Steamy Kitchen Recipes » Sandwiches/Wraps

Hot Dogs with Kimchi Relish

administrator — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 21:18:43 +0000

I’ve been on a kimchi rampage lately, using it like relish for everything like hot dogs, hamburgers, eggs and even making kimchi butter to top a perfectly grilled steak. Kimchi goes with everything. I think most would expect me to also say that, “the spicier, the better” but in reality, I’m not a dragon-mouth chili-head. I do enjoy chilies, but just the milder version. In fact, in my cookbook, I couldn’t even decide how to spell chile: Chile, Chili or Chilli or Chillie.

In many Asian countries, the correct spelling is Chilli with a double-L. I had an entire convo with Michael Ruhlman about this and he pulled up some reference guide by some famous food historian dude. So, I went with “chili” for the book. ~~But honestly, I think I’m a single-L and an E gal, so from now on, “chile” it is~~. Okay, okay, I just can’t do it. I can’t argue with Ruhlman. CHILI.

This recipe is from The Kimchi Chronicles by Marja Vongerichten, and if you recognize that last name, you’ll know her husband is the one and only Jean-George Vongerichten, or as I affectionately call “J-Vo”

Marja is Korean and the cookbook is a collection of Korean American recipes that her family enjoys. Most of the recipes are accessible for the home cook, with a couple of odd-ball dishes that J-Vo had a hand in (not in a bad way) – like Korean Baeckeoffe and Jeju Bouillabaisse.

Some of my favs from the book:

Spice-Rubbed Korean Chicken – uses gochugaru (Korean red pepper powder)
Bibimbap
Kimchi Fried Rice
Kimchi Bloody Mary

For the Korean food lover, I absolutely recommend this book!

The Kimchi Chronicles, by Marja Vongerichten is available on Amazon)!

Continue reading Hot Dogs with Kimchi Relish...

©Steamy Kitchen Recipes, 2011. | Permalink | 25 comments

Flank Steak with Goat Cheese on Toast

SteamyKitchen — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 14:02:20 +0000

While we were in Mexico for Food Blogger Camp back in February, I got a sneak peek at the photos that my good friends, Todd and Diane of White on Rice Couple shot of Cristina Ferrare’s new cookbook. I’m sure you heard of Cristina – she’s got a cooking show, “Big Bowl of Love” on the Oprah Winfrey Network.

Diane and Todd shot all the recipe photos as well as “lifestyle” shots – i.e. a dinner party with friends – if you have a chance to pick up this book, please do. Not only is it chock full of gorgeous food shots (every recipe has a photo) but the recipes featured are non-fussy — what I call “easy sophistication.”

I’ve got so many recipes bookmarked that this book will keep me busy for a while. Today’s recipe, Flank Steak with Goat Cheese on Toast, is inspired from the book. I had originally planned these for a Spanish Tapas party my friend, Wendy was hosting, but we ended up with an obscene amount of food, so I kept the marinating steak in the refrigerator and made the dish the following day.

***

Our Spanish Tapas Party

While Tom’s prepping his dish, Wendy and her sister in law, Kelly are the background with Spanish cookbook in hand reading the recipe.

Tom and his wife, Patty – right here smiley-happy next to the cheese – own the Tae Kwon Do studio that the boys and Scott go to. And yes, the boys can kick mama’s butt.

This was just appetizers….by the time dinner was ready, the entire table was full of food. Most of the dishes were Spanish tapas – we had some wonderful Spanish Tapena wine to go with our dinner party, courtesy of the winery. Tapena wines has recently gotten some amazing reviews and awards – the 2011 Monterey Wine Competition awarded them Import Wine of the Year.

While boys were outside fishing, the gals hung out by the apps and wine.

Tom made these crispy-light rice cakes topped with manchego cheese. I never knew he had this cooking talent!

Even Andrew loved the Manchego Cheese wrapped with Jamon Serrano — hungry after fishing!

After dinner? A single malt scotch tasting in the ultimate “man cave” – complete with leather chairs, cigars, deer heads (Shawn goes hunting once a year) and bull-horn chandelier.

I encouraged Scott to write a post on Scotch tasting, it would be his first-ever post on Steamy Kitchen. He declined until I told him that if he starts a “Scott’s Scotch Corner” on Steamy Kitchen, all his scotch would be a “business expense”

Look for a post from him soon.

