I'm writing this as I watch the home opener for the Toronto Maple Leafs (home-team in my adopted city). Later tonight, Vancouver Canucks (who are in my humble opinion as a lifelong Canucks fan, the best team in the NHL) will play their home opener.
Hockey in Canada is like American football in the States, or football in Europe- a must see event.
Hockey means pub food and beer- both of which are very food-allergy unfriendly. Recently, I got cable at home! Now not only can I waste hours watching TV instead of doing schoolwork, I can watch hockey at home and make my own pub food.
My original plan was to make chicken wings. Usually pub chicken wings (even those pre-made in grocery stores) are coated in flour before frying. However, I saw my favourite gluten-free burger buns (
O'doughs Flax Buns) on sale this week and decided to make burgers instead.
To accompany the burgers, I made a broccoli coleslaw (recipe to come) and heated up some
Cavendish Farms From the Farm Potato Wedges that I bought at Shopper's Drug Mart (2 bags for $5). These potato wedges are labelled gluten-free and are simply seasoned (no garlic salt). I would make my own potato wedges but the sale price and convenience was just too good to turn down.
I also stopped by the liquor store for some gluten-free beer but they were sold out. Instead I picked up a regular beer for my boyfriend and a Strongbow cider (gluten-free!) for me. In reality, I drank maybe 1/5th of the Strongbow. Knowing your limit with alcohol is one of the best things you can do for your health, whether you have colitis or not.
As I've mentioned,
I love a good burger. Chicken burgers and veggie burgers are alright but I like my burgers best when they are beefy. Ready-made frozen burgers are often (but not always) thickened up with breadcrumbs, and in general (especially "lean" varieties) are quite pricey ($10.99 for 6 burgers). Lentils are a vegetarian staple and often found in veggie burgers. I decided to mix lentils and lean ground beef for a more budget-friendly and low-fat burger.
I cooked my burgers on a George Foreman Grill and it didn't turn out as well as I hoped- the burgers fell apart a bit on the grill. Perhaps it would be wise to try this recipe next time with one more egg or to cook the burgers on a pan or using the oven broiler.
I read a little bit on the web about how to shape the burger patties. Some people like to use just their hands, other have expensive burger patty making gadgets. I used a very low-tech, low cost tool: a sour-cream container lid.
Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef
540mL can of lentils (rinsed and drained)
1 egg
1 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp gluten-free tamari sauce
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
What you need:
1 sour-cream container lid (yogurt lids, takeout container lids would also work)
1 large bowl
1 spoon or fork
1 George Foreman Grill or non-stick frying pan
18 burger-sized pieces of parchment paper
1 large plate or cookie sheet
Directions:
1) In the large bowl, thoroughly combine ground beef, lentils, egg, turmeric, mustard, gluten-free tamari sauce and pepper using a spoon or fork.
2) Using the container lid and the spoon or fork, shape hamburger patties individually and place flat on a plate with parchment paper on both sides. Make a small indent in the middle of the burger so it cooks evenly.
3) For burgers you are eating immediately, refrigerate for at least 30 mins to let the burger patties set.
For burgers you are freezing, place on a cookie sheet and freeze for about 2 hours before stacking and storing in ziplock bags. The double layer of parchment paper between each patty will prevent sticking.
Recipe makes 9 burgers.
4) Cook the burgers on the grill or pan. I cooked mine from the fridge for about 5 minutes on the grill. Cook time will vary depending on cooking method.
Advice from the internet tells me to thaw my frozen burgers before serving.
5) Serve on gluten-free buns with toppings and condiments of choice.
Enjoy!
