Greek-Inspired Turkey Burgers

Feta-cheese, roasted red peppers with hints of mint make these lean turkey burgers incredibly savory and delicious. For a protein-focused meal, these are an easy-to-prepare and extremely satisfying. 

Makes:

4 1/4 lb turkey burgers

Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 1 cup chopped onion (red or yellow)
• 2 Tbsp dried mint or 3/4 cup fresh mint
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 1.5 oz crumbled feta cheese
• 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup dried tomatoes, rehydrated and chopped
• 1 tsp dried dill
• 1 lb lean ground turkey
• cooking spray
• pita or whole wheat burger buns (optional)
• 2 roasted red bell peppers, (bottled peppers work best) cut into strips

Cooking:

1. Beat the egg in a large bowl. Add the onion, mint, breadcrumbs, feta cheese, lemon juice, dill, tomatoes, and ground turkey. Stir to fully combine. Divide the mixture 4 equal parts, making into burger patties, about 1/2 inch thick.
2. Heat a large nonstick skilled over medium-high heat. Spray the pan with cooking spray. Cook the patties for about 8 minutes on each side, or until cooked throughout.
3. Put your burger onto a bun or pita if desired, and top with the roasted red peppers.
4. Enjoy!

Notes:

• These patties can be frozen, if used within 2 months! Be sure they are in an air tight container! I made the four patties and froze 2 for a future meal.
• These would be great on the grill when the weather starts to warm! 
• An olive tapenade would also be delicious as a topping for these burgers.
• I prefer to use dried tomatoes rather than oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes as they are easy to re-hydrate but do not have the added fat from oil. Melissa's has dried tomato products that you simply have to soak in hot water for a few minutes then are ready to go. Another great bonus? They taste just as good!

-Carly

TOFU-rific (Peanut-ty) TACOS

Tofu is a versatile protein source that is fairly easy to cook and make delicious. For this dish, I've added a panko-peanut crust that adds a toasty, crunchy texture that complements the tofu's naturally soft texture. Add some lime-y slaw and slices of avocado, and you've got a delicious taco interpretation. And, of course, this dish comes with my husband's seal of approval.

Serves:

2 Healthy Appetites; 4 Smaller Appetites

Ingredients:

Tofu:

• 14 oz package extra firm tofu, water packed
• 1/2 cup of crushed dry roasted peanuts
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup milk (fat-free milk, coconut milk, almond milk, soy milk, etc.)
• 1 egg 
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• cooking spray

Slaw:

• 3 cups of cabbage, shredded
• 1 jalapeno, minced
• 1 carrot, shredded
• bunch of cilantro, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup sliced green onions
• 1 tablespoon honey, or agave
• 4 tablespoons lime juice

Extras:

• whole wheat or corn tortillas
• hot sauce or salsa (optional)
• 1 avocado, sliced

Cooking:

Tofu:

1. Preheat oven to 400º

2. Drain your tofu, then wrap a paper towel around the tofu and layer with additional paper towels, or clean kitchen towels. Leave for about 7 minutes, to help drain off some of the extra moisture.

3. While waiting for the tofu, prepare the peanuts by putting them in a food processor or mini-chopper. Combine the nuts with the breadcrumbs in a dish and set aside. Scramble the egg and mix with the milk in another bowl. Finally, put the flour in a dish. You are essentially creating a breading assembly line.

4. Take the tofu and remove it from the paper towels. Slice the tofu into inch chunks. To bread the tofu, roll it in the flour first, then dip it in the egg mixture and finally cover it with the peanut-breadcrumb mixture. Place the tofu on a baking sheet lightly coated in cooking spray.

5. When all the tofu is coated, spray the tops with cooking spray, and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes.

6. Prepare your cabbage by mixing all the ingredients. Using tongs or your hands works best to make sure that the cabbage and carrots have been coated with the lime juice and honey.

7. When your tofu is almost done (should be golden brown), turn on the broiler for about 2 minutes  to ensure the most crispy and toasty tofu (though, be careful not to burn it!). Remove from the oven.

8. Put 3-4 pieces of tofu on your tortilla and add 1/2 cup of cabbage. Top with the slices of avocado. If you are so inclined, add hot sauce or salsa. Enjoy!

