Inside out Feta Cheese Burgers!

Quite a tasty little treat these were! Change it up by using lean ground beef, ground turkey, or ground chicken. Any of them would work beautifully as the meat for this stuffed burger!

These are so easy to throw together! I have lately become a rather lazy cook and seek out those kinds of meals. After a full day of work, sometimes I just can't muster up enough energy to do a 5 star meal. Anyways, lets get to it!

Ingredients AND Directions:

 

Part One: For the Salsa Topping

3 roma tomatoes, diced

2 tablespoons of sweet onion, diced

2 t fresh chopped oregano

2 T red wine vinegar

1/2 tsp salt 

Mix all ingredients together and let sit at room temperature until burgers are ready.

Part Two: For the Filling

1 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Zest of 1 lemon

1 tsp fresh chopped oregano

A small handful of sun-dried tomatoes 

A small handful of sliced black olives

1 tsp Olive Oil

Mash all ingredients together with a fork.

For the Meat

1-2 pounds of ground meat (I only used 1 pound, but had enough filling for 2 pounds!)

1 T Garlic Pepper

Mix garlic pepper into meat and then form into 4-8 balls, depending on amount of meat. You have 2 options at this point. Mix a little topping throughout each ball and then form into patties. OR. Press your thumb into the middle of each ball and place about a tablespoon of filling in each hole.

Cover holes and form into patties

I went with option 2, but i think option one would give you move flavor throughout the entire burger.

Throw these guys on the grill until cooked though (Juices run clear)

Serve topped with salsa! You can serve these on buns/sandwich flats etc. I personally think they would taste great with a shmear of hummus on them as well!

Here they are:

Enjoy :) And feel free to leave out any of the stuffing if you aren't a fan! Take out the olives if you aren't a fan! Very versatile stuffing!

Spice up your life! Cilantro Turkey Burgers topped with Chipotle Ketchup!

These were some of the easiest burgers to throw together, quickest to cook, and delightful to eat! If you aren't a cilantro fan, try substituting parsley or basil, however, I cannot guarantee the ketchup will pair quite as well- you may want to stick with regular ketchup in that case!

Anyways, here are the ingredients!

1/3 cup whole wheat bread crumbs

1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro (or more really)

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 pound ground turkey

For the Chipotle Ketchup (if you opt in):

1/4 cup ketchup

1 tsp of chipotle in adobo SAUCE (you could chop up one of the peppers if you dare!)

I would just like to say that I grilled these all by myself :) Nick was out of town, so I had the pleasure of cooking with my dearest friend, and Washington-bound, Marissa. We enjoyed these thoroughly with some baked sweet potato fries and grilled corn on the cobb! They were MIGHTY TASTY!

Anyways, for those of you who need instructions:

1. Preheat grill or broiler

2. Mix all ingredients for burgers together and form into 4-6 patties.

3. Grill about 5 minutes per side or until done

4. If you desire, serve atop a whole wheat bun and top with ketchup, maybe lettuce and tomato if you are in the mood!

Enjoy :)

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Adobo Meatballs with Chunky Sauce!

These are absolutely incredible. I found this recipe about a year or so ago on eatingwell.com. They are a little involved, I just want you to know that up front, but they are well worth the effort! Please note, all herbs can be substituted with dry herbs as long as you HALF the amount I used! For those of you with herb gardens (cough cough AMY)- go for the real thing!

Now, let me also say, this is BEST served over spaghetti (duh, like spaghetti and meatballs!)- but I ran out of time and was too lazy to dirty another pot, so, we had them plain! MAKE THE PASTA! So worth the full effect! Here we go:

Start by making your sauce:

• 1 medium onion finely diced
• 4 garlic cloves finely minced
• 1 28oz can crushed tomatoes (fire roasted if you can find them)
• 3 T tomato paste
• 1 large chipotle in adobo sauce, minced (if you like it HOT, add 2: Amanda Tucker ONLY USE ONE)
• 2 tsp fresh chopped oregano
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• Salt
• 1/4 cup torn fresh basil leaves 

Saute your onion for about 5 minutes, or until it turns translucent. Then add in your garlic and cook 1 more minute. 

