Asian Turkey Burgers with Slaw Topping and Mango Cucumber Salad

Asian Turkey Burgers with Slaw Topping  Rating: 9

I used this meatball recipe for meatballs before but on this night I made them into patties and cooked them up on griddle.  They were topped with fresh mung bean sprouts and grated carrot that had been dressed with the dipping sauce.

Mango Cucumber Salad  Rating: 8

This was also well received.  It went great with the burgers.  The sweetness of the mango was nice.

Kung Pao Tofu on Rice

I have been on a Chinese food take-out kick lately.  I even told Neal I was interested in buying those dried red chiles they put in some of the spicier dishes.  Next time we were at the grocery store he suddenly appear next to me with a container of them and a big smile.  If you follow our blog, you know he prefers his meals spicier.

For the Kung Pao Tofu, I really combined two recipes, said a quick prayer, and started cooking hoping all would go well.

I wanted all the flavors and feel of Helen Chen's Kung Pao Chicken but I wanted to use tofu in our attempt to eat soy about once a week, and really up the veggies.  Thus, I took a peek at Eating Well's recipe too.

I used the sauce from Helen Chen's recipe and it all came together except it was a total and complete YAWN.  The heat was just right with two chiles but we kept waiting for flavor to appear and it never happened.  Thank goodness for the occasional yum added by a peanut here and there.

Kung Pao Tofu Minus the Pow  Rating: 5

Soba Noodle Salad

In an effort to use some of our co-op produce we decided to make this dish and bought soba noodles for the first time.  Soba noodles, for those who may wonder, are Japanese buckwheat noodles and can be found in the Asian section of your grocery store or local Asian market.

Soba Noodle Salad  Rating: 9

We used a combination of asparagus, broccoli, and edamame, but it would be fine with just one or two of those.  Didn't have enough fresh ginger on hand so used 1/2 tsp. of ginger powder in the dressing and it worked great.  This came together super quick and tasted fresh.  The buckwheat noodles are an unappealing color but taste just fine.  We are looking forward to having it again.

Raw "Pad Thai"

Raw "Pad Thai"  Rating: 9

1/4 of a recipe = 350 calories of yum!

We are trying to incorporate more raw meals (not raw meat) to boost nutrition and have a little fun.  This Raw "Pad Thai" hit the flavor right on!  We've had Pad Thai in good Thai restaurants and this was comparable. 

The prep is a cinch if you have a food processor.  The dressing was great even though we subbed natural peanut butter for the almond butter.  This would be great either way.  You really do have to serve it immediately as it will begin to wilt once the dressing is added.  Can't wait for leftovers tomorrow.

Broccoli Tangerine Salad with Spicy Sesame Chicken on Asian Quinoa

All items on this menu received a 9 rating.  The Spicy Sesame Chicken (Rating 9) I take from a recipe for Chinese Chicken Salad just minus the salad and dressing.  We just use chicken tenders.  One tender was a single serving for us, when atop the quinoa. Wear an apron when preparing the chicken as the oil really likes to spit and pop. 

The Asian Quinoa (Rating 9) is a cinch and can be made even easier by tossing it all into a rice cooker.  It had really good flavor.  Quinoa (pronounced keen-wha, I just love words that are fun to say) is a grain high in protein. It can be bought in bulk at Sprouts.  Rinse it in a sieve to remove its bitter coating prior to cooking.

Neal and I regularly check out books at our local library and often bring home cookbooks.  Tonight's salad was adapted from At Home Healthy Cooking's Chinese Long Bean Salad with Tangerine and Sherry-Mustard Vinaigrette.

Broccoli Tangerine Salad (Rating 9)
Serves 6 as a side

Ingredients
3 crowns of broccoli, florets cut into bite-size pieces, stalks removed
3 tangerines, peeled, 2 1/2 tangerines separated into sections, remaining 1/2 squeezed for juice
1/2 cup sweet onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
Pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper

For Vinaigrette:
3/4 tsp. cornstarch
1/3 cup vegetable broth (used homemade)
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. white wine vinegar
juice from 1/2 tangerine (mentioned above)
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tbsp. demerara sugar
1 clove garlic
healthy pinch of salt
pinch of freshly ground pepper

Method
1. Bring pot of water to a boil. Add in the broccoli and boil for a couple minutes.  Drain and cool.
2. Place broccoli, tangerine sections, onion, and seeds in bowl.  Season with the salt and pepper.
3. For the vinaigrette, combine cornstarch with 2 tbsp. of the veggie broth and mix.  Bring the rest of the broth to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.  Remove from heat.
4. Stir the cornstarch mixture into the saucepan and bring it all back to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened. Remove from heat and let cool.
5. Combine the remaining vinaigrette ingredients in a small bowl and whisk in the thickened broth.
6. Pour over broccoli mixture, toss, and serve.