Banh mi burgers

If you are not familiar with the Vietnamese sandwich the Banh Mi, let me tell you, it's amazing.  One of my all time favorites.  I've tried many renditions, but traditionally it's made with pork and has a pickled slaw of carrots & daikon with tons of cilantro and jalapeno.  It's served on an airy, light baguette bread/roll with a crispy crust (not dense!). 

I've created a little East-meets-West situation by turning the sandwich into a burger.  I've done a half-beef, half-pork combo for the meat and it's really nice with the lemongrass, garlic & ginger, etc.  I love this Asian twist on a burger - it's quick to make, packed with veggies, and adds some interesting flava-flav to dinner.

For the julienne of carrot and daikon, I highly recommend this little gadget - a julienne peeler.  It makes beautiful, perfect thin strips of whatever you use it on.  It's inexpensive, so quick and fun to use!


Serves 4

1/4 c. white vinegar
3 T. sugar
1/2 c. julienne of carrot (or shredded)
1 c. julienne of daikon (or shredded)

1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground pork
1 t. minced lemongrass
1 t. minced garlic
1 t. minced ginger
2 t. Asian fish sauce
1/2 t. salt
fresh ground pepper

1/2 cup chopped cilantro
4 buns, or light crispy baguette, cut into 4 sections for buns
Persian cucumber slices
Thinly sliced jalapeño
Mayonnaise (Kewpie brand recommended!)

Combine vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan.  Heat on high until boiling, stirring until sugar is dissolved.  Remove from heat and pour over shredded carrot and daikon.  Allow to stand 20 minutes, stirring occasionally for even coverage.  Drain veggies very well and set aside.

Preheat grill on medium high for 10 minutes. 

In a bowl, combine beef, pork, lemongrass, garlic, ginger, fish sauce, salt & pepper.  Mix very well with your hands until all ingredients are well incorporated.  Divide into 4 patties and drizzle or spray with oil for grilling.

Grill patties about 5 minutes per side or until a thermometer reads 145 degrees.  Remove from grill, cover with foil and allow to rest 5-10 minutes.  Grill buns or baguette lightly until toasty and warm.

Add chopped cilantro to carrot & daikon mixture and stir to combine.  Spread bread or buns with mayo.  Place cucumber slices on the bottom, then add the patty and top generously with carrot & daikon and jalapeño slices.

Coconut-lime noodle salad

This is a really light & cooling quick weeknight dinner salad for these last hot summer evenings.  The coconut-lime dressing is super mild.  It's not all crazy coconut-y, and my non-coconut-loving son gobbled this dish up.

I used glass noodles in this recipe which go by many names...bean thread noodles, cellophane noodles, mung bean noodles.  They are really easy to work with and are gluten-free for those of you avoiding gluten or eating a paleo diet. Omit the chicken and add some tofu for a great veggie dish!

Serves 6

Dressing:
1 1/2 c. coconut milk
1/2 c. fresh squeezed lime juice
2 t. fish sauce
1 T. brown sugar
salt & pepper

5 oz. glass noodles (aka mung bean noodles)
1 red bell pepper - thinly sliced
4 c. Napa (aka Chinese) cabbage - thinly sliced
1/4 c. roughly chopped mint leaves
1/4 roughly chopped cilantro
1 rotisserie chicken - shredded & cooled (about 4 cups)

toasted sesame seeds
garlic-chili sauce (optional)

To make dressing, combine coconut milk, lime juice, fish sauce, brown sugar in a small bowl and whisk until sugar dissolves.  Add salt & pepper to taste.

Cook noodles according to directions on package.  Drain and rinse well in cold water.  Allow noodles to drain for a few minutes so they are not too wet.

In a large bowl, combine noodles, bell pepper, cabbage, mint, cilantro and chicken. Toss with dressing.  Garnish generously with toasted sesame seeds and spoonful of garlic chili sauce, if desired.

Southeast Asian swordfish skewers

The summer grilling extravaganza doesn’t necessarily have to equal a ton of burgers and hot dogs...fish is a wonderful thing to throw over the outdoor flames.  However, it can be tricky to perfect, which is why I love to use a hearty, steak-y variety like swordfish (mahi mahi or wahoo work well, too).  It’s much more forgiving than some of the more delicate types and is actually kind of hard to mess up - just resist the temptation to overcook it!  Fish will always continue to cook a couple minutes after you pull it off the grill, so it may feel like you are being premature, but trust me...knowing this will give you nicely cooked, moist fish every time.

I looove this southeast Asian marinade (it would be great on chicken or pork, too).  It’s super flavorful and it blends up in minutes.  This meal is healthy, lean protein, low fat  AND and a beautiful presentation…the perfect meal for your summer evening!

