Spicy Thai Basil Chicken (or Turkey)

My friend/supervisor took a couple of us out to lunch a few weeks ago to a local Thai restaurant. I couldn't really decided what to order. I normally order my staples: Pad Thai, or fried rice, or Pad See Ewe, or Rad Na, or Satay or Thai BBQ. However, I figured since she was treating, I decided to go out of my comfort zone and order something different. My co-workers frequented this particular restaurant and they suggested I try their lunch special Spicy Thai Basil Chicken. It seemed everyone had the same idea of what to order because the waiter took down 3 lunch special orders of Spicy Thai Basil Chicken in different levels of spiciness. I ordered mine in a medium heat and I totally devoured my plate. I was able to save a few bites to take back to the office to eat for lunch the next day. But boy was it so flavorful. I vowed to my co workers that I was going to find them a good copycat recipe. So off I went that evening in search of the perfect Spicy Thai Basil Chicken and this is what I found from SippitySup via Pinterest.

Keep in mind that there are different species of basil, and this recipe is specific to Thai Basil, which can be found in many Asian markets or your local Farmer's Market. However, if you can't find Thai basil, you can always use regular basil and combine it with some mint leaves, which the original recipe suggests. Whatever you have on hand, make this now. You won't regret it.

3 Tbsp. oil for frying
15 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
1 small onion, sliced
1 lb. ground chicken or turkey (or you can chop up 1 lb. chicken into bite size pieces)
4 Thai chilies, sliced thin (more if you like it spicy)
juice of 1 lime
3 tsp. black sweet soy sauce (or 3 tsp regular soy sauce + 1 Tbsp. brown sugar)
2 Tbsp. fish sauce
2 cups fresh Thai basil

1) Heat oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat. Add onions and garlic and stir frequently to prevent from burning.

2) Add chicken (or turkey) and stir fry for about 2 minutes until it just begins to change color. Stir in chilies, lime juice and soy sauce. Stir fry for another minute. Season with the fish sauce. Continue to stir fry until the meat has cooked through.

3) Stir in the basil and continue to stir fry for another minute until the basil is wilted. Place on a serving platter and garnish with additional slices of chilies, fish sauce to taste, and lime wedges. Serve with steamed white rice.

Pioneer Woman's Spaghetti Sauce

Everyone who knows me in real life knows I love anything that's related to spaghetti. In fact, I've made a whole bunch of spaghetti recipes on this blog, some of them sauces, that I like to make large batches of that I freeze as a make-ahead meal. Just freeze the portioned sauce and thaw it in the microwave for a quick, homemade meal. I even like to bottle some of the sauces and give them to my brother and co workers. From Pasta Bolognese, to Tomato Basil Marinara  Sauce, to Spaghetti al Amatriciana. I love all my spaghetti recipes. Despite all the spaghetti recipes I have on here, though, I actually don't have a spaghetti sauce recipe. What a shame. My mother-in-law actually makes a kick a$$ spaghetti sauce, but she hasn't quite given me the recipe for it yet. So I decided to do a search on Pinterest for my own spaghetti sauce recipe and this one from The Pioneer Woman (one of my faves) has come up quite frequently on Pinterest. This sauce is quite comparable to mother-in-law's. It makes a huge batch of meaty goodness. Perfect to freeze as a make-ahead-meal.

5 lbs. ground beef

3 Tbsp. olive oil

2 large onions, diced

6 cloves of garlic, minced

2 (28 oz) cans crushed tomatoes

1 (14 oz can crushed tomatoes

1 (6 oz) can tomato paste

1 jar of store-bought marinara sauce (I used my marinara sauce)

2 Tbsp. sugar

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. dried thyme

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper (optional)

4 bay leaves

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

8 basil leaves, chopped (or more if you like basil)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan, more for garnish

1) In a large pot over medium heat, add ground beef and cook until browned. Remove meat from the pot and set aside. Discard grease and add olive oil. 

2) Once oil is heated, add onions and cook for about a minute. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute or so.

3) Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste and marinara sauce. Stir to combine. Then add sugar, salt, oregano, thyme, crushed red pepper (if using), and bay leaves. Stir in cooked ground beef. Cover and allow to simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Add water or beef broth if it needs more liquid.

