Suzanne Hollander, MS, RD.

Suzanne Hollander, MS, RD

As a dietitian, home cook, and enthusiast of all-things-delicious, I'm often asked, "so what do YOU eat?" Here's a blog to answer that very question! My hope is that you'll find (even just a little) inspiration from some of my favorite recipes, restaurants, party-ideas and food musings for your own happy, healthy, food-loving lifestyle.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Lamb Burgers with Kale Chips

I love a good burger--nothing satisfies a red meat craving quite like them! Jazzing up a standard burger recipe for company is an affordable and delicious way to impress. Making small patties and serving burgers alongside lots of vegetables can keep your portion of a fattier meat in check and still leave you full and satisfied.

This week I made lamb burgers for a weeknight dinner with friends and served them with whole wheat pita pockets, homemade yogurt lemon dill dressing, and a side of oven-roasted kale chips (a favorite, fast go-to recipe). The yogurt dressing would go great on a salad or as a chicken marinade, so make a big batch since you have to get out the blender anyway!



Lamb Burgers
Serves 6

Ingredients
1.5 lbs ground lamb
1 ounce feta, crumbled
3 Tbs chopped kalamata olives
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbs fresh basil leaves, chopped
2 Tbs fresh oregano leaves, chopped
Salt and pepper

Directions
  1. Mix all ingredients with lamb until combined. Form into 6 patties and refrigerate ~30 minutes.
  2.  Grill on one side until browned, about 3-4 minutes. Turn and grill additional 3-4 minutes, until sides are browned and inside is pink.
  3. Serve with pita, cucumber, tomato, and yogurt dressing. 



Yogurt Lemon Dill Dressing
Makes about 1.5 cups

Ingredients
1 cup Greek yogurt
Juice of 1 lemon
½ cup chopped fresh dill
¼ cucumber, peeled and diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2-3 Tbs olive oil
Salt and pepper

Directions
Blend all ingredients except olive oil, salt and pepper. Drizzle olive oil into blender until dressing reaches desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.  



Kale Chips
Makes 2 servings

Ingredients
1 bunch kale, washed, stems removed
2 Tbs olive oil
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Directions
Preheat oven to 425. Wash kale and remove stems. Dry leaves well, tear, and toss in olive oil, salt and pepper. Place leaves on cookie sheet and roast about 10 minutes, until crispy. 


Stonebarns Getaway

 Visiting Dan Barber's Blue Hill at Stone Barns this past weekend was the perfect way to spend a gorgeous fall weather and a friend's birthday. We hopped a train out of the city and got lunch at Blue Hill Cafe. The food at Blue Hill (restaurants in both Tarrytown and Manhattan) is sourced from the Stone Barns farm and a few other local farms. The cafe where we grabbed a picnic lunch was an affordable way to enjoy Blue Hill's delicious and exclusively seasonal food, especially since the main restaurants are pricey, though worth it for what might have been the best meal I've ever had (a blog for another time, if I'm lucky).
Lunch feast complete with iced coffee for one of the last hot days of the year. 
Barbara in front of the veggies
 We shared delicious baked goods, vegetable salad, soup, and frittata and then walked around to check out all the piglets!


Cuddling pigs
toward the end of our hike (read: stroll) we were ready for naptime too!


We all feasted that day.



All in all, a successful day-trip and terrific birthday extravaganza.