Hoisin 5 Spice Chicken

As soon as I saw this recipe at Bella's Bistro, I couldn't wait to make it! I love chinese 5 spice powder and am always so excited to find a new recipe to use some. This marinade did not disappoint! We grilled instead of baking and loved it.

Hoisin 5 Spice Chicken
Source: Cathy's Kitchen Journey/Bella's Bistro

INGREDIENTS:
6 chicken drumsticks
1/4 cup Hoisin sauce
1/2 teaspoon Chinese 5 spice powder
2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
1 tablespoon honey (I used agave nectar)
2 tablespoon soy sauce

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 500.

Add all ingredients, except chicken, to a large Ziploc bag. Close the bag and shake gently to combine. Add chicken to the sauce bag, seal and toss to coat. Set in the fridge for a few hours.

Bake in upper third of oven until skin is browned and chicken is cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes.

Grilled Peanut Chicken

I'm back! There was a slight hiatus there while I did a little traveling and finished up remodeling our bathrooms. Ready to get back in the swing of things, we figured up the grill this weekend and starting looking for inspiration. By this point I know my google reader and cookbooks are tapped out for grilling marinades, so I went to my long lost bookmarks folder. There I found this gem, which had patiently been waiting for me to finally go out and get some curry.

I knew my husband would like this recipe, but the original recipe calls for just brushing the sauce on while the chicken is cooking. I prefer to marinate. We had two large chicken breasts that I cut up into kabobs, then I doubled the sauce and added a little water to thin it out (listed below are the measurements I used). I used about 2/3 of the sauce to marinate the chicken for about 90 minutes. The rest of the sauce I heated up when the chicken was done and served it as a dipping sauce -- this is a definite must! The sauce is so wonderful for dipping. Some of the reviewers suggested heating it up with some brown sugar, but I was too lazy for that this time around. Maybe next time!


Grilled Peanut Chicken
Slightly modified from: Allrecipes

~ 4 tablespoons reduced fat peanut butter
~ 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
~ 4 teaspoons soy sauce
~ 2 cloves garlic, chopped
~ 2/3 teaspoon curry powder
~ 2 dashes ground cayenne pepper
~ 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1. Preheat grill for high heat.
2. In a bowl, mix the peanut butter, lime juice, soy sauce, garlic, curry powder, and cayenne pepper. Pour 2/3 of the sauce over the chicken and marinate for at least one hour.
3. Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill chicken until cooked through.

4. Heat remaining 1/3 of sauce and serve on the side.

Tuscan Turkey Burgers

I felt like having burgers again over the weekend, and Cara's Tuscan Turkey Burgers were next on my list to try. One of my basil plants is doing very well, so I picked a handful of leaves to make just enough pesto for this recipe. I skipped the balsamic reduction out of laziness, but I'll try to make it next time because it really would add a lot to the dish. As I made them, we still loved them.


Tuscan Turkey Burgers
Source: Cara's Cravings

1 lb ground turkey
1/4 cup pesto
1/3 cup chopped sundried tomatoes
1/2 of a small red onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
4 hamburger buns
1 plum tomato, sliced
handful of field greens
4-6 oz fresh mozzarella
balsamic syrup (reduction)

Combine turkey, pesto, sundried tomatoes, onion, and garlic and mix well. Place stone on grill and heat up. Form turkey mixture into 4 balls, tightly packed. Drop on hot stone and flatten with a spatula. Cook for about 8 minutes on each side, or until no longer pink in the center. Top with slices of fresh mozzarella and close the grill for a few minutes to warm the cheese. Serve on toasted buns with field greens, tomato slices, and a drizzle of balsamic syrup.

Jerk Chicken Wings

The ingredients for this recipe fell together easily for me... scallions were on sale last week and I had stocked up, and drumsticks went on sale this week. Everything else I already had plenty of. As soon as I finished blending the marinade, I knew this had been a good choice. It smelled heavenly! We grilled them and they turned out great - flavorful and spicy. I am glad I cut down and just used one jalapeno, it was just enough heat for me.



