We’re back from New Zealand! It was an absolutely amazing trip, and I can’t wait recap all the highlights and share a few recipes inspired by our journey! I’ve gotten into the habit of keeping a detailed journal with notes about all our activities and meals whenever we travel, mainly because I don’t want to ever forget a single moment. While I was skimming through it during our flight home, I couldn’t help but start outlining a few recipe ideas. I love how traveling inspires my creativity, even though sometimes it takes a few months before I actually get around to making the dishes. Case in point with these burgers.

When we visited Nosh up in Portland, Maine, back in May, I immediately knew I wanted to recreate their tasty Nosh Burger (pork and beef patty/blue cheese spread/bacon/fried egg/roast garlic sauce/brioche bun), and finally got around to doing so right before we left for New Zealand.

Since I enjoy getting a bit of bacon in every bite, I mixed cooked chopped bacon right in my ground turkey patties instead of putting it on top. I decided to amp up Nosh’s roasted garlic sauce by making a roasted garlic cherry jam glaze, which added a nice sweetness and kept the burgers moist. I struggled a bit with adding the perfect amount of gorgonzola. It can be tricky since you don’t want the blue cheese to overpower the other flavors, but finally got the right balance for my palate with the amount below. Definitely feel free to experiment and see what works best for yours though. Thanks to Nosh for the inspiration!

p.s. Did you notice my cute piggy cutting board in the pic? Nosh is known for their tempura bacon and general pork love, so I couldn’t help but break it out for the photos!

Bacon Burgers with Roasted Garlic Cherry Glaze and Gorgonzola Cheese
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Gorgonzola Cheese Spread:
1/2 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese
3 tablespoons milk
1/8 teaspoon salt

Roasted Garlic Cherry Glaze:
1/2 head of roasted garlic, finely chopped (I used this technique)
1/2 cup cherry jam
1/8 teaspoon salt

Bacon Burger Patties:
6 hickory smoked bacon slices, chopped
1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
1/2 cup grated yellow onion
1 teaspoon salt

Assembly:
6 whole wheat hamburger buns, split and toasted

Directions:
To make the gorgonzola cheese spread, mix gorgonzola cheese, milk, and salt together in a small bowl until smooth and refrigerate until ready to use.

To make the roasted garlic cherry glaze, place roasted garlic, cherry jam, and salt in a small bowl and mix well.

To make the bacon burger patties, heat oven broiler. Place chopped bacon in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat and sauté for 7 to 9 minutes or until crispy. Remove from heat and drain on paper towels. Place cooked bacon, ground turkey, grated onion, and salt in a large bowl and gently mix all the ingredients together with your hands; form 6 burgers that are slighty larger than your buns. Place patties on a large cookie sheet and broil for 5 to 6 minutes on each side or until cooked through and no longer pink in the center.

To assemble the burgers, evenly spread gorgonzola cheese spread on the bottom piece of each bun. Place a patty on top and evenly spread the roasted garlic cherry glaze on top of each burger. Add the burger tops and serve. Makes 6 burgers.

Nutrition: 495 calories, 18.3g fat, 5.0g fiber, 32.6g protein per burger
Cost: $1.87 per burger

Way back in April, a few Boston bloggers and I had the pleasure of meeting Joanne, the hilarious voice behind Eats Well With Others, while she was in town to run the Boston Marathon. I know, I know, you’re jealous, right? She’s awesome! We enjoyed dinner at The Helmand, where I was very excited to try Afghani food for the first time. Everything was tasty, but I was especially blown away by the delicious Kaddo appetizer, which was pumpkin seasoned with sugar, served on a garlic yogurt sauce, and topped with a tomato ground beef sauce. The flavors just worked perfectly together, and I immediately thought it would be fun to twist this dish into a burger!

