Savory Turkey Burgers with Quick Mango Red Pepper Chutney
Posted: June 6, 2013 Filed under: Asian Dishes, Chicken, Main Dishes, Turkey, Uncategorized | Tags: balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, burgers, chutney, green onions, mango, red pepper, turkey Leave a comment
(Becky, the Mama.)
A family story pops up almost every Thanksgiving. Decades ago, my adorable cousin Kenny, about age five, tiny and wearing enormous glasses took a bite of the day’s celebrated roast bird, smiled, and then with a slow southern munchkin voice, asked my mom, “What kind of chicken is this Aunt (pronounced “Ain’t”) Ruthie? Tur-key?”
I must confess, I’m not a big fan of turkey (even cousin Kenny’s “chicken kind of turkey”) — as it too often tends toward dry and flavorless. I’ve found three exceptions, however. One is a recipe for marinated grilled turkey tenderloin. Moist, delicious, a family favorite. Another is a savory-sweet recipe for Asian turkey meatballs. Finally there is this creation for savory turkey burgers loaded with flavor and topped with a sweet and spicy quick mango red pepper chutney. It’s beautiful on a serving plate, plus budget and waistline friendly dish. Yummy paired with a side of jasmine rice and my simple sesame avocado cucumber salad. For vegans or vegetarians, trying grilling Field Roast Apple Sage Sausages, and then simmer them in the sauce a few minutes before serving.
Savory Turkey Burgers with Quick Mango Red Pepper Chutney
Makes 6 to 8 patties depending on size you prefer
Burgers
1 lb ground turkey (you can also use ground beef if you prefer)
1 lb sweet Italian turkey sausage, out of casing and crumbled
2 t. seasoned salt or grill seasoning
1 egg
1/3 c. soft bread crumbs
Sauce
½ cup chicken or veggie broth
1 /4 c. brown sugar
1 T. Dijon mustard
1/3 c. red wine or balsamic vinegar
Pinch salt and pepper
1 fresh mango diced (Or 3/4 c. fresh pineapple, chopped, is also delicious if you prefer)
1 roasted red pepper, diced
2 green onions, chopped
Directions:
Mix the ingredients for turkey burgers together and form into patties, any size you like. Grill or sauté with a little olive oil until brown and caramelized on the outside, cooked through on the inside. (You can cover the pan once the burgers are brown on the outside and let simmer a bit more if they need to cook through more on the inside.) Remove from pan to a plate, cover with foil to keep warm and let juices redistribute. To the same skillet, add veggie broth, brown sugar, mustard and vinegar to skillet. Turn heat on high to bring to boil and then back heat down to a simmer, until sauce begins to get thicken.. Add mango, red pepper and onions, pinch salt and pepper continue to cook until the chutney is hot again. Serve a spoonful of warm sauce over turkey patties.
Vegan or Vegetarian Alternative: Use Field Roast Apple Sage Sausages, split down the middle length-wise. Brown in a little olive oil, then continue recipe above.
This was printed from: We Laugh, We Cry, We Cook
The site URL: http://welaughwecrywecook.com
The Title: Savory Turkey Burgers with Quick Mango Red Pepper Chutney
The recipe URL: http://wp.me/p1UwM9-ZD
This was printed from: We Laugh, We Cry, We Cook
Balsamic Blistery Potato Chips
Posted: August 24, 2012 Filed under: Sides, Snacks, Uncategorized, Vegan, Vegan Options, Vegetarian, Veggies | Tags: balasmic oven fries, balsamic, chives, green onions, oven fries, potato chips, potatoes, ranch dressing, salt and vinegar oven fries, vinegar and oil potato chips 3 Comments
I do believe that if my husband Greg were to choose foods that make up his “dream meal,” it would no doubt have Kettle potato chips on the plate. I’m just not sure if they would be a side dish, or the main attraction. I dare not leave him alone in the house with a bag of thick cut potato chips because he cannot stop until he’s eaten them all, and by this I mean turned the bag upside down, shaking any remains of potato and salt into his mouth. He loves them too much to have them readily available, except for very special occasions.
“When did you start loving potato chips so much?” I asked him.
He grinned and said, “When I was a kid, I’d ride my bike home from school and of course I’d be starving. Then I’d plop in front of the TV with a bag of potato chips and eat the whole bag while I watched three episodes of Star Trek in a row.” He sighed,then added. “It was heaven. My favorite ones were Bar-B-Q and I’d lick all the goody off the sides before eating them. It was before my parents divorced, and I just remember it as a simple, happy time.”
My husband just gave a perfect example of “taste memory” – when something you eat triggers warm happy memories. I was inspired to create some potato chips that Greg could savor and enjoy, that would give him those warm fuzzy “taste memories,” but would do his body more good than harm. Last week I tried an experiment that turned out amazingly well. Rather than baking sliced potato rounds, I broiled them on both sides until “blistery.” In a word: fabulous. They are a great cross between an oven fry and a chip. Greg loves them!
The following recipe is just one version of my Blistery Potato Chips, made with a balsamic-pomegranate vinegar, but you can create 50 Shades of (Homemade) Lays (Potato Chips) with a little imagination, a couple of sliced potatoes, some olive oil and great variety of herbs or spices. Let your imagination go wild.
Try them as a healthy snack for you or the kids, or a quick, easy, delicious side dish with any meal. We especially love them with Chili Lime Catfish and coleslaw.
What are some foods that bring warm happy memories to your mind?
Blistery Balsamic Potato Chips
Heat Oven to Broil.