4) After 1 hour, stir in parsley, basil and Parmesan cheese. Cover and simmer for another 30 minutes. Discard bay leaves. Serve over your favorite pasta or spaghetti. Freeze unused sauce for up to 6 months.

Arroz a la Cubana

I'm not quite sure if this is an authentic Cuban dish, but I came across this recipe from Skip to Malou when I found her website through Pinterest. It looked really simple and yummy. So when I made it, I was pleasantly surprised. It really was so simple, flavorful, and super yummy. Hubby really enjoyed it. This recipe is definitely going to frequent our household.

2 tbsp. oil
1 lb. ground meat (beef, turkey, chicken)
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 Tbsp. oyster sauce
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
3/4 cup frozen green peas & carrots
1/2 bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup raisins (optional)
fried plantains
fried egg

1) Heat oil over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in ground meat. Add bay leaf. Cook until juices is almost completely dry.

2) Add tomato sauce and simmer for about 10 minutes. Season with oyster sauce and soy sauce. Stir in green peas, carrots, bell peppers and raisins (if using). Continue to simmer for another 2 minutes.

3) Serve over steamed rice, topped with fried egg and plantains.

Copy Cat Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli

I cannot believe that it has taken me 2 months to post another entry on this blog. For those who follow me, I am deeply sorry that I have been missing for so long. I know a few of my co-workers have been wondering what happened to my posts. If you remember a couple of months ago, I was complaining about a serious bout of morning sickness that has prevented me from stepping foot in the kitchen. Nowadays, I just haven't had the energy to spend too much time in the kitchen. So most of our meals are take-outs or leftovers from the parentals. Being almost 7 months pregnant can do that to you. When I do cook, I cook some of my go-to Quick and Easy meals. Baking is still something I enjoy doing. So you'll often see me in the kitchen because I'm baking cookies or something. Not experimenting a new recipe.

However, because I'm nearing the end of my pregnancy, I thought about doing some make-ahead meals that I can freeze, which will feed us later once the baby arrives. Learning from my first pregnancy 5 years ago, I didn't have much time to cook our meals with a newborn around. So I thought  how much help it would be for me to have frozen meals that we can just pop in the microwave or oven.

I found a lot of make-ahead meal ideas online and from blogs I frequent. But it was a copy cat recipe from Food.com for Olive Garden's Pasta e Fagioli that caught my eye. A crock pot recipe at that. Before I discovered my love for Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana, I used to love starting my meal off with their Pasta e Fagioli. This recipe looked so easy and makes a huge batch. So I thought it was perfect to set some aside and freeze. You can also cut this recipe in half if you don't intend to freeze the leftovers. Unless you have an army of people to feed. My daughter and I came home to the house smelling so good. My daughter said "mmmm...it smells like spaghetti!" This is a delicious and hearty soup that is a meal in itself. I served this with some good french bread to sop up some of the soup. So good.....

2 lbs. ground beef or turkey
1 medium onion, chopped
3 medium carrots, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
5 tsp. chopped fresh parsley
2 (28 oz) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (16 oz) can red kidney beans, drained
1 (16 oz) can white kidney beans, drained
3 (10 oz) cans beef broth
3 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. hot sauce (optional)
1 (20 oz) jar of your favorite spaghetti or marinara sauce
salt to taste
8 ounces small pasta (like small macaroni or small shells), cooked
shredded or grated Parmesan cheese for garnish

1) Brown meat in a skillet. Drain.

2) Place cooked meat and all the ingredients, except the pasta, in the crock pot. Season with salt to taste. Cook on low for 7-8 minutes, or on high for 4-6 hours.

3) Place cooked pasta in serving bowls. Top with desired amount of soup and garnish with Parmesan cheese.

*If you plan to freeze the soup, place the soup in a freezable container and freeze. Add the cooked pasta after you have re-heated the soup.

Pastitsio

I was in the mood to make lasagna the other day. But I didn't want just a plain ordinary lasagna. Then I remembered that I had saved up a great casserole recipe from Martha Stewart that I've been dying to make. Pastitsio is a Greek casserole dish. I learned of this dish when I was watching Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives on the Food Network and was curious about how different this dish was from my Baked Ziti recipe.

When I was looking for recipes last week, I came upon this recipe from Martha Stewart and I realized the only difference with this recipe from my Baked Ziti is the cinnamon. Its actually an easier recipe because the sauce base is just tomato paste and wine. I loved the hint of cinnamon in this dish. This is a great make-ahead recipe as well. Just prepare and assemble the casserole and bake when you're ready. I'll definitely be making this new comfort food again.