***

Flank Steak on Goat Cheese on Toast

The flank steak is marinated in red chili flakes, smoked paprika, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Toppings included goat cheese, roasted red bell peppers and a balsamic fig and onion “jam” that I found at the market.

You can substitute with any sweet-savory jam or chutney. Mango chutney would be wonderful too. I have a list of recipes for jams at the end of the post.

Slice the roasted red bell pepper thinly.
Continue reading Flank Steak with Goat Cheese on Toast...

©Steamy Kitchen Recipes, 2011. | Permalink | 29 comments

Green Eggs and Ham Sushi

SteamyKitchen — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 13:58:24 +0000

Hey guys ‘n gals – it’s Green Eggs and Ham 50th Anniversary this year and to celebrate, rock stars Melissa d’Arabian, Michael Symon, Mitzi Dulan and I created some fun recipes using…you guessed it…green eggs and ham. Together, we’re on the consumer advisory council for the Pork Board.

I’ll tell you what though, my toughest cooking challenge ever was making green eggs look appetizing! My first experiment with green food coloring in the eggs resulted in a gnarly concoction that looked more like something out of a Dr. Seuss book.

uhh….hmm….ha!

Okay, so Dr. Seuss books aren’t great for appetite and I’m suspiciously eyeing that Green Eggs and Ham Cookbook. I wanted to create food that wasn’t just for show and tell but a dish that was actually appetizingt o both little kids and big kids.

So, Green Eggs and Ham Sushi was born (hat tip to American Style Sushi Cookbook). The eggs are mixed with chopped spinach, lots of chopped spinach.

By the way, did you know you can also get the book with Chinese and English, French (les oeufs vert et jamon) and even Italian (proscuitto e uova verdi). The boys really love the animated DVD (it’s only $5.99!)

Below are step by step photos on how to roll the sushi – please try it with your kids! They’ll have a blast making sushi with you!

Take a look at more Green Eggs and Ham Recipes -
Melissa d’Arabian: Ham and Green Egg Mini Tartlets
Mitzi Dulan: Ham and Avocado Deviled Eggs
Michael Symon: Ham Sandwich with Greens and Eggs

oooh and before you go…can I humor you with An Ode to Spam in the Style of Seuss?

Green Eggs and Ham Sushi

Servings: 4 (makes 4-6 large rolls, about 24-36 sushi pieces) Prep Time: Cook Time:

A few tips: Make sure you get sushi rice and not long grain rice. Only short grain rice is suitable for sushi making. I buy seasoned rice vinegar - which already contains sugar and salt. If you only have unseasoned - simmer 1/3 cup unseasoned rice vinegar with 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 teaspoon salt. Let cool before using. Buy very thin ham slices, deli-style thin is best.

Ingredients:

Sushi Rice
2 cups short-grain sushi rice
2 cups + 2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegarSushi Spinach-Egg Filling:
1/2 cup chopped frozen spinach, defrosted
1 teaspoon cooking oil
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 teaspoon saltSushi Rolls:
6-8 thin ham slices (thin deli-style sandwich ham)
6 sheets sushi seaweed (nori) 7 1/2" x 9" sheet
bamboo sushi mat, completely wrapped with plastic wrap on both sides
Sushi Rice

Directions:

Make the sushi rice : Place rice in fine-mesh colander and rinse well to remove excess starch; drain. Transfer to a 2 1/2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan. Add water. Cover with tight fitting lid and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low or medium-low. Very gently simmer, covered, about 20 minutes or until water is absorbed. Remove from heat. Let stand, covered, for 15 minutes. Transfer rice to a large baking dish or large bowl. Slightly cool. Sprinkle with rice vinegar; very gently toss until combined. Cool to room temperature. Cover with damp towel to prevent rice from drying out. When making sushi, you want the rice to be close to room temperature (hot, steaming rice will make the seaweed soggy).

Meanwhile, for the spinach-egg filling, squeeze as much water out of the spinach as possible.

Finely chop the spinach. Gently fry the eggs with the spinach and season with salt. Let cool before rolling sushi.

To roll the sushi, have all your ingredients ready.

Lay out the sushi mat, with the bamboo running horizontally. The sushi mat should be completely wrapped in plastic wrap (otherwise the rice will stick to it). Lay the nori on the mat.

Wet your hands, fling off excess water and grab about 3/4 cup of the sushi rice. Damp hands will prevent the rice from sticking. Use your fingertips and gently spread out the rice all over the seaweed.

