"Greek" Turkey Patty

These came from round two of using ground turkey.  Blame it on buying a big family sized three pound package of ground turkey when it was on sale and I had a coupon.  The ground turkey purchase also came from my desire to eat healthy and prove to my husband that it could take good.  I succeeded with my first attempt with an Asian Turkey burger, this evening I traveled to the Mediterranean to borrow flavors often found in Greek cooking, for a "Greek" turkey patty.  To accompany the flavors of the patty I served it on a bed of spinach, red onion, red pepper, on a warm flat bread pita, topped with yogurt sauce.  My husband's reaction was yet another of his satisfaction with this meal and surprise at how tasty it was.  Another point for me!  I have one more pound waiting to make it a full sweep...

All rolled up together to make a delicious meal!

Recipes:

Turkey Patties:

1 lb ground turkey
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped spinach
1/4 cup chopped roasted red pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
1 tsp dried oregano, crumbled
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Yogurt Sauce:

1 cup plain Greek yogurt

1/2 cucumber peeled, seeded and diced

2 cloves minced garlic

1 tbsp dill

salt and pepper

Minestrone Soup with Croutons

Today in New York was a rainy, windy day.  As I sat at work looking out the window contemplating what I would cook for dinner I figured it would be the perfect evening for a nice pot of soup.  Next I starting taking inventory of what was in my fridge.  Realizing I had a head of cauliflower, a zucchini, and carrots I knew right away some kind of vegetable soup was definitely in order.  Then I remembered there was a package of tortellini pasta.  That sealed the deal that it would be a pot of minestrone soup.  Sadly I realized that the loaf of ciabatta bread that was leftover was a little stale.  This prompted me to cut it up and toast it and turn it into very flavorful croutons to top my soup.  Topped with a little Parmesan cheese and it was the perfect meal on this dreary day.

                                                                                                                  

Croutons:

Day old ciabatta bread chopped into chunks.  Place bread into a bowl drizzle olive oil over the bread.  Sprinkle with garlic powder and Italian seasoning.  Toss bread to coat.  Spread on a baking sheet and toast in oven at 375 degree for about ten minutes until lightly toasted, turning bread over about halfway through.

Minestrone:

1 zucchini cut into half moons

1 bell pepper cut into chunks

2 carrots sliced

1/2 onion chopped

2-3 cloves of garlic

1/2 head of cauliflower

1 can of fire roasted tomatoes

3 cup chicken broth

1/2 lb. tortellini

1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon of red pepper flake

1 bay leaf

In a heavy bottom pot or a dutch oven heat olive oil, cook onions until lightly golden.  Add garlic cooking for another 1 or 2 or until fragrant.  Add the red pepper flake and Italian seasoning.  At the diced tomatoes.  Stir.  Add the rest of the vegetables.  Add the broth. Put one bay leave in pot. Bring to a boil and stir.  Let boil about 5 minutes. Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender.  

I cooked the pasta separately and combined when ready to eat.  However the pasta could be added when the vegetables first start to show tenderness.  

Serve soup with croutons and grated Parmesan cheese.

NYC Bites- Food Trucks

In my first NYC bites post I let you in on some fantastic treats in the Lower East Village, today I will share some of the food trucks I recently had some tastings at.  Let me start by saying we have the perfect September Saturday to enjoy these bites.  Again I discovered these places by taking a tour with a company called the Sidewalks of New York (http://www.sidewalksofny.com/). For this tour we started in midtown tasting from two carts then a short subway ride away we found ourselves at Union Square, which on a Saturday there is a wonderful farmers market.  

 

The first stop was for some chicken Roti from the Biryani cart.

 

The chicken was definitely moist and had wonderful flavor.

Next up was a stop at Kwik Meal the next block over, again a wonderful chicken plate with rice.  Interesting to note that this cart soaks the chicken in papaya to keep it moist, but you don't taste the papaya.  Yum!

 



 

 

 

Next it was onto Union Square, where our first

tasting was at Patty's Taco truck.

At Patty's taco I enjoyed the pork taco.  As with any taco
it is all about the freshness of the ingredients.  The tacos were topped simply with some onion, cilantro, tomato, lettuce, and some lime.  Perfect!

Next on the tour was a stop just a couple trucks up at the Gorilla Cheese truck. Here I only sampled some of the cheddar on a whole grain bread but I can say that their menu has many options that looked oh so delicious.  All the sandwiches had that nice gooey, melty, goodness wants from a grilled cheese sandwich.

Coolhaus Ice Cream Sandwich Truck

The Coolhaus Ice Cream truck was certainly a very unique
truck.  When walking up to this truck you get to select a
cookie type and then you select the ice cream flavor you
would like to create your ice cream sandwich.

I decided to try the snickerdoodle cookie with the sea salt caramel ice cream, and I am so glad that I did.  The cookie was soft and chewy.  The ice cream was absolutely scrumptious! 


The best part of the day lokoing at the menus for the most of the choices for around $6-$8 you are getting a meal that is freshly prepared, unique, and just down right delicious!  And on this day the perfect end was to walk around the famer's market and the park at Union Square to enjoy the atmosphere and digest all the yummines we got to enjoy!

