Mini Greek-Style Meat Loaves with Arugula Salad

Another keeper from Real Simple.

I loved how portable these were. Just pop them out of the muffin tin, and you can grab a few at your leisure. Perfect.

I served it with cauliflower mash, for a solid plate of grub.

Ingredients

• 
  Preparation
• 10 ounce ground sirloin 
• 5 ounces lean ground lamb
• 1/3 cup dry breadcrumbs
• 1/3 cup grated red onion
• 4 teaspoons chopped fresh mint
• 4 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• 3/8 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 3 garlic cloves, minced 
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten 
• Cooking spray
• 1/2 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt 
• 2 ounces reduced-fat feta, crumbled
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 cups baby arugula leaves
• 1 1/2 cups (1/4-inch-thick) diagonally sliced seeded peeled cucumber 

1. 1. Preheat oven to 450°.
2. 2. Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Stir in 1 tablespoon mint, 1 tablespoon thyme, 1/4 teaspoon salt, allspice, and next 3 ingredients (through egg). Press meat mixture into 8 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Bake at 450° for 7 minutes. Turn broiler to high; broil 3 minutes.
3. 3. Combine yogurt, feta, 1 tablespoon juice, 1 teaspoon mint, and 1 teaspoon thyme in a mini food processor; pulse 10 times to combine.
4. 4. Combine 1 tablespoon juice, oil, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and pepper in a bowl; stir. Add arugula and cucumber; toss.

Chipotle and Apple Turkey Burgers

My friend, Gabrielle, bought us the Sprouted Kitchen cookbook for our wedding, and I decided that it was time to put it to work.

This recipe was delicious.

Like....SO DELICIOUS.

1 Tbls olive oil
1 celery stalk
3 green onions, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 green apple, grated
1 lb turkey
1 chipotle chille in adobo sauce, finely chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 Tbls fresh thyme, chopped

Heat oil in a saute pan. Add the celery, green onions, and garlic and saute until just browned, about 5 mins. Turn off heat and seat aside to cool.

Using the large holes of a box grater, grate the apple. Combine the grated apple, turkey, chipotle, salt, pepper, thyme, and cooked veggies in a large mixing bowl and stir everything together. Form the mixture into four patties, each about 1.5 inches thick, and let them rest at room temp for about 15 mins, or keep them covered in the fridge until ready to grill.

Heat the grill (I just used a pan) to medium-high. Cook the burgers about 5 mins on each side. Put a slice of cheese (the disc in the picture is provolone) on top of each patty in the last minute of cooking time to melt. Transfer the patties to a plate and cover loosely with foil.

Grill or toast the buns. I spread some aoli that I mixed together on the buns and put lettuce and caramlized onions (to die for) on top.

The glorious end.

Milk Chocolate Mousse with Coconut Whipped Cream

Aaaaaand my love affair with How Sweet Eats continues.

Note: the coconut whipped cream was pretty damn good, BUT the coconut on coconut (it's in the pudding, too) was a LITTLE rich. I think I would do regular whipped cream next time, and slap the coconut whipped cream on a bunch of other stuff.

But, really?

This was phenomenal.

I did so many taste tests through the process that I was pretty sure I would have none left by the time it was done.

ingredients:

8 ounces high-quality milk chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons water

2 large egg yolks
1 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons water

2 cans full-fat coconut milk, cold (refrigerated overnight)
1 tablespoon powdered sugar

directions:

Combine chocolate, water and butter in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on medium heat for 30 seconds, stir, then microwave for 30 seconds again. Stir constantly until all chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.

While the chocolate is cooling, take one can of coconut milk out of the fridge. Open the can and discard the liquid, then scoop the firm coconut meat into the bowl of your electric mixer. Beat on medium-high speed until completely whipped and thick. Set the bowl in the fridge.

Add egg yolks, sugar and remaining water to a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk constantly until sugar is dissolved, mixture is opaque and light yellow and has thickened and can coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and stir in melted chocolate mixture. Place saucepan in a bowl of ice water and whisk constantly until chocolate is cooled.

Remove whipped cream from the fridge and fold it into the chocolate mixture. Once whipped cream is completely folded in, evenly pour mousse into either two or four glasses. Refrigerate for 4 hours.

A few minutes before serving, remove the other can of coconut milk from the fridge and whip the cream just as you did earlier. Once whipped, add in powdered sugar and beat just until the sugar is incorporated. Top mousse with the whipped cream and extra chocolate shavings if desired.

Raspberry Chipotle Chicken

Recipe adapted from Real Simple Magazine. 

This sauce was bomb. 

Like, bomb enough to bring the term bomb back for. 

Served with baked asparagus fries, and we've got ourselves a winner. 

• Ingredients
• 2 tablespoons seedless raspberry jam
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon minced chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
• 4 chicken breasts

1. 1. Combine first 4 ingredients in a small saucepan, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Cook over medium heat 4 minutes or until slightly syrupy.
2. 2. Heat a large grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle chicken evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Grill chicken 6 minutes on each side or until done. Spoon raspberry mixture over chicken.

