Italian Grinder Style Wild Rice Salad

Italian Grinder Style Wild Rice Salad – all the flavors of your favorite sub sandwich but leveled up with wild rice to make it filling and healthy! Perfect for summer and easy to make ahead! 

Italian Grinder Style Wild Rice Salad

½ cup bottled Italian vinaigrette

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

½ teaspoon dried oregano

1 Tablespoon mayonnaise 

3 Tablespoons chopped pickled banana peppers

¼ cup diced red onion

2 cups cooked wild rice

½ cup diced ham 

½ cup Provolone cheese, cut into small cubes

½ cup diced tomato

4 cups very thinly sliced iceberg lettuce

In a large mixing bowl whisk together the Italian vinaigrette, red pepper flakes, oregano, mayonnaise, banana peppers and red onion. Add the wild rice, ham, cheese, and tomato to the bowl and stir gently to evenly coat. To serve place the lettuce on a large serving platter and pour the wild rice salad in the middle.

 

Dim Sum Dumpling Burgers with Crispy Wonton Crab Rangoon and Napa Cabbage Slaw

 It has been almost 4 months since I've had a contest to create a recipe for and I can not tell you how happy I am to be able to have the chance to be back in the kitchen working on entries again! This one I'm sharing today is for a contest that I have entered before and never won. I'm really hoping that what I've created this year catches the judges eyes and the $10,000 prize because I can promise you the flavor is insane in these! 

Dim Sum Dumpling Burgers with Crispy Wonton Crab Rangoon and Napa Cabbage Slaw

4 ounces room temperature whipped cream cheese

¼ cup finely sliced green onion

½ teaspoon white pepper

1 cup shredded imitation crab meat

1 ½ cups thinly shaved napa cabbage

¼ cup thinly sliced green onion

¼ cup cilantro leaves

1 small jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed, sliced thinly

1 Tablespoon olive oil

12 ounces cremini mushrooms

2 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce

1 Tablespoon sesame oil

2 large garlic cloves, minced

2 Tablespoons finely minced ginger

2 Tablespoons panko

½ teaspoon salt

1 ½ teaspoon white pepper

½ pound lean ground pork

½ pound lean ground beef

½ cup sweet Thai chili sauce

4 sweet Hawaiian hamburger buns, toasted

1 cup fried wonton strips

In a medium mixing bowl stir together the cream cheese, green onion and white pepper. Gently stir in the crab meat until evenly mixed and place in the fridge to chill.

In a separate medium mixing bowl gently toss the napa cabbage, green onion, cilantro and jalapeno slices together.

Heat the oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium high heat. Roughly chop mushrooms and add them to the hot oil. Cook for 10 minutes or until mushrooms have browned and softened. Add the soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic and ginger and sauté for 2-4 more minutes. Place the sautéed mushroom mixture in a large mixing bowl and set aside to allow them to cool. 

To the large mixing bowl with the chopped sautéed mushrooms, add the panko, salt, white pepper, ground pork and ground beef. Mix thoroughly to combine and shape the meat mixture into 4 patties. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium high heat, add patties to pan and cook 5 minutes or until a brown crust has formed on the underside of the patty. Flip burgers over and cook another 5 minutes. Brush the patties with the sweet Thai chili sauce. 

To serve spread the remaining sweet Thai chili sauce on both sides of the toasted buns. Top each bottom bun with the cabbage mixture, a mushroom burger patty, some wonton strips, a scoop of the crab Rangoon mixture, more wonton strips, and the top bun. Serve immediately.