Jerk Chicken Wings
Source: Everyday Food Magazine

12 scallions, tops and bottoms trimmed, chopped
8 cloves of garlic
4 dried bay leaves
1 habanero or 2 jalapeno chiles, chopped (I used 1 jalapeno)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
4 teaspoons ground allspice
course salt and ground pepper
6 pounds chicken wings (I used 3 pounds drumsticks)
lime wedges, for serving

1. In a food processor, pulse scallions, garlic, bay leaves, habanero, vinegar, thyme, allspice, 1 tablespoon of salt, and 2 tablespoons pepper until coarsely ground. In a large shallow dish, toss chicken with jerk mixture and refrigerate at least one hour (up to 1 day).

2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Arrange chicken on foil lined rimmed baking sheet and cook until browned, 35-40 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through.
To grill, cook over medium, covered, until cooked through, 15-20 minutes, turning occasionally. Serve with lime wedges.

Chicken Parmesan Burgers

I saw these over on Elly Says Opa and knew I had to make them soon. We finally got around to it and I am SO glad we did! These are FAST, easy, and ridiculously delicious. I skipped the mushrooms and used some fresh basil instead of the parsley. Amazingly flavorful!



Chicken Parmesan Burgers
Source: Elly Says Opa!

1 lb. ground chicken (I used breast meat)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup plain bread crumbs
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/4 cup chopped flatleaf parsley
1 clove garlic, finely minced or pressed
1 shallot, finely diced
salt and pepper

1/2 cup pasta sauce
4 slices mozzarella or provolone (or 1/2 cup shredded)
sauteed mushrooms (optional)
4 buns (brushed with a little garlic butter, they are even better)

Lightly mix together all the ingredients for the burgers. Form into 4 patties. I like to make them about 30-40 minutes ahead of time, to let the flavors meld a little bit.

Preheat & spray the broiler with a little oil (or use the grill, or a pan). Broil the burgers for about 4 minutes on the first side, then flip and broil for 3 minutes. Top each chicken burger with 2 Tbsp. pasta sauce and a slice (or about 2T) of cheese. Place back under the broiler for 30-60 seconds, until cheese in melted and burger is cooked through. Top with mushrooms, if desired. Place the buns in the broiler for about 10 seconds, just until toasted.

Five Spice Chicken Kabobs

I'm on a desperate hunt for good grilling recipes. Summer is nearing and my husband want nothing to do with the stove, so I grabbed this recipe from my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. We skipped the peppers because I don't like them. It's a great recipe, easy to throw together since there is no marinating, and delicious. The flavor was actually pretty light, and I might kick it up a notch next time.


Five Spice Chicken Kabobs
Reworded from Better Homes and Gardens Bridal Edition
Makes 6 servings

1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed (I just reduced 1/2 cup OJ over low heat in a saucepan)
2 Tablespoons honey
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon, five-spice powder
dash ground ginger
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup fresh pineapple chunks or one 8-ounce can pineapple chunks, drained
1 medium green sweet pepper, cut into one inch pieces
1 medium red sweet pepper, cut into one inch pieces
2 cups hot cooked rice

1. For glaze, in a small bowl combine orange juice concentrate, honey, soy sauce, five-spice powder, and ginger. Set aside.
2. Cut chicken into 1 inch pieces. On 6 long metal skewers, alternately thread chicken, pineapple, and peppers, leaving 1/4 inch space between pieces.
3. For a charcoal grill, grill kabobs on the rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium coals for 12-14 minutes or until no longer pink, turning and brushing once with glaze up to the last 5 minutes of grilling. For gas grill, preheat grill. Reduce heat to medium. Place kabobs on grill rack over heat. Cover and grill as above. Serve with hot cooked rice.

Spiced Cilantro Shrimp

I got this recipe from one of my favorite sources: Katie at Good Things Catered. I was going to hold off and try it later in the summer, but my husband really wanted to grill last weekend. It ended up being a perfect topping for a fresh salad, and was very easy and quick to put together and cook!



Spiced Cilantro Shrimp Skewers
Source: Good Things Catered

Ingredients:
50 extra large shrimp, shelled and deveined
10 bamboo skewers
juice of 1 lime
juice of 1 lemon
3 Tbsp tequila
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ tsp paprika
½ tsp chili powder
large pinch of salt
freshly ground pepper
3 Tbsp fresh cilantro, finely minced

Directions:
-Soak bamboo skewers for 1 hour
-Shake off bamboo skewers and skewer 5 shrimp onto each skewer.
-Place skewers into 9x13 baking dish and cover with remaining ingredients, except cilantro.
-Toss to combine and let marinate for 10 minutes.
-Preheat grill on high
-Toss skewers to combine again and let marinate for another 5 minutes.
-Bring shrimp to grill, turn grill down to medium and place skewers on racks to cook and get grill marks, about 4 minutes.
-Flip skewers and cook through, about 3 more minutes.
-Remove from grill, plate and sprinkle with fresh cilantro to serve.