1 lb. pasta (preferably penne), cooked and drained
oil for cooking
2 lbs. ground meat (beef, turkey, lamb)
2 medium onions, chopped
1/2 cup red wine
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 cup water
salt & pepper to taste
6 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup all purpose flour
3 cups milk
pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1) In a large sauce pan, heat about 3 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add ground meat and cook until no longer pink, about 6-8 minutes. Break up meat into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Add onions and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.

2) Transfer meat mixture to a colander to drain the fat. Return meat mixture to the pan and add the wine. Cover and allow to cook until almost all the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, cinnamon and  water. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 15-20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

3) Preheat oven to 350 deg F.

4) In a medium sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour until incorporated. Slowly whisk in milk. Continue whisking until there are no more lumps. Cook, whisking often, until mixture is thick and bubbly, about 6-8 minutes. Stir in cayenne pepper and Parmesan cheese. Remove from heat and set aside.

5) Add pasta to the meat mixture and stir until thoroughly incorporated. Transfer to a 9x13 inch pan. Pour white sauce over the pasta mixture, smoothing it out until leveled. Bake until tops begin to brown in spots, about 30-40 minutes (40-50 minutes if you've made the casserole ahead and have placed in the refrigerator). Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 15 minutes before serving.

Baked Pasta with Spinach and Sausage

Lately, I've been enjoying quiet Monday mornings alone because my 4 year old daughter has been going to school everyday for a few hours for summer school. Although I miss her deeply, because I have never been away from her on my days off, I am totally loving the few quiet hours I have to myself. I have every intention of running errands or doing chores during these days. However, its only been a few Mondays that she's been in school. And during those times, I have just laid in bed and enjoyed the quiet calmness of our house.

It was on this recent quiet Monday that I was actually able to watch my shows and not watch anything that had to do with Mickey Mouse or Kai-Lan. It was this recent Monday that I watched an episode of Rachael Ray's Week in a Day on the Cooking Channel and featured a recipe for Baked Ziti with Spinach and Veal. I was drooling. So before I had to pick up my daughter from school, I headed to the supermarket to buy a few ingredients.

After reading a few of the comments, I decided to modify the recipe based on the comments and the result was this yummy and flavorful make-ahead casserole dish. This dish is great because you can make it ahead of time and keep in the refrigerator or freezer until you're ready to bake it. However, I find that the dish tends to dry out if you make it ahead rather than bake it off right away. If I decided to make this ahead again, I think I'll be making extra sauce to help make it more creamy.

2 bunches of fresh spinach, washed, dried and finely chopped
salt
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. sweet Italian Turkey sausage, casings removed (or use regular ground turkey)
1 large carrot, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. chopped sage leaves
black pepper
1 cup white wine or chicken broth (or 1/2 cup of each)
1 lb. pasta (like penne, farfalle, corkscrew, etc.)
4 Tbsp. butter
3 rounded Tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups milk
ground nutmeg to taste
6 ounces grated Gruyere cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1) Bring a large pot of water to boil for pasta. Salt the water and cook pasta 2 minutes less than package directions. Drain pasta if done before sauce.

2) In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add ground meat. Lightly brown meat and crumble. Add chopped carrot, onion, and sage leaves. Season with a little salt and black pepper. Continue to cook until carrots and onions have softened, about 5 minutes. Add wine and turn down the heat and allow the mixture to simmer gently.

3) In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Whisk in flour for about a minute. Then whisk in milk. Bring mixture to a bubble and season with salt and pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. Once the sauce has thickened, adjust the nutmeg and black pepper to your liking.

4) To the meat mixture, add chopped spinach and cook until wilted and thoroughly incorporated. Stir in pasta and sauce. Pour mixture in a casserole dish and top with the cheeses.

5) When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 deg F. Bake for 35-45 minutes if reheating the dish. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes if baking immediately. Serve hot.

Empanadas

Empanada is a pastry stuffed with a meat filling. Sometimes its stuffed with strictly vegetarian items. Sometimes, people tend to be creative and stuff sweet fillings in them. Empanadas are another one of those treats that have different versions from different cultures. And in each culture, are even more versions depending on the region. There are a variety of versions of Empanadas in the Philippines. I learned 3 different versions of Empanadas from 3 different aunts who happen to be sisters. Unfortunately, there are certain techniques that I hadn't mastered from those versions. Therefore, I haven't attempted to make them on my own. I like to make them with my aunts. Mostly because its quality time spent with them. But I do miss those homemade Empanadas. Store bought empanadas just doesn't have that flavor that I look for.

