Amazing "Rodeo" Cheeseburgers

Howdy. 

Its summer time still, right? I think so at least the warm weather still is screaming summer.   And summer time is the best time for a good burger. Right? Right. This not just a regular burger either. This meaty delight is amazing. I didn't even edit the pic. Theres no filter. All that color, the peeking golden crunchy onion ring, and dark thick cascading ruby colored bbq sauce... 

Hello summer. I guess you aren't so bad. 

I paired it with a veg to kinda balance out some that goodness with the real world. Life. Anyways .... for this burger I would eat 2-3 pounds of steamed veggies if I had to. Life changing-ly flavorful. The only thing that could make it better was if there was bacon on it or it was zero calories. 

And for once in my life I didn't "health-ify" this. Theres no hidden veggies. There's nothing but huge homemade kicked up onion rings, a flavorful seasoning mix in this oversized burger patty, my fav smoky bbq sauce drizzled over the top of 3 crunchy dill pickles, and thick melted slices of medium cheddar cheese on a sesame seed bun. 

P.S. It took less than 25 minutes to pull it together - side dish included. 

Seriously easy. Dangerously easy? 

Possibly. 

Heres how its made: 
Adapted from: Center Cut Cook (amazing blog!) 
Serves 3 with some extra onion rings on the side 

Ingredients: 
1 lb ground beef
1 tsp pepper
2 tsp garlic powder 
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp salt 
3 hamburger buns
6 slices of medium or sharp cheddar cheese 
*6 crunchy onion rings 
Your fav bbq sauce
1 tsp oil
dill pickles (helps cut through the fat of the burger, cheese, onion rings ect..) 


5 Easy Steps
1. Mix the seasonings into the ground beef and form the beef into 3 very large patties
2. Heat up a large flat pan. Drizzle a bit of oil in your pan and cook the patties according to whatever you want. We do medium well or well in my house so it took about 10-12 minutes because these things are huge! 
3. While the burgers are cooking make your onion rings*
4. 3-4 minutes before your burgers are finished cooking put a single slice of cheese on each top so it has time to melt. 
5. Assemble the burgers. Put cheese and bbq sauce on the bottom buns. Then put the delicious burger on top of the cheese. Then layer a couple pickles and crunchy onion rings and another drizzle of sauce over the burger. Top with the bun and dig in! 

* Onion rings in this pic were homemade and its really really easy. Click on over here to get the recipe. Its basically just dredging raw onion slices into egg mixture and then into crumbs and then baking them. If you have ever baked some chicken or used the shake and bake stuff then you can totally do this. The only changes I made to this recipe was I used bbq chips instead of regular potato chips and I halved the recipe. I thought that was totally enough for 3 people. Be advised... she says to only use half of the cracker/chip crumb mixture at a time. Do it. I didn't and the last few onion rings really didn't do well because the mixture was too wet to stick to the surface of the onion. 

BBQ Cheese Stuffed Bacon Burgers

I heart summer bbq food. My last few burger recipes have focused on being light, tasty, and healthy. I have put avocado in burgers, zucchini, and even broccoli rabe. Now here is a burger all about decadence, indulgence, and tantalizing flavors. 

Lets start with some crisp crunchy bacon that tops a mouthwatering juicy bbq-ed beef burger stuffed with cheese. To make it extra indulgent we aren't using any regular common cheese, but super creamy, smooth, decadent brie that oozes out so beautifully as you bite in a few bites towards the center. This will completely impress anyone you know AND is easy enough for a weeknight dinner. That is what I call a win win. 

BBQ Cheese Stuffed Bacon Burgers

Serves 4 
Recipe adapted from Rachael Ray magazine. 

Ingredients:
4 Slices of thick bacon
1 lb lean ground beef
3-4 oz brie cut into 4 pieces
Veg oil
Salt and pepper
4 hamburger buns
Optional toppings: Tomato, lettuce or kale, ketchup, mustard, mayo, ect.

Directions:
1. If cooking everything outside, preheat your grill with one part being low heat and the other medium heat. 
2. Grill the bacon over low heat, use lid or cover, turn the bacon over halfway through, until crisp approx 10 minutes. *
3. Divide the beef into 4 burger patties and insert each chunk of brie into the center each burger.
4. Give each burger a brush of oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. 
5. Grill/bbq each burger, oil side down to start, over medium heat for 5-8 minutes. Turn once. 
6. Toast the hamburger buns over low heat. 
7. Assemble burgers with bacon and any additional toppings you prefer. 

