Southwest Chipotle Burgers

Ingredients:

Burgers:

1 1/2 lb. ground chuck or ground sirloin *

1-1/2 chipotle peppers canned in adobo sauce**

1 1/2 T. adobo sauce (from the chipotle chili can)

1/4 c. grated onion ***

1 t. garlic powder

1/2 t. cumin

1 1/2 t. kosher salt

1/4 t. pepper

* I used just 1 lb ground beef. It's what I had on hand

** I've learned from experience that I can't quite handle all the heat a whole pepper brings to the plate, so I just eliminated the pepper.

*** Used my old stand-by of dried chopped oinon

Chipotle-Lime Mayo:

1/2 c. mayo

2 t. lime juice

1 1/2 t. adobo sauce (from the canned chipotle chilis)

2 T. chopped fresh cilantro *

* I actually rarely measure out the cilantro. I usually add a bit more than called for because we LOVE the taste of cilantro.

4-6 good quality buns (try this recipe!)

1 tomato

1-2 avocado

lettuce

jack, cotija, or queso fresco cheese *

* We just used medium cheddar

Recipe:

1. Start by making the sauce. Place may, adobo sauce, lime juice and cilantro in a small bowl. Stir all together. Cover and set in the fridge.

2. Now place the beef in a bowl and gently crumble with your fingers. Add the chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, grated onion, garlic powder, cumin, kosher salt, and pepper. Use your hands to gently mix things together. Just mix it enough to distribute the ingredients.

3. Divide into 4 patties (or 6 little ones) and place on a preheated grill, indoor grill pan, or skillet. If you want to top with cheese, do so in the last few minutes of grilling.

4. While the burgers are cooking, toast buns and spread chipotle-lime sauce generously on each side of each bun. When the burgers are done to your liking let them stand for 5 minutes off the grill and then pop onto your prepared buns.

5. Top with tomato slices, avocado slices, and a crisp piece of lettuce.

Rating: 4.75 of 5

These are, literally, the best burgers I've had! Literally! I don't know what to say except that these were SO SO SO SO GOOD!!!! Between LaDon, Jonas, and I well all liked different aspects about the burger better, but overall it's just a fantastic combination of tastes and textures. I, personally, loved the taste the chipotle-lime mayo added. I loved the cilantro taste in it. And, I think the burger would be really good if you just replaced the lettuce completely with cilantro. Yummy! I've been craving these burgers ever since we made them this week!

Source: Our Best Bites, Southwest Chipotle Burgers

40-Minute Hamburger Buns

Ingredients:

2 T. active dry yeast

1 c. + 2 T. warm water

1/3 c. vegetable oil

1/4c. sugar

1 egg

1 t. salt

3-3.5 c. all-purpose flour

Recipe:

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add oil and sugar; let stand for 5 minutes. Add the egg, salt and enough flour to form a soft dough.

2. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 3-5 minutes. Do not let rise. Divide into 12 pieces; shape each into a ball. Place 3 inches apart on greased baking sheets.

3. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Bake at 425 for 8-12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool. 

Rating: 4 of 5

I really liked this recipe. I was a little skeptical at first and wondered if I'd be able to get the soft, fluffy bun texture, but this recipe did not disappoint! You could easily make these whole wheat as well. Besides being super easy and quick, they were soft, fluffy, and the perfect hamburger bun! I don't think I'll ever buy buns again!

Source: Taste of Home, 40-Minutes Hamburger Buns

Griddle Flat Bread

Ingredients:

3 c. all-purpose flour

1 c. ice water

3 T. shortening

2 t. salt

2 t. baking powder

pinch of baking soda

Recipe:

1. Combine dry ingredients together. Add in shortening and mix until the shortening has been crumbled.

2. Mix in water and form into a dough.

3. Cut into 4-6 equal pieces and roll out into a thin disk.

4. Prick the surface of the dough with a fork and cook on a hot griddle, 1-2 minutes per side. Turn with spatula. 

Rating: 3.5 of 5

I used this recipe to stand in as pita bread for dinner because I didn't have the 2.5 hours I needed. This recipe only took about 20 minutes, so it solved the time problem. I liked this bread a lot actually, the only thing I would change would be the salt content. It's presence was a little bit too noticeable for me. 

