Happy weekend!!
I don’t know if it’s the sunshine, my eczema-free eyelids (blessed), or maybe something to do with the moon not being in retrograde (don’t quote me), but I’ve been feeling good — and cooking a lot.
Kyle was in the office this week (he usually works from home) — and no, that’s not why I’m in such high spirits, haha. But I will say: major newfound respect for anyone cooking solo. We normally split the cooking and cleaning, which I now realize is the glue holding my sanity together, because by day two I was side-eying the frozen nuggets and bagged Caesar salad like it was Michelin-star meal.
I did rally though, mostly because I couldn’t stand the idea of letting the week’s groceries go to waste. And it reminded me that sometimes, even my version of “easy” might not be easy enough. So, I’m challenging myself to create even simpler, even tastier recipes, and share them with you.
This week I also shared a few clean-out-the-fridge meals on stories, and it seemed like you loved them! So, inspired by my solo week of survival meals, I thought I’d share a few MVP proteins I always keep on hand to make a fridge clean-out meal substantial.
cooked chicken sausages: the ultimate lazy girl protein. I keep a pack in the freezer and toss them (still frozen!) in the air fryer. 10 minutes later, they’re good to go. I’ll slice them and eat with mustard or add them to pasta, rice, whatever starch is closest. They’re low-effort, high-reward.
tofu: now I know not everyone loves tofu but it has a long shelf life in the fridge, freezes beautifully (for an even better texture), and takes on any flavor. I go for extra-firm cause Costco sells a 5-pack for like $12, which is basically a gift. When I’m feeling low-effort, I grate it raw into salads (you can barely taste it, promise). When I’ve got more energy, I cube or tear and toss it in the air fryer with whatever sauce is around.
skyr or cottage cheese: skyr is my go-to sour cream stand-in and I use it on baked potatoes, in dressings, anywhere. I barely notice a difference and I feel much better about absolutely dousing my baked potato in it than sour cream (not that there’s ANYTHING wrong with that - but I like the added protein). And cottage cheese? I love blending it into marinara and tossing it with chickpea or lentil pasta. It’s creamy, cozy, and sneakily high in protein.
Obviously this isn’t everything, but I’ll stop here before this turns into a novel. If you want more staples to keep on hand ideas (and maybe a few truly lazy dinner formulas), like this post and I’ll make it a weekly thing ❤️
ICYMI, videos from this week
carrot cake overnight oats with yogurt “cream cheese frosting” | recipe | that actually tastes like cream cheese frosting!!!
tomato toast | it may be a bit early in the year for tomatoes, but I saw this beauty at the shop and had to have it
pickle sandwich | I received the original video in my DM’s over 2 dozen times so naturally I had to try it.
this weeks recipe: dumpling-ish chicken burgers with chili crunch mayo
TOTAL TIME: 30 minutes
SERVES: 4
For links to all my kitchen faves check here.
Chef’s knife
Cutting board (not my exact one but very similar)
Large frying pan
Veggie peelers
Mixing bowls
Mini sheet pan
Tongs
For the burgers
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1 1/2 tbsp mayo
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1/2 tbsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp msg
1 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tbsp brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp minced ginger
4 green onion whites
1 lb ground turkey thighs**
lots of fresh black pepper
For the slaw
2 cups finely shredded red cabbage
1 large carrot, julienned
4 green onion tops
1/2 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 tbsp white sugar
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
salt
For the chili crunch mayo
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 tbsp chili crunch (more or less to your liking/spice levels)
small pinch msg
For the rest
4 brioche buns
1 avocado
crispy onions
Make your burger patties
to a large bowl, add: 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs, 1 1/2 tbsp mayo, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1/2 tbsp rice wine vinegar, 1/2 tbsp sesame oil, 1/4 tsp msg, 1 tsp cornstarch, 1/2 tbsp brown sugar and lots of fresh cracked pepper, and mix well. Let sit while your prep your aromatics. *See note in hot tips on ground turkey below*
mince 2 cloves garlic + 1 tsp ginger, and finely dice the whites of 4 green onions (save the tops for the slaw later). Mix into mixture.
add 1 lb ground turkey** to the mixture and use 2 forks in a pulling apart motion to incorporate (this helps keep them airy). Don’t overmix.
form into 4 equal patties and chill while your prep the rest.
Make your slaw
finely shred about 2 packed cups of cabbage/quarter of a small head (I like to use a vegetable peeler or mandoline to get really fine pieces). Julienne 1 carrot. Dice your green onion tops.
add everything to a bowl with 1/2 tbsp sesame oil, 1/2 tbsp white sugar, 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar and a big pinch of salt. Mix well, taste to adjust and set aside.
Make your chili crunch mayo
mix together 1/2 cup mayo, 1/2 tbsp chili crunch, and a pinch of msg. Taste and add more chili crunch to your liking. Set aside.
Cook burgers
heat 1 tbsp avocado oil in a large fry pan over medium heat. Place burgers directly from fridge onto hot pan. Cook for about 3 minutes or until golden, flip and repeat. Once golden, continue to flip every minute until cooked through (about 6 minutes per side total/internal temp is 165F).
Assemble
toast buns to your liking (I throw in the oven for a broil until golden). Garnish burgers with sliced avocado, slaw, crispy onions and lots of the chili mayo and enjoy!
A note on the ground turkey: there are a lot of different varieties of ground turkey/chicken with varying moisture levels. Ideally you should use ground turkey thighs for this recipe to have a bit of fat to keep the patties moist. However if you can’t find that use whatever you can that will have the most fat content. If your patties feel quite dry, add in 1 more tbsp of mayo. If they feel really wet, add more panko 1 tbsp at a time. They should hold their shape raw but still be quite sticky to the touch.
IStoring + reheating: store components separate in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat burger patties in the microwave, air fryer, or on a fry pan and assemble fresh to order. You can freeze the patties, preferably raw, and let thaw in the fridge for about 24 hours before cooking them.
Make it DF: ✅
Make it GF: use GF buns, GF panko, and tamari in place of soy sauce
If there is not a substitute listed I do not recommend omitting or substituting an ingredient as it will drastically change the final dish.
For the burgers
Panko bread crumbs: these keep the patties light and fluffy but if you’re in a pinch you can sub regular bread crumbs.
Mayo: this keeps the patties suuuuuper moist and are my secret weapon. You can skip if you must!
Soy sauce: sub tamari for gf
Rice wine vinegar: can skip
Sesame oil: can skip
Msg: sub in a pinch of salt. But DON’T fear MSG. I highly urge you to buy a bag, it lasts forever since you use such a small amount and it will change your cooking game.
Cornstarch: another secret weapon for moistness - but can be skipped if needed.
Brown sugar: balances the other flavors and helps get the outside super golden. Don’t skip or sub.
Garlic: sub 1 tsp garlic powder
Minced ginger: sub 1/2 tsp dried ginger
Green onion whites: can skip
Turkey thighs: see note in hot tips
For the slaw
Red cabbage: sub any cabbage - pre shredded is fine too! Or just throw on some lettuce for freshness if you don’t want to make the slaw (add a dash of sesame oil to the chili crunch mayo if you do this)
Green onions: skip
Sesame oil: skip
For the chili crunch mayo
Chili crunch: sriracha or your favorite asian hot sauce
For the rest
Brioche buns: brioche works best but any will do
Avocado: adds a nice creaminess but can be skipped
Crispy onions: adds a nice pop and crunch but can be skipped. You can ususally find these near the croutons or you can make your own!
Make sure to drop a comment if you have any questions or if you make this!
With love from Reggie and her weekly stick pic 🫶
