Sweet Chili Turkey Sloppy Joe Sliders

I do love this combo, I have made it into pizza, burgers, quesadillas and more. Now for Sloppy Joe Sliders!













1 package/recipe dinner rolls , sliced*

1 lb ground turkey
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground ginger
3/4 cup thai sweet chili sauce


1/4 cup chopped sweet onion
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1/2 small zucchini, sliced thin

1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup sharp cheddar
red pepper flakes to taste

3 TB butter, melted
garlic powder
salt
more red pepper flakes

* I used Sweet Hawaiian Rolls, it was a nice sweet touch!




Brown ground turkey with garlic powder and ginger.

When no pink remains, add the sweet chili sauce, stir well, cook 5 minutes more until thick and bubbly.

 Chop your veggies and slice your (still attached) rolls....next time I think I would toast the bottom layer slightly before assembly, just to keep it a little crisper.

 Spread the turkey over the rolls, add onions, zucchini, and cheese then sprinkle with crushed pepper flakes to taste.

Brush with melted butter, sprinkle with garlic powder and salt and more red pepper flakes

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes until heated through, brush with a little more butter, allow to set for 5 minutes before slicing.

Slice and Enjoy!!

Raspberry Bourbon Sloppy Johnnies

I wanted a nice sliced steak Sloppy Johnny tonight so I decided do a spin off of my Blueberry Sloppy Joe sandwich.









Sub Rolls
Cheese if desired, we used Havarti


2lbs steak
1-2 cloves garlic
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil
bourbon

Sauce:
1 TB olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped fine
1/2 cup tomato paste

1/3 cup cider vinegar

1/2 cup bourbon
1 TB molasses
1 TB brown sugar

1 tsp smoked paprika

salt and pepper to taste

12 oz fresh or frozen raspberries, divided (do not thaw if using frozen)

Steak:
Chop the garlic clove fine and rub it over the steak on both sides. Sprinkle both sides with  salt and pepper.

Drizzle it with a healthy dose of olive oil and a sprinkling of bourbon and let stand at room temp for 30 mins.







Grill or broil the steak for 4-6 minutes per side, until medium rare(you can cook shorter or longer if you like)

Let it rest for a few minutes, then slice it thin.

Sauce:
In a deep pan heat oil over medium high heat, add onion, garlic and jalapeño, cook until tender and fragrant.

Add the remaining sauce ingredients except raspberries. Stir well and bring to a low boil.

Add sliced steak and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.

Add all but 1/2 cup raspberries, cover and simmer 10-15 minutes more.

Remove lid and simmer uncovered until the sauce thickens. 

Spoon into sliced rolls, add some whole raspberries to the top, top with cheese and run under the broiler to melt it all together

 Enjoy!

"Mandy Chicken" Sandwiches

A local restaurant we like had these on their menu and I LOVED it so I decided to try my hand at a home version.












Ingredients:
Jalapeño-Cheddar Focaccia Buns
Crispy Chicken
Honey Mustard Sauce
Bacon, cooked crisp
Pepper Jack Cheese
Jalapeño rings, pickled or fresh
baby spinach

*of course you can leave the Jalapeños out of both the buns and the toppings if you don't want the spiciness, my kids opted for no peppers, one opted for no cheese on his bun either.

Here we go:


Jalapeño-Cheddar Focaccia Buns:
1 cup very warm water

1 tsp sugar

4 tsp yeast
2 TB olive oil

1 egg

3 1⁄4 cups flour, divided
1 tsp salt

olive oil
sliced jalapeno pepper, I prefer fresh but you can use pickled if you like
sharp cheddar cheese

In a large bowl mix water, sugar and yeast, allow to sit until the yeast is nice and foamy.

Add in olive oil and egg. Mix well.

Add in 1 cup flour and salt and beat on medium  for 3 minutes.

Reduce speed to low and slowly work in about 2 more cups of the flour until the dough starts to pull away from the bowl.

Place dough on a floured surface and knead in the remaining flour, until the dough is smooth.

Cover and allow to rest for 10 minutes.

Divide into 6 pieces and shape into buns, place on a greased baking sheet.

Lightly spray a sheet of plastic wrap with cooking spray and place over the buns. Cover with a clean dish towel.

Allow to rise for 30-40 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400

With a chopstick, or similar tool, poke holes in the buns at even intervals ( about 1/4 inch deep, about 5-6 holes).







