On the list: Lamb and Turkey Pita Burgers

http://www.cookinglight.com/food/everyday-menus/quick-easy-chicken-recipes-00400000057014/page17.html

Lamb and Turkey Pita Burgers

Time: 30 minutes

Simple Sub: Try ground sirloin in place of lamb.

Serve with Tomato-Cucumber Salad:Combine 2 cups thinly sliced English cucumber and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a colander; let stand 10 minutes. Squeeze out excess moisture. Combine cucumber, 2 cups thin tomato wedges, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, 2 tablespoons chopped pitted kalamata olives, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, and 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil. Yield: 4 servings. CALORIES 53;FAT 3.3g (sat 0.4g); SODIUM 158mg

Total: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 stuffed pita halves)

Ingredients

• Sauce:
• 1/4  cup  canola mayonnaise
• 2  teaspoons  fresh lemon juice
• 1/4  teaspoon  ground cumin
• 1/8  teaspoon  ground red pepper
• Burgers:
• 1/4  cup  prechopped onion
• 1  tablespoon  tomato paste
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/8  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
• 1/8  teaspoon  ground ginger
• 8  ounces  lean ground lamb
• 8  ounces  ground turkey breast
• Cooking spray
• 8  small green leaf lettuce leaves
• 4  (6-inch) whole-wheat pitas, halved

Preparation

1. To prepare sauce, combine first 4 ingredients; cover and chill.

2. To prepare burgers, combine onion and next 6 ingredients (through turkey) in a large bowl. Divide mixture into 8 equal portions, shaping each into a 1/3-inch-thick oval patty.

3. Heat a large grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add patties to pan; cook 5 minutes on each side or until well-marked and done. Arrange 1 lettuce leaf, 1 patty, and about 1 1/2 teaspoons sauce in each pita half.

On the List: Walnut and Rosemary Oven-Fried Chicken

From Cooking Light

http://www.cookinglight.com/food/everyday-menus/quick-easy-chicken-recipes-00400000057014/page14.html

Time: 30 minutes

Prep Pointer: Toasting panko in a skillet makes it crunchier and golden brown.

Simple Sub: Try romaine in place of escarole.

Serve with Toasted Garlic Escarole: Cut a 1½-pound escarole head crosswise into 1-inch strips; place in a large bowl. Heat 1½ tablespoons olive oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add 4 thinly sliced garlic cloves to pan; sauté 2 minutes or until golden. Remove from heat; add 1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Drizzle dressing over escarole, and toss to coat.

Total: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cutlet)

Ingredients

• 1/4  cup  low-fat buttermilk
• 2  tablespoons  Dijon mustard
• 4  (6-ounce) chicken cutlets
• 1/3  cup  panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 1/3  cup  finely chopped walnuts
• 2  tablespoons  grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 3/4  teaspoon  minced fresh rosemary
• 1/4  teaspoon  kosher salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• Cooking spray
• Rosemary leaves (optional)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 425°.

2. Combine buttermilk and mustard in a shallow dish, stirring with a whisk. Add chicken to buttermilk mixture, turning to coat.

3. Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add panko to pan; cook 3 minutes or until golden, stirring frequently. Combine panko, nuts, and next 4 ingredients (through pepper) in a shallow dish. Remove chicken from buttermilk mixture; discard buttermilk mixture. Dredge chicken in panko mixture.

4. Arrange a wire rack on a large baking sheet; coat rack with cooking spray. Arrange chicken on rack; coat chicken with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 13 minutes or until chicken is done. Garnish with rosemary leaves, if desired.

On the list: Roast Chicken with Balsamic Bell Peppers

Recipe from Cooking Light

http://www.cookinglight.com/food/everyday-menus/quick-easy-chicken-recipes-00400000057014/?iid=CMnewsletter|nl9&PromKey=XET

Total: 40 minutes
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 breast half and about 1/2 cup bell pepper mixture)
Ingredients
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
3/4 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Cooking spray
2 cups thinly sliced red bell pepper
1 cup thinly sliced yellow bell pepper
1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots (about 1 large)
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 450°.

2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Combine 1/2 teaspoon salt, fennel seeds, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, garlic powder, and oregano. Brush chicken with 1 1/2 teaspoons oil; sprinkle spice rub over chicken. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons oil to pan. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes or until browned. Turn chicken over; cook 1 minute. Arrange chicken in an 11 x 7–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes or until done.

3. Heat remaining olive oil over medium-high heat. Add bell peppers, shallots, and rosemary; sauté 3 minutes. Stir in broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high. Stir in vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Serve bell pepper mixture over chicken.

Simple Sub: Use red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar for a sauce with a sharper edge.

Serve with Mascarpone Mashed Potatoes: Place 1½ pounds cubed peeled Yukon gold potatoes in a large saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until tender. Drain; return to pan. Add 1⁄3 cup 2% milk, 3 tablespoons mascarpone cheese, and ½ teaspoon salt. Mash to desired consistency.