Source: About.com, Griddle Flat Bread

French Dip Sandwiches

Ingredients:

1 2.5-3 lb beef roast (frozen is okay too!)

2 T. olive oil

salt and pepper

2 1-oz. pkg dry onion soup mix

2 c. water

2 cans beef broth *

6-8 large buns (Try this Quick French Bread recipe!)

Swiss, provolone, or mozzarella cheese, shredded or sliced

* I just used 2 1/2 large beef bouillon cubes and added 2 c. water (in addition to the 2 c. called for)

Recipe:

1. Heat oil in a large pot oven medium-high heat and rub roast with salt and pepper.

2. When very hot, carefully place roast in pan and sear on all sides. You're not cooking the meat, you're just browning it quickly on all sides to add flavor and seal in the juices.

3. Place in crockpot and sprinkle with onion soup mixes. Pour water and beef broth over roast.

4. Cook 8-10 hours on low or cook 4-5 hours on high and another 3-4 hours on low. The longer it cooks, the more tender it will be.

5. When meat is ready, shred with a fork. Place meat in crusty rolls. Top with cheese and broil open-faced in the oven or toaster oven for a few minutes, until bread is golden and cheese is melty. *

6. Ladle juices into small cups for dipping and enjoy!

* Rather than put everything under the broiler, I simply buttered the sliced open bread and put them on a griddle until they were golden, like a grilled cheese sandwich, and then placed the meat and cheese between the two pieces of hot bread. It melted the cheese and kept the whole sandwich from getting a little too much heat.

Freezer directions: 

1. Prepare roast through the first 2 steps above. After meat has cooled, place in a plastic freezer-safe container, cover with onion soup mix and bouillon, and freeze.

2. When ready to cook, pop it straight into the crockpot (frozen), add 2 cups of water, and set to high until warm or, even better, simmering. Turn to low; cook for a total of 8-10 hours.

* I used a frozen roast and basically skipped all of the instructions I could! Haha! I just dumped the roast in the pot, and sprinkled and covered according to step 3.

Rating: 4.5 of 5

Loved this! The meat was so extremely tender and juicy and delicious! Can't wait to make these again! I think the original recipe calls for 6-8 loaves, but we demolished the meat in just 4 sandwiches! Easy and delicious. I'm tellin' ya!

Source: Our Best Bites, French Dip Sandwiches

Quick French Bread

Ingredients:

1/4 c. warm water

2 1/2 t. dry active yeast

1 t. sugar

1 T sugar

1 t. salt

1 c. + 2 T. warm water

3 1/2- 4 c. all-purpose flour

1 egg white and 1 T water*

* in an effort to save my lone egg for something else, I brushed my bread with a little bit of milk(which makes the top of the loaf turn a darker brown). I'd imagine that you could also use warm water and baking soda which would leave the loaf closer to it's natural baking color.

Recipe:

1. Combine 1/4 c. water, yeast and 1 t. sugar in a bowl. Allow to stand until bubbly.

2. Add in 1 T. sugar, salt and remaining water.

3. Gradually add in flour, mix well and knead for 5 minutes. Let rise for 15-20 minutes in a warm place. Preheat oven to 300 while dough rises.

4. Place several cups of water into a saucepan and bring to a boil while you form the loaf. If you want to make 2 smaller loaves, divide dough in half. 

5. Flour a surface and roll out the dough with a rolling pin. Roll up the dough and turn ends under and place seam side down onto a greased cookie sheet. *

6. Cut 3 diagonal cute into the loaf about 1/4 inch deep. Combine water and egg white and brush onto loaf.

7. Pour boiled water into an oven-safe dish and place on the lower rack of the preheated oven. 

8. TURN OFF THE OVEN! Place sheet with bread on the rack above the water. Let rise until double and then take out the pan of water, about 10-15 minutes.

9. Turn oven on to 425 degrees and bake 10 minutes.

10. Turn heat down to 375 and bake for 8 minutes or until golden brown.

*I actually thought the rolling out process produced rather puny loaves, even when I didn't divide it and tried to make a single (I divided my dough into 4 parts in order to use for some delicious French Dip Sandwiches!). I recommend forming the dough into a ball and then rolling it out into a fatty snake (think play dough snakes as a kid) and making the French bread shape that way. Much easier, quicker, and no seam or folding under!

