Thai Turkey Sliders with Peanut Sauce

PREP TIME 40 MINUTES (more like 2 hours)
COOK TIME 15 MINUTES
TOTAL TIME 55 MINUTES (3 hours)

INGREDIENTS

BURGERS:

  •  2 pounds ground meat (see note; can use a combination of ground beef, ground pork or ground turkey)
  •  2 tablespoons finely minced fresh ginger (or ginger paste)
  •  3 green onions, white and green parts finely chopped
  •  2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce (use more for added spiciness)
  •  1/2 teaspoon salt (I use coarse, kosher salt)
  •  1/4 teaspoon black pepper (I use coarsely ground pepper)
  •  5-6 burger buns, split and toasted (optional) (I made about 25 mini buns)

PEANUT SAUCE:

  •  1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
  •  5 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  •  3 tablespoons hoisin sauce (I used fermented black bean sauce, oops)
  •  1 tablespoon low-sodium soy suace (I cut that out due to the black bean sauce)
  •  1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
  •  1 tablespoon honey
  •  1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce (use more for added spiciness)
  •  2 teaspoons finely minced fresh ginger (or ginger paste)
  •  2 cloves garlic, finely minced (about a teaspoon)

TANGY SLAW:

  •  1 cup grated carrots (about 3-4 ounces)
  •  1 cup shredded purple cabbage (about 3-4 ounces)
  •  1 green onion, white and green parts finely chopped
  •  2 tablespoons fresh lime juice or rice vinegar
  •  1 tablespoon oil
  •  1 teaspoon sugar
  •  Salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat a grill to medium-high heat (can probably use an oven broiler or skillet to pan fry the burgers).
  2. For the burgers, add the ground meat, ginger, green onions, chili garlic sauce, salt and pepper to a food processor and pulse until combined. Alternate method: use an electric stand or handheld mixer OR make sure the green onions and ginger are very finely chopped and combine very well with your hands. Shape the meat mixture into 5-6 patties (I think I made 26 burgers about  1/4 inch thick. next time I would make them a little thicker) about 1/2-inch thick and slightly larger in diameter than the buns you are using (they’ll shrink a bit while cooking).
  3. For the peanut sauce, whisk or blend all the ingredients together. The sauce can be made several days in advance and refrigerated.
  4. For the slaw, in a medium bowl, toss together the carrots, cabbage and green onion. In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice (or vinegar), oil, sugar and a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss the vegetables with the dressing and set aside until serving. The slaw can be made several hours (or up to a day) in advance.
  5. Grill/cook the burgers until desired doneness (if using ground pork or ground turkey, cook until well done). Assemble the burgers on buns topped with peanut sauce and slaw.

NOTES

I’ve made these burgers several times – once with 100% ground beef, another time with half ground beef/half ground pork, and another time with 100% ground turkey. Much of the deliciousness will depend on the quality of meat you use. Stay away from any type of ground beef packaged in plastic-wrapped tubes. In my experience, the meat is usually mushy and falls apart as burgers. All of the meat variations I’ve tried have been delicious, but my favorite has probably been the ground beef/ground pork blend. 

As written, we didn’t find the burgers or the peanut sauce overly spicy, but if you are worried about heat, you can cut down the chili garlic sauce a bit more (don’t leave it out entirely, though – it adds great flavor!) OR you can up the amount for a spicier version.  (I added extra)

HTTPS://WWW.MELSKITCHENCAFE.COM/EASY-THAI-BURGERS-WITH-PEANUT-SAUCE/

Blueberry Blintzes

http://www.thejoykitchen.com/recipe/blueberry-blintzes?

Makes about twelve 7 1/2-inch blintzes

Combine in a blender or food processor until smooth:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 teaspoons sugar
Pinch of salt

Pour the batter into a pitcher or other container with a pouring lip. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes, or refrigerate up to 2 days. Heat a medium nonstick pan over medium to medium-high heat. Melt 1 teaspoon butter in the pan and swirl it around to coat the surface of the skillet. You will need to regrease the pan after cooking each blintz. Use 3 tablespoons batter for each blintz, but do not turn the blintzes. Instead, cook until the top is dry and set and the underside is golden.
Meanwhile, combine in a medium saucepan:
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries or other fruit of choice
Finely grated zest and juice of 1⁄2 lemon
2 tablespoons sugar
(Pinch of ground cinnamon)

Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly, then continue to boil until the mixture is the consistency of jam. Add:
     1 cup fresh or thawed frozen blueberries or other fruit of choice
Cook and stir for 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl and let cool to room temperature.
Spoon 2 generous tablespoons of the filling onto the center of the unbrowned side of each blintz. Fold the sides of each blintz around the filling to form a rectangular package. (The filled blintzes can be wrapped airtight and frozen for up to 1 month.) Heat in a large skillet, preferably nonstick, over medium heat until the butter is melted and the bubbles have subsided:
  2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Add the blintzes, seam side down, to the pan and cook, turning once, until golden brown on both sides. Transfer the blintzes to paper towels to drain briefly. Serve immediately.

I reheated about 325 for about 10 minutes. Mine came out a little small but if they were bigger I think may have needed 12 minutes to hear through. I served with a little  confectionery sugar on top. I ended up with probably about 20 minis blintzes.

Fluffy Fluffy Pancakes

Recipe taken from Chocolates & Chai

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (128 g) All-Purpose Flour, sifted
  • 2 tsp (7 g) Baking Powder
  • 1 Pinch of Salt
  • 2 tbsp (25 g) White Sugar
  • 3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp (198 g) Milk
  • 1 Large Egg, beaten
  • 2 tbsp Unsalted Butter, melted
  • 1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
  • Canola Oil (or any other vegetable oil), for cooking

Instructions

  1. Combine flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder into a bowl and mix well.
  2. In a separate bowl, mix the egg, milk, vanilla, and melted butter together. Be careful not to use hot, melted butter, as that may end up cooking your eggs!
  3. Pour the wet ingredient mixture into the dry ingredients and stir till mostly incorporated. The batter should be thick and a little lumpy, but without any visible streaks of flour. If it is too thick to work with, add a little milk. Set the batter aside for 5-10 minutes.
  4. Heat a heavy-bottomed, non-stick pan over a low-medium heat and coat it with oil. Use a 1/4 cup measure to scoop and drop the batter into the pan so that you get evenly-sized pancakes.
  5. Cook until the first side is golden brown, or until the top surface forms bubbles. Flip and repeat on the other side. Adjust heat accordingly. Serve while still hot.