Sometime last week, this recipe for Empanadas came up from my reader from What's Cookin' Chicago? So I gave this one a try and its seems to be fail-proof. It was pretty easy and quite tasty. I might, however, try to bake these next time. The recipe calls for frying them, which is the traditional Filipino way of making them. But I don't eat as much fried foods as I used to. The dough in this recipe was really flaky and yummy. I'm hoping it'll be the same when I bake them next time.

Filling
2 Tbsp. oil
1 medium onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 lb. ground meat (turkey, pork, chicken, or beef)
1 medium russet potato, diced
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup frozen peas
salt
pepper
3 hard boiled eggs

1) Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute until softened.

2) Add ground meat. Cook until browned and no longer pink, making sure to break up large pieces.

3) Add potato and water. Continue to cook until potato has softened. Add peas and season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and drain excess liquid. Cool while making the crust.

Crust
3 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup cold butter, cut into small cubes
4 Tbsp. sugar
6 Tbsp. ice water
egg wash (1 egg yolk, whisked with 1 tsp. water)
oil for deep frying

1) In a large bowl, mix together flour, salt and sugar. Cut butter into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter or two knives. Make a well in the center and add ice water into the center. Mix with a fork until stiff.

2) Turn dough on a lightly floured surface. Knead dough until flour is completely incorporated and the dough is smooth. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and set aside for 30 minutes.

3) Divide dough into 20 pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a small ball on the palm of your hand. Using a rolling pin, roll out dough into a flat circle. Place 1 tablespoon of filling in the middle of the dough. Top with a wedge of hard boiled egg. Brush edge of dough with egg wash. Fold dough over filling and crimp edges to seal. Deep fry until golden brown. Serve hot.

Cheeseburger Macaroni

I've been craving for some comfort food lately and for some reason, I was craving some kind of a Cheeseburger Macaroni dish. One that I used to eat out of a box (via Hamburger Helper) when I was a kid. I had previously made a similar Hamburger Helper dish, Creamy Taco Mac which we absolutely love. However that dish had a little kick to it with the use of cumin and other spices. I wanted something simple and creamy.

I decided to see if there was a Cheeseburger Macaroni recipe out there and sure enough, I found
this recipe from food.com that looked really easy. So easy that the original recipe only required 7 ingredients and the use of Velveeta cheese. I've modified the recipe using the cheese sauce from my Macaroni and Cheese recipe because I'm not a huge fan of processed cheese. I've had my fair share of Cheese Whiz when I was a kid, but nowadays I always try to make everything from scratch. Besides, anything processed can't be too healthy for you. However, if you're pressed for time and need something quick to make, Velveeta cheese is the way to go. Whichever way you make it, it'll definitely turn out delicious. This dish really hit the spot.

3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 3/4 cups milk
2 1/2 tsp. sat
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (or any shredded cheese)
1 lb. ground turkey or lean ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
4 cups water
3/4 cup ketchup
2 Tbsp. mustard
3/4 cup canned petit diced tomatoes
12 ounces elbow macaroni

1) (Note: This step can be skipped is using 1 lb. Velveeta Cheese) In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour and continue to cook about for 1 minute. Whisk in milk and continue to cook until mixture starts to boil. Remove from heat. Add 1 teaspoon salt, black pepper, and nutmeg. Stir in cheese until smooth. Set aside.

2) In a large skillet, brown ground turkey or beef over medium heat. Add onion and continue to cook until onion begins to soften.

3) In a medium bowl, whisk together water, ketchup, and mustard. Pour over meat. Stir in tomatoes and remaining 1 1/2 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil.

4) Add macaroni and turn heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes, until macaroni is cooked through and almost all the liquid is absorbed.

5) Stir in prepared cheese sauce (or 1 lb. Velveeta cheese cut into cubes) until smooth and evenly distributed. Serve immediately.

