Culinary experiment

After a nice weekend of kayaking and greasy desserts (deep-fried oreos?!) at the beach, Des and I came home to a hodge-podge of random components from which to craft our dinner left in the kitchen. We had a few frozen striped bass fillets, so we decided to make a variation of the Hawaiian coconut chicken burgers we had last week (which were el bango-rific).

Here is what we came up with:

Fish burger patties:

2 tablespoons coconut milk
3 scallions, chopped
1 lime, juiced
1 teaspoon of minced garlic
2 teaspoons of minced ginger
2 striped bass fillets, diced to 1 cm cubes
1 egg
salt and pepper
Oatmeal for consistency

After mixing all of the above ingredients, shape into patties (we made 3), adding enough oatmeal to keep the patties together. Place the patties into a hot oil skillet (on high)for about 3-4 minutes on the first side, then flip. Finish on medium heat for about 10 minutes. The patties don't look like they'll stick together very well until after the first flip.

Des made a sweet curry relish to go on the bottom of the burger, which really helped to round out the flavor. It was a little bit sweet for Des, but Steve liked it.

1 cup of coconut milk
1 tbsp curry powder
1/2 tbsp cumin
1/2 lime, juiced
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
2 teaspoon minced ginger
splash of soy sauce
1/2 cup of diced pineapple and strawberries

Reduce all ingredients over medium heat until thickened.

Serve on hamburger bun with the relish on the bottom bun and a romaine leaf on top of the patty.

Try it, it's el-bango.

3 Easy Recipes

Trader Joe's is having a recipe contest. Winning entries will be served at the sample food counter, plus the winners get a bag of Trader Joe's goodies!

The recipes can only have up to 5 ingredients, so we labeled some as optional. Here are our entries:

Knife-and-Fork Flatbread Pizza
1 piece Trader Joe's Flatbread
1/4 c. Trader Joe's pizza sauce
handful shredded mozzerella cheese
sliced fresh mozzerella cheese
fresh basil leaves
optional: sliced fresh vegetables

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray tin foil or baking sheet with non-stick spray (VERY important if you use tin foil!). Place flatbread on tinfoil or baking sheet. Spread flatbread with pizza sauce (not too much or pizza becomes sloppy). Place fresh basil leaves on top of sauce. Sprinkle with desired amount of shredded cheese. Place slices of fresh mozzerella on top of the shredded cheese. Sprinke with salt and pepper. Add any desired fresh vegetables (optional). Bake until cheese is melted. Transfer pizza to a large plate or cutting board and eat with a knife and fork.

Autumn Butternut Squash and Chicken Bake
1 pack Trader Joe's whole cut chicken
2 c. Trader Joe's brown rice (instant works best, but the frozen also works)
2 c. Trader Joe's Butternut Squash soup (diluted with 1 c. water or chicken broth)
1 package Trader Joe's cubed butternut squash (or other cubed squash available)
spices to taste: coriander, cinnamon, cumin, paprika, salt, pepper
due to the 5 ingredient max, we did not include broccoli in this recipe

Place brown rice in a large casserole dish. Pour diluted butternut squash soup over rice. Mix in cubed butternut squash (and broccoli). Place chicken pieces over rice mixture. Coat chicken with spices.

Cover casserole dish and place in preheated 400 degree oven for 50 minutes. Remove cover and cook for 10 minutes.

Chicken and Tomato Bake (adapted from a dish my parents ate and loved in Italy)
4 skinless chicken breasts
1-2 potatoes
2 sliced tomatoes (with the jelly!)
fresh basil leaves
olive oil
optional: 1/4 c. tomato sauce
due to ingredient limit, we didn't include an extra veggie, but I usually like to add zucchini slices or something else

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice potatoes very thin (use the slicer on your cheese grater). Spread sliced potatoes on the bottom of a large greased baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. You can spread a small amount of tomato sauce over the potatoes, if desired. Place chicken breasts (thin, if possible) on top. Salt and pepper the chicken. Place tomato slices and fresh basil on top (also the extra veggie). Drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Cover with tin foil and bake 20 minutes. Uncover and bake 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.