Thai Chicken Burger w/ Spicy Peanut Sauce

I got the big thumbs up for the sauce from my #1 critic.

Inspiration: While watching Food Network (I think it was Unique Eats or Eat Street) they were covering the amazing looking Thai/French fusion sandwich shop Num Pang. The pickled toppings just called to me "make this we love pickled things!" 

Everything is so easy to make and a you probably have most of these ingredients already.

Spicy, tangy, fresh.

Oh yea, and healthy ;)

Happy new year everyone, and here's to getting skinny and back into shape (again).

PS: Wedding countdown: 235 days- Bring it :)

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Thai Chicken Burger 

• 1 package of ground chicken*
• 1 lime, zest and juice
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced or grated
• handful of chopped cilantro
• 1 jalapeno, minced
• 1 tsp of honey
• 1 tsp of dried basil
• 2 tbsp of grated ginger
• 1/2 tbs of kosher salt

*I don't purchase ground chicken, because I always have boneless skinless breasts on hand, so I grind my own. I largely diced 3 chicken breasts and put into my food processor until all ground up. This made for about 5 burgers (or 4 really big ones). You can always just use the prepacked stuff at the store, or ask your butcher to grind for you.

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Add all ingredients into a bowl and mix to combine. Form your patties.
3. Bake about 20 minutes until internal temp reaches about 160-165 degrees F. At the very end I put under the broiler to brown up the exterior. (I was originally going to grill these, which would have been awesome, but it was easier for me to just bake at the time. You could also fry in a pan)
4. Top your burger with whatever you like- plus the peanut sauce of course.

Toppings

• Pickled cucumbers, carrots and onions*
• Baby spinach
• Spicy Peanut Sauce

*Quick pickles are amazing things- slice any veggies you want (red cabbage would be good here too) and add into a bowl.  Cover almost completely with vinegar (I used standard white vinegar- rice vinegar would be nice here too), add a small pinch of salt and just let hang out in the fridge while your burgers are cooking.  You can even do this before hand but they will become softer over time.

 

Spicy Peanut Sauce

• 3 tbsp of peanut butter
• 2 tbsp of rice vinegar 
• a small drizzle of sesame oil
• 1 small shallot
• 2 tbsp of lower sodium soy sauce
• 2 tbsp of grated ginger
• 3 tbsp of water
• 1 tsp of chili flakes (if you're not sure what heat level you're comfortable with, add a little at a time and then just add according to taste)

1. Combine all ingredients into a food processor or blender and puree until combined. Taste before serving and your good to go!

Pearl Barley Summer Salad

Definitely serve this over my Grilled Chicken w/ Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Garlic Sauce.  If you have never tried pearl barley- you should- it is one of my favorite grains (low in fat and pretty high in fiber).  It is like a puffier piece of rice; delicious cold or hot- in soups or salads.  I made an in-between version which is hot barley over cold crisp vegetables tossed with a vinaigrette.  The hot barley soaks up the vinaigrette, then the crunch of the veggies and oh soooo goood!

I was on a clean-out-and-use-up-everything-in-the-fridge spree this week because we are going to motorcycle track this weekend (super excited! pics to follow!) Anyway, basically you can swap out any veggies you have lying around in the fridge.  Just cut them all into similar bite sized pieces. Also you can use whatever nuts you have lying around- almonds or walnuts would be good here too.  This salad is good for picnics because it is in a vinaigrette and can be left out.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of uncooked pearl barley, 2 1/2 cups of water, 1 tsp of salt
• 1/2 cucumber, diced
• 1 pepper, diced (I used a yellow one)
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 handful of parsley, chopped
• 2 small carrots, diced
• 1 ear of corn, kernels taken off (about a 1/2-3/4 cup of frozen if you don't have fresh)
• 3 tbsp of pine nuts, toasted*
• 1/4 cup of lime or lemon juice (if you don't get that much out of 1 lime or lemon just add a splash of vinegar)
• a little less than 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• pinch of salt and pepper

1. Cook the pearl barley according to directions (the first bullet lists what I used). Bring water to a boil and cook barley on low for about 30-45 minutes.
2. Meanwhile prep all your veggies, herbs and nuts and add to a large bowl.
3. In a smaller bowl add the citrus juice, oil and salt and pepper and whisk up.
4. When the barley is done mix with veggies.  Then pour vinaigrette over everything and stir until combined.  Serve alone or over my Grilled Chicken w/ Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Garlic Sauce.

If you are serving with the chicken, grill the chicken while the barley is cooking.

*If you buy raw nuts, just put them in a dry skillet and heat on medium.  They will toast up in the skillet- but ALWAYS keep an eye on the them and shake the pan frequently, you don't want them to burn.  Should only take about 5 minutes or so.