Rating: 4 of 5

This is a pretty easy recipe, but it's definitely a very involved one. It's not like other bread recipes where you can go off and leave the dough alone for an hour or two. So, if you're going to make this one, make sure your mentally there. It could be super easy to get distracted and ruin the bread. I definitely think I'll stick to brushing the bread with milk. So much easier. As far as taste goes, I thought this recipe was a pretty close match to store bough French bread. The outside is slightly crispy while the inside is nice and fluffy. I'll definitely be making this over buying every time! In fact, I kind of want to make another batch today and just eat garlic bread because I can!

Source: Thirty Handmade Days, Quick French Bread

Chipotle-Mango BBQ Chicken Salad

Salad sans dressing

Ingredients:

Chipotle-Mango BBQ Sauce:

1 mango, peeled and chopped

1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, plus 2 t. adobo sauce

1/2 c. ketchup

1/2 c. apple juice

1/4 onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled

juice from 1/2 lemon

2 T. unseasoned rice vinegar

2 T. brown sugar

1 T. canola oil

2 t. paprika *

2 t. salt

1 t. black pepper

*I only had 1 t. paprika, so I substituted the rest with just a 1/2 t. cayenne pepper.

Dressing:

2 T. prepared Chipotle-Mango BBQ sauce

2 T. plain Greek yogurt

1-2 t. lime juice, give or take a little

salt and pepper

Salad:

2 chicken breasts

2 ears sweet corn, shucked

1 vine-ripe tomato, cut into wedges

1/4 c. chopped cilantro

1 bag Dole Romaine Salad mix *

*I used just a head of Romaine

Recipe:

Chipotle-Mango BBQ Sauce:

1. Combine all ingredients for BBQ sauce into a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring often. Let cool then transfer to a food processor or blender, and process until smooth.

Dressing:

1. Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl. Taste, then add more lime juice, salt and pepper if necessary.

Salad:

1. Marinate chicken breasts in some of the prepared Chipotle-Mango BBQ sauce for at least 15 minutes, or up to 3 hours.

2. Grill over medium-high heat for 5-6 minutes per side until no longer pink in the middle. Allow to rest for 5 minutes off the grill before slicing.

3. Grill corn alongside the chicken, rotating every few minutes until charred on all sides. Let cool for a few minutes, then cut kernels off the cob.

4. Divide lettuce between two plates, then top with grilled corn, tomatoes, cilantro, and grilled chicken. Drizzle with prepared dressing.

Rating: 4 of 5

I really liked this salad. My only complaint is the heat of the dressing, but that is easily remedied by taking out the chipotle pepper before blending. I thought the chicken marinade was perfect and just the right flavor to go with the salad and cilantro. For the corn, I brushed it with olive oil and then grilled it. Loved the flavor in the salad. Super easy salad to make although it does require a little bit of prep time. I'd definitely make this again.

Source: Iowa Girl Eats, Chipotle-Mango BBQ Chicken Salad

Penne Pasta with Sun-dried Tomato Cream Sauce

Ingredients:

2 c. (8 oz.) dry penne pasta

8 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (about 1/3 c)

1 12-oz can evaporated milk

2 c. (8 oz pkg) shredded Italian-style four-cheese blend *

1 t. dried basil

1/4 t. garlic powder

1/4 t. ground black pepper

* I totally spaced getting this when I made my grocery run, so I just used the normal Mexican blend that I had and then added a bit of Parmesan cheese to it. I thought the end result was still delicious.

Recipe:

1. Prepare pasta according to package directions, adding sun-dried tomatoes to boiling water for last two minutes of cooking time; drain.

2. Meanwhile, combine evaporated milk, cheese, basil, garlic powder, and pepper in medium saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until cheese in melted. Remove from heat.

3. Add pasta and sun-dried tomatoes to cheese sauce; stir until combined.

Rating: 3.75 of 5

I thought it was at least a 4, but LaDon said, "it could have had more cheese and...unhealthy things." Haha. Well, despite those drawbacks, I thought this was a good mac and cheese type dish. I didn't feel heavy but you still got great taste. And it was still yummy as leftovers the next day. 

Source: Very Best Baking, Penne Pasta with Sun-dried Tomato Cream Sauce