Sesame Ginger Barbecued Chicken

This is another recipe from my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. We love the combination of sesame and ginger, so it was a no brainer for us. Even though I prepared it and added the chili sauce, I wasn't expecting it to be as spicy as it was. My husband doesn't mind, of course, and it was still a good alternative to plain barbecued chicken!


Sesame-Ginger Barbecued Chicken
Source: Better Homes and Garden: New Cookbook Bridal Edition
Serves 6

* 1/3 cup sweet and sour sauce (homemade recipe below)
* 1/4 cup water
* 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
* 1-1/2 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted
* 1 clove garlic minced
* 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
* 1/2 teaspoon chili sauce
* 6 small skinless boneless chicken breast halves


Directions

1. Combine all ingredients except chicken in a small saucepan. Bring to boiling over medium heat, stirring frequently; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 3 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat.
2. Grill chicken 12-15 minutes until no longer pink, turning once and brushing with sauce during the last 5 minutes of grilling. Reheat and pass remaining sauce.

Sweet and Sour Sauce
Source: About.com
Yield: About 1/2 cup

* 1/3 cup rice vinegar
* 4 tablespoons brown sugar
* 1 tablespoon ketchup
* 1 teaspoon soy sauce
* 2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 4 teaspoons water

Preparation:
Mix the vinegar, brown sugar, ketchup, and soy sauce together and bring to a boil in a small pot. Mix together the cornstarch and water, add to the other ingredients and stir to thicken.

Chicken Satay Lettuce Wraps

I saw a recipe for chicken satay skewers in my April issue of Everyday Food magazine, but after seeing them again at Pennies on a Platter, I knew I had to make them this weekend! I love the addition of cilantro and the increase in marinade in the adaptation. I also used natural peanut butter for the sauce and it was great. I decided to make lettuce wraps with the chicken, sauce, some romaine leaves, carrot and cucumber. Absolutely delicious!


Chicken Satay Lettuce Wraps
Source: Slightly adapted from Everyday Food Magazine, Bloomacious /Pennies on a Platter

boneless skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced lengthwise to total about 1 pound
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, grated
salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

For the sauce:
1/4 cup (natural) peanut butter
2 tablespoons rice vinegar

For the wraps:
Leaves of romaine lettuce
carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks
cucumber, cut into matchsticks


Directions:
1. In a bowl, toss chicken with sesame oil, soy sauce, cilantro, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper. Thread each chicken strip lengthwise onto a skewer.
2. Make dipping sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together peanut butter, vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes, and 2 to 3 tablespoons water.
3. Heat grill pan over high. Working in batches, brush pan with oil, and cook chicken until opaque throughout, 1 to 2 minutes per side.
4. Spread sauce in leaf of lettuce, add carrots and cucumber, then chicken. Enjoy!

Spinach and Feta Turkey Burgers

We had some ground turkey to use up, and with the weather finally getting nice, I knew my husband would be itching to use the grill. I was searching for something different than what we usually do with burgers, and I stumbled across this recipe. Cheese? Check. Vegetables snuck in there? Check. New flavor? Check. We haven't ventured much into the Greek flavoring realm, so I decided to ease us in with this recipe. I cut the recipe in half, omitted the yogurt and used one egg instead of the egg beaters. The only thing I'd change next time is to add the yogurt (I was just being lazy when I omitted it) and to increase the Greek seasoning. I thought it could have used a little more. Overall, it's a great burger recipe and I'm excited to make them again!


Spinach and Feta Turkey Burgers
Source: Bakespace

32 oz Extra Lean Ground Turkey
10 oz box Frozen Chopped Spinach, thawed with liquid squeezed out
1/2 C Feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 C onion, grate
2 cloves garlic, grated
2 Tablespoons Plain Fat Free Yogurt
1/2 C plain bread crumbs
1/4 C Egg Beater
1 heaping Tablespoon Greek Seasoning (see below for homemade recipe)

Combine all ingredients. Form 8 equal sized patties. Cook over medium heat, until no longer pink.

