Grilled Sirloin Burger with Roasted Garlic, Brie and Maple Candied Bacon

Grilled Sirloin Burger with a Head of Roasted Garlic,
Brie and Maple Candied Bacon

A little known fact about More Than Burnt Toast is that I belong to a group called The Okanagan Burger Tour. We are a group of burger "enthusiasts" who venture to a different restaurant or venue once a month to eat burgers. Why?  We love our burgers! We have been anywhere from the highfalutin  to the truly humble and never seem to run out of places that serve this harbinger of summer barbecues. It is a fun group and something I look forward to each month.

 One of the most memorable burgers for me was at a little place on the lake called The Blind Angler. It was barely large enough to hold our group but what it lacked in space it made up in quality of their burger, the burger/bun ratio and the quality of their bun. Not that long ago I was haunted by their juicy sirloin burger topped with melted brie and at least a head of sweet, nutty roasted garlic. I dreamt of a burger where my elbows caught the drippings and my toes would curl. I do not have their recipe so invented my own version. Ultimately I entered my burger in a contest. I did not win, but, the judges don't know what they are missing...wink.

Nancy Silverton's Thanksgiving Burger with Sweet Potato Fries

Thanksgiving Burger with Sweet Potato Fries

I don't need to tell you how times flies. One moment we will be starting a new work week and then all of a sudden here it is Friday again. We turned our clocks back earlier in the week so reality has set in about the inevitability of winter. Could it be that it a few short days it will be the American Thanksgiving, and then of course the real celebration begins for Canadians with the C-Word not long after. Shhhh, I do not mention the word _____________ before December 1st for fear of being struck down in my prime. What I can and will mention is that today is Remembrance Day. It is not just a day off ,but a time to remember our fallen soldiers through the generations and all those who lived their lives for us. "Lest we Forget"

11/11/11

A Women Game Changer Creates Spanakopita Burgers

Turkey Spanakopita Burger and Fries with Yogurt Dip

She's here!!! Born in Glen Falls, New York, Rachael Domenica Ray, grew up with restaurant-owning parents, who helped nurture her interest not only in everything related to food but also the business side. She must have sprung out of the womb with a gleaming smile and a positive attitude. Rachel worked as a manager at many different food companies, including the fresh foods department at Macy’s, and Mister Brown’s Pub at a popular hotel, The Sagamore, in upstate New York. You can find out everything you ever wanted to know about her life here on her website. Whether you love her or are a "hater" all of Rachel’s achievements have amounted to her not only becoming a household name, but acquiring an estimated net worth of millions in the double digits. Even if you have one foot heavily in the "hater" camp we all know who she is! For a small town girl, with no formal culinary training, this is quite an achievement! I wish I were Rachel Ray and had even a small amount of her ambition, or her lifestyle. It seems that if you fall under Oprah's radar, success is never far behind.

Celebrate Canada Day with Canadian Whiskey and Brown Sugar Flank Steak with Garlic-Chive Mashed Potatoes Remake

Canadian Whiskey and Brown Sugar Flank Steak with Garlic-Chive Mashed Potatoes

Canada's 144th birthday is fast approaching tomorrow on July 1st. For many this is just another long weekend but Canada Day is an opportunity to gather in every community from coast to coast to coast to celebrate the vision of our ancestors. We celebrate with community events, backyard barbecues, family picnics and plenty of fireworks in each and every community across the country. Canada is a melting pot of cultures, sights and sounds which holds true for our culinary diversity as well.

This year not only will we be wearing red and white T-shirts and sun hats at the MTBT household (the colours of the Canadian flag), but, we will also be enjoying red and white dishes... from appetizers to dessert. I have dreamed up a red and white menu that would make our ancestors proud and one that celebrates the Canadian spirit. After all what is a celebration without food!!! And what is Canada Day without red and white somewhere in the picture, or as in this case the star of the show!!

