Supper Club Apps - Grits Toast with Soy Chorizo & Tomatillo Topping

So if I had access to Trader Joe's Vegan Soy Chorizo everyday, I may seriously consider going vegan or at least vegetarian.  I promise you, you would be hard pressed to taste the difference between this plant based product and it's piggy counterpart.  It would be delicious in breakfast burritos or maybe even somehow formed into a pattie for a new take on a spicy burger.  For last night's Supper Club Surprise, we had it atop grits toast, mashed with roasted tomatillos and topped with a little dollop of my favorite - 2% plain Greek yogurt. Grits toast is a cinch and fun to do.  Here's how it came together:


Quick Fix Grits - 3/4 cup
3 cups chicken broth
1/4 tsp of salt (can be omitted, chicken broth is plenty flavorful)
1/3 link of Trader Joe's vegan soy chorizo (or 1/2 cup when crumbled and cooked) or your favorite chorizo
8 tomatillos
1/4 hot pepper
olive oil
garlic salt
pepper
1 tbsp lite cream cheese
1 tbsp olive oil mayo
2 tbsp shredded monterey jack/cheddar blend and more for topping
2% plain Greek yogurt

Start by fixing the grits...and as Paula always says, stir your little heart out in the beginning or you'll end up with lumpy grits. Once the broth comes to a boil, it should take about 5 minutes to get them to a creamy consistency.  They should pour easily into a jellyroll pan and smooth out evenly.  Too long and they'll be one big, pasty lump.  The grits then go into the fridge for at least 30 minutes. I would have liked for the final 'toast' to be a little thicker, so next time I will either use a smaller pan (I used a 9"x13") or make more grits.  Here's the jellyroll pan shot:

While the grits are chillin', move on to the topping and try not to eat it all before you can put the final product together (I struggled a little with this step).  Cook up the chorizo in a fry pan and roast the tomatillos and hot pepper with some olive oil, garlic salt and pepper at 400° for about 10-15 minutes until you have a little char (flip on the broiler if you need to).  If you haven't had tomatillos, they add a cool green color and a little tartness to a sauce or salsa.  You'll usually find them near the tomatoes, look for a smaller fruit in an earthy green husk.  The husk comes off and they need a good rinse to remove the stickiness.  I think the insides look like an eggplant which is confusing but who cares?  They are very cool and tasty. So, after the roasting is done, give them all a rough chop and then transfer the veggies and the chorizo to a mixing bowl and add the remaining ingredients (except for the Greek yogurt, that's for the top).  Give them all a stir to combine.

Crumbled Chorizo

Now, take the chilled grits from the fridge and use a medium sized cookie cutter to form the toast rounds.  Transfer to another non-stick cookie sheet and bake at 375° for 15-20 minutes, flipping once.  The grits will get a little browned around the edges...delicious.  Now they are ready to be topped with the chorizo blend, a few shreds of cheese and baked again until heated through and the cheese is melted.  Top with the yogurt and serve it up warm!  The chorizo and pepper give it a hit of spiciness, the tomatillos a little tartness and the yogurt cools it right off.  These were a supper club hit!

Aren't they cute on Woo's pretty polka plate?

Ground Chicken and Basil Burgers

Remember how I told you that I am into the ground chicken these days?  Well, last night I made one of the best burgers I've had in a while thanks to the chickens chasing the cows right out of the barn.  For the health kick that I am on, I chose to go with an open face burger on one slice of multi-grain, whole wheat bread.  The burger was so moist and flavorful, the bread was hardly missed.  Here's how it all came together...

Burger:

1 lb Perdue Ground Chicken

2 tbsp freshly chopped parsley

lots of fresh-cut basil leaves

sea salt

coarse ground black pepper

lemon zest of 1 lemon

2 tbsp Oikos non-fat Greek Yogurt

That's it!  It all goes in the bowl, mash together with your greatest kitchen tools - clean hands, quarter the meet (or half depending on your hunger pangs) and form into patties.  Don't forget they will shrink a little on the grill so make sure to make them flatter and rounder than your bread bun.  It also helps the burger to cook evenly and not puff into a muffin top when you put an indentation into the center of the patty.  Grill away!  Ours went onto a grill around 325 degrees for about 5 minutes on each side.

I served this delectable delight on a grilled slice of mutli-grain, whole wheat bread with romaine lettuce and a few slices of roma tomato.  On the side and for more protein and fiber, I also grilled up some chick peas.  This one's easy to and comes together in 5 minutes flat:

In a saute pan on the grill add EVOO, at least one clove minced garlic, 1 can drained chick peas, juice of half of a lemon, 1 chopped roma tomato and at the very end finish with about 5 to 6 basil leaves.  A fancy chiffonade cut to get the flavor going in the basil never hurt anyone.  Salt and pepper to taste and time to eat!

Hope you enjoy these two recipes this summer.  Now that June is almost here, my herb garden is getting full usage and basil is one of the star performers.  With easy recipes like these, I am sending good thoughts to the universe for a bountiful harvest throughout the summer...