Chicken Cordon Bleu Burgers

My sister-in-law Sherri emailed me this recipe for Rachael Ray's Chicken Cordon Bleu Burgers and said it was delicious. I had been wanting to make my own hamburger rolls for awhile, so I figured that the amazing weather we had this past weekend would be perfect to try them both!

I ended up cooking these babies on the grill pan inside because the "amazing" weather quickly turned into "way too hot to think about stepping outside."

I cut back a little bit on the spices and still felt they had a tad too much kick to them. I posted the recipe as is, but I personally would probably only use 1tsp of each and not 2. Then again, I only used one pound of meat and not two. Whoops.

In addition, I subbed mozzarella for Swiss cheese, and some sliced deli ham for bacon. Yum!


Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons vegetable or olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 4 slices Canadian bacon
• 2 pounds ground chicken breast
• 2 teaspoons sweet paprika, eyeball it in your palm
• 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
• 2 teaspoons grill seasoning blend (recommended: Montreal Steak Seasoning) or salt and pepper
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 4 deli slices Swiss cheese
• 2/3 cup mayonnaise or reduced fat mayonnaise, eyeball it
• 3 rounded tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons freshly chopped tarragon leaves, 4 sprigs
• 4 kaiser rolls or sandwich size sour dough English muffins, split and toasted
• 8 leaves leaf lettuce
• 1 vine ripe tomato, thinly sliced

Preheat grill pan, nonstick griddle, large nonstick skillet or table top electric grill to medium high heat.

Add 2 tablespoons of oil and Canadian bacon. Warm bacon and caramelize it at edges, 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Remove to a piece of foil. Fold foil over loosely to keep warm.

Combine chicken, paprika, poultry seasoning, grill seasoning, shallot. Score meat with the side of your hand to separate into 4 equal amounts. Make 4 large patties, 3/4 to 1 inch thick. Drizzle patties with oil and place on hot grill pan, griddle or in skillet. Cook 5 minutes on each side, until chicken is cooked through.

Top patties with reserved cooked Canadian bacon and Swiss cheese. Fold each slice of cheese in half to fit the burger. Cover loosely with tin foil. Turn off pan and let cheese melt, 2 minutes.

Combine mayonnaise, mustard, tarragon. Slather bun tops or English tops with sauce. Place Cordon Bleu burgers on bun bottoms and top with lettuce and tomato. Put bun or muffin tops in place. Serve with oven fries.

Teriyaki Grilled Pork Chops

I think I have decided that I officially do not like pork.



I rarely like a pork dish that I prepare, yet I continue to make it. I think it's because I don't really like steak either, so I need SOME kind of other meat besides chicken. I mean, I'll totally go for the ground beef/sirloin in burgers or meatloaf or whatever, but otherwise? I think I have finally accepted that I should stop cooking pig.


Anyway. Pork aside, I really enjoyed the flavors of Sweet Savory Southern's Teriyaki Grilled Pork Chops, and would probably make them again using chicken instead of the pork.




Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• ¼ cup rice vinegar
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2-inch piece fresh gingerroot, peeled and chopped fine (or 1 ½ tsp. dried ginger)
• 4-6 pork chops

For the marinade, combine all ingredients except pork chops in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir until sugar is dissolved. Cool the marinade completely. Put the pork chops in a large resealable plastic bag and pour the marinade over them. Seal the bag, pressing out excess air. Allow chops to marinate, turning bag once or twice, at least 6 hours or up to overnight.

Pour the marinade into a saucepan and boil for 5 minutes. Grill chops on an oiled rack, approximately 7-8 minutes per side, or until just cooked through, basting with marinade during last 5 minutes of cooking.

Basil-Tomato-Mozzarella Burgers

I found this recipe on the Food Network's site and thought it looked good, although I did tweak it a little. For example, the burgers? Way too blah for me. So below is MY recipe for the burgers, although I pretty much kept to the salsa and mayo steps.




I ended up cooking these on my grill pan on the stove since Ryan was awake and I couldn't really go in and out of the house! (Speaking of Ryan... I also learned that he'll eat anything if he can dip it in something...)


The burgers were REALLY good! I wasn't a fan of the salsa, but I think it's because I realized I don't really like raw onions. Next time, I will cook them first. And the mayo? YUM! I also used it to dip my fries into. I had no rolls, so I used these sandwich flats from Pepperidge Farm, I think.

I submitted this recipe to Joelen's Grilling Blogging Adventure - check it out to submit your own entry or to get some new ideas!

For the burgers:

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• About a tablespoon balsamic vinagrette dressing

Combine all ingredients and form into 4 patties. Place on heated grill pan. Cook for about 5 minutes on each side. Turn and cook for 3 more minutes. Serve with Basil Mayonnaise and Tomato Salsa.