Turkey Meatloaf Sandwich with Russian Dressing

I was searching through some recipes from Delish and came across this recipe that looked really good. I haven't made my Turkey Meatloaf in a while. And I have a couple of trays of ground turkey in the freezer that I needed to use up. And I've been craving for some meatloaf for a while. So I decided, enough justification! Its time to make some meatloaf. This sandwich was super yummy and super comforting. The Russian Dressing used as a condiment complimented the sandwich really well. I've always heard about making a sandwich out of leftover meatloaf and have been meaning to try it out. Leftover meatloaf happens often in our house, and I'm so glad to have found a great way to use them up.

Sandwich

Turkey Meatloaf

French Baguettes

lettuce leaves or shredded lettuce

1) Prepare turkey meatloaf according to directions. Cool for about 10 minutes. Slice a french baguette in half and place a 1/4 - 1/2 inch thick slice of meatloaf. Top with Russian dressing and lettuce.

Russian Dressing

3/4 cup mayonnaise

3/4 plain yogurt

1/2 cup ketchup

2 Tbsp. cider vinegar

3/4 tsp. black pepper

1) Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Dressing can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Lula Kebab

Hubby and I decided to have a get together with his side of the family for Father's day this Saturday, instead of the Father's day Sunday. And I've been racking my brain trying to figure out what to make. I finally decided on grilling up some kabobs. I've been asked to feature lula kebabs on this blog a while ago, but never got around to it. I normally just buy the seasoned ground meat at a local Armenian store and grill them at home whenever I had a craving for kebabs. But I have always wondered how to make them. So I searched online for a good recipe. There wasn't many recipes for lula kebabs, but I managed to find this recipe from myrecipes.com. I wanted to do a trial run before I serve it on Saturday, so I gave it a try for dinner tonight.

You can use any type of ground meat for this recipe: beef, chicken, turkey or lamb. I happened to use turkey tonight. But a word of caution if you do decide to use turkey - because turkey is so lean, the final product will be dry. I didn't mind it this time, because this was a trial run. But I'll probably be using ground beef for the get-together. The flavors came out really well on this recipe. Maybe I won't have to go to the Armenian market for my kebab fix.

3 lbs. ground meat

1 large onion, finely chopped (about 2 cups)

1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh mint leaves

1 large egg

2 tsp. ground cumin

1 Tbsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. black pepper

2 Tbsp. tomato paste

juice of half a lemon

1) Line a baking sheet with wax/parchment paper. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Using your hands, mix just until combined. Over mixing may cause the meat to be tough.

2) Gently form meat into 8-inch logs around skewers (Note: if using bamboo skewers, be sure to soak skewers in water for an hour before using to prevent burning. Another tip is to use 2 skewers for better stability for the kebabs). Place kebabs on the baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes before grilling.

3) Grill kebabs on a hot grill for about 8 minutes, turning twice, until grill marks appear and meat is firm to the touch.

Barbecue Turkey Burgers

Leave it to Annie, from Annie's Eats, to provide me with a great Memorial Day menu. My folks are joining us today for a barbecue and I decided to make Annie's Barbecue Chicken Burgers and Sparkling Strawberry Lemonade as our beverage (more on that recipe for tomorrow's post).

I've been looking for another great chicken/turkey burger and I'm so glad I found this recipe. I decided to use ground turkey for this recipe because its all I had. And because turkey is such a lean meat, I added 3 tablespoons of olive oil so it wouldn't stick to the grill. Annie's recipe uses homemade barbecue sauce recipe. But I decided to use a store bought barbecue sauce. This was a great burger, which probably would be even better if I had pulled pork barbecue to top it with. I'll probably do that next time. Which means I'll definitely be making this dish again.

2 Tbsp. prepared barbecue sauce, plus more for garnish

1 lb. ground turkey

1/4 cup cornmeal (or 1/2 cup crumbled cornbread)

1 stalk green onion, minced

1 Tbsp. minced cilantro

2 tsp. brown sugar

1 tsp. dry mustard (or 2 tsp. prepared mustard)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. paprika

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

3 Tbsp. vegetable oil, plus more for cooking

pinch of cayenne pepper

2/3 cup chopped pulled pork (optional)

hamburger buns

sliced cheese

grilled red onion slices

1) In a large bowl, combine ground turkey, cornmeal, green onions, cilantro brown sugar and spices, 3 tablespoons oil, and 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce. Mix together gently until well combined. Form mixture into four equal patties. Transfer to a plate and refrigerate until ready to grill.

