My New Favorite Turkey Burger

I love a good turkey burger whether at home or at a restaurant. I have a few recipes that I have tried but it always seems that my turkey burgers have a tendency to fall apart, be too dry, or just not have enough flavor. Last night Brady found this recipe and after reading the list of ingredients I knew that the burgers would have to be full of flavor plus I thought the addition of the bread crumbs would probably help the meat stick together. Talk about a good find, the burgers turned out perfectly!!  We both loved these and thought they were restaurant quality burgers. I am excited to pass on this recipe because it's a great burger recipe just in time for spring and the start of grilling season!

The picture is a little blurry because I forgot my camera and we had to use Brady's phone

Turkey Burgers
** adapted from Pixelated Crumb
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Serves 3-4
Prep/Cook Time: 20 minutes

1 pound ground turkey breast
1/4 cup dried bread crumbs
1/4 cup chopped shallot
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoon hot sauce
1 teaspoon barbecue sauce
1 chipotle in adobo sauce, chopped
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cumin

Suggested Toppings:
1 onion- caramelizing instructions below
Gorgonzola cheese

In a large bowl combine the ground turkey with all of the ingredients listed above. Mix well and form into 3 or 4 patties depending on how large you like your burgers.

Heat a grill pan over medium heat and spray well with cooking spray. Once hot, add the patties to the pan and cook for about 6-7 minutes on each side or until cooked through. You could also cook these on an outdoor grill. Serve the burgers topped with caramelized onions and a sprinkle of Gorgonzola cheese.

** For the caramelized onions, thinly slice the onion. Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat and add a little bit of olive oil. Once hot add the onions and about a 1 tsp sugar. Stir the onions occasionally, they will take about 10-15 minutes to brown so I would suggest starting them before you put the burgers on the grill pan.

Asiago, Arugula, and Prosciutto Stuffed Chicken

The below recipe is one of my favorites from Cooking Light. I came across the recipe last year and I have made it on numerous occasions, a few of which were for friends and everyone loved the dish.  I love that the chicken is cooked in a saute pan first and then finished off in the oven. I think finishing it in the oven really seals in the juices and makes the chicken extra tender and moist. You  may be tempted to skip making the Caramelized Shallot Sauce that is served with the chicken but it is delicious and I think it really adds to the flavor of the dish.

All of the ingredients for this recipe are incredibly cheap. I typically just buy a couple of pieces of Asiago and prosciutto at the deli counter so I don't have to worry about tons of leftover meat and cheese. This recipe is incredibly quick and easy plus it's low in calories and fat, with 300 calories and 9 grams of fat this is the perfect healthy weeknight meal!

Asiago, Arugula, and Prosciutto Stuffed Chicken with Caramelized Shallot Sauce
** adapted from Cooking Light
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Serves 2
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Chicken Ingredients:
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 slices prosciutto
2 slices Asiago cheese, you could also use Provolone
1/2 c. trimmed arugula
salt and pepper

Sauce Ingredients:
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1 tsp tomato paste
1 c. dry white wine
1 c. fat-free, low sodium chicken broth

Preheat oven to 350.

To prepare the chicken, cut a slit 3/4 of the way through each chicken breast. Stuff each breast with a piece of cheese, prosciutto and half of the arugula. Season chicken with salt and pepper.** If the "stuffing" is coming out use a few toothpicks to hold the chicken together.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add a little olive oil. Add chicken; cook 5 minutes on each side. ** You can leave the toothpicks in while cooking on the first side but remove prior to flipping, at this point the chicken should remained closed. Once chicken has been cooked on both sides, place chicken in a shallow baking dish; bake at 350 for 5-7 minutes or until done.

To prepare sauce, add shallots to a small saucepan or skillet; saute 4 minutes over medium-high heat or until browned. Add tomato paste; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in wine; bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until reduced to 1 cup, about 6 minutes. Add broth; bring to a boil. Cook until reduced by half, about 6 minutes. Serve sauce drizzled over stuffed chicken.

