Chicken Cordon Bleu Burgers – With a Veggie Twist

The classic flavors of Chicken Cordon Bleu—ham, Swiss cheese and thyme—inspired this easy chicken burger.  Since I used lean ground chicken breast, I added a small grated zucchini, small grated carrot, and 1/4 grated onion to add moisture (and color).  You could also fold in some chopped, defrosted spinach if you prefer to skip the box grater work.  It’s deliciously satisfying and as light as burgers come.

Inspired by recipe here from Eating Well.

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Chicken Eggplant Parmesan Panini

Rice Kernel and I don’t exactly love eggplant.  I eat it, but I rarely buy it when alone.  Then there’s FHE.  He loves eggplant.  In fact, he somehow convinced me to grow eggplant this summer.  (Lucky for me, not our most prolific vegetable in the garden.)  Last week, while grocery shopping together, FHE somehow snuck in several eggplant.  “What should I cook with these?” I asked him.  “Whatever.”  Uh huh.  Wish I could say that when I buy his “favorite” squash….

My standard eggplant dishes are either tomato-sauce based (pasta with meat sauce or pasta alla norma) or asian-influenced in a spicy or gingery stirfry.  Seeking an alternative that I thought I could sneak by Rice Kernel, I decided to make chicken and eggplant parmesan stacks in sandwich form. 

I couldn’t sneak the veggie by Rice Kernel, but there’s no denying some crusty bread around his favorite chicken parm recipe.  If you’re not in the mood for tomatoes, pesto is as delectable.

(Picture deleted by Rice Kernel himself….)

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Asian-Inspired Hamburger with Roasted Peanut Asian Slaw

Unanimously “yummy” in our house.  Why is there no picture of the burger, just the slaw, you ask?  Well, Rice Kernel and I ate first, as we often do on the weekdays.  When FHE came home, he cooked and gobbled up the remaining burgers before I could get my hands on them.  That’s proof this is worth a try! 

Asian Hamburger, adapted from Ming Tsai

1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
1 cup scallions, white and green parts, cut 1 1/6 inch thick
1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons naturally brewed soy sauce
Kosher salt to taste
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
2 tablespoons grapeseed or canola oil

1. In a large bowl, combine the beef, pork, scallions, ginger, soy sauce, salt, and pepper and mix lightly. Divide the mixture into 8 equal parts and roll each into a ball.
2. Heat a large nonstick sauté pan over medium heat.  Add the oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the burgers and cook until golden, 4 to 5 minutes.  Turn and cook for another 4 or 5 minutes.  Allow the burgers to rest for about 4 minutes.

Roasted Peanut Asian Slaw, adapted from Ezra Pound Cake

3 cups green cabbage, shredded (about half a small cabbage)
3 cups red cabbage, shredded (about half a small cabbage)
2 cups fresh vegetables (napa cabbage, bean sprouts, bell pepper strips, snow peas, shredded carrots)
1/4 cup green onions, minced
1 lime, segmented and chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup unsalted roasted peanuts, chopped
Cilantro, optional
Sesame seeds, optional

Dressing: 
 
1/4 cup vegetable or peanut oil
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
Juice of 1/2 lime
1 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely grated
1/2 -1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce

1. In a large bowl, combine the cabbages, spinach, green onions and lime segments. Toss.
2. In a small bowl or food processor, combine the oil, rice wine vinegar, lime juice, sesame oil, ginger, brown sugar and soy sauce.
3. Toss the slaw with the dressing, season with freshly ground black pepper, and add the roasted peanuts.

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