Tag Archives: dinner

Southwestern Turkey Burgers

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After making our delicious Guacamole-Chipotle Burgers on Wednesday, we had a few leftovers, namely chipotle mayonnaise, guacamole, poblano pepper, cheese, and buns (everything but the burger!).  We decided to put our toppings to good use and try out the Guacamole-Chipotle Burger recipe using ground turkey instead.

We followed the same basic recipe as the beef burgers with a few exceptions.  We were worried that the lower fat content of the turkey would produce dense, dry burgers so we chopped up the pepper jack cheese and mixed it plus a little shredded Monterey Jack directly into the turkey mixture.  We also added slightly less pepper (just under 1/2 teaspoon per pound of meat) and Matt grilled the burgers longer — approximately 5 minutes per side over direct high heat — to make sure they were cooked through.

The turkey burgers turned out nice and juicy thanks to all of the cheese and the overall combination of turkey, chipotle mayo, poblano, cilantro, and guacamole was delicious!  Next time we make fancy beef burgers we’ll definitely plan to make the healthier turkey equivalent with the leftovers.  🙂

Homemade Guacamole-Chipotle Burgers

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Every January we go to Las Vegas for a week to exhibit at a big trade show.  Although this sounds like a great opportunity to let loose and go wild in Vegas, the reality is that after 9 1/2 hours of standing in a booth on a concrete floor (and with another 9 1/2 hours ahead of us the next day…) we typically find ourselves just looking for a solid meal that doesn’t involve walking through too many casinos.  After checking out many of the restaurants in our immediate area, we decided that our favorite place to eat was the Grand Luxe Cafe, conveniently situated right at the bottom of our hotel elevator at the Palazzo.

 The Grand Luxe Cafe’s menu is practically a small novel, boasting page after page of offerings from Italian, Asian, Mexican, and American cuisine.  Matt’s go-to dinner was the Avocado-Chipotle Burger which, according to the menu, is a “chop house burger topped with fresh avocado, fire-roasted poblano peppers, melted cheese, chipotle mayonnaise and cilantro.”  Yum!

With this description in mind, we set out to make our own version of this delicious dinner.  Judging by the look on Matt’s face as he bit into his burger tonight, I think we succeeded!

Burgers with Pepper Jack, Chipotle Mayo, Roasted Poblanos, Guacamole and Cilantro

Chipotle Mayo, Cilantro & Guacamole

You will need…
1 Poblano Chile Pepper
1/4 Cup Cilantro Leaves
1/4 Cup Guacamole
4 Slices Pepper Jack Cheese
2 Hamburger Buns, cut in half lengthwise and lightly toasted

For the Chipotle Mayonnaise…
1/3 Cup Mayonnaise
Juice from 1/2 Lime
1 Chipotle Pepper plus 1 Teaspoon Adobo Sauce (from a small can of Chipotles en Adobo)
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Poblano Peppers

For the burger patties…
3/4 – 1 pound Ground Chuck
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Pepper
Olive Oil Spray for the Grill

Directions:

Heat your grill to medium-high heat.  Once hot, place the whole poblano pepper on the grill grates and allow it to roast for approximately 12 minutes, turning occasionally.  When the poblano skin is charred and starting to peel remove it from heat, place it in a glass bowl, and cover with a kitchen towel.  Allow to sit for 10-15 minutes.  (This will loosen up the poblano skin and allow it to cool enough so that you can handle it.)

Transfer the poblano to a cutting board and peel off the outer skin with your fingers.  Cut the stem off and squeeze the seeds out.  Slice the pepper into 1/2″ squares and set aside.

Combine the chipotle mayonnaise ingredients in a small food processor and blend until the pepper is broken down into small pieces.  Transfer the chipotle mayonnaise into a bowl and set aside.

To make your burger patties, place the ground chuck in a shallow bowl and spread out slightly.  Add the salt and pepper evenly over the surface of the meat, then carefully mix the meat with your hands.  The key to a good burger is not to over-mix or over-compress the ground beef so mix gently!  🙂  Split the meat mixture in half and form each section into a very loose ball by transferring the meat back and forth between your hands.

Place both burger “balls” on a plate and press down gently to flatten them ever so slightly… your finished patty should be about 3/4″ thick and 4-5 inches in diameter.  Form a small indent (about 1/4″ deep) in the center of each patty.

Place the burgers, indent side up, on a preheated, oiled grill over direct high heat.  Close the lid and allow to cook for 2 1/2 minutes, then flip the burgers and allow to cook for 2 minutes.  Add the slices of pepper jack cheese to each burger and allow to cook (lid closed) for another minute.

