Cooking School- 7 Layer Dip

This is the perfect thing to make with children in the kitchen. It is fun for the kids to help open cans, chop things, spread the layers and sprinkle everything on top.

My girls and I decided to make this dip for a family dinner with a Mexican theme. Mostly because I can remember making it as a child with my family when we would get together with my cousins. I remember everyone taking part in preparing the different layers and then putting it together.

I haven't made this dip since I've been married, although I have tried other versions, like this Meditteranean one and a lighter one for a cooking group I was in. My advice is to taste test the different layers as you go along to make sure they have the right flavor and let someone help you put it together. We had a lot of fun.

If you are lucky enough to have any leftovers, try them with scrambled eggs, in some sort of burrito or as part of a salad.
There are so many version of 7 Layer Dip out there, but this our adapted version of the one I remember making with my family as a child

7 Layer Dip
1 can bean dip or refried beans (seasoned with garlic powder to taste)
8 oz container sour cream (I used greek yogurt since I had it on hand)
1 pkg taco seasoning
3 ripe avocados
1 lemon
shredded lettuce
shredded cheese (We used a monterey jack/cheddar blend & the girls shredded it)
chopped tomato
sliced black olives (I accidentally bought chopped black olives this time)

1. On a large platter or in a deep dish, spread the bean dip/refried beans in a even layer.
2. Combine the taco seasoning and sour cream in a bowl; spread on top of bean layer.
3. Mash the avocados with a few Tbls of freshly squeezed lemon juice; season with salt and pepper. Spread the avocados over the taco sour cream mixture.
4. Sprinkle shredded lettuce on top of avocado, followed by the shredded cheese, chopped tomatoes, and sliced black olives.
5. Chill until ready to serve.
6. Serve with tortilla chips.

Spiced Turkey Burgers

So its been about 6 weeks since my Dad started my garden for me. I have been watering and weeding and watching in amazement as the veggies have grown so quickly. So many of my veggies are doing great and when I made these little burgers, we were able to use some of the green leaf lettuce from our own garden to make little wraps! So fun and exciting to harvest your own produce.

I don't know how I found this recipe, but I had a little feta in the fridge and these little patties can be made ahead, so they were the perfect thing to mix up before church and grill as soon as we walked in the door. I used my indoor grill and we were eating lunch within about 15 minutes.
These burgers were flavorful and juicy. I made them into smaller patties, so that we could have wrap them in lettuce leaves. Fun and delicious!


Here is the recipe for Spiced Turkey Burgers from Pinch My Salt
* I used fresh dill, fresh oregano, and fresh Italian parsley
* I omitted the olives
* I made 12 small patties instead of just 6

Tuna Salad Wraps

Tuna is one of those foods that kinda gets a bad wrap for some reason. Tuna salad too.
I understand it, because some people's only memory of tuna is something that is smothered in that horrible white stuff (mayo), which I find absolutely disgusting.

I think tuna has lots of possibilities and we eat it often at our house.
If we are having plain old tuna sandwiches, I always mix it with a minimal amount of plain yogurt (don't like it sopping wet), add lots of chopped celery, dill pickles, to add some crunch and make sure there is lettuce and toasted bread involved.

Canned tuna can be so delicious is other ways too. It can be wonderful in pasta dishes and you can never go wrong with a vinegar/olive oil dressing to perk up your tuna salad.

This was inspired by something I saw in a magazine briefly, but I didn't have the magazine with me when I was mixing this up, so I guess I was just inspired by it.
The radishes and lemon zest give a nice boost of flavor, and garbanzo beans round out the whole thing.
My girls helped me mix it up and they ate the other half of the garbanzo beans while we were fixing this.
I didn't measure out the vinegar and olive oil with measuring spoons, I just drizzled some into the salad, and then we tasted it to see if it needed more. We used more vinegar than oil for sure.

My kids really liked this, as did my husband. This was a no utensil night, since we ate these with our fingers.


Tuna Salad Wraps
6 stalks celery, chopped
5 radishes, thinly sliced and quartered
2 cans tuna, drained
1/2 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
Juice of 1 lemon
zest of 1/2 lemon
red wine vinegar
olive oil
salt
pepper
green leaf lettuce

Combine celery, radishes, tuna and garbanzo beans in a large bowl and mix together.
Add lemon juice and zest, a few dashes of vinegar and oil, and season with salt and pepper.
Stir together and add more vinegar, oil, or salt/pepper- to taste.

Serve on large lettuce leaves and wrap to eat.

CEiMB-Pulled BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

This week's CEiMB recipe- Pulled BBQ Chicken Sandwiches, was chosen by Pam, whose blog- Cookies with Boys, is a really great one- she always has great healthy recipes and delicious treats. She just seems like the kind of person that you would really want to have living next door. She has 2 adorable little boys and I am sure if she was your neighbor she would probably bring you a plate of cookies or invite you over for a lunchdate.
You can find the recipe on her blog or by clicking on the link at the bottom of this post.

The night that I made these for dinner my husband walked into the kitchen, looked at the pan I was cooking in and asked, "What is that?"
I said "BBQ for sandwiches."
He replied, " Well, I know what it is, but you don't ever cook stuff like that."

So, I guess that was his reaction when he saw me cooking something "normal". I thought it was pretty funny.

I don't really know that much about BBQ. I don't have a certain taste that I am looking for in the sauce or anything like that. I can't tell the difference between vinegar-based or whatever. In fact, the word BBQ meant to me growing up, that we were going to have a BBQ in the backyard, cooking something on the grill.
When I moved to the south, I soon realized that BBQ is actually a food. The confusion with words and phrases didn't stop there, but I won't go into that.