Drizzle about 1 tsp olive oil over each bun. 

Top with a few TB of shredded cheese and some slices of jalapeño.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.

Allow to cool completely before slicing.

While they are baking you can make the Sauce:

Honey Mustard Sauce:

1/4 cup real mayo

1/4 cup honey

3 TB  dijon mustard

1 TB yellow mustard

2 tsp white vinegar

Mix all and allow to mingle for at least 15 minutes

You can get the chicken going while the buns are cooling:

Crispy Chicken:

6 pieces of chicken breast pounded to 1/2 inch thickness(I use about 3-4 oz chicken per burger)

Breading:
1 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1 cup water
2 tsp pepper sauce(more if you like them spicier!)



Mix all your dry ingredients in a shallow dish

Place water and pepper sauce in a separate dish.


Dip chicken in flour mixture, then into water mixture and back into flour mixture to coat well. Repeat will all pieces and set aside





Heat 1 cup oil in a pan and add chicken frying for 5-7 minutes on each side until golden brown. I usually do 3 at a time. (you want a target of 165 degrees in the center)

I drain mine on a wire rack over paper towels, but you can do them directly on paper towels if you like.

Alternatively you could bake or broil these in place of frying for a reduced fat content!

When all the components are done slice the focaccia, spread with a generous amount of honey mustard sauce and some baby spinach. Place on a slice of chicken, some bacon, some extra jalapeño rings, top with pepper jack and broil a minute or two to melt the cheese, spread some more honey mustard on the top bun and place it on top!

Slice and enjoy!

Gluten Free "Not Fried" Green Tomatoes

I love green tomato season! I wanted to make Fried Green Tomatoes and stick them on a club sandwich, but then I really didn't want to fry them. Plus I needed them gluten free. These turned out just delicious!!
I only did one LARGE green tomato, for 5 slices (1 for each sandwich). If you are wanting to make a bigger batch, it is easy to adjust accordingly. Or slice them thick and make an awesome Green Tomato Veggie Burger!





1 Large Green Tomato

1 cup gluten free bread crumbs (I toasted up an Udi's GF bagel and stuck it in my vitamix for my crumbs)

1 cup plain yogurt(Greek is best, but regular works fine too)
1 egg

1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste


Preheat oven to 400 and= grease a baking sheet generously with cooking spray or olive oil


Slice your tomato into 4-5 slices discarding the ends
(I didn't get any pictures of the tomato slices, my camera lens is being a pain!! My slices were pretty thick, you can go thinner if you like!)

In one shallow dish place the bread crumbs.











In another dish combine the yogurt and egg, mix well.











In yet another dish combine flour, cornmeal, garlic, salt and pepper











Dip each slice in flour mixture, dusting well
Then dip in yogurt mixture, tapping to remove excess
Finally dip it in bread crumbs pressing gently to make them adhere.

Place them on greased baking sheet and spray each one lightly with cooking spray.







Bake for 7-10 minutes until it is crisping up.
Flip gently and bake another 7-10 minutes until golden brown.

Sprinkle with a touch of salt and serve......or continue on to make sandwiches....

I was going to make a batch of savory waffles ,but it turns out my kids were not going to be home for dinner.....so for just the hubs and I,  I used sourdough, of course you could use any kind of bread you want

Toppings:
Sliced Turkey
Bacon, Cooked Crisp
Greens
Cheese ( I used Havarti)
Lemon-Basil Mayo

Taco Waffle Burgers

Tacos without the mess! A burger with the flavor of taco meat on a crunchy polenta waffle!













1 batch Savory  Waffles
My add ins for this burger were chopped Banana Peppers , Mexican Oregano and Pepper Jack cheese




2 lbs ground beef
1/3  cup chopped sweet onion
6 TB water (plus or minus)
1/2 cup finely crushed tortilla or corn chips
1 clove garlic , minced
1 TB chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne
salt to taste

Mix all the burger ingredients in a large bowl....adding water as necessary to hold together well.

 Shape the meat into 8 patties

         

Broil  or grill to an internal temp of 160

Place on waffles and top as you would a taco...I spread each waffle with sour cream, and salsa, then used greens and cheese. I wanted to do some guac and jalapenos but I was out of avocado and I had bought a jar of pickled jalapenos that turned out to be sweetened and were REALLY gross LOL....next time though!