Cooking Light Gets Out of the Kitchen and onto the Grill

Barbecued Chicken Sliders with Pickled Onions

(photo from Cooking Light)

We are so glad you have decided to join us once again for our Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club. This is a monthly event where 5 ladies and one gent in two neighbouring countries, Canada and the United States, get together to create a delicious meal with a theme in mind. We are now in our second year and continue to share a love for Cooking Light magazine which has an emphasis on healthy eating and living. This is a team effort where we combine what Cooking Light readers like best...good food with great company!!! Every month millions of readers turn to Cooking Light for recipes, advice on nutrition and fitness. This months theme "Get Out of the Kitchen" was chosen by Sandi of The Whistestop Cafe.

 Lets see what we have cooked up for you with this months theme. If you would care to join in either link your light barbecue recipes or add your link to the Linky tool below.

Head to Nigeria with FOODalogue and Sample Some Chicken Suya with Cracked Wheat Salad

Suya with Cracked Wheat Salad

Nigeria is a large country located in West Africa whose name is taken from its namesake the Niger River, which plays an important part in the daily lives of those who live there. Not only is the river an important transportation highway, it is also an excellent source of fish, including carp, Nile perch, and catfish. It also provides much needed irrigation for cultivating crops. A large part of Nigeria lies in the tropics, where fruits are abundant. Some of the popular fruits we are familiar with are oranges, melons, grapefruits, limes, mangoes, bananas, and pineapples.  It seems that food would be be abundant but to put it into context, my Lonely Planet travel guide states that food in West Africa “is more a question of survival rather than enjoyment”. The "hungry season" is before the rains arrive in March, and the "season of surplus" follows the harvest in October and November. It would be a difficult place for a self-professed “foodie”.

Break out the Brai with Grilled Pesto Peppers

Grilled Pesto Peppers

I hope you all had a fun-filled weekend. The kids were visiting over the long weekend so we dug deep into to our roots to enjoy some of the simple things in life...creating meals together as a family, good conversation, picking the first apples of the season, being in each others company while all the while being a tourist in our own town. Where else would we want to be, unless if course you are a university student finding her own path in life and enjoying all the cultural diversity of living in a big city on the coast?

Agnello Scottadita (Burned Fingers) for our Eat, Pray, Love Challenge

Agnello Scottadita (Burned Fingers)

If you have been following More Than Burnt Toast you will know that I have been creating personal challenges based on a theme to infuse new life into my own cooking adventures. At the moment I am not travelling the world on my own personal journey as Elizabeth Gilbert did in Eat, Pray, Love but I can infuse new life into my own kitchen. Since this is a food blog I am going to concentrate on the EAT part of the book so my next personal challenge will see me create an Italian menu from antipasti to dolce to celebrate the opening of Eat, Pray, Love the movie starring Julia Roberts.

Eat , Pray,Love is Elizabeth Gilbert’s wonderfully crafted book about life changing experiences when she trades in her previously perfect life to travel the world "to find herself. " After a heart wrenching divorce she spends a year traveling in Italy, India and Indonesia. Each word in the title Eat, Pray, Love is expanded by her experiences in three countries. In Italy she indulges in the fabulous food and language. In India she finds new meaning in her life on her personal journey of self-awareness and enlightenment spending time in an Indian ashram. Then as a climax to the book she finally finds love in Bali, Indonesia.

(My World is Blue) Lemony Shrimp and Garlic on Lavender Stems

Lemony Shrimp and Garlic on Lavender Stems

As mentioned earlier this week it is time for another challenge here at More Than Burnt Toast. For the next  week the posts around here are turning blue in July with my latest personal blog challenge...My World is Blue. I have taken on the challenge of creating a menu from beginning to end from salad to dessert using culinary lavender and infusions, each recipe incorporating a new technique.

My inspiration came from a beautiful farm property with sweeping views of Okanagan Lake the Okanagan Lavender Herb Farm . The McFadden family reinvented their heritage property into an agritourism business which today features over 60 varieties of fragrant lavender. Row upon row of gentle waves of icy blue, mauve, and deep violet billow all around you with themed herbal gardens and an array of whimsical vine sculptures.