Peanut Butter Fluff Brownies

Within my circle of family and friends I have become the one who always brings the brownies as a dessert.  As my young nieces tell me "Aunt Trish you made the best brownies".  However although no matter where I bring the brownies I get complimented I do have a secret....they are from a box!  Now that I have let the cat out of the bag I will share that I only make Ghiradelli Box Brownies, usually the double chocolate ones.  Lately though I have been trying to use the box mix but improve upon it.  This recipe incorporates fluff and peanut butter.  Anything with peanut butter is a winner in my book!

I had to get a bite...couldn't even wait to take the picture.

Directions:

1 box brownie mix

1 cup fluff

1 cup peanut butter (I used chunky but smooth will work)

Make the box mix of brownies according to the package.  I spray parchment paper with cooking spray and place in baking pan with edges overhanging.  Pour brownie batter into pan.  In a medium bowl place the fluff and peanut butter and microwave for about 20 seconds, just to make it smooth.  Mix the fluff and peanut together a little but not completely.  Place dollops of the mixture on top of the brownies and using a butter knife swirl the mixture around the pan.  Bake according to the box directions.  (I did find that mine took about 8 minutes longer)

As always my husband is willing to be a taste tester!

NYC Bites- Lower East Side

Living on Long Island gives me the opportunity to be a quick train ride into the hustle and bustle of New York City or just a ten minute drive to great beaches.  Lately with the help of some great deals on Livingsocial I have been taking little, hmmm, let's call them food excursions into the city.  This all starting with a food tour of the Lower East Side given by the Sidewalks of New York.  All I have to say about the tour is yum!  We had six tastings from different small eateries.  Some not even big enough for our group to fit into, leaving us tasting our scrumptious treats on the sidewalks.  After a great tour which not only had great food but also included the history of the area, a friend and I decided to take the West Village tour and later the food truck tour.  All fantastic, all with great guides.  If you are visiting NYC or even a local looking for something to do I highly recommend this company. Listed here is the company's website: http://www.sidewalksofny.com/

The Lower East Side tour gave us a glimpse into the rich Jewish heritage of the area.  Some historical places pointed out were the old tenements.  The starting point of this tour was at Yonah Schimmel home of fantastic knishes.

The Knish was one of the best I have ever eaten the picture above shows a quarter of the actual knish they were big. Below at the store is the dumb waiter that they still use to carry the freshly baked knishes upstairs from the kitchen.

Another stop on this tour was to Katz's Deli.  This happens to be the deli in which that famous scene from When Harry Met Sally was filmed.  If you go in there is a sign pointing out where they sat.

Pastrami on Rye at Katz's.  This was by far the best Pastrami I have ever eaten. Go there. Try it.

 At Russ and Daughters we sampled the Rugelach.  They were delicious.

Also on this tour was a stop at the Pickle Guys.....Fantastic pickles that are made in a tiny place by a man with big personality.

This is the interior of the Pickle Guys just barrels of pickles to select.

Kossar's Bialys was also included in this tour.  Bialys always remind me of holidays of my childhood.  If you are unfamiliar with a bialy they are similar to a bagel with the hole in the middle and with some onion on top.

 Three other places we stopped at on this day were: 

 Prosperity Dumplings-  Another hole in the wall take out place that we enjoyed the food at.

 Goodfellas Les - we loved the sausage and smoked mozzarella pizza.

 Doughnut Plant- sadly I do not have a picture from here, but my husband keeps talking about this        place and when and how we can get more.  We sampled the Dulce and chocolate donut. And then we purchased a peanut butter and banana cream donut.  Which without a doubt is the best donut I have ever eaten.

  A happy camper with a pickle and part of a bialy with a smear of cream cheese.  Happy Tasting Everyone!

Simple Fresh Chipotle Chicken Sausage Tacos

Easiest Chipotle Chicken Sausage Tacos

This meal kind of got pieced together but it came out fantastic with great flavor.  For these tacos it really is the super fresh salsa and guacamole that made it all come together.  Again trying to choose healthier protein options I brought home a package of chipotle chicken sausage.  And yet again I got skeptical looks from my meat loving husband.  Earlier in the day I have been out in the vegetable garden and besides a huge bounty of eggplant (which I will have to find recipes to use it all up) there were a few small red bell peppers and a couple more big tomatoes.  Knowing we were going for tacos this evening I decided to try my hand at a homemade salsa.  A quick trip the grocery store for some cilantro (sadly that did not want to grow in our garden) and a jalapeno pepper and we were set.  A few pulses of the food processor later and our kitchen smelt great!

This started after picking a few more tomatoes and a few little bell peppers from the garden probably some of the last ones for this season.  

Salsa:

Two big tomatoes roughly chopped

1 bell pepper

1/2 or 1 jalapeno pepper (depending how spicy you like it)

1 yellow onion roughly chopped

1 handful of cilantro

1 juice of a lime

2 teaspoons of honey

2 teaspoons of cumin

salt and pepper to taste

Quite simply put all ingredients into the food processor and pulse until desired consistency.

