Chicken Kebab Lettuce Wraps

I have subscribed to a lot of cooking magazines, and I will say I look forward to checking my mail even more than normal when it's the time of the month that they all arrive.  One of my favorites is Everyday Food, I've posted many of the adventures on here that were ideas from the magazine, including this one.  The thing I like most about the magazine is how diverse it is.  It has everything from creamy pasta dishes, ice cream, cake, to lettuce wraps.  All including nutritional information at the bottom of every recipe so you know exactly what you're eating.  Couldn't really ask for more! 

Soak 8 wooden skewers in water for around 15 minutes.  Heat the grill to medium high.  You can also use an oven, set to 350 degrees F.  Clean and lightly oil the hot grill.  Slice 1/4 small red onion and soak in warm water for 10 minutes.

Using your hands combine grated onion, chicken, garlic, chopped mint and feta with salt and pepper to taste.  I choose not to add the feta cheese due to my issues with dairy, not because I don't enjoy cheese, just wanted to make that very important point clear :)

Divide mixture into 8 portions, form around the skewers and brush with oil.  

Grill until cooked through, around 12 minutes, flipping once.

While the chicken is cooking drain sliced onion and toss with oil, whole mint leaves, tomatoes, vinegar, and season with salt and pepper. 

Serve kebabs in lettuce leaves, topped with onion salad.  This is a great summer night dinner, simple, fast and delicious.  Any reason to use the grill this time of year is a good reason!  Plus, two of these bad boys equal about 450 calories, you will feel full but still be able to run around and enjoy the rest of the summer night!  Enjoy :)

Chicken Kebab Lettuce Wraps

Serves 4

Adapted from Everyday Food

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for the grill

1/2 small red onion, half thinly sliced, half grated

1 1/4 pound ground chicken

1 garlic clove, minced

1 cup mint leaves, half chopped

2 oz feta cheese crumbled

coast salt and ground pepper to taste

1 cup grape tomatoes

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 heads butter lettuce, trimmed and leaves separated

Soak 8 wooden skewers in water for 15 minutes.

Heat grill or oven to medium high or 350 degrees F.

Clean and lightly oil hot grill.

Soak sliced onion in water water for 10 minutes.

Using your hands combine grated onion, chicken, garlic, chopped mint, feta, salt and pepper to taste.

Divide mixture into 8 portions and form around the skewers.

Brush with olive oil and grill until cooked through, around 12 minutes.

Drain sliced onion and toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, whole mint leaves, tomatoes, and vinegar.

Season with salt and pepper.

Serve kebabs in lettuce leaves topped with onion salad.

Big Green

I wanted to share a some pictures from my trip out to Dartmouth to see my brother graduate.  It was a great weekend filled with family, memories, and some new friends.  I was so happy I was able to go and see him graduate into the real world, although I did try and convince him to stay in college! "They never listen..." ;)

My Mom, through one of her many connections, found a house for all of us to fit in for the weekend.  Suzanne, the owner, rents out two houses on her property in Woodstock, Vermont.  Please take a look at her website by clicking here.  My Mom first found Suzanne because she was looking to do a walking tour around the Woodstock area, and that's exactly what Suzanne does.  The houses are both beautiful and the views are beyond words, even in rain.  Suzanne joined us for lunch the first day I was there, and was a great addition to the group.  I encourage anyone who's thinking about taking a trip out east to check out her walking tours and accomodations. 

My Grandma and one of my Aunts from my Mom's side, as well as both my Grandma and Grandpa from my Dad's side were able to all be there.  It was so nice to have us all under one roof, as it doesn't happen very often.

The house was very pretty, and had a ton of nooks and crannies to be explored.  I really loved this old barn door that led to my room.

My Mom arranged for a personal chef to come in and make us lunch.  Much more on that to come (oh my god, the food was so amazing.)  Here are her and my brother as we're about to eat!

My brother's hockey frat held a "BBQ" for the graduates and their families.  The reason why I have BBQ in quotations is because apparently that means white table clothes, linen napkins and salmon, which to me is not a true BBQ, but they're east coasters so I let it slide ;) 

More pictures to come... 

  

Feta & Zucchini Pasta Salad

Although I like mayo, I don't like mayo-ish, creamy pasta salad.  I lean more toward the pasta salad with olive oil, and that's exactly what this is.  This was meant for my camping trip that I posted about yesterday, but I forgot it in the fridge.  Although it wasn't enjoyed in the great outdoors with a burger, it was still very tasty and refreshing!

A great way to make this even healthier is to use whole wheat pasta, I used whole wheat organic bow ties and they worked awesome.  Cook the pasta until done, drain and set aside until completely cool. 

Add olive oil, fresh lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.  Toss into the pasta to combine well.

Add the tomatoes.  I sliced grape tomatoes in half so they were more bite size.