Greek Seasoning
Source: Recipezaar

* 2 teaspoons dried oregano
* 2 teaspoons salt
* 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
* 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
* 1 teaspoon cornstarch
* 1 teaspoon black pepper
* 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
* 1 teaspoon paprika
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1/2 teaspoon thyme

Caribbean Spiced Burgers with Mango Salsa

There is a battle in our house over burger preferences. My husband prefers chicken burgers, while I'd take a turkey burger any day. Katie from Good Things Catered has single-handedly settled this debate with this recipe, and turned me into a chicken burger lover! The burger has great flavor and the mango salsa is a fantastic complement - don't skip it! (Though, I cut the recipe in half and it was plenty for 4 burgers.)
(oh, and let's just pretend I didn't almost burn mine, mmmkay?)



Caribbean Spiced Chicken Burgers with Mango Salsa
Source: Good Things Catered
Makes 4 burgers

For the Burgers:
1 lb. ground chicken
4 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
4 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp packed brown sugar
2 tsp fresh thyme
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp ground ginger

Directions:
-In small bowl, combine thyme, salt, garlic, onion, paprika, pepper, allspice, ginger and set aside.
-Divide ground chicken into four 1/4 lb rounds. Shape rounds into 1/2 inch thick patties (about 5 inches wide).
-In high sided dish or airtight storage bag, combine soy sauce, vinegar, and brown sugar.
-Mix to dissolve sugar into liquids.
-Coat both sides of chicken patties with spice mixture and place into liquid.
-Seal and place in fridge for about 1 hour to marinate.
-Turn grill on medium high.
-Remove chicken patties from marinade, shake to remove excess and place onto grill.
-Cook, flipping once, until cooked through, about 15 minutes.
-Remove from grill and let sit, covered by foil, for 5-10 minutes before serving.

For the salsa:
2 medium ripe mangoes
1/4 c. red onion, finely diced
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, minced
1 Tbsp fresh mint, minced
1/2 tsp fresh ginger root, grated
juice of 1/2 small lime
1/8 tsp garlic salt

Directions:
-Peel and cut mango off of seed.
-Cut mango sliced into 1/2 inch cubes.
-In small bowl, combine mango, red onion, cilantro, mint, ginger, lime juice and garlic salt.
-Mix lightly to combine thoroughly and refrigerate 15min - 1 hour before serving.

Tuscan Grilled Chicken Salad

This recipe came in a free issue of Cook's Country magazine that somehow landed in my mailbox. I cut it out and was saving it in my recipe binder. We had some fresh mozzarella cheese in the fridge that needed to be used up, and when I searched my recipe file, this came up amongst a sea of baked pasta ideas. I decided to use it on the salad since that would be a nice break from the typical heavy winter fare. I grilled the chicken inside on our grill pan (still too cold to go outside for the grill!) and it was very quick and easy to throw together. The flavors were wonderful together, even though I had to use sherry vinegar instead of red wine vinegar in the dressing.


Tuscan Grilled Chicken Salad
Source: Cook's Country

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
3 small garlic cloves, minced, pressed or grated
salt and pepper
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 pint cherry tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 (1-inch-thick) slices crusty Italian bread
1 (8-ounce) bag baby arugula (about 8 cups) (I used iceberg since I was being lazy)

Directions:
Whisk oil, vinegar, and garlic in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper. Toss mozzarella, tomatoes, olives, and 2 tablespoons vinaigrette in a large bowl.

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Grill over hot fire until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Brush bread slices with 2 tablespoons vinaigrette and grill over hot fire until golden brown on both sides, about 1 minute per side.

Add arugula and remaining dressing to bowl with mozzarella mixture and toss until combined. Transfer to individual plates. Slice chicken and place on top of salad. Serve with grilled bread.

Lime-Cilantro Chicken

I've had this recipe starred in my google reader for a while now. I needed something easy for grilled chicken the other day, and this fit the bill! It certainly helped that I happened to have a bunch of fresh cilantro in the fridge waiting to be used. I only marinated it for a few hours instead of overnight, and it still turned out GREAT with tons of flavor! We loved it and will certainly be making it again!