*Side note: Its 107 degrees at my house so I did the bacon inside in my oven where I could relax in the air conditioning. But if the sun is not scorching your feel free to cook everything outside on the grill. 

Enjoy another great burger recipe
From my Az Kitchen
Stephanie

How to add a new vegetable to your life - Italian BBQ Sausage Patty Melt with Broccoli Rabe

Summer to me means bbq. Yes I think in terms of pictures and or food. Its a gift or a curse depending on how far I am away from the kitchen. So as the smell of the bbq fills the weekend air, its the perfect time for a cheeseburger. But...summer also has that conflict between eating lots of grilled foods and still being able to look good in a pair of shorts. Its over 105 degrees at my house... shorts and t-shirts are a must. So let me show you an easy way to add a new veggie into your life with a cheeseburger instead of a salad.

Who doesn't love a good cheeseburger? 

Cheeseburgers are familiar, easy to bbq, great for company and kids. Lets imagine what if our juicy everyday cheeseburger met up with a cheesy patty melt, went on vacation to Italy, and had a burger baby.... that would be the perfect place to put a new vegetable. Not crazy but had two cups of coffee and was up twice with a baby - not exactly running on a ton of sleep but stick with me. I promise real good eats... Think about all those great Italian flavors: onion, garlic, paprika, provolone cheese wrapped up between two of your favorite hamburger buns or lettuce leaves*. 

*P.S. Lettuce wraps in the place of a bun wouldn't work here without some major modifications but if you grilled some romaine it could work and you really could get that great summer bbq smokiness. Just grill the lettuce separately from the meat and the cheese and skip the patty melt part.

What new vegetable are we talking about here? 

This week my family had broccoli rabe for the first time. This veggie may be old hat for those well versed in the produce department but I was pretty excited. I was even more excited when my family ate it without even blinking an eye - maybe the super melted cheese and yummy Italian cheeses and meat helped. I didn't even have to ask the people at the store to help me find it because I googled pictures of it on the way there! Yeah some people google people, I google food. I know I am a little obsessed.  

You should try this this new to me veggie because it is fun and tastes great. Broccoli rabe is a leafy veggie with little tiny broccoli crowns about the size of a small bouncy ball or a 3d quarter hidden around the leaves. It does taste similar broccoli thus its name. But a milder broccoli taste with a sassy surprising edge that reminded me of the difference between parsnips and carrots. It is loaded with nutrients like fiber, protein, vitamins A, B-6, B-12, C, iron, calcium, and magnesium. So skip the multi-vitamin and try a burger recipe and a new vegetable into your diet. 

I found this patty melt recipe in an old Rachael Ray cooking magazine 3 years ago. Like most Rachael Ray recipes it has a long list of ingredients. While I am sure this Italian beaut is worth all the effort, I have a sick little guy, and a household to run, so I simplified it, creating a fun twist with a bbq that uses less ingredients, less time, and less dishes than the original recipe. This amazing burger creation, my really really good Italian bbq Sausage Patty Melt with broccoli rabe took less than 25 minutes. Your taste buds will love it, and your body will love another dose of healthy. 

Who says comfort food can't be healthy? Lets slice up some watermelon, grill up or boil some corn on the cob, and lets get this summer weekend food started! 

Italian BBQ Sausage Melt with Broccoli Rabe

Recipe adapted from: Rachael Ray Magazine 

Serves 3 adults

Ingredients

2 handfuls of Broccoli Rabe

1 lb of sweet Italian ground sausage

1/3 cup of grated good quality parmesan cheese

softened butter (for spreading on bread)

6 slices of provolone cheese 

6 slices of thick bread like texas toast 

salt and pepper

Directions

1. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and drop in the leaf parts of the broccoli rabe

2. Sprinkle it with salt and cook for approx 3 minutes over medium heat

3. Drain thoroughly, you don't want wet cheeseburgers, and set aside to cool. It will look similar to cooked spinach. 

4. While the cooked veggie is cooling, in a bowl, mix together the meat, cheese, another sprinkle of salt, pepper, and start preheating your grill. 

