• 1/4 cup 0% fat greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup low fat mayonnaise
• 1 tbs + 1 tsp fresh rosemary, finely minced
• 1/2 large clove garlic, grated with a microplane

Burgers:

• 10 oz ground turkey
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 ¼ tsp Montreal Steak Grill Seasoning
• 2 sandwich rolls or burger buns
• 1/2 cup arugula or any salad greens, divided

Directions

For the mayonnaise: In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise, garlic, and rosemary; set aside.

For the burgers: Preheat a gas or charcoal grill or place a grill pan over medium-high heat. In a large bowl, add the ground turkey, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, grill seasoning and 1/2 of the mayo. Using clean hands, gently combine the ingredients and form the chicken mixture into 2 patties. (I let them set up in the fridge for a couple hours) Place the burgers on the grill and cook for about 7 minutes on each side. Transfer to paper towels and let rest for a few minutes.

Brush the cut side of the top half of each roll with the mayo mixture. Grill for 1 to 2 minutes until slightly golden.

To assemble the burgers: Place the chicken burgers on the bottom halves of the buns. Top each with lettuce greens, and a few slices of tomato.

Accompaniment: tomato and/or raw red onions or grilled onions

• 1 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 oz leftover chicken, shredded
• 1 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1/2 red bell pepper
• 1 cup corn or 1 whole corn roasted, kernels removed
  
• 1/2 cup black beans, drained
• Green salsa verde to taste (La Costena Green Mexican Salsa Verde)
  
• Salt
• 4 (6 inch) corn tortillas
• 1 1/2 cups Mozzarella or Monterey cheese, shredded

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add olive oil. Add onions and saute until soft. Add chicken and season with chili powder, cumin. Add black beans and corn. Add salsa verde sauce to taste. I added about a cup but add as much as you want until the dish is seasoned to your liking. Just make sure you do not add too much of the sauce and make the dish watery. Heat the mixture through, 3 to 5 minutes then season with salt, to your taste.

Coat a shallow baking dish (I used a large souffle dish that fit the tortillas perfectly) with cooking spray. Heat tortillas over an open flame until pliable and toasted. (Cook them as much as you would to eat a taco) Build layers starting with tortilla, chicken mixture then cheese. Continue to build the layers ending with the cheese so it can melt on top. Bake 12 to 15 minutes until cheese is brown and bubbly.

1/4 cup warm water
1 tsp. active dry yeast
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tbs canola oil
3 tbs Chobani Greek fat free plain yogurt
1/2 large egg
olive oil for cooking*

In a large bowl, stir together the water, yeast and sugar and let stand for 5 minutes, until foamy.

Stir in the flour, salt, oil, yogurt and egg and stir, then knead until you have a soft, pliable dough. Cover with a tea towel and let rise until doubled in size; about an hour.

Divide the dough into 4 pieces and on a lightly floured surface, roll out each piece into a thin circle or oval about 1/8" thick.

Cook each naan in a nice hot skillet drizzled with oil (just a teeny tiny bit–you’re not frying it) (I used PAM spray) until blistered and cooked, flipping as necessary. (When the surface has big blisters and is golden on the bottom, flip it over and cook until golden on the other side.

Add the cilantro, mint, red onion, garlic, ginger, and salt, and pepper, to taste, to a food processor or blender. Puree on high until smooth. With the processor running, add about 1/4 cup broth, and blend until the mixture is the consistency of a thick paste, a.k.a. “masala”. Set aside.

In a large pot or deep skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the shallot and cook, stirring often, until golden brown.

Add the spices and cook for 30 seconds. Pour the masala mixture into skillet and cook, stirring often until it deepens in color and aroma. You’ll know it’s ready when it looks shiny, little droplets of oil will appear on the surface, and the masala will hold together as a cohesive mass.

Add the chicken, coating every piece in the masala and stirring often. Continue to cook for 5 minutes, so that the masala really adheres to the chicken. Add about 1 1/4 cups broth, just enough to cover the chicken. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the chicken is tender and sauce has thickened slightly, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove the pan from heat and stir in the yogurt. Taste and adjust seasonings, if needed. Transfer the mixture to a serving dish and serve over rice or with warm naan bread.

*I started with 1/4 tsp of cayenne then added more once I added the yogurt

When I found this recipe on the "Taste of Home" website, it was called Baked Deli Focaccia Sandwich. The title seemed a bit blase to me, so I have officially renamed it the "Nummy Pesto Sammie." I think the readers of "Taste of Home" would appreciate the name change, don'tcha think?