Add remaining ingredients (except basil!) and cook for 10 minutes and let liquid get thick!

Meanwhile, work on making your meatballs:

• 1 lb ground turkey (or chicken) meat
• 1 slice of whole wheat bread pulsed into crumbs
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup finely shredded carrot
• 1/2 cup finely diced onion
• 2 large cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 T minced fresh parsley
• 2 tsp minced fresh thyme leaves
• 1 egg lightly beaten
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Lots of fresh ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients and form into small balls. It should give you about 12 if you make them the right size!

Pop them in the oven (ON BROIL) for 10 minutes.

Once they come out, well browned, and mostly cooked through, add them to your sauce!

*If you are making spaghetti, start it at this point!*

Let meatballs cook while pasta is cooking. Cover them. Remove sprig of rosemary and throw in your fresh basil.

Once spaghetti is done, drain, and then add to large pot with meatballs and sauce. Serve and garnish with fresh Parmesan and chopped parsley

Serve it up, and enjoy! These are to die for!

Jerk Turkey Burgers with Grilled Veggie Skewers!

It's time to introduce you all to the latest addition to our family. Webbie! (Our grill!) He did all the work to make this meal, and it was quite tasty! If you don't have a grill, feel free to broil this. I've made these burgers in the oven before, and you can always roast veggies in the oven! Either way, you'll enjoy this one! PROMISE!

Jerk Burgers:

Looks like a lot of ingredients, but its mostly spices you have on hand! 

1/3 cup whole wheat couscous (yes, you can use regular)

1/2 cup water

1 pound ground turkey

1/2 cup finely diced red bell pepper

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp allspice

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 tsp paprika

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Combine couscous and water and let it stand for 20-30 minutes to absorb all the water and soften up.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a small nonstick skillet. Add bell pepper, garlic, thyme, curry powder, cumin, allspice, ginger, salt, pepper, paprika and cayenne. Cook until bell pepper is softened a little (about 1-2 minutes)

Combine all ingredients. Turkey, bell pepper mix, and couscous. Mix WELL and form into patties. You should get about 6 good sized burgers. Grill until browned and no longer pink on the inside. Cooking times will vary!

I had to take some shots of them on the grill!

Look at these grill marks!

Now, you do have the option to serve these on buns with lettuce and tomato like any other burger! We just didn't!

Grilled Veggie Skewers

3 bell peppers (I used green because they are cheapest!)

1 red onion

1 yellow squash

1 zucchini

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced

You'll want to core your peppers and the cut into 1 inch pieces. For the onion, cut it into quarters and then peel off the layers one at a time. For the squash and zucchini, cut in half lengthwise, then slice into inch thick pieces. 

Then, toss them in oil, salt, pepper, and garlic. Skewer in any variety you choose!

On they go!

Oh, just look at these!

Serve it up. Healthy, low car meal right here!

Enjoy! They are easy, they are summer-y, and they are delicious!

Tomato-Balsamic GLAZED Mini Meatballs - Restaurant Quality!

These were EXCELLENT. To be honest, I over cooked mine a little, and would have prefered that I had doubled the glaze, but, STILL, they were delicious! Great flavor combination, great taste. The recipe calls for ground chicken (which would be great!) but I had ground turkey on hand, so, use either! Buy whatever is cheaper in my opinion, because both will work!

Ingredients for the Meatballs:

1 egg

2 T dried parsley

1 T tomato paste

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup milk (I used skim- any kind will be fine)

1/2 tsp kosher salt (or regular)

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1 pound ground chicken or turkey

1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan Cheese (I used a Kroger Brand Parmesan Reggiano!)

