Turkey Meatloaf

Good evening!

Tonight, I made turkey meatloaf.  It is a dish I grew up with, and I love it.  I used to make it with ground beef, but I have switched to turkey because I am trying to cut down on my red meat consumption. 

This meatloaf is also great made with ground chicken.  I also like to brown the cheesy top under the broiler for a couple of minutes once the meatloaf is fully cooked.

The recipe is as follows:

2 lbs. ground turkey
1/3 cup ketchup
1 1/2 tbsp mustard
2 tsp Worchestershire sauce
1/3 sleeve Saltines, crushed
1 egg
1 tsp Herbes de Provence
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp crushed red peppers
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
Fine sea salt
Black pepper
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

In a large bowl, combine all the above ingredients (except the cheese) and mix with your hands until well incorporated.  In a loaf pan (I used a glass 5 x 9 pan), pour in the mixture and form it to fit the pan and flatten the top.

Top the meat with the mozzarella cheese.  Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour.

Remove the pan from the oven and let it rest for about 10 minutes before slicing it and serving.

Punjabi Quesadillas Part II

Good morning!

For dinner last night, I cooked the Punjabi quesadillas again.  You can refer to my blog entry on January 26, 2011 for the link to the recipe and for a short explanation.

I thought I would expand on that entry a little bit here.

The recipe calls for 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, but I used 2 teaspoons ground coriander. 

Instead of Spanish paprika, I used Hungarian paprika.

For the salt, I used fine sea salt.

For the yogurt, I used low-fat plain yogurt.

Because I didn't include the onions, I sauteed the garlic and ginger in 1 1/2 tablespoons grapeseed oil for about 45 seconds and then I proceeded with the rest of the recipe. 

I like a lot of cheese, so I covered each tortilla with chicken mixture in cheese. 

For the oil to brush each tortilla, I used safflower mainly because I had it to use up, and it has a high smoke point as well.

These quesadillas are quite yummy.

Pasta with Pesto & Broccoli

Good evening!

I realize it's been a while between each of these last few posts, but I promise to try my darndest to keep adding posts more often, like I used to. 

Tonight, I made pasta with pesto & broccoli.

I boiled a 1 lb box of pasta (I used whole grain penne) according to the package directions in quite a bit of salted water with a tad bit of EVOO.  With about five minutes left on the boil time, toss in about four cups of fresh broccoli florets and stir.  Boil until time runs out and drain everything.

 
Shake off all the excess water through the colander and return the broccoli and noodles to the pot they were cooked in.  Pour in the pesto sauce (recipe below), stir and serve garnished with additional parmesan cheese.

Pesto recipe:

2 cups of fresh basil leaves (yes, fresh)
1 cup of a nut of your choice (slivered almonds, pine nuts, walnuts, etc.)
1/3 cup shredded or grated parmesan cheese
4 garlic cloves, peeled & smashed
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
EVOO (up to 2/3 cup)
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

In a food processor, combine the basil, the nuts, cheese, garlic, and lemon zest (but not the juice).  Process until fine.  Turn the processor back on and stream in the EVOO through the top of the bin until it is at your desired consistency.  It'll happen around 1/2 cup or so.

Turn the processor off and add salt and pepper to taste, as well as the lemon juice.  Process some more and taste for seasonings and consistency.  If it is too thick, add some more EVOO.  If it is too thin for your tastes, throw in some more nuts and/or basil and process.

ENJOY!!!

Turkey Spaghetti

Good evening, my readers!

Tonight, I made turkey spaghetti.  It is a recipe I learned from my mother when I was young, and I have since adapted it to my tastes.

Recipe:

1 lb. ground meat (turkey, chicken, beef)
1 box of spaghetti noodles (I used whole wheat)
Fine sea salt
EVOO
Freshly-ground black pepper
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tbsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried marjoram
1/2 tsp dried mint
1 12 oz can tomato paste
2 15 oz cans tomato sauce


Boil and drain the noodles according to the package directions in salted water with a tad of EVOO streamed in.

Meanwhile, cook the ground meat in a sauce pan on medium heat.  While it is browning, add in salt and pepper (to taste), the garlic, cayenne, red pepper flakes, oregano, basil, marjoram, and mint.  With the dried herbs, grind them between your fingers as you drop them in to the sauce release their herby goodness.  Stir to incorporate and break up the meat with the spoon. 

After the meat has cooked, stir in the tomato paste and cook for about 30 seconds.  Stir in the tomato sauce once can at a time until fully incorporated, and lower the heat to medium low.  Heat the sauce and stir occasionally to prevent boiling and spattering. 

