Loaded Broccoli and Cheese Beef Burgers

What better way to throw some veggies into your family's diet, than pairing it with a 1/3 pound Angus beef patty and smothering them with broccoli and sauteed mushrooms, swimming in cheese sauce?  Of course this burger isn't your everyday fare, but the menu and meal that day will be unforgettable and can reasonably fit into just about any  hectic schedule. The mushrooms are fresh and the cheese sauce is homemade, so you can definitely feel better about it and is may be prepared with 2 % milk, plus reduced fat Cheddar cheese!   Serve as is for a meal or with Doritos, fruit or salad for a hearty and fantastic burger without sacrificing too many calories or your integrity.  Additionally, you can substitute the beef for an extra lean beef, lean chicken or turkey burger to further shave down on fat and calories.  Whole grain buns will work well too and add a jolt of fiber and other essential vitamins and minerals like potassium, thiamin and phosphorus.  Just remember to add a little olive oil to the leaner ground to help retain moisture and  maximum flavor!  What the heck, try them all especially for your next cookout and WOW your crew with these wonderful flavor profiles! Enjoy.
Recipe:
1 lb. fresh or fresh frozen broccoli florets, steamed until tender crisp
2 tbsp. butter, plus 1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. AP flour
4 oz. fresh mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
2 c. milk
1 1/2 c. sharp cheddar cheese
6 1/3 lb. Angus beef patties
6 slices American cheese
mayonnaise, optional
6 hamburger buns, toasted if desired
SPST
In a large saucepan, melt butter and add olive oil over medium high heat.
Add mushrooms and cook for several minutes until they show signs of browning.
Sprinkle in flour and cook for an additional minute.
Remove from heat and whisk in milk.
Reduce heat to medium and place pan back over heat.  Cook until milk starts to thicken and stir in cheese.
Continue to cook until cheese is melted and smooth. Fold in broccoli that has been drained thoroughly.  SPST.
Assemble cooked patties on bun slathered with mayo if desired and add cheese.  Smother with about 1/4 c. broccoli and cheese sauce and serve with desired side or sides.

Chinese Bar BQ Grilled Pork Loin and Tangy Asian Slaw w/ Sweet Chili Bacon Ranch Sauce

Ever wondered how they get the skewered meats this color that you find in Chinese restaurants and buffets?  How many of us have said or have heard someone say " There is no meat that color and I'm not eating it"! Lol, I assured many friends and family that the color was from a marinade and not some mystery animal meat, familiar only to those eateries, but I knew that I needed some solid proof!   I had always enjoyed the meat on a stick variety from these restaurants and was determined to find that taste out here in the real world.
As you would imagine, the supermarket is one of my favorite places, especially the ones in areas with diverse cultures and traffic to accommodate the products they carry and I hit pay dirt.  About 1 1/2 years ago, I was in a Kroger in the Smith Mountain Lake area and while cruising the Ethnic Foods Aisle, found the brilliantly colored packet, harnessing the flavor I longed to create at home.  The marinade itself is chock full of amazing flavors like garlic and onion powder, sugar cane, spices and of course food coloring. It is actually a product of Hawaii!  The Marinating time varies depending on the time you have to dedicate to the dish and the intensity of the flavors you want to penetrate the meat.  Generally the time runs from 4 to 24 hours for maximum taste, overnight sometimes being the most practical. 
I have prepared boneless and bone in proteins, including ribs, chicken and pork cuts.  The exploration yielded many memorable and different dishes with fantastic results.  I reinforced the flavor profile by adding some fish sauce and seasoned rice vinegar, two items I LOVE cooking with which also cut out physically adding salt, the vinegar helping to develop the color. 
I paired an original recipe and sauce combining some of my favorite Asian ingredients .  They complement the marinade well and also other dishes you may enjoy at home.
Recipe for Tangy Asian Slaw:
8 cups julienned green cabbage
2 small carrots, grated
1/3 c. seasoned rice vinegar
1/3 c. fish sauce or to taste
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp. sugar or to taste
2 tsp. sambal oelek or to taste
combine all the wet ingredients in the bottom of a large container with lid.  Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.  Add veggies, but DO NOT MIX, until ready to serve. This keeps the cabbage extra crisp and the flavors incredibly bright.  Refrigerate until ready to serve, then toss and shake until well coated.  Serves plenty!  Recipe may be halved for smaller families, however this slaw is fantastic up to several days later.
 Sweet Chili Bacon Ranch Sauce:
1/3 c. Sweet Chili Sauce
1/3 c. Bacon Ranch Dressing
1 tbsp. Sriracha or to taste
Whisk ingredients together and serve alongside your favorite protein or as a dipping sauce. Makes about 2/3 cup. 

