PW's Crispy Yogurt Chicken

Back before I was aware of the wonderful and diverse world of food blogging, I somehow stumbled upon The Pioneer Woman. Her cooking section was perfect for a green home cook such as myself. With all of the pictures for guidance, how could I go wrong? This was actually my first PW recipe, as most of them are a little higher in butter and fat content than I prefer, but I do hope to make her lasagna in the near future.

This didn't turn out quite like I would've wanted, though the yogurt mixture was amazing. It just wasn't quite as crispy as I was hoping it would be. I think that next time I will flatten the chicken breasts (or use a different cut of meat altogether) and let it cook longer without the foil. I served this with the same coleslaw I used for the Catfish Po-Boys.

PW's Crispy Yogurt Chicken (recipe here)

Ingredients

Chicken
2 cups plain, unflavored yogurt (I used non-fat.)
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
juice of 1 lemon
parsley
salt
butter
2 cups Panko breadcrumbs

Instructions

Combine yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, and parsley in a large mixing bowl. Rinse chicken and pat dry. Sprinkle chicken with salt. In another bowl, place the breadcrumbs, sprinkle with salt, and stir. Butter a baking dish. With a pair of tongs, place the chicken one piece at a time in the yogurt mixture. Turn it thoroughly to coat. Then roll the chicken in the Panko breadcrumbs. Cover each piece thoroughly with breadcrumbs and place in the baking dish. Finally, place a piece of butter over each chicken piece. Cover with foil and bake in a 350-degree oven for 1 hour, removing the foil for the last 15 minutes.

Indian Spiced Chicken Burgers

It's been an Indian-inspired burger-type week in our house, but they're so easy to prepare in the morning and then fry them up as soon as I get home. I can have dinner on the table within 20 minutes of walking through the door, and that's crucial with our schedules.

This recipe is another one courtesy of Liz at Liz's Cooking Blog. Joe and I both liked this one a lot. I tweaked the recipe a little bit since I only had a pound of meat, and we like spicier food. I tend to err on the side of food being over-spiced rather than bland. The cardinal sin of our dinner table is bland food.

I got my ginger when we were at the Nashville Farmers Market, and we stopped into an Indian-owned international market. It was like heaven for me, all the spices and lentils and massive jars of ghee and tahini. They had knobs of ginger in a giant cardboard box on the floor, and I snatched one up knowing that this recipe called for fresh ginger.

While I was frying up these burgers, they almost smelled like breakfast sausage. Joe even remarked, "You always make the house smell so good." The flavor starts off heavy on the ginger and then segues into the heat of the cayenne pepper. The cumin yogurt sauce is just enough to cool off the tongue with its creaminess but still keep you interested.

I served this with a sliced tomato.

Indian Spiced Chicken Burgers (adapted from Liz who adapted it from Everyday Food)

Ingredients

1 pound ground chicken
3 tablespoons of minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (doubled from the original recipe)
Coarse salt
fresh ground pepper
4 whole wheat pita halves
1 cucumber, halved lengthwise and sliced on the diagonal (optional)
fresh cilantro

Cumin Yogurt Sauce:

1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
coarse salt and ground pepper

Directions

In a medium bowl, combine the chicken, scallions, ginger, lemon juice, paprika, cumin, and cayenne. Add salt and pepper to taste; mix well. Set aside for at least 10 or up to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine ingredients for cumin-yogurt sauce.

Make 4 patties, and grill or fry for 2-3 minutes per side or until done.

Put one pita half on each plate. Place one patty on each, as well as cucumber (if used), a few sprigs of cilantro and the cumin-yogurt sauce and serve.

Florentine Turkey Meatloaf with Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes

This wasn't a terribly appropriate dinner for one of the hottest days of the year so far, but it was a lighter version of delicious comfort food. Unfortunately, Joe ended up having to work later than I thought he would, and I was relying on him to be able to pop this in the oven before I got home. We didn't end up eating until 8:45, and we were hungry, especially with the smell of this permeating the house.

I'm not very particular when it comes to meatloaf. I don't think I've met a meatloaf I didn't like, but I thought stuffing it with spinach was a nice touch, and I'm a big fan of stuffing as many vegetables as possible into things. If you like meatloafs that stay together, this is not the one for you, though maybe it was my fault for not sealing it well enough on the sides. These pictures are not very flattering, but it was good.


Florentine Turkey Meatloaf (recipe from here)

Ingredients

1 1/4 pounds ground turkey
1 cup spaghetti sauce, divided
1/2 cup Italian-seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 eggs (or 1 egg and 2 egg whites), slightly beaten
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon fennel seed, crushed (optional)
1 package (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained (I used fresh spinach and cooked it down.)
3/4 cup low-fat shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Line an 8- or 9- inch loaf pan with foil with dull side toward food.
Combine ground turkey, 1/4 cup spaghetti sauce, bread crumbs, onion, eggs, Parmesan cheese and fennel seed in medium bowl.
Press half of turkey mixture into foil-lined pan. Press a 1-inch indentation down center of mixture, leaving 1-inch thickness on all sides.
Toss spinach and mozzarella cheese together; spoon into indentation, mounding in center. Press remaining turkey mixture evenly over top, sealing edges.
Bake 45 to 50 minutes. Spoon remaining spaghetti sauce over meat loaf. Bake 15 minutes longer. Let stand 10 minutes.

Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes (recipe from here)

Ingredients
2 1/2 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and quartered (I used redskin potatoes and left the skins on because that's how I like them.)
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
1 cup sour cream (I used reduced-fat.)
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter (I used light margarine.)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
(I also added about 2 tsp of parsley.)

Directions
Place potatoes in a bowl and wash under cold, running water until water runs clear. Place in a medium saucepan with salt. Add enough water to generously cover. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook, uncovered, until soft, about 15 minutes. (Drain the water. I don't know why the recipe doesn't mention this, and it made me a little confused.) While potatoes are still warm, mash with a fork, in a food mill, or gently in a food processor.

In a medium saucepan, warm sour cream and butter. Fold warm sour cream mixture into potatoes, add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately. Garnish with cracked pepper.

These potatoes are so easy that I don't know why anyone would make them with those awful flakes. I just love having the skins in there and the little chunks of real potatoes. Honestly, I probably could eat these potatoes even without the sour cream and butter; they're so smooth and creamy.