Adventures in Food
Tempting Main Dishes
No Need for Beef Bean Burgers
Sep 3rd
Bean burgers sounded like a bit of a stretch for me—I mean, how do you get them to stay together? And truth be told, I’m not a burger fan. (Shhhh! Don’t tell Mr. Squid, he makes great burgers, but for me it’s still always about getting great toppings that make a burger worth eating no matter if it’s ground sirloin or chuck.)
When I started looking through various black bean burger recipes I realized a couple of things—first that they were constructed a lot like meatballs with bread crumbs and an egg to hold them together and second that bean patties are common. Who knows, maybe falafels, those balls of ground, fried chickpeas often wrapped in a warm pita, were the inspiration for black bean burgers.
Here’s what I didn’t like about the recipes I came across—why no ‘bean fushion’? I like black beans but what about adding in a few red beans or pinto? The flavoring in black bean burgers seemed fairly expected too, garlic and onions, onions and garlic, sometimes sautéed and sometimes added raw. I figure if you’re already using beans for your burger you should make it a southwest burger with enough spice and heat to distinguish it from it’s beefy cousin.
No problem getting the kids to eat bean burgers!
So instead of bread crumbs as I binder, I used ground up tortilla chips and I didn’t even bother with onions and garlic, I spiced it as I might a burger with onion powder, garlic powder and then chili powder. I also tossed in a little mayo to hold it together; to brighten the flavor even more I added plenty of fresh chopped cilantro. As for the beans, I decided on a black-pinto combo.
The results? I really wasn’t expecting to like the bean burgers much (I mean, it is still a burger). But the crisped patties melded together with the vivid flavors of beans, cilantro, southwest spices and corn won me over. My kids too. My husband even had seconds, and said—I kid you not—“I like these better than regular burgers.”
Have you tried bean burgers?
Recipe
Servings: 8, 3-inch burgers
Prep + Cooking time: About an hour
Ingredients
1 15.5 oz can black beans (drained)
2 15.5 oz cans pinto beans (drained; you’ll only use half of the second can)
1 cup corn chips, ground (measured after grinding)
1 egg
2 tablespoons mayo
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne
Salt and pepper to taste
Slices of cheese, optional
Oil
Directions
- In a food processor, grind the corn chips and then set aside in a large bowl.
- Drain all of the beans. Process 1 can of pinto beans until smooth. Add to the corn chips in the separate bowl.
- Again, in the food processor, pulse the remaining pinto beans (remember half of the can; the rest you can save for another recipe) and half of the black beans until chunky but NOT pureed. Two or three pulses should do it.
- Add the chunky pinto and black bean mixture to the corn and pureed bean mixture. Add the remaining ingredients (except the rest of the black beans) and stir.
- Add in the whole black beans to the rest of the bean mixture and stir gently. The mixture will be loose.
- On a baking sheet covered with parchment paper, form three inch in diameter, one-inch thick patties. Place on the baking sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- In a large skillet bring three tablespoons of oil to medium-high heat. Gently add the firmed patties to the oil and sauté on one side for about 4 minutes and then flip over gently and sauté the next side for 4 minutes or until crisped. You should be able to fit four patties into the pan at a time.
- Replace the parchment on the baking sheet and put the sautéed patties onto the sheet. Add a slice of cheese to the top (I used Monterrey Jack, but you can use whatever your family prefers). Melt the cheese in an oven preheated to 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 7 to 10 minutes while you prep the rest of the burger ingredients.
- Serve the burgers on bun with lettuce, tomato, and onion. I also added a chipotle mayo to the bun top for some extra heat.
- Enjoy!
Kids Eating….sauteed spinach
Aug 27th
I love spinach nearly as much as I do dark chocolate. Seriously, when there was the E. Coli outbreak back in 2006 linked to bagged spinach I felt like I went through leafy green withdrawl (so sad to see it stripped from all the grocery store shelves—if only I were a decent gardener!). Romaine lettuce, iceberg, butter lettuce, they’re okay, but the thick heft and chewiness of leaf of spinach, simply tasty.