5. Going back to the vegetable, use your fingers to pull any tough stem pieces out of the cooked green mass of broccoli rabe and chop up the rest. 

6. Add the cooled veggie to the meat mixture and form into 3 large patties. 

7. Grill the patties until they are done. I used a combo of high heat to get a great crust and then lowered it to finish off the burger with less direct heat. Do not flip them more than once. Remember this is sausage and not beef and it is safer to cook pork all the way through. As of 2011 there are new USDA guidelines for pork cooking temperature to help keep it juicy and not cardboard - you can pull it off once it hits 145 as long as you do a 3 minute rest period so it can continue cooking a bit more off the heat. You can read about that here. I prefer to stick with what I know and thats 155-160 but thats just me. 

(I did this last steps inside my house on a cast iron grill pan. My little guy was fussing and I wanted to hold him while my hubby helped.) 

8. Lets build the patty melt! On a grill pan or flat plan make the patty melt part. Heat the pan. Butter one side of 3 pieces of bread. Put the butter side down on the pan. Put one piece of cheese down on each slice of bread. Put one cooked Italian sausage burger patty on each slice of cheese. Top the meat with another slice of cheese and the remaining bread. Carefully spread a bit more butter on the top slice of bread. 

9. Grill until the cheese is melted on the bottom and the bottom bread is golden and toasted. Carefully flip. I had to hand my little fussy one to my husband for this part, because it called for two hands. I tried it with one and the bread tore and I had to redo one sandwich. So don't be like me. Use two hands, a good spatula, and go slowly. 

10. Once all the cheese is melted, and the bread is toasted and wonderful, you are done. And since you are trying a new veggie you don't have to worry about making sure you family gets another veggie on their plate. If they do its just another bonus. Summer is a great time to add crunchy cold veggies with or without dip to any burger meal. 

Golden, creamy, crunchy, meaty, and huge - this Italian BBQ Sausage Patty Melt with Broccoli Rabe will make your taste buds feel like that they have visited Italy. Enjoy. 

From my Az Kitchen to yours,

Stephanie

Creamy Summer Pea Salad

Creamy cheese pieces, fresh vibrant peas, crunchy bacon.... I love this creamy summer pea salad. When I first saw this recipe I adored the colors white, yellow, grass green, light purple... its like a little rainbow. Okay rainbow is taking it a bit too far. But it really is a beautiful dish. 

Summer is a great time for salads and bbqs and picnics. All the of these seem to holler for sides like potato salad or macaroni salad. This creamy delightful recipe fits right in that list and is a nice pleasant trade for the one of those traditional standbys with half the chopping and half the amount of time. It contains mayo like most other potato and macaroni salads so you have to be careful about leaving it out and about, but it has wiggled its way into my summer dinner rotations and even my 5 yr old told me he liked it. 

This creamy Summer Pea Salad side dish recipe from Love Bakes Good Cakes, modified, feeds 2-4 people. 

Ingredients:
2 pieces of crunchy cooked bacon, chopped or crumbled
8 oz of frozen peas, defrosted and drained of excess water
1/4 cup of diced cheddar cheese (1 or 2 extra thick slices) 
1/4 cup diced mozzarella cheese (1 or 2 extra thick slices) 
2 small shallots, finely diced
1/4 cup mayo, reduced fat or whatever you have on hand
Salt and pepper to taste (at least 1/4 tsp each)

3 Step Directions:
1. Defrost the peas in warm water. I threw a small bag of peas in warm water and weighed out 8 oz - turned out to be 3/4ths of the bag. I put the rest in the fridge to use on a chef salad later in the week. 

2. While peas are defrosting bake/cook your bacon unless you are using leftovers from something else. 

3. Chop, measure, and drop everything else into a medium sized bowl and store in the fridge unless everything else is ready. Combine the peas as soon as they are defrosted. Stir in the cooked and cooled bacon. You don't want to melt the cheese. 

Cheers to all those great summer dinners with family and friends. Salad would taste great along side burgers, steaks, hot dogs, sandwiches, chips, and/or sliders of any kind.

Stephanie

Delicious & Healthy Turkey Avocado Burgers

Hi there. Happy Wednesday to you. I am back! I have missed writing here and sharing fun things to eat. My almost-month long absence on my blog was caused by huge things happening around my house... surgery, and a few other fun things. 



