D.B.
I like tamale pie - there are plenty of recipes you can google, and you can adapt them because the quantities aren't that precise. I start with ground beef or turkey, brown it up with onions, add whatever beans I want (or what's left over) such as kidney, black, white (anything you would do in chili, or a combination), tomato sauce/puree with added cumin and coriander or chili powder (or you can use a prepared taco-style sauce, and cheddar or Mexican style grated cheese (optional). I put the whole thing in a casserole dish and top with a cornbread topping (I use cornmeal and water per the recipes but some recipes say you can use a corn muffin mix). Anyway, when you bake it, there's a nice browned cornbread top crust and a yummy chili-type hearty meal below.
With lean ground beef or bison (or half & half with ground turkey), I make my own "loaded" burgers. The meat is so lean that you need to add something with moisture in it so it doesn't get all dried out. I use leftover refried or black beans (the latter mashed), grated onions (including the juice), frozen (slightly defrosted) spinach, salt & pepper or a little Worcestershire, some wheat germ for fiber and flax seeds for healthy fat. Sometimes I add in some green or red peppers, especially if I have some that are just a little too soft to make them good in a salad, but they aren't really yucky yet either. I mix into a big bowl, and form into burgers. I spray with a little canola spray so they don't stick to the grill.
My go-to chicken recipe is an Asian orange style that can work with chicken breasts, thighs or tenders, and it looks great for a buffet if you just cut up smaller pieces (sort of nugget size). For 8 boneless chicken breasts, use 2 cups of orange marmalade (I think it's Polaner that makes a no sugar added type), 4 cloves of minced garlic, 8 trimmed and chopped scallions (white and green parts), 2 tsp fresh grated ginger root or 1/2 tsp dried, 1/4 C soy sauce, 2 tsp sesame oil (found in Asian food section) or canola, 1 cup Mandarin orange segments including liquid. (The quantities aren't that precise so if you like more sauce or flavor, add more!) Lay the chicken in a long baking dish (so it's in 1 layer), mix the other ingredients except the orange segments, and spread it on the chicken (use a spatula to kind of paint it on so all visible surfaces are covered). Put in fridge to marinate at least 2 hours. This can all be done way ahead. Bake in preheated 375 oven until chicken is done, about 40 minutes for larger pieces and 35 for tenders/nuggets. It also works with bone-in pieces but cook about 50 minutes. If you made extra marinade, heat it separately with the orange segments. If you didn't, spoon off any visible fat, drain the remaining pan juices and cooked marinade, and add in the orange segments. Put chicken on a platter and pour the sauce over the top. You can also pass extra hot sauce like a gravy. This keeps really well in a hot buffet dish so it's good for parties. I also serve it at Rosh Hashanah with honey ginger carrots.
