CHIPOTLE PORK CHEESEBURGERS

• 1 lb ground pork (not lean)
• 2 teaspoons minced chipotle in adobo plus 1 teaspoon adobo sauce
• 2 garlic cloves, forced through a garlic press
• 4 slices Muenster cheese
• 4 hamburger buns, toasted
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 large tomatillo (1/4 lb), husked and rinsed, then sliced
• 1/2 small avocado, sliced
• 1/2 cup cilantro sprigs

• Prepare a gas grill for direct-heat cooking over medium heat; see “Grilling Procedure.”
• Gently mix pork, chipotle, garlic, and a scant tsp salt until just combined. Form into 4 (1/2-inch-thick) patties.
• Oil grill rack, then grill patties, covered, 4 minutes.
• Flip patties and top with a slice of cheese. Grill, covered, until just cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes more.
• Spread buns with mayonnaise and assemble burgers with tomatillo, avocado, and cilantro.

COOKS’ NOTE: Burgers can be grilled in an oiled hot 2-burner grill pan over medium heat, about 10 minutes total.

Feed Us, Day 5: Orange-Chipotle Glazed Tofu with Confetti Rice

Last day of our Feed Us challenge. We actually received a few more tempting recipes, ones that came in after we got back from the grocery store. Stay tuned, we might be doing more of those next week. :)

This was a delicious recipe, submitted by Thaxton. We’re always looking for new tofu recipes, and this one is a keeper. Taylor’s easy, feed him anything with Chipotle and he’ll be happy (he eats the stuff out of a can, weirdo). At first glance, the flavors seem a bit odd – chipotle, orange, and maple syrup? But surprisingly, it works, and it works well.

The rice side dish (hooray for an actual side dish rather than eating a sidedish as the main meal), was also a delicious and beautiful companion to the tofu. Don’t skip out and get a red or green bell pepper, you NEED the orange one to experience the full rainbow of rice that is this dish. Seriously. I’m not joking here. The rice (which we could have halved and still had leftovers) is also delicious the next day.

Orange-Chipotle Glazed Tofu

Makes 6 servings. Recipe from Vegetarian Times.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 Tbs. rice vinegar or cider vinegar
2 tsp. minced seeded chipotle chile in adobo sauce, drained, plus 2 tsp. adobo sauce
1/4 tsp. salt
2 14-oz. packages extra-firm tofu, drained and patted dry
1 Tbs. vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS
Whisk together orange juice, maple syrup, vinegar, chipotle chile, adobo sauce, and salt in small bowl. Cover, and chill.

Cut each piece of tofu crosswise into 8 slices, each about 1/2-inch thick. Place tofu in large shallow glass dish. Add 1/2 cup orange juice mixture and oil to tofu, and turn to coat. Cover, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes or up to 8 hours, turning from time to time. Reserve remaining orange juice mixture, covered, in refrigerator.

Preheat broiler. Line large baking sheet with foil, and coat with cooking spray. Place tofu on prepared baking sheet. Combine marinade and reserved orange juice mixture in small saucepan. Bring to a simmer. Cook over medium heat 12 to 15 minutes, or until syrupy. Keep warm.

Broil tofu 6 to 8 minutes per side, or until golden, basting occasionally with orange juice mixture. Serve with remaining sauce.

Confetti Rice Salad

Makes 6 servings. Recipe from Vegetarian Times.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup long-grain white rice
1 tsp. whole cumin seeds
1 clove garlic, crushed and peeled
1/2 tsp. salt
1 small orange bell pepper, finely chopped (1 cup)
1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 large tomato, chopped (11/2 cups)
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
2/3 cup chopped green onions (1 bunch)
1/4 cup lime juice
3 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 cup sunflower seeds, optional
1/2 avocado, diced, optional

DIRECTIONS
Combine rice, cumin, and 2 cups water in saucepan. Add garlic and salt, cover, and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 15 minutes, or until rice is tender and most of water is absorbed. Remove from heat, sprinkle bell pepper on top, cover, and cool rice in pan.

Transfer rice to large bowl, and remove garlic clove. Stir in beans, tomato, corn, green onions, lime juice, and oil. Season with salt and pepper. Fold in sunflower seeds and avocado, if desired. Serve at room temperature.

Chipotle Lime Glazed Shrimp

Sometimes, the most simple things are the best things. Sure, we could have spent a few hours in the kitchen making some complex dish, searing this part and sauteing that part, baking something else in the meantime. But chances are, the flavors we would have created would not have even come close to those in this dish.

Not to mention the beautiful color of these shrimp. They just look enticing. Spicy and tangy and enticing. Which they are.

What you decide to do with these shrimp is up to you – toss them with rice (as we did), turn them into a saucy filling for a taco or enchilada, or just eat them one by one, enjoying every bite.

(As a side note – you should know that Taylor’s birthday is still officially going on… we have yet to polish off that unbelievable cake. And by our rules, your birthday lasts as long as the cake. So, for the 6th day in a row, happy birthday Taylor! Now cut me a slice of that cake…)

Chipotle Lime Glazed Shrimp

Makes 4 servings. Recipe from Cooks Illustrated, via Ezra Pound Cake.

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 pounds 21/25 shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon sugar

For Glaze:
1 chipotle chile in adobo, minced
2 teaspoons adobo sauce
4 teaspoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

INGREDIENTS
To make the glaze: Stir together chipotle chile, adobo sauce, brown sugar, lime juice, and cilantro in small bowl.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch skillet over high heat until smoking, Meanwhile, toss shrimp, salt, pepper, and sugar in medium bowl. Add half of shrimp to the pan in single layer and cook until spotty brown and edges turn pink, about 1 minute. Remove pan from heat; using tongs, flip each shrimp and let stand until all but very center is opaque, about 30 seconds. Transfer shrimp to large plate. Repeat with remaining tablespoon oil and shrimp; after second batch has stood off heat, return first batch to skillet, add chipotle mixture, and toss to combine. Cover skillet and let stand until shrimp are cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve immediately.