Tasty Turkey Burgers

These burgers really live up to their name - they are TASTY. We had them for dinner Sunday night and they are delicious.  I love a good turkey burger, but I think that even folks who are a little wary of turkey would like this.  It will definitely be a regular on our grilling/burger rotation.

Tasty Turkey Burgers
Recipe from Southern Living
1 pound ground turkey
½ cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
1 large egg, beaten
¼ cup finely chopped green bell pepper
1 tablespoon minced dried onion
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons Fresh Herb Marinade*
4 hamburger buns

Combine first 7 ingredients. Shape mixture into 4 equal-size patties.
Grill, covered with grill lid, over medium-high heat (350° to 400°) 5 to 6 minutes on each side or until no longer pink in center, basting each side occasionally with Fresh Herb Marinade. Grill buns, cut sides down, 2 minutes or until toasted. Serve burgers on buns with desired toppings.

* Fresh Herb Marinade
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 ½ tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary (or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary)
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Stir together first 5 ingredients in a small bowl. Season with pepper to taste.

Asian Turkey Meatballs

Well, ahem, it's been ... a while. Sorry 'bout that. I cook - really, I do - it's just that my child, my husband, my job, my house and my other obligations (family, friends, church, etc.) keep me running. Oh yeah, I'm training for a half marathon, too, so I'm running a lot - literally. All of that leaves precious little time for other stuff I like to do, like reading and blogging. I know I'm not alone in feeling this way, either... we all could use a few more hours in our days, couldn't we?

But I made a promise to my friend Andrea and I'm sticking to it!! After this post, though, I think I'm going to start posting my recipes (okay, those I actually post) on my other blog, www.karawitherow.wordpress.com. Having one blog will be easier to keep up with and maybe - just maybe - I'll be able to keep up with one. Here's hoping!

On to better things ... food!  I found these delicious and healthy meatballs via skinnytaste.com, a great food blog full of healthy (Weight Watchers friendly) recipes. (You won't find butter and heavy cream in her recipes like you will in mine - ha!)  But despite their lack of butter, these meatballs are so, so good.  All three of us love them. I serve them with brown rice and edamame for a quick, easy, healthy meal.

Asian Turkey Meatballs with Lime Sesame Dipping Sauce

Recipe from www.skinnytaste.com

¼ cup panko crumbs

1 ¼ pounds 93% lean ground turkey

1 egg

1 tablespoon ginger, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

½ teaspoon salt

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

3 scallions, chopped

1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce

2 teaspoons sesame oil

Dipping Sauce

4 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce

2 teaspoons sesame oil

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons water

1 chopped fresh scallion (green onion)

Preheat oven to 500°F.  Mix ground turkey, panko, egg, salt, scallions, ginger, cilantro, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and 2 teaspoon oil and mix with your hands until combined well. Shape ¼ cup meat mixture into a ball and transfer to a baking dish. Repeat with remaining mixture. Bake until cooked through, about 15 minutes.

For the dipping sauce, mix together lime juice, water, soy sauce, and remaining 2 teaspoons of oil in a bowl. Add scallions.  Transfer meatballs to a serving dish. Stir sauce, then drizzle meatballs with 1 tablespoon sauce.  Serve meatballs with remaining sauce, about 1 tablespoon per person.  Makes 12 meatballs. (3 large meatballs equals one serving. The photo above is of two small appetizer-sized meatballs.)

Turkey & Artichoke Stuffed Shells with Arrabbiata Sauce

A week or so ago I went in search of a recipe that uses turkey in a non-traditional turkey kind of way. I'm trying to use a different type of protein with each meal so that we aren't eating beef or chicken over and over and over again. So far I have two great turkey recipes in my repertoire (Greek turkey burgers and turkey lettuce wraps), and this adds a third. Don't let the long name and long recipe scare you away; this is actually a pretty easy recipe to make (but you will use quite a few pots and pans). It makes a ton - an entire box of jumbo pasta shells - so it's good for a large family or for a couple nights of leftovers.

Akins family - you'll be seeing this meal soon!

(I'll take a photo next time I make this.)

Turkey and Artichoke Stuffed Shells with Arrabbiata Sauce
Recipe from Giada De Laurentiis
1 (12-ounce) box jumbo pasta shells
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 large yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pound ground turkey
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus 1/2 teaspoon
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus 1/4 teaspoon
1 (8 to 10-ounce) package frozen artichokes, thawed and coarsely chopped
1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
5 cups Arrabbiata Sauce, recipe follows
1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella (about 5 ounces)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and partially cook until tender but still very firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 4 to 5 minutes. Drain pasta.

Meanwhile, in a large heavy skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and the garlic and cook until the onions are soft and starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the ground turkey, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is slightly golden and cooked through. Add the artichoke hearts and stir to combine. Remove from heat and let cool.

In a large bowl combine the cooled turkey mixture with the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, eggs, basil, parsley, and the remaining salt and pepper. Stir to combine.

To stuff the shells, cover the bottom of a 9x13 by 2-inch baking dish with 1 cup of Arrabbiata sauce. Take a shell in the palm of your hand and stuff it with a large spoonful of turkey mixture, about 2 tablespoons. Place the stuffed shell in the baking dish. Continue filling the shells until the baking dish is full, about 24 shells. Drizzle the remaining Arrabbiata Sauce over the shells, top with the grated mozzarella. If freezing, cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 1 day and up to 1 month.