I settled on making spiced tomato ground beef burgers atop a sweet pumpkin and butternut squash pancake smothered in a garlic yogurt sauce. I actually waited for autumn to work on this recipe in anticipation of using pumpkin puree and shredded butternut squash in the pancakes! I also did a little research online to figure out which spices to use in the patties and ended up mixing in garlic, coriander, and turmeric. And, I discovered that dried mint is sometimes used in the Kaddo yogurt sauce, so I stirred some of that in as well. I really love how almost any dish can inspire a unique burger!

Helmand Hamburgers
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Yogurt Sauce:
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon dried mint flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt

Sweet Pumpkin and Squash Pancakes:
1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin puree
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 cups coarsely grated butternut squash
1 large egg, whisked
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons canola oil

Afghani Spiced Patties:
1/2 cup grated yellow onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup tomato paste
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground tumeric
2 teaspoons salt
2 pounds ground beef (I used organic 85/15)

Assembly:
6 hamburger buns, split and toasted

Directions:
To make the yogurt sauce, mix yogurt, garlic, mint flakes, and salt together in a small bowl until smooth and refrigerate until ready to use.

To make the sweet pumpkin and squash pancakes, place pumpkin puree and sugar in a small nonstick stockpot over medium heat and cook for 2 minutes or until sugar is dissolved, stirring well. Place pumpkin in a large bowl and mix in grated butternut squash, egg, flour, baking powder, and salt. Divide into 6 equal portions. Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and drop 3 of the divided mounds of the pumpkin/squash mixture into the pan. Press down slightly with a spatula until pancakes are about the same size as the hamburger buns. Fry 3 to 5 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Repeat with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and 3 portions of the pumpkin/squash mixture.

Meanwhile, make the patties, place the onion, garlic, tomato paste, coriander, tumeric, and salt in a large bowl. Gently but thoroughly mix in the ground beef and shape the mixture into 6 patties. Place patties on a greased grill pan over medium high heat and cook 3 to 5 minutes on each side or until cooked to desired doneness.

To assemble the burgers, place a sweet pumpkin and squash pancake on the bottom piece of each bun. Place a patty on top of the pancake and evenly spread the yogurt spread on top of each burger and cut side of the burger tops. Add the burger tops and serve. Makes 6 burgers.

Nutrition: 811 calories, 43.5g fat, 7.8g fiber, 38.6g protein per burger
Cost: $2.65 per burger

My parents visited us last weekend! We started things off perfectly by enjoying some delicious pizza at Emma’s Thursday night. Then on Friday, I snuck out of work a bit early to check out the Chihuly exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts with them – amazing! I think my Dad put it best when he said he felt like we were in a world Dr. Seuss had created. After picking up Apolinaras, we headed out for Blue Ribbon BBQ, which the birthday boy requested, and then drove up to Vermont.

We started the next day by doing the Magic Hat Brewery tour and tasting, where I voted for Wacko, aka The Liquid Song of Summer, as my favorite. My mom was super cute and answered a question right on the tour to win a free pint glass.

Next up was lunch on Lake Champlain at Splash - we were literally on the lake since the tables are on a floating dock. The views were beautiful and our clam chowder was surprisingly excellent.

Then we indulged in a little ice cream during the Ben and Jerry’s Factory tour (which is free by the way if you check in on yelp) and my Dad and I squeezed in a hilly run before our Korean takeout from Yama. It was a very relaxing day and we headed to bed early since the next morning we needed to rise and shine super early for the highlight of our trip, a King Arthur Flour baking class!

I’ve been planning this trip with my mom ever since I took a class there last year with a group of bloggers. While the boys amused themselves by hiking the Appalachian Trail, my mom and I were treated to a tour of the King Arthur Flour warehouse, production facility where they make all their mixes, and test kitchen, led by the lovely Allison Furbish, who is their web media coordinator and set up our blogger baking class last year. Here we are in the test kitchen, where I salivated over their super well stocked walk-in pantry. Thanks so much Allison for coming in on a Sunday to show us around!