This is a quick meal to prepare and is wonderfully delicious. Even if you think you dislike tofu, I'm pretty sure this recipe might change your mind! Give it a try and let me know how it goes!

-Carly

Mussels PROVEN(cal) Tasty

Recipe Origin: 

France

Serves:

2 Healthy Appetites/4 Small Appetites

A Word on Mussels:

So, I have always been a self-professed hater of all things seafood. Now, in recent years, I've ventured into the land of seafood with an open mind. Surprisingly, I have developed quite a taste for shellfish. Weird, right? I still get sick at the thought of eating the uber-fishy standard salmon. In keeping with an environmentalist's heart, my husband and I are always looking for the most sustainable and safe seafood options. Mussels are among the best. They are pure protein, low-calorie, and high in various vitamins and minerals. Added bonus: they are pretty darn cheap, too!

Mussels are best cooked fresh, especially if you are located many miles away from the ocean, like me. Typically, I'll buy mussels the day I plan to cook them. Be sure to take them out of any plastic. You should also wrap a damp towel around them to keep them moist. Do not soak the mussels, unless you do so in fresh ocean water (and who is going to do that?).

Preparation:

Ingredients:

• 3 pounds of fresh mussels
• 1 cup of dry white wine
• 3 garlic cloves, minced (more if you are a garlic-lover like me)
• 3-4 thinly sliced leeks (white and light green portions)
• 2-3 tomatoes diced (romas work wonderfully)
• 2 tablespoon butter, cut into small cubes
• 3 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• Sea salt
• Black pepper

Cleaning the Mussels:

Having made this dish several times, I have tried a few different methods for cleaning and filtering the mussels, and I believe I have found an excellent method! About 40 minutes before you plan to cook, take out your mussels and put them in a large bowl filled with water, about 2 Tbsp salt, and a handful of flour. I typically put these back in the fridge for about 30 minutes. The mussels will filter out the sand during this time, and it truly works. While waiting for the mussels to filter the sand out, I prep the rest of the ingredients so that I'm ready to go. The final step in cleaning the mussels is to scrub and de-beard them. Scrub the outside of the shells, running them under cold water, and discarding any with open shells, which indicates that they are dead, and therefore inedible. Some mussels will have a "beard" which are tiny fibers used to attach the mussel to things. The beard is located along the seam of the mussel, near the "hinge" portion. To remove the beards, hold the mussel in one hand and tightly grasp the beard, pulling it toward the "hinge" portion of the shell. You can also use a sharp knife to cut the beard off. I prefer to use my hands to rip the beard off- it is quite stress-relieving. Once your mussels are scrubbed and "clean-shaven," you are ready to go!

Cooking:

1. Combine the wine, garlic, and leeks in a saucepan or pot (large enough to hold the mussels). Bring the wine to a boil, uncovered, cooking for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

  

2. Add the mussels to the pot, along with the bay leaves, cooking at med-high temperature. Cover for about 4-5 minutes. The mussels should be starting to open. 

3. Stir in the butter, parsley, and tomatoes. Add the lemon juice. Cook, uncovered until the broth reduces until about half and the mussels are open. This should be about 5 minutes. While waiting, warm up a nice crusty bread in the oven. The broth is absolutely heavenly and is perfect for soaking up with some toasty bread.

4. Using tongs, take out the mussels and place them evenly in warmed bowls. Throw away any mussels that have not opened. Crank the heat to high and reduce the broth. Taste the broth and add sea salt and pepper, as needed. Ladle the broth over the mussels. Serve immediately with the crusty bread.

5. At the conclusion of the meal, do yourself a favor and take the trash out. Those shells and discarded mussels won't take long to start smelling terrible. 

Variations:

• A dry red wine works as nicely as the white, if you prefer it.
• This is a relatively light meal, or nice starter, but can be made into a heartier meal, when adding to fresh pasta. 
• When in season, I prefer to use cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes, cut in half.
• Butter can be optional--it compliments the shellfish very nicely, and 2 Tbsp over 3 pounds of mussels really isn't much.
• I tend to be a little heavy-handed on the lemon juice, add it to your preference. Also, I am not much of a salter, especially with mussels, since they are naturally salty. So, as always, taste before seasoning.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do! This a super-easy recipe for your first time with shellfish. Let me know how you like it!

-Carly