What really takes this sandwich from ordinary to extraordinary is the addition of the homemade pesto sauce. The pesto is bright, zesty, and delicious! I found myself smearing pieces of bread against the bowl looking for every last bit of the sauce. By the time I was done with that sucker, it was spotless - didn't even need to be washed. :) Who knew such a simple sauce could elevate these sandwiches to be worthy enough to serve to company. If you're hosting any type of luncheon celebration, these would be perfect to serve your guests. Easy and elegant - a definite keeper!


Nummy Pesto Sammie
Adapted from Taste of Home
4 servings

Ingredients

1 loaf (12 ounces) round focaccia bread

Prepared pesto or use pesto recipe below

1/4 pound sliced deli ham

1/4 pound sliced deli smoked turkey

1/4 pound sliced deli turkey pastrami

5 slices process American cheese*

Red onion, thinly sliced

1 small tomato, sliced 1/8” thick

Pesto Sauce

Makes about 3/4 cup

1/4 cup roasted pistachio nuts
3 medium size garlic cloves
4 cups loosely packed basil leaves (about 4 ounces)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
S&P to taste

1/2 cup (4 ounces) grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Preparation
Combine nuts and garlic in a food processor; process until minced. Add basil, oil, salt, and pepper; process until blended, scraping sides occasionally. Spoon into a bowl and fold in cheese. Season to taste with S&P

~ I like my pesto pretty chunky. If you want it more runny add more EVOO

To assemble sandwich

Cut focaccia horizontally in half. Remove a bit of the bread from top half of focaccia; spread pesto over cut sides. On bread bottom, layer the ham, turkey, pastrami, cheese, onion and tomato. Replace bread top; wrap in foil. Place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until heated through. Let stand for 10 minutes. Cut into wedges

* I used plain Havarti cheese, 4 thin slices which roughly equaled 1/4 lb

**This serves 8 if you are having a large luncheon along with other dishes. If you are serving these just for a regular lunch it would only serve 4.

Short ribs are the perfect meal to entertain with when hosting a dinner party. They can be prepared well in advance and are very forgiving when it comes to time constraints. As you know, the longer it sits the better it gets, and overnight is always best. The ribs roast in the oven for hours in a pool of sweet and salty umami flavorings, producing fall off the bone meat which have absorbed all those delicious seasonings. Serve them over a bed of mashed potatoes and your guests will swoon! When you prepare these, you'll want to cook a larger serving then required - since they'll make the ultimate short rib sandwich the next day. I'm envisioning layers of shredded meat and caramelized onions, topped with melted gruyere cheese. Leftovers never had it so good. Enjoy!


David Chang's Braised Short Ribs
Recipe from NY Times
Photo from Food Network

1½ cups pear or apple juice
1 cup sake (Ozeki Sake Dry)
1 cup mirin
½ cup sugar
1 cup Lite soy sauce
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
10 cloves crushed garlic
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons neutral oil, like corn or grapeseed
4 to 5 pounds short ribs, trim any visible fat on top of the meat
2 large onions, peeled and roughly chopped
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
2 tablespoons butter
8 to 12 small potatoes, preferably fingerlings, trimmed or the little round potatoes mom gets
½ cup chopped scallions
4 cups cooked white rice.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a saucepan, combine juice, sake, mirin, sugar, soy sauce, about 20 grinds of pepper, both forms of garlic, sesame oil and 1½ cups water. Bring to a boil, then simmer.

2. Put corn or grapeseed oil in a large ovenproof braising pan or skillet over medium-high heat and add ribs, seasoning them liberally with salt and pepper. Brown well on one side, moving them around to promote even browning. Turn, add onions and half the carrots, and brown other side, stirring vegetables occasionally.

3. Carefully pour braising liquid over meat and bake, bone-side up and submerged in liquid (add water or juice if necessary), for 3 to 4 hours, until meat falls from bones. Cool ribs in liquid for 1 hour remove bones from meat, then remove meat to a separate dish; strain liquid in pot. (I did not strain the veggies since I like to eat them along with the meat) At this point, place ribs in pot with liquid and refrigerate overnight if making ahead.

4. If you have refrigerated the ribs, remove fat from top of liquid. Heat to a boil then simmer, reducing liquid until syrupy. If it seems too thick, thin with a bit of water. (I did not reduce my liquid to a syrup consistency since I was afraid the sauce may get too salty due to the soy sauce. I only reheated the ribs and served)

5. About ½ hour before you are ready to serve, put butter in a skillet and add potatoes and remaining carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally and seasoning with salt and pepper, until browned and nearly tender, about 20 minutes. Add to meat. Taste mixture and adjust seasonings if necessary, then garnish with scallions and serve on rice.