2) Oil grates of the grill. Place patties on the heated grill and cook for 3-5 minutes. Flip the burgers and brush the cooked sides generously with barbecue sauce. Cook for another 3-5 minutes. Flip the burgers again to brush the other cooked side with more barbecue sauce. Top with cheese slices and continue to grill until burgers are cooked through until cheese has melted. Place burger on toasted bun and top with a grilled onion slice and more barbecue sauce as desired.

Greek Turkey Burgers with Spiced Yogurt Sauce

This is a recipe I found from one of my Costco cookbooks. It was the NBA All-Star weekend yesterday and I was planning on grilling these. But it was a rainy weekend and, as much as I used to love cooking on my grill pan, I didn't want to do the cleaning for the grill pan. So I opted to make soup yesterday instead.

Well, I finally made these today and decided to fry them in a pan. Even though it was a beautiful day to barbecue. However you decided to cook these (whether you grill or fry them) these burgers will be delicious. It has so much flavor in it and its quite healthy. I'm definitely making these again.

1 lb. ground turkey

1/2 cup feta cheese (I used shredded cheese because its all I had)

2 tsp. dry oregano leaves

1/2 tsp. dry thyme leaves

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper, plus more to taste

2 tsp. olive oil

1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt

ground cumin

salt & pepper to taste

1 Tbsp. olive oil

4 hamburger rolls, toasted

lettuce

tomato slices

cucumber slices

1) In a large bowl, mix ground turkey, cheese, oregano, thyme, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. black pepper. Shape into 4 patties.

2) Heat oil in a frying pan (or heat grill). Cook patties for 4-5 minutes on each side or until burgers are cooked through and has an internal temperature of 165 deg F.

3) To prepare sauce, season yogurt to taste with cumin, salt and pepper.

4) Serve burgers on toasted rolls. Top each burger with 1 Tbsp. of the yogurt mixture. Garnish with lettuce, tomato, and cucumber slices.

Italian Wedding Soup

Its a cold and rainy day today in SoCal. I was planning on grilling some burgers for dinner today in honor of the NBA All-Star weekend. But that's out of the question. So I thought to make something that will warm us up.

I remember finding this recipe for Italian Wedding Soup from What's Cookin' Chicago? one day. I figured now was a good time to give this a try. This soup called for tiny pasta to go with the tiny meatballs. So I used a Pastina pasta. It also called for different types of ground meat. Whenever a recipe calls for some type of ground meat, I almost always use ground turkey because I always have ground turkey.

This soup really hit the spot for me. It had a little kick from the red pepper flakes, but the heat didn't overpower the soup too much that it was even safe enough to feed my 2 1/2 year old daughter. She actually really liked this dish, especially because I used a tiny pasta, shaped into stars. She even ate the spinach in the soup.

Meatballs

2 slices sliced bread (I used wheat bread), torn to pieces

1/2 cup milk

1 egg yolk

2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

3 Tbsp. finely chopped parsley

3 medium garlic cloves, minced

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1 lb. ground turkey

1) Place milk and bread in a large bowl and mash together with a fork until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients, except ground turkey, and mash to combine. Add ground turkey and knead by hand until it's well combined.

2) Using a melon baller, scoop mixture and roll into uniform sized balls with damp hands. Place meatballs in a single layer on a baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight.

Soup

1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

2 medium garlic cloves, minced

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

3 quarts chicken broth

1 cup pastina pasta (or any other tiny pasta like orzo)

1 large bunch fresh spinach leaves, cleaned and roughly chopped

3 Tbsp. chopped parsley

salt & pepper to taste

1) Heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes, cooking until it's fragrant (about 30 seconds). Add chicken broth and meatballs. Simmer until meatballs are almost halfway done. Add pasta and continue simmering until pasta and meatballs are cooked through. Stir in spinach and parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot in a bowl. Drizzle olive oil over soup and top with grated Parmesan cheese before serving.

Herbed Turkey Meatballs with Cranberry Sauce

I came across this recipe from Annie's Eats and it got me missing Thanksgiving. With Christmas Day fast approaching, I'm starting to feel a little bummed that the holidays would soon be over. So I decided to make this today to somehow take me back to a month ago, Thanksgiving. Because after today, I'll be starting my Christmas preparations.