While the burgers are grilling, spread some of the chipotle mayonnaise on the bottom of your hamburger bun and spread some guacamole on the top of the bun.  Place the cooked burgers onto the bun and top with roasted poblano peppers and cilantro.

We enjoyed our burgers with a side of Alexia Sweet Potato Chipotle Fries and a Dill-Cucumber Salad.  This was a pretty spicy meal so the cucumber had a very nice cooling effect.

Ready to eat!

Simple Grilled Zucchini

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We’ve had a busy week!  It was Matt’s birthday yesterday so we’ve been going out to dinner a lot and haven’t cooked anything elaborate lately.  Despite our lack of exciting culinary exploits, I still wanted to share a recipe so here’s a very simple one for tonight: Grilled Zucchini.

Simple Grilled Zucchini

You will need…
2 small Zucchinis (or 1 large one)
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Garlic Powder and/or Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute (optional)

Directions:
Slice the zucchinis in half lengthwise.  Pour a small amount of olive oil onto the cut side of the zucchini and season with salt and pepper.  You can add extra seasonings like garlic powder or Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute at this point as well.

Place the zucchini halves skin-side down over direct medium-high heat on a preheated grill.  Grill for approximately 5 minutes and then flip the zucchinis over so that they are face-down on the grill.  Grill for another 5-7 minutes (longer for a thicker zucchini) or until they are tender.  Remove from the grill and enjoy!

Kung Pao Chicken

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Last Fall Matt and I decided that we wanted to learn how to stir fry. We got a great cook book, a brand new 14 inch carbon steel wok, and what seemed like dozens of various sauces, oils and seasonings. Since then we’ve made several recipes and all of them have had a much fresher and more authentic taste than any jarred stir-fry sauce that we had tasted in the past. Our favorite stir fry so far has been the Kung Pao Chicken. It may look like there are a lot of ingredients (because, well, there are!) but it is definitely worth it!

This posting is not really a recipe because I’m not actually listing the exact quantities of each ingredient. If you are interested in making this stir fry I recommend that you purchase the cook book that we use – “Stir-Frying to the Sky’s Edge” by Grace Young. This book is great because it not only has delicious recipes like Mongolian Lamb, Hoisin Pork, Hot Pepper Beef, and Kung Pao Chicken, it also has detailed information about stir fry food prep and techniques (seasoning a wok, mincing garlic, shredding scallions… all of those skills you never knew you needed until you tried to make a “real” stir fry!). The book is well-written and the recipes are delicious and I highly recommend it.

Kung Pao Chicken

Here are the many, many ingredients that you will need: (I’m not listing quantities here – you should check out the cook book to find them!)
Chicken Breast, cut into cubes
Minced Ginger
Minced Garlic
Cornstarch
Soy Sauce (use wheat-free soy sauce for a g-free recipe)
Dry Sherry (or Shao Hsing Rice Wine)
Sugar
Salt
Chicken Broth
Balsamic Vinegar (or Chinkiang Vinegar)
Dark Soy Sauce
Sesame Oil
Peanut Oil
Red Chili Peppers OR Chili-Garlic Sauce (that’s our one addition to this recipe… it tastes good though!)
Sichuan Peppercorns (Update: we mail-ordered these from Spices, Inc. with great results)
Red Bell Pepper, cut into 1 inch squares
Unsalted Roasted Peanuts
Minced Scallions
Cooked White Rice

Just a few of the many ingredients you will need!

Directions:
Combine the chicken, ginger, garlic, cornstarch, soy sauce, rice wine, sugar, salt and cold water. In another smaller bowl or measuring cup combine the chicken broth, balsamic vinegar, dark soy sauce, sesame oil, and the rest of the rice wine. In yet another small bowl, combine the remaining sugar and salt and add the scallions and peanuts. Now you are ready to start stir frying!

Now you’re ready to start stir frying!

Heat your wok on high heat and swirl in half of the peanut oil. Add the chilis (or chili garlic sauce, in our case) and Sichuan peppercorns and stir fry for approximately 1 minute until chilis begin to smoke. Push the chili mixture aside and add the chicken. Spread the chicken in one layer on the bottom of the wok and cook for 1 minute undisturbed, then stir-fry for an additional minute.