Not so for my kids. “This tastes like you’re eating leaves,” my oldest said once. “Well… you are,” I explained. Of course, that didn’t make her any more eager to eat it. So I add spinach into my foods, but I don’t push it with my girls.
Sometimes, it’s all about the recipe. The other day I had a duel challenge—my kids aren’t huge gnocchi fans and well, you already know their thoughts on my favorite veggie. But I wanted a meal with both. I made them plain pasta and for my husband and me I tried something new. For each of my girls I put a little of my new creation on their plates and expected to eat their leftovers later. No leftovers. In fact, my two oldest girls went back for seconds—we’re talking sautéed spinach here. And it wasn’t a fluke. I made the recipe again this week and sure enough they ate it. I wish I could say the recipe was something terribly creative and unique, but taking a few extra steps was what made the dish yummy. That and I didn’t try to tweak it for my girls, I just made something I wanted to eat.
My daughter with a second helping
*Note—for this recipe I tried a stir-fry technique with Italian food. I sauteed the veggies first (the spinach) and moved it to the sides of the pan as you would in a wok. Then I add the main ingredient (the gnocchi) to the center of the pan and then tossed in my sauce ingredients. Couldn’t have been simpler and less mess to clean up too.
Fast & Easy Creamy Sauteed Spinach with Ricotta and Fontina Gnocchi
Ingredients
4 cups spinach
1 cup ricotta
¾ cup fontina
1 clove garlic
1 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil, separated
ground pepper and salt to taste
2 Tablespoons either half and half or cream (optional)
Fresh, chopped basil (optional)
Directions
Cook the gnocchi according the package directions.
Add the olive oil to a large sauté pan and bring to medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds before adding the spinach (I don’t even bother pulling them into smaller pieces I just throw them whole into the pan). Cook for 2 to 3 minutes or just until the spinach leaves just barely begin to wilt. Push the spinach to the outer sides of the pan and add another ½ tablespoon of oil. Add the cooked gnocchi to the middle of the pan. Let the gnocchi cook for about 4 minutes before moving them around.
Now that the gnocchi have had time to sauté, turn the heat down to medium. Add the ricotta cheese in dollops on top of the gnocchi and sprinkle with the cheese. Don’t mix the ingredients until you see cheese just beginning to melt. Sprinkle with pepper and salt, stir briefly until the cheeses mix with the rest of the ingredients. For a creamier sauce you can add a few tablespoons half and half or heavy cream at this point. You can also toss in fresh basil, Parmesan cheese and/or a few red pepper flakes. Serve.
Kids Eating Curry–Tortilla, anyone?
Aug 11th
Photo credit: Thai Jasmine
So just how do you get kids to eat spicy, coconuty Thai curry–especially if it’s green? I wondered the same thing. I’ve discovered a few helps since I’ve been trying to get my kids as hooked on Thai food as I am.
I made a red, spicy curry the first time I served Thai food to my kids at home a few years ago. They’d loved trying out curries at restaurants (especially if we polished off the meal with coconut ice cream), but when I prepared it at home…it was a total flop. I served the dish–gobs of curry and a mound of rice floating on top–just as we’d had it at restaurants. Even my oldest, who’s willing to try just about anything wouldn’t go past a couple bites. Yikes!
I didn’t try making curry very often after that. I just didn’t want my kids getting into their heads that they didn’t like ‘curry.’ Recently, we went to a Malaysian restaurant that served both Japanese sushi (a favorite of theirs) and Malaysian curries. The server brought out a traditional Malaysian bread, roti canai, to serve with the meal.
The roki that inspired our tortilla improvisation!
If you’ve been following my blog, you know my family loves Mexican food. Since the Malaysian bread seemed in the same category as flour tortillas I had a thought–pair something I know my kids already like–tortillas–with something they’re learning to like–curry. Here’s how I served it this time: I put the green curry (thank you Savory Spice) into small serving bowls (4-ounce ramekins) on a large plate with a pile of rice and a stack of flour tortillas in the center of the table. It helps if you have really good tortillas–I buy the uncooked variety in bulk from Costco. They taste entirely different from the somewhat stale, bland variety available at most grocery stores; they’re chewy and soft with a hint of crispness if you cook them just so.
