melanie makes

chipotle corn turkey burgers.

 

not your typical easter meal, but perfect for our little family for lunch while in the midst of two little girls tag teaming on the tantrum front today.  me-oh-my.  love that i was able to mix a few simple ingredients together and pass the bowl along to my husband to make the patties and put them on the grill.  a big mouth burger with a hint of smoky spice to it.

CHIPOTLE CORN TURKEY BURGERS | 4 turkey burgers

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1/2 cup creamed corn
• 1 canned chipotle in adobo
• 2 tablespoons cilantro + additional for topping
• hamburger buns
• mayonnaise

in medium bowl, combine turkey, corn, finely chopped chipotle and 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro.  form into four patties and grill 5 minutes on both sides or until fully cooked.  also grill buns, if desired.

to assemble burger, top bun with tomato, burger and whole cilantro leaves.  spread mayonnaise on bun top to complete burger.

adapted from everyday with rachel ray magazine.  at first glance, both my husband and i were worried about the patties coming apart on the grill as they were so wet.  never fear, with a gentle touch by the grill master they came out absolutely perfectly.

enchilada casserole.

 

there's a reason why i've never added this to my recipejournal before - there's really no good way to make this dish appear as appetizing as it truly is!  this is hands down my favorite recipe that my mom makes.  it's my number one request for when we visit and what i'd select as my birthday dinner if someone asked to make me something for the occasion.

ENCHILADA CASSEROLE | 9x13 casserole dish
add ingredients to your grocery server grocery list

• 1 bag taco flavored doritos
• 1 pound ground beef or turkey
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 1 can diced green chilies
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 15 oz. can enchilada sauce
• 1/4 cup milk

preheat oven to 350 degrees.

brown beef/turkey with onion and drain if needed.  stir together chilies, soups, enchilada sauce and milk in medium bowl.  in 9x13 casserole dish, layer chips, meat, cheese and soup mixture.  repeat.

bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

comfort food at it's finest and so easy to put together.  i don't use cream of something or other soups very often, but for this dish i make sure i have some on hand in the pantry.  i've made it with ground turkey so often that now i think i prefer it to ground beef.

asian bbq turkey lettuce wraps.

 

ever since my friend jamie shared the original recipe with me, my husband has requested we have these each week.  i cave and we usually have them every other week.  it's so nice to have finallly found the perfect lettuce wrap recipe!

ASIAN BBQ TURKEY LETTUCE WRAPS

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1/3 cup hoison sauce
• 1/2 cup bbq sauce
• 1 tablespoon ginger root, peeled and grated
• 2 cloves garlic, grated
• 1 bunch green onions
• 1/3 cup pine nuts
• 1 head iceberg lettuce

over medium heat, brown turkey.  stir in hoisin and bbq sauces, ginger root and garlic.  mix in pine nuts and green onions.

to serve, spoon turkey mixture into each lettuce leaf cup and roll tightly to enclose turkey mixture.

adapted from jillianmichaels.com.  go figure that the best lettuce wraps would come from there!  i usually try and double the meat mixture when making so that i can freeze half for another time.  there isn't much prep work but it's so nice to know that all the work for another meal is already done.  i serve this with a side of brown rice and fresh pineapple.  the two year old thinks this is a version of a taco since the meat is served in something you wrap it in.  she actually prefers the meat mixture on top of the rice.  fine by me!  i've also added shredded carrot to this as well for extra veggie with great results.

ravioli + spinach lasagna.

 

unfortunately, with the amount of daylight getting shorter that also means lack of light for photos of dinner.  boo!  but seriously, making lasagna on a weeknight?  score!  this is so easy and full of flavor.  i'm really doubting i'll go back to making the typical lasagna anytime soon.