Then we headed in for our class called “The Magic of Wild Yeast – Sourdough” where we learned everything we need to know to successfully maintain starter cultures and bake beautiful boules of sourdough bread at home – SO fun! We also hit the King Arthur store, where I loaded up some fun baking goodies, and had a fantastic meal at Foundry on Elm after the drive home. I had such a great mini vacation with my family and wish they could visit more often!

Sourdough is my absolute favorite and I’ve been diligently feeding my starter and plan to make something with it soon! In the meantime, I wanted to whip up some sandwiches with the bread we baked during the class and decided to feature ripe summer tomatoes. I settled on chicken panini with a tomato and feta sauce topped with melted mozzarella and fresh tomato slices. I can’t wait to take a stab at making my own sourdough!

Triple Tomato Chicken Panini
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup of your favorite tomato sauce
1/4 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
4 slices sourdough bread
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cooked butterflied boneless skinless chicken breasts, warmed
1 large tomato, sliced
2/3 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Place feta cheese and tomato sauce in a food processor and pulse until smooth, about 1 minute. Stir in sun dried tomatoes.

Use a pastry brush to evenly spread olive oil over each slice of bread. Flip slices of bread over and evenly spread with feta tomato sauce. Top two slices evenly with chicken, tomato slices, and mozzarella cheese. Top with the remaining slices of bread, tomato sauce side down. Place sandwiches in a preheated panini press and cook until bead is crispy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Makes 2 panini.

Nutrition: 503 calories, 24.0g fat, protein per panino
Cost: $2.60 per panino

This East coast heat wave has led me to eat cereal or ice cream for dinner a few more times than I’d like to admit! I’ve also been craving cool crisp salads more often than usual and thought this was the perfect time to share this tasty wrap that I made a few weeks ago. It’s just as refreshing as a salad but a bit more hearty because I packed the spinach wraps with flank steak, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, spinach, and an adobo ranch dressing. I broiled the steak quickly (of course you could also grill it!) and microwaved the sweet potatoes so the oven wouldn’t be on too long and assembled the wraps one night. Then we enjoyed them for lunch the next day straight out of the fridge. I’m putting these on the menu again for next week!

Adobo Ranch Beef Wraps
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
3/4 cup ranch salad dressing, divided
2 1/2 teaspoons adobo sauce from canned chipotle peppers, divided
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 pounds beef flank steak
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into small bite sized chunks (22 ounces peeled and chopped)
6 cups fresh baby spinach (6 ounces)
1 large tomato, chopped
6 10-inch diameter spinach wraps (or flour tortillas)

Directions:
To make the marinade, place 1/2 cup ranch dressing, 2 teaspoons adobo sauce, 1/4 cup olive oil, and apple cider vinegar in a small bowl and whisk until well combined. Place beef steak and marinade in large food-safe plastic bag and make sure marinade evenly coats steak. Close bag and marinate in refrigerator 6 hours or as long as overnight, turning once.

Heat oven broiler. Remove steak from marinade and place steak on rack of broiler pan so surface of beef is 2 to 3 inches from heat. Broil 13 to 18 minutes for medium rare (145°F) to medium (160°F) doneness, turning once. Remove; let stand 5 minutes. Carve steak across the grain into small bite sized chunks.

Meanwhile, while steak is cooking, place sweet potatoes in a large microwave safe bowl and toss with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil; microwave on high for 10 minutes, stirring once half way through. Heat remaining 1/2 tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat in a large nonstick skillet. Add sweet potatoes and sauté until cooked through and lightly browned, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

To assemble the wraps, mix remaining 1/4 cup ranch dressing and 1/2 teaspoon adobo sauce in a small bowl. Place spinach, tomato, sliced beef, and cooked sweet potatoes in a large bowl. Drizzle with chipotle ranch dressing and mix well with tongs. Place equal amounts of beef mixture down center of each wrap. Fold in sides of tortilla and roll up tightly. Makes 6 wraps.