My kids tore off pieces of tortilla to dip into the curry just as they’d done in the Malaysian restaurant. While no one asked for seconds (except my husband), everyone ate their entire serving of curry–no complaints. Anyone else raising a curry eater?
Also, don’t forget tomorrow is the last day to enter the $50 Bison Sampler Giveaway. I’ll be announcing the winner Friday morning.
Amish Nachos
Aug 6th
Well, not technically. I don’t know that you’ll find any folks down in Amish country (only about a hour or so south of us) serving these at the next barn raising, but we dubbed our latest creation ‘Amish nachos’ purely because of the key ingredient–Amish bacon.
You haven’t tried Amish bacon? I hadn’t either until I found a meat shop at Cleveland’s West Side Market that offers it by the pound for $3.49. Amish bacon comes thick slices imbued with a heavy smoky flavor that’s less salty and, oh, forced than your regular variety (less greasy too).
So here’s how we put our nachos together–start with quality nacho chips (we stopped at the only Mexican market in city, Mi Pueblo, to track down our favorite brand). Then make up a pot of refried beans and cook up a batch of bacon. Have shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese (yes, I know real Mexican food doesn’t use yellow cheeses, but hey nachos aren’t authentic either–gotta play with your food, right?), diced tomatoes and cilantro on hand to finish the dish. Once you have all of your ingredients gathered, the rest is easy: place an individual serving of chips on each person’s plate, followed by beans, bacon, then cheese. Melt the cheese in the microwave on high for about 55 seconds and then top with tomatoes and cilantro.
Sure bacon goes with eggs or sandwiches, but the smoky flavor and the quick cooking make it easy to include in other dishes too. I don’t know if this really qualifies as Amish-Mexican fusion food or not, but it’s tasty. Have you done any crazy fusion meals lately? Asian-Italian stirfry anyone?
Grilling Time! Spicy Green Chile Burgers
Aug 4th
Chances are you’ve had your share of hamburgers this summer—from the good, like the juicy patties grilled on your backyard barbecue to the tasteless, you know, the ones that come in a 30-pack that are served at large get-togethers (plastic cheese melted on top). It’s time to mix up your burger repertoire!
We’re constantly experimenting with burgers around our house. New toppings. New mix-ins. New meat (turkey burgers are my favorite). Looking for burger inspiration? I’ve got a few ideas and a tasty recipe to get you started.
The Restaurant Swipe
Our version of Burger King’s once-popular Rodeo Burger is my oldest daughter’s favorite. The burger is topped with fried onion rings and barbecue sauce. For a healthier option, use sautéed onions and for a quick fix, use French’s fried onions (no baking required).
Max & Erma’s fan? Do your own improvised Caribbean Burger by topping your grilled burger at home with a slice of fresh or canned pineapple, and then mix a little honey and mustard into some mayo to smear on the bun top.
The Leftover Redo
Leftovers can make for some crazy burger toppings: Reinvent yesterday’s pasta into a mac ‘n cheese burger. Throw coleslaw onto the bun instead of serving it to the side. Grill a slice or two of ham and serve it along with the cheese as a burger topping. Leftovers inspired our green chile burger—the night before we’d made a spicy sauce for enchiladas. We reheated the sauce, then used it on burgers with Monterrey Jack cheese melted on top.
Don’t forget to raid the fruit and vegetable drawer for ideas too! Try out a mango burger by adding a few slices on top or maybe go for a little more Mediterranean feel with thin-sliced cucumbers, red onion a little splash of red wine vinegar and maybe even some hummus.
The Fish Burger
Try something new not just with the burger toppings, but with the kind of meat you use. Ferndale’s The Flytrap restaurant has a salmon burger that’s easy to make at home. Detroit’s top-rated Nemo’s Bar has the same burger on their menu. Fish burgers are in!
