Summer Salad with Almond-Crusted Chicken & Yogurt Chive Dressing

Summer Salad with Almond-Crusted Chicken & Yogurt Chive Dressing
adapted from Fine Cooking

Salad
Butter lettuce, torn and washed, or arugula
1 cup sliced Strawberries or 2 sliced Nectarines
1 Cucumber, peeled and sliced
Almond-Crusted Chicken

Dressing
1/4 cup whole milk yogurt or buttermilk
1 Tbs. sour cream
1 Tbs. white balsamic vinegar [I often use plain balsamic]
1/2 tsp. honey
2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbs. thinly sliced fresh chives or green onions
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

• In a blender or magic bullet (my fav), combine dressing ingredients. Adjust seasoning to taste
• To make the dressing manually, combine the buttermilk, sour cream, vinegar, and honey in a bowl. Slowly whisk in the oil to blend. Stir in the chives and season to taste with salt and pepper
• Combine salad ingredients and drizzle with dressing

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Almond-Crusted Chicken Strips

Almond-Crusted Chicken Strips
lightly adapted from Fine Cooking

2 large eggs
1-3/4 cups sliced almonds
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1-1/2 lb. chicken breast
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1.5 Tbs. of butter
1.5 Tbs. of coconut oil

• Lightly beat the eggs in a shallow bowl.
• Pulse the almonds and flour together in a food processor until the almonds are coarsely chopped,
• transfer the almond mixture to a pie plate or similar dish.
• Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
• Dip pieces of chicken one by one in the eggs. Dredge in the almond mixture, pressing lightly to help it adhere. Set aside. (I like to use one hand for the egg mixture and one for the almonds so that they don't get caked with eggy almonds)
• Heat the butter and coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
• In batches, if needed, cook the chicken until light golden brown and just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side.
• Transfer the chicken to a paper-towel-lined plate. Between batches, remove any stray almonds from the pan and add more butter/oil if necessary.
• Serve and store plain for little people or on top of a salad.

Storage:
Refrigerator: 2 days
Freezer: Up to 1 month

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Mini Empanadas

My first empanada was in Bolivia. It was 1999. The summer I met and fell swiftly, wholly, irreversibly in love with him. The him who is now my husband. One afternoon, we ate empanadas from every street cart we spotted, and shared oranges in a park. It was an adventure. He didn't know I liked him. That's another story. One that's not about food. I think you're here for food.

There's much to love about these mini empanadas. In fact, what's not to love? Warm filling inside flakey, crisp pastry - whole wheat, of course - hand-held pockets perfect a proper mealtime or one on the go. The filling is the result of my ongoing stuff-veggies-everywhere-I-can campaign and is a winner, but I plan to experiment with others. I'll keep you posted.

This recipe was designed with a toddler in mind [read: healthy + yummy], but I'll let you in a secret. If you're in the market for a not so healthy empanada, grab some store bought puff pastry, lots of cheese (cheddar and jack), shredded chicken, onion, and some seasoning (salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin). Assemble and bake as outlined below. Simple, quick and so good.



Mini Empanadas

The Dough

2 cup Whole Wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
1 cup cold water
Extra whole wheat flour for rolling out dough

The Filling

1 chicken breast fillet, meat remaining from chicken stock (optional)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons minced red bell pepper
2 tablespoons minced green onion
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4-1/2 cup frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

• Combine flour and salt. Stir well
• Cut in 4 tablespoons of butter, crumbling it into the flour and mixing well with fingers.
• Begin adding cold water 1/4 cup at a time until the mixture forms a dough. Add a little flour if it's sticky
• Form into a ball, cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes
• Pan-sear or grill chicken
• Preheat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium-size skillet over medium-high heat. Add red pepper and onion to pan and sauté for a couple minutes until tender
• Dice or shred cooked chicken into small cubes and add it to pan. Add corn, black beans, spinach, jalapeno peppers, parsley, cumin, chili powder, salt, and cayenne pepper
• Cook for another 4 minutes, combining thoroughly.
• Remove pan from heat and add cheese; stir until cheese is melted
• Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface, and cut in 4" circles (I use these handy tools)
• Spoon filling into the center and seal
• Bake at 375 degrees for 10-20 min, until golden. The filling is already cooked so you don't need to worry about the internal temperature
• Serve with sour cream and avocado. [I often substitute yogurt]

Storage
Refrigerator: up to 4 days
Freezer: up to 1 month. First freeze on a cookie tray until firm and then store in a zip lock bag. Thaw in the fridge and warm in the toaster oven



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Middle Eastern Turkey Burgers

Quick, flavorful and easy to eat, these are great for toddlers and adults alike.



Middle Eastern Turkey Burgers 
adapted from Fine Cooking
 
4 large or 12 mini burgers
20 min

1-1/2 lb. ground turkey
2 medium cloves garlic
Kosher salt
1/4 cup lightly packed chopped fresh mint
1/4 cup lightly packed chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 tsp. sweet paprika
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. cayenne (optional, not recommended for children)

• Combine minced garlic with 1/2 tsp. salt, and using the side of a chef's knife, mash to a paste
• Mix the garlic paste, mint, parsley, olive oil, paprika, cumin, coriander, and cayenne, and gently add to the turkey. 
• Shape the meat into patties
• Grill or saute (recommended for mini patties) until just cooked through
• Serve with a warm, whole-wheat pita, yogurt and diced cucumber. [Little Man eats them plain or with yogurt]

Storage

Refrigerator: up to 2 days, or so. Reheat in the toaster oven.
Freezer: up to 1 month (possibly more), take a few days worth out at a time to thaw in the refrigerator 

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Black Bean Burgers

While not specifically for children, these protein-packed patties are hand-held and easy to chew making them perfect toddler food. They are a Little Man favorite, particularly when dipped in plain yogurt.



Black Bean Burgers
adapted from Fine Cooking
 
4 large or 12 mini burgers
30 min

3 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 cup thinly chopped scallions
2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
15-oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup toasted whole-grain breadcrumbs (about 1 slice of bread)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp. chile powder

1/2 tsp. ground cumin
Kosher salt

• Heat 1 Tbs. of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the scallions and garlic and cook until they are fragrant and begin to soften. 
• Add the black beans and scallion/garlic mix to the food processor. Pulse 2 or 3 times to roughly chop. Do not over process.
• In a mixing bowl, gently mix in the cilantro, breadcrumbs, egg, chile powder, cumin, and 3/4 tsp. salt. Add the black bean mixture and combine. 
• Shape the mixture into patties. [I prefer making mini burgers, particularly for small children]
• Heat the remaining 2 Tbs. oil in the skillet over medium heat. Cook the burgers until lightly browned on both sides and cook through, flipping carefully, about 5 minutes total
• Serve with plain yogurt (or sour cream) and avocado 

Storage

Refrigerator: up to 4 days, or so. Reheat in the toaster oven.
Freezer: up to 1 month (possibly more), take a few days worth out at a time to thaw in the refrigerator 

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