Nutrition: 719 calories, 38.5g fat, 3.0g fiber, 32.4g protein per wrap
Cost: $2.88 per wrap

My mom used to make sloppy joes for us pretty regularly growing up. I have very fond memories of watching her add the ketchup and mustard to the ground beef simmering in a pot on the stove, and then of course of all of us attempting to eat the sandwiches without making a huge mess. I think poor sloppy joes tend to be underappreciated, so I decided to revive this retro favorite with a few delicious twists!

First, instead of flavoring the meat with a traditional tomato base, I simply mixed ground turkey with our favorite BBQ sauce. Then I nestled the juicy meat between caramelized onions and melted sharp cheddar cheese on toasted whole wheat buns. These sloppy joes definitely hit the spot and we may or may not have gobbled up all 4 sandwiches in one sitting…

p.s. The winner of my Shabby Apple apron giveaway was #36 – Jessi from Chef Fresco, congrats!

BBQ Sloppy Joes
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 large yellow onion, cut into thin strips
1 pound ground turkey
1 cup BBQ sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 whole wheat hamburger buns, split in half and toasted
4 slices sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:
Heat oil and butter over a medium low heat in a large nonstick skillet. Add onions, cover pan, and cook for 25 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, or until onions are caramelized.

Meanwhile, place ground turkey in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat and break up with a spoon. Cook for 7 minutes or until meat is browned and no longer pink. Remove from heat and drain off any liquid. Stir in BBQ sauce and salt and heat until warmed through, about 2 minutes.

Heat oven broiler. Place bottom half of toasted buns on a large cookie sheet and place one slice of cheese on each and broil for 1 to 2 minutes or until cheese is melted. To assemble Sloppy Joes, evenly spread meat over each cheese topped bottom bun. Top evenly with caramelized onions and top with top half of toasted buns. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition: 570 calories, 26.9g fat, 2.4g fiber, 36.2g protein per serving
Cost: $2.05 per serving

I’m back and feeling ready to post! To be honest, I had lost a bit of my blogging mojo over the past several weeks. I was plagued by writer’s block and couldn’t motivate myself to even get into the kitchen. But, I felt a lot of pressure to keep posting on a regular schedule, which is sort of silly because my blog is my creative outlet and is supposed to be fun – I never want blogging to start feeling like a second job. Anyway, I’m going to try and stop being so hard on myself and just take a break if I need it from now on!

I’m definitely feeling very refreshed and ready to cook now. I’ll post recaps of our trip to Portland and my college reunion soon, but first I wanted to share these Indian Meatball Naanwiches. When I returned from my conference in Newport, our fridge was pretty bare, but I did manage to find some ground turkey and naan in the freezer, which served as the inspiration for this dish.

These naanwiches are a fun twist on traditional meatball subs. The spiced meatballs contain a hefty amount of garlic and ginger, and are packed with cumin, ground fennel seeds (don’t leave these out – they really elevate the meatballs in my opinion!), and cayenne pepper. Since I wanted the tomato sauce to compliment the meatballs but not overpower them, I kept it pretty mild by only stirring in a touch of garam masala. I also added golden raisins for a bit of sweetness and Greek yogurt for some creaminess. These naanwiches were really tasty, but I think they would have been even better with some fresh cilantro on top to bright them up. So, I went ahead and added the cilantro to the recipe below and already can’t wait to make them again with it!

Indian Meatball Naanwiches
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Meatballs:
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons minced ginger
4 teaspoons ground cumin
4 teaspoons ground fennel seeds
2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons salt
3 pounds ground turkey

Tomato Sauce:
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 cup chopped red onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 cup golden raisins
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
1/2 teaspoon salt

Assembly:
7 pieces of naan, warmed
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Directions:
To make the meatballs, heat oven to 375˚F. Place the garlic, ginger, cumin, ground fennel seeds, cayenne pepper, and salt in a large bowl. Gently but thoroughly mix in the ground turkey and shape the mixture into 21 meatballs. Place meatballs on a large cookie sheet and bake at 375˚F for 20 minutes or until cooked through and no longer pink in the center.

