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Showing posts sorted by relevance for query sandwich. Sort by date Show all posts
I had some cooked chicken which needed using up the other day and so I decided to make some chicken salad. I am not a real fan of chicken salad, but sometimes I don't mind indulging.
I had seen a recipe on Yummiest Food for Chicken Salad Wraps. It looked quite good, It had dried cranberries and pecans in the recipe and I love both of those. I also promised to be a somewhat healthy chicken salad.
The only problem was I did not have any large tortillas or wraps and I'll be honest here. I don't really like wraps all that much.
I find them very messy to eat and the filling never stays in them. That has just been my experience. As they say . . . 'just sayin!
I did have some six inch flour tortillas however and the wheels in my brain started turning and I thought to myself, what if I layered the filling in between these like a cake?
So that is what I did, I layered the filling between six-inch flour tortillas and then chilled it for an hour so I could cut it into wedges.
I also cut the recipe for the filling in half because I am only one and I cannot eat that much chicken salad! I also know this is a problem for a lot of my readers, so this is the small batch recipe!
I did tweak the recipe a bit as well. I added a few flavor ingredients because to be honest, I found the original a bit lacking in flavor.
I added spring onions and a bit more seasoning. This made all the difference in the world!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE CHICKEN, CRANBERRY PECAN SALAD WEDGES
Its simple really. I bet you have everything in your kitchen right now. I know I am always saying that, but its true. Most of what I cook and share is not complicated!
- 1 1/2 cups diced cooked chicken
- 1/3 cup dried sweetened cranberries
- 1/3 cup chopped toasted pecans (8 to 10 minutes in a moderate oven on a baking tray does the trick to toast them properly. The flavor is intensified immensely.)
- 1 stick chopped celery
- 1 spring onion (also known as green onions or scallions)
- 1/3 cup real mayonnaise (use a quality one, not low fat)
- fine sea salt and black pepper to taste
- 1/8 tsp garlic powder (not salt)
- six inch flour tortillas
I always toast my nuts before cooking with them or using them in things like this salad. Toasting your nuts always brings out a beautiful depth of nutty flavor.
Its not hard to do, about 8 minutes in a moderate (350*F/180*C) does the trick. Spread them out on a baking sheet for toasting, and, when done, let them cool before you use them.
I used poached chicken breasts for this recipe. I scored some lovely skin on, bone in ones at the grocery store the other day.
To poach chicken breasts, place them in a sauce pan and cover them with some chicken stock and water. Bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes until no longer pink inside.
Leave to cool in the water until lukewarm. Remove, peel off the skin and discard, along with the bones. What you are left with is beautifully moist and delicious chicken.
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN, CRANBERRY, PECAN SALAD WEDGES
Again, nothing could be easier. Making the filling is as simple as stirring all of the filling ingredients together until they are evenly and well combined.
To prep the celery, I cut the stick of celery, lengthwise into quarters and then crosswise into 1/4 inch slices. Nicely diced.
I trimmed the spring onion, washed it really well, making sure any grit was removed and then I cut it in half down the length of it and then into thin slices crosswise, using only the light green and white bits.
I diced the chicken into a 1/2 inch dice and I cut the pecans, crosswise into 1/4 inch pieces. If you have a sharp knife, none of this is any problem.
I also chopped the dried cranberries a tiny bit. You don't need to do this, but I think you get a nicer salad that spreads better if you do.
Once you have your salad fixings prepped and mixed together with the mayo and the seasonings, you can start building your wedges. Just divide the salad into thirds and sandwich it in between the tortillas, having one tortilla on the bottom and on the top and two in between.
Effectively you sandwich is in three layers with a tortilla between and enclosing each layer. Press gently so that everything compacts a tiny bit, wrap tightly in plastic cling film and then chill for about an hour so that everything sets up nicely.
And that is basically it. Cut the chilled filled tortilla into wedges to serve. As you can see everything stays nicely inside the tortillas and is not falling out all over the place. These are quite manageable and very pleasant to eat!
Delicious actually. These would also make great appetizers, cut into thinner wedges, but they made a fabulous lunch served with a few potato chips. I highly recommend. The recipe would work with turkey also! Enjoy!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
I am really excited to show you this delicious store cupboard recipe today for a Hearty Tomato & Bean Soup. This makes a lovely, quick supper for those nights when you are rushed off your feet and yet your family is nipping at your heels wanting supper NOW!
I was going to go shopping this morning, but it started snowing and I decided to stay home. The roads are very clear, but not having driven in snowy weather for the better part of the last 23 years, I thought I just wasn't willing to chance it!
