Sweet and Sour Chicken Burgers

I know "grilling season" is smoldering down to ashes (ha, get it) but its going to be above 90 degrees today.  Puke.  But, for most Minnesotans that means they don't want o cook inside.  I'm definitely not going to...but I'm cheating a bit.  I'm going to dinner with our friends Heather and Joe who are expecting their first baby in December! EEEEEE!!  I am so excited for these two I can hardly stand it!!!! BAHHHH is it December yet!?  I digress.  

These burgers are a new little twist on the traditional hamburger.  Earlier in the summer I made these Teriyaki Turkey Burgers that were fab.  It got me thinking...I like Sweet and Sour sauce too...why not make a Sweet and Sour burger.  That's just a little slice of what goes on in my little head.  I promise, you don't want to know more...ask Mr. Schwartz.  : ) 

Start by prepping the veggies.  Finely chop onion and a pepper, I had an orange one on hand.

Peel and mince some ginger as well.  Ahhhh fresh ginger.

Toss it into a bowl with the ground chicken, you could use turkey if you wanted.

Forgot to grab garlic at the grocery store so I use some of this.  Seriously this little tube has been a life saver.

Crack in some black pepper

Shake in some red pepper flakes

Add a bit of hosin suace

And Panko bread crumbs to get it to stick together.  Form into patties and...

Pop on the grill.  You see that blurry yellow ring, yeah that's pineapple...grill that too.

Assemble...chicken, pineapple...

Lettuce...

Lots of sweet and sour sauce.  Mr. Schwartz also slathered his bun with mayo that was a great addition...the guy knows what's good.  I mean, he married me right?  I know that was terrible but I had to.

Just try to convince me you don't want to sink your teeth into that.  Just try.

Sweet and Sour Chicken Burgers
(Makes 4 large burgers)

1/2 small onion, finely diced
1/2 small bell pepper (red, yellow or orange), finely diced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely minced
1 pound ground chicken or turkey
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
A few cracks of black pepper
A few shakes of red pepper flakes (this can be omitted if you don't like spice)
1 tablespoon Hosin sauce
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
4 pineapple rings
Romaine lettuce, for serving
1 cup sweet and sour sauce
Buns, for serving
Mayo, for serving

Preheat the grill on medium high heat.

In a large bowl, combine the onion, pepper, ginger, chicken, garlic, pepper, red pepper flakes, Hosin sauce and Panko bread crumbs.  Form into four patties.

Grill the burgers on medium high heat for about 4 minutes or so on each side or until they are fully cooked.  In the last few minutes of grilling grill the pineapple as well.

Assemble the burgers by placing the burger on the bottom, then pineapple, lettuce, sweet and sour sauce and spreading mayo on the bottom of the top bun.

Enjoy!

Recipe by: Mrs. Schwartz

Sweet and Spicy Pork Chops with Alexia's Foods GIVEAWAY!

As promised I have a little giveaway for today!  First, let me tell you about what I made.  This week it was abnormally warm in Minnesota.  As in, it was in the 40's!  Amazing weather makes for Spring Fever means Spring Fever calls for grilling!  I was so excited to surprise Mr. Schwartz with a  grilled dinner and beer when he got home.  I marinated these pork chops and anxiously waited for his arrival.  

When Mr. Schwartz got home he had his own surprise…the grill was out of propane.  Sweet.  Long story short, we ended up cooking them in our cast iron pan.  But, they turned out wonderfully.  They were really moist and very flavorful.  

Now, lets talk about the side dish.  First a little background… A month or so ago I switched to Foodbuzz for advertising.  While working with Foodbuzz I opted into the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program.  As a Foodbuzz Tastemaker, I am able to receive food and products to try out for free.  A few weeks ago I received a free coupon for any Alexia Foods product.  I was feeling a bit lazy that evening and ended up pairing them with Alexia All Natural Onion Rings.  Oh man, these are SO good.  I'm not just saying that either.  The joy of being a Tastemaker is that I can say whatever I want.  I want to say these are AMAZING!  For real, try them out.  

Speaking of trying them out, I ended up forgetting my coupon at home when I went to the grocery store so I'm still holding onto it…until I send it to one of you!  I know isn't a huge giveaway but I want you to try these out.  So, leave a comment on what your favorite side dish is along with your email address.  I will pick a winner tomorrow afternoon using random.com and send you an email to get your mailing address. 

Also, Alexia Foods wants you to "reinvent a classic" go to their Facebook page and cast your vote for the next Alexia Foods french fry flavor.  

Musical Selection: Walking On Broken Glass by: Annie Lennox.  This was play when I was spending too much at Ulta today.  I kind of love it. 

To start, I added some honey...

Soy sauce

Lime juice

And red pepper flakes in a small bowl.  Stir it up.

Look at these beauties.

Pour the sauce over the pork chops

And let them marinate for a while.  Mine marinated for about an hour and they were great.

Here are those onion rings I was talking about.  Crispy, all natural with sea salt.  Um, yes please. I baked them in the oven at 400 degrees in a single layer for about 15 minutes.  The directions said 8-10 but we like really crispy onion rings.  They were perfection.

I preheated our cast iron skillet on medium high heat and added a bit of canola oil.  In to the pan the chops went for about 3 minutes on each side.

I brushed them with a  bit more of the marinade and put them into the oven (at 400 because that's what the onion rings were on) for about 10 minutes.  I like to cook our pork all the way through but if you like them pink, cook them a little less than 10.

Out they came, caramelized and perfect. Who needs the grill?

Onion rings.  I added more salt, I kind of have a problem.

Close up of the chop. So stinking good.

Thanks Alexia Foods, we will be having these again real soon. 

Remember: leave a comment with your favorite side dish along with your email address to enter the giveaway.  : )

Happy Saturday! 

Pin It

Sweet and Spicy Pork Chops

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup soy sauce

Juice of 1 lime

1 teaspoon (more or less according to your taste) of red pepper flakes 

4-6 pork chops (boneless or bone in would work) 

Combine with honey, soy sauce, lime juice and red pepper flakes. Pour over chops and refrigerate until ready to use.  

Grill the pork chops or preheat a large oven proof skillet with a drizzle of canola oil on medium high heat.  Cook the chops for 2-3 minutes on each side.  Brush with additional marinade.  Place them in the oven at 400 degrees to finish cooking for about 10 minutes or so. 

Enjoy! 

Recipe by: Mrs. Schwartz