When everything is ready, either put the noodles back in the pot they were cooked in and pour in the sauce and stir OR heap some noodles on a plate or in a bowl and dollop on some sauce to taste. 

Serve the spaghetti with a piece of cheesy garlic bread and enjoy! 

Turkey Tacos and Mexican Rice

Good evening.

It's been nearly a week since my last post!  I've been busy with miscellaneous things, but now I am able to post tonight.

This evening, I made ground turkey tacos.  I used 93/7 ground turkey.  I browned up two pounds in a skillet.

After the turkey has cooked for about 5 minutes (on slightly over medium heat, but not quite done), I added in fine sea salt and ground black pepper (to taste), 1 tbsp ground cumin, 1 tbsp chili powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp ground coriander and 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper.  I do not like the prepared packets of taco seasoning.  They usually have dehydrated onions in them, and that is disgusting to me.  :)  Keep in mind the measurements for these seasonings were for two pounds.

Obviously, if you were only going to prepare one pound of meat, then half all of the measurements.  I would have added in a ton more cayenne, but I wasn't making this just for me. 

After all of the seasonings are added and incorporated, you continue cooking (and breaking up) the meat until it is fully cooked, usually about 10 minutes total.

Prepare the soft or crunchy taco shells using the packet/box directions.

Serve the meat on the shell and add any of your favorite toppings.  Tonight, I diced up some fresh roma tomatoes, had some baby field greens, bought a cheese mixture of Cheddar and Monterey Jack and a jar of salsa. 

I served it alongside some of my homemade (easy) Mexican rice:

1 tsp oil (grapeseed, EVOO, canola, etc.)
1 cup white Jasmine (or Basmati) rice
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 cups vegetable and chicken broth (or stock)

Heat the oil in a saucepan on medium heat.  Add in the rice and stir to coat.  Saute the rice in the oil for about 4-5 minutes until it is starting to brown, stirring every 30 seconds or so.  Add in the cumin, chili powder and tomato paste and stir to incorporate.  Cook this mixture on medium for about 1 minute, stirring every 30 seconds.

Add in the broth and stir.  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to simmer and cover.  Cook for about 20-25 minutes (usually 22) until all of the liquid is absorbed and the "tunnels" form in the rice.  Turn off the heat; carefully remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork.  Serve!

You might be wondering why these tacos are so plain.  Well, I am picky about the toppings on my tacos, so I usually only do meat, cheese and a hot sauce of some kind.  The other toppings are served were for the others that were enjoying this dinner as well.  :)

Carrot and Roasted Bell Pepper Soup

Good evening, my dedicated readers!

Tonight, I made carrot and roasted (orange) bell pepper soup.  I made this before, and I really liked it.  I made it again tonight with a few changes.  This recipe is from Color Me Vegan by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau.  I really like this author!!!

This recipe is from the "Color Me Orange" chapter.  The book is broken into "color" chapters with dishes featuring one or more ingredients of that color.  It's a really good read, and you get numerous yummy recipes out of it!!!  I highly recommend this book:  http://www.amazon.com/Color-Vegan-Antioxidant-Rich-Fiber-Packed-Color-Intense/dp/1592334393/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1299544207&sr=8-1.

On to the recipe!  The recipe calls for sauteing some carrots, yellow onions, yellow potatoes, garlic, salt and dry sherry or dry white wine.  I used wine, and I added freshly ground black pepper as well.  Now, you may be thinking: WAIT A MINUTE!  I THOUGHT YOU DIDN'T LIKE ONIONS!  Well, this soup is pureed at the end, and I strain it to get a smooth consistency; thus, the onion bits are gone!  I like the flavor; I just don't like the texture.

Anyways, after those have softened, you add the roasted orange bell peppers (that have been seeded and skin removed), some thyme (I used dry thyme), and some vegetable stock (I used broth).  At this point, I also added some cayenne pepper.  You gotta have some heat!!!  Then you simmer the soup for about 25 minutes until everything is tender.

After it has simmered, you add a cup of nondairy milk (I used rice milk) and some miso (I used brown looking miso - aged and fermented soy & brown rice), and then you puree it in a blender or using an immersion blender.  Then you add some more nondairy milk after you return the soup to the pot you cooked it in (if you used a blender).

You then taste it for seasonings and adjust if necessary.  Again, if vegan isn't your thing, then the ONLY ingredient you would have to change is the milk.  I would recommend half-and-half, heavy cream or whole milk.  Skim is disgusting, and not recommended for this.  The lowest I would go is 2%.

If vegetable stock/broth isn't your thing, then chicken stock would be a good substitute.  Beef stock would not be ideal for this soup.  Let me know what you think!

