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Greek Style Lamb Burgers with Olive Mayonnaise

   

This is a great recipe to make for the long weekend. It is not your typical burger. It is made with lamb and super flavorful. You can substitute beef or turkey if lamb is not preferred… and don’t forget to make those yummy fries from yesterday…

  • 2 pounds ground lamb
  • 1 tablespoon fresh oregano
  • ½ cup fresh parsley
  • 1 large shallot
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • ½ cup feta crumbles
  • 2 teaspoons salt

Process the oregano, parsley, shallot and garlic in a food processor. Add the mixture to a bowl with the ground lamb. Add the salt and feta and mix and keep for an hour (it can be marinated the night before as well).

Form into 6 patties and keep aside.

Olive Mayonnaise

  • ¼ cup mayonnaise
  • ½ cup Greek yogurt
  • ¼ cup olives, chopped fine
  • 1 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Juice of half a lemon

Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl. Keep aside.

  • 6 focaccia rolls

Grill the burgers and place them on toasted focaccia rolls. Add the olive mayo and serve with potatoes and a salad.

 

 

Korean Style Burgers with Spicy Coleslaw

   

Korean cuisine is currently my family’s favorite right now… amongst other Asian cuisines. We love all Asian cuisines but right now gochujang is always on my mind…

  • 1 pound ground pork
  • 3 green onions, trimmed
  • 1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 1 inch ginger, peeled
  • 2 teaspoons gochujang sauce
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon tamari
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg, beaten

Transfer the pork to a mixing bowl and keep aside. Transfer the green onions, cilantro, garlic and ginger to a food processor and process till chopped fine. Add to the ground meat. Add the gochujang, sesame oil, tamari, salt and egg. Mix well and refrigerate at least for an hour. Take out of fridge half an hour before making the burgers. Form into equal sized 4 to 5 patties and cook on stove or grill. Serve on ciabatta rolls topped with the spicy coleslaw.

Spicy Coleslaw

  • 2 cups mixed cabbage coleslaw mix
  • 1 jalapeno, deseeded and chopped
  • ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons gochujang sauce
  • ½ cup mayonnaise
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon tamari
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Juice of a small lime

Mix the gochujang, mayonnaise, sesame oil, tamari, salt and lime juice in a medium bowl. Add the coleslaw mix, jalapeno and cilantro. Mix well and check for seasonings. Serve on top of burgers.

Stir Fried Sticky Rice Cakes with Mushrooms and Bok Choy

   

1 pound ground turkey

2 teaspoons cornstarch

2 teaspoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons peanut oil

16 ounces rice cakes, soaked in water for at least 2-3 hours or overnight

4 cups baby bok choy, cleaned and sliced in halves

½ cup dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked for an hour in warm water, drained and sqeezed

2 cups fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced

4 green onions, cut into ½ inch pieces

3 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tablespoons peanut oil

2 tablespoons shaoxing wine

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon dark soy sauce

2 tablespoons oyster sauce

Salt

Pinch of sugar

½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

 

Transfer the ground turkey to a medium bowl. Add the cornstarch, soy sauce and peanut oil. Mix well and let sit.

Heat a wok like pan over high heat. Add the one tablespoon oil. Add the ground pork and cook on high heat for 2 minutes. Add the rest of the oil and add the fresh mushrooms and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic, green onions, bok choy and soaked mushrooms. Stir fry on high heat for 3 to 4 minutes and add the shaoxing wine. Add the drained rice cakes and mix well. Add the soy sauces, oyster sauce, salt and sugar. Mix well and cook on low heat with lid on till the rice cakes are cooked through but still chewy. Check for seasonings and garnish with cilantro.

Moroccan Style Chicken with Couscous with Harissa Yogurt

   

1 pound chicken breast

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon groud cumin

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons extra light olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, grated

1 14 ounces chopped tomatoes

½ cup dried apricots, sliced

1 14 ounces can chickpeas, washed and drained

1 to 2 tablespoons honey

1 cup chicken stock

Salt

1/3 cup cilantro, chopped

1/3 cup parsley, chopped

Mix the cinnamon, ground cumin, ground ginger and salt in a small bowl. Sprinkle the chicken breasts with the spice mixture and let stand for 2 hours.

Heat a wide saucepan with olive oil and brown the chicken breasts on high heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Take out of the pan and keep aside. Reheat the pan and add the onion and garlic. Saute on medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and continue to cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Add apricots, chickpeas, honey and chicken stock. Bring to a boil and lower heat to a simmer and cover with lid and cook for 45 minutes, checking every 15 minutes. In the meantime, slice the browned, uncooked chicken into slices. Take the lid off and add the chicken. Cook on medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes till the chicken is cooked through. Check for seasonings and add salt as needed. Garnish with cilantro and parsley. Serve with couscous and yogurt sauce.