 

 

Happy Birthday to my nephew Justin today, and my daughter Genesis yesterday!XOXO:)

Chipotle Chicken and Caramelized Onion Wontons

This recipe is inspired by one of my favorite appetizers, buffalo wings.  I love the zing of the hot sauce , muted only by the cooling creaminess of the Bleu Cheese or Ranch dressing, followed by the snapping crisp crunch of celery.  This recipe is easy to assemble and may easily be adjusted depending on crowd size.  Sweet Asian Chili Sauce really adds to the overall effect and packs a mean punch of heat to pair with the smoky hot of the chipotle and the sweet heat of the sriracha, but feel free to adjust the heat to your desired level.   This dish rivals any pub style wing fare, no bones about it!
1 lb. fresh cooked and shredded or canned chicken breast
1 large onion, thinly sliced, about 2 cups
2 tbsp. butter, melted
1 tsp. brown sugar
2 green onions, trimmed and  thinly sliced
1/2  tbsp. Sriracha
1 clove garlic, pressed or finely minced
1 chipotle chile, seeds removed, finely diced or minced, plus 1/2 tsp. sauce in can
SPST
Olive oil for drizzling
1 pkg. wonton wrappers
oil for frying
Heat Oil to 375*F
While oil heats, In a large saute pan over medium high heat, drizzle in a little olive oil and add butter.
Add Onions , brown sugar and SPST.  Cook onions until caramelized, about 20 to 25 minutes.  The onions will be reduced to about 1/2 cup.
 Combine all  filling ingredients in a folding fashion.  Prepare for assembly.
Assemble wontons according to package instructions using about 1 1/2 tsp. filling per wonton.
Cover prepared wontons with damp cloth while prepping the others.
Fry in batches, until golden, drain on paper towels.
Makes about 40.
Serve with Bleu Cheese and authentic Sweet Chili Sauce.

Stuffed Mushrooms Tapenade

Two popular dishes rolled into with these little fungi and a store bought version of tapenade with chopped green and black olives flecked with sun dried tomatoes, herbs and spices like thyme and basil.  The bread crumbs for these is actually cubed garlic bread that is sauteed with the olives and tomatoes , then some wonderful Pamigiano Reggiano, or more budget friendly Parmesan is folded in, and the mixture is crammed into fresh mushrooms and broiled!  This recipe is perfect for quick entertaining on the fly, with little effort and maximum flavor, marrying spectacular Italian and French ideas into perfect Mediterranean bites!
1 8 oz. pkg. whole mushrooms
1 c. toasted and cubed garlic bread
1/2 c. store bought tapenade with black and green olives and sun-dried tomatoes
2 tbsp. grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Parmesan cheese, plus more for broiling and garnish
Turn on broiler.
Wipe and clean mushrooms with a dry clean cloth and pop out stems, save for another use.
In a medium saute pan over medium high heat, add tapenade and garlic bread cubes.
Saute together to allow bread to absorb moisture, about 2 minutes and turn off heat.
Fold in grated cheeses and remove from heat.
Stuff mushrooms equally with mixture and top with small pinch of cheese.
Broil on bottom rack until cheese is melted and slightly golden and mushrooms just begin to give up liquid, about 5 minutes.  Garnish with additional cheese if desired.  Makes about 12.

Veggie Confetti and Shrimp Summer Rolls

Easy and quite delicious, these summer rolls are loaded with veggies and easy on the waistline.  Flavors are intensified by seasoned rice vinegar, ginger and Sriracha.  The shrimp are a wonderful addition chipping in protein, calcium, magnesium and iron, but easily may be omitted .  Each summer roll packs in a full 1/2 cup of  vitamin B rich gems likes broccoli, cauliflower, red cabbage and carrots in this premixed package.  The only fat is contained within the less than 3 grams provided by the shrimp.  Once you get the hang of the rice paper, especially if it's a new ingredient, as it was for me, these rolls are a super light, but filling and fantastic dish for any season.  Throw in some chicken seasoned with Chinese BBQ marinade and roasted, and it 's a full meal made in heaven!  They may be converted into SPRING rolls, by deep frying, changing the dynamic,  and the outer skin, but also the fat and calories.  I like them both!!:)
Recipe:
1 12 oz. pkg. Rainbow Slaw
4 oz. salad shrimp, thawed and drained
1/4 c. julienne of red onion
1/4 c. seasoned rice vinegar
2 tbsp. cilantro leaves
1/4. tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. Sriracha or to taste
6 sheets rice paper, plus more if needed
SPST
Sweet Chili Sauce for serving
Combine veggies and spices with rice vinegar and toss well or fold to coat.  SPST
Let stand at room temperature for up to 15 minutes.  Drain.
Assemble rice paper one at a time by soaking in warm water for 5 seconds.
Transfer to large plate, leaving a portion of the rice paper hanging over the edge, for ease of rolling.
Starting from the overhang, add 1/2 cup veggie mixture to corner and roll, tucking firmly as you go.
After about 3 rotations, tuck ends and press filling inwards with your index fingers on both sides.
Continue to end of rice paper.
Repeat.  Makes 6 rolls.