Kung Pao Chicken

Swirl the remaining peanut oil into the wok and add the red bell peppers. Stir fry for 1 minute, then swirl the broth mixture into the wok and stir fry for another minute. Add the peanut-scallion mixture and stir fry for a final 30 seconds. Remove from heat and serve over white rice.

Cuban-Style Black Beans

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Someday I will make “real” beans.  I mean the kind where you soak dried beans overnight, pick through them for stones (stones, really?!?), and then cook them for hours with seasonings.  But for today I had my hands full with pork carnitas and jicama slaw so I just decided to use a recipe where I can doctor up a basic can of black beans and make them taste like they have been soaking all night and simmering on the stove.  This recipe from SkinnyTaste.com was exactly what I needed.  The beans turned out flavorful and slightly saucy (a good attribute in my opinion!) and complemented the rest of the meal very well.

Cuban-Style Black Beans  (view the original recipe here)

You will need…
1/2 Onion
2 cloves Garlic
2 Scallions
1/4 Red Pepper
3 tablespoons Cilantro
Olive Oil
1 15oz. can Black Beans, undrained
1/3 cup Water
1 Bay Leaf
few pinches of Cumin (I love how there’s no exact measurement in the original recipe… this is exactly how I cook!)
one pinch Oregano
1 teaspoon Red Wine Vinegar
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions:
Chop the onion, garlic, scallions, red pepper, and cilantro in a food processor.  Add a small amount of Olive Oil to a pan and sauté the onion mixture for approximately 3 minutes.  Add the rest of the ingredients and stir well.  Bring to a boil and then lower heat and simmer, uncovered, for approx. 15 minutes stirring occasionally.

Jicama Slaw

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Tonight for dinner we are making pork carnitas with jicama slaw, cuban-style beans, and cilantro-lime rice.  The pork, which has been simmering the crock pot all day, will not have a huge amount of seasoning which is OK because the real flavors will come from the combination of the slow-cooked pork and this delicious jicama slaw in our green chile corn tortillas.  I’ll post the pork recipe and photos of the finished dinner later.

We made the slaw this afternoon so that the veggies will have time to soak up the dressing before dinner.  The original recipe came from the Food Network’s Guy Fieri.  You can view Guy’s recipe here.

Jicama Slaw

You will need…
3 tablespoons Lime Juice
1/2 teaspoon Red Chile Flakes (we used Crushed Red Pepper since we didn’t have Chile Flakes)
1/2 teaspoon Chile Powder
6 tablespoons Rice Wine Vinegar
1 teaspoon Sugar
6 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Pepper
1  1/2 cups Jicama, peeled and julienned
1 cup Carrots, peeled and julienned
1 cup English Cucumber, julienned
1/2 cup Red Pepper, julienned
1/2 cup Red Onion, thinly sliced
1 cup Shredded Cabbage (use bagged cole slaw mix if you don’t feel like buying a whole head of cabbage; for tonight’s dinner we used a bag of “broccoli cole slaw”)
2 tablespoons Cilantro, chopped

I was able to fit nearly all of the ingredients onto this cutting board... there are a lot of them!

Directions:
In a small bowl or measuring cup combine the first eight ingredients (lime juice through pepper) and stir together.

If you have a mandoline, use it to julienne and slice your veggies. We made this slaw one time before we owned our mandoline and it took about 40 minutes longer because I am not very quick with a knife!

In a much larger bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients (jicama through cilantro) and toss.  Pour the dressing over the veggies and mix well.  Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours before serving.

BBQ Chicken Quesadillas

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Over the holidays I discovered a blog called Natural Noshing while searching for a gluten-free meatball recipe to serve to our extended family.  Although I didn’t end up making the specific turkey meatball recipe that I found on Nora’s blog, I was enthralled by her beautiful photographs and delicious, clearly-laid out recipes.  I began to daydream about creating my own blog and, although I don’t have very much cooking experience and my photography has primarily been limited to dogs flying through the air, I eventually got up the nerve to start this blog!

I had originally planned to make Kung Pao Chicken in our wok tonight since this is one of our favorite meals and it hasn’t yet appeared on TheLittleGSP.  I had, in addition to the many sauces and oils needed for Kung Pao, some chicken breast and red bell pepper, and, as of 8:32am that’s what was for dinner.  That all changed at 8:33 when I got my automated WordPress notification that a new recipe was up on Natural Noshing.  The recipe?  BBQ Chicken Quesadillas with (you guessed it!) chicken and red pepper.  Perfect!

