Turkey Balls

Update on variety of ingredients in Turkey Ball Recipe

(4/8/13)

Updated photo by The Souper for Turkey Balls using the ingredients shown above.

(4/8/13)



Turkey Balls by The Souper (photo from first, original recipe.)

How do you make a favorite comfort food a little healthier? Without losing texture and flavor, all you have to do is switch from using ground beef to a good quality ground turkey, of course! That said, you will need to spice the turkey balls up with add-ins or cooking them in a flavored sauce. Update to this recipe: A wonderful pairing of flavor is to add White Horseradish and Sweet Pepper Relish. Yum. Note: I use Gluten-free Horseradish.

The first time I prepared a ground turkey dish was tossing the rounded balls of fresh ground turkey and cooking them in a spicy, sweet and sour sauce in a large pot on the stove top. These were a big hit with guests and of course the turkey balls with sauce partnered well with rice or couscous for a complete plateful.

To cook a very simple, tasty version of turkey balls, I prepared fresh ground turkey with ingredients as if preparing a meatloaf. Everyone has their own version of meatloaf, but I find using Panko Bread Crumbs to be an ingredient giving a meat or turkey mixture some body so the compacted meat does not become too dense. By baking the seasoned ground turkey balls, one saves some calories by avoiding a frying process for cooking.

These baked ground turkey balls can be served as an appetizer with a favorite dipping sauce or served as a main dish along side of a healthy carb and a side salad. Either way, these tiny balls of comfort are satisfying to the palate and are fun to eat.

Basic Recipe:

What you will need:
Lage mixing bowl
Small mixing bowl
Fork or Whisk
Wooden spoon
Lage baking sheet
Parchment paper
Spatula or cooking tongs
Pot holders
Large serving platter or large serving bowl

Ingredients:
Fresh ground turkey, one pound
One whole egg OR Two eggwhites
Ketchup, 1/4 cup
Worcestshire Sauce, 1/4 cup
Kosher salt, one teaspoon
Black pepper, one teaspoon, crushed
Smoked Paprika, one teaspoon
Panko Bread Crumbs, 3/4 cups or more for consistancy to form balls
Optional: add an herb or choice or chopped, fresh spinach
Update to recipe:
Horseradish, white, 1/4 cup (or more for personal taste.)
Sweet Pepper Relish, 1/4 cup (or more for personal taste.)

The Cooking Process:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook turkey balls for about 20-30 minutes until they are slightly browned. Do not overcook or they will be too dry.

With the fresh ground turkey in a large bowl, add a well-mixed egg (or only eggwhites) from the small bowl that has been mixed with the fork or whisk.
To the turkey egg mixture, add the remaining ingredients and mix with the wooden spoon to a consistancy to form a small ball with clean heands.
Continue to form balls of mixture and put them on a lined baking sheet with parchment paper.
Put the baking sheet into the preheated oven to bake.
Check often to make sure the turkey balls are not browning too much.
When the turkey balls look browned on the top, shut the oven off and remove the baking sheet from the oven.
Remove the turkey balls on to a clean platter.

Lasagne

This Lasagne is both Gluten-free and Non-dairy

It was exciting to find a lasagne pasta made of brown rice so that I could prepare a gluten-free lasagne for people on a restricted diet AND while thinking about dietary needs of others, I decided to make this recipe for lasagne to be dairy-free as well. Did I have concerns how this recipe was going to turn out? You bet I did. Did I have concerns about how a lasagne without cheese would hold up in the cooking process? You bet I did, again.

I am happy to report that this lasagne with ground beef and sauted vegetables turned out to be one of the best tasting culinary experiments I have prepared. There was an abundance of flavor in this meat lasagne from the spiced-up seasonings used during the cooking of the ground beef. The sauted veggies of choice for this recipe added their own flavor and texture to the entire lasagne. How surprised was I? Very surprised and satisfied with this homemade creation.

Although I technically am not restricted to a gluten-free diet, I enjoy the wonderful new products appearing in the markets for those restricting gluten in their nutritional diets. A personal observation: when eating too much bread or white pasta, I find a bloated feeling after a meal and see more puffiness under my eyes. Again, this is just a personal observation. The same feeling is personally observed when eating a lot of dairy products. So, good to know that substitutions of ingredients still allows for a hearty flavor in favorite meals.

Noting here that I chose ingredients for this lasagne without promoting any products. I enjoy their flavors.

Gluten-free, brown rice lasagne pasta. Organic and Kosher, too.