1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons Italian seasoned breadcrumbs (I made my own out of plain wheat bread)

Ingredients for your Glaze:

1 T tomato paste

1 T Olive Oil

3/5 T Balsamic Vinegar

1/2 tsp sugar (I used a Truvia packet!)

1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together youregg,  parsley, tomato paste, garlic, milk, salt, and pepper. Whisk until tomato paste is completely dissolved and there are no remaining "Chunks."

Add your chicken or turkey, breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese. Mix well (using your hands) and shape into mini meatballs (A mini ice cream scoop would work, but I just eyeballed it)

Make your glaze by whisking together sugar, tomato paste, olive oil, and balsamic. Brush, or spoon, over each meatball. You may decide you want more glaze!

Pop these little guys in the oven 30ish minutes, or until cooked to an internal temp of 165 for turkey, 170 for chicken.

Remove and place on a plate. Drizzle with balsamic vingar.

Here's a close up of these yummy little meatballs!

They were FULL of flavor. Serve with couscous, orzo, pasta, whatever you like/have!

We devoured them!

Enjoy :)

A Mighty Tasty Turkey Meatloaf with Mashed SWEET Potatoes

Comfort food at its MAX right here. Unfortunately, we were running late to our small group, so the "End" pictures are not anything worth bragging about as I was trying to scarf down dinner and take some after-thought pictures! HOWEVER, this was one of the best recipes I've found for a healthy meatloaf. My husband polished off the entire thing in less than 24 hours, save the 1-2ish slices I was able to have. Needless to say, its on the menu next week again! WE LOVED IT!

As far as the potatoes go, nothing fancy there, but we loved them as well, so I'll post them after the meatloaf!

"Homestyle Turkey Meatloaf"

Adapted from Eating For Life Cookbook

1 1/2 pounds lean ground turkey (I only used 1lb because thats how its packaged here)

1 onion, chopped (I diced mine pretty small)

4 egg whites

1 cup salsa

3/4 cup Old Fashioned Oats, uncooked

1 pkg vegetable soup mix (dry)- this added some yummy flavor!

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 cup ketchup

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and coat a loaf pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, compine the turkey, onion, egg whites, salsa, oats, soup mix, and black pepper. MIX WELL.

Press mixture into prepared loaf pan.

Spread the ketchup overtop.

Bake until meatloaf is no longer pink in the middle, about 60 minutes. (It may take longer. I bumped my oven up to 375 and it barely finished in an hour!) WORTH THE WAIT. I promise!

Enjoy :) 

Easy as it Gets Mashed Sweet Potatoes 

- 3 medium sized sweet potatoes

- Cumin

-Papria

-Salt

-Pepper

- Chili Powder

-DASH of ground red pepper

For you measurement freaks (I am one of them)- get over it. Just eyeball it and taste it. Anywhere from about 1/2tsp to 1tsp would be good!

Dice up your sweet potato (I leave skin on, but you could peel them first) and steam (Or boil, or microwave!) until soft and "mash-able."

Now, I put all of the spices in the bottom of a medium-sized bowl so that when i put the potatoes in to mash, they would start to absorb the seasonings. You could mash, and then add, or add while you mash. If you haven't noticed- this is no sophisticated recipe here.

Just look for an end result like this:

So yummy! Enjoy :) We also had some green beans with our loaf and potatoes. Like I said, a real comfort meal.

Stuffed Turkey Burgers with Parmesan Zucchini

Possible one of the best dinners I've made to date. No lie! Nick loved it. It was HARD for us to save some for leftovers, but we did it! Well, leftovers for ONE. The zucchini has no special trick to it, but somehow, yields this special taste as if you've been slaving over the dish. The burgers also have barely anything to them, and come out JUICY and tasty. TRY THIS ONE. You won't regret it!