Lime-Cilantro Chicken
From The Deen Bros. Cookbook - Recipes from the Road, seen on My Baking Heart.

~1-1/2 limes
~1/2 c fresh cilantro leaves
~1/4 c vegetable oil
~2 tbsp honey
~1-2 jalapeno peppers, trimmed and sliced (remove seeds)
~2 tsp tomato paste
~4 cloves garlic, chopped
~Pinch of salt
~5-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Finely grate the zest and squeeze the juice from the limes. In a blender, combine the zest and juice with remaining marinade ingredients. Puree until smooth. Pour marinade over chicken and toss to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

After the chicken has marinated, preheat the oven to 375. Place chicken breasts on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake for about 45 minutes or until juices run clear. (We grilled them instead - yum!)

BB: Ina's Butterflied Chicken

(sorry for the delay, everyone!)

So this week's recipe pick came from... me! I look to these blogging events as a way to challenge myself in the kitchen, hopefully doing new things and learning new skills. When I started looking for recipes, I knew I wanted something with chicken (as my husband doesn't eat pork or red meat, so we are always looking for new ways to serve chicken). I came across this recipe and pretty much stopped looking! I had never butterflied or deboned a whole chicken before, so I definitely would be setting up a challenge. As an added bonus, I have an overgrown rosemary plant on our balcony and this was a great way to use some up!

First, I needed to learn how to debone and butterfly a chicken. I went off to youtube, where I found plenty of deboning videos and plenty of butterflied videos, but none that showed how to debone AND butterfly while keeping the remainder intact. This site here described it with a few pictures, but that was definitely not good enough for my novice hands. With enough googling I eventually found a decent video, enough to get my started (regretfully, it seems I did not bookmark it and I can't find it again).

I set out with my paring knife and whole chicken, but given the fact that I was home alone and was, well, working with raw chicken, I didn't take any middle of the road pictures... but here is my finished product (before cooking):


No, it isn't the prettiest butterflied chicken (please try not to laugh), but I was dang proud of myself! I wasn't quite sure what to do with those legs, though. Cut them open? Probably. I just left them as is. I added the rub and wrapped it up.

Hot off the grill... I swear these are the best grill marks I've ever made!

We served atop a salad. YUM! I hope everyone that got to make it enjoyed it. We certainly did.
Butterflied Chicken
Check out the other Barefoot Bloggers here!

~1/4 cup chopped fresh rosemary leaves, plus 2 sprigs
~3 garlic cloves, chopped
~1 teaspoon lemon zest
~1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
~Good olive oil
~Kosher salt
~Freshly ground black pepper
~2 roasting chickens (2 1/2 to 3 pounds each), deboned and butterflied
~1/2 lemon, thinly sliced

Mix the chopped rosemary, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper together in a small bowl to make a paste.

Place the chickens on a sheet pan, skin side up, and loosen the skin from the meat with your fingers. Place 1/2 of the paste under the skin of each chicken. Rub any remaining paste on the outside and underside of the chickens.

Turn the chicken skin side down and scatter the lemon slices and sprigs of rosemary over each chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Roll each chicken up, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Heat a grill with coals. Spread the coals out in 1 dense layer and brush the grill with oil. Unroll the chickens, place them on the grill and cook for 12 minutes on each side.

Chicken Cobb Burger

I made this as a part of Dinner Divas (though I am apparently a little late). I am *always* looking for new burger ideas, as we don't eat red meat and grilled chicken gets a little old after a while! Though the burgers themselves were barely seasoned, the combination of all the other flavors was great! I will definitely keep this recipe around. :-) One word of caution... these are TALL! I handed them to my husband and said, "good luck!"