Before you read any further, you should definitely check out the original recipe and beautiful photos on Natural Noshing.  I am pretty stubborn about never quite following recipes exactly (I always tend to add extra onions, extra garlic and a shake or two of crushed red pepper for good measure…) so when in doubt follow Nora’s recipe, not mine!  🙂

BBQ Chicken Quesadillas  serves 2-3

You will need…
2 Chicken Breasts
1/2 Red Bell Pepper, diced
1/2 Red Onion, diced
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
1/3 cup Chopped Cilantro (apparently I like to be heavy-handed with Cilantro as well!)
Approx. 1/2 Cup Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded (I didn’t have the sharp cheddar that the original recipe called for)
6 Corn Tortillas (ours were Green Chile Corn Tortillas)
Approx. 3 Tablespoons of BBQ Sauce (we are using Homestyle Black Cherry Smokehouse BBQ Sauce from Whole Foods)
Sour Cream and Guacamole (optional but highly recommended!)

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the uncooked chicken breasts.  Boil the chicken breasts for 10-15 minutes or until they are fully cooked through.  (I actually lost track of time as my chicken was boiling.  This is usually Matt’s job but he was at lacrosse practice so I did it myself.  He tells me that you cook them “until they are done” so just do that and you’ll be fine…).  Alternatively, you can avoid this chicken-boiling step by just using pre-cooked rotisserie chicken.

Remove the chicken from the water and shred it with two forks until it looks something like this:

Sauté the pepper and onion in a tablespoon or two of olive oil over medium heat until tender.  Salt and pepper to taste and then transfer the pepper and onion mixture to a bowl.

To assemble your quesadillas, place a corn tortilla in the pan that you just sautéed the peppers and onions in.  You’ll want the tortilla to sizzle in the oil without burning (this is a very fine line on our not-so-sensitive electric range).  Top the tortilla with cheese and pour a few drops of BBQ sauce evenly around the tortilla.  When the cheese starts to melt place a few pieces of shredded chicken and a thin layer of the pepper/onion mix on one half of the tortilla.  Sprinkle with cilantro and fold the “empty” side of the tortilla over onto the full side.

Allow the quesadilla to continue sizzling until the tortilla reaches your desired level of crispiness.

Serve with guacamole and sour cream!


St. Patrick’s Day Dinner: Bangers and Mash

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Last night for our St. Patty’s Day dinner we tried out a traditional Irish dish, Bangers and Mash.  Although I usually stereotype Irish food as being bland and low on flavor, this combination of pork sausage, gravy and mashed potatoes was incredible!  We’ll definitely be making this dish again!!  We adapted the recipe slightly from one that I found on AllRecipes.com.

Bangers and Mash  (serves 2-3)

You will need…
2 Large Baking Potatoes, peeled and quartered
1/4-1/2 stick Butter, divided
2 tablespoons Heavy Cream
Salt and Pepper, to taste
3 “Banger” Pork Sausages (some stores like The Fresh Market and Whole Foods actually sell bangers; if your store doesn’t have bangers specifically then normal pork sausage will be fine)
1/2 Small Yellow Onion, roughly diced
1/2 Packet of Dry Brown Gravy Mix

Directions:

Place the quartered potatoes in a pot and fill with water until they are just covered.  Boil for approx. 20 minutes, then strain the potatoes and return to the pot.  Mash the potatoes, add 2-3 tablespoons of the butter along with the heavy cream, salt, and pepper, and then continue to mash until creamy and smooth.

In a large pan (we used our wok), sauté the bangers in the remaining butter until they are cooked through. When cooked, remove the bangers from the pan and allow to cool. In the same pan, add the diced onions and fry until tender. Add the 1/2 packet of gravy mix and water as per the gravy mix instructions to the onion mixture and allow the mixture to thicken.

Meanwhile, slice the bangers into small, bite-sized pieces. Add the bangers to the thickened onion/gravy mixture and mix thoroughly.

Assemble your bangers and mash in a small casserole dish.  We used three individual-sized dishes but you could probably use one large, shallow dish as well.  Fill the bottom half of the dish with the sausage/onion mixture.  Spoon the mashed potatoes over top of the sausage until the casserole dish is full.  Bake the casseroles in a preheated 350° oven for 20 minutes, then move the oven rack to the top position and broil for approx. 5 minutes until top of potatoes is browned.

Enjoy your bangers and mash with a side vegetable and a tall glass of your favorite beer!

