yield: 

4 servings
Ingredients: 

Chicken souvlaki ingredients:

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast or tenders, cubed for skewers
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons fresh oregano, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning, optional
Oil

Tzatziki sauce ingredients:

1/2 cup grated peeled cucumber (seeds removed and juice drained*)
1/4 cup greek yogurt or plain yogurt
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon chopped oregano
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt

For serving:

4 pita rounds (regular pita bread or whole wheat pita bread)
2 tomatoes, sliced
4 slices of red onion
1/4 cup crumbled Feta cheese, optional
Lettuce (whole leaves or shredded), optional Instructions: 

1.
Soak bamboo skewers. Toss the chicken chunks with the garlic, lemon
zest, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, salt, and lemon pepper seasoning in a
large bowl or Ziplock bag. Allow to marinate for 15 minutes.

2. While the chicken is marinating, make the tzatziki sauce by mixing
the cucumber, yogurt, sour cream, oregano, lemon zest, lemon juice, and
salt in a bowl.

3. Preheat grill on HI for 10 minutes (or prepare coals for
charcoal). While grill is heating, put chicken on skewers and drizzle or
spray with a little oil.

4. Reduce grill heat to medium and grill chicken with lid closed,
rotating skewers every 5 minutes or so, until chicken is done (about
10-15 minutes depending on the size of the chunks and your grill).

5. Serve hot grilled chicken “gyro-style” — with the pita bread, prepared tzatziki sauce, tomato slices, onion slices, and feta and/or lettuce if using.

This recipe is from Tammy’s Recipes.

Delicious and easy homemade version of Taco Bell’s Double Decker Tacos
Yield: 

8 servings
Ingredients: 

8 hard taco shells
8 corn tortillas (or soft-taco-sized flour tortillas)
2 cups refried beans*, warmed
1 pound ground beef
1 onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon chili powder
dash black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin (I love freshly-ground cumin!)
1 teaspoon brown sugar
Tapatio or other hot sauce, to taste
4 cups shredded lettuce
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup diced tomatoes Instructions: 

1.
Fry ground beef with onion and garlic. Drain well and return to pan.
Toss meat with the tablespoon of flour. Stir in water, chili powder,
pepper, salt, cumin, brown sugar, and hot sauce. Bring to a boil,
stirring constantly, and breaking any large chunks of beef into smaller
bits.

2. Heat a griddle or heavy skillet over medium heat. Lightly spray or
drizzle with a little oil and then cook corn tortillas until lightly
browned on both sides (1-2 minutes per side).

3. Evenly spread about 1/4 cup of the warmed refried beans over a
cooked corn tortilla. Place a hard taco shell inside and wrap with the
tortilla, so that the beans are a layer between the hard shell and soft
tortilla.

4. Fill taco with about 1/4 cup meat mixture, 1/2 cup lettuce, 2 tablespoons shredded cheese and 2 tablespoons diced tomato. Serve and enjoy!

This recipe is from Tammy’s Recipes.

Easy individually-wrapped bean and rice burritos for the freezer! These burritos are simple and delicious!
Yield: 

8 burritos
Ingredients: 

4 cups cooked pinto beans (or beans of your choice)
4 cups cooked rice (1 1/3 cups dry rice, cooked)
4 cups (16 ounces) shredded Mexican or cheddar cheese
Salt, to taste
Hot sauce, optional (we like Tapatio or Cholula)
8 burrito-size flour tortillas
Sour cream or hot sauce, for serving Instructions: 

1.
In a large bowl, toss together the beans, rice, cheese, and some
splashes of hot sauce (if using). Add a little salt if you haven’t
already salted your beans or rice.

2. Spread about 1 1/2 cups of the beans and rice mixture on each
tortilla. Fold into burritos (see below). Wrap individually in pieces of
foil.

3. Place foil-wrapped burritos in a gallon-size freezer Ziplock bag,
removing excess air if possible. Label with name and date. Freeze for up
to 6 months (if tightly wrapped).

Reheating instructions:

From frozen: Place frozen burritos a few inches apart directly on
oven rack. Turn oven on to 375 degrees and bake for 35-40 minutes, until
hot inside. Serve with sour cream or hot sauce!

From thawed (or freshly made): Place burritos a few inches apart directly on oven rack. Turn oven on to 375 degrees and bake for 25 minutes, until hot inside. Serve with sour cream or hot sauce!

This recipe is from Tammy’s Recipes.