Lettuce Wraps

I know you have made lettuce wraps before, but this is another good recipe to try. This recipe is from Mel's Kitchen Cafe and it always turns out really good. I usually add some grated carrot, oyster sauce, bamboo shoots and deep fried vermicelli noodles.


Adapted from Mel's kitchen cafe
6-8 servings

2 tsp veg oil
4 cloves garlic
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 c button mushrooms,, minced
1 carrot, grated
1/4 tsp salt
1 8 oz can water chestnuts, minced
1 can bamboo shoots, minced
1/2 c green onions
1/4 c oyster sauce
1/4 c soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 tsp hot sauce
1/3 c chopped cilantro
1 head iceberg lettuce
*dipping sauce
** rice vermicelli noodles deep fried

Heat veg oil in large skillet over medium heat. When oil is hot add garlic and ginger. Saute for a minute and then add beef, mushrooms, carrots, and salt. Cook until beef is cooked.

Add water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, and green onions. Cook a few more minutes. Add soy sauce, sesame oil, oyster sauce, juice and zest from lemon, and hot sauce. When everything is cooked through, remove from heat and stir in cilantro.

Serve in lettuce leaves, top with vermicelli and dipping sauce.

*Dipping sauce
1/4 c soy s sauce
1/8 c rice vinegar
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
2 tbsp green onions

Combine all ingredients.

** Deep fried Rice Vermicelli
Heat oil in a wok. Break vermicelli apart into small handfuls. Deep fry until puffed. Drain on paper towel.

Taco Salad with Honey Lime Dressing

For the dressing:
1/4 c honey
juice of 3 limes
2 tbsp white vinegar
1 tbsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/3 c olive oil

Put everything except olive oil in a bowl and whisk to combine. While whisking, slowly pour in olive oil. Whisk until smooth.


For salad:
1 head of Romaine, shredded
3 gr onions, sliced
1 red pepper, diced
half of a red onion, sliced thin
grilled corn or a bag of thawed frozen corn( I forgot the corn)
half of a bunch of cilantro
tomatoes
grilled chicken(I marinated it in some of the dressing)
1/2 shredded cheese
tortilla chips, crushed
*1 can kidney or black beans(see recipe below)

Put everything except for the chips and beans in a large bowl. Toss it. Add some dressing. Top with chips and beans.

* Take a can of beans and rinse well. Put them in a pan with about 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add 2-3 cloves of garlic, about 1 tablespoon oregano and salt and pepper. Heat the beans through and they are done.

Source: Baked Bree

Cilantro Turkey Burger

On our way back from the farmers market today I almost got hit by car. It was an SUV and it honked really loud right in my ear. Im super emotional and pregnant today and so I started to cry. I cried all the way home. When we got home Lainey was asleep so I had to take the oppurtunity to mix the turkey I just bought for dinner, but I was still crying.  So I cried while I mixed the meat.  Its an emotional recipe but it was sooooooo good.

I mixed chopped cilantro, green pepper, onion, garlic, salt, pepper. And the secret emotional ingredient...one tablespoon of brown sugar. I served it on your bun recipe. Which by the way is SUPERB!!

Maybe their IS something to freshly ground meat. As gross at it might seem. Cuz this burger was amazing. Or maybe it was the tears and the brown sugar. In any case you should make it. A hit girlfriend!

Turkey Meatloaf Muffins Topped with Spinach and Roasted Garlic Potatoes

I would really recommend making these very soon. I am not one who usually likes meatloaf, but these are just the right size and full of flavour. This is the third time I've made these in the last few months. I served them with some roasted lemon and garlic broccoli.




Ingredients:
1 tsp olive oil
7 button mushrooms, chopped
1/2 onion, diced
3(yellow, red, orange) small baby bell peppers, diced(I used 1/2 c regular sized peppers)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb lean ground turkey
2 tbsp garlic and herb bread crumbs(I used panko)
1-2 tbsp milk
1 egg
3 tbsp parsley, chopped
sea salt and fresh pepper, to taste
Fresh spinach
Roasted garlic mashed potatoes
chives, chopped(I forgot these)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat muffin tray with oil.

Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, onions, and peppers and cook for 5-7 minutes until soft; add the minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute.

Mix the veggie mixture with the ground turkey, bread crumbs, milk, egg, and parsley together in a bowl until well combined.