You don't want too much rice - just enough to barely cover.

Lay down the ham.

Spoon about 3 tablespoons of the egg/spinach mixture. Move the nori so it is flush with the bottom of the mat.

Now bring up the edge of the mat.

Begin rolling - but keep the edge of the bamboo mat up on top of the rice. Roll with one hand, and use the other hand to gently tug the mat. This will ensure a tight roll.

See how I keep the edge of the bamboo mat up? Continue rolling and gently tugging until roll is complete.

Give it nice final tug back to tighten roll.

There you go. See how even the roll is?

Dip the tip your knife in water, and slice into 6 even pieces. A wet knife tip will prevent sticking.

©Steamy Kitchen Recipes, 2010. | Permalink | 28 comments

Salmon Burger Recipes + video on how to form patties

SteamyKitchen — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 14:50:38 +0000

I love me a good salmon burger! Or crab cake or lobster cake. Or….okay, okay, I LOVE SEAFOOD! But one of the hardest things about making seafood burgers (or patties) is keeping the darn thing together while its on the grill or cooking in the pan. There’s nothing worse than watching your precious fish fall through the grates of your BBQ grill. Sure, you could use more wet filler to bind (like egg or mayo) but there’s a balance…the right balance between fish, binder and breadcrumbs.

Too much binder and the patty turns out soggy bleh. Too much breadcrumbs and that’s all you taste!

Want to know how to I form the patty so that it stays together? (p.s. the recipe is below, first link)

Salmon Burger Recipe – on Steamy Kitchen on TLC (I used salmon, panko, shallots, lemon zest, lemon juice, parsley)

Asian Salmon Burger Recipe (one of my very first posts EVER on Steamy Kitchen!)

Salmon Burger Recipe a la Mark Bittman from Ezra Poundcake

Salmon Burgers a la Martha Stewart & Rachael Ray from YumSugar

Salmon Burgers with Chipotle Aioli by One Perfect Bite

Perfect Salmon Patties by Dana on Tasty Kitchen

Salmon Burger with Wasabi Soy Glaze on Kitchen Daily

**Big thanks to Smith Bites for creating my “sonic brand” (giggle!) the jingle that you hear in the video, as well as the animation. We’ll be sharing the process of how we came up with that jingle soon!

©Steamy Kitchen Recipes, 2010. | Permalink | 28 comments

Hawaiian Luau Burger

steamykitchen — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 16:20:22 +0000

Ted Reader is a man I’ve referred to as someone who tiptoes the fine line between genius and lunatic, and that’s exactly why I love this man.

His cookbooks are big, bold and absolutely nuts. Ted just came out with king of all burger books – Napolean’s Everyday Gourmet Burgers.

Meet Ted and the Ultimate Cheeseburger Melt. It’s as big as his head and includes 5 different cheeses and a side of heartburn.

The Schwarzenegger Burger has 2 bacon-covered sirloin/ground pork burgers on either side of a hot dog, grilled on a cedar plank. I’d make this just for giggles.

The Steak Oscar Burger is a bacon-wrapped beef tenderloin burger topped with lump crabmeat, asparagus and dijon mustard sauce.

The Halibut King Crab Burger includes wild rice, grated carrots, onions and red bell pepper on top of a broiche bun.

The over-the-top Billion Dollar Burger is made with smoked shredded beef brisket, foie gras, Kobe beef, Gentleman Jack Rare Tennessee Whisky. And that’s just the patty. Top the burger with a seared piece of foie gras, shaved truffles, caviar and surround with morel mushrooms.

So which one would you try?

I’m all over Ted’s Hawaiian Luau Burger – a pork patty topped with grilled pineapple, tomatoes, red onion and shaved smoked ham. The recipe for the Luau Burger is over at Steamy Kitchen on TLC.

Recipe for the Luau Burger is over at Steamy Kitchen on TLC.

©Steamy Kitchen Recipes, 2010. | Permalink | 36 comments

Bobby Flay’s Grilled Steak Sandwich with Steak Sauce Mayo

steamykitchen — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 08:54:55 +0000

Do you know who I love? This man, right here, B.Flay. I used to watch him on Food Network religiously, especially his grilling shows.

I want his backyard. I want his kitchen! Wait, don’t tell me it was just a designed studio set!

Well, I had a chance to ask Bobby Flay a few questions, courtesy of The Real Food Project, and gave a shoutout on Twitter to source the questions.

