Favorite Turkey Burgers

My copy of Everyday Food: Great Food Fast is very well loved {there are pages falling out of it and it's quite food-stained}, yet I still go back to it time and time again for recipe inspiration and favorite classics.  Case in point - Favorite Turkey Burgers!  These are so easy to whip up on a weeknight and super flavorful, making great leftovers all week long.  I switch up the cheese I use in the burgers {sometimes sharp cheddar, sometimes pepperjack} and they are just as easy to cook on a bbq as they are in a pan on the stove.  These are a go to in the summer months and I highly suggest you make them next time you're craving a flavorful, juicy burger.

Favorite Turkey Burgers

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs ground turkey

1/2 cup finely grated Gruyere cheese {or any favorite cheese}

4 green onions, thinly sliced

1/4 cup dried breadcrumbs

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

1 garlic clove, minced

Salt & Pepper

Burger buns and favorite burger toppings

Instructions

1. In medium bowl, gently combine turkey, cheese, green onions, breadcrumbs, mustard and garlic, seasoning with salt & pepper.  Divide mixture evenly to form burger patties {the number will vary on how thick you make the patties}.

2. Lightly oil a grill or pan.  Cook patties on both sides until seared and done throughout, about 5-10 minutes per side.

3. Toast burger buns if desired.  Serve with desired toppings.

adapted from everyday food: great food fast

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Grilled Tomato Linguine

It's been awhile since I've cooked from my absolute favorite cookbook ever, and now that I have my own grill, I feel like it's time to try some of those recipes I couldn't test when I was grill-less.  Case in point - Grilled Tomato Linguine.  This recipe combines two of my favorite things - tomatoes and pasta - and is so simple to whip up that the food was ready before I was ready to eat it.  I used fresh thyme from my tiny herb garden and grilled up a piece of french bread alongside the tomatoes.  It was a delicious and simple meal - one of those perfect summer dinners I'll be making all season long.

Grilled Tomato Linguine

Ingredients
3 lbs plum {roma} tomatoes, cored and halved lengthwise
5 tblsp olive oil
1 tblsp chopped fresh thyme {or 1 tsp dried}
salt and pepper
1 lb linguine
1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for serving

Instructions
1. Heat grill to high.  In a bowl, toss the tomatoes with 3 tblsp olive oil and thyme.  Season with salt and pepper.
2. Starting with cut sides down, grill tomatoes until soft and charred, about 10 minutes per side.
3. Return tomatoes to bowl and cut with kitchen shears.
4. Meanwhile, cook linguine per package directions until al dente.  Drain and return to pot.
5. Add remaining 2 tblsp olive oil, Parmesan, and grilled tomatoes to the linguine.  Divide among bowls and top with more Parmesan and thyme if desired.

Serves 4-5

adapted from Everyday Food: Great Food Fast

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Beef Bulgogi

I have a long term goal to cook everything from my favorite cookbook - Everyday Food: Great Food Fast.  Whenever I'm meal planning, I always go to this cookbook first to see if there's something that I haven't yet tried that I need to.  This week, it was Beef Bulgogi, which I've come to find out is just a fancy way of saying Beef StirFry.  Instead of wrapping it in lettuce leaves (that would be way too healthy for me), I decided to do a little cupboard clean out and serve it over brown rice.  The dish was simple yet delish (another Martha homerun!) and made great leftovers for several days after.  The only thing I might do differently is make a little more marinade to spoon over the finished product - it was so good.  Other than that - perfection in less than an hour.  That's my kind of dinner :)

Beef Bulgogi

Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs steak (original recipe calls for rib eye, but I went for something cheaper)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tblsp hot chile sesame oil (I used 1 tblsp vegetable oil and several shakes of red pepper flakes)
2 tblsp brown sugar
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 tblsp finely grated or minced peeled fresh ginger
2 medium red onions, halved and sliced
1 green bell pepper, seeds and ribs removed, sliced into 1/2 inch strips
4 tsp vegetable oil
Lettuce leaves or rice for serving

Instructions
1. Slice beef diagonally (across the grain) into thin strips.
2. In small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, sesame oil (or equivalent), brown sugar, garlic, and ginger.  Place onions and peppers in small bowl and toss with half marinade.  Toss steak with remaining marinade.  Let sit 15 minutes.
3. Heat 2 tsp vegetable oil in large skillet over medium high heat.  Add onions and peppers and cook until softened, 5-10 minutes.  Transfer to plate and wipe skillet clean with paper towel.
4. Heat remaining 2 tsp vegetable oil over high heat.  Cook half meat, turning often until browned (a couple of minutes).  Transfer to plate.  Cook remaining meat.  Return first batch of meat with juices to pan and add onion and pepper mixture.  Cook, tossing, until heated through.  
5. Serve rolled up in lettuce leaves or over rice.

Serves 4

adapted from Everyday Food: Great Food Fast

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Chipotle Pork Posole

Knowing that the rain was coming back this week, I decided to try out a new soup in the Everyday Food: Fresh Flavor Fast cookbook - Chipotle Pork Posole.  It seemed quick to put together, and I knew it would warm me up on the cloudy days.  I may have overdone it a bit with the chipotle chiles in adobo - let's just say a little goes a loooooong way with these :) If you don't like spice, just use a teeny tiny bit for flavor.  This soup makes great leftovers and is keeping me warm all week long.