Serves 4

1 1/2 pounds swordfish - skin removed and cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
1 T. lemongrass - tender inner stalks, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic - roughly chopped
1 T. ginger - roughly chopped
1/4 c. olive oil
1 t. soy sauce
1 t. fish sauce
2 T. rice wine vinegar
2 t. sambal oelek (raw Asian chili paste)
1/2 c. cilantro - roughly chopped

kosher salt & fresh ground pepper
2 limes - halved
Aleppo pepper (optional)

In a mini food processor or blender, combine the lemongrass, garlic, ginger, olive oil, soy sauce, fish sauce, vinegar, sambal oelek, and cilantro.  Blend until smooth.

Place swordfish in a medium glass bowl.  Pour marinade over fish, cover, and place in refrigerator for at least one hour, up to 3 hours.

When ready to cook, preheat your grill on high for at least 10 minutes.  Thread fish onto skewers leaving a little space between pieces of fish.  Season liberally with kosher salt & pepper. (note: if using bamboo skewers, soak them in water at least a half hour before using)

Turn grill heat to medium high and oil grill grates.  Place fish on grill and cook, with lid closed, a total of 6 minutes, rotating every couple of minutes to cook evenly.  While cooking fish, place lime halves, cut side down, on grill and cook 3-4 minutes, without moving, until grill marks appear.

Remove fish and limes from grill. To serve, squeeze limes over fish & sprinkle with Aleppo pepper, if desired.

Vietnamese noodle salad

 

The crazy, confusing summer-like temperatures here in LA have had me craving lighter foods like this flavorful Asian noodle salad.  

This dish is also great option for those of us who are still on our New Year's clean-eating kick...it's packed with veggies & lean protein, and the dressing has very little oil but is still full-o-flava (you could use this sauce so many ways - it's delish).

This one is a keeper for any time of year - hope you give it a try!

Serves 4

Dressing
1/3 c. lime juice
2 T. water
3 T. sugar
2 T. fish sauce
1 clove garlic - minced
1 t. lemongrass - tough outer leaves discarded, minced (about one stalk)
1 T. chili-garlic sauce
2 T. vegetable oil

8 oz. Pad Thai style rice noodles
1/2 c. chopped cucumber
2 green onions - white & green parts chopped
1/2 c. chopped red pepper
2 T. each - chopped basil, chopped mint, chopped cilantro
3 c. baby lettuce
3 c. cooked chicken, shredded (about 1 rotisserie chicken)
1/2 c. roasted, salted peanuts - chopped

For dressing, combine lime juice, water and sugar in a bowl.  Whisk until sugar is dissolved.  Add remaining ingredients and whisk well.

Cook rice noodles according to directions on the package.  Drain and rinse thoroughly under cold water.  When drained and cool pour 1/3 of the dressing over the noodles and toss to combine.

In a separate bowl, toss shredded chicken with 1/3 of the dressing.

In large bowl, combine cucumber, green onion, red pepper, herbs and lettuce.  Toss with remaining dressing.  Add noodles and chicken to veggies and toss it again!

Garnish with chopped peanuts.  Yum!!!!!

Click HERE or on the video screen below for the step-by-step recipe video brought to you by Kin Community & yours truly:

Asian shrimp cakes

Here is a delicious twist on the classic crab cake.  I substitute  shrimp for crab and add in some Asian-inspired seasonings & my favorite herb trio - mint, cilantro and basil.  This is a great party appetizer or serve wrapped in lettuce leaves for a tasty main course.

serves 6-8 as an appetizer

1 pound shrimp - peeled & deveined
1 T. each: chopped cilantro, chopped basil, chopped mint
1 T. finely chopped ginger
2 cloves finely chopped garlic
2 T. finely chopped red pepper
1 egg
1 t. asian fish sauce
3 T. mayonnaise
1 c. panko bread crumbs, divided

1/4 c. mayonnaise
1/2 t. sesame oil
1/2 t. sriracha sauce (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Coarsely chop shrimp in a food processor by pulsing or chop by hand.  You want the shrimp to hold together but not get too finely chopped - look for approximately 1/4 inch size pieces.

In a bowl, mix chopped shrimp with herbs, ginger, garlic, red pepper, egg, fish sauce and mayonnaise.  Stir in 1/2 c. panko.

Drop a tablespoon of shrimp mixture into remaining panko and turn to coat. Shape into a small patty and place on a baking sheet.  Repeat with the rest of the shrimp mixture.

Spray shrimp patties on both sides generously with olive oil. Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes, flipping halfway through, until crispy & golden.

While they are baking, mix together the mayo, sesame oil & sriracha. 

Serve shrimp cakes on a platter with the dipping sauce - enjoy!


Please check out the the step-by-step recipe video on Kin Community!