Turkey Burgers, Leftovers, and Banana Bread

Things have been hectic, so I haven't been updating this as often as I would like! I had family visiting, so I wasn't cooking the types of things I normally would (or cooking at all, really). After they left, we had some leftovers, so I really only made BBQ Turkey Burgers and Corn and Red Bell Pepper Couscous last week. Both are delicious and easy, and they taste great together! I use frozen corn for the couscous, and I usually use whole wheat. For the burgers, a high-quality bbq sauce really makes a difference, because ground turkey is pretty bland. We eat them with a little bit of canola-oil mayo and additional bbq sauce. You can also add cheese, but I don't bother because it doesn't make much of a difference. Both are easy and tasty!

I bought ground turkey at Sam's Club (we don't have a BJ's or Costco), because it's so much cheaper. We have a foodsaver, and we split the turkey into 1 lb. bags and freeze it. I can't remember the exact price, but I know it's cheap enough to be worth the effort.

Last night, I used some old bananas and made banana bread. This recipe from Bon Appetit/Epicurious is delicious! I added some chopped walnuts, but I followed the rest of it exactly. Yum!

Cuban Black Beans and Rice

I tried this for the first time on Wednesday. I've been trying to get us back into the habit of having a vegetarian meal at least once a week, if not twice. I used to try to have at least one veg. meal, one with fish, and one with meat (I know that's only 3 meals, but we would have leftovers from at least one meal). This week, we had one of my favorites, Chicken and Couscous Salad, which we ate on Monday and Tuesday. I love the texture of that salad, and adding some feta makes it extra-delicious! That salad calls for radishes, and I always end up with extra radishes when I make it. I found this recipe for Cuban Black Beans and Rice, which is vegetarian AND calls for radishes! It's a win-win.

I really enjoyed it. I followed the recipe almost exactly, but I did add some Penzey's Adobo Seasoning and 1/4-1/2 tsp. of cayenne pepper. I also added an extra dash of vinegar at the end. For the rice, I used a brown jasmine, which I thought went really well with it. It made it take much longer (brown jasmine takes 50 minutes), but I think it tasted better and was probably a little healthier, too. I also used italian parsley inseat of cilantro, since that's what we had leftover from the Couscous salad. We added hot sauce, and I thought it was delicious! M. thought the addition of the rashishes was strange the first time, but he may have come around on the second day. I'll definitely make it again!

Turkey Burgers and Weird Tortellini Salad

We need quick dinners this week, so last night we had turkey burgers (pre-made, but cooked on the grill with some cajun seasoning) and Tortellini Pepperoncini Salad. The salad takes a while, but makes quite a few servings, so it's good for leftovers. It reminds me of an 'everything but the kitchen sink' kind of a recipe, but it's somehow still tasty. It's not my favorite, but it's a nice change.

On Sunday night, we had Ina Garten's Roasted Red Pepper and Goat Cheese Sandwiches. These are SO good. I planned to make a pasta salad to go along with it, but since we weren't that hungry, we had the sandwiches on their own. They're really filling, too.

Couscous!

Last night, we needed a quick meal, so I bought black bean burgers. I have two recipes for making them myself, but when we are in a hurry, the frozen ones are good. We've bought both morningstar and the gardenburger brand, and they are both tasty! We grilled the ones we had last night, since it was so hot in the kitchen. We always eat the pre-made black bean burgers on a whole wheat bun with a little bit of mayo and some salsa. It's good, healthy, and quick!

As a side, I made a couscous salad with corn and red pepper from epicurious. It was really good! There were times I questioned whether or not the salsa and black bean burger went well with the red wine vinegar in the couscous, but it was a really delicious and easy salad to make. I used frozen corn, but I would use fresh if it were in season. I am tempted to try another vinegar, in case we have it with black bean burgers again, but I'm torn. Either way, I'll definitely make it again.

2010!

I have no idea how it got to be 2010, or April of 2010, for that matter. I'm going to try to start posting recipes again, and I'm starting off with a new look. Recipes to come!

Grilled Zucchini

The other night, I made Spiced Pork Tenderloin with Maple-Chipotle Sauce, red potatoes (cut into pieces with a little bit of butter, salt, pepper, and fresh parsley), and Zucchini. Everything was good, but the zucchini was my favorite! I cut the top and bottom off two zucchinis and sliced them in half (vertically). I brushed each piece with olive oil and sprinkled with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. I put them on the grill for 4-5 minutes per side with the grill set to medium heat, and they were perfect! So tasty!

Time has Flown by!

I cannot believe it's June, and an entire month went by withouth me posting. It's actually been almost two months!

I haven't been making too many new things, but I do have a couple recipes to share:

Giada's Grilled Vegetables
These were SO good! I didn't exactly follow the recipe for the vegetables...I used a regualr eggplant, couldn't find zucchini, added portobello mushrooms and some regular large-ish mushrooms, and swapped green onions for red. I did follow the recipe for the dressing, though, and it was delicious! I served it at a bbq, which was perfect. I chopped all the veggies ahead of time and put them in large ziploc bags. I poured olive oil into the bag to coat the veggies (rather than brushing it on), and they were ready to put on the grill when our guests arrived! I sprinkled them with coarse salt and pepper once on the grill, and I added the dressing when they were finished. They were delicious at room temperature, so it's a great recipe for a bbq or entertaining.

I also made Ina's Broccoli and Bow Ties (which I think I have mentioned before), German Potato Salad (bad batch of potatoes, so it only came out ok), bratwurst, and burgers. We also made some black bean burgers, but didn't eat them until the following day. We didn't cook them long enough, so I don't feel like I can really tell if they were good or not.


Cod Poached in Spicy Tomato Broth
This was also very good...nice and light! We ate it over orzo.

Honey-Jalapeno Corn Bread
This was very good! It's a great light-ish recipe for cornbread, and the jalapenos give it some zing. The only thing I did differently was use a can of chopped jalapenos (drained). We ate it with Ina's Chicken Chili. Yum!

Speaking of Chicken Chili, I think I finally have the recipe figured out. I double the dried spices (except for salt), and add two cans of white beans (drained). Last time, I used that basil in a tube, and it seemed to really work! I don't think it would work for everything, but it was good for this recipe.

Last night, I made a bean salad. It was a combination of a few recipes, and here's what I came up with:
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen cut green beans
1 can (drained) red kidney beans
1 can (drained) garbanzo beans
1 can (drained) black beans
dressing:
2-3 limes
1 tablespoon chili powder
1.5 tsp ground cumin (or more, to taste)
1.5 tsp salt
1/4 cup honey (to taste)
3 tablespoons olive oil
hot sauce (to taste)
fresh ground pepper
1.5 tsp minced garlic

Mix and let sit for at least 30 minutes. I left mine on the counter (to defrost the beans and corn) for about 15 minutes and then let it sit in the fridge for another 20 or so. I bet it will be better today.