Chipotle Pork Posole

Ingredients
1tblsp olive oil
1 pork tenderloin (about 1 lb) cut in half
Salt and Pepper
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tblsp (or less) chipotle chiles in adobo, minced
2 cans (14.5 oz each) low-sodium chicken broth
2 cans (15.5 oz each) hominy, drained and rinsed
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes in juice
2 cups water
Cilantro and lime wedges for serving (optional)

Instructions
1. In large pot, heat oil over medium heat.  Season pork with salt and pepper.  Cook until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes.  Transfer to a plate.
2. Add onion and garlic to pot.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cook on medium until onion begins to soften, about 5 minutes.
3. Add chipotle chiles - cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add chicken broth, hominy, tomatoes with juice, water, and pork.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer.  Cook until thermometer in center of pork registers 145F and pork is cooked, about 15 minutes.
4. Remove pork and shred with two forks.  Return to pot and stir to combine.  Serve garnished with cilantro and with lime wedges on the side.

Serves 4-5

adapted from Everyday Food: Fresh Flavor Fast

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Enchiladas with Pumpkin Sauce

I made these Pumpkin Enchiladas several years ago, when Leslie and I used to have cooking dates.  The ingredients just scream "fall" to me, with the pumpkin puree and rotisserie (or home roasted) chicken.  I decided to give them a try again last night to see if they really were as good as I remembered.  If you can get past the fact that there's pumpkin in your enchiladas and just enjoy the yummy flavors, you're sure to love this just as much as I do :)

Enchiladas with Pumpkin Sauce

Ingredients
1/2 rotisserie chicken, skin removed, meat shredded
6 green onions, thinly sliced
Salt and Pepper
1 can (15oz) pumpkin puree
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed, quartered
1 tsp chili powder
8 corn tortillas (6 inch)
1 1/2 cups (6oz) grated sharp white cheddar cheese

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 425.  In medium bowl, combine chicken and green onion.  Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
2. In a blender, puree the pumpkin, garlic, jalapeno, chili powder, 2 1/2 cups water, 2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper until smooth.  Pour 1 cup mixture in the bottom of a baking dish.
3. Divide chicken mixture equally between the 8 tortillas.  Roll each up and place seam side down over the sauce in the baking dish.
4. Pour the remaining sauce on top.  Sprinkle evenly with cheese.  Bake until cheese is golden and sauce is bubbly, about 25 minutes.  Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

adapted from everyday food

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Cashew Chicken

This recipe for Cashew Chicken is the reason I originally bought my Everyday Food cookbook.  I remember years ago Maddie invited me over and made this and I thought to myself "I have to have that recipe".  When she sung the praises of the infamous cookbook to me that night, I knew I had to buy it.  Since then, I've made this dish time and time again for different groups of people, and everyone falls in love with it.  It's super quick and easy to put together, and the flavors blend together to form a perfect weekday meal.  I highly recommend you try this right away - you won't be disappointed :)

Cashew Chicken

Ingredients

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes

1 tblsp cornstarch

Salt and pepper

2 tblsp vegetable oil

6 garlic cloves, minced

8 scallions (green onions), white and green parts separated, cut into 1 inch pieces

2 tblsp rice vinegar

3 tblsp hoisin sauce

3/4 cup raw cashews

White rice for serving

Instructions

1. In medium bowl, toss chicken with cornstarch until chicken is coated.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

2. In large skillet, heat 1 tblsp oil over medium-high heat.  Cook half chicken tossing often until browned, about 3 minutes.  Transfer to plate.

3. Add remaining oil and chicken to skillet with garlic and white parts of scallions.  Cook tossing often, until chicken is browned.  Add first batch of chicken to pan.  Add vinegar and cook until evaporated, about 30 seconds.

4. Add hoisin and 1/4 cup water.  Cook, tossing until chicken is cooked through.  Remove from heat.  Stir in scallion greens and cashews.  Serve over white rice.

adapted from Everyday Food

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Chicken & Basil Stir Fry

I made this recipe for Chicken & Basil Stir Fry a few years ago for my mom and we both absolutely loved it, so when I came across it again while pondering what to make for dinner recently, I had to try it out to see if it really was as good as I remembered.  Turns out, it was :)  The simple marinade and the fragrant basil (I used regular basil instead of Thai basil) blend deliciously together, and served over steamed white rice, it's a perfect quick and easy weeknight meal that is sure to impress.

Chicken and Basil Stir Fry

Ingredients

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut crosswise into thin slices

1/2 tblsp cornstarch

salt and pepper

4 tsp vegetable oil

1/2 onion, sliced into wedges

1 red bell pepper, insides removed and sliced into strips

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup water

1 tblsp rice vinegar

1 tblsp soy sauce

1 cup loosely packed basil, torn

cooked white rice

Instructions

1. Pat chicken dry with paper towels.  Toss with cornstarch until coated; season with salt and pepper.

2. In a large skillet, heat 2 tsp oil on medium high.  Cook chicken until browned on both sides.  Transfer to a plate.

3. Wipe skillet clean with paper towel.  Add remaining oil with onion and bell pepper.  Cook over medium high heat until beginning to brown (about 3 minutes).  Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant (about 1 minute).

