Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomato Burgers

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: The Six-Ingredient Solution

I just got this new ATK cookbook from the library and it may be one that I have to buy.  I remember reading 3-ingredient cookbooks seven or so years ago, and the 3 ingredient concept was a little too sparse. Six ingredients seems more realistic, but still easy to handle. Salt, pepper and water do not count in the six.

My picky eater had one complaint and that was that I did not cut up the tomatoes enough. He had a full strip of tomato in his burger. Whoops. Other than that he liked them. I loved them. They were very flavorful and a fun alternative to regular hamburgers.

They are quick and easy so I will probably make again someday.

Ingredients: 

• 5 hamburger buns (tear up one bun and mix with 2 T. water for the panade)
• 1/4 c. oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes (save 1 T. of oil for cooking burgers) note: recipe called for 1/3 cup
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil (I used fresh rosemary instead)
• 1 shallot, minced
• 20 oz ground chicken (or turkey, which I used) 
• 1/2 c. (2 oz) goat cheese crumbled 
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1/4 t. pepper 

1. Mix all ingredients together, except reserved oil, with hands and form into 1" thick burgers. 
2. Heat reserved oil over medium heat until smoking. Cook burgers uncovered on each side for 3-4 minutes till browned. 
3. Lower heat and cook partially covered until 160 degrees. 

Harvest Vegetable Pancake with Salad

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Grade: B

Make Again: maybe

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (September 2011)
(no recipe at link yet, but ingredients listed below)

This is supposed to be pancake made from Beets and Carrots (along with some chickpeas and potato). It is also supposed to be purple. I thought it would be good recipe for me to try beets for the first time since it includes a lot of other ingredients I do like.

When I went to go buy the beets, I was frightened by the thick looking dirty skin and shapes, so I didn't buy any. It seemed like they would be hard to peel. I don't know if they were good ones or bad. So, I decided to just try the recipe without them.

That wasn't a bad decision, but I used almost half the salt, because I thought a lot of the volume would have come from the beets. That was a bad decision. The pancake needed more salt. I also tried to get away with only 1/2 T of oil on the pan, and that made it harder to flip. The taste was decent, but it probably would have been much better if I had used the proper amounts of oil and salt. The salad and goat cheese on top was good. I am toying with the idea of making this again, but mixing in some goat cheese instead of putting it on the top.

3 beets, shredded
3 carrots, shredded
1 russet potato, cooked, diced
1 can chickpeas, chopped
1/2 c. flour
1 t. salt

Mix together and heat in pan coated with 1 T olive oil over medium heat for 10 minutes until crispy on bottom. Use plate to help you flip pancake over. Cook other side 10-12 minutes.

Top with Mesclun mix, dressing and some crumbled goat cheese.

Black-Eyed Pea Tacos

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Every Day Foods (April 2004)

It was a perfect time to use this recipe, because I found some frozen black-eyed peas in the freezer that were over a year old! (last used here) I wasn't sure if they would taste ok, but they did. I also had some leftover goat cheese, and corn tortillas and cilantro, so everything was aligned for this dish. I love it when I don't have to buy anything to make a recipe, especially a unique one like this. I used up some corn I had blanched and frozen last summer from the farmers market and it still tasted great. (So much better than store bought!)

I thought this recipe sounded strange the first time I read it, but I love goat cheese, so I tried it. I find it very tasty and I have made it several times since the first time. I don't even really like corn tortillas, but the combo of ingredients of this one work with them. I do spray them with a little non-stick spray and heat them in the oven, making them more tasty. I also don't used canned peas, but frozen. So these need to be started cooking right away while prepping other ingredients, since they take 20 minutes to cook.

Overall, I think this is a good, healthy, unique meal.

Crisp Goat Cheese Salad

Prep Time: 20 minutes (without potatoes)

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (March 2003)

I love goat cheese, and I really like this salad. CI has a goat cheese salad recipe too, but it is more complicated, and I'm not sure it is worth the extra effort.

This recipe calls for red potatoes, to make more hearty, I guess, but I don't always include them. I usually put it on baby spinach, which is my favorite for salads.

As usual, I made this a little lighter with less oil - less for brushing on cheese disks and less in the dressing. I use about half the oil in the dressing and usually use some water instead, to cut the dressing otherwise it is too strong.

Pasta with Onion, Bacon, and Goat Cheese

Total Time: 25-35 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (March 2004)
(See my index of EF favorite recipes here.)

This is one of the many great pasta recipes I've tried from Everyday Foods magazine. It is one of those recipes that you can almost get done in the time it takes to boil the water and cook the pasta. There are basically 6 ingredients: pasta, bacon, red onions, garlic, fresh thyme and goat cheese. They make a great combination, and the goat cheese and some pasta water create a quick and creamy sauce.

The recipe calls for cooking the onion for up to 20 minutes (after the bacon), but I sometimes increase the heat a little, and cook less. It helps if the onions are sliced thin. I find it best to start the bacon cooking, then get the water boiling.