Chicken-Soya Burger

There's nothing more delicious than homemade juicy burgers. Forget your jaws and fill as much as you can ... full open your mouth and stuff it with the burgers.. yummm ! I can't resist that. 

These are juicy , melt in mouth, easy to follow, simple to make and delicious little patties ; shallow fried in oil or grilled and then sandwiched between buns and salads of your choice. The recipe is a revised version of that adapted from Vah re Vah . I had mixed soya with chicken for healthy reasons and a little variation in the spices. Noo likes chicken and Raz likes vegetable burgers. So I say Noo that these are chicken burgers and to Raz I say Soya burgers.. Both are happy and I don't have to lie.. taada !

INGREDIENTS

2 cups/450g Chicken mince *

160g/1 cup Soya

4 tbsp cream

1 tsp Pepper powder

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp Lemon juice 

3 tbsp Chopped coriander

1 tbsp Red chilli, crushed

2 Onions, finely chopped

1 tsp Garam masala

Salt

1/2 cup Bread crumbs

Extra Bread crumbs to coat

 METHOD:

 1. Soak soya nuggets in warm milk for atleast an hour. Drain them nicely, press till all moisture dries up and then  process in a food processor. 

2. Add chicken mince to it and blend again.

3. Place chicken and soya mixture in a bowl. Add all other ingredients except bread crumbs to coat . Mix well using a wooden spatula. 

4. The mixture will be very wet and sticky(that's the secret behind juicy burgers). Place some bread crumbs on a plate. Shape the chicken soya dough into patties and coat them with bread crumbs. You can either fry them then and there or freeze them for later purpose. Click here for freezing tips. 

5. Fry them till it turns golden color and get cooked through. About 3-4 minutes on each side on medium-high flame.

6. For assembling:- I used mayonnaise, lettuce,onions, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, pickled jalapeno peppers, cheese and saute mushrooms.

* If you are using chicken breasts, cut them into chunks, clean and dry them nicely, process them in food processor.

Guest Post for YUMMY FOOD: Lime Juice & Chilli marinated Chicken Fajitas

Today's is a guest post for a blogger friend Lubna Karim, who blogs at Yummy Food. Like every year, she is here with her wonderful Ramadan event 'Joy from Fasting to Feasting' . Through this event, she tries to collect and publish recipes from around the world . This time also there are so many wonderful recipes until now and hope to see more varieties coming ahead. Best wishes for the event Lubna.

Wraps are better and healthier option than traditional snacks since they are not deep-fried. Chicken fajita rolls give you the tanginess and spiciness you need  with your cup of tea. It could be served as a wholesome meal too. Make sure to use fresh and crispy salads in your wraps. The mayonnaise dip, spiced with paprika and cumin, is perfect for wraps,fries or as a spread for sandwiches. 

Let's head on to Lubna's page for the recipe

Cheesy,Chicken & Corn Quesadilla with Avocado Dip

Quesadillas are Mexican wraps which could be made with no much fuss in your kitchen. These are excellent choice for those who are looking for easy breakfast or a light dinner. The most important part of any quesadilla is the filling.  You can play with your choice of filling which varies from vegetarian options like beans, corns,mushrooms, spinach etc. to non-vegetarian options like chicken or beef or a mix of both veg and non-veg. You can choose your favourite cheese also; mozarella, cheddar, parmesan ..anything!

When you decide the filling of your choice , next is to decide on the ways to cook it; whether to fry, grill,bake or panini press them. When you fry, you get crispy wraps as you can see in the picture, whereas a little care needed as if you place tortillas before oil is heated, it may end up in oily & soggy wraps. You can use your panini toasters for zero oil wraps. It's more easier and takes less time compared to frying. But it's not advisable for super-stuffed wraps. Baking is better when you make for your whole family in a bunch; and yes, less oil. You can grill your wraps when you are out for a BBQ.

Ingredients:

Tortillas    1 packet of 6

Onion      1/2 (medium)

Tomato           2 (medium,red & ripened)

Red chilli      2 

Coriander leaves   1 tbsp

Sweet corn        1 cup

Chicken           1 cup , pan-fried and shredded

Pepper            1/2 tsp

Salt

Cheddar cheese    1 1/2 cups

Method:

1. Prepare salsa. For this, chop onion and tomatoes into fine and small pieces. Mix these with chilli, salt and coriander leaves. Keep this aside.

2. Boil or steam sweetcorn till it is done. 

3. Marinate chicken with salt; heat pan and roast chicken with less oil. When cooled down, shred into pieces. Mix chicken and corn together and season with salt and pepper.

4. If you are frying:

Heat pan in slow flame and add a tsp of olive oil or butter and when it is hot, place tortillas on it in such a way that oil is coated on whole tortilla. Sprinkle 3-4 tbsp of cheese on it. Now top it with 3 tbsp of salsa. Layer chicken and corn mix on top of that; cheese again. Now close this with another tortilla and press nicely. Turn the quesadillas upside down and fry the other side too. When that side turn crispy brown, take it out onto a plate, cut into 4 pieces and serve. If you are making in huge batch, place the fried wraps in a preheated oven until the next wraps are fried to keep it warm.

