This chicken burger recipe comes from Fitness Food. Ground chicken is mixed with breadcrumbs, cilantro, chili sauce, and spices, and formed into burger-size patties. It’s served with ribbons of cucumber and carrot, and a sweet cilantro-vinegar sauce.

Chris says:

I got bit by the time-bug on this recipe, too!

Lisa says:

What do you mean?

Chris says:

They would have been done 30 minutes earlier if I had remembered the “refrigerate” step.

Lisa says:

At least we had that beet salad to snack on!

Chris says:

True… anyway, I like these. Though I think next time I’ll form them a little thinner so they cook more quickly.

Lisa says:

Yeah these are monsters! What’s this sauce all about?

Chris says:

It’s just a sweet cilantro sauce to go on top… it was supposed to also have peanuts in it, but we were out.

Lisa says:

Other than being so giant, I like these burgers. Although now I’m really full. And…

Chris says:

…yeah?

Lisa says:

I know that when one of us cooks, the other does the dishes, but… how the heck did you use so many dishes tonight?

Chris says:

Hey!

Lisa says:

Just sayin’. I’m getting dishpan hands over here.

Thai Chicken Burgers
1 lb chicken breast
1 cup breadcrumbs
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 large handful cilantro, chopped, plus extra
3 tbsp sweet chili sauce
1 tsp ground coriander
3 green onions, finely chopped
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp white vinegar
2 tbsp finely chopped peanuts
1 carrot
1 cucumber
lettuce
tomato

Cut the chicken into 1″-2″ cubes and place in a food processor, and pulse until minced. Remove to a bowl, and mix with the breadcrumbs, garlic, cilantro, chili sauce, ground coriander, and green onions. Mix together with your hands and form into four patties. Refrigerate, covered, for 30 minutes.
To make the dressing, put the sugar, vinegar, and 3 tbsp water in a small saucepan and stir over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Simmer for 5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Cool and stir in the peanuts and extra cilantro.
Peel strips of carrots and cucumber into ribbons.
Heat a grill or grillpan and spray with oil. Cook the burgers for 4+ minutes on each side, or until an internal temperature of 165 degrees is reached. Serve on hamburger buns with the dressing, lettuce, tomato, carrot, and cucumber.

4 Servings.

This recipe came together in about 15-20 minutes, so it definitely lived up to the title of the book from which it came — Food & Wine Magazine’s Quick from Scratch Herbs & Spices Cookbook. We’re just diving into this one, but I’m really liking it so far — I love when each recipe is accompanied by a full-page picture. The book is divided into two sections: “Herbs” and “Spices”. Each recipe features a particular herb/spice — cilantro is one of our favorites, so we started there.

Chris says:

So, considering that I decided to make this about 10 minutes before you got home, I’d say this turned out quite well.

Lisa says:

Yeah, I thought we were doing Tortilla soup!

Chris says:

I changed my mind… not in a soup mood. Besides, this way we can tell Jeanette how much we enjoy the cookbook when we see her this weekend.

Lisa says:

It’s true! Yum, I like this dipping sauce.

Chris says:

I like most dipping sauces. Especially when they have cilantro!

Lisa says:

Cilantro *does* rule the planet. We need to start growing it.

Chris says:

Yes, please.

Thai Grilled Chicken with Cilantro Dipping Sauce
2 jalapeño peppers, seeds and stems removed
4 cloves garlic: 2 smashed, 2 minced
1/2 cup lightly packed cilantro leaves and stems
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp canola oil
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp salt
4 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts (about 1 1/3 lbs.)
6 tbsp rice-wine vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp dried red-pepper flakes
1 1/2 tbsp water

Light the grill and set at medium-high heat. In a blender, puree the jalapeños, smashed garlic cloves, the 1/2 cup cilantro leaves and stems, the fish sauce, canola oil, sesame oil, and 1/4 tsp salt. Put the chicken in a shallow dish and coat with the cilantro puree.
Grill the chicken for 5 minutes. Turn and cook until just done, about 5 minutes longer.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring the vinegar, sugar, and the remaining 1/4 tsp salt to a simmer, stirring. Simmer for 2 minutes. Pour the liquid into a small glass or stainless-steel bowl and let cool. Add the minced garlic, the tablespoon of chopped cilantro, the red-pepper flakes, and water. Serve each chicken breast with a small bowl of dipping sauce alongside.

4 Servings

A new recipe from Great Bowls of Fire for us tonight — this one was nice and spicy! Thin strips of beef are stir-fried with peppers, mushrooms, and snap peas, and drowned in a sauce of coconut milk, chicken broth, and soy sauce. Filling and delicious!