Organic Tomato Sauce with Herbs (no cheese)

What you will need to prepare this dish:
Large pot with matching lid
Colander
Tongs
Large skillet
Large cutting board
Kitchen knife
Box grater
Wooden spoon, two
Pot holders
Large lasagne pan or high baking dish
Olive or Canola Oil spray
Baking sheet
Large spatula

Ingredients:
Lasagne pasta, gluten-free
Olive oil, 3-4 tbs for sauteing vegetables and ground beef.
Small onion, chopped
Garlic, 3 cloves, fresh and chopped
Carrot, 1 large, washed, peeled and grated
Red or Green pepper, 1 medium, washed and cut into small pieces
Butternut squash, 1 cup, fresh, cut into small pieces
Zucchini, 1 small, washed, cut into small pieces
Kosher salt, 1-4 tbs (add half of total amount during vegetable saute; add some salt to taste during cooking process after the ground beef is added but save some salt to add to boiling water for cooking pasta)
Black pepper, 1 tsp, crushed
Ground beef, 1 lb, lean OR White ground meat turkey, 1 lb.
Tomato sauce, one jar prepared tomato sauce of choice (with/without added herbs, but no cheese.)
Tomato paste, 4 tbs from tube or small can
Water, 1 cup, cold (add half of the water to determine thickness of mixture)
Tumeric, 1 tsp, powder
Smoked paprika, 1 tsp, powder
Oregano, 1 tsp, dried
Basil, 1 tsp, dried
Gluten-free bread crumbs

Lasagna Preperation Process:
Fill the large pot with cold water, put lid on the pot and put the pot on a stove burner, high heat, to bring water to a rolling boil. This will take 8-10 minutes depending on your stove temperature. When large bubbles appear in the boiling water, remove the lid, add some Kosher salt and carefully add the dried lasagne pasta. Stir gently to separate each noodle so they do not stick together.
When all the lasagne pasta is softer, but still firm, turn off the burner under the pot, put the colander in the sink and carefully lift the pot with pot holders and slowly drain the boiling water from the pot leaving the partially cooked lasagne pasta in the collander.
While the water is reaching a boiling temperature, preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
At this time put the large skillet on another stove burner, add the olive oil into the skillet and turn the burner under the skillet to medium-high heat. In a minute or two, carefully add the chopped onion and stir around the skillet with a wooden spoon. When the onions look softer add the rest of the vegetables and keep stirring the mixture. Add some of the Kosher salt and all of the crushed black pepper. Keep stirring the mixture with the wooden spoon.
When all the vegetables look softer, add the uncooked ground beef (or ground turkey), add all of the herbs, the tomato paste and continue to stir with the wooden spoon until the ground beef (or ground turkey) turns brownish, more firm looking texture to the meat. Then, add 3/4 of the jar of tomato sauce. (save 1/4 of the tomato sauce for the top of the lasagne before baking)
Keep stirring the mixture above and then add the water, as much as needed for the desired consistancy of the mixture. The mixture of vegetables, meat and sauce should not be too watery.
Turn the temperature under the skillet with cooking mixture to a low setting and keep stirring with the wooden spoon until cooking mixture is fully heated and bubbles begin to form in the mixture.
Turn the burner off under the skillet after the mixture is hot and bubbly.
Spray the large baking dish with some olive oil spray to keep the bottom of the lasagne from burning while baking.

The Layering Process Before Baking:
With a clean wooden spoon, add a little bit of the cooked mixture from the skillet to the bottom of the baking dish.
With tongs, carefully take several partially cooked lasagne pasta and put them on top of the first layer of cooked ground beef (or ground turkey) and vegetable mixture. Add a bit more cooked mixture on top of the lasagne pasta and repeat this process until the top layer is cooked meat and vegetable mixture.
Add a thin layer of gluten-free bread crumbs for a crunchy topping (optional)
Add last 1/4 of jar of tomato sauce to the top of the lasagna.
Put the baking dish on a clean baking sheet so oven will not get messed up if the cooking lasagne overflows with tomato sauce.
Put the baking sheet with the lasagne baking dish on it into the preheated oven.
Bake the lasagne for about 20-30 minutes until heated totally in the middle.

Serving suggestions:
Cut the cooked lasagne into large squares and serve each individual portion with a spatula on a dinner place.

Chicken Soup

Chicken Soup in Natural Light - my personal photo (The Souper 2012)

When I was a little kid home with a bad cold, my nose stuffy, chills running through my body from a fever and all I wanted was to be comforted and be held in loving arms. With a scratchy throat I did not want to eat anything solid that I had to chew and I did not want to talk.
Ah, but then warm, soothing relief came in the form of a bowl with steam rising out of it. My Mom brought me her homemade cold remedy, Chicken Soup! As the steamy bowl of soup came closer to my face, breathing became a little bit easier. Then a spoonful of hot soup reached my mouth. My dry lips from breathing from my mouth felt moistened as soothing liquid entered my waiting lips. The first drops of this salty, tasty warmth slid down my sore throat. "Mmmm," automatically came as my first words since being sick. I wanted more soothing soup immediately. I began spooning this miracle liquid faster. The warmth ran through my body and then my nose started to drip from the hot steam of the soup and I reached for the tissue box. Yes, I was beginning to breathe again. What a miracle!