You can make it moon shaped also. When you fill your wraps, fill in half and when cheese starts melting, close the wrap in half (crescent/semi-circle shape) and fry on both sides.

5. For baking(170C for 20-30 minutes) , grilling or toasting, prepare quesadillas, brush a little oil on top and then cook in oven, toaster or on grill. 

6. Serve hot as it is or with dips/sauces of your choice.

Avocado Dip:

Ingredients:

Avocado   1

Yogurt     3 tbsp

Tabasco sauce/ chilli sauce  -to taste

Method:

Mash avocado with fork until smooth and mix in yogurt and sauce. Dip is ready to serve !

Mushroom Sandwich

'Eat Healthy, Do Not Waste' is my mantra this Ramadan.

 Oil fried snacks are not at all a good idea to have during Iftars. But that has turned to a custom since years in many regions including ours.  To change or to revolt against the year old tradition is a big task in itself- to fight with our family members and with our own minds. As Jab is a doctor and health concious too(obviously) , I find it a bit easy to convince them.

We always break fast with fruit salads ,juice and water, as recommended by Prophet (PBUH) and now scientifically proven. We feel so good and refreshed after that. Sometimes we do make fruit custards, but most of the days we add fresh melon or orange juices to our fruit salads. Just a little but it tastes so good. Then, after prayer comes the teatime when we usually eat oily snacks. But the change we tried (to avoid oily stuffs) helped us to feel active during Tharaaveeh (prayer after) . One hour long prayer helps digesting these snacks easily and then it's time for a light meal. Suhoor (Early breakfast)defenitely should be a wholesome meal which help us to stay active the whole day. Eating dry fruits during Suhoor is highly recommended.

Ingredients:

Button Mushrooms 1 box
Oil 1tbsp
Onion 1/2
Garlic 4 cloves
Pepper 1 tsp
Salt 1/2 tsp
Coriander leaves 1 1/2 tsp

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan and saute onion till it changes it color.

2. Add garlic and saute a little more.

3. Pop in mushroom slices into it. Saute till it turns golden brown for about 10-12 minutes.

4. Once it is done, throw in coriander leaves.

5. Toast breads and assemble the sandwich ingredients.

6. Place cheese slice first, then mushroom filing, tomato slice, cucumber slice. etc and close with another toast.Microwave this for 20 seconds

Variation:

You can either assemble the sandwich and then toast it, if you like melted cheese.
Adding olives, mayonnaise, lettuce etc. may add variation to the taste, depending upon your choice.

Smiley Chicken Sandwich(with apples & carrots)

Breakfast fuels us for the day. It is always said to have breakfast like a king, lunch like a queen and dine like a pauper, whereas most of us do just the opposite. Most of us makes this mistake to skip breakfast hoping to lose weight; whereas research confirms that people who eat breakfast are the most successful at weight control. If we don't refuel at breakfast and break the overnight fast, we challenge the body as the brain searches for the fuel.

It's a high-time effort to pack kids' snack box with their favourite breakfast as there is so little time in the morning. Planning is  crucial in such situations. All kids have different tastes ,which varies more often. When Noora (my doter) wants all chocolaty , Razin, my son, prefers cheesy.. But when coming to chicken, they both love it. So including chicken in their breakfast menu is the smartest choice that I make.They likes to be surprised when they open their box and a smiley sandwich can make them happy.

Ingredients:

Bread Slices

Chicken, boiled and shredded 3/4 cup

Apple ,grated 1/2 cup

Carrot, grated 1/2 cup

Spring onions 1/4 cup

Mayonnaise 2-3tbsp

Butter

Salt

Pepper

Lettuce

Method

Cut the bread slices and lettuces in round using a cookie cutter, a glass or anything similar.You can toast your bread if you need.

Mix together shredded chicken,grated apple and carrots together alongwith mayonnaise.(Use grater with small hole to grate apples) Mix in spring onions to it. Season it with salt and pepper. Your filling is ready to be sandwiched.

Spread butter on your bread slice, top it up with lettuce and then the chicken filling. You can keep one more lettuce if required. Sandwich with another slice of bread. You can either toast it or serve cold.

Be creative and serve the way your kid loves it. They eat with their eyes. :)

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I added cool smileys to this message... if you don't see them go to: http://s.exps.me

Triple decker egg-coleslaw sandwich

 A healthy, easy yet delicious sandwich which could be packed fr picnics and schools.