Basil Mayonnaise:

• 2 cups mayonnaise
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves
• Salt and pepper

Place all ingredients in a blender. Puree until smooth. (I didn't do this; I just chopped the basil pretty finely and mixed it together by hand.)

Tomato Salsa:

• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup pimento olives, chopped (I omitted.)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Let stand for 30 minutes.

Grilled Chicken with Gremolata

I will always have a soft-spot in my blogging heart for BMK's Reservations Not Required. Hers was one of the first blogs in my reader, and I believe her post for Veggie Enchilladas may have been the first I starred. It was definitely one of the first of my entries.


So when I saw her post for Grilled Chicken with Gremolata (a Giada DiLaurentiis recipe), I knew I wouldn't be disappointed.


I was very right.


This chicken prepares and cooks so freaken easy! It was on the table before I even really got my risotto going. And it was so tender and juicy and flavorful... yum. An awesome summer dish that will for sure be making encore appearances in my kitchen.

[I have no picture because I accidentally deleted it and can't retrieve it and it is all gone! I will reinsert a photo when I make this again.]

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh oregano
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 4 boneless chicken breasts halves
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
  

In a small bowl, combine the parsley, extra-virgin olive oil, lemon zest, oregano, and garlic. This is the gremolata, set it aside.

Rub olive oil over both sides of the chicken, season with salt and pepper. Grill over medium-high grill for about 5 minutes per side. Serve with the gremolata over the top.

Grilled Summer Vegetables

This Giada veggie dish was a great addition to the grilled thighs in the post below. I set them up to marinate all night, and they were awesome.

They probably could have used another couple of minutes on the grill, but there were a couple of bees buzzing around me and I wasn't about to stick around longer than I had to.


Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pound zucchini (about 3 large), trimmed and sliced diagonally about 1/4-inch thick
• 1 pound yellow crookneck squash (about 3 large), trimmed and sliced diagonally about 1/4-inch thick

(I ended up using only one of each veggie because I didn't want a ton leftover.)

Whisk the vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, and thyme in a large bowl to blend. Season with salt and pepper. Gradually whisk in the oil. Spoon 3 tablespoons of the marinade into a small bowl. Cover and set aside. Add the zucchini and yellow squash to the remaining marinade in the large bowl and toss to coat. Transfer the mixture to a 13 by 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Cover and marinate at room temperature at least 3 hours or cover and refrigerate up to 1 day. (I did overnight.)

Prepare the barbecue for medium-high heat. Grill the vegetables until they are crisp-tender and brown, turning occasionally, about 8 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to a platter. Drizzle with the reserved marinade and serve hot or at room temperature.

Grilled Chicken Thighs and Roasted Tomatoes

As soon as I got the June 2008 issue of Cooking Light, I tore this recipe out and filed it away in my Big Fat Binder of Recipes That I Tear and Print Out.

This is such an easy recipe, and I love how delicious it is without being unhealthy. This is truly a "cooking light" dish!

And perhaps the best part was that it afforded me some outside fun time with Ryan and his bubble mower. :)

Ingredients
Chicken:

• 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Cooking spray

Tomatoes:

• 2 cups grape tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon capers
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  

1. Prepare grill.

2. To prepare chicken, combine first 4 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add chicken to bag; seal. Marinate in refrigerator 15 minutes, turning the bag occasionally.

3. Remove chicken from bag; discard marinade. Sprinkle chicken evenly with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place chicken on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 5 minutes on each side or until done.

4. Preheat oven to 425°.

5. To prepare tomatoes, combine tomatoes and 2 teaspoons oil in an 8-inch square baking dish; toss gently. Bake at 425° for 18 minutes or until tomatoes are tender. Combine tomato mixture, parsley, and remaining ingredients, stirring gently. Serve with chicken.

Wine note: Chicken on its own is a flexible partner for wine, but the capers, lemon, and parsley in this dish call for a varietal that can handle the briny, tart, and herbal qualities of these ingredients: sauvignon blanc. Try Dry Creek Vineyard Fume Blanc 2006 from Sonoma County, California ($14.50). —Karen MacNeil

Yield
4 servings (serving size: 2 chicken thighs and 1/4 cup tomato mixture)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 194(36% from fat); FAT 7.8g (sat 1.7g,mono 3.4g,poly 1.6g); PROTEIN 25.9g; CHOLESTEROL 106mg; CALCIUM 23mg; SODIUM 329mg; FIBER 1.1g; IRON 1.9mg; CARBOHYDRATE 4.5g
Jackie Mills, MS, RD
Cooking Light, JUNE 2008