Irish Soda Bread

Good afternoon!

Because tonight is the premiere of season six of The Real Housewives of Orange County, I thought I would do something special:  I would bake a bread from scratch to have with the soup I will be making later - roasted garlic soup (blog post later this evening).

Sometimes, I have no patience to do bread from scratch because of the yeast and all of that, so I decided an Irish soda bread would be perfect.  The recipe came from The Joy of Vegan Baking by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau.  If you have been paying attention to my blog, you will have noticed that I use this author's recipes quite a lot.  Her cookbooks are all vegan, and the recipes are easy to make. 

The reason it is called soda bread is because the baking soda is the leavening agent.  Also, because this recipe is vegan, buttermilk isn't used.  What is used instead is a nondairy milk of choice (I used plain, unsweetened rice milk), and you just add an acid to it (i.e. lemon juice, vinegar, etc.) and let it sit. 

The recipe itself is easy.  The ingredients are nondairy milk, white distilled vinegar, unbleached all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt (I used fine sea salt), and some non-hydrogenated, nondairy butter (brand of choice:  Earth Balance). 

The dough is really stick once you incorporate everything.  Kneading it is somewhat fun because the dough just sticks to your hands.  You bake it in a round cake pan and enjoy!

If vegan isn't your thing (keep in mind that Oreo's are vegan: http://www.peta.org/living/vegetarian-living/accidentally-vegan.aspx), then you can always Google an Irish soda bread recipe. 

It's a bit of fun to remove the bread from the pan once it's cooled for a minute and thump it.  You are supposed to hear a hollow sound.  That will tell you the bread was done correctly.  :)  YUM!!!

Marvelous Mushroom Risotto

Good evening!

Tonight, I made a recipe called "Marvelous Mushroom Risotto" from The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. 

The recipe starts off just like any other risotto-style dish:  heat a good amount of stock or broth (in this case, about 7 cups of vegetable stock - I used broth) and keep it warm while you prepare the rest of the dish. 

Like a lot of risotto's, you saute some onion in some olive oil.  I skip this step and only sauteed the mushrooms and garlic until golden brown.  I have skipped the onion/shallot part in risotto's before, and I have never had an issue.  You can pretty much use any mushroom that you want; you just need three cups of sliced mushrooms.  In this recipe, I used baby bellas.

Then you add in some thyme, parsley and chopped sun-dried tomatoes.  I used dried thyme, and I didn't use the pasley.  I am not a huge fan of that herb. 

After that, you add in some truffle oil.  This is an ingredient that is usually sold as truffle-infused olive oil, and it can get pretty pricey.  I didn't have any on hand; I didn't buy any, so I left it out. 

Next, you add the arborio rice and stir, then the dry white wine and stir to soak up the liquid.  The alcohol will evaporate, so there is no need to worry about getting drunk off this recipe.  :)

Then comes the time for the babysitting.  You add stock/broth ladle by ladle and stir and stir until almost all of the liquid is absorbed, then you add some more.  You cannot walk away and do something else thinking it'll be OK to be absent for just a second.  No, no, no.  You have to have patience with a risotto-style dish, and it needs love and care. 

You keep adding the broth until it is at that perfect creamy consistency.  It usually takes about 20 minutes, give or take a few minutes.  You will be happy with the results. 

Five-Spice Saucy Chicken Stir Fry

Good evening!

I know it has been a few days since my last post, but tonight I made five-spice saucy chicken stir fry.  It is from the cookbook China Modern by Ching-He Huang.  She has her own show, "Chinese Food Made Easy", on the Cooking Channel.  

The first thing you have to do is cut up a pound of chicken breasts into about 3/4" cubes and marinate it for a short time in some oyster sauce, cornstarch, salt and pepper. 

Meanwhile, you heat a wok on high heat and add in an oil that has a high smoke point - grapeseed, safflower, peanut, etc.  Tonight, I used safflower.  Then you throw in some minced garlic and ginger and cook for about 30 seconds.  Then you toss in the chicken and stir fry until golden brown.  You throw in some red pepper flakes, chicken broth or stock, a carrot, and some pak choy.  I couldn't find pak choy, so I used baby bok choy with amazing results. 

Then you pour in some soy sauce, rice wine and a tad of five-spice powder.  I didn't have rice wine, so I used some rice vinegar.  After that, you stir in some cornstarch dissolved in some water to thicken the sauce.  You serve it over some rice and enjoy!!!

I have to say that Asian cuisine is one of my favorites, mainly Chinese food.  Mexican and Italian are my other two favorites.