Asian Burgers

I certainly did a lot of cooking in July, but not so much blogging. Hopefully, I can catch you up with my wonderful summer food adventures before the summer is over. (Although, the Bay area summer doesn't really happen until September/October.) For a different take on the usual burger, we added an Asian flair. We mixed the meat with soy sauce, pepper, red chile and garlic paste, and a tiny bit of Chinese Barbecue sauce and topped the burger with a crunchy Asian slaw, which also went perfectly with my veggie burger. A nice spinach salad with grilled onions and a sesame vinaigrette served as a wonderful accompaniment.


Asian Slaw Burger Topping

Combine these ingredients in portions to taste. You'll want about a 1/3 of a cup of slaw per burger.

sugar snap peas, thinly sliced on a diagonal
carrots, thinly sliced on a diagonal
red onion, thinly sliced and chopped
splash of rice vinegar
splash of sesame oil
chile and garlic paste
Chinese barbecue sauce


Spinach Salad with Grilled Red Onion Rings and Sesame Vinaigrette (Cooking Light, July 2007)

1 large red onion, cut crosswise into 12 (1/4-inch-thick) rings (about 10 oz.)
2 tsp. dark sesame oil, divided
1 1/2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbs. low-sodium soy sauce
1 Tbs. honey
10 cups baby spinach leaves (about 10 oz.)
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. sesame seeds, toasted

1. Prepare grill.
2. Combine onion and 1/2 tsp. oil, tossing to coat. Arrange onion on a grill rack; grill 9 minutes or until browned and tender, turning frequently.
3. Combine 1 1/2 tsp. oil, juice, soy sauce, and honey in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.
4. Place spinach in a large bowl; sprinkle with pepper and salt. Add onions. Drizzle oil mixture over spinach mixture, tossing gently to coat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.