(Today is the last day to enter our Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club giveaway here...)

Rum-Spiked Grilled Pineapple with Toasted Coconut with a Side of Salted Caramel Ice Cream -Plus a Giveaway

You Can Win!!!!

 We are so glad you have decided to join us once again for our Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club. This is a monthly event where 5 ladies in two neighbouring countries get together to create a delicious meal with a theme in mind. We all share a love for Cooking Light magazine which has an emphasis on healthy eating and living. The idea is simple because of our common interest in cooking and healthy cuisine. We love to share these ideas with you each and every month through our Virtual Supper Club. This is a team effort where we combine what Cooking Light readers like best...good food with great company!!! This month our menu features dishes for:

Picnics or Barbecues

There is really something to celebrate this month so break out your party hats, barbecue aprons and tongs and join in on the fun! We have come full circle and are celebrating a milestone here at the Virtual Supper Club. This was our very first theme when we first began one year ago. We have now reached a milestone in the year we have gathered  at each others table virtually. There have been some recent changes with our group and Cooking Light no longer maintains their blog where we were featured, but, we love being in each others company so much we hope to continue on this healthy journey with you. You will always find out what's happening at the Virtual Supper Club here. Check out our past challenges. Keep reading to see how you can win!

Grilled Caprese Chicken Burgers

Grilled Caprese Chicken Burger

Is there anything that says summer and the backyard barbecue more than a juicy burger? When making beef burgers I feel that simplest and unadorned is best. Add a little water or wine to the meat, shape and barbecue. The burger will get additional flavouring from the toppings you choose to add.

Chicken has a much blander flavour and in my humble opinion needs an extra boost of flavour when grilled... the sultry, smoky char-broiled taste of grilling not withstanding.  If the ground chicken breast were left alone it would not stand up and be counted, so, therefore I added more robust flavours like fresh basil, sun-dried tomatoes and Parmesan cheese to add that flavour punch. In the case of this chicken burger the bocconcini cheese and basil toppings are a compliment and do not overpower the flavour of the chicken burger. Chicken burgers have a tendency to dry out when grilling so the key to a moist juicy chicken burger is two-fold...add egg as a binder and make your patties thinner so that they won't be over the intense heat of the grill for too long. You could also use chicken thighs.

Celebrate the Special Men in Your Life with a Traditional Barbecue

Dad

Happy Father's Day to all the special men in your life!!!! To all the fathers, brothers, uncles and sons out there or any combination of the above!!!!! Father's Day is a day when we can tell you how much we appreciate all that you have done over the years and for being the loving and caring people that you are. I know that we should tell you more often each and every day, but Sunday will be a day set aside just for you in your Hallmark moment.

Char-Grilled Halloumi with Tomato Olive Dressing

 

Char-Grilled Halloumi with Tomato Olive Dressing

Don't you just love blogging? Has there ever been a place where you can make friends with so many like-minded people, learn new things and create new recipes to share all in one convenient location? I am continually learning and am always amazed by the number of ingredients I have never come across in my corner of the world. These are new taste sensations I am longing for. On one such Internet search I came across a new ingredient that my British blogging friends may have already heard of...sun blushed tomatoes.

Fire-Seared Antipasto Platter

Fire Seared Antipasto Platter

Grilling season is here in full swing. That is where you will find me this time of the year grilling lamb sliders, marinated chicken breasts and other dishes like this grilled antipasto. To start the week off I am joining in on the Foodbuzz Daily Specials which today feature grill baskets and trays such as the one you will find here. Either a grill basket or tray are handy tools to have for barbecue season. You can grill small foods with ease and delicate foods with confidence. Sturdy grilling baskets let you shake and move a variety of meats, vegetables, seafood, and more, with a simple turn of the handle. Just think you would never have to fish out pieces of asparagus, onion or other small items that have fallen through the grill grates. Lightly oil or spray with cooking spray and you are all set.