Crusted Veal Chops with Balsamic Reduction

The other night Brady brought over ingredients to make Crusted Veal Chops with Balsamic Reduction along with a Spicy Green Bean side dish. Brady found both recipes on the Crepes of Wrath blog and we thought they both turned out great.

I am not sure if I have ever had veal and I have definitely never cooked with it but it was incredibly easy. In Brady's words "this is a sneaky fancy dinner" because the recipe requires limited ingredients and is quick to prepare but it honestly looks like something you would be served at a restaurant. Brady loved the dish. My cut of veal was a little fatty but the meat I had tasted great and I ended up making up for the lack of meat with large amounts of the spicy green beans which were delicious!

Crusted Veal Chops with Balsamic Reduction
** The Crepes of Wrath
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Serves 2
Prep/Cook Time: 30 minutes

2 veal chops, trimmed of excess fat
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 c. Italian bread crumbs
1 tablespoon low-fat mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Balsamic Reduction
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 shallot or 1/2 a red onion, diced
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat with non-stick cooking spray. If you have a baking rack, place that on top of the baking sheet and spray that with non-stick spray-  this will allow chops to have a nice crust on them.

Combine the parsley, thyme, garlic, bread crumbs, salt and cayenne pepper on a large plate. Set aside. In a small bowl, mix together the mayo and mustard and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over high heat. Season the veal chops with salt and pepper on both sides, then place in the heated olive oil. Cook on each side for 2-3 minutes, until a nice brown crust forms. Remove to the rack and allow to cool for a few minutes before covering each chop with the mustard and mayonnaise combination, then coating in the breadcrumb mixture. Press the chops down into the bread to make sure that everything sticks.

Place the chops on the prepared baking sheet and cook for 15-20 minutes, until cooked through and a meat thermometer reads 140 degrees F. Cover and allow the chops to rest for 5-8 minutes.


While the chops are resting prepare the balsamic reduction. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Add the shallots or onion and cook for a minute or so, until soft. Stir in the balsamic vinegar, turn the heat to high, and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-high and reduce by half, about 5-6 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter. To serve, spoon a bit of the reduction over the chops.

Spicy Green Beans

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 red onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound green beans, cleaned
1 or 2 habanero chile peppers, minced (or jalapeno peppers)
pinch salt and pepper
1/4 cup white wine
2 tablespoons water

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add in the diced onion. Saute for 5 minutes, or until softened, then add in the garlic and saute for another minute, until fragrant. Add in the green beans, habanero peppers, salt, pepper, white wine, and water. Stir to combine, cover, and cook over medium heat for 10-12 minutes, until the beans are tender but still slightly crunchy. **I had to add a bit more water after about 10 minutes because the green beans were still pretty crunchy.

Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing

I used to love making sugar cookies when I was young. My mom had a huge basket full of seasonal cookie cutters and always let my brother and I help her make cookies for various holidays. I have been making sugar cookies ever since but never really had a recipe that was hands down the best. It seems that my dough is either too sticky or too dry, and is always a bear to roll out. I liked my moms Betty Crocker recipe growing up but it is a bit too crispy for me, I prefer a slightly softer cookie. I have tried so many recipes and I think that I have finally found the perfect sugar cookie recipe! Cake and Allie's sugar cookie recipe is by far the best I have come across. The dough rolled out beautifully and the cookies are the perfect combination of crispy outside and soft center.

I love the look of royal icing and have tried using it a few times now with mediocre results. My aunt Shelly makes the most beautiful sugar cookies with royal icing, honestly they would make Martha Stewart jealous. I need to spend some time in the kitchen with her and get a few pointers but until then I have been checking out the "how to's" on various blogs. My cookies aren't perfect but I thought they turned out pretty cute! Mastering royal icing and decorating the cookies definitely takes some patience, a steady hand and more patience! If you are considering making sugar cookies I suggest checking out the blogs I mention at the end of this post and following their directions on how to decorate with royal icing.

