"Love Me for Me" Turkey Burger

Turkey burgers get a bad reputation. No, they do not taste like beef burgers because they are not beef burgers. They are in fact, a completely different animal. Too often people decide they don’t like “healthy food” because they are expecting it to taste just like the “unhealthy food” they are trying to replace. We should change our mindset and enjoy the food we are eating for all that it is and not chastise the food for what it is not.

Grilled fish is not fried fish; brown rice is not white rice and turkey burgers are not beef burgers. With a change of our attitude we can find a whole new menu to enjoy.

 ½ onion, chopped

1 jalapeno, finely diced

1 lb ground turkey

3/4 tablespoon cumin

1 teaspoon

1 teaspoon pepper

 Preheat your outdoor or indoor grill on medium to high heat. Combine ground turkey, onion, jalapeno, cumin, salt, and pepper. Mix to combine and make four or five burgers. Grill for 10-12 minutes per side and remove from heat. Pile with toppings of your choice and serve with crispy wedge potatoes. 

I'm not trying to be a beef burger!

Tweet

Resolution Chili

New Year's Resolutions; we all make them and break them.This year to avoid the feeling of failure that surfaces after week three+ we should set attainable goals for ourselves. Resolve to make healthy changes that become habits for a balanced lifestyle. And by balanced I do mean eating a light dinner followed by dessert and working out longer followed by a few beers. So try a vegetarian dish, experiment with a new ingredient, play hard enough to sweat daily and be nice to yourself, your body and others.


To help you get started with these reasonable resolutions I am suggesting  a warm and comforting bowl of vegetarian chili. My husband and I used this recipe from Whole Foods to get us started. The Whole Foods website has great recipes that can help you accomplish your goals of living a fit, happy and balanced life.
Happy New Year!
Serves 6-8
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper,chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp finely chopped chipotles
1 tbsp dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 tbsp chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1-28 oz can diced tomatoes
4.5 cups beans (kidney, black and pinto)
8-10 oz corn


Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions, celery, peppers and garlic and cook for 10 to 12 minutes. Add chipotles, oregano, cumin, chili powder and salt, tomatoes and 3 cups of water.  Gently simmer over low heat, uncovered, for 45 minutes. Add beans and corn and simmer an additional 30 minutes.

Tweet

Chipotle White Bean Casserole and Kale Crisps

I now return to my regularly scheduled program. The “shutdown” is over. What does that mean? It means no more 4am wake up call, no more 8pm bedtime, no more 1 drink maximum and no more carnivorous dinner requirement. And while there are several athletes and hard workers who survive and thrive on a vegetarian diet, I am not one to argue with a man who is waking up at 4am.

Wahooo! I will celebrate by sharing my favorite vegetarian dish and a bottle of wine. (well I likely won’t share the wine). This dish comes from 101 Cookbooks. The author has several vegetarian cookbooks with a focus on all natural ingredients. I serve this dish as a meal but it could prove successful as a holiday side dish or an appetizer served on top a sliced crusty baguette.

Serves 5-6 as a meal
2 tbsp olive oil
2 pinches red pepper flakes
2 pinches garlic salt or salt
1-2 large cloves of garlic minced
1-28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
1-2 tablespoons of dried oregano
1-2 tablespoons of adobo sauce from a can of chipotle peppers*
3-15oz cans of white beans
1 block of feta cheese
1 bunch of kale **(see bonus recipe for leftovers)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Make a tomato sauce by adding olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt and minced garlic to a cold saucepan. Heat on medium heat until garlic is fragrant then add tomatoes, oregano and adobo sauce*. While sauce is simmering, rinse 1/2 bunch of kale, de-stem and finely chop. Drain and rinse white beans. Add beans and kale to the tomato sauce. Pour into a casserole dish and top with feta cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

*The Adobo sauce is intense but adds a very appealing smokiness to this dish. Although optional its worth searching for and usually found in the Mexican food aisle.
** You can use any green in place of kale but I urge you to try it. It is packed with vitamins and nutritional benefits. With the remainder of the kale I BEG you to try the following delicious and addicting snack.

In a bowl, combine a tablespoon of olive oil and the juice of half a lemon. Rub the liquid into the leaves and set on a pan. Sprinkle salt on the kale and bake at 350 for about 10-15 minutes or until the leaves start turning brown and crispy. Munch on these right away or save for later. The picture shows dinosaur kale but curly kale works great also.

Tweet

Discovering Spaghetti Squash and San Marzano Tomatoes

 dis·cov·er : to notice or learn, especially by making an effort

I was introduced to the spaghetti squash about two years ago and it is one of my favorite things to cook and eat (shhhh, don’t tell my first love, the avocado). You will spot the squash at your farmer’s market or in your grocery starting around September. It’s oblong in shape and usually a golden hue. After breaking down and cooking the squash you can run a fork through the insides and it comes out in spaghetti like strands. To try and explain this amazing phenomenon won’t do it justice until you experience it yourself. I promise a smile on your face as you discover this magical squash. 

 In the recipe below you can use any tomatoes you choose but I will take this time to tell you about San Marzano tomatoes. These beauties are considered to be the top notch tomato for saucing. I have seen “San Marzano tomatoes” on top pizzeria menus around the city and finally came across them at the farmer’s market. You can also find them canned in the grocery store. If you can get your hands on some try them and bring your sauce to the next level. That would be level awesome!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Marzano_tomato 

Spaghetti Squash topped w/ San Marzano Tomato Sauce:
Feeds 2-3 as a main dish with a side of cheesy bread
1 spaghetti squash
6-8 tomatoes, sliced in half (*San Marzano, Roma, vine ripened)

Olive oil, 2.5 tablespoons

Oregano, 1 tablespoon

1-2 cloves of garlic, sliced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using caution and your sharpest knife, cut the two ends off of the squash. Stand it up and slice down the middle. Next, using a spoon, scoop the seeds and strings out of the middle and discard. On a roasting pan, lay the squash skin side down, drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and roast for about 25-30 minutes or until you can pierce easily with a fork. At the same time that the squash is roasting, put tomatoes in a dish drizzled with 1 tbsp olive oil and sliced garlic. Roast for about 20-25 minutes.

While the squash is cooling make the tomato sauce. Using a small saucepan on medium heat, add 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and roasted tomatoes with their juices. Use a spatula to mash up the tomatoes and garlic and add 1 tablespoon oregano. Let sauce simmer on low while you handle the cooled squash. Take a fork and scrape the insides out of the squash and place in a dish. The insides will come out in spaghetti like strands.



Serve squash topped with tomato sauce and a side of cheesy bread* 

*any type of bread in the oven drizzled with olive oil and topped with cheese for 8 minutes and finished with a minute of broiling

Tweet