Meanwhile, to make the tomato sauce, heat canola oil over medium high heat in a nonstick skillet. Sauté red onion for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender; mix in garlic and garam masala and sauté for 1 additional minute or until fragrant. Stir in golden raisins and tomatoes and cook 1 more minute. Place mixture in a food processor and pulse for a minute or until smooth. Stir in Greek yogurt and salt.

To assemble the naanwiches, top half of each piece of naan with three meatballs. Evenly spread sauce and cilantro on top. Fold naan over and serve. Makes 7 naanwiches.

Nutrition: 460 calories, 17.0g fat, 2.1g fiber, 33.7g protein per naanwich
Cost: $2.19 per naanwich

You didn’t think I’d stop at just making a naanwich did you? Nope, the same day I made that chicken tikka masala inspired sandwich, I also knew I wanted to make an Indian inspired burger, which of course, would have to be called a naanburger, haha. It’s funny how I’m sometimes inspired by my own recipes! Actually, the best part about having a blog is being able to browse through my favorite recipes. There are so many now (over 160!) and it’s nice to have them all in one place. Plus, I feel very productive looking back over them all.

I packed the burgers with garlic, ginger, cumin, ground fennel seeds, and cayenne pepper. I’ve made them with ground turkey and lamb and both versions are quite tasty. The spinach topping was inspired by my favorite Indian dish, saag paneer. I whipped up some spiced spinach to top my burgers, but kept things on the lighter side by leaving out the heavy cream. I really like to pile the toppings high on my burgers, so if you’re not a huge fan of burgers that you can’t put down in fear of losing toppings everywhere, then you may want to half the spinach recipe. Of course, I sandwiched the burger and spinach between pieces of warm naan. These are pretty healthy considering the burgers are well over a third of a pound each!

Oh, and check out the new featured recipe section on my sidebar – yay! There are some keepers that I wanted to share with my new readers and I’m so glad my better half figured out how to set that up for me!

Indian Saag Naanburgers
Printable Recipe

Spiced Spinach:
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 red onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
20 ounces fresh spinach
1/2 teaspoon salt

Patties:
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground fennel seeds
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 pounds ground turkey

Assembly:
8 burger-sized pieces of naan, cut from larger pieces to fit the size of the patties, toasted
2 large tomatoes, sliced

Directions:
To make the spiced spinach, heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add red onion and sauté for 5 minutes or until tender; add ginger and garlic and sauté 1 additional minute. Remove pan from heat and add coriander, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, and cardamom and stir until spices are fragrant. Place mixture in a food processor along with tomato paste and chicken broth and pulse until well blended. Meanwhile, place remaining 1 tablespoon canola oil and half the spinach in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 5 minutes or until spinach is wilted. Add remaining spinach to the pan, stir well, cover the pan with a lid, and cook for 5 minutes or until all spinach is wilted. Add pulsed onion mixture from the food processor to the pan and cook uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes or until all the liquid has evaporated, stirring frequently. Stir in salt and remove from heat.

Meanwhile, make the patties, place the garlic, ginger, cumin, ground fennel seeds, cayenne pepper, and salt in a large bowl. Gently but thoroughly mix in the ground turkey and shape the mixture into 4 patties. Place patties on a greased grill pan over medium high heat and cook 3 to 5 minutes on each side or until cooked through and no longer pink in the center.

To assemble the burgers, place a patty on top of one piece of naan and evenly spread the spinach on top. Add a few tomato slices and top with another piece of naan. Makes 4 burgers.