Add zucchini, I actually used yellow squash because it's what I had in the house.  I cooked it over the stove in olive oil, let it cool then cut it up and put it into the pasta.

Then comes the best part: feta cheese.  Add more of any of the ingredients if you like, I added extra feta, pepper, lemon juice and some parsley.  Toss well to combine.

Cover in plastic wrap for at least a couple hours, as it's best when it's been chilled.  I kept it in a Tupperware for up to a week and it was still great!  This is the perfect side for a summer party or BBQ. 

Hope everyone has a great weekend!!

Feta & Zucchini Pasta Salad

Serves as a side for at least 14 people

12 oz bow tie pasta

2 tablespoons olive oil *possibly a little more

1 lemon

salt

black pepper

2 whole zucchini, cooked and cut into small wedges

10 oz grape tomatoes, cut in half

1/3 cup fresh parsley

6 oz crumbled feta cheese, cut into cubes

Cook pasta until done; drain, rinse and set aside until completely cool.

Add olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.

Toss to combine.

Add zucchini, tomatoes, feta, parsley and combine well.

Add more of any of the ingredients to your taste.

Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

Spicy Hamburger Buns

As I promised yesterday here are the spicy buns I used for my buffalo chicken sandwiches.  I have never really made bread before, so the process is pretty new to me.  The closest I've come is Stuffed Focaccia, and although it was bread, the way I made it was more like a sandwich.  Anytime I use buns normally, I use whole wheat, but thought this would be a good alternative, and would add a little extra flavor.  I will say, eating anything on a freshly baked bun is the best! 

Put 1/2 cup of water into a bowl, and with a stand mixer or beaters stir in the sugar.  Sprinkle one package of yeast over the top and let rest for around 10 minutes.

It will look like above after a few minutes.  Then you can continue with the next steps.

Here's where the "spicy" comes in.  You'll need two chipotles, chopped up and around 2-3 tablespoons of the sauce the chipotles are in.  I didn't even use half of this can, but saved what was left for another day!

Canned chipotles, they have quite a strong smell!

Chop them up into small pieces.

Add two tablespoons melted butter, egg, chopped chipotles, adobo sauce and remaining 1/4 cup of water. 

Then add three cups of flour and salt and mix on low.

Knead for 5-7 minutes, until dough comes together and forms a soft, smooth ball. 

Cover the dough, and let rise for 1-2 hours, or until doubled.  Mine took just around an hour an a half.

Turn the dough onto a floured surface and divide it into eight equal pieces.  Shape each piece into a round ball and flatten a little with your palm.  Place buns on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover and let rise for another hour.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Brush the buns with 1/2 tablespoons of melted butter and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for 15-18 minutes until golden.  Remove from the oven and brush with any remaining butter.  Let buns cool before slicing.

These tasted so fresh, and the chipotles did add some spice, although not overpowering.  These were perfect with the buffalo chicken, and we also tried these on hamburgers and they tasted great then too.  I will say you have to freeze them to keep them good for more than a few days, but other than that I really enjoyed this recipe.  It takes some patience and some love, but it was worth it.  They're soft and the extra flavor is tasty!

Spicy Hamburger Buns

Adapted from King Arthur Flour

Serving Size 8 buns

3/4 cup very warm water, divided

1 package yeast

2 tablespoons sugar

4 tablespoons melted butter, divided

1 large egg

2 chipotles, chopped +2-3 tablespoons adobo sauce (from the can)

3-4 cups flour

1 1 /4 teaspoon salt

sesame seeds

Put 1/2 cup water into the bowl and stir in sugar with your standing mixer or beaters.

Sprinkle 1 package of yeast over the top and let rest for 10 minutes.

Add 2 tablespoons of melted butter, egg, chopped chipotles, adobo sauce, and remaining 1/4 cup of water.

Add 3 cups of flour and salt and mix on low.

Knead for 5-7 minutes until dough comes together in a smooth ball.

Cover the dough and let rest for 1 to 2 hours, or until doubled.

Turn the dough onto a floured surface and divide it into 8 equal pieces.

Shape each piece into a round ball and flatten with your palm.

Place buns on a parchment lined baking sheet, cover, and let rise for an hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Brush the buns with 1/2 tablespoon of melted butter and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bake for 15-18 minutes, until golden.

Remove from the oven, and brush with remaining butter.

Let buns cool before slicing.

Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

How was every one's weekend?  Mine was way too short!  I got a lot done though, so I was pretty proud of myself :)  I thought I would post this buffalo chicken recipe today, because it's a great week night and summer-ish meal.  Plus, you cook it in a slow cooker, so it takes hardly any work.

Begin by adding hot sauce, garlic powder and butter in a crock pot.  I didn't have enough hot sauce so I used a mixture of BBQ sauce and hot sauce, and it worked out great. 