Fresh Chicken Soup is easy to prepare. Prepare some for your family and friends. A big potful of soup will make several quarts. Freeze some for the times when you need this wonderful relief from a cold and congestion. Or when you just want comforting memories, defrost and heat a quart of fresh Chicken Soup and get your bowl and spoon ready for your treat.

What you will need:
One large soup pot with matching lid
One whole fresh chicken (about 3 lbs) or assorted chicken parts of choice.
One large onion, fresh
Carrots – 3-4, fresh
Celery – 1-2 stalks, fresh
Parsnips – aka white carrots (optional), 1-2 fresh
Cold water – enough just to cover the chicken (NOT to fill whole pot)
Kosher salt – several tablespoons to begin with. Add more to flavor when final tasting the soup.
Soup ladle
Small bowl
Large spoon
Large spoons with holes or strainer with handle
Large bowl or platter

Preparing Chicken Soup:
Take out any inner plastic bag full of giblets, remove chicken neck for soup but other giblets not needed for the soup.
Rinse fresh chicken (inside and out) or chicken parts with cold water and pat dry.
Put the chicken or chicken parts into the large soup pot
Add cold water only to cover the top of the chicken, not any more. This will make a more flavorful chicken broth instead of a watery, diluted broth.
Cover the pot with matching lid and turn stove burner to medium high heat.
Wash, dry and peel carrots, celery and/or parsnips.
Peel the whole onion and do not cut it.
When you hear the water boiling or see steam escaping from under the lid, carefully take off the lid and turn down the heat of the stove burner to medium heat.
At this time take a large spoon with a small bowl to collect the foam off the top of the soup. This is called skimming.
Discard all of the foam that you have collected from skimming the soup.
While the soup is still at a rolling boil, add the vegetables.
Add the Kosher salt
Return the lid partially back on the soup pot while cooking continues.
Lower the stove burner to low heat.
Continue to cook the soup for about an hour and a half to two hours. The chicken should be floating to the top of the pot and the meat should be tender.
Carefully taste the soup for salt content. Add more Kosher salt at this time to your personal taste.
Turn off the stove burner under the pot, remove the lid.

Serving chicken soup:
Carefully lift the chicken or chicken parts out of the pot with large spoons with holes or strainer with handle. Put chicken in/on a large bowl or platter. Let chicken cool a bit and then take meat off the bones. Discard skin and bones of the chicken.
Remove the celery, onion and parsnips from the soup pot and discard.
Keep the cooked carrots for serving in the bowl of soup.
Ladle soup into a small serving bowl with pieces of the soft, cooked carrot.
Add some cooked chicken meat into the bowl.
Now enjoy a steaming bowl of wonderful, flavorful homemade chicken soup
Options: add some soup crackers to your bowl or cooked thin soup noodles or small pasta.

Official One Year Blogaversary July 27, 2011

Cupcake with candle (from Creative Commons Search IE)

Here is my symbolic First Blogaversary Cupcake to share with you.

As I mentioned in a previous post during my First Blogaversary Week, July 27, 2010 was the beginning of my adventures in food blogging. I have enjoyed this past year and thank you to all who helped me learn new skills, improve on my writing posts, and challenged me to take better food photos.

I have connected with many food bloggers and remain impressed with how dedicated you all are to your passions. My collection of favorite blogs continues to grow and I enjoy collecting your "Grab-a-button" to share on my Prep2eat site. I also have a shiny, new "Grab-a-button" in place in my collection. Please take a moment to "Grab" one and post on your blog to connect our sites and share our recipes.

Prep2eat will continue to inspire home cooks to prepare healthy, nutritious meals along with special tasty treats. Why cook at home? You have control over the quality of the food you purchase and monitor the prices of products and produce you buy for your consumption. It is a win-win solution for you and your family: daily meals are cooked with your choices and you save money by eating-in, rather than eating-out. No paying another person to prepare your food and tip them for doing so! What quality food are they preparing for you? At home, cooking extra portions allows for lunches or no-cook dinners on busy nights. With cooking-in during the week you probably will be able to enjoy a dinner out on a special occasion. But, you might just find that you enjoy your cooking better, like I do :) I can treat myself very well with fresh food here in my home.

Thank you to all my Followers of Prep2eat.
Warm regards and keep on cooking,
The Souper

Salmon Salad - No Mayo - My First Blogaversary Gift To You

Fresh Salmon Salad - No Mayo

Here is my gift to you during the week of my First Blogaversary :)
Last July 2010, I created Prep2eat. As my first adventure into the blogging Foodie World, I am so happy to offer you this healthy, nutritious, fresh and flavorful recipe for my version of Salmon Salad.