Nutrition: 624 calories, 29.9g fat, 6.2g fiber, 45.7g protein per burger
Cost: $3.68 per burger

I used to always immediately think of McDonald’s when anyone mentioned fish sandwiches. I’ve actually never had a Filet-O-Fish, but they were my brother’s favorite when we were lucky enough to stop by the Golden Arches growing up, and I have fond memories of him inhaling a couple while I was munching on my Chicken McNuggets. So in my mind, fish sandwich = boring fried fish on a bun.  But, this all changed after I ordered a blackened tilapia sandwich with cilantro lime mayo on a whim at the Calypso Café in Chicago. Wow, now my mouth actually waters thinking about fish sandwiches because their version was so flavorful and flakey! I’ve raved about the Calypso Café before – they inspired me to make these unique plantain nachos and are one of the many restaurants I really miss now that we’re in Boston. I bought some tilapia recently and finally decided to try making my own version of this favorite at home.

I mixed a bunch of spices together to coat my tilapia fillets and then whipped up an avocado spread since I prefer it to mayo. I topped my sandwiches with some perfect summer tomato slices too, but my little twist is that I also piled on some crispy shredded plantains! They provided a nice crunch and yes, I know it’s a pain to fry things, but they really take this sandwich to a whole new level and are worth stinking up your kitchen to enjoy.  I need to make these for my brother!

Blackened Tilapia Sandwiches with Avocado Spread and Crispy Plantains
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Crispy Plantains
Canola oil for frying
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 medium green plantain, peeled and shredded with a coarse cheese grater

Avocado Spread
1 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, and mashed
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon salt

Blackened Tilapia
1 1/2 teaspoons ground thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
3/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tilapia fillets
1 tablespoon canola oil

4 buns, split
2 tomatoes, sliced

Directions:
To make the crispy plantains, heat vegetable oil to 350˚F in a fryer. Mix flour and salt in a large bowl; add shredded plantains and toss until well coated with the flour mixture. Remove any extra flour from the bowl, if needed. Place flour-coasted shredded plantains in the oil and fry until light golden brown, about 2 minutes, working in batches as needed. Remove crispy plantains with a slotted spoon and place on a plate lined with paper towels to drain.

To make the avocado spread, mix the mashed avocados, lime juice, cilantro and salt in a medium bowl until smooth.

To make the blackened tilapia, place the thyme, cayenne pepper, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a small bowl and mix well. Massage the spice mixture evenly onto both sides of the fillets. Heat the canola oil over medium high heat in a large nonstick skillet and cook fillets on 3 minutes per side, or until cooked through. Cut fillets as needed to fit the buns (I cut ours in half and put both pieces on one bun).

To assemble the sandwiches, spread the avocado spread on the cut sides of the bottom buns. Place a tilapia fillet on top, followed by a few tomato slices and a mound of crispy plantains. Add bun tops and serve. Makes 4 sandwiches.

Nutrition: 636 calories, 27.6g fat, 6.9g fiber, 33.9g protein per sandwich
Cost: $2.65 per sandwich

The two 9-inch cake pans have been on my list for awhile now because I previously only had two 8-inch pans and one 9-inch pan, which means to make a triple layer cake I had to cut one 9-inch cake down to the 8-inch size….yeah, not so fun since cake crumbs would get everywhere so I’m very happy I don’t have to deal with that ever again. I also got a coffee bean grinder that I’ve been exclusively using to grind all my spices. If anyone has ever attempted to mash coriander seeds with a mortar and pestle, you’ll understand why this little gadget has made my life so much easier!

The very first thing I put in my shopping cart though was a Caphalon nonstick grill pan. We can’t grill at our apartment and I’ve been so jealous of all the grilled goodies you’ve all being making around the blogosphere! Since I’m still on a bit of an Indian kick, I decided to use the pan first to grill up some chicken for naanwiches! I marinated a couple chicken breasts in Greek yogurt, garlic, and spices and then grilled it up on my new pan, which worked beautifully. My grill marks weren’t perfect, so I don’t have a picture to share with you, but I’m already looking forward to practicing more!