For your Burgers:

1 to 1.25 pounds of lean ground turkey

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 cup chopped roasted red peppers

1/2 cup shredded skim mozzarella cheese

Mix the turkey, paprika, garlic and onion powder, salt and pepper. Make sure seasoning gets distributed throughout meat. Add more if you think it doesn't look like enough. Then divide your turkey into 4 balls. 

Take those 4 balls, and divide in half again. Take 4 halves and press them into patties onto a greased baking sheet

 

Now, divide your peppers into 4 equal parts and top each patty with them.

Do the same thing with the cheese!

 

With your four remaining meat-balls, form into patties, place on top of each dressed up patty and press edges together to form one STUFFED burger patty

After i had done that with each burger, I topped each patty with pepper and paprika.

At this point, refrigerate, covered, until ready to cook.

You could grill these, about 5 minutes per side. We don't have a working grill, so I broiled mine for about 7 minutes per side. If you have a meat thermometer, you want it to read 165.

 

Serve with ketchup, mustard, spicy mayonnaise, whatever you like on your burgers. Honestly, I didn't need any extra condiments. Nick used some mustard though!

Here's that cheesy pepper stuffing:

They were wonderful. We will be making them on a regular basis from now on! You could stuff these with feta cheese as well and I think you'd get a mighty tasty result! 

For the Parmesan Zucchini

4 medium zuchinni

1 large onion

1 T Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Slice your onion in half, and then make 1/2 inch slices.

Cook on medium-low heat for 10 minutes until soft.

Cut your zucchini into 1/2 inch slices on a diagonal and add to pan with onions.

 

Add salt and pepper and toss frequently for about 15 minutes. I kept mine covered except when I was tossing, so that the zucchini would soften a little quicker for me!

Once cooked through, add Parmesan cheese, stir, and allow to cook about 30 seconds. Remove immediately and serve

You know by now I like close ups

I served all this up with a baked sweet potato that we always top with butter and cinnamon, but you could add any "starch" you want. Rice, couscous, orzo, baked potatoes, you name it! You can't go wrong with the meat and vegetable part, GUARANTEED

 

ENJOY :)

Turkey Pesto Roll - A Real Hometown Favorite!

Another dish that reminds me of home. My mom made this like once a week growing up, then it tapered off, but now its back! We ate it a lot this summer, and I finally took the step of faith and tried my hand at it. It was pretty successful, but I had a good teacher!

Turkey Pesto Roll

1 lb ground turkey

1 egg

1 cup bread crumbs

1 cup basil leaves

1/4 cup parsley leaves

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

3 garlic cloves, peeled

1/4 cup oil

1/2 t salt

1/4 t ground black pepper

Some Kind of Tomato/Pasta Sauce to serve over top

We always serve this dish with whole wheat pasta, but choose any veggie or grain!

How to Start:

PREHEAT the oven to 375

Take the first 3 ingredients and mix/mash well in a large bowl

Now, on wax paper, or aluminum foil (I went with foil) - push down your turkey and form into a rectangle. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DO SO WITH A ROLLING PIN. Just get your hands messy!

As you can tell, perfection is not required! Now, take the rest of your ingredients and put them all in a food processor.

Pulse until everything is well combined. GREEN IS GOOD!

Now, reserve about a tablespoon of that yummy pesto, and spread the rest all over the turkey:

Now, this is not hard, I promise. DON'T BE INTIMIDATED! Start to lift up the foil and roll the turkey. Kind of peel it off the foil as you go. Here's how it will start to look as you go

Keep lifting the foil, and rolling the turkey, until you have a soild roll. Place it seam side down on a greased baking sheet, and spread the remaining pesto over top

Bake in the oven for 40 minutes at 375 degrees. Meanwhile, heat up your pasta sauce to serve alongside, and if you are making pasta, start cooking it when this guy has about 15 minutes to go!

And when its ready, take it on out and start slicing it and serving topped with tomato sauce

You want to see the inside, don't you?

As you wish!

Its pesto all the way through- EVERY BITE! This dish is sooo good. Enjoy :)