Low Carb Burger and Fries

Ok. Its not actual fries - but one can dream. It's asparagus spears  — and they were still pretty tasty.

Using lettuce to wrap the double-cheese turkey burger — that's the real low carb thing about this meal.

No bun!

I really like throwing away the bread. The burger is what it's all about for me, so this gets rid of the gluten-loaded pillow that keeps your hands from getting messy and replaces it with a paper thin crunchy leaf. Not a bad trade-off in my book.

Here's what I cooked:
— 4 turkey burgers with a slice of munster cheese for each
— 1/2 bundle of asparagus, split length-wise and tossed in a tablespoon or so of Worcestershire sauce

The burgers were cooked over medium high heat in a little olive oil with salt and pepper to taste, about 5 minutes per side. The asparagus followed in the same pan for 3 to 4 minutes, tossed a couple of times and seasoned with salt and pepper — burgers rested while asparagus cooked.

I ate 2 of the burgers wrapped in big lettuce leaves with chipotle mayo as garnish and all of the asparagus for the meal. I have to admit — it was tasty. A nicely seasoned turkey patty with creamy cheese and smoky chipotle mayo really hit the spot. Although I would love to have had real french fries, the al dente asparagus tossed with Worcestershire had a crunchy, salty and slightly sweet taste that I really liked — but I have always liked asparagus when it's fresh from the produce isle and perfectly cooked.

I'm doing this again for sure.

The experiments continue! I'm not on a strict no-carb diet, I'm just watching them as part of an effort to adjust my diet and life-style to live more healthy.

Eat well, cook often ...

Grilled Asparagus Attempt 1

Yesterday, I attempted to document one of my go-to favorites – grilled asparagus. Any time I'm cooking a bunch of stuff on the grill at a gathering I grab a bundle, toss them in oil, salt and pepper and sear them lightly on the grill. I put them out first for people to snack on as I'm preparing more complex stuff and they're always a hit. I cook them just enough to brighten up the green color and soften them slightly. There is still lots of crunch left in the final product and they can be eaten like pretzel sticks.

They're simple and delicious!

So simple in fact, that I have avoided documenting them because there isn't much to document. As I shot the asparagus I knew that this was going to need much more planning than I had prepared for. The photos turned out ok but nothing I could use for a print recipe infographic. I had never photographed asparagus and I learned from my experience yesterday that this vegetable is gonna take some finesse to look good in front of the lens. I did get the shot above, but I was lucky to get that at best.

Rather than wait until I get a better handle on photographing asparagus, I'll give out the recipe – I can't keep it a secret any longer! It's so simple though that I'm not sure if it's a secret or even a recipe, all I know is that this is the way to eat asparagus!

Eat well, cook often ...

THE RECIPE
Appetizer, 30 minutes
1 bundle Asparagus
olive oil, salt and pepper

Toss asparagus in olive oil, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Place on a prepared grill and cook 2 to 3 minutes per side or until just starting to soften and green color brightens. Remove from grill, lest rest a few minutes, then serve.

Asparagus Prosciutto Wraps

I have learned the majority of my cooking skills from following recipes. I think it is important to stay close to the original the first time a new dish is made – just to try and replicate what the recipe creator originally intended. It's a nice way to discover new flavor combinations and cooking techniques that can be adjusted and refined to your own liking when returning to the recipe or dish down the road. 

In an effort to share more of what I make in the kitchen, I'm going to adapt recipes that I find and try from other sources. These will be the first posts here at Behind the Bites without my signature information graphics. I'm hoping that this will challenge me to get better as a food photographer because I won't have the graphics to fall back on. In time, I may diagram some of these recipes with an information graphic but due to the time it takes to make them, I will reserve that for just original recipes of my own.

For the first in this series I look to my all-time favorite cooking publication: Cuisine at Home. I have made countless recipes from them and it seems that each time I do I learn something new that I can add to my repertoire. 

ASPARAGUS PROSCIUTTO WRAPS
Recipe Adapted from:
Cuisine at Home

Issue No. 98 March/April 2013

Page 12, Fast & Fresh Spring Menus: Wrap up dinner

MY CRITIQUE
I love roasted asparagus so I couldn't wait to try this recipe. Overall I liked it, the mozzarella, prosciutto and asparagus work well together in a wrap, but the marinade of Italian dressing mixed with Dijon mustard is by far the star of the show and it brings all of the yummy flavors together. I thought the wrap was a bit salty but that is to be expected with the prosciutto, which is naturally salty by itself.

I'm going to adapt the marinade into one of my future recipes. I think it could work well on a number of things. The Italian seasonings and tartness of the dressing combined with the spicy Dijon mustard makes for a great sauce. I'd like to try it on a burger or maybe even adapt it as a sauce for a gourmet pizza - the sky is the limit with this stuff. It's got my mind racing already.

THE RECIPE
Makes 4 wraps; 30 minutes
Ingredients

1/2 C Italian dressing

1 tsp Dijon Mustard

1/2 lb Fresh mozzarella, sliced

1 lb Asparagus, trimmed

4 flour tortillas (8-inch)

6 oz Prosciutto, sliced thin

How I made it
Whisk together dressing and mustard. Marinate chhese in sauce 30 minutes. Toss asparagus with oi,l, salt and pepper to taste. Roast in a preheated 425° oven, 8 to 10 minutes. For each wrap: Brush with marinade, layer cheese, prosciutto and asparagus. Role shut. Toast in a skillet until cheese has started to melt. Slice and serve.