The sauce for the naanwiches was inspired by the chicken tikka masala I made for our dinner party. It didn’t have a smooth sauce like the version you usually get at restaurants. Instead, finely chopped almonds were added to the sauce, which gave it a bit of texture and inspired me to use almonds and the same flavor profile to make a lovely Indian-spiced pesto. I pureed red onion, garlic, roasted red peppers, golden raisins, tomato paste, and garam masala along with some tomato paste, and served the spread on the naanwiches along with the grilled chicken. So yummy!  Thanks so much CSN Stores for all the fun kitchen goodies!

Disclaimer: CSN Stores sent me a gift card for free so I could try several products of my choosing, but I received no compensation for this post and all opinions are mine.

Chicken Tikka Masala Naanwiches
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Grilled Chicken:
1/2 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon ground tumeric
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, butterflied in half lengthwise so you have 4 pieces

Masala Spread:
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 cup chopped red onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup chopped roasted red peppers
1/4 cup toasted whole almonds
1/4 cup golden raisins
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon salt

8 pieces whole wheat naan sized to fit the chicken (I cut mine from 4 pieces), warmed
2 ounces fresh spinach (1 cup packed)

Directions:
Place Greek yogurt, garlic, coriander, cumin, ginger, garam masala, turmeric, cayenne pepper, and salt in a medium bowl and mix until well combined. Spread marinade evenly over chicken pieces in a shallow dish and refrigerate for an hour.

Meanwhile, make the masala spread by heating 1 tablespoon canola oil over medium high heat in a nonstick skillet. Sauté red onion for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender; mix in garlic and sauté for 1 additional minute. Place cooked onions, remaining 1 tablespoon canola oil, red peppers, almonds, raisins, tomato paste, garam masala, and salt in a food processor and pulse until well mixed.

Heat a nonstick grill pan over medium high heat. Spray with nonstick cooking spray and cook chicken for 2 to 3 minutes per side or until cooked through and no longer pink in the center.

To assemble the naanwiches, top one piece of naan with one fourth of the spinach, a piece of chicken, some of the sauce, and another piece of naan. Repeat to make 4 naanwiches.

Nutrition: 612 calories, 22.2g fat, 4.5g fiber, 41.5g protein per naanwich
Cost: $2.22 per naanwich

I hope everyone in the States had a lovely Thanksgiving! We spent ours in Iowa with my family and are gearing up to head to the airport any minute now. I wanted to get this post up before we left though because Eralda just published my very first guest post! Eralda’s blog, The Split Pea, is full of spell-binding stories, pictures, and delicious recipes, so I was very honored when she asked me to come up with a recipe for her blog. I decided to do a twist on a traditional summer tomato panzanella, and ended up making a fall version with toasted pumpkernickel, roasted beets, and goat cheese. Check out Eralda’s blog for the picture and recipe!

The next day, I whipped up these tasty chicken paninis with the leftover pumpernickel bread and goat cheese. I made the goat cheese into a spread by mixing it with a bit of milk and parmesan cheese, and topped the chicken with crispy tart apple slices, which really elevated the sandwich to a whole new level!

Pumpernickel Chicken Panini with Goat Cheese and Apples
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 boneless, skinless, chicken breast
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
3 ounces goat cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tablespoons milk
4 slices pumpernickel bread
1/2 half granny smith apple, cored and sliced

Directions:
Cut chicken breast in half lengthwise and sprinkle evenly with salt. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a nonstick skillet and cook chicken 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until no longer pink in the center.

Meanwhile, mix goat cheese, parmesan cheese, and milk in a small bowl.

Spread each piece of bread evenly with goat cheese spread. Top goat cheese with chicken and apples on two slices, and place the other two slices of bread on top, goat cheese side down. Place sandwiches in a preheated panini press and cook until bead is crispy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Makes 2 servings.