Beef Stew (in the Slow Cooker)

 I love the slow cooker aka crock pot.  I purchased the Hamilton Beach Stay or Go one with the sealable lid and probe thermometer.  Honestly never used the thermometer but this cooker is amazing.  Has a great easy to use display and came with a spoon that snaps onto the lid.  Anyway, after I bought it I used it a lot, then I kind of dropped off a bit, but now its back!  I already made pulled pork with beans and this incredible beef stew.  It always reminds me of my grandma- she used to make this (on the stove top) and the smells always take me back.  Even my mom cooked this in the slow cooker and threw it over some buttery egg noodles- no one can resist.  My fiance says he likes it better when I don't use the slow cooker- but his tone turned around when I broke out this recipe. 

Slow cooker recipes are great because you prep the night before and then just turn on in the morning before work and you have dinner already made.  Just boil some water for the egg noodles and you are set!

Ingredients

• 1 bag of wide egg noodles
• handful of parsley, chopped for garnish (optional)
• about 2 pounds of stew beef chunks- they are called different things in the store- most likely it has the word stew on it.
• 3 carrots, chopped into big pieces
• 3 ribs of celery, sliced into big pieces (use the leafy tops too!)
• 1 large onion, sliced or chopped
• 2-3 garlic cloves, smashed or chopped
• 2-3 bay leaves
• pinch of dried or fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried)
• 1 tsp dried sage (or 1-2 fresh leaves, chopped)
• 3 beef bouillon cubes (Instead of this & water you could just use 3 cups of stock)
• 3 cups of water
• 1/2 cup of dry red wine
• 1-2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
• lots of freshly cracked pepper

1. Put everything except the noodles and parsley into the slow cooker. (As I said you can pile everything into the pot the night before and just pop into the fridge.  Pull it out in the morning and just turn on the crockpot.)
2. Cook on low for 8 hours (You could probably do as little as 6 hours, but I work for 8 hours so it works out perfect)
3. When you are ready to serve, boil the egg noodles and drain. (You could toss with butter if you want)
4. Top the noodles with the stew and garnish with parsley. Enjoy!

California Chicken Burgers with Cabbage Carrot Slaw

I know I have been slacking! Just realized my last post was the beginning of the month! Tomorrow I hope to post some cookie recipes I will be trying out.  I don't do much baking, so we will see how good they come out.

Here in New York it definitely doesn't feel like winter and if the BBQ wasn't all packed away I just might have broke it out.  So instead I got the trusty George Foreman grill going and made some of these tasty tasty burgers.  Chicken burgers are not the same as beef, because 1) they have no flavor on their own and 2) you MUST cook them all the way through.  Both reasons might make chicken burgers a bit tricky but with all these big flavors and my trusty meat thermometer we are ready to go.  I also have to add that these are pretty healthy- we ground boneless skinless chicken breasts ourselves, flavored with spices and low calorie items and used turkey bacon.  The slaw is good for you too- no mayo and we used heart healthy extra virgin olive oil. (I can only hate on the bread because of the carb count- but what the heck- it's the holidays right?)

A chicken burger is not exactly an original but I couldn't find a recipe that was exactly what I wanted so obviously I just made up my own with all the flavors I liked the best.  This idea came from a wrap that was on the menu at one of our favorite diners, that unfortunately closed down :(  But now will live on in this recipe :)

For 6 burgers:

• 2 ½ boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 tablespoons of McCormick Montreal Grill Seasoning
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• ½ red onion, diced
• 1 ½ carrots, shredded (shred 3 all together if making the slaw too)
• 2 chipolte in adobo, chopped

1. In a food processor (or a meat grinder) grind up the chicken.  If you want to buy already ground chicken, I would say this came out to about 2 pounds worth.

2. Then mix the meat and all the other ingredients in.  Then form the patties (I got about 6, it might vary on the size of your chicken breasts)
3. Get your grill or frying pan hot and cook until done- about 160 degrees, the carry over heat will cook it to the safe 165 degree mark.  About 6-8 minutes each side if in a frying pan.  The GF grill took about 6-8 mins all together (obviously because it cooks both sides at once)

For the Red Cabbage and Carrot Slaw:

• ½ of a medium sized head of red cabbage, shredded
• 1 ½ carrots, shredded
• the other ½ of that red onion, sliced thin
• juice of one orange
• extra virgin olive oil to coat
• 2-3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar (or red wine vinegar would be good too)
• salt and lots of fresh cracked pepper

Mix all ingredients in a bowl, cover and let marinate in the fridge while you make your burgers.

Toppings

Really they are whatever you want- BUT when people classify something as "Californian" for some reason it always has avocado. So this is what I topped mine with:

• Turkey bacon or regular bacon
• Avocado, sliced
• Tomato, sliced
• Cabbage and carrot slaw
• Baby spinach

If you needed a dressing of some sort I would go with a honey mustard or blue cheese.  OR instead of mixing the chipolte in with the meat- you could mix it up with some mayo and use that as a dressing.  I skipped the cheese but a spicy monteray jack cheese would be awesome (because it originates from CA!) or maybe a tangy provolone.