To bake, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bake until the shells are warmed through and the cheese is beginning to brown, about 20 minutes (60 minutes if shells are frozen.)

Arrabbiata Sauce:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 ounces sliced pancetta, coarsely chopped (I used bacon instead)
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes (can be omitted for less heat)
2 garlic cloves, minced
5 cups jarred or fresh marinara sauce (about 2 jars)

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the pancetta and saute until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until tender, about 1 minute. Add the marinara sauce and red pepper flakes and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and let cool until ready to use. Yield: approximately 6 cups

Greek turkey burgers

I stepped on the scale last week and was not happy with what I saw. Of course, with the way I've been eating lately I should have known that I would be less than pleased with the numbers on the scale, but a girl can dream.

So in an effort to shed some of this baby weight I've still got hanging around, I am trying to cook and eat healthier. I don't really have much time to read these days, what with an infant in the house and all, but while (very) quickly skimming through the latest issue of Southern Living I found a recipe for turkey burgers. We're big burger fans in our house, but I've heard mixed reviews about turkey. I've heard that they can be dry and tasteless, but this recipe looked like it might be something we (or I...) would like. Anything with feta cheese is worth a try in my book.

Patrick was skeptical. He's a traditional burger kind of guy. But he humored me and grilled them anyway. He even ate one. And liked it!

These burgers aren't dry at all (I think the cucumber sauce helps) and are packed full of flavor. I really liked them a lot - they were so tasty and different from what we usually eat. Patrick liked them, too, and said that they didn't make him feel as full and heavy as a regular hamburger.

If you're looking for an alternative to your usual hamburger, give these a try. We finished them today and will be making them again.


Greek turkey burgers
Recipe courtesy of Southern Living
1 1/3 pounds ground turkey breast
1 (4-oz.) package crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon salt
Vegetable cooking spray, if using a grill pan
1/2 cup grated English cucumber (I couldn't find one, so I used a regular cucumber)
1 (6-oz.) container fat-free Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 French hamburger buns, split and toasted
Toppings: lettuce leaves, tomato slices, thinly sliced cucumber
Garnish: pepperoncini salad peppers

Stir together first 6 ingredients. Shape mixture into 4 (1/2-inch-thick) patties. Heat a grill pan* over medium-high heat. Coat grill pan with cooking spray. Add patties; cook 5 minutes on each side or until done. Stir together cucumber, yogurt, mint, and 1/2 tsp. salt in a small bowl. Serve burgers on buns with cucumber sauce and desired toppings. Garnish, if desired.

*We used our gas grill and cooked them at 300-400 degrees for about 7 minutes each side.

If you like P.F. Chang's lettuce wraps, you'll love these

A few years ago, right after I moved back to Brunswick, Patrick and I were a part of a group of folks that got together every Thursday night for dinner. Each couple brought appetizers, and we'd all sit around eating, laughing and enjoying the fellowship. For fun, our evenings were often themed, and we would each make a dish that corresponded to the night's theme.

One night we were assigned to bring something Asian inspired, and for the life of me I couldn't decide what to make. I don't fry (at least not yet - this blog may inspire me to step outside my comfort zone one day), so egg rolls were out of the question. Fried rice wasn't "appetizer-ish" enough. Then it dawned on me. I love the lettuce wraps from P.F. Changs. Perhaps I could find a way to recreate them ... so, of course, I turned to the internet for help.

My ever faithful and trusty friend Southern Living came to the rescue, and I found a strikingly similar recipe made with turkey, of all things.

I will be the first to admit how surprised I was at how delicious this turned out. It is good. Don't let the bad photo and perhaps strange-sounding ingredients turn you off of this recipe. Just give it a try. It's different, but it's a good kind of different. It's one of those dinners that you'll make and eat, and go, "Man, this is good, and so different than what I usually eat. Why haven't I made this in four months?" And then two months later your husband will ask for it again because he really, really likes it, too.

Plus, those random ingredients -- they last forever, either in your pantry or in your fridge. So it's okay if you don't cook this once a month, cause they'll last. But it's so good you'll want to!

(Please forgive my photography skills; I know I desperately need to work on them. Just don't judge the food by the photo. The food really is good. The photo ... notsomuch. And I know that.)

Crispy Ginger-and-Garlic Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps
Recipe courtesy of Southern Living
1/2 cup finely chopped carrots
1/2 cup water
1 (20-ounce) package lean ground turkey
1 cup chopped shiitake mushrooms
1 (8-ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1/3 cup teriyaki sauce
3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1 head iceberg lettuce, separated into leaves
Hoisin sauce (optional)

Cook carrots and 1/2 cup water in a large nonstick skillet over high heat, stirring occasionally, 3 to 5 minutes or until carrots are softened and water is evaporated. Remove from skillet.

Reduce heat to medium. Cook turkey in skillet about 5 minutes, stirring until turkey crumbles and is no longer pink. Add carrots, mushrooms, and next 8 ingredients. Increase heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring constantly, 4 minutes. Add green onions, and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Spoon mixture evenly onto lettuce leaves; roll up. Serve with hoisin sauce, if desired.