Pine Nut Couscous

  • 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/3 cup pine nuts
  • 1 teaspoons salt
  • 1½ cup chicken stock
  • 1½ cup couscous
  • 1/3 cup parsley, chopped
  • 1/3 cup cilantro, chopped

Heat a medium saucepan with the oil. Add the ground cinnamon, cumin, pine nuts and salt. Saute on medium heat for 30 seconds. Add the chicken stock and cover with lid and bring to a boil. Add the couscous, turn heat off and cover with lid. Cook for 5 minutes.  Fluff with fork, check seasonings and garnish with parsley and cilantro.

Harissa Yogurt Sauce

  • ½ cup plain yogurt
  • 2 teaspoons harissa sauce
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Juice of half a lemon

Mix all the ingredients and serve with the chicken and couscous.

 

Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

   
  • 1 dried ancho chili pepper
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 14 ounces fire roasted tomatoes with chili
  • 4 cups vegetable stock
  • 1 cup hominy, rinsed and drained
  • 1 14 ounces black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 3 medium zucchinis, washed, the seeds taken out and diced into ½ inch pieces
  • Salt

For Garnish

  • Tortilla chips
  • 1 avocado, chopped drizzled with lemon juice and sprinkled with salt
  • Crumbled queso fresco
  • Cilantro

Heat a small cast iron pan and break the chili into pieces and roast in the pan including the seeds on medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Keep aside.

Heat a medium heavy pan with olive oil. Add the onion, garlic and ancho chili. Saute on medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the cumin, tomatoes and stock. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the homini and simmer for 10 minutes. Take off heat and transfer to a blender and in batches, blend the soup until smooth with some chunks. Return to the pan and add the beans. Bring to a boil and add salt to taste.

Serve soup topped with avocado, tortillas chips, queso and cilantro.

 

Udon Noodles with Sesame Pork

   

I love, love noodles.. here is another yummy recipe.

  • 1 pound ground pork
  • 1 tablespoon tamari
  • 4 garlic cloves, grated
  • 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
  • 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine

Mix the pork, tamari, garlic, ginger and shaoxing wine and marinate for 2 to 3 hours. Keep aside.

Sauce

  • 2 tablespoons tamari
  • 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
  • 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
  • ¼ cup Asian sesame paste
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon honey

Mix all the ingredients and set aside.

  • 2 tablespoons peanut oil
  • 2 to 3 baby bok choy, chopped, whites and greens separated
  • ½ cauliflower head, chopped
  • 1 cup shiitake mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 teaspoon Szechuan peppercorns, ground
  • 1 pound Udon noodles, prepared according to package directions
  • 1 ½ cups chicken broth

Heat a wok with peanut oil and add the Szechuan peppercorns. Saute for 20 seconds on medium heat and add the ground pork. Cook on high heat stirring and breaking the meat apart with a wooden spoon. Saute for 5 to 6 minutes or till golden brown. Take the meat out and add some more peanut oil and add the mushrooms. Saute on high heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the bok choy whites and cauliflower and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes on medium heat. Add the meat, noodles, sauce and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and cover on a simmer to cook the cauliflower through. Check for seasonings and garnish with bok choy greens.

 

Spicy Bok Choy and Pork Noodles

   

This recipe is also taken from NY Times cooking section…

  • 4 to 5 baby bok choy heads, trimmed with the dark green tops and white stems separated. The white stems should be chopped and the greens sliced in half.
  • 2 inch piece of ginger, grated
  • 16 ounces rice noodles (I used rice udon noodles), prepared according to package directions
  • 3 tablespoons peanut oil
  • 1 pound good quality ground pork
  • 5 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
  • 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
  • 3 garlic cloves, grated
  • 1 jalapeno, seeded and thinly sliced
  • Salt
  • ½ cup torn cilantro

Heat a wok like pan on high with 2 tablespoons oil. Add pork and cook, breaking up with a fork or back of a wooden spoon until golden and cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon salt and 1½ tablespoons soy sauce and ½ tablespoon rice vinegar. Transfer to a bowl using a slotted spoon.

Add the remaining oil to the same pan and add the onion, ginger, garlic and chili. Cook until fragrant on medium heat for about a minute. Add the bok choy stems and a pinch of salt. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes and add the pork back to the pan. Toss the noodles, remaining soy sauce and vinegar. Cook till heated through. Check for seasonings. Garnish with cilantro and serve warm.