Greek Turkey Burger

So I now have to recipes that use ground turkey that my husband does not turn his nose up at. Good for us, good for the budget. I will give you the recipe as it was written, but I think it could do with less salt.

1/3 c chopped fresh parsley
1 lb lean ground turkey
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
1 tbs Dijon mustard
1.2 tsp garlic powder
1 3/4 oz crumbles feta cheese

buns
sliced red onion

Mix ingredients through feta cheese. You can use a 1/2 c measure to make equal size, or like me make little ones, mommy size, and daddy size. Broil for 5-6 minutes on each side or until done. Top with the red onion. Another tip a found in this recipe is to mix mustard and ketchup, to cut down on the sugar.

Tuscan Meatballs

Cheap, healthy and fast oh and good too. Doesn't get any better than that!

10 oz package frozen spinach
1 lb ground turkey
1 egg
1 c seasoned bread crumbs
1 c grated Parmesan cheese
2 handfuls of mozzarella
1 tsp garlic salt

save 1 c of pasta water
1-2 tbs olive oil
12 oz spaghetti
3/4 c white wine
3 tbs butter
1-2 garlic cloves

Squeeze water out of spinach. Mix spinach, turkey, egg, bread, Parmesan, mozzarella, and garlic salt in a bowl. Form into meatballs. Brown meatballs in oil and put in oven to finish. 350 degrees.
Deglaze pan with white wine. Add butter and garlic and let thicken. Add pasta in pan plus the water that was saved, as needed. Toss to coat. Add meatballs and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Pumpkin & Chocolate Chip Muffins

Yes, we really do love pumpkin around here. Something I learned when making these is that you can substitute 2 cups of powdered sugar for 1 cup of regular. I also learned to make sure you have all the ingredients on hand before you tell kids you are going to make muffins.

1 c sugar
1/4 c vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 c canned pumpkin
1/4 c water
2 1/4 c flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 c mini choc. chips

Stir together sugar, oil, eggs, pumpkin and water. In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt. Stir into pumpkin mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Cook at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Tuscan Sandwich

Here it is by special request, my signature sandwich. The story behind this? Once upon a time I had a wonderful sandwich at Panera Bread. The next time I went back I tried to order it. "Oh, no, you are crazy. We have never had a sandwich like that. We do have this which is quite a bit like it..." It was horrible. So now I make them myself and they are wonderful!

Panera's Rosemary Focaccia , I think it is the bread that makes the sandwich great, everything else just plays up the flavors.
Sliced Turkey Breast
Provolone
Olive oil
Spinach
Sun-dried tomatoes, I prefer those packed in oil and herbs
Red onion

Cut the bread in wedges, like a pie. Cut each one open and lay flat. Drizzle olive oil on the inside of the top and layer the rest of the ingredients on the bottom. Add the top and toast in oven until cheese is melted.

For special meetings, I leave off the onion and don't toast and they are still good.

Pumpkin Oatmeal

Here is another one of those pumpkin recipes. A different take on your morning cereal and an easy way to sneak a serving of vegetables in.

2 c cooked oatmeal
1 c canned pumpkin
2 tbs brown sugar
1/2 c milk

In a saucepan, stir all ingredients together over medium heat 5 minutes.

Super easy!

Apricot Ginger Pear Parfaits

Caeden has been asking for dessert. I do not usually give them a lot of sweet things, so I have been trying to come up with some "desserts" that are not so bad for us. Anything with ginger in it I am up for trying.

6 firm ripe pears
5 oz dried apricots
4 tsp finely grated, peeled, fresh ginger
1/2 c water
2-3 tbs sugar
4 strips fresh lemon zest
1 cinnamon stick
2 tbs fresh lemon juice
8 oz nonfat vanilla yogurt

Peel 4 pears and coarsely chop. Transfer to a 3-4 quart saucepan. Add apricots, ginger, water, 2 tbs sugar, zest, cinnamon stick, and 1 tbs lemon juice. Simmer, covered until pears are very tender, about 20 minutes. Discard cinnamon stick and force mixture through food mill into a bowl. If desired stir in up to 1 tbs additional sugar and cool sauce.

While sauce is cooling, peel, core, and finely dice remaining 2 pears. Toss with remaining tbs lemon juice in a bowl. Divide the pears, sauce and yogurt into glasses.

Chicken with Coconut and Lime

Another thing that we have been eating a lot of lately is coconut milk. The boys really seemed to like this.

4 skinned, boned chicken breast halves
2 tbs grated zest from lime
3 tbs juice from lime
1/2 c canned coconut milk
1/8 tsp salt
garnish with 1/4 c mined scallions and cilantro

Marinate the chicken in half the lime juice, while you preheat a grill of broiler. Warm the coconut milk over low heat. Season it with salt. Add the lime zest. Add the remaining half of the lime juice to the coconut milk mixture.

Grill or broil the chicken until nicely browned and cooked thoroughly. Spoon a little of the sauce over and around the chicken. Serve with white rice.