Nutrition: 563 calories, 25.6g fat, 4.3g fiber, 50.3g protein per serving
Cost: $1.83 per serving

Happy 4th of July! I’m in Des Moines right now visiting my parents and we gobbled up some delicious hot dogs today. Apolinaras started laughing when I told him about my plan to come up with a great hot dog recipe, because he doesn’t think hot dogs are blog worthy. But I totally disagree, a good hot dog is a completely satisfying summer treat and it’s really the same as posting a unique sandwich recipe!

Anyway, these hot dogs are special because they’re coated in pretzels! I basically breaded them like you would for chicken parm and then served them on a bun topped with melted provolone, caramelized onions, and a tangy honey mustard sauce. The pretzels add a nice crunch and these dogs were SO good! Check out my mom’s super festive plates too – the only time you’ll see anything other than white is when I’m making a mess in her kitchen.  I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday weekend with their friends and family!

Pretzel Coated Hot Dogs with Caramelized Onions, Provolone, and Honey Mustard
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
4 beef hot dogs
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup crushed pretzels
2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 tablespoon honey
6 slices provolone cheese
4 whole wheat hot dog buns

Directions:
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat in a small pan. Add onions and cook 10 to 15 minutes or until caramelized, stirring frequently. Remove onions and add remaining olive oil to the pan.

Meanwhile, coat each hot dog heat in flour, then in the egg, and then in the pretzel crumbs. Brown hot dogs on all sides by cooking for 5 to 7 minutes over medium high heat or until golden brown and warmed.

Mix mustard, vinegar, and honey in a small bowl until well combined.

Preheat the oven broiler. Spread one and a half slices of cheese over each open hot dog bun. Toast in the broiler for 2 to 5 minutes or until buns are toasted and cheese is melted.

Assemble the hot dogs by placing one hot dog on each bun and topping each with the onions and honey mustard sauce.  Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition: 546 calories, 35.0g fat, 2.9g fiber, 22.9g protein per serving
Cost: $1.69 per serving

Why is it that I can remember every single morsel of food from a great restaurant that I visited 5-10 years ago, but can’t for the life of me remember to bring my wallet/cell phone/lunch/book to work? We have a wonderful bread store right across the street from us, and I was immediately reminded of a sandwich I had over 4 years ago at Disney World when I saw a gorgeous loaf of spinach, garlic, and onion ciabatta. I love Disney and I’m already looking forward to using our (future!) kiddos as an excuse to go back. My hubby and I had lunch in Cinderella’s castle in the Magic Kingdom and I ordered a sandwich called the The Mariner. It was basically an amazing salmon BLT that I could have eaten everyday!

I buy frozen salmon in bulk from Costco (well, not really in bulk, one package has 7 fillets), and usually throw a marinade on it while it defrosts overnight. This time I decided to keep things simple, and just used a bit of balsamic vinegar and olive oil. After searing the salmon in a pan, I assembled all the other sandwich ingredients while I waited for the salmon to finish cooking in the oven. Instead of mayonnaise, I added sliced avocado for some creaminess. I gobbled the whole thing up and will definitely be making this simple dish again!

Salmon Sandwiches with Avocado, Bacon, and Tomato
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
2 salmon fillets
4 slices turkey bacon
1/2 avocado, sliced
1/2 tomato, sliced
4 slices ciabatta

Directions:
Whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt and marinade frozen salmon overnight.

The next day, preheat the oven to 350ºF. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and sear the salmon fillets on both sides. Bake salmon for 10 min at 350ºF or until no longer pink in the center. Meanwhile, place bacon in a skillet and cook over medium-high heat until crispy.

Assemble the sandwiches by placing half the avocado on a slice of bread, followed by the salmon, tomato slices, and bacon. Top with the remaining slice of bread. Makes 2 servings.

Nutrition: 689 calories, 28.8g fat, 3.3g fiber, 50.4g protein per serving
Cost: $2.85 per serving