Turkey, chicken, pork, sausage, can all be crafted into patties and grilled up for your hungry crew.
Have you tried out a crazy burger idea at a recent barbecue or even at a nearby restaurant? What’s your take on reinventing this summer barbecue favorite?
Recipe
Green Chile Bacon Burger
Serves: 6
Preparation time: 45 minutes
For the burger
2lb 85% lean ground beef
Large wheat hamburger buns or rolls
Monterrey Jack cheese, sliced
1lb thick cut bacon cooked
salt
pepper
onion power
garlic powder
cumin
For the green chile sauce
1 large onion, diced
1 garlic clove, diced
1 or 2 serrano peppers, seeded, diced
2 cups mild green chiles (sold in cans in the Mexican section at the grocers)
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
½ teaspoon honey
¼- ½ cup chicken broth
½ teaspoon cumin
salt
To prepare the burger
Form the beef into 6 ¼ lb balls. Place each ball between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and use a pan or the bottom of plate to press until you get a patty about ¼ inch thick. Place patties on a cookie sheet and spice liberally with salt, pepper, garlic power, onion power and cumin then flip the patties and spice the other side. Cover and refrigerate while preparing the chile sauce.
To prepare the green chile
In a medium-sized saucepan heat oil over medium high heat. Add onions and cook until they begin to caramelize. Add garlic and Serrano peppers and cook for 2 minutes then add the green chiles and stir. Add the cumin and honey and continue to stir until the mixture starts to brown on to bottom of the pan. Deglaze with chicken broth and let simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add salt to taste. Set aside for burger.
Assembly
- Toast hamburger buns
- Heat the grill to high. Place the burgers on the grill. Be careful, these burgers cook faster since they are thin, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. During the last minute of grilling, add two strips of bacon to each patty and a slice of cheese. Close the grill top to allow the cheese to melt.
- Remove the burgers from the grill.
- Place the hot hamburger on the bottom part of the bun. Add a heaping portion of warmed green chile sauce. Top with the other bun half.
- Enjoy. Make sure to have plenty of napkins on hand!
$50 Bison Sampler Giveaway!
Jul 29th
Squid, sure. Tripe, why not. Bison? You betcha. My kids love to try new flavors and foods (me too!) so I’m happy to announce that High Plains Bison will be offering a $50 meat sampler to one lucky MKES reader. If you’ve ever snacked on bison jerky or maybe even a bison burger, you know this would be fun to cook up bison dogs, indulge in a bison filet mignon. Okay, now I’m getting hungry and it’s only 9am!
But before you skip ahead to figure out how to enter, I’ve got to point out a few things I learned about bison when I was getting ready for this giveaway–I promise, you’ll be impressed it involves a certain Oscar-winning actor and a large, hairy beast. I’ve got your attention now, right? 
First, the good stuff–bison meat is packed with protein (okay, you probably figured that one out) but with less fat than beef, chicken, even salmon.
Now for a little trivia you can share with your kids–bison meat is completely different from buffalo. A whole species apart (not to mention an ocean). So you know that scene in Dances with Wolves where Kevin Costner has his fingers pointed to make little horns and he’s trying to learn Lakota? Yup, he should have been saying, “Tatanka? Bison?” I guess buffalo sounded a lot better and most folks still think of bison as buffalo (myself included until about a week ago!).
So here’s the deal, share with MKES a favorite food you’ve either been meaning to try or something you’ve tried out recently for the first time. My take–I sampled pork belly at a tasting event a couple weeks ago. I didn’t expect to like it with a name like pork belly–but I should have known that something with hints of bacony crispiness and a smoky vibe would be delicious.
What have you tried lately? The winner will be chosen at random August 12th.
*Note: the giveaway can only be sent to a U.S. locale. Sorry kiwis!
Dinner on a Stick: Thai Chicken Satay & Cucumber Relish
Jul 24th
Photo credit: chooyutshing
Slightly sweet with a kick of spice and savory flavors—that’s what comes to mind when I think of putting together a Thai dish. We came up with this satay recipe after visiting a local favorite restaurant, The Thai Bistro. While I enjoyed the coconut soup—and the entree, Drunken noodles—my favorite part of the meal was the appetizer, satay. These strips of turmeric-laced chicken skewers are more often given to start out the meal, but around our house, they make the meal.