Ingredients:

Bread

Egg , hard boiled

Cabbage, finely chopped 1 cup

Carrot, finely chopped 1/4 cup

Onion minced 1 tbsp

Mayyonnaise 2 tbsp or as u wish

Salt 

Pepper

Butter

 Method:

1. Mix cabbage and carrots together with mayyonnaise,salt, pepper and minced onion.

2.Take 3 breads and spread butter on all those sides of bread which faces inwards.

3. Slice Eggs.

4. Layer 1 or 2 tbsp of  coleslaw on a buttered bread and cover with another bread. Now place the sliced eggs on top of that and season with salt and pepper here. Close with another bread facing buttered side down.

5. Press slightly and cut it in triangle or any other shape.

Classic Sandwich

 A healthy and fresh sandwich  with a glass of fresh juice. What more you need in a hot sunny morning? Whether you are in need of a light breakfast to start your day or wanted to make fresh your morning, these are the best choice to have with your green tea or juices. I hate heavy breakfasts during summer and anything fried or cooked... I prefer my choice of bread and play a lot with the veg in hand. Last week after dropping ma kids near their school bus early  morning,  saw this recipe prepared by Sunita Rodrigues in Food First Tv. All the veggies were there with me; so ran to the kitchen & assembled those ones.. This is a classic one & the same as most of us do; but she used roasted capsicum & I just loved it.. So thought of sharing this with you guys..

Ingredients:

Bread of your choice
Butter/Mayonnaise
Mustard Sauce
Lettuce
Capsicum
Salaami/Mortadella/Sausages
Tomato
Jalapeno ( pickled) I didn't have Jalapenos with me, so used olives instead
Cheese slices
Salt
Pepper

Method:

1.First, we can roast the capsicum. Insert 2 wooden skewers together into capsicum . Fire your stove and hold the capsicum above that touching the fire. Roast all the sides equally. It will turn into ash and then to black colour. Don't worry about that, we will remove the skin and you will get a perfect green colour. Once it is roasted, take them and wrap in a kitchen towel and leave it to cool it. This will help you remove the skin easily.  After 2-3 minutes;may be after 2-3 steps, remove the skin of the capsicum with that towel. Slice it. Btw, roasting is optional, you can use fresh ones too.. but the former adds a kick to it.

2. Toast your bread. You can grill it in oven for 2-3 minutes to turn it crispy.

3.. Spread butter/mayonnaise to moisture your sandwich.

4.. A few drops of Mustard sauce on that. Add it according to your taste as it is sour and some don't prefer it much.

5. Tear some Lettuce leaves . Iceberg Lettuces are preferred. You can soak in cold water for a while and then strain and dry it using a kitchen tissue which turns your lettuce crispy. Slice all the veggies and sprinkle some salt & pepper on it. Keep some Lettuces on your bread.

6. Arrange Salami/Mortadella/Sausage/Tuna or chicken pieces above that. You can grill or steam the sausages.

7. Now tomatoes, cheese slices, capsicum, olives/jalapenos and then again some lettuces on top. Close your toast. You can secure your sandwich with toothpicks if you are packing them  for your kids' lunch box or for picnics.

Sesame coated Alfalfa ,Tomato & Cheese Sandwich

As you all know, Sprouts are highly nutritious; they are rich in proteins & so is good in building our immune system. My kids luv to have sprouts or moong may be becos I've been feeding them with sprouts since they are 7-8 months old. My hubby who is also a doctor always insists me to feed them moong sprouts or any other bean sprouts. I think Moong sprouts are the most common ones. We can make it in our home by soaking whole moongs, draining them & then tying up in a muslin cloth for a day or so till it gets sprouted.

This is a simple recipe;infact all sandwiches are simple ,easy to prepare; healthy &delicious .. Sandwiches along with  a bowl of fruits & a glass of juice makes my day... We Indians usually don't take fruits in empty stomach; but i recommend you guys to please make it a habit; it really worth it. It detoxifies your system, supplies you with great deal of energy for your weight loss and other activities for the day.

Now...the recipe time...

Ingredients;

Butter

Bread 4 slices

Tomato 1 large, sliced in rounds

Alfalfa/Bean sprouts 2 tbsp

Cheese slices 4

Eggs 2, lightly beaten with a little salt & pepper

salt & pepper to taste

Roasted sesame seeds 2 tbsp

Oil for shallow frying

Preparation

Spread butter on (one side each) of all the bread slices. Place one cheese slice over the buttered side of one bread slice. Place few tomato slices over the cheese and sprinkle 1 tbsp of alfalfa or bean sprouts. Place another cheese slice over this and cover with the second bread slice (buttered side facing down). Trim the edges from all four sides of the sandwich. Repeat procedure with remaining 2 bread slices. Dip each prepared sandwich in egg and then coat it with sesame seeds. Shallow fry both sandwiches (one at a time), in hot oil in a non-stick pan. Slice sandwich into 2 halves and serve warm.

And friends, please don't be lazy to trim the edges as i did...hihi...wake up a bit early...:))

Posting this to Sujana's celebrating sandwich event