First weekends full of truck shopping....  long weekends of truck shopping. But trust me after YEARS of my sweet hard working husband driving an almost broken-down, used, and loved on van for almost 10 years, he really deserved a cool HUGE looking truck. Silver, F150 king cab with a short bed. Yeah bragging just a little. Ten years is a long time of small trying repairs trying to keep that van. just. barely. going. 

Then redoing the front yard.... tearing out the grass/weeds and putting in a pretty dessert front with golden, redish orange, sunset colored rocks. 

Feeling better after my surgery... thanks for asking. Still on lots of meds but doing well. I am enjoying the nice Arizona spring time! Be jealous of me so I can be jealous of you later when you have nice cooler summer temps and can actually go outside in July; instead of hiding in the a.c. conditioned house, play areas, public libraries, and anyplace you can take kids without disturbing others too much. 

So in honor me feeling better enough to try some new things... Heres a twist on the chicken avocado burger I made a month or so ago. It is moist and flavorful lean ground turkey avocado burgers. Perfect quick solution for school nights and also something to surprise friends with on your bbq once it warms up in your area. No one will guess how healthy it is, or that its turkey - ground turkey usually being dry, overcooked, and boring.  Enjoy!  

Also posted and linked to some other great recipes with other bloggers at Whats Cooking Wednesday.

serves 3-4 

prep + cooking time: approx 20 minutes 

Ingredients:

1 Tb olive oil

1/2 avocado, sliced into 8-9 chunks 

1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1/4 cup finely chopped baby spinach, arugula blend

1 lb. lean ground turkey (93% lean, 7% fat)

Toppings: buns, cheese, lettuce, tomato, mayo, more avocado if you are an avocado lover like me, mustard, ketchup, ect...  

I used mayo, thick slices of cheddar, some more spinach instead of lettuce and a few more slices of avocado as seen in the picture. My boys did more standard ketchup, cheddar, and a few slices of pickles. Trust me my husband who isn't fond of avocado ate it, didn't notice the avocados, and thought it was great. Enjoy those healthy fats and let it really flavor up your burgers! 

Directions: 

1.Combine everything in a large bowl. Don't smash the avocado into the meat. Keep the chunks for pretty presentation and fun contrasting textures.

2.Separate the meat into four even sized patties (aiming for 1/4 lb each burger)

3.Sprinkle the tops of each patty with salt and pepper. 

If cooking on the stove, use a 1/2- 1 Tbs of olive oil in the skillet to help the lean turkey start. 

If grilling brush the oil directly on the burger so it doesn't stick. 

4.Salt and pepper the tops of each patty. 

5.Heat your cooking medium. You want that nice sizzle and crust that comes from having good heat from the beginning. 

6.Put the salt and pepper sides face down on your grill or skillet

7.Cook until done. Approx 6-10 minutes on each side depending on your heat level. Just keep an eye on it. 

8. Serve with your favorite burger toppings and sides such as green salad, coleslaw, potato salad, chips, fresh cut veggies and ranch, ect. 

Enjoy Spring

From my kitchen to yours!

Tarragon Potato Salad

Its almost the end of January here in southern Arizona meaning its now warm enough to bbq, grill, and have great fun with food before the summer comes. You definitely DO NOT want to be outside grilling anything in the summer here. Sounds backwards I know. The other day we were grilling up some sausages on the bbq, and thought I would try a new potato salad. It was great! My own potato salad (a bit heavy on the pickle, mustard, and mayo), that I adore, has some new competition. This vinegar/mayo french version was a fun twist. The potato salad also highlights tarragon - something I have been obsessed with for a few months now.  See this fried chicken recipe and this baked chicken recipe and this wonderful chicken soup recipe for more lovely tarragon filled recipes.  This is a great bbq side dish, picnic, and potluck salad. Easy and yummy. Can be made a few days ahead if needed. If its still snowing where you are - trust me I would trade you. I love snow. Just store this one away for memorial day :) 

Note: When you read the recipe below and see the two types of onions - don't omit one. They layers of flavor within the salad. Look at all the beautiful colors together. 