Skewers take some work to put together—you have to cut the chicken into thin strips, marinate it, thread it onto sticks (and soak the sticks so they don’t burn), and then grill. Lacing 20 or so strips of chicken onto sticks can be tedious and a bit time-consuming, but the efforts are worth it. My kids love the tangy flavor of satay—and, of course, having a chance to eat off a stick. And the leftovers are tasty (that’s if you have any!). Yes, I have eaten them cold for breakfast.
Still aren’t convinced that chicken skewers are worth a few pokes when you’re putting them on the stick–and yellow fingers from the turmeric? What I like about satay is that the flavors are unique and fresh. Our friends put on an Iron Chef competition at their house (yes, it was modeled after the popular Food Network show). Each couple brought a dish using the “secret ingredient.” They told us the ingredient about a week before the get-together, limes. We brought these skewers, decorating a large serving dish with most of the skewers lying down and some poked into a half-cut orange (the oranges cut side are down on the platter and then the sticks are pushed into the round part; make sure to balance these carefully). Sure enough, the flavor-drenched chicken skewers won overall—and there was some steep competition—lime cheesecake, lime rice, pork roast in a lime marinade and more. Our prize? Bragging rights and a $10 gift certificate to Carvel’s.
Is your mouth watering yet? Time to make some satay.
Recipe
Inspired by a dish in Steven Raichlen’s The Barbecue Bible.
Prep time: 40 minutes + 1 hour marinating + 10-15 minutes grilling
Servings: 4
Ingredients
3 lbs. chicken breasts
1 14-ounce can coconut milk (regular or light)
6-8” Wooden skewers
Marinade
4 Tablespoons dark soy sauce
2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 Tablespoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons cumin
3 Tablespoons fish sauce (or 1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce + 1 ½ tablespoons chicken broth)
4 Tablespoons honey
1 bunch Cilantro, wash and cut the stalks into ¼” pieces (save the leaves for garnish)
¼ teaspoon cayenne powder (optional, but adds a kick)
Optional: Cucumber relish (see recipe below)
Whisk together all of the marinate ingredients. Test the flavors with your fingertip—you may want to add a little more honey for sweetness or a little more fish sauce for tartness.
Cut the chicken into thin, ¼” strips. (You can place fresh chicken in the freezer for 30 minutes or so to make for easier cutting.) Place the chicken strips into a large, heavy Ziploc bag. Place the chicken in the bag in a large bowl.
Add the marinade ingredients to the bag of chicken and marinate for at least one hour, up to 24 hours. Note: turmeric stains cooking dishes with a yellow color, so the bag helps protect your baking ware. Also, we use cilantro stalks as a substitute for the more traditional lemongrass. Cilantro is easier to find and we like the buzzy flavor.
While the chicken is marinating, fill a large dish with water and submerge the wooden skewers into the water. They should be covered completely. Soak for at least 30 minutes to prevent burning once they’re on the grill.
Thread the chicken strips onto the wooden skewers and place on a cookie sheet until all of the skewers are done and you’re ready to start grilling. Do not thread the chicken completely over the skewer—you should leave about 1½ inches at the end so that you have something to grab with tongs to turn and rotate the chicken on the grill.
Heat the grill to medium-high heat. Put 1/3 cup of coconut milk into a dish and get ready a long-handled basting brush. Place the skewers in the grill and cook on each side for 4 to 5 minutes. (Watch the skewers carefully, because they will cook fast!) Baste the skewers as the cook with coconut milk. The added fat will not only improve the grilling, but it will add great flavor.
Serve over steamed rice, butter lettuce, or eat plain.
Cucumber Relish
*Prepare at least an hour before grilling the chicken so that the relish has time to chill.
