Mexican Chicken Pizza with Cornmeal Crust

Adapted from Eat Better America 2012 calendar.

Crust:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbs. sugar
1 1/4 tsp. regular active dry yeast
1/4 tsp. coarse salt (kosher or sea)
3/4 cup warm water
1 Tbs. olive oil
1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
Additional cornmeal

2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
1 can (14.5 oz) fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1/4 tsp. chipotle chile powder (regular or Mexican varieties are good, too)
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 medium yellow bell pepper, chopped
1-2 sliced green onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 avocado, diced
Sour cream

Heat oven to 450F.  In a medium bowl, mix 3/4 cup flour, sugar, yeast, and salt.  Stir in warm water and oil.  Beat with electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds.  Beat on high speed for 1 minute.  Stir in 1/3 cup cornmeal and remaining flour to make a soft dough.

On lightly floured surface, knead dough until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.  Cover; let rest for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix chicken with cumin, paprika, chile powder, oregano, and the juice from the tomatoes.

Spray a large cookie sheet with nonstick spray; sprinkle with additional cornmeal.  On cookie sheet, press dough into 10x14" rectangle; prick with fork.  Bake 8-10 minutes or until edges just begin to turn brown.

Sprinkle with 1 cup of the cheese blend.  Top with chicken, tomatoes, bell pepper, and green onions.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Bake 6-8 minutes longer or until cheese is melted and edges are golden brown.  Top with cilantro, sour cream, and avocados.

Avocado Fries

From Circle B Kitchen, adapted from Sunset Magazine.

I know, this sounds like one of the strangest things ever, but it is so good!  The panko coating is nice and crunchy, while the avocado insides get all soft and creamy.

Canola oil for frying

1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. kosher salt, divided
2 large eggs, beaten
1 1/4 cups panko
2 firm-ripe medium or 3 small avocados, pitted, peeled, and sliced into 1/2" wedges
Grated parmesan for serving (optional)

Preheat oven to 200F.  In a medium saucepan, heat 1 1/2" oil until it registers 375F on a deep-fry thermometer.

Meanwhile, mix flour with 1/2 tsp. salt in a shallow bowl.  Put eggs and panko in separate shallow bowls.

Sprinkle avocado slices with the remaining 1/2 tsp. salt.  Dip each slice in flour, shaking off excess.  Dip in egg and then panko to coat.  Set on plates in a single layer.

Fry a quarter of avocado slices at a time until deep golden, 30 to 60 seconds.  Transfer slices to a plate lined with paper towels.  Keep warm in oven while cooking remaining avocados.  Sprinkle with salt and a little grated parmesan.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes:
- These do not make good leftovers, even if you crisp them up in the toaster oven.  They take on an unappealing, somewhat fishy flavor.  And I like fish.  So you want to make only the amount you plan on eating, and then toss the rest.
- Try mixing together ranch dressing and salsa for a yummy dipping sauce!

California Burger

From Bobby Flay's Burgers, Fries, & Shakes, page 34.

Makes 4 burgers.

Avocado Relish:

2 ripe Haas avocados, halved, pitted, peeled, and coarsely chopped

1/2 small onion, finely diced

1 jalapeno chile, finely diced

Juice of 1 lime

Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper

Burgers:

1 1/2 lbs. ground chuck (80/20) or ground turkey (90/10)

Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 Tbs. canola oil

4 slices Monterey Jack cheese

4 hamburger buns, split; toasted, if desired

1 small bunch of watercress

4 slices ripe beefsteak tomato

To make the avocado relish, combine the avocados, onion, jalapeno, lime juice, and cilantro in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper. The relish can be made up to 1 hour in advance and kept at room temperature.

Divide the meat into 4 equal portions (about 6 oz. each). Form each portion loosely into a 3/4"-thick burger and make a deep depression in the center with your thumb. Season both sides of each burger with salt and pepper.

Cook the burgers, using the oil and topping each one with a slice of cheese and a basting cover during the last minute of cooking. (Click HERE to see Bobby's cooking times for burgers.)

Place the burgers on the bun bottoms and top each one with a few sprigs of watercress, a slice of tomato, and a dollop of the avocado relish. Cover with bun tops and serve immediately.

Notes:

- I use less oil because I cook in a nonstick pan.

- I also make thinner burgers because I buy big buns and I like the burger to be in every bite.

Southwestern Turkey Soup

Adapted from AllRecipes.com, submitted by Doug Matthews.
Serves 8 (each serving is 1 1/2 cups).

Prep time: 30 minutes (less if the meat is already cooked).

Cook time: 30-40 minutes.

Only 210 calories per serving! (Though it depends on the brands, etc. that you use.)  Goes great with corn muffins!

1 1/2 cups shredded cooked turkey

4 cups vegetable broth

1 (28 oz) can petite diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 (4 oz) can diced green chiles

2 roma tomatoes, chopped

1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
1/2 medium red onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1-2 Tbs. lime juice

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and diced

1 Tbs. fresh, chopped cilantro

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Salt & pepper to taste

Puree or blend half the can of tomatoes.