Tarragon Potato Salad

Prep + Cooking + Cooling time: 45 minutes - 1 hr 

Recipe adapted from: Ina Garten (food network)

Ingredients:
6 red potatoes (skin on or off your choice - I think its prettier on - wash them well)
1 stick of celery finely diced
1 thick slice of red onion diced (approx 3 Tb)
2 green scallions - green and white parts sliced
3/4 cup of mayo
1 Tbs lemon juice
1 Tbs white wine vinegar or tarragon vinegar if you have it
3 Tbs fresh tarragon (1/4 of a small pkg from the store), sliced
1 tsp dried dill (use fresh if you have it)
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp dried pepper
kosher salt to taste (try 1 tsp then increase in 1/2 tsp increments)

5 Easy Steps:

1. Boil the potatoes over medium 15-30 minutes depending on the size - should be fork tender. Not so cooked though that it falls apart. Let them cool afterwards unless you are in a hurry (like I was and had to use a towel).  

2. While potatoes are cooking mix up the dressing. Combine the vinegar, spices, and mayo.

3. Cut the potatoes into nice round slices without burning yourself- some will smash but most of them should be slice able. Toss them immediately with the dressing so the potatoes may start soaking it in. 

4. Slice up the onions and celery. Stir them in. Taste & adjust seasonings as needed.

5. Refrigerate the salad for 20-30 minutes for it to cool & let the flavors blend. 

Grilled Garlic Chicken Avocado Burgers

These. Juicy. Flavorful. Healthy. Delicious. Easy Chicken Cheeseburgers were what we had for dinner tonight. 

Wow. I cannot believe I got so much flavor out of basically 5 ingredients plus salt and pepper. If its still freezing where you're at and you can't fire up the bbq just yet - you can make it indoors on a grill or using a grill pan. I know in Arizona bbq season is off-set from everyone else. I am still getting used to it myself. Something I don't have to get used to.... these burgers. This is way better than the standard cheeseburger!! 

I have seen this recipe multiple places on pintrest and other blogs but all sources were vague about how long to cook and how much of each spice. When I recreated this dish I increased one of my favorite flavors, garlic, because even ground chicken is a blank canvas when it comes to flavor. 

Cook + Prep time: 10-12 minutes

Serves 3

Ingredients: 

1 lb or so lean ground breast chicken 

1 clove of garlic finely diced

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 cup of panko bread crumbs

1/2 avocado carefully sliced into chunks

slices of cheddar & swiss cheese
1-2 tsp oil veg or olive
burger fixings: I kept mine simple with mayo and lettuce, and my kid only wanted ketchup. The meat is so flavorful you don't need to add much if anything. 

Directions:

1. Heat up your grill or bbq 

2. Mix all the spices and breadcrumbs into the meat. 

3. Fold in the avocado into the meat mixture. Do not smash it. I sure it'd taste just fine if you did but it looks so neat having those green pockets of goodness all over the place. 

4. Form it into 4 patties. Brush the tops with a bit of oil to help prevent sticking. Put them oil side down on the grill or bbq. Mine took 5 minutes on the first side then I flipped it and grilled it with the lid down for a minute to make sure the insides were 100% getting cooked - this is chicken we are talking about - no rare meat allowed. Then topped the burgers with cheese. So the cheese had time to melt for about 3 minutes. Each I put one piece of swiss and one piece of cheddar or just cheddar for my kiddo. I love the contrasting flavors and colors! I bet pepperjack cheese or a smoked or cheddar or smoked provolone would rock on this burger. 

5. Heat up your buns and serve the burgers hot once the cheese is melted. Great side dishes such as coleslaw, green salad, potato salad, crunchy sliced veggies, and/or chips and salsa will complete your meal.

UPDATE *Made this again recently and substituted regular plain breadcrumbs for the panko - bad choice. It changes the flavor too much. Chicken avocado burgers taste awesome with smoked cheddar cheese on top. Just wanted to share :) 

Enjoy! From my kitchen to yours 
Stephanie

Other related posts:

Bacon Parmesan Cheeseburgers

Easy Italian Pepperoni Pizza Burgers

Chipotle Herbed Burgers

4 Ingredient Hoisin - Lime Chicken

Merry Christmas! We made it. What a crazy fast month! Now... the good part has begun. The week of quiet between the two December holidays is "officially" here. Christmas is over and New Years is yet to come. I have the perfect meal for a relaxing night just incase you are like me and really need one. This amazing 4 ingredient meal carries the flavor of take out with less cost, calories, no delivery guy, and no venturing out into any bad weather. Yay! Just incase you are wondering this is husband and kiddo approved. My husband went into the kitchen looking for seconds after he'd already had two pieces of chicken. Winner winner chicken dinner - asian style. 