RAVIOLI + SPINACH LASAGNA

• 1 pound spicy italian sausage, casings removed
• 12 oz. baby spinach
• 24 oz. jar pasta sauce
• 9 oz. package ravioli
• 16 oz. shredded mozzarella

preheat oven to 350 degrees.

in large skillet, crumble sausage and cook until browned.  add spinach and cook until wilted.

in 9x13 pan, ladle enough pasta sauce to cover bottom of pan.  arrange ravioli to cover bottom of pan.  cover ravioli with sausage and spinach.  poor remaining pasta sauce over sausage and spinach.  add cheese to top of dish.

bake until bubbling in middle, about 45 minutes.  let cool 10 minutes before serving.

adapted from everyday with rachel ray.  all of us absolutely loved it - full of flavor and includes veggies equals winner in my book!  i had grabbed a package of chicken sausage to use for this but mistakenly grabbed the already cooked variety.  it didn't crumble as well as the other would have but it still worked perfectly fine for this recipe.  i chose a tomato + basil marinara for the sauce and loved the results.  we paired this with spinach and a salad and enjoyed it for two dinners.  looking forward to enjoying it again soon!  this would also make a great meal to take to someone as well.

greek pasta salad.

i love making a large bowl of pasta salad and then eating it for several days.  it makes a great meatless meal and the two year old thinks its the greatest thing ever as more often than not it contains all of her favorites - noodles, tomatoes and cheese.  i don't make greek items very often as my husband turns his nose up to feta cheese but this was a perfect dish to make while he was out of town last week.

GREEK PASTA SALAD

• 1 box penne pasta, approximately 1 pound
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1 bunch green onions, sliced
• 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese

cook pasta according to package directions and drain.  in large bowl, combine pasta, tomatoes, onions and olives. 

in small bowl, whisk together oil, lemon juice, basil and garlic.  season with salt and pepper.  pour dressing over salad.

cover and chill in fridge for at least 2 hours.  top with cheese before serving.

adapted from greek pasta salad on bhg.com.  loved the saltiness of the olives paired with the lemon in the dressing.  i actually ate a bowl of this for lunch on the afternoon i was preparing it for that night's dinner.  the two year old thought this was great as well and enjoyed her first experience of feta cheese.  she did however not touch her cucumbers.  haven't figured out that aversion yet.  will definitely be making this for the two of us again.

lemony pasta with wilted arugula and spinach.

this was this week's meatless monday dish and really, it was a perfect monday dish as it was so simple to put together.  a perfect summer dish as it uses fresh produce and the only heat created in the kitchen was boiling a pot of water.  score!

LEMONY PASTA WITH WILTED ARUGULA AND SPINACH

• 12 oz. pasta
• 5 ounces arugula and spinach
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

cook pasta according to package directions.  in large bowl, combine arugula, zest and juice.  season with salt and pepper.  drain pasta and immediately add to bowl with arugula mixture.  toss and season with salt and pepper. 

adapted from everyday food june 2010.  i used a mixture of arugula and spinach and also upped the amount called for in the original recipe.  i also used a whole wheat pasta which made the dish heartier and even gained the approval of my meat eater of a husband. 

apricot basil chicken salad.

it's hot outside and this week it has me not wanting to turn on the oven.  and for some reason, i've been craving chicken salad for the past couple of weeks.  after the weekly trip to the grocery store, i had everything i needed to quickly assemble this for dinner.  the combination of apricot and basil is not one you'd normally think of - or at least i wouldn't - but something that had me going back for a few more bites after i had finished my sandwich.

APRICOT BASIL CHICKEN SALAD

• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 6 oz. non-fat greek yogurt
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 5 teaspoons white wine vinegar
• 1 rotisserie chicken
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
• 1 celery stalk, diced
• 1/3 cup dried apricots
• 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, torn

in a large bowl, combine mayonnaise, yogurt, paprika, garlic and vinegar.  stir in three cups of cubed chicken, almonds, onion, celery, apricots and basil.  season with salt and pepper.

adapted from june 2010 issue of everyday food.  i used a rotisserie chicken purely for convenience, but also loved the added flavor it brought to the dish.  i love that this salad isn't heavy on the mayo but instead uses a combination of mayo and yogurt.  i served this on croissants and loved the texture of the salad in contrast with it.

perfect pizza crust.

pizza crust is such a personal thing and at times, a controversial topic.  in our house, we like chicago-style, thick crust pizza.  and we usually ordered pizza out.  until i stumbled upon this recipe that is.  although it isn't a thick crust, it seems to come in somewhere around the middle.  it's soft and chewy and withstands the absurd number of toppings we seem to pile on each friday for dinner.  because friday = pizza night in our house.  usually you'll find two layers of pepperoni, sausage, onion and pineapple on our pizzas and sometimes a green pepper if there is one in the drawer in the fridge.