Pile it high on a crusty but soft bun and this is one burger you will be making again!

Chicken w/ Onion Mustard Gravy

Chicken w/ Onion Mustard Gravy served over egg noodles and the veggie of your choice.  Ok, first of all, I don't know anyone who doesn't love egg noodles.  They are the side dish to comfort food, fun for kids, and cheap (especially when you get them on sale- look for them when they have the Jewish holidays).  Anyway, my particular memory of egg noodles is when my mom did a pot roast in the crock pot and then served it over egg noodles- yum (that recipe will have to be another day).  For now- here is a super quick, cheap, delicious and, of course, impressive recipe that you can cook tonight with just a couple ingredients you probably already have on hand!

  

Ingredients

• Chicken breasts- figure one per person- I used 3 and butterflied them to make thinner cutlets so they would cook faster- but you can certainly leave them whole- or use skin on or bone in chicken breasts or thighs etc etc.
• about a cup of regular all purpose flour- for dredging and the gravy
• 2 cups of chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons of dijon mustard
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped (if dry use about a tsp)
• salt and pepper of course
• 1 bag of wide egg noodles
• side vegetable of your choice- I just roasted some sweet potatoes and carrots (dice both into similar sizes- toss with oil, salt, pepper, a little cayenne and fresh thyme- roast for about 15-20 mins on a 425 degree F oven until soft and brown)

Directions

1. In a shallow dish/plate put your flour.  Season your chicken with salt and pepper and then dredge your chicken in the flour.  In a skillet over high heat add some oil and fry your chicken until golden brown on each side.  If they are not cooked all the way through- don't worry- we will continue to cook them later- for now take out of the pan and reserve. (remember the thinner the cut of chicken the faster it will cook)  I had to cook my cutlets in two batches.

2. When all your chicken is done browning- add a bit more oil to your skillet and lower the heat to about medium high and add your onions, thyme and garlic.  Cook a couple minutes until soft. (Don't let them burn! If they are browning too fast lower the heat!)
3. Then (if you're comfortable) use some of the leftover flour from dredging to coat the onions.  Overall I used about a 1/4 cup of flour.  If you are not comfortable using that flour- just use fresh flour.  Cook the flour out about a minute or two.  If you thought we are making a roux- you are right!
4. Next add the chicken stock and gently whisk to combine.  Cook over medium heat until thickened (about 5 minutes).  Then slide the chicken pieces back into the gravy and either just heat through- or continue cooking if your chicken wasn't cooked through yet.



5. Serve over egg noodles!

A Lite Lunch- The Salad Wrap-Up

I've had a request for vegetarian dishes. They don't have to be boring or stereotypical- vegetables are super yummy and super good for you.  This is a wrap I LOVE to make for lunch, it's light and refreshing, but still fills you up.  Simple, clean flavors all wrapped up and ready to go anywhere! And so many things can be switched around or omitted to your liking!

The Salad Wrap-Up

Ingredients

• 1 wrap of your choosing (I like the whole wheat or spinach) about 8 in diameter
• 1 to 2 slices of swiss cheese or provolone (any tangy cheese will do)
• 1 leaf/piece of romaine lettuce (or any leafy green you like)
• 1 tomato
• 1 cucumber (I prefer the seedless english cucumbers so I can leave the skin on)
• 1 carrot
• 1 avocado
• Red wine vinegar
• Salt

Directions

1. We need to prep the veggies first, except the avocado and lettuce (you can cut up the whole veggie and save some for the next wrap or just cut what you need).  You can cut up these veggies anyway you like, butttttt the way I like it best is if you cut them all into small matchstick pieces- it lays in the wrap better and you get a taste of everything in each bite.
2. Cut the avocado in half lengthwise- pop the pit out*- scoop out the flesh with the spoon and cut into about 4 to 5 strips lengthwise.
3. Now time to assemble! Lay down the wrap, lay down the piece of lettuce, pile on the veggies (you don't need to use everything you cut, just enough to fill up the wrap), and then the avocado.  Sprinkle with some kosher salt and drizzle a bit of red wine vinegar**, roll it up, cut on the bias (cut in half diagonally) and enjoy!

*Avocado pits can be tricky to pop out- cut in half length wise and then hold the half that has the pit in it with a towel in your hand face up towards you.  Take a big sharp chef knife and chop down on the pit (not too forceful- you're just trying to get the knife and the pit to be stuck together a bit). Then just rotate your knife and avocado in separate directions and it comes out very easy.  To get the pit off your knife just push it off from the top of the knife (not sharp end).

**I love the simple taste of just vinegar in this recipe, you definitely should try it, but if you think it's not for you- you can always substitute lite /fat-free Italian dressing (or really any other salad dressing you like)