Tip that I just figured out: usually I buy a can of chipotle peppers, use one, and end up tossing the rest. I recently bought a can, used one...and....omg I should FREEZE THE REST! BRILLIANT! I stuck the rest in a baggie and stuck it in the freezer. Super easy to stick it under some warm water, defrost, and grab another pepper, when I need it. Waste not, want not and stuff.

1. 

Baked Asparagus Fries

Adapted from Spoon Fork Bacon.

Time for a little catch up!

I made raspberry chipotle chicken and these baked asparagus fries, tonight. LeGreg is out of town, and I almost feel guilty when I pull off a good recipe and he's not here. When we're together, he cooks prrrrrobably 9 times out of 10. And my one time has a 30% chance of being horrible.

THIS WAS THE OTHER 70%.

These fries were SO GOOD. Totally worth the super gummy fingers that the different steps require.

I even INVENTED a dip for them!! The linked recipe has a few dip options, but I have approximately almost nothing in my fridge...so....

Fries:
1/2 cup almond flour
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 lb asparagus, ends trimmed and cut in half
3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
salt and pepper to taste
cooking spray

Sauce:
1/2 cup of plain yogurt
2 cloves of chopped up garlic
few sprigs of fresh thyme 
a sprig of fresh oregeno
gentle squeeze of half a lemon (like...I didn't try to get alllll the juice out?)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Place almonds and panko in a food processor and pulse until the almonds are finely ground and well mixed. Pour mixture into a shallow dish.
3. Dredge cut asparagus spears in flour and shake off excess (not much flour will stick to the waxy spears, but that’s okay).
4. Dip each spear into the egg wash followed by the panko mixture. Cover each spear in the panko mixture until fully coated. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Place coated spears onto a parchment lined baking sheet and spray with a light coating of cooking spray. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until crisp and lightly
browned. Season with salt and pepper.

Sauce:
Chop it all up and mix it all together. 



BOOM. 

Ok I got pretty new plates but my pictures still blow. So...meh....

Honey Sriracha Chicken

Since Ive made this twice, I figure I should probably document it?

Ingredients

• 2-3 pounds chicken legs, thighs and/or wings.
Marinade –
• 2 tablespoons sriracha sauce
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated and peeled
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon vegetable/any neutral flavor oil
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ black pepper
Topping-
• ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)
• 3-4 stalks of scallions, chopped (optional)
• 1 jalapeno, chopped (optional)
• Lime wedges, serve on side

Instructions

1. Wash and thoroughly dry the chicken pieces using a paper towel.
2. In a large non-reactive bowl add all the ingredients for the marinade and mix well till they are well combined. Add the chicken pieces and toss well to coat them all with the marinade. Let the chicken marinate for minimum 30-45minutes at room temperature or in refrigerator if keeping for longer time. Toss the chicken at-least once while marinating.
3. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
4. In a large baking-dish/baking-sheet place the marinated chicken pieces in a single layer along with all the marinade. Bake until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is thick, 40-55minutes. Flip the chicken 1-2 times while baking to ensure even baking.
5. Once done take out the chicken on serving platter, sprinkle with topping and serve immediately.

My only tip would be to maybe spray your dish before putting all the crap in it. My glass dish got all kinds of gunk on it. 

WORTH IT.

Blue Cheese Mac and Cheese

Recipe from How Sweet It Is, aka the blog where dreams are made.

I saw this recipe last week, and thought, "Holy CRAP, that would make an incredible 'bad' meal!". Friday night, LeGreg and I were figuring out dinner and we brought it up. NO! We were going to be HEALTHY! And, we were. He said that we should save that mac and cheese for some night that involved steak and wine.

The very next morning, my parents invite us over for dinner. Dad is bbq-ing steak. Both of our heads whipped towards each other.

THIS IS HAPPENING.

I got all the cheeses for this from Trader Joes, which wasn't too pricey. Each little triangle was the exact right amount we needed, which was perfect.

THIS

WAS

PHENOMENAL.

ingredients:

1 pound whole wheat mini elbow noodles
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 1/2 cups milk
8 ounces fontina cheese, freshly grated
8 ounces gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
8 ounces buttermilk blue cheese, crumbled
salt + pepper
1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup seasoned fine bread crumbs
chopped fresh herbs for topping

directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a baking dish with nonstick spray.

Bring water to a boil and prepare pasta according to directions, shaving 1-2 minutes off of the cooking time.

While pasta is boiling, heat butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once sizzling, add flour and whisk constantly to create a roux (FANCY), until golden and bubbly, about 2 minutes. Pour in milk and whisk constantly, stirring until the mixture slightly thickens. Reduce heat to low and add in 6 ounces of the fontina, all of the gorgonzola and about 6 ounces of the other blue. Stir until cheese melts and sauce is thick (I mean...it never got REALLY thick. We probably did this for 20 mins, before giving up. It thickened a LITTLE, but not a lot.). Taste and season with a bit of salt and pepper if desired (I didnt add either).

Add noodles to the baking dish. Pour cheese sauce over top, tossing to coat all the noodles. Sprinkle remaining fontina and blue over top evenly, then cover in breadcrumbs (I just used regular bread crumbs, and added a pinch each of dried oregano and parsley). Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until top is golden and crunchy.

This was absolutely killer. 

It wasn't super saucy, but the flavor was incredible, IF YOU LIKE BLUE CHEESE. If you don't, bugger off. This is not for you.