So, I bought a bunch of cilantro, now what?

Are you afraid of "fancy" ingredients?  Wondering what to cook but don't want to buy a lot of stuff?  Ever have too much of a fresh ingredient and no idea what to do with it?  You've found the perfect place!  Welcome, lost internet recipe wanderer.  We can help.  Each post will have two completely different meals you can make with one cart of groceries.  Sometimes they will also include ingredients not in the cart.  The point is you can make lots of different things with the stuff you buy.  And they don't have to be the same.  Or even from the same country of origin.  There are so many great things you can do with a few similar ingredients plus some other stuff.  Not everything in each recipe will be in the cart, so be sure to double check each one.  The idea is buying the same ol' same ol' doesn't mean cooking the same ol' same ol'.  Let's expand our horizions of cooking and not be afraid to buy a bunch of cilantro!

Our first cart shopping experience will have the following recipes:

BBQ Chicken Salad with Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing 
(ala the genius Mel.  Seriously, check out her site!)

Greek Burgers and Zucchini Fries

(adapted from Food Network)

What's in the Cart?
Romaine Lettuce                            Red Onion
Tomato                                         Cilantro
Cucumbers                                    Garlic
Zucchini                                        Yogurt
Cheese (feta and cheddar)             Ground Beef
Chicken                                         Lime

BBQ Chicken Salad with Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing
So, I adapted from this recipe, using what cheese and veggies I had on hand.  The dressing is the key for this, so I made sure to have everything for that.

INGREDIENTS

Chicken and Salad:
3 cups cooked, shredded chicken
2 cups BBQ sauce, storebought or homemade
½ head iceberg lettuce, cored and chopped
2 romaine hearts, chopped
1/2 red onion diced
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, cubed small or shredded
4 ounces Monterey jack cheese, cubed small or shredded
Creamy BBQ Cilantro Lime Dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise, light or regular
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 to 1/2 cup BBQ sauce
DIRECTIONS

For the salad, combine the cooked chicken and BBQ sauce in a medium bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use.
In a large bowl, toss together the iceberg lettuce, romaine lettuce, red onion, cilantro, corn, black beans and cheese. Toss the mixed salad with about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the dressing, if desired. Otherwise, you can serve the dressing on the side. Place salad on plates and top with the prepared BBQ chicken and additional dressing.
For the dressing, combine all the ingredients together and whisk (or shake, if using a jar) vigorously to combine. You could also run this through a blender to make it even more smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Greek Burgers and Zucchini Fries

Ingredients

Burgers (adapted from this gyro recipe on Food Network)

1 lb Ground Beef

1/2 TBSP Marjoram

1/2 TBSP Garlic Powder

1 TBSP Onion Powder

1 TBSP dried Rosemary

Salt & Pepper to taste

Tzatziki Sauce

16 oz Greek Yogurt

1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 TBSP olive oil

2 tsp red wine vinegar

1 TBSP dried mint leaves or 5 to 6 fresh leaves, finely chopped

Strain cucumber through a tea towel to remove excess juice.  Mix ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl. Put in fridge until ready to use.  Keeps for up to a week

Mix ground beef and spices in bowl.  Form into 4 patties.  Cook or grill as you would any burger.  

To assemble burgers: Place cooked patties on hamburger bun.  Add slice of tomato, thinly sliced red onion, piece of lettuce, 1-2 TBSP Tzatziki Sauce, and crumbled feta.

Zucchini Fries

3 large zucchini, cut into 1/4" matchstick shaped 'fries'

2 eggs plus enough water to equal 1 1/2 cups of liquid

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Salt & Pepper to taste

Vegetable Oil for frying

Mix eggs and water in a bowl together.  Mix flour, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper in another bowl.  Dip the zucchini fries into the egg mixture, then the dry mixture.  Fry them as you would regular french fries until golden brown.  I use my cast iron skillet.  They are delicious with ranch dressing.  (see original recipe I modified here)