Wannabe Chef Steph

Well, now that I have the obligatory first blog post out of the way…  I’m ready to get down to business!  My first “real” post will explore the Asian-themed dinner extraordinaire we had tonight!  I made Asian Turkey Burgers with Quick Slaw and an Asian potato salad.

The before...

Asian Turkey Burgers with Quick Slaw:

• 4 cups thinly sliced cabbage
• 2 shredded carrots
• 1 red bell pepper
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro (omitted for the hubs, but added a pinch to my own)
• 1.5 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp dark sesame oil
• 1 lb ground turkey breast
• 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 1 scallion chopped
• 1 tsp fresh ground ginger
• 4 english muffins

1. Preheat broiler, spray rack of a broiler pan with nonstick spray
2. Combine cabbage, carrots, bell pepper vinegar, cilantro, sugar, 1 tbsp of soy sauce, and 1 tsp sesame oil in bowl, toss to coat.
3. Combine turkey, hoisin, scallion, ginger, the remaining 1 tbsp soy sauce, and the remaining 1 tsp oil in a second bowl.  Shape into 4 1/ inch patties.  Transfer to broiler rack and cook 4-5 minutes on each side or until cooked through.  Serve with English muffins and slaw on side.

Working the slaw!

Ready to mix the turkey..

Asian Potato Salad:

• 1 1/2 pound potatoes (whole if fingerling or red, cubed if baking potato)
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 small red pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 green onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 jalapeño, seeded and minced
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped (again omitted for the hubs, but added to mine)

1. In 4-quart saucepan, place potatoes, 1 teaspoon salt, and enough water to cover; heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 10 to 12 minutes or until potatoes are fork-tender. Drain.
2. In medium bowl, whisk vinegar, olive oil, sesame oil, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt until blended. Stir red pepper, green onion, jalapeño, and cilantro into dressing.
3. Immediately add potatoes to bowl with dressing; toss to coat.

Potato salad ingredients

And the final result was: Drum roll please….

Ta da! Dinner is served!

So my take on the dinner is:

Time: 35 minutes

Cost: Est. ~$15-20

Taste: 7 out of 10

Final verdict: Make it again!

I found the turkey burger and slaw recipe in the Weight Watchers Make it in Minutes cookbook and I found the potato salad recipe online: http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/recipefinder/warm-asian-potato-salad-1004, via a random google search.  I made minor alterations to both but followed both recipes for the most part.

Now what do you think?!?!  What Asian-flaired recipes do you enjoy?  Do you have any interesting takes on the turkey burger?  What wine would you pair with a meal like this?  I’d love to hear your thoughts!