This dish gave me all the flavors of Thanksgiving, without the hassle and stress of preparing a full Thanksgiving meal. This will definitely be my go-to meal when I crave a Thanksgiving meal.

1 Tbsp. butter

1/3 cup onions, finely chopped

1/3 cup celery, finely chopped

1 lb. ground turkey

1 cup breadcrumbs

1 large egg

2 tsp. minced thyme

2 tsp. fresh parsley

1/2 tsp. minced rosemary

1/4 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

cranberry sauce

1) Preheat oven to 425 deg F and lightly grease a baking sheet or line with parchment paper.

2) Melt butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and celery and cook just until softened, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.

3) In a large mixing bowl, mix together celery/onion mixture with the remaining ingredients (except cranberry sauce) until well combined. Form the mixture into evenly sized balls, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Place meatballs, evenly spaced, on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes until thoroughly cooked. Serve warm with Cranberry Sauce and mashed potatoes.

Turkey Stock

We had our office Thanksgiving luncheon today. And I guess tradition (its only been the 2nd time) is for me to deep fry a turkey for the office. Like last year, my boss bought the turkey, and I went to my dad's (which is only 10 minutes away from the office) to deep fry it.

Last year, one of the staff took home the leftover bones from the turkey. She told me she would make soup out of it. What an awesome idea. So when we had Thanksgiving at home, I used the turkey bones to make my own batch of Turkey stock. This year, I took the turkey bones from the office to make some stock again. It freezes well for later use in soups and other dishes that require broth. Its a great way to use up all the turkey bones from your Thanksgiving dinner. And it smells so good!

1 Turkey carcass

3 sprigs of parsley (I didn't have any, so this was omitted)

2 medium onions, quartered

3 ribs celery, cut up

2 carrots, cut up

1 bay leaf

2 tsp. dry thyme leaves

2 tsp. salt

a dash of black pepper

1) Break up carcass and place in a large stockpot. Add remaining ingredients and fill with enough water to cover all the ingredients in the pot. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 3-4 hours. Cool slightly. Strain broth into a bowl. Refrigerate then remove fat from the top of the broth.

Easy Taco Pizza

We're going out to dinner tonight to celebrate my mom's birthday. Unfortunately, hubby will not be joining us because he has classes. An exam, too, for that matter. But I still have to cook something for him to bring for lunch tomorrow. This recipe popped up on the Yahoo website that I've been saving to use and I thought today would be a good day to make it. I made this for lunch, before my parents picked me and my daughter up in the afternoon. It tastes just like a taco on a pizza crust. And it was super easy to make. I omitted some of the ingredients it originally called for because I didn't have any (like the olives, but I don't really like olives). But I'll probably add it the next time I make it again. I think hubby will like this one.

prepared pizza dough
3/4 lb. ground beef or ground turkey
1 cup chopped onions
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 packet of taco seasoning
1 (2 1/4 oz) can pitted olives
2 cups shredded cheese (I used a Mexican cheese blend)
shredded lettuce

chopped tomatoes
diced avocados

1) Preheat oven to 425 deg F. Grease pizza pans or baking pans. Roll out dough and transfer to pans. Prick dough generously with a fork. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

2) In a large skillet, cook ground meat and onions until meat is browned and onion is tender. Drain off the fat. Stir in tomato sauce, olives (if using), and taco seasoning. Heat through.

3) Spread meat mixture over hot crust. Sprinkle cheese on top. Bake for another 10 minutes, until cheese melts. Serve, topped with tomatoes, lettuce, avocados, and additional shredded cheese. Top with a dollop of sour cream.

Crockpot Sloppy Joe's

Hubby would often tell me that his favorite food as a kid that his mom would make was sloppy joe's. I asked him if she had a recipe and he said she used the can mix. Well, I was sifting through my Crockpot cookbook in search of what to cook for dinner and found this one. It was definitely easy to make. I cut the recipe to a quarter because the original recipe served 20-25. Too much for a family of 3. So I've adjusted the recipe. Too bad hubby is at school tonight because this was so good. I have to admit, I haven't had sloppy joe's in ages. Probably not since my elementary school days, eating the cafeteria sloppy joe's. I don't remember sloppy joe's being this good. Hubby will have to wait until lunch tomorrow to try this one out.

