Cakes & Cooking » casual

Chicken Burgers

cait — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 23:40:59 +0000

A twist on a regular grilled chicken sandwich, chicken burgers stay juicy and moist throughout, eliminating the chicken breast issue of undercooked thick middles and dried out thin ends. Since boneless breasts have virtually no fat, these don’t cook down in size at all – so make them exactly to whatever bun size you want.

4 or 5 boneless skinless chicken breasts, fat trimmed off
1.5 cup spiedie sauce or other marinade, 0.5 cup reserved
pinch of salt, coarse ground pepper
0.5 cup frozen spinach, cooked, drained and pressed
0.25 cup bread crumbs or crushed cereal
buns, condiments, and toppings

Marinate the chicken. Put the breasts and a few tablespoons of marinade in the food processor and process until evenly chopped. In a bowl, toss the processed chicken with the bread crumbs and spices. Work in the drained spinach with your hands, and a few more tablespoons of marinade. Shape into patties.

Grill or pan cook the patties. In a pan, heat 1 tbsp olive oil until hot. Sear the patties on med-high heat until browned on both sides. Turn the heat to medium low and add the 0.5 cup reserved marinade. Cook the burgers in the marinate, turning occasionally, until cooked through, 10 minutes. Serve on bulkie rolls with butter and garlic salt, lettuce and mayonnaise. (Serves 4)

Plum Tea and Shortbread Cookies

cait — Tue, 26 May 2009 18:21:13 +0000

A delicious summer pairing. Plum tea, a recipe handed over from Aunt Kare, has a sweet, fresh flavor. Brown sugar shortbread is perfect with any tea – an easy combination of butter, sugar, and flour.

Plum Tea

4 quarts boiling water, divided
2 cups sugar
2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice (8-10 medium oranges) with pulp
.05 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2-3 lemons), no pulp
4 family-sized teabags or 16 regular teabags
water

Steep teabags in 2 quarts of boiling water for 15 minutes. To the other 2 quarts boiling water, add the sugar and stir until dissolved. In a heat-safe pitcher, add the tea (discard bags after 15 min), sugar water, orange juice, and lemon juice. Add enough water to make 1 full gallon. Chill and serve over ice.

Brown Sugar Shortbread

2 cups butter (not margerine)
1 cup packed brown sugar
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla
4 to 4.5 cups flour

In a food processor, cream butter and brown sugar until smooth. Add salt and vanilla. Add flour 1 cup at a time, until 3 cups. After 3 cups of flour have been added, turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead in an additional cup to cup and a half of flour. Pat dough into a 9×13 pan, score into rectangles. Prick each rectangle with a fork. Bake at 325 for 20-25 minutes, until brown on the edges. Cut along scored lines when cool, serve.

Black Bean Burgers

cait — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 02:31:00 +0000

This recipe comes courtesy of my friend Lexi, who has lived in Texas and Pasadena. I think she knows her way around black beans! These are super tasty burgers that freeze well, so you can make them and freeze for later. Not well suited for grilling, these are better pan fried in just a little olive oil. The bean paste is mushy and it requires that quick-searing heat to make a crispy enough crust that the burger won’t fall apart. Topped with cheese and some spicy ranch, even my carnivore husband thinks these are a nice alternative to a meaty burger. Quick, protein filled, and low in fat. What could be better?

INGREDIENTS

1 (16 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 green bell pepper, cut into 2 inch pieces
1/2 onion, cut into wedges
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 egg
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon Thai chili sauce or hot sauce
1/4 cup bread crumbs
crushed saltine crackers

- Process the beans with the onion and garlic until a chunky paste. Mix in a bowl (using your hands) with the egg, spices, and bread crumbs. Form into patties, and coat each side with the crushed saltines.
-Pan fry the burgers a few at a time in a teaspoon or so of olive oil (or even nonstick cooking spray works), making sure to form a crust on each side. Serve alone or on buns, with cheese and toppings.

Lemon-Limeade

cait — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 01:00:00 +0000

I found myself wanting to make lemonade, but I was short of lemons. Limes, however, had been on sale 8/$1.00 this week, and I had bought extra limes for the express purpose of putting them down the garbage disposal (at 12 cents a lime I can afford that luxury!). But on a whim I decided to go halfsies on lemons and limes in the traditional lemonade recipe. The end result was actually quite delicious.

1.5 cups granulated sugar
8 cups of water, divided into 7c and 1c
1.5 cups lemon or lime juice (for me it took 3 large lemons and 4 large limes, squeezed)

-Combine granulated sugar and 1 cup of water, boil until dissolved, to form a simple syrup. Refridgerate till cool.
-Squeeze lemons and limes, discard seeds but keep the pulp.
-Combine lemon-lime juice with 7 cups remaining chilled water.
-Slowly stir in sugar syrup, reserving the last 1/4 cup and adding to taste.
-Garnish with lemon rinds and enjoy.

BLT Wraps

cait — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 03:45:00 +0000

When it’s hot and steamy out it’s hard to cook. A simple BLT wrap with oven baked fries goes a long way. And there’s no standing over a hot stove, either! A dash of honey mustard keeps the BLT from being overly salty.

Black Bean Quesadillas

cait — Tue, 08 May 2007 16:48:00 +0000

Black Bean Quesadillas are my favorite snack or quick dinner. They are healthy and pack a good protein punch, and I use wheat tortillas.

1 can black beans, drained
1 cup salsa or picante
1 chopped garlic clove
1 chopped jalapeño
6 burrito size tortillas
4 oz shredded cheddar

Pulse the beans, picante, garlic and japapeño in the food processor to form a chunky paste. Smooth the paste over 1/2 of each tortilla, fold the other half over to form a semicircle. On top of the bean paste sprinkle the shredded cheddar and a squeeze of lime juice.

Bake the semicircles on a flat baking sheet for 10-12 minutes at 350, or until brown. Cut each into 3 triangles and serve with sour cream or salsa. This is a 20 minute dinner!

Black Bean Dip

cait — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 04:08:00 +0000

There is no snack (or dinner) quicker than a pan of black bean dip. This is what I cook when I just don’t feel like cooking! It takes 5 minutes from start to finish, and then probably another 10-12 in the oven. What it lacks in glamour it makes up in protein and stick-to-your-stomachness.

1 29oz can of black beans
1 cup salsa or picante
1 cup frozen corn
5 oz. shredded cheddar
1 japapeno, diced

Drain the beans. Pulse with the picante in a food processor until it makes a chunky paste. Spread in a 9 x 13 pan. Sprinkle on top the frozen corn, diced jalapeno, and the shredded cheddar. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes, finishing with 1 minute under the broiler to burn the cheese if needed.

Serve with homemade tortilla chips, bagged tortilla chips, and veggies for dipping. Celery sticks and cherry tomatoes work particularly well.