Grilled Chicken Club with Garlic Pesto Mayonnaise

Aaaah summer!!! It is still holding on and the barbecue is still blazing. I do love a nice juicy hamburger with melted cheese and dripping with luscious toppings just like all of us but for me a nice chicken burger is right up there as well. This is a version of a club sandwich with barbecued chicken, melted cheese, and salty bacon. It has the addition of a few slices of ripe avocado in each bite but the "piece de resistance" would be the garlic pesto mayonnaise. I had some leftover basil pesto from the other day so made a special sauce for my burger. I had read somewhere in the blogosphere about the more traditional way of making pesto, after all what did we do before technology!!!

Historically, pesto is prepared in a marble mortar with a wooden pestle. The leaves are washed, dried, placed in the mortar with garlic and coarse salt, and crushed to a creamy consistency. The pine nuts are added and crushed together with the other ingredients. When the nuts are well-incorporated into the "cream", grated cheese or olive oil can be added and mixed with a wooden spoon. But I am told that if you have ever tasted pesto in Italy you know that the pesto here is just not the same. Some day I hope to taste pesto somewhere in a vineyard in the rolling hillsides of Italy, but, until then I will do my best to duplicate it at home in a time-honoured Italian style.

Most of the pesto you encounter here is different for a couple of reasons. You can purchase reasonably good pesto in the frozen foods section of your local grocers but it is also easily made at home. Modern conveniences such as food processors and blenders make this Genovese sauce a breeze. It is quick and easy to blitz the ingredients and voila you have food from the Gods!!! Now don't get me wrong, I do understand that this is absolutely delicious and the way I prepare my own pesto with my own copious amounts of basil. But...and I do say but.....because the ingredients are not hand chopped in the time-honoured way you end up with a texture that is more like a moist paste and there is little to no definition between ingredients. I realize, after trying this method at the recommendation of another blogger, chopping all the ingredients by hand and not blending them is the key!! When pasta is graced with a pesto that has been hand chopped you will get bursts of basil flavours in every bite. By hand chopping all your ingredients together your pesto will take on a personality of it's own. I grew my own basil this year, which has seen better days by this time of the year, but I highly recommend it.

So, if you are serious about making good pesto, get a good sharp knife or mezzaluna. You'll need it!!!! Chopping the ingredients will take twenty or thirty minutes. Whatever you use to chop, make sure it has a sharp blade or the basil will turn dark. Believe me the reward at the end will be two fold. You will have developed muscles of a Greek Adonis as well as developed a mouthwatering combination for your pasta.

For this sandwich I mixed some of my leftover pesto with mayonnaise and more garlic for an accompaniment to my grilled sandwich.


**Grilled Chicken Club with Garlic Pesto Mayonnaise**

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast fillets
Salt and black pepper, to taste
8 slices Swiss or other cheese of your choice
4 Kaiser rolls, sliced horizontally, toasted
4 lettuce leaves
8 tomato slices
8 slices bacon, cooked crisply
1/4 avocado, peeled, sliced
Garlic Pesto Mayonnaise, recipe follows

****************

Preheat grill. Season chicken with salt and pepper and grill over medium heat for 5 to 8 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Top each chicken fillet with 2 slices cheese; heat on grill until cheese melts.

Spread garlic pesto mayonnaise on bottom half of each roll and top with lettuce, tomato, bacon, chicken and avocado.

Close each sandwich with top half of roll and serve.