Prep time: 25 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients
2/3 cup water
2/3 cup white vinegar
½ scant cup white sugar
½ red onion
1 English (seedless) cucumber
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
In a small saucepan heat the sugar and water over medium-high heat until it just thickens. Add in the vinegar. Allow to cool. Toss in red pepper flakes. Cut the cucumber into thin, quartered pieces. Thinly slice the red onion either into rounds, or quarters, depending on your preference. Add into the thickened sauce. Chill in the refrigerator. Serve alongside the satay.
Ready for a Picnic Crispy Chicken Sandwiches with Spiked Mayo
Jul 17th
My husband has a thing about picnics.
He’s not one to pick up fast food fried chicken or settle for hastily made sandwiches. Picnics are something to look forward to, not an excuse to throw leftovers into a basket and call it a meal. I let him know that as long as he’s willing to fix something special—and clean up the mess—I’m more than happy to eat what he creates.
Shrimp po’ boy sandwiches, Rueben sandwich egg rolls, and a list of other eclectic, tasty picnic meals have followed. But my favorite is the crispy chicken sandwich that he spikes with flavored mayos.
Making these sandwiches takes some effort. The chicken is coated in breadcrumbs and then fried. We use panko crumbs, it’s a Japanese variety that fries well and keeps its crispness better than a regular brand (you can find it in the Asian cooking section at the grocery store). And instead of picking out store-bought rolls, I make sandwich buns at home—of course, you can always buy some to cut down the time it takes to make the meal, but the rolls are easy to make. And the sandwiches make for a tasty, memorable picnic meal.
Recipe for Crispy Chicken Breasts
Prep time: 40 minutes chicken, 3 hours, buns (largely unattended)
Servings: 6
Ingredients
3 large, skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 eggs
About 1 cup flour
About 2 cups panko crumbs
Salt, pepper
Garlic powder, onion powder
Oil for frying
Directions
Halve the chicken breasts lengthwise (I choose to halve the chicken breasts instead of pounding them out to make them thinner). The chicken breasts will be easier to cut if they’re slightly frozen.
Sprinkle the chicken breasts with a little salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Prepare three shallow dishes: In the first place the flour. In the second whisk the eggs and pour them in; you can also add either a little soy sauce, Tabasco, or Worchestershire sauce into the eggs for an extra hint of flavor (about a ½ teaspoon). In the third bowl, place the panko (or bread) crumbs.
Dip the chicken breasts into the flour, then eggs, then panko crumbs, pressing the crumbs onto the chicken to ensure a thorough coating. Place the coated chicken breasts on a wire drying rack while you finish the other chicken breasts. You may need to add more of the dipping ingredients.
Place about ½ inch oil in heavy, skillet with high sides. Heat the oil to medium high (we use a tapletop, electric skillet for frying). Add the chicken breasts two a time and fry until the crumbs take on a golden color. Check the chicken with an instant read thermometer after frying—the temperature should read 165 degrees.
Allow the chicken breasts to cool on a wire rack.
Homemade Sandwich Buns
This recipe is a variation of the homemade bread recipe. Here are the tweaks to create buns from this bread recipe:
- Use 1 cup milk to replace some of the water—so you’ll be adding 1 ½ cups water and 1 cup milk. The milk will make the buns softer.
- Add 1 more tablespoon sugar, so a total of 3 Tablespoons sugar.
- After the dough has risen, form the dough into 8 rolls (or 10 if you prefer smaller sandwiches). To form the dough balls, separate the dough in two, and then separate each half into 4 equal parts. Knead each part for a few minutes and then press down the sides to form a ball (instead of rolling the dough into a ball). Place the dough balls onto a lightly greased baking pan. Make sure the dough balls are far enough apart so that when they double in size they won’t touch.
- Optional: Before cooking, brush the buns with an egg white wash and add sesame seeds or poppy seeds.
- Allow the buns to cool for at least 30 minutes or an hour before slicing.
Spiked Mayo
¾ cup mayo (I prefer lime mayo found in Mexican grocers)
Making flavored mayo is easy—there are endless possibilities for creating a unique addition to your sandwich.
