Mango Slaw with Cashews and Mint (or Cilantro)

I do not like coleslaw. There is too much mayonnaise, in my opinion. But I do like mango slaw. This salad is perfect as a summer accompaniment to any grilled meal, including burgers, steaks, or chicken.

*adapted from Smitten Kitchen

INGREDIENTS:

2 mangoes, peeled, pitted, and julienned

1 half head cabbage

1/2-1 red pepper, julienned

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

6 Tablespoons fresh lime juice, from about two limes

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

2 Tablespoons oil of your choice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/4 cup thinly slices fresh mint leaves (I accidentally bought cilantro at the store, instead of mint so I used that instead--still great and maybe even better if you're making this to accompany a Mexican dish)

1/4 cup toasted cashews, coarsely chopped

DIRECTIONS:

Toss mangoes, cabbage, red pepper and onion in a medium-size serving bowl. In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together lime juice, vinegar, oil, salt, and red pepper flakes. Drizzle over mango mixture and serve immediately or cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to let flavors meddle for about an hour. When ready to serve, mix in mint (or cilantro) and cashews.

Enjoy!

Burrito Bowl with Seasoned Ground Turkey

Inspired by Chipotle and the ingredients I had in my kitchen, this burrito bowl was born. Ground turkey is my favorite substitute for ground beef, especially when used in Mexican dishes. With some taco seasoning, I can hardly tell the difference between turkey and beef. 

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. ground turkey

1 Tablespoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (less if you have a more mild palette)

2 teaspoons cumin

1/2 teaspoon oregano

2 garlic cloves, minced or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 cup water

1 teaspoon corn starch

1 can refried beans (or black beans)

2 cups brown rice

1 tomato

1 avocado

2 oz. goat cheese

1/2 cup salsa

DIRECTIONS:

Prepare rice, according to directions. 

Over medium heat, brown ground turkey until fully cooked. Add next nine ingredients, water, and corn starch and simmer until all spices are cooked into the meat, about 10-15 minutes.

Heat beans in a small saucepan over low heat, until warmed through. 

Make your burrito bowl. In a shallow bowl, pour 1 cup of cooked rice and spread on the bottom. Add 1/2 cup beans, followed by 1/2 cup seasoned ground turkey. Top with chopped tomato, goat cheese, sliced avocado, and salsa. Sprinkle with pepper and garnish with cilantro, if available. Enjoy.

German Pancakes/Dutch Babies

Anyone else into the World Cup? I married a pureblood German (a variant pronunciation of Fishback is Vischbach.) So, needless to say, we are excited about Germany's chances in the World Cup. (Although I'm torn about Spain vs. Germany, given my love for España...hmmm.) On the day Germany beat Argentina 4-0, I made German pancakes. I've since learned that these are also referred to as "Dutch Babies." Oh, and what do you know, the Dutch just beat Uruguay today to make it to the World Cup Finals! So, whether you're cheering for the orange and blue, or the red, yellow, and black, whip these up for your World Cup match! (That rhyming couplet was unintentional, but very cool.) This breakfast dish is a thicker, puffier, more protein-filled version of pancakes and we like them! I hope you do too.

*Recipe from Jenna at Just Cook Already

INGREDIENTS: 

3 eggs

1 Tablespoon sugar

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup milk

3 Tablespoons butter

berries or apricots for the topping

DIRECTIONS:

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees and place a heat-resistant skillet or baking dish in the oven to heat up. After about 5 minutes, put butter in the pan to melt.

Add three eggs and the sugar to a blender and mix on low speed for about 1 minute. The eggs should be light colored and bubbly. Then add flour and milk and blend on low speed for 10 seconds, until evenly mixed. 

Take skilled or baking dish out of the oven, making sure butter has melted, and carefully pour the batter into the skillet or pan.

Bake at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until the sides and middle have puffed and browned. Serve with fresh fruit and maple syrup or powdered sugar and lemon juice.

Have a delicious morning!!

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Happy 4th of July weekend! I think there will be a lot of BBQ-ing going on this weekend. To get in the mood... BBQ chicken pizza.

This pizza is made with a homemade dough and homemade BBQ sauce, but it is SIMPLE. The directions for the BBQ sauce are my all time favorite directions for anything. Ever. You'll see. It is a really great tasting sauce and can be used for so much more than just pizza. It has a little kick, but nothing too crazy.

For the pizza dough, or any bread dough for that matter, if there is any piece of advice I can offer, it is to get a kneading attachment for your mixer or hand mixer. I only have a hand mixer, and my kneading attachment makes any type of bread-making about 100x less annoying. I will promote anything that keeps my hands from becoming a doughy, sticky, crazy mess.

BBQ CHICKEN PIZZA (inspired by closetcooking.com)

INGREDIENTS:

1 pizza dough (recipe below)

1/2 cup BBQ sauce (recipe below)

1/2 lb. chicken breast, boneless and skinless

1 handful red onion, sliced

1/4 cup goat cheese, feta cheese, or blue cheese

1-1-1/2 cup colby/monterey jack shredded cheese

1 handful cilantro, sliced (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Grill the chicken until just cooked all the way. Let cool and cut into 1/4 inch strips. Roll pizza dough on a lightly greased surface sprinkled with corn meal. Spread the BBQ sauce on the pizza, followed by chicken, onion, and cheeses. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes. 

PIZZA DOUGH (adapted from Jenna at Just Cook Already):

INGREDIENTS:

2-1/2 - 3 cups four

1 Tablespoon (or one packet) yeast

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup very warm water

2 Tablespoons olive oil

corn meal

DIRECTIONS:

In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, yeast, and salt. Stir very warm and oil into dry ingredients. Stir in enough remaining flour (about 1/2 cup for me) to make soft dough. Knead on a lightly floured surface, or with an electric mixer and kneading attachment, about 4-6 minutes. Cover and let rest at room temperature for 10-20 minutes.

BBQ SAUCE (adapted from closetcooking.com):

INGREDIENTS:

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup ketchup

2 Tablespoons dijon mustard

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1 Tablespoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon paprika

DIRECTIONS:

Mix well. (That's it!)

Enjoy!!