Recipe is from Recipe Girl. Please click on the link to visit other recipes on her blog. 

Ingredients: 
3 Tbs hoisin sauce
1 Tbs lime juice
1 Tbs chipotle ketchup or any kind of spicy ketchup
6 bone in pieces of chicken like thighs or drumsticks 

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375
2. While oven is preheating put all ingredients in a large ziplock bag and squish around until the chicken is covered. Let it sit on the counter and let the flavors combine - this can be done in advance. 
3. Coat a large baking dish with nonstick spray, oil or butter to prevent sticking
4. Use tongs to carefully dump the bag into the pan - make sure none of the chicken is touching for good heat circulation. 
5. Bake for 50 minutes - 1 hr until chicken is fully cooked. Juices should run clear when chicken skin is poked. 

I served mine with fried rice. White rice, brown rice, asian mix of veggies from the freezer sections, or noodles would also be a great side dishes. This is a great easy meal. I hope you try it. If you are like me and worked really hard to get to Christmas Day in one piece then you deserve some time out of the kitchen! Note: keep the recipe on hand for summer - for a great grilling idea. Or keep it on hand to use on chicken wings for the upcoming SUPERBOWL. If you are bbq-ing wait to baste the sauce on until chicken is almost cooked so it doesn't burn. 

From my kitchen to yours! 

Grilled Chicken Broccoli Bowls (Take Out Fake Out)

Happy Monday to you. So do you have a favorite take out dish? I must admit when thinking about take out I think about stuff I never let myself eat like orange chicken or beef & broccoli. That stuff tastes so good but my stomach just doesn't like me afterwards so its probably been 2-3 years since I have had it. That doesn't mean I don't crave it though.... So in response to my craving I made this. Being fall in southern Arizona it is the perfect time to grill indoors or out so I modified the recipe to reflect that, and added my own touches like extra onion, sesame seeds, chicken breast instead of chicken thighs, raw almonds, less amount of oil, ect.... 

It is an easy 30 minute meal (some of it can be made in advance if you chose to save some time). My family tried it yesterday and liked how it tasted like good take out minus the grease and delivery charge. Nothin' spectacular but it was relaxing to just hand everyone a bowl they could comfortably eat and watch the football game(s). Family approved. Kiddo friendly (thanks to the sugar I am sure wink wink). In my challenge to do 30 new Rachael Ray recipes in 30 days this is recipe number 12 taken from February 2010 magazine issue. It is easy, pretty fast to throw together, and uses fresh healthy ingredients. 

Note: I would've used brown rice but only had white. Feel free to use whatever you have in your pantry.

Grilled Chicken Bowls

Serves 4 

cook + prep time: approx 30 minutes

Ingredient list:

1 1/2 cups of rice, brown or white

3 cups of chicken stock (I used homemade)

4 chicken breasts halves, pounded slightly thin

1 bunch of broccoli (approx 1 1/2 cups), chopped

2 green onions, thinly diced

1/2 white onion, finely diced (2 stalks of celery or 1 leek would be a good sub or addition)

1 cup almonds, raw, roughly chopped

1/2 Tbs worcestershire sauce

1/2 Tbs mirin

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 tsp dried rosemary

2 Tbs soy sauce, low sodium

3 cloves of garlic thinly sliced

1 1/2 Tbs cornstarch

2 Tbs sugar

1 Tbs olive oil

2-3 Tbs roasted or toasted sesame seeds

Optional: Soy sauce for serving

There are lots of little steps to this dish but they are all pretty easy. You can do it. 

Directions:

1. In a medium size bowl or gallon sized freezer bag combine the ingredients to marinate the chicken (this can be done in advance and stored covered in the fridge & I suspect it can be frozen but haven't tried it for sure yet). Whisk together half of the garlic, all of the soy sauce, sugar, 1/2 Tbs of the cornstarch, mirin, and worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper.  Whisk all the ingredients then add the chicken and let it sit in it for 20 minutes. Turning it over half way through to fully coat the chicken. 