- Spicy mayo—add 2 teaspoons chili powder, ¼ teaspoon cumin and 5 to 10 drops of Tabasco sauce to the mayo. Stir, adjust seasonings and add salt and pepper to taste.
- Herbed mayo—add 2 teaspoons dried or 1 tablespoon fresh basil, ¼ teaspoon oregano, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, and ½ teaspoon red wine vinegar to the mayo. Stir, adjust seasonings and add salt and pepper to taste.
- Honey-mustard mayo—add 2 teaspoons regular, Dijon or a mix of the two types of mustard to the mayo. Whisk in ½ Tablespoon honey. Stir, adjust seasonings and add salt and pepper to taste.
- Come up with your own combs using herbs, spices and more!
Assembling the sandwich
- Cut the bun in half lengthwise.
- Add a generous slathering of spiked mayo to the top half of the bun. Place shredded lettuce, then tomato on this half. (Thin slices of red onion are also good!)
- On the bottom half add a thin coating of spiked mayo, then the chicken breast.
- Put the two halves together. Enjoy!
Inspired by Bluesberry: Blueberry Barbecue Sauce
Jul 15th
Photo credit --b--
I used to think blueberries were relatively small and tasteless–that was until I moved to the Midwest. Here, the blueberries are packed with a juicy, sweet tangy punch. And there’s not one or two large berries in a container, it’s the tiny ones that are in the minority. So when I saw flyers up announcing a local ‘Bluesberry Fest’ dedicated to–yup, blueberries with a little live Jazz mixed in–at a local grocers I knew I had to drop by.
Mustard Seed Market and Cafe has two stores located in the greater Cleveland area. The stores try to provide customers with the freshest local ingredients along with a number of organic products–think Trader Joe’s meets Whole Foods with a farmer’s market thrown in. For the Bluesberry Fest each department had to offer samples of recipes using the berry.
My kids are always up for trying new-to-them recipes and with a familiar ingredient like blueberries, I figured we’d be roaming the store for hours. The first few samples were fairly expected (not that they weren’t tasty!)–spinach salad with feta, blueberries and a light vinaigrette; and a fruit salad tossed with fresh mint. Then, there was blueberry salsa. I figured the blueberries would taste out of place alongside tomatoes, red onions, cilantro, lime and jalapenos. Instead the berries offered a kick of sourness to the salsa that gave the standard pico de gallo new life. Served with blue corn tortilla chips, I could also see this salsa used as a garnish with grilled pork chops or chicken (or eaten straight, with a spoon).
There were plenty of other blueberry samples, from coleslaw to lemonade and of course, muffins, but the afternoon of tastings left me wanting to refashion recipes using blueberries either as the star or the secret ingredient. Last night Mr. Squid and I cooked up a batch of blueberry barbecue sauce. As with the salsa, the sweet and sour blueberries gave the barbecue sauce a depth of flavor that perked up our pork sandwiches. I’d love to pass along the recipe–and it’s no secret–but it was a ‘little-or-this-and-that’ kind of experiment.
Here’s what went into our sauce:
In a medium-sized sauce pan we melted two tablespoons of butter and then added a cup and a half of blueberries along with half of a yellow pepper, diced. We let that cook on medium-high heat until the sauce became nearly syrupy. Then came the doctoring: we added barbecue sauce from a bottle (maybe a cup) along with a little deli mustard, yellow mustard, apple cider vinegar, Tabasco, hickory spice, Worcestershire sauce and a dash of salt. We probably would have added a little bit of soy sauce too if we hadn’t run out earlier in the week.
The blueberry barbecue sauce brought a tangy flavor and deep purple color to our pork sandwiches (we topped them with some crumbled queso fresco cheese). I knew our sauce had to be good when my youngest daughter got up and roamed the kitchen looking for seconds (there weren’t any). While I wouldn’t top a burger with the sauce, it would make for some memorable wing sauce or topping for pork loin. Have you been experimenting with summer berries lately?
The Meatloaf Cupcake–It can be done!
Jun 26th
I like meatloaf. There, I said it. 