Then add in chicken tenders.  I tossed them in the mixture once, then cooked on low for around four hours.  I put this all together, and then turned it on when I went home for lunch.  It cooked for around 6 hours total by the time I got back from work.  I think it was a little dryer than it should have been, but overall still very good.  I would recommend timing it so it doesn't cook for any longer than 5 hours though. 

The chicken held together pretty well, but was very easy to pull apart once I went to serve it.  Using a fork pull the chicken into small pieces and keep on low until you're ready to serve.

Divide the meat onto rolls and serve with your choice of cheese, pickles, onions, and anything else you like!  I served with cheddar cheese and onions, and it was perfect.  This made around six sandwiches, so I had plenty leftover for dinner the next night.  I served these on homemade spicy hamburger buns - which I'll post about tomorrow.  I loved this recipe, quick and simple and tasted awesome.  I also really enjoyed the leftovers. I'm not a huge leftover person, but this tasted just as good as the day I made it!

Happy Monday everyone!

Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

Adapted from: What's Cookin' With Mary?

Serving Size: 5-6

1-1 1/4 pounds chicken tenders, rinsed and dried

1/2 cup Frank's Red Hot sauce (or combination hot sauce and BBQ sauce)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Sandwich:

1 recipe of buffalo chicken

4 rolls or buns

1/2 cup sweet onion, thinly sliced

4 slices of cheddar cheese

Combine hot sauce, garlic powder and butter in a crock pot.

Add chicken and coat with mixture.

Cook on low for around 4 hours.

When finished cooking, shred chicken and cook on low until ready to serve.

Divide all ingredients amount four rolls and enjoy!

Dallas Food Tour #2

I know there are still many non-believers, but I have become obsessed with twitter.  I began using it as away to advertise my blog, and to gain a following.  I didn't expect to actually meet people on it, and cool people at that, with similar interests!  I've met a lot of "foodies" here in Dallas, and it's been awesome to meet new people, especially people that know their way around the city, as I'm still learning a lot.  A fellow twitter friend, Dallas Foodie (@Dallas_Foodie) has started arranging these tours of Dallas.  She picks out a couple different places in the same vicinity to visit for drinks, appetizers, dinner, and then after dinner drinks.  I've gone to two of her events, and had a blast on both.  I didn't take hardly any pictures of the first one, but I made sure to document the second tour, so all of you can see how great her events are. 

We started out this tour at The Cedars Social.  Their website isn't too full of info, but if you want to look them up on yelp.com please do so, they have great reviews.  We ordered drinks and also appetizers.  The first appetizer was a crab cake mini sandwich, and it tasted amazing. 

This wasn't technically an appetizer, but we ordered it because we all wanted to experience chicken and waffles.  One of the foodies said it best - they either do the chicken really well, or the waffles really well.  I thought the chicken was great, the waffles could have been a better - maybe a little thicker.  They had a syrup on the bottom of the plate that was awesome.

We also ordered the cheese platter to share.  It came with olives, honeycomb, and almonds. It was great, and perfect for a large group of people. 

My favorite part about Cedars Social was how they presented their checks.  They put the in the front cover of a book, how cute is that?  I loved it!  I really enjoyed this place.  I didn't take a picture of my drink, but the drinks are their speciality.  I ordered the Faithful Scotsman, and I don't remember what was in it but it was delicious, and very full of liquor - pace yourself if you try it!  The atmosphere inside is really cool, reminds you of an 1980's basement bar, and they have a great outside patio where you can bring along your dog!

Then we walked down the street to Off The Bone.  This used to be a gas station without any seating but apparently recently they've renovated.  They now have a kitchen area where you order, and then a seating area that equipped with A/C, so that's a plus down here in Texas!  I ordered the brisket sandwich, and LOVED it.  Perfect amount of sauce, cooked just the right amount, and it was pretty cheap.  They offer sides and a daily special, plus serve beer.  I love little places like that this that serve real authentic food!

Next we made our way to Absinthe Lounge, which brought me back to my days of living in Holland.  They place was dimly lit, had a live singer, and some interesting characters at the bar.  Not to mention comfortable couches, which is always a plus!  Their speciality is obviously Absinthe, although they do have a full bar as well.  They have a speciality menu with different types of Absinthe, most of us ordered off of that.  I was impressed that they did the whole show with the Absinthe;  lit the sugar on fire, and let it burn into the drink  It was pretty fun to watch!

The drink menu they had displayed their Absinthe choices from the weakest to the strongest.  I choose the second strongest and really enjoyed it.  Went down pretty smooth!  I also liked the added drink mixers they served with it, that had the bar's name on it.  I think this is a great place to have an after dinner drink, or to bring people that have never tried Absinthe.

As always I had a great time, and I'm sure there will be more planned soon!  If you're interested in taking part make sure you follow @Dallas_Foodie on twitter, or look her up on facebook by searching "Dallas Foodie," or clicking here.

Almost Friday... hang in there!