So I took a boo into my store cupboard and freezer to see what I had to make myself a meal from. I had some potatoes that had seen better days, but were still good for making mashed potatoes. I had a package of Cube steaks in the freezer, an onion in my cupboard and so I was good to go!
Cube Steak, which is also known as Cubed Steak or Minute Steaks. They are typically made from round steak, which has been cut into thin, smaller portions and then put through a tenderizing machine. The tenderizing machine gives them a rough texture covered with little indentations.
You can also often find pork steaks which have been tenderized in the same way.
They are less expensive than other cuts of meat, which is something that makes them quite welcome these days when we are all watching our pennies, and trying to make our grocery dollar/pound go as far as we can. They are a great way of being able to enjoy a piece of steak without breaking the bank! You can find out more about cube steak here.
I buy mine at Sobey's grocery store. Foodland and Safeway are stores which are associated with Sobey's. They don't always have it so when I see it I always buy a couple of packages (they usually come in packs of two) and then I wrap it tightly at home and freeze it for sometime in the future when I want a cheap steak dinner!
You can also make your own cube/minute steaks very easily. Just buy a piece of round steak, and then pound it with a meat pounder or a serrated knife. Just take care not to cut it all the way through. You only want indentations about 1/8 of an inch into the steak.
They lend themselves to either long slow cooking, or quick flash frying. They are beautiful cooked slowly in the crock pot with some mushroom soup. They are also great flash fried and used for a steak sandwich.
Today I decided to simply flash fry them and serve them with a tasty onion gravy. I was in a gravy kind of a mood. Especially where I had some potatoes I needed to use and knew would make great mashed potatoes. Steak, gravy and mashed potatoes. Food for the God's!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE CUBE STEAK & ONION GRAVY
There is nothing complicated about this. Nothing at all. Simple ingredients done well. Quantities are given for two servings but can easily be multiplied to serve more if need be.
For the steak:
- 2 cube steaks (each one about 1/4 inch thick and approximately 4 inches by 5 inches in size)
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder (not salt)
- 1/4 tsp onion powder (not salt)
- plain all purpose flour to dust
- 1 TBS butter
For the gravy:
- 1 medium onion, peeled, halved and cut into half moons
- 1 TBS butter
- 1 TBS flour
- 1/2 cup milk (you may need a bit extra to thin the gravy as per your taste)
- 1/2 cup of beef stock
- 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- splash of hot sauce
- salt and black pepper to taste
You can of course use whatever herbs, etc. you wish to season the steak with. I like onion and garlic powders to use as a seasoning for beef and pork. Just make sure you use the powders not the salts. If you do happen to use salts, then you will not need any more salt for the recipe and do be judicious in its use.
There are many dried herbs which would work well with beef. Rosemary, oregano, tarragon and thyme immediately come to mind.
Any ordinary cooking onion will work well in the gravy. I used a medium sized one, but if you are really fond of onions you can use a larger one. I would not use a red onion as it wouldn't look nice in the gravy, but if you don't care what it looks like, then go right ahead!
For the beef stock I used Knorr Beef Bullion concentrate. I always keep some of that and the chicken one in my refrigerator. They are great for making up small amounts of stocks as needed, or for flavoring gravies, etc. They are concentrated and are easily re-constituted with water.
They also take up a lot less room than traditional cartons of constituted stock. When you live in a small place like I do where storage is at a premium things that don't take up much room just make sense.
HOW TO MAKE CUBE STEAK & ONION GRAVY
This really is quick and easy. So much so that you might want to have the other elements of your meal ready before you start cooking the steak.
First do the steaks. Preheat the oven to 200*F/90*C. Have a small dish ready to hold your steaks to keep them warm while you make the gravy.
Dust your steaks all over with the onion powder, garlic powder, salt and black pepper. Dust them with the flour patting it into help it adhere.
Melt the butter in a medium sized skillet over medium high heat. Once it begins to foam, add the steaks.
Cook until you just see a small amount of liquid collecting on top and then flip over. Fry briefly on the other side until golden brown. Remove to a small dish and pop into the oven to keep warm while you make the gravy.
Turn the burner heat down to medium low. Add the other TBS of butter. Once it melts add the onions. Cook, stirring frequently, until they have softened and begun to caramelize.
Add the flour to the skillet. Stir it into the onions.
Whisk in the stock and the milk. Cook stirring over medium heat until the gravy bubbles and thickens. Add the Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce and season with salt and black to taste. (I like lots of black pepper.)