Bangers and Mash with Sautéd Pancetta and Asparagus

Sausage, Pepper and Onion Sandwiches

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Last night we bought an 8 pack of sandwich buns since we needed rolls for our yummy salmon burgers.  We knew that we’d have lots of rolls left over so we planned another sandwich-centric meal for tonight with some of my favorite grilled ingredients: sausage, peppers, and onions!  It was still 70 degrees at dinnertime so we built a fire in our fire pit and spent the evening sitting out on the patio.

Sausage, Pepper and Onion Sandwiches

You will need…
1 Red Pepper, cut into thin strips
1 Yellow onion, cut into thin strips
Olive Oil
2 Sausages (Matt had Kielbasa, I had Hot Italian Sausage)
4 Sandwich Buns, sliced in half lengthwise

Directions:
Place the red pepper and yellow onion on a bowl together and drizzle with olive oil.  Toss to coat.  Transfer the peppers and onions to a grill pan and place on a preheated grill.  Cook for approximately 10 minutes until the peppers and onions are tender.  When we cook peppers and onions (or any small veggies that benefit from a good “toss” as they grill) we use a stainless steel Grill Chef’s Pan with a removable handle.

Uncooked Peppers and Onions in the Chef's Grill Pan

While the veggies cook, place the two sausages on the grill.  If you have the ability to control the heat on the sausage side of the grill, increase it to high heat (but leave the veggies at medium).  Cook the sausages over high heat for approx. 6 minutes per side (or longer if you’re using medium heat).

Sausage, Peppers and Onions Grilling

If desired, lightly toast the buns on the grill by placing them cut face down over medium heat.  Keep an eye on them so they don’t burn!

In order to fit the sausages neatly on our round sandwich buns, we sliced the cooked sausages in half and then sliced each piece lengthwise.  Place the sausage on the buns and top with grilled pepper and onion mixture.  Enjoy your completed sandwich while lounging outside by a fire pit if at all possible… it makes it taste even better!

Salmon Burgers with Dill Sauce, Asparagus, and Fries

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Daylight savings time has begun!  In southeastern PA our first week of daylight savings also happens to be the most beautiful week of March weather that we’ll probably ever see (65-70 degrees and sunny every day!) so we are taking full advantage of our extra hour of daylight by doing huge amounts of yard work.  Today after work Matt dug up the last of two enormous boxwood bush stumps while I cut up the boxwood branches into manageable trashcan-sized pieces.  By the time we were done our outdoor work we were tired and not in the mood to make a crazy, involved dinner.  We went to our favorite grocery store (The Fresh Market in Glen Mills) and picked up a few ingredients to make this yummy, fancy-looking meal!  (Well, I think it looked fancy… maybe it was just the rectangular plate!)

Salmon Burgers with Dill Sauce, Grilled Asparagus, and Oven-Baked Waffle Fries

You will need…
1/2 Bag of “Family Size” Alexia Waffle Fries
2 Premade Salmon Burgers (from The Fresh Market or your favorite grocery store)
Asparagus Spears (Thin, tender spears are the best!)
Olive Oil
Salt, Pepper, and Garlic Powder to Taste
2 Hamburger-sized Sandwich Rolls, cut in half lengthwise (we used The Fresh Market’s Sandwich Rolls, sold in an 8 pack)

For the Sour Cream Dill Sauce…
3 Tablespoons Sour Cream
2 Teaspoons Dried Dill
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Directions:

Spread half of the fries out on a cookie sheet and place in a preheated 400°F oven for 28 minutes (or use whatever temperature and time your oven-baked fries need).

Place a flat grill pan on your grill and preheat the grill to medium heat.  This year we’re trying out a Weber Grill Pan and so far we’ve been very happy with it.  (The Kitchenaid pan that we bought from Target didn’t hold up very well last summer.)  Place each salmon burger carefully on the preheated grill pan.  Grill the salmon burgers for approximately 7 minutes per side.

Asparagus and Salmon Burgers cooking on our Weber Grill Pan

Wash the asparagus spears and then toss them in olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  Spread the asparagus spears out on the grill pan next to the salmon burgers.  Grill the asparagus for approximately 10 minutes (longer if you have thicker asparagus).

While the burgers and aspargus are grilling, assemble your sour cream dill sauce by mixing the sour cream, dill, salt, pepper, and garlic powder together in a small bowl.

Sour Cream Dill Sauce

When the grilling is complete, place your burgers on the sandwich rolls and top with a dollop of sour cream dill sauce.  Add your asparagus and waffle fries to the plate and voila! you have a beautiful Monday-night-of-daylight-savings meal.  Enjoy!