4. Add water, vinegar, soy sauce, and chicken.  Cook tossing, until chicken is cooked through (about 1 more minute).  Remove from heat and stir in basil leaves.  Serve over rice.

Serves 2

adapted from Everyday Food

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Pasta with Sausage, Swiss Chard, and Pine Nuts

I had a huge To Do List for Labor Day weekend, and although most of it didn't even get a second glance (clean the kitchen? no thanks), one thing I was insistent on was trying a new recipe.  Since my love of pasta runs deep, I decided to make a version of Everyday Food's Pasta with Sausage, Swiss Chard, and Pine Nuts that I had been flipping past in my cookbook forever.  I had always been a little hesitant of adding raisins to my pasta, and while they weren't my favorite the first night I made the dish, for leftovers the next day the flavors had a chance to blend and it ended up being even better.  Be warned - this one makes a ton and could've easily been halved.  But when faced with a full and busy week, it's nice to have something quick to throw in my lunch bag that I know will fill me up during the day.

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Cod with Leeks & Tomatoes

Apparently, I'm on a seafood kick.  But when the sun peeks out (and I remember that I have a dress I want to fit into in a few weeks), nothing sounds better than a good piece of fish and some fresh veggies.  I found this recipe for Cod with Leeks and Tomatoes while flipping through the original Great Food Fast cookbook, and since the last cod recipe was so delicious, I had to give it a try.  I loved the taste of the roasted veggies with the fish, and the only thing I would do differently next time is to add a bit more lemon juice to the fish itself before cooking.  Otherwise, yummers :)  I halved the recipe, served it over some brown rice, and enjoyed dinner while watching my newest obsession - Superhero movies.  Apparently I'm a 12 year old boy :)

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Steamed Cod with Ginger & Scallions

Lately, I've been craving fish.  With summer right around the corner and tons of fresh selections at the grocery store, it's hard to resist.  The other night I decided to make one of the quickest and most flavorful dishes I could think of, Everyday Food's Steamed Cod with Ginger and Scallions.  With only a few ingredients, you can have dinner on the couch table in 20 minutes or less.  Steaming the cod keeps the fish moist, and the ginger, rice vinegar, and soy sauce are a match made in food heaven.  I served it over a bed of brown rice, and while I halved the original recipe, I still had plenty leftover for lunch the next day.  I highly recommend making this on a night when you want something tasty, but would rather enjoy your company (or favorite reality TV show:) than spend the whole evening in the kitchen.

Steamed Cod with Ginger & Scallions

Ingredients

4 skinless cod fillets, 6-8 oz each

3 tblsp rice vinegar

2 tblsp soy sauce

2 tblsp finely grated, peeled ginger

Salt and Pepper

6 scallions, green parts cut into 3 inch pieces

Instructions

1. In a large skillet, combine rice vinegar, soy sauce, and ginger.

2. Season both sides of the cod with salt and pepper.  Place in skillet with vinegar mixture.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook until fish is almost opaque throughout, about 6-8 minutes.

3. Scatter scallions over fish.  Recover and cook until fish is opaque throughout and scallions are just beginning to wilt, about 2 minutes.

adapted from Everyday Food

xoxo,

stephanie marie

Pasta with Prosciutto & Peas

A while back I bought an extra package of prosciutto at the store, and every time I opened the refrigerator, I would stare at it, trying to figure out something to make.  Remembering the delicious Pasta with Prosciutto & Peas that Erika had made for me last year from the Everyday Food Great Food Fast cookbook, I decided to recreate that delicious and simple recipe.  Picking up a few extra ingredients, the dish was a cinch to whip up, and in just 20 minutes, I was enjoying a yummy dinner.  I'm posting about this one today in honor of my dad, who loves peas almost as much as he loves blueberries, because his girl's golf team just came in 3rd place in the High School State Tournament yesterday!  That's 5 trophies in a row, for anyone who's counting :)  Congrats, Dad!!  Love ya!  

Pasta with Prosciutto & Peas

Ingredients

Salt and pepper

12 oz fettuccine

1 tblsp butter

1 large shallot, finely chopped

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 package (10 oz) frozen peas, thawed

8 slices prosciutto (about 4 oz total), halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise

1 tblsp finely grated lemon zest

1 tblsp fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Instructions

1.  In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente according to the package instructions.  Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water.  Drain pasta and return to the pot.

2. Meanwhile, make the sauce: In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium low heat, add the shallot and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the cream, peas, and prosciutto.  Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat.  Simmer until the peas are heated through, about 5 minutes.

3. Stir in the lemon zest and lemon juice.  Pour the sauce over the pasta, add the Parmesan, and season generously with salt and pepper.  Add enough of the reserved pasta water to thin the sauce as desired.  Top with additional Parmesan and serve.

Serves 4

xoxo,

stephanie marie