Garlic Pesto Mayonnaise

1 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup lightly toasted pine nuts
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/4 cup mayonnaise

***********
On a cutting board with a sharp knife or mezzaluna chop basil, pine nuts and garlic until a fine consistency. Add to a bowl. To this add salt, pepper, Parmesan. and mayonnaise, stirring to blend well. Cover tightly and refrigerate until ready to serve.(Of course you could prepare the basil in a food processor if you like for speed)

Fire-Seared Antipasto Platter Made with Love Giveaway

The winners of last weeks draw are:

Lana of Never Enough Thyme

Jeanette of Cooked from the Heart

Shelby of The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch and I have been cooking up a storm in an effort to bring to your attention these 100% natural spice blends from a local artisan company Made with Love . The company is a family run business with a back to basics focus on integrity, insight and simplicity. At Made with Love a bonus is that they choose their packaging consciously with our planet’s health in mind, opting for materials which are natural, reusable, recyclable or biodegradable.

Shelby and I have been alternately cooking up some recipes using our collection of Made with Love Eco-friendly Spice Blends. Each week we have been giving away a different couplet or trio of Spice Blends Gift Sets to you our readers generously supplied by Made with Love. Simply find the weeks chosen "search and find image" and enter to win!! We are in our 5th week of this amazing and generous giveaway!!!!

Their Spice Blends are a hand-crafted, 100% natural blend of spices, herbs and vegetables designed to make everyday cooking and eating simple, healthy and tasty. All of their Spice Blends combine Whole Super Food Nutrition with a focus on antioxidant properties in flavours that are deliciously addictive!!! Every Spice Blend can be used to make dips, spreads, dressings, marinades, sauces, pasta, stir fry, meats, eggs, tofu, beans, soups, chili, veggies, breads, appetizers ...the possibilities are endless to make EVERYTHING taste great!!!!! For the past 4 weeks we have been experimenting and making wonderful dishes with their Spice Blends.

So far, Shelby and I have been whipping up

Creamy Asparagus Soup with a Touch of Dill made with the Daring Dill Spice Blend

Mediterranean Pasta Salad with Ricotta and Feta made with their Pesto Garlic Spice Blend

Barbequed Shrimp made with Red Pepper Blend

Chicken Penne Prima Vera put together with the Prima Vera Spice Blend . Perfecto!!

Here's how to win in the 5th week of our giveaway:

1) Visit their web site http://www.madewithlove.ca/ and find the image/photo "Three in a Tree" for this weeks entry and enter to win at the e-mail below.

2) Leave a comment at madewithlovecontest(AT)gmail(DOT)com where you found the image/photo"Three in a Tree". Please let us know your blog URL so that we can post the names of the winners on our sites with a link back to you!!!

3) You will be automatically entered to win a Made With Love Eco-friendly Spice Blends Gift Set. This weeks winners will receive an Earth-Friendly Gift Set couplet of Red Pepper and Country Onion Regular-size Spice Blends worth $40.

4) Visit either Shelby at The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch or here at More Than Burnt Toast at the beginning of each week for a delicious recipe and a new chance to win!!!

5) The lucky winners who receive their couplet of Spice Blends will create a recipe using their products, blog about it with a link to http://www.madewithlove.ca/ . All of the recipe creations will be posted as a roundup on The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch and here on More Than Burnt Toast. Your recipe may even be on the Made with Love website!!!!

Their flavour combinations are somewhat unusual and take flavours to new heights.

Prima Vera Spice Blend is a wonderful blend of sun-dried tomato, sweet pepper and Italian spices. Try this blend for creamy, red or clear pasta sauces, in cream cheese on a bagel it is heavenly and as a Spanish-style rice side dish.

Crimson Love Spice Blend is a garlic lover’s blend with a strong essence of rosemary in a dried beet base with hints of nori and fresh greens. Wonderful for dips, dressings or pretty pink pasta!

Jalapeno Roots Spice Blend is a rich blend of jalapeno with garlic, onions, sweet peppers and lime in a dried carrot base. Creamy dips & pasta are gorgeous. Spice up your guacamole, veggies, meats or salsa.

Garden Curry Spice Blend is a mild curry blend with a mix of garden vegetables. Blended in cream cheese, pasta or yogurt dip it creates a mild, rich and flavourful sunshine cream!
Country Onion Spice Blend is a traditional mix of fresh garden herbs, caramelized onions and chives. An extremely versatile blend, great on poultry, meats or eggs, fabulous for potatoes and herbed rice.