Serves 2-4 people (depending on size of potatoes and appetites)
Ingredients:
2 Idaho potatoes, washed but not peeled, sliced thin (about ¼ inch)
¼ cup olive oil
2 T. balsamic vinegar (I used pomegranate balsamic)
Sea Salt (fresh ground if you have it on hand)
1 T. chopped green onions or chives (optional)
¼ c. catsup, BBQ sauce, or Ranch dressing for dipping (optional)
Directions:
Place sliced potatoes in a shallow bowl and sprinkle with vinegar. Using clean hands, toss them around until they begin to soak up some of the vinegar. Add in the oil and do the same.
Lay “chips” on a big cookie sheet, spread apart and not touching each other.
Lightly sprinkle them with sea salt. Broil about 4 inches from broiler on one side for 3 minutes or so, or until golden brown in spots. Remove try from oven and turn over all the chips, sprinkle this side with more salt and put back under the broiler until the tops are golden brown. Remove from oven. The bottom side of the potatoes will have by now “blistered” and turned an even prettier shade of brown. Taste one as soon as they are cool to see if more salt may be needed. Garnish with chopped green onions or chives if you like. Serve with a side of Ranch Dressing, BBQ sauce or catsup if desired.
This was printed from: We Laugh, We Cry, We Cook
The site URL: http://welaughwecrywecook.com
The Title: Balsamic Blistery Broiled Potato Chips
The URL: http://wp.me/p1UwM9-DQ
© Copyright 2012 – All Rights Reserved
Sweet n’ Savory Asian Meatballs
Posted: August 18, 2012 Filed under: Appetizers, Asian Dishes, Uncategorized | Tags: Asian meatballs, green onions, hoison, jasmine rice, meatballs, sesame seeds 2 Comments
(Becky, the Mama.)
“Now, that’s a good meatball,” my husband said as he took a bite of these amazingly moist Asian meatballs.
Quick. Name the scene and the movie that came to my mind in that moment.
If you guessed the scene with Rosie and the meatballs from The Wedding Singer, well, you get this free recipe for meatballs in your inbox today!
And if you didn’t guess correctly, you not only get the recipe free, but here’s the dialogue from the movie that left me smiling.
Adam Sandler is teaching a darling little old lady singing lessons, so she can sing to her husband on their 50th wedding anniversary. As he turns to leave after the lessons Rosie says, “But your payment!” And Adam Sandler’s character Robbie says, “My payment. Can I get it to go?”
Rosie calls from the kitchen, emerging with a sauce pan. “You’re such a sweet boy…letting an old woman pay you with meatballs.”
Robbie dismisses her protest. “They taste so good, it’s like I’m ripping you off.”
“I don’t have any clean Tupperware.”
“All right, definitely next time.”
“Don’t be silly. Now hold out your hands.”
He obeys and she plops a giant messy meatball in each of his hands and encourages him to taste one on the spot. He sweetly obliges, in spite of the awkwardness and takes a bite, then looks up at her and smiles. “That’s a good meatball.”
Let me tell you, the recipe for these meatballs are so good you’ll have people begging to eat them out of their hands!
They are made from ground turkey, so it is a surprise how moist and savory they taste. The sauce is just to die for: thick and rich, sticky with hoison sauce balanced by the tang of lime and vinegar and chopped green onions. Serve over rice with assorted chopped veggies and you’ve got a one bowl wonder.
Unless, that is you prefer to skip the fork and bowls, and eat them with your hands, Wedding Singer style.
Sweet n’ Savory Asian Meatballs
Serves 4
Preheat over to 400 degrees.
Ingredients for Meatballs:
1 lb to 1.25 lb ground turkey
3 peeled cloves garlic
1/4 red onion
1/2 t. salt
1 t. pepper
1 T. sesame oil
1 T. olive oil
1 egg
1 1/2 pieces soft fresh bread, torn into small pieces
1 inch square, fresh peeled ginger
Directions for Meatballs:
Put all ingredients into food processor and process the above into a thick meatloaf like mixture. Add more oil or a little water if needed to keep the processor moving. Roll and pat this mixture into 1 1/2 inch meatballs. Mixture will be a little sticky so you may want to grease your hands with a little olive oil, to help the process. (They don’t have to be perfectly round either… ) Don’t worry, the meatballs firm up beautifully, but also stay moist, when cooked. )
Bake uncovered 400 degrees in an oblong Pyrex pan that has been sprinkled with olive oil, turning periodically, and baking until the meatballs are golden on the outside and cooked on the inside about 20 minutes. If they are cooked through but not browned, run them under the broiler to get the outsides nice and brown and crispy!
Ingredients for Sauce:
2/3 c. bottled hoison sauce
1/4 white or rice vinegar
1 grated garlic clove
1 t. grated fresh ginger
1 T. soy sauce
Juice from 1/2 fresh lime
1 T. sesame seeds
2 T. chopped green onion
Directions for Sauce and Putting it All Together:
Put first 5 ingredients into a big sauce pan, and simmer for about a minute, until good and hot. Add juice from lime and then, gently put cooked meatballs in sauce and cover them all with sauce, heating until the meatballs are nice and hot.
Sprinkle with sesame seeds and chopped green onion. .Serve over rice (jasmine is our favorite) with any steamed or sautéed vegetables that you like. (May also garnish with chopped peanuts and cilantro and additional lime or hot sauce, if you like.)
This was printed from: We Laugh, We Cry, We Cook
The site URL: http://welaughwecrywecook.com
The Title: Sweet n Savory Asian Meatballs
The URL: http://wp.me/p1UwM9-D3
© Copyright 2012 – All Rights Reserved
Becky Johnson
Rachel Randolph
We Laugh, We Cry, We Cook 