Cook for several minutes to cook out any flour taste. If you think the gravy is too thick you can add a bit of milk to thin it.
Serve the steaks with some of the onion gravy spooned over top and your favorite sides.
Mashed potatoes are also very easy to make. I have to say that I really miss the packages of frozen mashed potatoes that you could buy in the UK. They were really good and to be honest it was cheaper to buy a bag of them than it was to make mash from scratch.
You could usually get a bag of mash for one pound at the shops. There was enough in the bag to feed four people generously.
Mashed potatoes frozen in pellets, ready to shake out into a casserole dish and heat up in the microwave. I used to dress them up with sour cream and spring onions sometimes. I really liked that you could shake out as little or as much as you wanted to use.
They also had very good frozen jacket potatoes over there that I used to buy. You could get packages of four larger ones, or packages of about six smaller ones. For seniors with smaller appetites the smaller ones worked out well.
They made for a very easy supper heated up with a can of baked beans spooned over top, or some tuna mayonnaise, or whatever you wanted on them really. A can of chili was especially nice heated and spooned over top, with some cheese scattered over top.
I don't know why they don't do the frozen mash or baked potatoes here in Canada. Pity that!
I enjoyed my steak and gravy today with some fluffy mashed potatoes, sweet corn and some sliced tomato. Someone brought a couple of big boxes of reject beefsteak tomatoes from the local nursery into church yesterday. I brought home a couple to use and they are lovely.
It was a really delicious dinner, and yes, I sat down and ate it while it was still hot, at my table. I had my favorite music playing in the background and it was lovely.
And now, I have to go and do the dishes! I have enough of everything leftover to make myself another meal tomorrow. Perfect!
I have one other cube steak recipe for two on here that is delicious. Pan Fried Steaks with Parsley Butter. Quick and easy, it also makes for a lovely dinner with mash and veg.
You could also use cube steaks to make Swiss Steak. This is something my mother used to make for us and that I also used to make for my family. It was a real favorite. Tender pieces of steak in a rich tomato gravy.
Yield: 2
Cube Steak & Onion Gravy
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 25 Min
Tender juicy cube steaks, served with a lush beef and onion gravy. Quick, easy and delicious.
Ingredients
For the steak:
- 2 cube steaks (each one about 1/4 inch thick and approximately 4 inches by 5 inches in size)
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder (not salt)
- 1/4 tsp onion powder (not salt)
- plain all purpose flour to dust
- 1 TBS butter
For the gravy:
- 1 medium onion, peeled, halved and cut into half moons
- 1 TBS butter
- 1 TBS flour
- 1/2 cup milk (you may need a bit extra to thin the gravy as per your taste)
- 1/2 cup of beef stock
- 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- splash of hot sauce
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- First do the steaks. Preheat the oven to 200*F/90*C. Have a small dish ready to hold your steaks to keep them warm while you make the gravy.
- Dust your steaks all over with the onion powder, garlic powder, salt and black pepper. Dust them with the flour patting it into help it adhere.
- Melt the butter in a medium sized skillet over medium high heat. Once it begins to foam, add the steaks.
- Cook until you just see liquid collecting on top and then flip over. Fry briefly on the other side until golden brown. Remove to a small dish and pop into the oven to keep warm while you make the gravy.
- Turn the burner heat down to medium low. Add the other TBS of butter. Once it melts add the onions. Cook, stirring frequently, until they have softened and begun to caramelize.
- Add the flour to the skillet. Stir it into the onions.
- Whisk in the stock and the milk. Cook stirring over medium heat until the gravy bubbles and thickens. Add the Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce and season with salt and black to taste. (I like lots of black pepper.)
- Cook for several minutes to cook out any flour taste. If you think the gravy is too thick you can add a bit of milk to thin it.
- Serve the steaks with some of the onion gravy spooned over top and your favorite sides.
Thanks so much for visiting! Do come again!
Over here for the last few weeks a certain fast food place has been having their annual Tastes of America promotion.
We popped in last week and ordered the Alabama Chicken sandwich with a smoky white BBQ sauce, bacon, cheese and onion crisps.
There was also lettuce and the bun was supposed to be a cornbread style bun.
To say I was slightly disappointed is to say the least. I will say no more.
I came away thinking I could make a far better chicken burger at home and today (Saturday as I write this) I did just that.
It wasn't quite a copycat. I infused ours with Tex Mex Flavours . . . but it was still a chicken burger and it was mighty tasty if I don't say so myself.
Chicken Burgers and Tex Mex are two of my favourite things. Why not combine the two!