PERFECT PIZZA CRUST

• 2.25 teaspoons active dry yeast (one package)
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 cup warm water
• 2.5 cups bread flour
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt

preheat oven to 450 degrees.  in a medium bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in water.  let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

stir in flour, salt and oil.  let rest for 5 minutes.  lightly oil pizza pan to avoid sticking.

using oiled hands, press dough onto pizza pan and top with favorite toppings.

spread with desired toppings and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

adapted from a recipe that our farmer included in one of our CSA boxes last year.  if you do a fair amount of baking with yeast, i highly recommend buying it in bulk as it's much cheaper than buying it by the package or even in the glass jars.  i purchased two pounds of it from amazon and then keep it in my freezer and simply refill the glass jar in the fridge when needed.

orzo salad with black beans, mushrooms and corn.

for those "must have meat at every meal" types - aka my husband - this is such a filling dish.  in fact, i ate it yesterday for both lunch and dinner and hardly snacked at all through the day.  and then there's the avocado.  oh how i adore avocado.  is this the time when i should be honest and say that at times i like to dice an entire avocado on top?  no?  well, then pretend i just didn't admit that.

ORZO SALAD WITH BLACK BEANS MUSHROOMS AND CORN

• 1 cup orzo
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 8 oz. sliced button mushrooms
• 1 small bunch green onions, thinly sliced
• 1.25 cups frozen corn
• 1 15.5 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 lime
• 2 avocados

prepare orzo following directions on package. put in large bowl.

in large skillet, heat olive oil. over medium-high.  cook mushrooms, stirring occasionally until golden brown, about 5 minutes. add to bowl.  add green onions, corn and black beans to bowl.  juice lime into bowl.  stir to combine.  season with salt and pepper.

halve, pit, peel and dice avocado.

serve salad in bowls topped with avocado.

adapted from the july/august 2010 issue of everyday food.  the original recipe called for israeli couscous but with a 2 year old eating this dinner, the orzo works a bit better for us at this point.  the orzo is messy enough!  the great thing about this salad is that it can be served both hot or cold and that it can be made in advance.  i had time during lunch to put this together and then it sat in the fridge until dinner time.  i actually like to put my salad in a bowl and warm it in the microwave for about 30 seconds before topping with avocado and enjoying.  the 2 year old prefers it cold.

thai chile peanut meatballs.

these seem to creep into our weekly meal plan at least once a month.  i love the unexpected thai-type spice and the fact that they're just that simple to make.  everyone that i've ever recommended this recipe to enjoys it as well.  it always gets rave reviews.  spicy meatballs, whole grain rice and a fresh from the csa box veggie and you've got a meal that couldn't be more perfect.

THAI CHILE PEANUT MEATBALLS

• 40 frozen meatballs - either store bought or from your own freezer
• 2 heaping tablespoons chunky peanut butter
• 1 14.5 oz can light coconut milk
• 1 scant tablespoon red chile paste
• 2 teaspoons fish sauce
• 1.5 tablespoons sugar

using a 4-6 quart slow cooker, put meatballs in crock.  add all other ingredients and stir to combine.  the sauce won't mix completely but do the best you can.  cook 2-4 hours on high or 4-6 hours on low.  when done, stir meatballs and sauce before serving.

based on stephanie o'dea's slow cooker meatballs in chile peanut sauce. i find that by using the entire can of coconut milk, you end up with more sauce for your meatballs.  we're saucy meatball types.  when serving this dish to children or those who might not care for as much heat don't serve as much sauce as that's where the heat is.  when serving to our two year old, i take out meatballs for her before stirring the meatballs and sauce together after the dish has finished cooking.