The sugar cookies after I have outlined them with the stiff royal icing

The sugar cookies after I have flooded the inside and added finishing touches with the stiff icing.

In preparation of my upcoming trip to France, Eiffel Tower cookies!!!

Sugar Cookies
** from Cake and Allie

Makes about 3 dozen cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups flour

In a large mixing bowl, or in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter until soft and creamy. Slowly add the powdered sugar and beat until combined. Add in the egg, almond extract, vanilla, salt and flour and continue to mix till smooth and all ingredients are incorporated. Cover dough with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least an hour.

Preheat over to 375. Line a couple of cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

On a well floured surface roll out a third of the cookie dough at a time. Put the rest of the dough back in the fridge so it stays cool. Roll dough till it is about a 1/4 inch thick and cut out cookies using floured cookie cutters. Carefully transfer the cut out cookies to the baking sheets and bake for 6-8 minutes. Cookies should not brown, remove them before they start to get brown on the edges. Remove cookies from the pan and cool on a kitchen towel covered with wax paper. Let the cookies cool completely before icing.

Royal Icing

2 Tbs meringue powder (can be found at Michaels, JoAnn Fabrics, or Hobby Lobby)
4 cups powdered sugar
6 Tbs water

Place all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, beat frosting until matte and smooth, about 7-8 minutes.

*** For decorating instructions I suggest checking out Cake and Ella and Annie Eat's blogs- both give an excellent tutorial!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I recently picked up a couple of the Cook This, Not That cookbooks at the library. I have seen some of the cookbooks recipes featured on the Today Show and love that the dishes are all under 400 calories and require minimal ingredients.   I have sticky notes in about half of the cookbook because all of their recipes look so good and sound perfect for quick and healthy weeknight meals- I am thinking I should have just bought it versus checking out from the library!

The tortilla soup recipe in the cookbook really caught my eye. I had to bring out the Eddie Bauer parka yesterday so I thought this soup would be perfect for lunches this week. I am always a big fan of tortilla soup and this recipe didn't disappoint. It is incredibly basic, I have other tortilla soup recipes that are a bit more complex, but I love the simplicity of this recipe and I thought the addition of the lime juice at the end really added to the soup. Definitely take the time to bake the tortilla strips, they give the soup a nice crunch plus they make the soup look like something you'd have at a restaurant!

Chicken Tortilla Soup
** from the Cook This, Not That cookbook
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Serves 4
Prep/Cook Time: 20 minutes

1 T. oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 can (14 oz) whole peeled tomatoes
1 chipotle pepper (I used 2 for more heat)
6 c. chicken broth
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 corn tortillas, cut into strips
juice of 1 lime
avocado (optional)
fresh cilantro (optional)

Preheat oven to 450. 

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook the onion and garlic until soft and translucent and then transfer to blender. Add the broth, tomatoes with juice and chipotle pepper to the blender and puree until smooth. (I used my immersion blender which worked perfectly).

Return the soup to the pot and bring to a simmer. Season chicken with salt and pepper and drop the breasts in to the liquid. Poach the chicken in the soup until cooked all the way through, about 12 minutes. Remove the chicken and slice into thin strips. Add the chicken back into the soup.

Arrange sliced tortilla strips on a baking sheet and bake until lightly brown and crispy.

Season soup with lime juice; adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with diced avocado, fresh cilantro, and tortilla strips.

Seared Scallops with Spring Vegetable Risotto

I am going to begin this post with a bit of a warning, the recipe below is a bit labor intensive. I think the directions in the original recipe were a little hard to follow which may have been part of the problem. I am hoping that my directions below make a little more sense and make the preparation of the dish a little easier. The dish wasn't hard to make but it did require two cooks in the kitchen. If it had just been me cooking it might have been a little interesting.