Bobby’s team answered them, so I have no idea if he really answered them or what….but heck, who cares….I’m 2 degrees away from B.Flay!

For Bobby Flay’s Grilled Steak Sandwich Recipe and to read the questions/answers, head on over to Steamy Kitchen on TLC!

©Steamy Kitchen Recipes, 2010. | Permalink | 17 comments

Open Face Salmon Sandwich with Sweet Mustard Sauce

SteamyKitchen — Tue, 11 May 2010 18:41:27 +0000

I can be pretty boring with salmon, it’s so easily mastered with just the bare-bones salt, pepper and a hot grill. So why mess with simple and perfect?

Well, because chef Marcus Samuelsson says so….and I agree. Marcus’ Sweet Mustard Sauce is a 15-second whisk of Dijon mustard, honey, olive oil and a squeeze of lemon that’s a perfect addition to grilled salmon.. In fact, whisk in a more olive oil and it turns into a fantastic honey mustard salad dressing if you want to ditch the sandwich idea and serve the salmon on a bed of lettuce instead.

Marcus Samuelsson on Blogging

A few weeks ago, my good friends at Be Everywhere social media agency (hey James, Danica and Tamara!) invited me to a Macy’s Culinary Council event in D.C. I couldn’t go, so I sent two bloggers to go my place, Mrs. Wheelbarrow and and the mysterious W. Mark Felt. Mrs. Wheelbarrow shot a quick video, asking Marcus about blogging (see below) and I’ll publish Felt’s article later this week.

Sooooo….Marcus, what do you think of blogging?

YES! Marcus blogs and tweets! Though, someone needs to tell him that he’d be much more successful at social media if he actually talks back with people once in a while. Open up comments on the blog! Respond to nice tweets! There’s a reason why the word “social” is in social media….it’s not soapbox media.

Okay, getting off my little rant and onto the recipe…simple ingredients…

And of course the sweet mustard sauce….

Food Styling: Salmon Sandwich

If you’re interested in seeing my step-by-step food styling and photography leading up to the money shot, I’ve posted on Food Blog Forum.

I’ll show you the itty-bitty details that I notice when I’m looking through the lens as I’m taking the photo.

Open Face Salmon Sandwich with Sweet Mustard Sauce Recipe

Servings: 4 Prep Time: Cook Time:

recipe adapted from Marcus Samuelsson New American Table Cookbook

Ingredients:

For the Sweet Mustard Sauce2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepperFor the Sandwich1 egg
Four 4-ounce salmon fillets, about 1 inch
thick, skin removed if desired
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons Sweet Mustard Sauce, (see above)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tomato cut into four 1/2 -inch slices
1/4 red onion, sliced thinly
8 slices dark rye or multi-grain bread
Mixed leafy greens
1 avocado halved, pitted, and cut into 1/2 inch slices
2 teaspoons capers, drained

Directions:

1. To make the Sweet Mustard sauce, whisk together the mustard and honey in a small bowl. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, whisking continuously. Stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.

2. To hard boil the egg, put the egg in a small pot and fill with water to cover the egg by 1-inch. Bring the water to boil and immediately turn the heat off. Let the eggs sit in the hot water for exactly 7 minutes. Drain, rinse under cool water and peel when cool enough to handle. Cut the egg into quarters, lengthwise.

3. Heat a grill pan over high heat. Brush salmon fillets with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and grill for 2 minutes on each side.

4. Wipe the grill pan clean, brush the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil on the bread and grill the bread for 30 seconds each side, until nicely toasted (or use a toaster)

5. To assemble sandwiches, first cut each piece of salmon into 2 pieces. Layering leafy greens, tomato, avocado, egg, red onion, grilled salmon and capers on each bread slice. Spoon the sweet mustard sauce on top and serve, opened faced.

©Steamy Kitchen Recipes, 2010. | Permalink | 59 comments

Bison Burgers with Bacon & Blue Cheese

SteamyKitchen — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 04:25:21 +0000

When GoodBite asked me to participate in the an “adventure ingredient” challenge, I was like “adventure!? HELL YEAH! bring it on baby!”

For days, I was dreaming of being challenged to make tempura tarantula, something my buddy Eddie Lin of Deep End Dining has feasted on.

Or maybe even baking some vegemite cupcakes.

Ewww! Right?

But damn, that would have been fun to zing off on a totally different tangent of food blogging and freak my mother out.