Chicken Cobb Burgers
from Bobby Flay

For the burgers:
~8 (1/2- thick) strips bacon (we omitted)
~1 1/2 pounds ground chicken, 90 percent lean (we used one pound of ground turkey)
~2 tablespoons canola oil (we omitted)
~Salt, Freshly ground black pepper
~1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese (we used gorgonzola)
~4 burger buns, split
~1 large ripe beefsteak tomato, cut into 4 slices
~1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and cut into 8 slices

For the vinaigrette:
~2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
~1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
~1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
~1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
~1 clove garlic, finely chopped
~1/4 teaspoon sugar
~1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
~1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
~3 tablespoons olive oil (we used 2 tbsp)
~1 cup finely shredded romaine lettuce

For the burgers: Heat the grill to medium. Place the strips of bacon on the grill (lay them across the grate so they don't fall through) and grill for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until golden brown and slightly crispy. Remove the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels. Increase the heat of the grill to high. Form the meat into 4 (8-ounce) burgers, brush with the oil and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Grill the burgers until golden brown on both sides and cooked completely through, about 5 minutes per side. Top the burgers with the blue cheese, close the cover, and continue cooking until the cheese begins to melt, about 1 minute longer. Place the burgers on the bottom half of each bun and top with a slice of tomato, 2 slices of avocado, 2 slices of bacon and some of the dressed romaine. Cover each burger with the bun tops and serve.

For the vinaigrette: Whisk together the vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, Worcestershire, garlic, sugar, salt, pepper and oil in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before using to allow the flavors to meld. Just before assembling the burgers, place the romaine in a medium bowl and toss with the vinaigrette.

Chicken Burgers with Peanut Sauce

We are a No-Beef household, so burgers come one of three ways: chicken, turkey, or black bean. I have to admit, chicken burgers are my least favorite of the three. My husband has always made them in the past, and maybe he just made them too big or something, but I couldn't really get into them. We had some ground chicken to use (since he just bought 4 more packs at the store), so I went off in search of a recipe that would change my mind about them. I certainly found it! The peanut sauce on this is *great*, and the burgers themselves were really good. Chicken burgers had definitely pushed themselves back up in the burger ranking. ;-)

Chicken Burgers with Peanut Sauce
Source: My Recipes
Yield 4 servings.

For the sauce:
~2 tablespoons peanut butter
~2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
~1 1/2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
~1 teaspoon water
~1 teaspoon rice vinegar
~1 garlic clove, minced

For the burgers:
~1/2 cup finely chopped green onions
~1 tablespoon chile paste with garlic
~2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
~2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
~1/4 teaspoon salt 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, chopped
~Cooking spray
~4 (2-ounce) sandwich rolls with sesame seeds
~1 cup onion sprouts or alfalfa sprouts

To prepare sauce, combine first 6 ingredients, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Prepare grill.

To prepare burgers, place onions and next 5 ingredients (onions through chicken) in a food processor; process until coarsely ground. Divide mixture into 4 equal portions, shaping each into a 1/2-inch-thick patty.

Place patties on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 4 minutes on each side or until done. Place rolls, cut sides down, on grill rack; grill 1 minute or until toasted. Place 1 patty on bottom half of each roll; top each serving with 1/4 cup sprouts, about 1 tablespoon sauce, and top half of roll.

Nutritional Information:
Calories - 341(28% from fat)
Fat - 10.6g (sat 3.2g,mono 3.5g,poly 3.3g)
Iron - 2.7mg
Cholesterol - 49mg
Calcium - 67mg
Carbohydrate - 32.8g
Sodium - 769mg
Protein - 28.5g
Fiber - 2.5g

Platinum Chef Challenge 7

It's that time again! This round was hosted by Dani of Make No Little Meals and the 5 ingredients were mint, bok choy, mango, yogurt, and panko.

I knew that I could make one dish that had all five, but I only truly love mint in a dessert, so I broke it up. I ended up making two dishes for this, dinner and dessert! (as well as spurring another fantastic idea!)

First, I made Grilled Shrimp and Crab cakes, with Grilled Bok Choy and a Mango Dipping Sauce. I love crab cakes and this was a different and interesting way to have them! I discovered that I love bok choy, and how have a fridge stocked with it! Grilling it was pretty easy, but I found that the tops (green parts) of the leaves aren't terribly hearty when it comes to the grill. I didn't find that part enjoyable to eat. The mango sauce was originally way to strong on the ginger, so I've paired it down for the posted recipe. Overall, they tasted great!
The dessert was a little harder to create. I started with a mint chocolate chip frozen yogurt recipe that called for spinach. I thought it was cute and gave it a shot...... but ultimately it was too spinach-y for me and I didn't care for it. I tried again without the spinach, but still didn't love it. So it was back to the drawing board. I decided to try and lighten up the Gooey Chocolate Cakes I made with the TWD crew, and found success (almost). I replaced butter with yogurt and achieved a wonderfully dense, moist cake, but there was not enough mint and it was lost in the final product. I increased it in the recipe listed below, but next time I'll probably just use peppermint extract to make sure it is strong enough (but such was off-limits for this challenge).