So, anyway- I made this sauce as is, because I wouldn't really know how to change it and I am not that particular about this stuff anyway. I left out the liquid smoke because I don't have any and this dinner was enjoyed by all. If I did make it again, I might mess around with the sauce and add something to give it a little heat and I would probably cook my own chicken to shred because the rotisserie chicken I found was quite pricey.

I had some of the BBQ leftover and I ate it the next day over some salad greens. It made a pretty tasty salad.

Check out the other CEiMB members by going to the Blogroll!
And if you haven't already entered my giveaway, go and comment for your chance to win a cookbook!
Recipe for Pulled BBQ Chicken Sandwiches


One Year Ago- Lunchbox #2

Asian Patties

I found this recipe quite a few years ago, in Parents Magazine and I have been making variations of it ever since. It is easy and gets lots of veggies into a nice meal.
The original recipe uses ground sirloin and I have made it in the past with beef. I don't really eat beef anymore, so the past few times I have made it, I have used ground turkey breast.
Basically, any ground meat would work. If you use ground turkey breast, you just have to watch the patties close, because if you cook them too long, they will be dry.
Sometimes, I add a little chicken broth to the pan while they are cooking, just to keep them moist.
The cream of coconut and anchovy paste really makes the flavors great. My kids really enjoyed this meal because it is something that you can eat with your fingers and everything is close to bite size.

Asian Patties adapted from Parents Magazine
2 Tbls cream of coconut
1 Tbls plain bread crumbs
1 Tbls soy sauce
1 tsp. grated fresh gingerroot
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp anchovy paste
3/4 pd. ground turkey breast
1 1/2 cups cucumber slices
1 cup carrot slices
1 cup red pepper slices
1/2 cup seasoned rice vinegar
2 Tbls sugar
1 tsp salt
Lettuce leaves

1. In a bowl, combine coconut cream, bread crumbs, soy sauce, ginger, garlic and anchovy paste. Add turkey and gently combine until well mixed. Shape meat into 12 small patties, cover and refrigerate until ready to cook.

2. In another bowl, combine cucumber, carrot and red pepper. In a medium saucepan, combine vinegar, sugar, salt and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil, remover from heat and pour over veggies. Let sit for 3 minutes, then drain, reserving liquid.

3. Heat grill or skillet over medium high heat. Grill patties until cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Serve in lettuce leaves with vegetables and rice on the side. Dip in reserved liquid.


Coming Tuesday- TWD- Honey Peach Ice Cream

Asian Chicken and Mango Salad

I decided to go with a another dish that called for mangoes, since I found 3 really lovely mangoes and didn't use all of them in the quick bread for TWD.
This salad was sooo easy and really good. I reduced the amount of oil in the dressing, just because I always do and it leaves more room for flavor from the other dressing ingredients.
I had a hard time finding a plain old rotisserie chicken. There were so many flavors, I was beginning to think I was going to have to roast my own. But then I found a salt and pepper only chicken and took it home and had this salad ready in about 15 minutes.
We have been eating the leftover dressing on salad greens and sprinkling peanuts on top.
It was really a great dinner.

Asian Chicken and Mango Salad adapted from Redbook Magazine
Sesame-Soy Dressing
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh gingerroot, grated
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic, minced
2/3 cups canola oil (I used 1/3 cup)
1/3 cup rice vinegar (I used 1/4 cup)
1 1/2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
Salad
1 store-bought rotisserie chicken
1 large ripe mango, halved, pitted, and diced
1 large seeless cucumber, quartered lengthwise, cut into chunks
1 small red onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
8 cups mixed salad greens
lime wedges, for garnish
Directions
Dressing: Combine the sesame-soy dressing ingredients in a 2-cup jar; cover jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake well to dissolve the honey. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 3 weeks.
Salad: Remove skin and bones from rotisserie chicken and pull into long shreds. Toss chicken in a large bowl with mango, cucumber, red onion, and salt.
Add 1/2 cup of dressing and toss to lightly coat. Serve chicken salad over watercress or mixed greens. Garnish with lime wedges.


Coming Tomorrow- CEiMB- Thai Style Halibut with Coconut Curry Broth

Lettuce Wraps

The original title of this recipe is Better Than P.F. Chang's Lettuce Wraps. It is taken from Best Bites in Boston, this recipe by Jennica Galovan. I adapted it a bit and so decided to leave off the first part of the title. They were delicious, let me tell you, but I don't want anyone to get upset about it!

Lettuce Wraps
20 oz ground turkey breast

2 minced garlic cloves

3-4 cups thinly sliced napa cabbage

1 cup finely chopped carrots

1 cup diced onion

3/4 cup chopped cashews

2 tsp freshly grated gingerroot

1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce

1 Tbls Hoisin sauce

lettuce leaves- Boston, Bibb, Iceberg, Romaine, or Red Leaf

Heat 2 tsp canola oil in a electric skillet. Add ground turkey breast and season with salt and pepper. Add minced garlic. Cook until browned and cooked through. Transfer meat to large bowl. Heat 2 tsp canola oil in skillet and add cabbage, carrots, and onion. Cover with lid and cook, until veggies are tender and cabbage is wilted, stirring occasionally, about 8-10 minutes. Return the meat to the pan and add ginger, soy sauce, and Hoisin sauce. Stir until all ingredients are combined and then, add cashews.

Serve meat and veggie mixture on lettuce leaf, folding over sides so the filling doesn't fall out.