Mediterranean Turkey Burgers

Turkey Burgers

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs Ground Turkey (93/7)

4 white mushrooms (medium)

1 portabella mushroom (medium)

½ cup chopped fresh parsley

¼ purple onion (1/4 cup chopped)

1 garlic glove

2 slices whole grain bread (I prefer the organic sprouted protein bread from trader joe’s)

Salt and pepper (sprinkle in for flavor)

Instructions:

• In a food processor or chopper blend the following together until chopped small:
• Mushrooms, parsley, onion, garlic
• Heat a skillet/pan on medium heat and add olive oil once the pan is heated.  Add the chopped mix to the pan and sauté until the mix is cooked through (about 8 mins).   Place the mix into medium mixing bowl and set aside.
• Either hand dice or use a food processor to grind the two slices of bread.  Pulse or chop until the bread resembles large bread crumbs.   Add the bread to the mixing bowl.
• Add the ground turkey to the mixing bowl.
• Add 1 egg to the mixing bowl. 
• Mix all ingredients together in the mixing bowl.  The mixture will be moist enough that you can probably mix with a fork. 
• Coat your hands with olive oil and form meat into patties.  
• Cook the patties on a grill until cooked through or on a pan using olive oil.  If you use a grill, spray with non-stick spray or olive oil to prevent sticking.

Goat Cheese Spread

Ingredients:

(1/2 cup) Plain soft goat cheese (like chevre)

(1/2 cup) Greek yogurt

½ - 1 tsp of dried dill

Lemon wedge

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

• Mix all of the listed ingredients together in a bowl until you have a smooth spread.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Squeeze in at least one lemon wedge and taste.  You can reduce the goat cheese or greek yogurt depending on whether you like a strong goat cheese flavor or not. 

*Serve the burgers on warm whole wheat pita bread spread with the goat cheese mixture. 

BBQ Brisket in the Crockpot

I served bbq brisket on slider rolls with a side of the full of fat mac n' cheese.  It was a very filling football Sunday!

Adapted recipe from All Recipes: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/busy-day-barbeque-brisket/

I made these changes and would recommend them to others:

Dry Rub:  I did not use cayenne pepper because our bbq sauce had a little kick and some people don't like so much spice. I also don't have onion powder, so we didn't use this.  I sliced up one whole onion and laid this on the bottom of the crockpot.  The onion caramelized in the sauce and fit right in!

Worcestshire Sauce:  I did not use this because there is enough flavor and salt in the bbq sauce that we bought pre-made.  I don't think it's needed at all.

Liquid Smoke:  I did not use this and it was not needed with the smoky bbq sauce.

Tips:

Remove the meat from the crockpot when it's done cooking and pull it apart using two forks.  You may need to slice it up first.  Using a small measuring cup/spoon, scoop out the top fat layer of the sauce.  Another way to do this is to put the gravy in a container and put it in the fridge.  The fat will harden on the top and you can easily scrape it off and toss it.  You will mix the gravy back in with the shredded meat, and keep the crockpot on low or warm to serve it to your guests.

I'll definitely try making another brisket in the crockpot!  It was well worth the minimal amount of effort : )

Full of Fat Mac N Cheese

I am going to steal Sarah Beatty's term and call this the "Full of Fat Mac N Cheese" recipe.  It may be full of fat, but it's great comfort food for a big dinner or football party. 

I followed Barefoot Contessa's Recipe: 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/mac-and-cheese-recipe2/index.html

Changes: 

Milk:  I used skim milk instead of whole. 

Cheese: I used 2 cups of gouda, 2 cups cheddar and 2 cups of gruyere.  

Comments: 

I thought this was a delicious and filling comfort food. I wouldn't recommend it as a weekly side dish, but it was great for a football party! My only comment is that the recipe says the milk will be "smooth and thicker" when mixed in with the flour/butter mixture.  It doesn't ever really look "thick."  It appears to be a lot of milk, but once you mix in the cheese and pasta, it reduces.  Then when you bake it, all the milk absorbs and you are left with a creamy mac n' cheese.

Low Fat Apple Muffins

I recently made these apple muffins with a few changes.  I think it's a great recipe to try that's lower in fat.  I changed the sugar and added in some honey.  Details coming soon!
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/apple-muffins-recipe/index.html

I'm finally updating this post!

The changes I made which were well worth it.

Applesauce - I peeled and cut up old apples and simmered them on low until I had a sauce.  I liked have the small apple chunks in the muffins.

Sugar - I reduced the sugar by 1/2.  I used 1/2 honey and 1/2 organic light brown sugar.

Buttermilk - I did not have any so I used 3/4 cup of plain fat free greek yogurt.

Enjoy!

Quick Pasta Fagioli

Ingredients:
Pancetta (about 1.5 cups diced)**
2 Celery diced
2 Carrots diced
1 medium onion diced
1 clove garlic diced
1.5 32 oz containers of organic low sodium chicken broth (low sodium is important because pancetta is salty). You could also use 1 32 oz of chicken broth and a 16 oz chicken broth.
1 cup chopped, peeled tomatoes or canned peeled tomatoes
1 can rinsed canellini beans
3/4 cup of small pasta (tiny elbow or ditalini)
1 sprig Rosemary
1 spring Thyme
1 Bay Leaf
Black Pepper to taste

Instructions:
In a soup pot...Turn the heat on to medium and allow the pot to start to heat.  After the pan is warm, add the pancetta.  Allow the pancetta to sautee for at least 4 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.  Add the diced onion, celery, carrots and garlic, and stir.  Allow the vegetables to cook for at least 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  While the vegetables are cooking, take a for and roughly mash about 1/2 of the cannellini beans - this adds a nice thickness to the soup.  Add the beans (mashed and not mashed) and stir. Add the tomatoes and stir.  Add the broth and stir.  Drop in the seasonings (if you have a sachet then put in sachet, otherwise, just drop in). Cover the soup and lower the temperature so the soup is simmering, stirring occasionally   Allow the soup to cook for about 10 minutes, until the flavors are combined and the vegetables are cooked through.  Stir and then increase the heat to medium and cover so the soup comes to a boil.  Add the pasta to the pot and cover.  Keep the heat at medium and simmering.  The pasta should be entirely cooked in about 8 minutes.  Turn the heat off and stir the soup.  Remove the sachet or bay leaf and herb sprigs.  Serve with cheese sprinkled on top or fresh bread with melted cheese.

**If you prefer, you could use diced ham or a fresh ham bone.  You would still allow this to cook first with the vegetables and follow the same recipe.

Award Winning Dip

I made this tip for a super bowl party in the Fall and went home with 1st prize - I beat out buffalo chicken dip! It's a refreshing dip and will over well at summer parties.

Tips: I used an extra avocado and a little more spicy pepper when making this dip on my own. Additional salt may be added to taste.

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=10000001141983

Easy App! Asparagus & Gruyere Tart

Jim has made this twice, the second time better than the first. It's a simple recipe from Martha Stewart that makes a great lunch side or an appetizer for guests.

Tips:

• You can definitely use a little bit less cheese than indicated in the recipe.
• We bought the Pillsbury pizza dough in the tube and it has worked fabulously.
• Lastly, we added turkey bacon crumbles to our latest tart and well…bacon makes everything better!

http://www.marthastewart.com/318340/asparagus-gruyere-tart