Grilled Shrimp and Crab Cakes with Grilled Bok Choy and Mango Dipping Sauce

For the Shrimp and Crab Cakes
~8 oz shrimp, peeled, deveined and tails removed; chopped
~8 oz lump crab meat
~1/4 cup plain yogurt
~1/8 cup chopped green onion
~few shakes of hot pepper sauce such as Tabasco
~1 egg
~1 Tbsp fresh chopped cilantro
~1 Tbsp lime juice
~2 tsp soy sauce
~2 tsp grated ginger root
~3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs, plus additional for rolling

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, mixing just until everything is incorporated. Form into patties or small balls (as I did since I wanted to grill them in my cages) and roll in additional panko. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to set. Grill over medium heat for a few minutes on each side.

For Grilled Bok Choy
~about 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
~1 clove garlic, smash or minced/grated
~1 tsp grated ginger
~4 bok choy, sliced in half and rinsed

Add garlic and ginger to evoo, allow to blend for upwards of 30 min to an hour. Brush cut sides of bok choy with the blended evoo. Place cut side down on grill over medium low heat for a few minutes (they don't need much).

For the Mango Dipping Sauce
~2 mangos, skin and seed discarded
~1 clove garlic, minced or grated
~1 tbsp grated ginger
~juice from 1/2 an orange
~juice from 1 lime
~2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
~1 Tbsp sesame seed oil
~1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
~1 Tbsp fresh cilantro
~Lime zest for garnish

Combine all ingredients except garnish in a blender or food processor, pulse to combine. Pour into dipping bowl and garnish with lime zest.


Lighter Gooey Chocolate Cakes
Adapted from Dorie Greenspan, Baking, From My Home to Yours

~1/3 cup AP flour
~3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
~1/4 tsp salt
~4 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips, or chopped bar of chocolate
~1/2 cup drained plain yogurt (place about 1 cup yogurt in cheesecloth or coffee filter in a strainer, set over a bowl and refrigerate for several hours)
~1/4 cup heavy cream
~1 Tbsp fresh mint leaves
~2 large eggs
~1 large egg yolk
~1/2 cup sugar

Getting ready:
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter (or spray – it’s easier) 6 cups of a regular-size muffin pan, preferably a disposable aluminum foil pan, dust the insides with flour and tap out the excess. (I use 3 - 7 ounce ramekins sprayed with baking spray). Put the muffin pan on a baking sheet.

Sift the flour, cocoa and salt together. Steep the cream and mint leaves together for a few minutes, being careful not to scalb/boil the cream. Combine with yogurt in a small processor or blend and pulse to combine. Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water, put the chopped chocolate and the yogurt mixture in the bowl and stir occasionally over the simmering water just until they are melted. Remove the bowl from the pan of water.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and yolk until homogenous. Add the sugar and whisk until well blended, about 2 minutes. Add the dry ingredients and, still using the whisk, stir (don’t beat) them into the eggs. Little by little, and using a light hand, stir in the melted chocolate and yogurt. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups (or ramekins). Bake the cakes for 13 minutes. (18 minutes for the ramekins)

Transfer them, still on the baking sheet, to a rack to cool for 3 minutes. (There is no way to test that these cakes are properly baked, because the inside remains liquid.) Line a cutting board with a silicone baking mat or parchment or wax paper, and, after the 3-minute rest, unmold the cakes onto the board. Use a wide metal spatula to lift the cakes onto dessert plates.

I then poured a little leftover warmed chocolate ganache over the top, and garnished with some mint whipped cream.

Triple Citrus Chicken

This was pretty easy to throw together and grill. Light, refreshing, and versatile - we've also used it for chicken fajitas with grilled red onion/zucchini and some slice avocado (if you go that route - reserve a bit of the marinade before pouring it over the chicken... just before assembling fajitas, toss all your fajita mix ins with the marinade).

Just grilled....
Or in fajitas!