A Pow-Wow About Chow Chow!

I had my first experience with chow chow within the last 6 months.  CHOW CHOW? I wondered for years what the heck it was exactly.  It so happens that a very close friend of mine's family has been making it for generations.  Immediately, I thought that was rather spectacular, having the recipe passed down and continued.  He personally doesn't care for chow chow, and it is used in a traditional fashion by his family, i.e as a relish for hotdogs and a general condiment.  I on the other hand,  like taking foods to the edge and I set out to see what I could come up with, converting it from a condiment into a substantial and sometimes unconventional ingredient.
Chow Chow is of French Canadian and American descent, but has links to China and India and is said to have reached Louisiana, where it is extremely popular, and other low lying Southern states via migrants that settled there.
There are a plethora of ingredients that make up chow chow including but not limited to beans, corn, green and red tomatoes, squash, okra, cabbage, chayote, peppers, asparagus and onions to name a few.  I think it largely depends on seasonal veggies and what is available in particular areas as to the final product.  Chow Chow may be sweet or savory, the sweeter version being favored more towards the north and generally served cold. It may also be eaten as is. Some of the country stores that peddle chow chow 'from the counter' versions, have been reminiscent of cat barf and to me not appealing enough to the eye to even entertain!  My friend's family makes a very uniform and visually appealing blend that my palate has discovered to contain cabbage, green and red peppers, pickling spices, give or take onions, plus vinegar and sugar among the ingredients.

With the formalities out of the way, we move on to one of the recipes I created using this magnificent cacophony of sweet, tangy and savory, a recipe I lovingly named Annette's Chow Chow Sausage Balls, because it is my friend's mom's name and provider of my finally pleasant images of what was once an uninviting mystery to me!
Recipe:
1 lb. good quality sage sausage
1/4 c. fresh bread crumbs
1/4 c. chow chow, squeezed of excess moisture
1 tbsp. concentrated tomato paste
2 tsp. minced onion
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 tsp. freshly chopped parsley
1 clove garlic, pressed or finely minced
SPST
For optional sauce to coat:
2 tbsp. good quality ketchup
1 tsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. less sodium soy
Preheat oven to 350*F.  Combine ingredients down to the garlic.  SPST.  Mix with large tine fork or hands until evenly distributed.
Roll into balls about 1" in diameter.
Place on baking sheet evenly spaced and bake until juices run clear and no longer pink, about 20 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 175 degrees.
Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, bring sauce up to a boil and reduce to low.  Toss or fold  meatballs in the sauce immediately after removing from oven if desired.  Makes about 24.

Lasagna Roll-Ups

Looking for a more portion controlled serving of a classic favorite and often over indulgence causing lasagna, then look no further.  These roll-ups are pretty easy to assemble and can fit within a reasonable cooking time for a week nite meal sure to please, just throw in a green salad and garlic toast.  I used 2 cups of the Rustic Turkey Bolognese  featured  on this blog to smother the Ricotta, Parmesan and Mozzarella stuffed noodles and baked the whole shebang topped with cheese, baked to golden goodness.  I served these magnificent gems to my nephew Damon, during his visit from New York over the holidays.  He enjoyed them immensely, as did my niece Laura, my mom, and the two 'test subject' sisters, Hollie and Gayle.
 The roll-ups be prepped ahead of time and baked when needed for easy entertaining or for a stellar meal on the fly.
Recipe:
12 lasagna noodles, par-cooked in boiling salted water, just until pliant, about 6 minutes
Filling:
15 oz. container part skim Ricotta cheese
2  eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp. shredded Mozzarella cheese
2 cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced
1 tsp. onion powder
2 c. Rustic Turkey Bolognese, meat sauce or non-meat sauce
1 1/2 c. shredded Mozzarella cheese, more if desired.
Preheat oven to 350*F.
Prepare filling by mixing ingredients together and blended well.  SPST
Place lasagna on flat surface, 3 at a time.
Place about 1 1/2 tbsp. on each noodle and spread evenly from end to end.
Start rolling  from one side to the next and place in olive oil drizzled  baking dish, seam side facing down.

                                                         

   
Continue until all noodles and filling have been utilized.
Spread meat sauce over roll-ups, then shredded cheese and cover tightly with foil.
Bake until noodle can be pierced easily with a fork,  filling is set and cheese is melted, about 25 minutes.
Remove foil and bake for additional 5 minutes until slightly golden.
Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and a drizzle of olive oil.
Let stand for a few minutes before serving.  Serves 6.
This recipe may easily be doubled.