Basic Burger

Cold weather is fast approaching so there won't be much grilling going on for the next few months. It's still fairly decent weather out, so we can still get a few more uses out of the grill this year. I asked my husband last week to pick two things he wanted for dinner this week. One was burgers and the other, his favorite pasta. So tonight he fired up the grill and I made my basic burger recipe. Very easy and tasty and a nice farewell to summer.

My Basic Burger

1 1/4 lb lean ground beef
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
5-6 dashes worcestershire sauce
2 tsp Paula Deen's Steak and Prime Rib Rub (a mixture of salt, garlic powder, and smoke flavorings)-goes well with burgers, too

Combine all ingredients in a bowl until well mixed. Form into patties.
Makes 4 large burgers.

Summer Grillin'

I'm always looking for new marinades to spice up regular old grilled chicken. I like marinades that are simple, but have lots of flavor. Well this one is both! It has a subtle lime flavor but the red pepper adds a nice kick to it. The original recipe calls for a black bean sauce but since I have such a picky husband that won't eat beans of any kind, I decided to just use the chicken marinade.

Grilled Lime Chicken

3 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
¼ tsp. dried red pepper flakes
3 cloves garlic, crushed

Directions:
Combine lime juice, vegetable oil, red pepper and garlic in a large zip-top heavy duty plastic bag. Add chicken; seal bag and marinate in refrigerator for 8 hours, turning bag occasionally. Remove chicken from bag and grill over medium-hot coals. Cook 8-10 minutes on each side or until chicken is done.

*I served this with roasted red potatoes and steamed baby carrots.

Here's the recipe for the black bean sauce that I ommited.

1 cup water
½ cup red bell pepper, diced
1 tbsp. red onion, chopped
1 can black beans, drained
½ cup orange juice
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
¼ tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1 clove garlic, crushed
sprigs of fresh cilantro (optional)

Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan; add bell pepper and onion. Cook 30 seconds; drain. Rinse with cold water until cool; drain and set aside.

In a food processor, add beans, orange juice, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and garlic. Process until smooth. Pour into a saucepan; cook over medium-low heat until heated.

Divide bean mixture onto plates. Place chicken breast on top of sauce; top each with some of the bell pepper mixture or a fresh tomato salsa. Garnish with fresh cilantro.