Cilantro Lime Chicken Burgers

As many of you around the DC metro area know, we just had an amazingly warm weekend. It was a sneak in to summer, which I hope is just around the corner :) With summer weather comes more outdoor activity and one great outdoor activity is of course BBQ'ing. Last night I made a spur of the moment plan to BBQ and had a couple friends over to enjoy the very pleasant evening with us. With no advance preparation and limited groceries, we did a pretty decent job. On the menu, among many things, was Cilantro Lime Chicken Burgers.

If any of you shop at Trader Joe's, you may have come across their frozen Cilantro lime chicken patty's. That is where I got the inspiration for my version of chicken burgers. Here is the recipe and below I will list out some great toppings you can add!

1lb ground chicken
2 to 3tbsp lime juice
1tsp crushed garlic or 1tbsp garlic powder
1tsp salt (or to taste)
soy sauce (you can add this instead of salt)
~ 1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves
1tbsp parsley flakes (optional)
1tsp cumin powder (optional)

Mix all of the ingredients and keep covered in a bowl until ready to use. If longer than 30 min till cooking time, meat can be kept in the fridge until ready to use. Form in to patty's and cook on either indoor or outdoor grill about 7 to 10min on each side. Ground chicken cooks faster than beef and will dry out so be careful not to over cook.

You can add cheese to this if you like and it tastes great with a little garlic mayo or regular mayo on the bun. You can also add sliced avocado, lettuce or tomato. The topping possibilities are endless, so be creative and happy eating!

Sloppy Joe's!!!

Hello Everyone! I know its been forever and a day since I posted anything new and I am so sorry. BUT this long hiatus was not unfounded. I've been busy with so many creative things (lots of cooking too) and haven't had a chance to write. I will diligently try to update as much as possible in the next few weeks, all while packing and moving!!! In the mean time, you can check out one thing thats been keeping me busy these past few weeks http://www.sindulgellc.com/

I'm taking a break from packing up our apartment right now and decided, since I have a quick minute, to type up a quick recipe from the other day. I honestly can not remember the last time I had a sloppy joe, maybe back in grade school? A good friend came over when I made these and she said she had only had them once in her life when she was a little girl in school. When was the last time YOU had a Sloppy Joe?

Because we are moving soon and I've been busy packing and avoiding grocery shopping, I took a short cut on dinner by whipping these up (takes all of 20 min) and using a Manwich sauce can as a base. I substituted ground turkey for the ground beef traditionally used since my husband isn't allowed to eat red meat (cholesterol). For sides, I baked some fries (pre-packaged) and made a simple mushroom and sweet corn casserole. We had a "fast-food" meal at home, with out the extra fat and unhealthy ingredients...

All you need is:
1 can (15 or 16 oz) Manwich Sauce
1 small onion
1 tsp garlic paste
2 tbsp cooking oil
~1lb ground turkey (or beef if you want)
1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar (optional)

Chop (dice) the onion and saute over medium heat until it becomes translucent. Add the garlic and mix, then add your meat (rinsed and drained). Cook the meat covered, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink. Uncover and continue to cook for a few min. Add the Worcestershire Sauce and vinegar (if you want). Stir well. After a few minutes (when the liquid reduces a bit) add the Manwich sauce, stir well and cook for a few minutes until it reaches a consistency you like. That's it! Simple and quick, it shouldn't take more than 20 to 25 minutes.

Pour your mixture on to hamburger buns (you can also use regular sandwich bread, pita or hot dog rolls) and sprinkle with some shredded cheese (if you like). I used the Mexican four cheese blend and it melts right on to the mix when its hot off the stove. Enjoy... and don't worry about the mess!