Category Archives: Kid Friendly

Mar 13 2009

Turkey Lemongrass Patties

Posted in Chicken, Duck and Turkey|Kid Friendly|Meat

How to add a twist to your traditional ground meat patty?  By using ground turkey or chicken and adding a Thai spin to it with lemongrass, chilies, cilantro and mint and serving on a bed of noodles instead of the traditional bun.

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It was a long day, in fact it was a long week.  We were beat tonight, so beat that we tossed around the idea of takeout, ie …pizza.  All we knew on the way home from work was that we were hungry, really hungry and we needed some comfort food.  For us comfort is not necessarily what one would consider comfort food, instead it is something GOOD and really bursting with flavor, preferably spicy.  Tonight it had to be something quick and easy but, it had to be very flavorful.  Where did I turn?  Donna Hay!

This recipe is Thai inspired and uses lemongrass, chillies, cilantro and mint as base for the seasonings.  I did have to compromise as Bi-Rite did not have ground chicken (okay, now I am contemplating buying the meat grinder for the kitchen aid) and they said they could not grind it.  So I used turkey which worked out perfectly.  As well they did not have green beans so I used fresh snow peas.  I also thought the rice noodles were a bit on the dry side so I tossed them with Sriracha Hot Chilli sauce and some of the hot water from cooking the noodles.  This dish was exactly what we were wanting – easy, quick (under 30 minutes) and very flavorful;  lemony turkey with a bit of a green spicy taste and very kick butt noodles! Next time I would like to try it with lamb and possibly a zest of lime.

Recipe: Turkey Lemongrass Patties

* adapted from Donna Hay

Combine 1 lb ground turkey with chopped lemongrass, chopped green chilli, sea salt and cracked black pepper.  Shape into patties and pan fry in a tablespoon of olive oil until cooked through.  While cooking, prepare rice noodles according to package directions.  While noodles are cooking I laid a strainer on top of the hot water and blanched snow peas.  Drain and reserve about a 1/4 cup of water.  Toss the noodles with 1 tablespoon of Sriracha Hot Chilli Sauce, some of the reserved water (add a tablespoon at a time), mint and cilantro leaves.  Serve with a patty on top of the noodles and sprinkled with snow peas.

Posted in Chicken, Duck and Turkey|Kid Friendly|Meat
Mar 11 2009

Chicken wrapped in Prosciutto

Posted in Chicken, Duck and Turkey|Kid Friendly|Meat

This easy dinner is an Italian version of Cordon Bleu – chicken thighs stuffed with parmesan cheese, wrapped with prosciutto and then lightly pan fried.

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This dinner probably looks a lot like summer.  I received the first magazine of the wonderful gift subscription of Donna Hay, that I received from MEM for Christmas.  I love Donna.  The photography throughout her books will have you drooling all over.  Her easy and delicious recipes will amaze you every time.

Tonight I made a simple chicken thigh recipe.  I followed Donna’s idea but changed how to do it a little.  Instead of lightly rolling the thighs and sprinkling with Parmesan cheese on them;  I pounded them until thin and the rolled Parmesan cheese in the middles before wrapping with Prosciutto and pan frying.  The chicken came out very  moist and really flavorful and slightly salty.  This dish reminded me of an Italian version of Cordon Bleu.  I served the chicken exactly as Donna suggested, with a tomato and basil salad.

Recipe

Chicken wrapped in Prosciutto

* serves 4

4 chicken thighs, trimmed

3/4 cup shaved Parmesan

4 slices of prosciutto

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 vine ripened tomatoes, sliced

1 cup basil leaves

olive oil, balsamic vinegar and sea salt and cracked pepper

Place the chicken between 2 sheets of waxed paper and flatten by pounding.  Put shavings of Parmesan cheese in the middle of the thigh and tightly make into a roll.  Wrap with the prosciutto.  Heat the oil in a large frying pan over high heat.  cook the chicken 3 – 4 minutes each side or until cooked through.  Place the tomato and basil in a bowl, drizzle with extra oil and vinegar and toss to combine.  Serve.  Eat.

Posted in Chicken, Duck and Turkey|Kid Friendly|Meat
Mar 10 2009

Your kids will love it: Purple Cauliflower Soup

Posted in Kid Friendly|Soups and Stews|Vegetables

Move over green eggs and ham, purple soup is here to stay!  Your kids will love this bright purple soup that is not only easy to make but very healthy, as well as low fat.   They will be eating their veggies and giggling the entire time.

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and what do you possibly think this “purple” soup could be??

You may be starting to think we eat a little too much of cauliflower soup around here;  I know someone else is thinking that!  I saw this purple cauliflower in the store and I knew I had to give it a whirl.  The color was just too good to pass it by.  If I had kids I am sure they would have loved it just because it was “purple”.

This soup is so easy to make, you can have dinner on the table in under 30 minutes.  It is equally as delicious.  I like to serve it with a simple salad, which I tossed with a new dressing that was fantastic (recipe below) and a hunk of crusty bread!

Recipe: Purple Cauliflower Soup
* adapted from Simply Recipes

  • Florets from one head of purple cauliflower
  • 2 shallots – diced
  • 1 clove of garlic – chopped
  • 1 quart of water
  • Salt
  • Unsalted butter

    • Bring 1 quart of water to a rolling boil in a medium-sized pot. Add 2 teaspoons of salt to the water.  Add the cauliflower, shallots, and garlic, and cook until cooked through, about 20 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove florets, shallots and garlic to a bowl. Reserve cooking water.

    Working in batches, fill a blender half-way with cooked cauliflower, add enough cooking water to the blender bowl so that it comes up a quarter of the way.  Purée until smooth. You want the consistency to be that of soup, so if you need to add more water, do so. For each blender batch, add salt and butter to taste (about 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and about a tablespoon or more of butter for each blender batch). Since you are using only lightly salted cooking water for a base, not stock, you will need to salt this more than you would otherwise.

    Serve immediately into bowls. Add a pat of butter, let melt slightly and serve.

    Eat.

    Serves 4.

    White Balsamic & Herb Dressing
    *from Donna Hay magazine – no measurements, I did it by taste.

    Place olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, chopped flat leaf parsley, crushed garlic, caster sugar, sea salt and cracked black pepper in a non-metallic blowl and stir to combine.

    Posted in Kid Friendly|Soups and Stews|Vegetables
    Oct 27 2008

    Lil’s Chicken Cutlets with Celery Root Mashed Potatoes

    Posted in Chicken, Duck and Turkey|Kid Friendly|Meat

    food blog, cooking, culinary, recipes,eat local challenge, eat local challenge 2008, chowhound food fight thanksgiving sides, mashed potatoes, chicken cutlets, organic food, harissa

    Lenny & I have been battling our first cold of the season.  When we are run down we tend to turn to comfort food.  I decided to make a dish we had in Boston earlier this year, Lil’s Chicken Cutlets.  The recipe is really easy …. pound the heck out of a plump chicken breast, coat it in some egg and flour and then toss it in some crushed panko. Tonight I seasoned the panko with left over croutons and used grapeseed oil, which you can heat to a high heat without burning.  They came out very light, not greasy and incredibly moist and juicy.

    Since we were really going for comfort I decided to make more of those fantastic celery root mashed potatoes, presented with some Harissa.  The end result was a very “comforting” meal to help chase away our colds.  We are also submitting these tasty mashed potatoes into Chowhounds (Chow, now) Food Fight for Thanksgiving Sides – Please vote for us!!

    * Local meal, everything was except the Panko Breadcrumbs and the chili peppers.

    Posted in Chicken, Duck and Turkey|Kid Friendly|Meat