Meatoaf has a reputation for being greasy, boring, and worst of all, bland. My kids won’t eat regular meatloaf–but I must admit, there are still days when I crave it. My mother used to make the traditional meatloaf, a blend of ground round and breadcrumbs, topped with either ketchup or tomato sauce. I’d happily eat it for dinner and leftovers.
So how do you make kids eat something they loathe? Reinvent it. I mean, who can resist something that looks like a cupcake, but tastes like a meal? These meat muffins really do look like dessert cupcakes. I even serve them in cupcake papers to add to the effect.
To make these savory cupcakes, I use my favorite meatloaf recipe and then divide the meat equally into regular-sized muffin tins. Usually a standard recipe makes about 14 to 16 cupcakes. Lightly grease the muffin cups and fill to the top—remember that the meat will shrink while cooking. Allow the meat muffins to cool slightly before you try to get them out of the pan.
While the meatloaf muffins are cooling, I get to work on the “frosting.” Whip up a batch of mashed potatoes, or you can add a little more color by mixing regular potatoes (I prefer Yukon Gold) and some sweet potatoes. Make sure that your mashed potatoes are extra creamy. I use plenty of milk and sour cream, along with my handheld mixer to create fluffy, airy potatoes. Add the potatoes to a pastry bag fitted with a large-sized star tip.
Place the meat muffins onto a baking pan and swirl the potatoes on each one. (You can just spoon the potatoes onto the muffins, but for a more realistic effect, the pastry bag does the trick!) Place the cupcakes into the oven set to broil and bake until the tops are just slightly golden.
These cupcakes make for a fun meal. My kids are always begging me to make these when friends come over for dinner—their buddies think it’s cool we have dessert for dinner!
Recipe
Prep time: 40 minutes (+baking time)
Servings: 4-5
Meatloaf Cupcakes
Muffins
Ingredients
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 small onion, diced
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar (optional)
2 eggs
½ cup milk
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons Worcestershire
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon Tabasco
2 pounds ground meat (I use half beef, half pork)
1 1/3 cups bread crumbs or panko crumbs (preferred)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a medium-sized skillet pan, sauté the onion in the heated oil until they soften. Allow to cool to room temperature.
In a small bowl, mix together the eggs, milk, mustard, spices, Worcestershire, Tabasco, and vinegar (if using; I like the slight kick it gives). In another large bowl combine the meat, panko crumbs (available in the Asian foods section of the grocery store), and onions. Gently blend in the egg mixture using a wooden spoon.
Lightly spray the muffin tin cups with cooking oil. Loosely pack meat into each cup and fill to the top. Bake the muffins for 20 minutes and then check for doneness by inserting an instant-read thermometer; the temperature should read 160 degrees.
Allow the meat muffins to cool in the pan. Carefully drain off the fat and then remove the muffins to a baking sheet.
Mashed potato “frosting”
Ingredients
4 medium-sized potatoes (I prefer Yukon Gold)
1 large sweet potato
6 Tablespoons butter, melted
¼ cup sour cream
3/4 -1 cup milk
Salt and pepper to taste
Using a grater remove the peels from the potatoes. Cut the potatoes into equal chunks about 1 inch thick. Add the cut pieces into a medium-sized cooking pan filled 2/3 of the way with water.
Once all of the potatoes are added to the pot, cook the potatoes at high heat on the stovetop. Add 1 Tablespoon of salt to the cooking water. Bring the potatoes to a gentle boil and continue cooking until they are fork-tender.
Remove the potatoes and place them into a large mixing bowl. Add half of the milk and then blend using a handheld mixer on high power. Add the butter and sour cream and then blend more. Gradually add in the rest of the milk until the potatoes become airy and whipped. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Place the whipped potatoes into a pastry bag fitted with a large-sized star tip.
Assembling the meatloaf cupcakes: After placing the meat muffins onto a baking dish, pipe the potatoes on top. Start on one end of the meat muffin and swirl around the outside and then keep swirling until you reach a tip at the top. Broil the muffins until the potatoes are just browned.
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