Pesto Garlic Spice Blend is their dried rendition of its namesake. Not fresh pesto but an easy instant version that is extremely versatile. No pinenuts or cheese here so safe for vegans or nut’free, just a beautiful blend of the herb flavours traditionally recognised as pesto. Great for pasta, meats or salad.

Daring Dill Spice Blend is truly their most sophisticated blend full of great dill flavour followed by a hint of fresh tomato and a hot mustard finish. Lovely on veggies, chicken or fish. Excellent for vinaigrette dressings and creamy sauces. Delightful!

Aztec Chocolate Spice Blend is a complex blend of Real Cacao, Coffee and Vanilla Beans with pungent sweet and spicy peppers. Aztec Chocolate is a traditional savoury flavour mix for Mexican and Latin American cuisine, led by the ancient Aztec and Mayan peoples of the region. Try it on meat dishes, beans, tofu or salad dressings this amazing sweet and spicy combo is great for everyday cooking. Also decadently fabulous for our desert dip.

Red Pepper Spice Blend is sweet with a mild spicy flavour similar to a pepper jelly. A blend of turbinado sugar with a mix of sweet and hot chilies. Amazing on veggies of any kind and a wonder to sprinkle on chicken, pork or fish. Great in mashed potatoes or melted in your popcorn butter it is absolutely addictive.

Next week will be your last opportunity to win these exceptional spice blends that can be shipped worldwide.

This week I whipped up a delicious grilled antipasto. The great thing about antipasto it is wide open to possibilities depending on what is in season as well as what is available in your area. The Red Pepper Spice Blend brought these grilled veggies to new heights of taste perfection!!!!

**Fire Seared Antipasto Platter**

Printable Recipe

based on a recipe by Cooking Light

Dressing:

6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons Made with Love Red Pepper SpiceBlend

Vegetables:

2 cups baby tomatoes

2 red bell peppers, quartered and seeded

2 yellow bell peppers, quartered and seeded

2 zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick slices (or 6 - 8 baby zucchini)

1 red onion, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices

1 pound asparagus spears

1 package sugar snap peas
1 (1 1/2-pound) small eggplants
Cooking spray

Garnishes:

4 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced

1 ounce capocollo, thinly sliced
1 ounce salami fileto (or meats of your choice)

6 ounces halloumi cheese, sliced thickly

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

black olives

**********************
Prepare grill to medium-high heat.

To prepare dressing, combine first 4 ingredients in a bowl, stirring with a whisk.

To prepare vegetables, marinate in dressing. Place vegetables on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 5 minutes on each side or until lightly charred. Depending on the veggies you choose will depend on the cooking time. For example I used sugar snap peas and asparagus so grill time was only about 2 to 3 minutes. Onions would take the longest. Arrange vegetables on platter; brush with remaining dressing.

Grill halloumi cheese for approximately 2 minutes per side. Brush with aomew of the remaining dressing.

Arrange prosciutto, capocollo, salami filleto and cheese on platter. Sprinkle platter with basil and olives.

Serves 4

Grilled Mexican Chicken with Tomato Avocado Salsa

Where oh where have we bloggers been...out enjoying the summer months as I have been I imagine. When the sun is shining and the farmers fields are bursting, wineries are promoting and fruit stands are beckoning sitting at the computer seems to be a last resort. In these lazy, hazy days of summer quick, nurtitious and easy seems to be the order of the day. In keeping with this philosophy I came across a delicious dish over at my friend Amy's at Dinners for a Year and Beyond Here you will find delicious recipes a well as a link to her Eat Personal Chef Service. Amy says, "I love to cook. I cook for my family. I cook for my friends. I cook for my clients. And occasionally I cook for strangers."

This dish was made in a hurry, photographed in a hurry and eaten in a hurry......

ENJOY!!!!