1 lb. ground beef (I used ground turkey)

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper

1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

1/2 (10.74 oz) can condensed tomato soup

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 Tbsp. ketchup

3/4 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp. mustard

1/2 tsp. chili powder

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

toasted hamburger buns

1) Brown meat in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring to break up meat. Drain fat and discard.

2) Add onion and bell pepper. Cook 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently, or until onion is translucent and mixture is fragrant.

3) Transfer meat mixture to crockpot. Add remaining ingredients, except buns. Stir until well blended. Cook on low for 4 hours. Serve on buns.

Fat Flush diet, Day 4 - Friendly Italian Wedding Soup

To date, I have lost a total of 6 pounds and hubby lost 7 pounds on this diet. I knew I was going to have to pay for the cheating I did yesterday because I only lost 1 pound since yesterday. But we're still progressing very well. My original goal was to lose anywhere between 5-8 pounds. But with the way things are going, my new goal is to weigh the same amount as I did right before I got married. I want to be able to fit in my engagement dress again. Wishful thinking? Maybe. But a goal is always good to have.

Tonight's dinner looked good on paper. It also looked really good once the dish was cooked. Hubby got really excited when he saw the bowl of soup because it actually looked edible. But I told him not to let the look deceive him. He should know better after the 4 days on this diet. The original recipe didn't call for tomatoes, but I decided to add some for color, and hopefully, flavor.

1 lb. ground turkey or lean ground beef

2 Tbsp. minced garlic

1 tsp. chopped parsley

1/4 cup minced onions

4 cups low sodium chicken broth

1 medium carrot, chopped

1 large tomato, chopped

2 cups packed fresh spinach

1) Combine meat, garlic, parsley, and onions in a medium bowl. Roll into 1 inch balls. In a sautee pan, cook meatballs on medium heat until browned on all sides. Set aside.

2) In a stock pot, heat broth, carrots and tomato until it begins to boil, about 15 minutes. Add spinach and cooked meatballs. Continue to simmer for another 5 minutes. Serves 4.

Fat Flush diet - Yummy Meatloaf

Don't let the name fool you. This is far from being "yummy." It thought it was, so I figured this should be our dinner for tonight. There really isn't much to describe about this dish, because all the recipes on this diet is bland. You'll hear that a lot from me in the next 2 weeks. I served this with a side of steamed asparagus tossed in garlic and low-sodium vegetable broth.

4 ounces ground turkey

1/4 cup chopped spinach

1/2 tsp. chopped parsley

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 garlic clove, minced

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

1) Preheat oven to 400 deg. F.

2) Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Place in a mini-loaf pan or form into a mini loaf and place in a cookie sheet. Bake for 30 minutes.

Makes 4 servings.

Larb

Larb is a Thai version of a Chicken Lettuce wrap. I was just recently introduced to this dish a few months ago when my cousin's wife made it for a dinner party they had at their place. She quickly told me how to make it, but I wasn't able to write down the recipe. I did remember that she added a toasted rice-type of powder. So I searched for a recipe that was somewhat similar to hers and found this recipe.

Larb (or Laab as the Thais say it) can be served as an appetizer or side dish or a whole meal in itself. You can use any type of ground meat you have, such as chicken, pork, turkey or beef. I always have ground turkey in the freezer, therefore its what I used today. Its a really light dish with a salty and sour taste. I modified the original recipe a bit by cutting the fish sauce in half because I found it to be too salty. But the dish was quite refreshing for this warm summer evening.

2 Tbsp. toasted rice (1/4 cup uncooked rice, toasted until golden brown, then ground in a food processor or coffee grinder)

1 tsp. oil

2 Tbsp. water

1/2 lb. ground meat (turkey, chicken, pork, or beef)

1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion

1-2 limes

1/4 tsp. ground chili pepper (more if you like it very spicy)

1-2 Tbsp. fish sauce (depending on how you salty you like it)

5 sprigs cilantro, chopped

3 sprigs mint (optional for garnish)

1 green onion, sliced (optional for garnish)

1) Marinate meat with juice of 1/2 a lime for a few minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

2) Heat pan or wok on high and add water and oil. Immediately add marinated meat and stir until thoroughly cooked and no longer pink.

3) Remove meat from heat and place in a large mixing bowl. Add all the remaining ingredients and mix well until incorporated. You can add more or less of the fish sauce and lime juice to your taste. Garnish with fresh sprigs of mint and sliced green onions and serve with lettuce or cabbage leaves.