Well, Chef Dave picked bison as my adventure ingredient – hardly an adventure for a gal like me who’s dined on far freakier things!

So, what to do with Bison meat? Make Bison Burgers with Bacon and Blue Cheese of course!

Clever, eh? All those B’s make me feel adventurous.

Oh…don’t want to forget to mention that um yeah, I totally did say that bison meat is healthier with less calories and less cholesterol…that is…until you fatten it up with BACON and BLUE CHEEEEEEEEZZZZ!

Hey, at least I didn’t include a spread of lard on the buns.

Recipe after the jump…

Bison Burgers with Bacon and Blue Cheese

1 1/2 pounds ground bison
4 strips bacon, each strip cut in half
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
fresh arugula
salt and pepper
4 burger buns
2-3 tablespoons good quality mustard

1. Season the ground bison generously with salt and pepper. Divide the meat into 4 equal sized patties, about 1-inch thick. Form and shape the patties so that they have a slight indentation in the middle of patty. This helps the burger cook to an even size, as the middle always puffs up during cooking.

2. If you are using an outdoor BBQ grill, preheat your grill on high.

3. In the meantime, place the bacon strips in a large frying pan over medium-high heat and cook until crisp on both sides.

4. To cook the burgers, place the patties on the hot grill, close lid and cook for 2-3 minutes. Flip, close the lid and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Flip once more, turn the heat to medium and cook until juices run clear or to the temperature of your choice.

5. Spread each burger bun with mustard, top with the bison burger, 2 strips of bacon, crumbled blue cheese and fresh arugula.

©Steamy Kitchen Recipes, 2010. | Permalink | 37 comments

Coccante Signore: The Crispy Mister

SteamyKitchen — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 12:53:37 +0000

What’s my position on meat? I love it. I crave meat and I probably eat too much of it.

that, and chocolate.

and coffee

oh yes, wine too.

To be healthier, I could give up some of the above.

But I can’t.

You’d have to pry that grilled steak from my hungry, greedy hands. There are too many reasons to keep my meats, starting with braised pork belly and ending with the sizzle of a perfectly grilled Porterhouse.

How can I dream of giving that up, even in the name of a lighter grocery bill and healthier body?

My friend, Kim O’Donnel, has been hosting “Meatless Mondays” for the past few years, featuring a vege-friendly recipe and discussion. Each week I vow to participate. If I can’t become a vegetarian, perhaps I can be one just part-time? Once a week isn’t that big of a deal, right?

A few months ago, I met food writer Joy Manning on Twitter. Her avatar is a blurred out photo of her face, not because she’s funny looking or anything, but because she’s an important restaurant critic in Philadelphia and she doesn’t want to be recognized by restaurant staff. side note- I don’t get the whole disguise thing for restaurant critics…I mean, it’s all about the free desserts, right? Kidding. Totally kidding.

Anyways, Joy and Tara Mataraza Desmond wrote a book called Almost Meatless for us vege-wimps. It’s not about finger-wagging, tsk-tsk-ness of many of the healthy eating cookbooks out there. Almost Meatless is cool with

Hey, baby, I get it. You like meat, that’s all right. How about some recipes with a leeeeetle less meat but still all the flavor?

I’m so down with that. I can totally do that.

From the Almost Meatless cookbook, I chose to cook the Croccante Signore, Joy and Tara’s Italian version of a French Croque Monsieur, or a grilled cheese sandwich.

(loud whisper) it’s a fancy grilled cheese sandwich! With leeeeetle bit of MEAT!

But what is a Croque Monsieur in the first place?

It’s the French version of a grilled ham and cheese sandwich – the “croque” means- crispy – you know, the sound the grilled bread makes when you bite into it! It’s usually made with really good ham and Gruyere cheese. There are multiple varations of the Croque – including adding tomatoes (Croque Provencal); adding a fried egg on top (oh yum!) and even sweet/savory ones like an Apple and Crispy Sage Croque.

This Italian-ish riff on the Croque Monsieur is playfully called The Croccante Signore. Instead of French bread, I used an Italian Ciabatta…and instead of ham, the lovely, salty prosciutto takes its place.