Celebrate with Canadian Burgers.......

My hometown fireworks 2009

Grilled Black Bean Quesadillas

Having a 3 hour lunch break certainly has its advantages on stunning summer days like these. I can enjoy the day just as I would like to by having lunch with friends, reading at the beach, shopping, running errands, just about anything, or of course I can go home and catch up on some blogging!!! Problem is if I am sitting at a lakeside lunch spot or on the beach it is a little difficult to gain strength and go back to work. You can see that can't you:D In August our office will be moving to a heritage home in the downtown core. Imagine all the distractions I will have then!!!!!

Yesterday L'il Burnt Toast and I had lunch at a relatively new restaurant, Cabanas, which is owned by Ned Bell. Close to the beach and the "young" crowd it offers fabulous and innovative cuisine. I had to tear myself away from the conversation and head back to work. Today I am having lunch with another friend at an orchard so I will have to drag myself back to work again. Good thing I love my job!!!! When I am at home after a day at work or during my lunch break quick and easy often falls into play. That is why the barbecue is my best friend!!!

The quesadilla is loosely defined as a Mexican version of a grilled cheese sandwich and fits the bill perfectly. The word comes from the Spanish language, and literally means "little cheesy thing" or "cheesy." They are one of the easiest, healthiest and delicious recipes to prepare on the grill.

The basic quesadilla is made up of a tortilla, cheese, and anything else your little heart desires. They are so wide open to interpretation and don't really even require a recipe!!!! Just do your thing!!! The tortilla is folded over and then browned or grilled on both sides before cutting it into wedges and serving.

I am told that the sincronizada (Spanish for "synchronized") is a tortilla dish frequently confused with quesadillas by tourists in Mexico, because it is what is typically called a quesadilla in most Mexican restaurants outside of Mexico.

There is a wonderful Mexican restaurant south of here along lake Okanagan that serves up authentic Mexican dishes. It is an hour away but well worth the drive for the sensation that you are actually in Mexico!!!

This is my version of a quesadilla. It is vegetarian but you can always add chicken, shrimp or beef to boost the protein factor.

I served it with this guacamole from Rick Bayless.

**Grilled Black Bean Quesadillas**
Printable Recipe

4 whole wheat flour tortillas
1/4 cup black beans, cooked and lightly mashed ( I most often use canned to simplify the process)
8 red and yellow pepper strips, grilled
2 tablespoons roasted corn ( for a quick solution use frozen corn)
2 tablespoons tomato, chopped
2 tablespoons green onion, chopped
1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup (8 ounces) fat-free mozzarella cheese, grated
1/4 cup goat cheese feta (optional) ( I use cojita when available)
Pinch of cumin
Pinch of chili pepper
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Salsa
******************
Preheat grill to a medium setting. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.

Thinly spread 1/4 cup of mixture on top of tortilla, fold in half. Lightly spray the top and bottom tortilla with cooking spray. Place quesadilla on grill and allow one side to brown 4 to 5 minutes. Flip quesadilla and brown the other side for a few minutes. When cheese is melted through, remove quesadilla and allow to cool slightly and cut into wedges. Serve with your favorite salsa, sour cream and guacamole.

Makes 2 quesadilla's.

Greek Burgers with Feta Aioli

Greek Burgers with Feta Aioli

Barbecue season is in full swing and what is more appropriate to serve guests but a juicy grilled burger. They are quick and easy to prepare and require next to no cleanup for the hassle free cooking we enjoy all summer long.

For those of you who follow this blog you will know that I try and cook healthy and delicious meals on a regular basis. Last week Shelby (aka HoneyB) and I teamed up to bring you a week of Cooking Light recipes from this months issue. Sometimes I may fall "off the wagon", so to speak, but it is never hard to climb back on board. The great thing about eating light is that you can still love your food and not give up any of the flavour... just focus on loving food that’s good for you. People like us who really adore food and flavour have a much better chance of eating well, and healthily, and enjoying every minute of it!!!