Fresh Guacamole: 

One ripe hass avocado pitted and roughly chopped

1/2 lime juiced

approximately tablespoon chopped cilantro

salt and pepper to taste

In a bowl mash the avocado.  Blend the rest of the ingredients.

Chipotle Chicken Sausage Tacos:

1 package of chipotle chicken sausage chopped(from Fresco or Johnsonville)

1/2 bell pepper cut into thin strips

1/2 scallion finely chopped

1 teaspoon cumin

Crispy taco shells

shredded cheese

In a heated pan of little olive oil cooked chopped chicken sausage until it starts to brown and crisp.  Add cumin and let cook about a minute.  Next add the scallion and bell pepper and cook another 2 minutes.  Heat taco shells on a cookie sheet in a 325 degree oven for about 5-7 minutes.  Place chicken sausage mixture into taco shells, top with fresh salsa, guacamole, and shredded cheese.  

**Easy side: I served my tacos with a side of canned black beans and frozen corn I cooked in a small pot with a sprinkle of cumin and some of the leftover scallion and bell pepper I can chopped for the tacos.  Easy and delish!

Asian Turkey Burger

In an effort to make healthier selections I have been wanting to try ground lean turkey instead of ground beef. However like many I had a resistant husband. When a coupon and a sale inspired me to make the leap. His reaction was "really ground turkey what are you going to do with that?"  I came across what sounded like a great recipe for Asian turkey burgers.  I thought why not let's give it a try. I had a wonderful recipe already for an Asian slaw, this went wonderfully on top of the burger.

The flavors of this burger and the slaw on top complimented each other so well.

My husband's only issue with the burger....I made them a little too fat! Other then that his reaction after being skeptical about the ground turkey was "oh my god that is a good burger!"  He would like to see it again soon on our weekly menu.

Recipe:

Asian Turkey Burger-

Ingredients

     

    For the mayo-

    

    3 tablespoons mayonnaise

    1 tablespoon of Sriracha

    For the burgers-

   

    1 1/2 lbs ground turkey

    1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs

    1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro  

    3 cloves minced garlic

    2 scallions, finely chopped

    3 tablespoons soy sauce

    1 tablespoon sesame oil    

    1 tablespoon minced ginger

    1 teaspoon red pepper flake

    Hamburger buns

    For the Asian Slaw-

     1 red or orange bell pepper- thinly sliced

     1 onion (red or yellow)- thinly sliced

     1 carrot- thinly slice or shredded

     2 tablespoons of soy sauce

     1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

     1 teaspoon minced ginger

     1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil

• To make the mayo, mix together the mayonnaise and the Sriracha in a small bowl and set aside.

• Next prepare the slaw so the flavors can blend while the burgers cook.  Mix all the liquid slaw ingredients in a medium bowl.  Toss the sliced vegetables in the sauce and set aside in the fridge.

• Using your hands, mix all the ingredients for the burgers in a large bowl until just incorporated.  Scoop out mixture and form into a patty. Repeat until all the mixture is used.

• Heat a grill pan (or an outdoor grill)   Lightly oil the pan.  Grill the patties about 5 to 7 minutes per side, until well browned on both sides and a meat thermometer reads 165.  

• As burgers finish grilling toast buns on grill.  When buns are ready spread mayo mixture on top of bun.  Burgers can be served with the slaw on top.  If you would rather eat slaw as a side top burgers with tomato and lettuce.  I also topped our burgers with swiss cheese which worked wonderful with the flavors but tasted great without!

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Home Organization- Part 1- Fridge

Recently I over the summer I reached my breaking point with the chaos that had been taking over my fridge.  We are all guilty of it just quickly throwing things wherever there is the smallest of spaces, then forgetting things as they get pushed to the back.  That's when science projects begin to form in the back of your fridge on the mystery leftovers.  For my husband and I there is recent desire to eat healthier and also not to be wasteful.  So yes having the desire and want for a change, however the immediate push to actually do something about it took a little longer.  I think the breaking point for me came when one morning standing barefooted with the door wide open looking for something I reached around looking for my required item, of course as I looked for it I gathered an armful of objects when finally reaching for my found item and a glass jar of tomato sauce inevitably came crashing down around my bare feet.  My kitchen is white tile floors.  Needless to say this was not how I wanted to start my day standing amidst my white floor with tomato sauce toes surrounded by broken glass.

It was a few days later that I headed out to the local dollar store to secure me some baskets to organize my chaos.  So far two weeks or so into my reorganization things are going along swimmingly.  It has made things neater and easier to locate things.  This also lead me to venture into my freezer to stop the onslaught of frozen meat at my head whenever I opened it.  Again two simple baskets costing me all of two dollars has made life so much better!

 Two baskets in the tiny freezer have now made it so much easier to locate things without being hit in the head with frozen meat.

A few baskets in the fridge have corralled smaller items. (yogurts, fruit cups etc..) The green baskets now hold our cheese and deli meats.