Southwest Turkey (or Chicken) Burgers

Mmmmmmmmm, mmmm, good. Turkey burgers are often dry or flavorless but, rarely, they can be phenomenal. This is one of those phenomenal turkey burgers. Full of flavor and moist.

Southwest Turkey/Chicken Burgers
Modified from Epicurious

1 pound ground turkey or chicken thighs
1 can of NM Hatch Green Chiles (with liquid)
2 tsp chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

To the ground meat, add all the ingredients above. Form into patties and grill or pan fry. If you make them particularly thick, form a hole in the center to make sure that all surfaces cook through before drying out. (A trick I actually learned from Costco.) I recomend topping with quacamole or adobo chili mayonnaise/aioli. I enjoyed mine on a bolillo loaf (above) while Dave went the more traditional route on a potato bread bun. Mmmmmmmmm...

Jambalaya - My first attempt, and it was good!

My first attempt at Jambalaya, using up a bunch of stuff I had in the freezer. Lots of roasted peppers and some black pepper andouille sausage.



Jambalaya

2 teaspoons olive oil
1-2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
8 oz andouille sausage
28 oz diced tomatoes
1 onion, diced
Mix of roasted red, green, and hot peppers, diced
2 tablespoons garlic, sliced
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
1 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon oregano
2 teaspoons parsley
2 teaspoons cajun seasoning (I used Old Bay)
1 pound raw, peeled shrimp
2 cups uncooked basmati rice

To add more flavor, I actually grilled the chicken and sausage. In a slow cooker add the chicken, sausage, tomatoes with juice, onion, peppers, broth, herbs and spices and cook on low for 7-8 hours (or high for 3-4 hours). Stir in the shrimp the last 30 minutes of cooking. If there looks like there is too much water, turn the slow cooker on high and leave the cover off when cooking the shrimp. Cook the rice, I prefer basmati, 45 minutes before the Jambalaya is done.

PS Have I mentioned how much I love my Zojirushi rice cooker? Well I do! Perfect rice every time.

Makhani (Butter) Chicken or Veggies

Here is the recipe I used for Indian Butter Sauce (red one you put on the veggies) called Makhani. I actually prefer to eat this over veggies, especially cauliflower, but over tandoori chicken, tomatoes, and onions is the most common.

Makhani (Butter) Chicken or Veggies
I believe my recipe is modified from here Allrecipes.com Chicken Makhani Indian Butter Chicken

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon garam masala
1 tablespoon ginger paste
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped green chile pepper (I use roasted peppers, 3 jalapenos or 1-2 serranos. These give it the desired heat level you want)
12 oz tomato paste
1 tablespoon chili powder
salt to taste
1/2 cup water (use more if you want a thinner sauce)
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon dried fenugreek (Not necessary if you can't find it, but I have some so and I like the flavor)
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup yogurt

Instructions:
I actually use 1.5x the spices and garlic/ginger to give it a stronger kick. Stick with the regular amounts if you want it mild (or add more cream and yogurt to mellow it out more). The recipe has you make tandoori chicken and add it to the sauce, simmering for a few minutes and then serving over rice. But, I have found many veggies work well in this sauce, cauliflower is the most common though.

Combine the butter and spices and heat until fragrant, then start adding the rest of the ingredients. Make sure the chili peppers are chopped very fine to evenly distribute the heat. I grate the garlic and ginger to make a smoother paste, again to evenly distribute the flavors. The coriander and fenugreek aren't necessary, but I really like the flavor they add and I have them on hand. Just cook for a few minutes to make sure all the garlic, ginger, and peppers cook and give off their flavor to the sauce. Then add whatever veggies or meat you want.
Enjoy!