Penne Pasta with Spinach and Bacon

Penne Pasta with Spinach and Bacon

Ingredients

1 (12 ounce) package penne pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
6 slices bacon, chopped
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 bunch fresh spinach, rinsed and torn into bite-size pieces
Directions

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the penne pasta, and cook until tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Place bacon in the skillet, and cook until browned and crisp. Add garlic, and cook for about 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes, and cook until heated through.
Place the spinach into a colander, and drain the hot pasta over it so it is wilted. Transfer to a large serving bowl, and toss with the remaining olive oil, and the bacon and tomato mixture.

Chorizo Breakfast Burritos

With the second Chorizo link left over from making paella I went in search for a good recipe from some of my favorite blogs. SimpleRecipes, to their namesake they had a wonderful simple recipe. So I made breakfast burritos on Sunday.





Chorizo and Eggs Recipe

INGREDIENTS
Olive oil or bacon fat
1/3 cup chopped onions (green, red, or yellow onions) optional
1/4 lb of Mexican chorizo sausage, removed from sausage casing
3 Tbsp raisins - soaked in hot water for 15 minutes and drained
5 to 6 eggs
Salt
Tortillas - optional
Cilantro - optional

Chorizo sausage from Whole Foods. Whole Foods has a standard recipe and spices for making chorizo sausage and may make some up for you upon request if you don't see it displayed.
METHOD

1 Heat a large skillet on medium high heat. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil or bacon fat in the pan. Add the chopped onions (optional) and cook until softened. Once softened, move to the side of the pan and add break up bits of chorizo into the pan. Use a wooden spatula to break up the pieces of sausage. Add the raisins. Stir until the sausage is cooked through, though not necessarily browned. If you are not using lean chorizo, drain the excess fat from the pan before proceeding. If you are not using lean chorizo, you may want to cook the chorizo first, draining the excess fat, then remove to a plate while you cook the onions in the remaining fat. We usually cook with lean chorizo, so excess fat isn't an issue.

2 Crack the eggs one at a time, into the pan. Break the yolks and stir the eggs into the sausage. Add a light sprinkling of salt. Stir constantly until the eggs begin to set, but are still moist. Remove from heat.
Serve immediately with a side of warmed corn tortillas and cilantro as a garnish.
Serves 2-3.

Roasted Salsa

This is my absolute favorite salsa recipe. It's from my friend Tomi. I love it so much that years after touching base with each other I reached out to him because I was craving his salsa.



Roasted Salsa
1 - 28oz can of whole tomatoes
1 – medium sweet onion (1/2 inch slices)
1 – jalapeno (the more tan lines on it the hotter it will be:
3 – cloves of garlic
1 – teaspoon salt
1- teaspoon pepper
1 – teaspoon garlic powder
Small bunch flat leaf parsley (optional)

Directions
Take the sliced onion, garlic (leave husk), and Jalapeno and place under the broiler in the oven. Turn them frequently until all the skin is charred. Next place the whole canned tomatoes in the blender along with the onion, garlic (husk removed), and jalapeno (if using parsley, add that as well.) Pulse on high until you get your desired consistency. Try not to blend it too long. Add the salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste. If it’s too thick than add a little water.

A note from Tomi - It’s a pretty easy recipe, you just need to change it up until your happy with the results. This recipe has changed a little over the years. Things I do now that I didn’t do way way way back in the day: roast the onion, garlic, and jalapeno, use canned tomatoes (this helps with consistency, for extra spice I add canned chipotles, and sometimes I add cilantro instead of parsley.

A note from me - I like to add red onions, when roasted they are so yummy. I also like to add cilantro to the mix (as you probrably noticed in the photo).

Leek Potato Soup

In our organics box this week we were delivered among other things a huge beautiful Leek. I'd never actually made leek soup so this was a great opportunity.



Delish!! It's also a great idea to serve cold. I'm going to add this as an amuse bouche for my next dinner party. Served cold in a shot-glass. It's perfect to make the night before.


Alton Brown's Leek Potato Soup

Ingredients
1 pound leeks, cleaned and dark green sections removed, approximately 4 to 5 medium
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Heavy pinch kosher salt, plus additional for seasoning
14 ounces, approximately 3 small, Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced small
1 quart vegetable broth
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 tablespoon snipped chives
Directions
Chop the leeks into small pieces.

In a 6-quart saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the leeks and a heavy pinch of salt and sweat for 5 minutes. Decrease the heat to medium-low and cook until the leeks are tender, approximately 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the potatoes and the vegetable broth, increase the heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and gently simmer until the potatoes are soft, approximately 45 minutes.

Turn off the heat and puree the mixture with an immersion blender until smooth. Stir in the heavy cream, buttermilk, and white pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning if desired. Sprinkle with chives and serve immediately, or chill and serve cold.