Chris says:

Whoa — this is spicier than I was expecting!

Lisa says:

Don’t be a baby… it’s a lot less intense with the rice.

Chris says:

Hey, I’m the one who likes spicy, remember? I just meant I had my chili sauce at the ready and don’t think I’ll need to add as much as usual.

Lisa says:

While you’ve been jibber-jabbing about spicy foods, I’ve been enjoying my dinner.. mmm, so good! I love the coconut milk flavor.

Chris says:

Agreed. If this dinner was a song by Kansas, it’d be “Curry on Wayward Son”.

Lisa says:

So, I’ve learned to live with your puns, but what the heck does that even mean?

Chris says:

No clue. Okay, I’m going to finish eating this deliciousness.

Red Curry Beef and Mushrooms
1 tbsp peanut oil
1 lb top round
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into slivers
8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 tsp minced ginger root
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tsp red curry paste
1 cup low-fat coconut milk
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 lb. snow peas, halved
3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tbsp cornstarch
10 basil leaves, cut into strips
4 cups cooked Jasmine rice

In a large wok, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the beef and stir-fry until browned, 4-6 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside, keeping warm.
In the same wok, add the bell pepper and mushrooms and stir-fry over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add the beef and curry paste and stir-fry for 2 minutes more. Stir in the coconut milk, broth, snow peas, soy sauce, cumin, and coriander and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, combine the cornstarch with 1 tbsp water. Whisk into the curry sauce and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in the basil leaves and serve over rice.

4 Servings

This recipe comes from Thai Cooking Made Easy — with this recipe, it lived up to its name. Cooked chicken is shredded and tossed with a bunch of veggies and a slightly spicy lime and fish sauce dressing. This would make a good starter to a larger meal.

Chris says:

Yum, guy! I like this salad.

Lisa says:

I thought the dressing was going to taste way too fishy when I mixed it up…

Chris says:

It’s totally fine — once you toss it in and mix everything together it’s not nearly as intense.

Lisa says:

This salad makes me hungry.

Chris says:

Not surprising… ain’t no carbs here!

Lisa says:

Promise me we’ll never do a low-carb diet.

Chris says:

How about we just don’t do any kind of diet?

Yum Gai - Thai Chicken Salad

• 2 cups water
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 1 lb.)
• 1 medium tomato, cut into wedges
• 1 medium red onion, sliced
• 1 small cucumber, thinly sliced
• 2 green onions, cut into lengths
• minced cilantro
• 4 large lettuce leaves

For the Dressing:

• 1 tbsp sliced red chili
• 3 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp sugar

Bring the water and salt to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat and poach the chicken for about 15 minutes or until cooked. Remove and set aside to cool. Shred the chicken into thin strips.
Combine the Dressing ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
In a large bowl, combine the chicken strips with the tomato, onion, cucumber, green onions, and cilantro. Pour the dressing over and toss thoroughly.
Line a serving platter with the lettuce leaves and top with the salad. Serve immediately.

Serves 4 as a starter or part of a larger meal.

Lisa was looking for a recipe to utilize the rest of our veggies from the CSA box, and came across this recipe from Food & Wine Magazine. Potatoes and broccoli are the big players here, with a supporting cast of mushrooms, tomatoes, and basil. The green curry paste we had on hand was pretty subtle, but still added a nice flavor to the dish.

Chris says:

Hot damn, I like this!

Lisa says:

What? It’s not hot at all. The flavor is really good though.

Chris says:

I didn’t mean “spicy” damn… I really like the flavors, too, and you can always make it spicier with the ol’ rooster…

Lisa says:

I like these generous portions… Hm, guess what I’m having for dinner tomorrow night while you’re at school?

Thai Vegetable Curry
——————–
1 1/2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 onion, sliced thin
1/2″ ginger, sliced thin
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons Thai green curry paste
14 oz can light coconut milk
1 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup drained canned bamboo shoots, halved
1 pound potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 pound broccoli, thick stems removed, tops cut into small florets (1 quart)
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 tomato, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons lime juice
1/3 cup thin-sliced basil leaves

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften, about 3 minutes. Stir in the curry paste and fry, stirring, for 1 minute.
Add the coconut milk and broth and bring to a boil. Stir in the soy sauce, brown sugar, salt, bamboo shoots, potatoes, broccoli, and mushrooms. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.
Stir in the tomato and heat through, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the lime juice and basil.

Serve with rice.

4 Servings