That being said, I really loved the dish and thought that it was worth the time and effort. There are a lot of great flavors with the lemon, wine and the addition of the gremolata- which we forgot about at first but after we added it I thought the gremolata really made the dish. The risotto paired perfectly with the seared scallops but you could easily substitute chicken or shrimp or not mess with a protein at all.

Seared Scallops with Spring Vegetable Risotto
** adapted from Cook's Illustrated, Light and Healthy
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Serves 2
Prep/Cook Time: 45 minutes

Gremolata
2 T. minced fresh parsley, stems reserved
2 T. minced fresh mint, stems reserved
1/2 tsp grated lemon zest

Risotto
1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed and reserved, spears cut on the bias into 1/2-inch pieces
1 pound leeks, greens reserved, white and green parts halved lengthwise, sliced thin and rinsed
4 c. low sodium vegetable broth
3 c. water
1 T. oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 c. frozen peas
1 1/2 c. arborio rice
1 c. dry white wine
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese, grated
1 T. butter
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

Scallops
1 pound (about 8) fresh large scallops, patted dry to remove any moisture
salt and pepper

Combine the parsley, mint, and lemon zest in a small bowl; set aside.

Combine broth and water in a medium saucepan and heat over medium-high heat. Chop the tough asparagus ends and leek greens into 1/2 inch pieces and add to the broth, along with the reserved mint and parsley stems, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the asparagus spears that have been cut on the bias, 1/8 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper, and cook, stirring often until crisp-tender, about 4-6 minutes. Add the frozen peas, and continue to cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Remove the vegetables from the pan and set aside.

Next, in a large skillet heat 1 teaspoon of oil. Add the leeks, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8-10 minutes. Uncover and increase the heat to medium. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Strain the broth, discarding the solids. Set over low heat and cover to keep warm.

Add the rice to the leek mixture and cook, stirring constantly until the ends of the kernels are transparent, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in the wine, and cook, stirring often, until it has been absorbed, another 3 minutes. Stir in 3 cups of broth and continue to simmer, stirring every few minutes until the liquid has been absorbed and the bottom of the pan is almost dry, about 12 minutes.

Stir in 1/2 cup more broth every few minutes as needed to keep the bottom of the pan from drying out. Continue to cook, stirring often until rice is al dente, about 10-12 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a medium size skillet over high heat and add a bit of butter or oil. Add the scallops, about four at a time to avoid crowding, to the skillet and cook for 3 minutes on each side. Remove scallops and repeat with remaining scallops.

Remove risotto from heat, and vigorously stir in the cheese, butter and lemon juice, then gently fold in the reserved asparagus and peas. Season with salt and pepper if necessary and serve served with seared scallops on top and garnished with gremolata.

Roast Salmon with Sweet Chipotle Glaze

It was so great being in Miami and having fresh fish each night. I wanted to continue the fish trend back here in Chicago so I picked up some fresh salmon last week. The salmon turned out great, sweet with a little bit of a smoky kick from the chipotle peppers. I loved that the glaze called for minimal ingredients, all of which I already had on hand, and the whole dish was incredibly quick and easy to prepare. The original recipe has the salmon served over hominy puree which sounds interesting and I think would be a good pairing with the fish. I will definitely be making this again and trying out the hominy puree next time!

Roast Salmon with Sweet Chipotle Glaze
** adapted from Eats Well With Others
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Serves 2
Prep/Cook Time: 20 minutes

3 chipotle chiles from canned chipotle in adobo, minced
2 tbsp apricot jam
1 1/4 tsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 (6-7 oz) wild Atlantic salmon fillets


Preheat the oven to 450. In a small bowl mix chipotle chilies, apricot jam, red wine vinegar and cumin.

Coat a medium size baking dish with PAM. Arrange salmon in the baking dish and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread half of the glaze on each piece of salmon.

Roast until opaque, about 10 minutes.