2. While chicken is marinating, heat a small-medium skillet over medium high heat and toast the raw almonds for 3-5 minutes. The pan should be empty just almonds. Pretty easy just don't walk away from the stove. Trust me. Burnt almonds = yuck! As soon as you can smell them, or grab one & carefully and taste it, and it seems done, it probably is.  Remove them from the pan and put them in a small bowl. 

3. While almonds are toasting, start your rice. Put all of the chicken stock/broth and rice in a pot and turn it on high until it starts to boil. Reduce heat to low, and cover for 12-15 minutes if making white rice. Otherwise follow the directions on your package for any other kind. Let the rice sit for a 5 minutes and then fluff it with a fork. 

4. In the same pan you toasted your almonds in, put 1/4-1/2 cup of water and all of the broccoli and dried rosemary. Cook it for about 3-5 minutes on high. It should be boiling but the water should not even come up to half of the vegetable. You want it to boil/steam itself to tender crisp. When the broccoli is done, remove it from the pan, 

dump the water out and dry it out. 

5. While rice and broccoli are cooking heat up your indoor grill pan or outside bbq. Pull the chicken out of the marinade and on to a plate or bowl. Remove any garlic pieces that may have gotten stuck to the outside of the chicken these will burn if you don't. Burned garlic = yuck. 

6. Grill your chicken for 5-7 minutes each side. Don't move it around to avoid ripping the thin chicken breast. Once the chicken is ready to be turned over you will know because it will have loosened itself. You can test this by picking up a corner of it. If its easy to lift up the corner, flip it. If you feel like you have to yank or pull it leave it be. Leave the force with Luke. No force needed with chicken. 

7. Heat the olive oil in the same pan you just used for the broccoli (trying to save on clean up later - can you tell?). Add the white onion and sauté for 3-5 minutes. Add in the remaining garlic and sauté for 2-3 minutes watching so it doesn't get dark. 

8. In a cup combine the remaining cornstarch (1 Tbs) and 1/2 cup of water. Dump this mixture into the onions and turn the heat to low. Add the broccoli back in and cook for another 2 minutes while the sauce thickens up. 

9. Serve up the food. See picture below. First a scoop or two of rice goes into each bowl, then the broccoli mixture, then grilled chicken cut on a bias or chopped for kiddos, then green onions for freshness, crunch & color, last but not least sprinkle on the toasted nutty almonds and roasted/toasted sesame seeds. 

Great easy dinner. Took lots of steps to explain it but the flavor combo will win you over and you might even not grab take out the next time you are craving it, and use boneless skinless healthy chicken and broccoli instead. In our house I added some soy sauce to mine but thats just I do that with most dishes like that.... optional.  

from my kitchen to yours

Grilled Fish Taco Bowls

Hi. Happy summer time greetings you ya. Hopefully you are staying a bit cooler than we are in southern Az. Its a bit cooler today at 100 degrees but I am guessing its due the recent wind/ thunder/ lightening/dust storms and cloud cover.  I am just thankful to have a.c.,  yummy food, and my family around.

I want to introduce to you the best thing I have made in the last 6 months. Serious. The picture of the recipe when I first saw it made me instantly start to drool. Thankfully this colorful dish is as easy on the eyes as it is on the scale otherwise I would be in deep trouble (laugh). A wonderful cook/chef/blogger Lindsay came up with this one. You can find the original and many other tempting tasty things on her website Pinch of Yum. You should definitely check out her desserts.

I did adapt it a bit to keep the carbs at a minimum and to degrade the heat level that she was playing with to not overwhelm my kiddo. When I am scouring my cookbooks and magazines and pintrest for new recipes I have a list in my head that I usual go through to determine if its something I should try. THIS colorful flavorful fish dish hit every single thing on my list with a resounding 'Yes'. I hope you eat and enjoy this yummy, easy, grilled fish meal as much as we did. See my list to see if it fits your family.