I don't think a chicken burger is all that hard to get wrong. Why is it so often it is done so very poorly???
I hate that when I eat out, more often than not, I am disappointed by food which fails to deliver what it promises.
I am probably eating in the wrong places. That's the truth of it and what it boils down to.
I have a connoisseurs appetite and a pauper's budget, which is probably the whole problem in a nutshell.
I created a coriander lime mayo to spread on the buns, using chopped fresh coriander, garlic, and some lime juice and zest, with a tiny bit of salt.
This got put into the refrigerator so that the flavours had some time to meld. I also used a low fat mayo.
I also marinated the chicken for a couple of hours.
I pounded two boneless skinless chicken breasts until they were even in size, or as even as I could get them . . .
These were marinated in a mix of beaten egg, oregano, chili powder, hot sauce and a bit of salt.
I used the Green Tabasco sauce for a real Tex Mex Jalapeno flavour . . .
While they were marinating I pulverized tortilla chips in the food processor until they were like fine bread crumbs.
I actually used a mix of cool ranch and lightly salted, but you could use nacho cheese, or whatever tortilla chips you enjoy.
Just make sure that your crumbs are really fine . . .
Take the chicken out of the refrigerator and remove them from the marinade, allowing any excess to drip off, and discarding the marinade. Pat the chicken into the tortilla crumbs and then brown them lightly on both sides.
I finish them off in the oven to make sure they are cooked all the way through, adding some grated pepper Jack to the top so that it melts a bit before removing them.
I served them on toasted whole wheat buns that I spread with that delicious garlicky mayo, along with some shredded lettuce and raw red onion rings for a bit of zip! Tasty tasty!
Yield: 2
Spicy Chicken Burgers with Coriander Lime Mayo
Spicy chicken cutlets on a toasted bun with a delicious garlic, coriander and lime mayonnaise dressing. A garnish of shredded lettuce and sliced red onion bring additional flavour and crunch. Do note that the chicken needs to marinate for 2 hours prior to cooking.
ingredients:
For the Mayo:
- 55g low fat real mayonnaise (1/4 cup)
- 2 TBS chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)
- 1 tsp lime juice
- 1/2 tsp lime zest
- 1 small clove of garlic, peeled and minced
For the Burgers:
- 2 free range organic chicken breast fillets
- 1 small free range egg, lightly beaten
- 1 1/2 TBS Tabasco sauce
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp mild chili powder
- 65g tortilla chips, pulverised (3 cups before pulverising)
- 2 TBS light olive oil
- 2 TBS grated pepper jack cheese
To serve:
- shredded lettuce
- red onion rings (raw)
- toasted whole wheat burger buns
instructions:
How to cook Spicy Chicken Burgers with Coriander Lime Mayo
- Take your chicken breast fillets and pound them out to an even layer. Prick them all over with a fork. Put them into a container along with the egg, hot sauce, oregano, chili powder and salt. Cover and shake to coat. Place into the refrigerator for 2 hours. (You can also use the milder Green Jalapeno Tabasco sauce if you want.)
- To make the mayonnaise, combine all of the ingredients well, then cover and refrigerate until you are ready to serve.
- Make sure your tortilla chips are really pulverised and fine for the chicken burgers. I do this in my food processor. Place the finely ground chips into a shallow dish.
- Working with one piece of chicken at a time., remove the chicken from the marinade, allowing any excess to drip off. Coat completely in the ground tortilla chips. Repeat until both are well coated.
- Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Have a small baking tray ready.
- Heat the oil in a non-stick skillet. Add the chicken breasts and cook for about 3 minutes per side. Place them onto the baking tray. Bake in the oven for about 15 to 20 minutes, until cooked through and the juices run clear. Sprinkle the top of each with 1 TBS of the pepper jack about 5 minutes before finishing so that it melts.
- Split the burger buns and toast on the cut sides under the grill. Spread the tops and bottoms of each with the mayonnaise. Place the bottoms on serving plates. Top with some shredded lettuce and onion rings. Place the chicken burgers on top. Finally place the toasted bun tops over all. Serve immediately.
- We had some leftover coleslaw vinaigrette from the other day with this along with some oven chips.
NOTES:
Note - if you wish to serve more people simply double the ingredients.
I was really, really pleased with how these turned out. I was a tiny bit worried that the tortilla chips would be too crisp, but they were perfect. I think the key is to really grind them small, almost to a powder. We enjoyed them with some oven chips and some leftover coleslaw vinaigrette!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at mariealicejoan at aol dot com.
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