Scoop the meatloaf mixture evenly into the muffin tray, pushing down to flatten. Place in the oven and bake for 22-27 minutes.

While the meatloaf is cooking, make the roasted garlic potatoes(don't forget to roast the garlic earlier). Right before you take the meatloaf out of the oven, wash the spinach and place in a pan over medium heat. Cook the spinach with a touch of water, season with salt and pepper, to taste, for 1-2 minutes.

Remove meatloaf from muffin tins, top with wilted spinach, potatoes and chives.

Source:For the Love of Cooking

Almond Chicken Penne

This recipe is from Giada. Apparently this is a classic Italian dish. I wish the pictures did it justice. They don't. It was really delicious. I love how creamy the almonds and chicken stock get when blended. The warmed peas? Delicious. The fresh basil? So good. And the lemon zest?  Are you kidding?  Get outta here.  You have to try it. It's a creamy pasta without all the fattening butter and milk and flour.  Really easy too.

1 pound penne pasta
2 cups (9 ounces) blanched, slivered almonds
2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
2 store-bought, rotisserie chicken breasts, skinned, boned and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 2 cups)
1 cup frozen petite peas
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 large lemon, zested
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups grated Parmesan
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water.

In a blender, combine the almonds, chicken stock, olive oil, and garlic. Blend until the mixture is smooth.

Pour the mixture into a large skillet and turn the heat on to medium. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the chicken, peas, cream and lemon zest. Cook, stirring frequently until the chicken is heated through, about 4 minutes (mixture will be thick). Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Put the cooked pasta into a serving bowl and add 1/2 cup of the Parmesan. Toss together until the pasta is coated. Add the chicken mixture, the remaining cheese and the basil. Toss the ingredients together, adding the reserved pasta water, as needed, to loosen the sauce. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve.

Shrimp Scampi

It was 5 o'clock and I didn't have anything planned for dinner. I knew I needed a recipe that was going to be quick and easy or we were going to be ordering pizza. This was the perfect dish, super quick to make and full of flavour.


Ingredients:
1/2 pound Linguine( I didn't have any so I used spaghetti)
1/2 pound large shrimp, cleaned and peeled
2 tbsp fresh garlic, minced
1 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp dried chili flakes
1/4 c fresh lemon juice
1/4 c fresh parsley, chopped
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
*1/2 c white wine(optional)I didn't need to use this

Cook linguine, reserve a few tablespoons of the starchy pasta water.

Season shrimp with salt and pepper. I large skillet, melt butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and chili flake and saute for 2 minutes. Add shrimp and lemon zest. Cook shrimp until they turn pink. Add lemon juice and parsley. Toss in cooked pasta, adding a tablespoon of the pasta water at a time until you reach desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper.

*If you would like a more saucy pasta dish, remove shrimp from skillet once they are cooked. Add in 1/2c white wine and turn heat to medium-high. Reduce liquids for 4-5 minutes.

Source:theculinarychronicles.com

One Pot Spinach and Mushroom Pasta

These one pot pastas are all the rage lately. So I decided to try it. Actually it was a one pan pasta. It was easy, so easy. And it tasted good too. This is how I did it.

Onion, garlic and mushrooms sauteed for about 3 minutes. Add Chicken stock. I used about 3/4 of a carton. Add noodles. I used spaghettini noodles. Bring to a slow boil. Once the pasta is almost done and the chicken stock is almost all absorbed, add ricotta cheese or cream cheese, cheese, and spinach. Let cheese melt and spinach wilt and its ready to go.

Buffalo Chicken Sliders

This is a nice quick and tasty recipe. I served them with some carrots and celery and used some of the blue cheese spread to dip them in. This would be a good meal to make when you don't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen


1 rotisserie chicken, shredded(I cooked and shredded two chicken breasts)
slider buns(I made these Brioche Burgers buns)
3 tbsp butter
1/2 c hot sauce
4 tbsp honey
2tbsp white vinegar
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt

For the blue cheese spread:
1/2 c sour cream
1/4 c crumbled blue cheese
1 tbsp vinegar
3 chopped green onions
salt and pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.Add the hot sauce, honey, vinegar, salt and pepper. Bring to a bubble. Add the chicken and heat through.Toast some buns. Mix all of the spread ingredients in a bowl.Spread buns with blue cheese mixture, top with chicken and your done.

Source: bakedbree.com