4 yr old boy friendly check

budget friendly check

 (rice, seasonings, tilipia, & frozen & fresh veg - no fancy ingredients here)

Nutritious check 

(none or only 1 processed food involved - rice okay 2 if you count the old bay)

Easy cook time: check 

(30 minutes or less total)

Summer time friendly check

(grab your grill or bbq)

Make ahead check

(can make the seasoning rub and put it over the fish and refrigerate it a few hrs in advance)

 Not fried nor breaded check 

Grilled Fish Taco Bowls

serves 3

adapted from: Pinch of Yum

Ingredients:
1/2 Tbs chili powder
1/2 Tbs ground cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp old bay seasoning (lol threw threw this in here just trying to use it up)
1/2 Tbs smoked paprika
1/4 tsp herbes de provence   (surprising - herb blend goes well with Mexican flavors)
4-5 tilapia filets (or other white mild fish) 1 or 2 per person (we did 5 - see picture below)
1/2 Tbs minced garlic
1 cup of frozen corn**
1/2 red onion, finely chopped**
1 red pepper, diced**
1 cup of white rice*
2 cups of water
1 tsp of salt (for the rice)
fresh cilantro, chopped avocado, shredded cheese, sour cream, salsa (optional)

*I really liked that the original recipe called for brown rice... love the more natural, nuttier flavor that brown rice gives in addition to a bit more nutrients. I just didn't have it on hand. Brown rice does take longer though so do that first if you are using it.

**If you are bbqing outside see the note below about optional grilling the veg outside instead of chopping it and sauting it on the stove in step 6. 

Directions:
1. Combine the first 6 seasonings in a flat bowl. This is your rub. I can't wait to try it on other stuff...  onion powder, mexican oregano, or garlic powder would probably be good in it as well.

2. Dunk, dredge, and/or cover all the fish with the seasonings - rubbing it on both sides of each fillet... This was a fun activity for my 4 yr old. I am pretty sure he enjoyed it because it was messy. If my hands weren't covered with chili powder at the time I would've gotten a super cute picture.  Set this aside - let the flavors mingle.

3. Start your rice. Make rice... in a small pot add water, rice, and salt. Bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cover 15-20 minutes. When it looks like it is done. Turn off the heat. Let it sit there with the lid on until everything else is ready.

4. Chop up any sort of toppings that sound good... basically anything that would be good on a fish taco, burrito, or nachos would be very well suited for this dish. Be creative and add as much heat as you dare.

5. Heat up your bbq or grill pan and start grilling the fish. I used an inside grill pan since it was 105 the day I made this. I used cooking spray to help but a good tip I learned is that if you leave fish alone it will become unsuck when it is done. Moving fish before its done = mess. Just don't. So don't try to flip it more than once and let it cook all the way through - should only take a few minutes on each side (3-5 minutes).  Once they start to flake easily and are completely white remove them and let them cool.

6. While the fish is cooking, heat the oil in a small skillet and saute the red pepper, corn, and red onion for 3 minutes over very high heat. You want the edges to start to char and get a nice smokiness to them.

**If you are bbqing you could also grill the veggies outside without having to chop and saute in the house.

First do the corn. On one piece of corn, pull the silks and outside green corn stalk down but not off the cob completely. Then rub oil (1/2-1 tsp) and a couple shakes of salt and pepper on the kernels. Last pull the layers back up to the top to protect the corn. And throw it on the grill - indirect heat is best for 15-25 minutes.

Second grill the veggies: Put some oil (1-2 tsp on each veg), sprinkle of each salt and pepper over the red pepper, and red onion cut in large chunks. Separate the different layers of onion but not so it will fall down through the grill or bbq. On an outside grill over medium heat it should take anywhere from 8-15 minutes. Watch it and turn it as it starts to get those lovely charred black edges. If you do this... chop and remove seeds after the food cools a bit to not burn fingers. Remove the corn from the cob and do a quick saute with the garlic. You have added an amazing layer of smokiness that only summer time bbqing can do... brownie points.

7. Add the minced garlic to the pan with the red onion and red pepper. Reduce heat to medium low and let it cook for another 3-5 minutes to soften everything and not burn the garlic.

8. Dish up and eat. We layered everything in bowls...  Rice, veggies, fish, toppings.
Eat with a fork, spoon or dip chips into it and scoop it up on chips. This would also be awesome in a pita pocket bread,  or in a tortilla.

Seriously. Try it. Its perfect for summer. Perfect for summer produce. Totally going to veg it up next time with some fresh zucchini or delicate yellow summer squash sauteed in with the corn. You know me... always trying to sneak another vegetable in.

Enjoy!

From my kitchen to yours

Happy Eating.