Coccante Signore: The Crispy Mister Recipe

Recipe adapted from Almost Meatless by Joy Manning and Tara Mataraza Desmond

I tinkered with the recipe and added a couple thick slices of fresh tomatoes and sub’d butter for the mayo. Couldn’t find caciocavallo cheese, but bought a big hunk of a soft cheese. Use any kind of cheese that’s melty (yeah, that’s a word). Just a word about the bread — the ciabatta that I used was a little too crusty – especially when we’re also griling the outside of the bread. Try using bread without so much crust – something with a big soft, holey surface area.

8 (1/2-inch) slices good bakery bread

4 teaspoons good-quality mustard (Dijon or other style)

4 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto

4 ounces good melting cheese, sliced or grated

2 tablespoons butter, softened

8 slices tomato

1. Preheat a cast iron or other heavy pan over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes, or until hot. You can also use a Panini grill.

2. Spread one slice of bread with mustard and layer on 1/4 of the prosciutto, 2 slices of tomato, 1/4 of the cheese. Top with another slice of bread. Spread a very thin layer of butter on the outside of the sandwiche, as you would butter the bread for a grilled cheese sandwich. Repeat with remaining

3. Place 2 sandwiches in your heated pan (alternatively, you can use a Panini grill – just follow instructions for your grill) and do not disturb for 3 minutes, or until the cheese is beginning to melt and the bread is golden brown. Carefully flip over the sandwich to the other side.

4. Repeat with the remaining 2 sandwiches, making sure each rests for 5 minutes before cutting it. (If you cut them immediately, the cheese will run out of the sandwich.)

Who else makes Croque Monsieur?

Simply Recipe’s Croque Monsieur Ham and Cheese Sandwich
Slash Food lists variations on the Croque
My friend Kathy of Panini Happy makes a Croque Monsieur on the Panini grill
La Mange La Ville tries out Nigella Lawson’s Croque Monsieur Bake

Asian Lettuce Cups with Ground Turkey & Green Apple

SteamyKitchen — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 02:21:15 +0000

Don’t you feel like this dish should just ::wink:: and do a little sexy twirl? Such a flirty little thing!

“Asian Lettuce Wraps” or “Asian Lettuce Cups” is the most requested recipe on my site. I’ve updated the recipe to be lighter, more refreshing and healthier. No goopy cornstarchy sauce! Sorry, P.F. Chang! You can make a vegetarian version – just substitute crumbed tofu, more vegetables or even plain rice for the ground turkey. Traditionally, the recipe includes canned water chestnuts, which honestly taste like crunchy styrofoam. Instead, I’ve used crisp diced green apples – which is much tastier.

The mung bean noodles look clear and transparent when dried and puff up in just a few seconds time when fried. They are NOT “rice noodles” – when in doubt, look at the ingredient list on the back. It should say “mung beans.”

Hey…who’s stealing my apples?

Asian Lettuce Cups Recipe

The Sauce:
1-1/2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Sriracha hot sauce

Filling:
1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
2 stalks, scallions
1 pound ground turkey or chicken
2 cups mixed vegetables (frozen pea/carrots, finely diced bell peppers, etc.)
1/2 green apple, finely diced

Toppings/Wrap:
1 head boston bibb lettuce, leaves washed and separated
2 skeins, Mung Bean Noodles
2 medium carrots, Use vegetable peeler to peel cut carrot into paper thin strips. Use knife to further cut into super duper thin strands. Or, use the handy kitchen gadget <- I like this gadget

1. To fry the mung bean noodles, heat a wok or small sauce pan (something not too wide at its base. the smaller the base width, the less oil you will need to use) with about 2 inches of cooking oil. While oil is heating to 375F, use your hands to separate the strands of the mung bean noodle into small clumps. When oil hot, fry one batch at a time. It should only take 10 seconds to fry. Remove, drain on paper towels.

2. Combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl.

3. To make the filling, heat wok on high heat with cooking oil. When oil is hot, add scallions, ginger and garlic and fry a few seconds until fragrant. Add turkey or chicken and fry until almost cooked through. Add the vegetables and cook 1 minute. Add sauce ingredients. Let simmer for 1 minute to thicken slightly.

4. Add the apples. Toss to coat. Immediately remove from heat. You don’t want to “cook” the apples – keep them nice and crunchy. Serve with lettuce cups, carrot shavings and fried mung bean noodles.

==================

Kitt’s comment below just reminded me of the great weekend we just had with my baby birds.

Fighting for “THE BITE.”

Andrew is taller, he has the advantage.

But Nathan has sharp teeth

And swoops in for the kill

Did I scold him? Hell no. Smart strategy I say!