In a large pot over medium heat, combine turkey, broth, canned tomatoes, green chiles, fresh tomatoes, onion, garlic, and lime juice. Season with cayenne pepper, cumin, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 15-20 minutes.

Stir in avocado, black beans, and cilantro and simmer 15-20 minutes, until slightly thickened. Spoon into serving bowls and top with shredded cheese.

Notes:

- I used 2 cups shredded chicken instead of turkey because that's what I had.

- I put the garlic through a garlic press instead of just crushing it.

- Before adding everything to the pot, I sauteed the garlic and onions in some water until they were a little soft.

- The soup wasn't as spicy as I thought it would be, but it tasted good. It left me with a hint of heat after I finished the bowl. I might consider adding a little bit more next time.  My mom added 1 diced jalapeno, seeds and membranes removed.

Nacho Burger

From Bobby Flay's Burgers, Fries, & Shakes cookbook, page 53.

Prep: Lots--the pickled jalapenos need to pickle for at least 24 hours

Makes 4 burgers

Tomato-Chipotle Salsa:

3 Tbs. red wine vinegar

1 Tbs. canola oil

2 tsp. pureed canned chipotle chiles in adobo

3 plum tomatoes, seeded and finely diced

2 Tbs. finely diced red onion

2 Tbs. finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Kosher salt

Avocado Relish:

2 ripe Hass avocados, halved, pitted, peeled, and coarsely chopped

1/2 small onion, finely diced

1 jalapeno chile, finely diced

Juice of 1 lime

1/4 cup finel chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper

Burgers:

1 1/2 lbs. ground chuck (80/20) or ground turkey (90/10)

Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 Tbs. canola oil

8 slices Monterey Jack cheese, each 1/4" thick

4 hamburger buns, split; toasted, if desired

Avocado Relish

4 Pickled Jalapenos, thinly sliced

1/2 cup coarsely crumbled blue corn tortilla chips

To make the salsa, stir together the vinegar, oil, and chipotle puree in a medium bowl. Add the tomatoes, onion, and cilantro and mix to combine; season with salt. The salsa can be made 4 hours in advance, covered, and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before using.

To make the avocado relish, combine the avocados, onion, jalapeno, lime juice, and cilantro in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper. The relish can be made up to 1 hour in advance and kept at room temperature.

3. Divide the meat into 4 equal portions (about 6 ounces each). Form each portion loosely into a 3/4"-thick burger and make a deep depression in the center with your thumb. Season both sides of each burger with salt and pepper.

Cook the burgers, using the canola oil and topping each one with 2 slices of cheese and a basting cover during the last minute of cooking. (Click HERE to see Bobby's cooking times for burgers.)

Place the burgers on the bun bottoms. Top each burger with some of the avocado relish, some tomato-chipotle salsa, and then pickled jalapenos and blue corn chips. Cover with the burger tops and serve immediately.

Notes:

- I halved the pickled jalapeno recipe (the original is in another post), and I still have most of them in my fridge. He's got a couple other burgers in the book that call for them, but perhaps it would be wise to quarter it next time.  I've also used store-bought pickled jalapeños instead of homemade ones, and that was just fine.  Check in the Latino section of your store.

- I realized late at night while I was pickling the jalapenos that I didn't have cumin seeds or white wine vinegar. I discovered that caraway seeds can substitute cumin seeds at half quantity (so the recipe above would use 1/4 tsp. caraway seeds instead of 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds). My white wine vinegar substitute likely wasn't what it should have been, but I used what I had . . . which would translate to 1/2 cup white vinegar and 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar.

- We used one slice of cheese on each burger--I imagine two would have been heavenly, but I really couldn't bring myself to put 1/2" of cheese on each burger!!

- We don't have a basting cover, so I just used the lid of the saute pan I was cooking the burgers in.

- We only used 1 pickled jalapeno for the four burgers instead of one each. Then again, we all know Bobby likes things to have quite a bit of kick. ;)

Turkey Tostadas

From Simple and Delicious (Sept./Oct. 2007), page 26.

Prep/Total Time: 25 min.
Yield: 6 servings

1 package (20 oz.) lean ground turkey
½ cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped green pepper
1 tsp. vegetable or canola oil
¾ cup water
1 envelope taco seasoning (or 3 1/2 Tbs. Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix)
1 can (15.5 oz.) hominy, rinsed and drained
12 tostada shells
3 cups shredded lettuce
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded Mexican cheese blend
1 cup chopped tomato
1 cup cubed avocado

In a large skillet, cook the turkey, onion, and green pepper in oil over medium heat for 5 minutes or until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the water, taco seasoning, and hominy. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until heated through.

On each tostada shell, layer lettuce, turkey mixture, cheese, tomato, and avocado. Serve immediately.