Triple Citrus Chicken
Enough for 3 boneless/skinless chicken breasts

~1/4 cup lemon juice
~1/4 cup lime juice
~1/2 cup orange juice (I did fresh squeezed)
~1 Tbsp worchestershire sauce
~handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
~2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
~1 jalapeno, seeded (if you don't like the heat) and minced
~few dashes of salt and pepper
~1 tsp chipolte granules

Combine all ingredients, pour over chicken. Marinate for 30-60 min. Grill chicken until cooked through. (Due to my LACK of grill skills, I do not have spectacular grill marks to show off) :-(

Beautiful Bones: Island Shrimp and Tofu Pizza

I was quite inspired by the latest round of Platinum Chef Challenge (#7) and had a few recipes in mind to try out. The first recipe (Crab cakes) turned out great, but I still wanted to try my back up recipe (shrimp pizza) because I'd really taken the time to plan it out and it sounded so good in my head. I was chatting about my dinner plans with the ladies from What's Cookin, and Elly asked if my pizza was for the Beautiful Bones blogging event. I had never even heard of it, but as I looked into it, I realized this recipe is perfect!

I made a 9 inch pizza (roughly) and got about six slices. Each slice packs 23% of the RDA for calcium and is broken down as follows:
~1/2 mango ............................... 10 mg
~8 large shrimp ......................... 30 mg
~ground flaxseed (1/4 cup) ..... 40mg
~yogurt (2 tbsp) ....................... 50 mg
~1 small bok choy ..................... 70 mg
~3 oz tofu ..................................150 mg
~3 oz goat cheese..................... 450 mg
~3/4 cup mozzarella cheese .. 600 mg
TOTAL ................................... 1400 mg / 6 slices = 230 mg per slice

Island Shrimp and Tofu Pizza
~ 9 inch pizza dough of your choice (I used a whole wheat that included some ground flaxseed in place of some flour to get a little more calcium) :-)
~extra virgin olive oil for spraying

For the mango sauce:
~1/2 of a mango, seed and skin discarded
~juice from 1/2 of a lime (I had exceptionally large limes, so if yours are small, feel free to use the whole lime)
~2 tbsp plain yogurt
~few dashes of hot sauce, such as Frank's

For the toppings:
~3-4 oz extra firm tofu
~1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
~juice from 1/2 of a large lime
~ 1 clove of garlic, minced, grated or pressed
~1/3 cup soy sauce
~about 8 raw shrimp, peeled and cleaned
~roughly 1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), enough to coat shrimp
~1 baby bok choy, leaves separated and rinsed
~3 oz goat cheese, sliced
~3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
1. Combine tofu, ginger, lime juice, garlic and soy sauce in a small bowl. Refrigerate to marinate for 30 min to 1 hour. Meanwhile, combine ingredients for mango sauce in a blender and puree. Divide sauce, about 1/3 in a small bowl for coating shrimp, the remainder reserved for topping on the dough
2. Spray pizza dough with extra-virgin olive oil and place on the grill. As the dough cooks, it will firm up. Flip when it is firm enough. Meanwhile, place the panko in a shallow bowl or plate. Dip shrimp in mango sauce, then coat with panko. Grill shrimp, 2 to 3 min on each side.
3. When dough is ready and shrimp are done, remove dough for addition of toppings (or, if you are more talented than I, do so right on the grill!) Add the reserved mango sauce, about 1/2 the mozzarella cheese, then top with the tofu, bok choy, shrimp, goat cheese, then finish with remaining mozzarella cheese. Heat unil dough is finished and mozzarella cheese is melted. Slice and enjoy!

Product Review: Bamboo Handled Kabob Grill Basket

I picked up these grill baskets from Bed, Bath & Beyond because I hate dealing with skewers (especially for vegetables). I saw these back when I was registering for our wedding, and finally got around to purchasing them ($9.99 for a set of 4, but always use your coupons for 20% off!). We have used them twice this weekend and LOVE them! I have found that they fit the equivalent of about one boneless/skinless chicken breast each. They are so easy... just open the cage, plop in your meat or vegetables, lock the cage and toss on the grill. I keep the bamboo handle outside of the grill, so when it's time to flip, the handle is cool and makes it very easy. When the cooking is done, just unlock the cage and empty onto a plate. E-A-S-Y! Clean up is... not as easy, but they are for the grill, so I'm just letting them... "season"