Sunday, September 26, 2010

Welcome our guest, Diana Orgain!

Welcome our guest, Diana Orgain!

Diana Orgain is the author of the BUNDLE OF TROUBLE and MOTHERHOOD IS MURDER. She holds a B.A and M.F.A. in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University with a minor in acting. Diana has acted professionally both on stage and in national commercials. She’s written several plays, which were produced at San Francisco State University, GreenHouse Productions, and PlayGround. She lives in San Francisco with her husband and three children. Visit her at www.dianaorgain.com



For fun – leave Diana a comment about your favorite hamburger additive (carrots, spinach, egg?) and why you love it and she’ll randomly pick someone to win a copy of her latest book MOTHERHOOD IS MURDER: A Maternal Instinct Mystery



Take it away, Diana!

First off thank you to the wonderful bloggers here at mystery kitchen for hosting me. And, what better topic for mystery kitchen than “hidden veggies”? I have three small children and believe it or not the recipe I use for hamburgers is not really to hide anything from them (like sneaking in veggies so they don’t protest). No, mostly I use this recipe because I discovered that hiding zucchini in hamburger (or meatballs) not only adds an extra nutritional punch, but it keeps the burgers moist! I’ve tried carrots – but I find they alter the texture of the burger too much and spinach while having no real flavor (therefore undetectable by the little ones) didn’t add the moisture I like so much with the zucchini.

- 1 medium zucchini (shredded)

- ½ small onion (minced)

- 2 cloves garlic

- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

- 1 tsp Italian seasoning(oregano, basil, thyme and rosemary)

- salt and pepper to taste

- 1 pound lean ground beef

> Preheat an outdoor grill to medium-high, or heat an indoor grill pan to medium-high and spray with oil.

> In a large bowl, mix zucchini, onion, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Add the ground beef, mixing with your hands until well combined.

Thank you, Diana, for a wonderful post! I love the hidden vegetables idea. Terrific. To all our fans, enjoy!



27 comments:

  1. Ooh, that sounds really good! I myself was proud of my spinach burgers -- they were an Editors' Pick on food52: http://www.food52.com/recipes/5798_beef_burger_with_spinach_roasted_poblanos_and_caramelized_onions

    My kid really liked 'em, too. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Welcome to Mystery Lovers' Kitchen, Diana! I love the idea of putting zucchini in with the meat--figuring out that they keep the beef moist was brilliant!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I've never tried any hidden ingredient in hamburgers, but this sounds good. I'll have to give it a try. Thanks. Congratulations on your latest release, enjoy your series.

    Mason
    Thoughts in Progress

    ReplyDelete
  4. I like the idea of hidden veggies in hamburgers.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I've never hidden anything in a burger, but I used to have a recipe for meatloaf that had broccoli inside. The kids loved it until they figured out that I was sneaking in the broccoli. And then the recipe mysteriously disappeared.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Diana! It's lovely to see you here. How very sneaky of you to slide zucchini into burgers. I'm not surprised that it keeps them moist, though. We had a wonderful crop of them this summer, and when I shredded them, I was stunned by the moisture they produced.

    ~ Krista

    ReplyDelete
  7. Diana, I often add an egg and bread crumbs (or for gluten-free folks, rice cereal crumbs) in addition to veggies to burgers. It makes them really melt in your mouth and is sort of an all-in-one meal.

    Again, thanks for joining us today!

    Avery

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thanks for stopping by the kitchen, Diana.
    How clever! I love the hidden veggie idea.
    Heh heh heh!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thank you ladies. I tried to hide carrots in the meatloaf too - but my 7 year old spotting the bright orange and scolded me! LOL - she told me she would have eaten the carrots solo.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I get maitake mushrooms at the farmer's market, or lion's mane (they are really funky), and saute them and mix them in with hamburger for burgers or meatloaf. They are fantastic, but equally so just by themselves with a little garlic and sauteed in butter. My grandson loves them!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I like to add A1 Sauce to burgers, especially if you are going to grill them.
    For a completly different taste,add sauteed onions and celery to your burgers..It's always nice to add a new taste to an old favorite.
    Janie L.Hunter Facebook

    ReplyDelete
  12. What a great idea. I add veggies to my meatloaf all the time, but I've never tried zucchini. I don't think I need to hide anything, though. My family of eaters includes a vegetarian and a two-year old who gladly eats broccoli, asparagus, carrots, squash and whatever else we put in front of him!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I never thought to add zucchini to hamburgers or meatballs. I add shredded carrots to my meatloaf/meatball recipe. I like the color and texture it adds.

    ReplyDelete
  14. The maitake mushrooms sound great. A1 sauce too - yummy!

    ReplyDelete
  15. It certainly makes sense since it keeps zucchini bread moist. I just never thought of adding it to hamburger. Thanks for the tip!

    ReplyDelete
  16. To my everyday meatloaf recipe I add finely chopped mushrooms, and finely chopped salami. I'm not kidding, just two thinly sliced pieces of deli salami that I chop and toss in. And I have been known to occasionally throw in some raisins. It adds moistness and a touch of sweetness without making it really sweet.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I like to add Montreal Steak Spice to my burgers, and I think spinach would be fab as well. Must try it. Spinach, and a chunk of mozzarella buried in the centre, yum.\
    PS Your books look really good. Will be getting one to try out as soon as possible.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Welcome to our *virtual* kitchen, Diana! I love zucchini for making moist quick bread. Great idea to add it to a burger or meat loaf for fiber and nutrition. My husband is a real purist with his burger. Me - I'm big on adding onions and Worcestershire so I'll soon give your recipe a go. Cheers and big congrats on the success of you Maternal Instinct mysteries.

    Eat with joy!
    ~ Cleo

    ReplyDelete
  19. I like to brush some brown sugar on top of the burger right before they are done cooking. Interesting flavor that no one can quite put their finger on!

    ReplyDelete
  20. I like to put bacon and A1 sauce in the middle of mine. Welcome Diana glad to have your recipe as well.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Thanks for the great recipe. I love mushrooms in mine.

    texasjayne@aol.com

    ReplyDelete
  22. Mushrooms and salami. A1 and brown sugar. Zucchini with cheese in the middle. so many choices. I think it's going to be try a different burger every night of the week...week.

    Thanks to all for great suggestions!

    ~Avery

    ReplyDelete
  23. I agree with Avery - my what choices! I can't wait to try the brown sugar and the salami too!

    ReplyDelete
  24. I love to add bacon a blue cheese...yummy!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Sounds great! And I would love to win a copy of your book! Count me in!

    ReplyDelete
  26. I've always liked Onion Soup Mix in my hamburgers. I am willing to try this recipe sounds very good. I use extra lean ground beef, so the moisture from the zucchini would be welcome.

    ReplyDelete