My goal for blogging here at Prep2eat is to inspire home cooking without intimidation in the kitchen. If I assisted in any way to help you eat healthier and save some money at the same time, then I have achieved my goal. Hopefully my food photos have caught your eye to investigate further what I am preparing in my kitchen.

Most important education from my food blogging experience this past year is that I have networked with so many "foodies" just like me! I have learned how to write posts with more focus on details from following advice of authors and publishers I interacted with online. I have found my Voice. Thank you so much for your feedback and advice! Thank you also to my followers here at Prep2eat as well as on Twitter (@soupiton). I have so much fun getting to know you and learning from you. :)

This Salmon Salad Recipe has been adapted from a recipe I found that had fresh mint, olive oil, shredded carrots and other good things. What caught my eye to create my version of Salmon Salad was no mayo was used in this recipe! What keeps the price of preparing this recipe down is using canned, Alaskan Red Sockeye Salmon - an excellent source of Omega 3's and not farm-raised salmon. Fresh Sockeye Salmon is wonderful, but not available all year round and it is very expensive for feeding several people.
Therefore, I can have a very healthy, nutritious, economical meal any time of the year!

Ingredients:
One Can Alaskan Red Sockeye Salmon
Olive Oil, two tablespoons
One Carrot, grated on box grater
Cucumber, one half, peeled and grated or cut into small pieces.
Tarragon, one teaspoon dried.
Dill, one teaspoon dried.
Zest of one fresh Lemon
Juice of one half of fresh lemon.
Flat Leaf Parsley, fresh, chopped: two tablespoons (optional)

Serving suggestions: Put Salmon Salad in a sandwich, hot dog bun or serve with healthy tortilla chips.

Ingredients for Fresh Salmon Salad - No Mayo

Preparation:
Large Bowl
Can Opener
Kitchen Knife
Box Grater
Zester
Measuring Spoons
Large Spoon
Strainer

Plain, drained Salmon

With a can opener, carefully open the can of salmon.
Drain the liquid from the can of salmon using a strainer.
Put drained salmon into a large bowl.
Separate out the large bones and skin from the salmon.
(small bones are ok to keep in. they have lots of calcium.)
Add the olive oil into the bowl with the drained salmon.
Add the grated carrots into the bowl.
Add the grated or chopped cucumber into the bowl.
Add the dried Tarragon and Dill into the bowl.
Add the lemon zest along with lemon juice.
Add the chopped, fresh parsley. (optional.)
Mix all the ingredients together with a large spoon.

Turkey Cutlets - fresh, thin with Panko Crumb Coating

Turkey Cutlets - fresh, thin with Panko Crumb Coating

Another surprise from Plainville Farms poultry products. No, I am not being paid to mention these products. I happened upon my first split-breast, fresh turkey breast at my local supermarket and raved about it in one of my blog posts recently. So when I went back to my supermarket to get another split-breast turkey breast they were featuring instead fresh, thinly sliced, turkey cutlets. These are packaged and just looked so inviting I had to purchase them.

My mind was racing with ideas for preparing these healthy poultry options. And now you can see how I cooked and presented my new favorite food. Oh, did I mention yet how quickly these little cuties cook up? It took about a minute or two on each side and...done.

I encourage you to see for yourself how fresh and easy-to-prepare these products are from Plainville Farms. Here is the link to the website:
http://plainvillefarms.com/
A reminder on my poultry and meat personal qualities: No antibiotics, No growth hormones, only vegetarian fed and humanely raised.
Plainville Farms satisfies my fresh food quality standards.

One tip worth a mention for this recipe: Panko Crumbs brown much better and produce a nice crunch to the cooked cutlet. The Panko crumbs can stay firm during the frying at high heat. (A couple of turkey cutlets were prepared, but no photo) with a coating of white flour and they did not look good after frying nor did they taste as well as with the Panko crumbs.)

If you are calorie counting: a serving of fresh turkey (4 oz. or 112 g.) has 120 calories. Depending on how you prepare the turkey, depends on the calorie count.

Preparation time for this recipe is about ten minutes.
Cooking time for all the cutlets is about 15-20 minutes. (time depends on the size and count of the cutlets.)

Here is a photo of the ingredients used in this recipe mentioned:

List of Ingredients:
Eggs, three whole eggs
Water, one half cup of cold water
Kosher salt, one tablespoon
Panko Crumbs, four cups (approximately, depending on number of cutlets.)
Black pepper, crushed, enough to sprinkle a little bit on each cutlet,
so about one half of a tablespoon, again, depending on the number of cutlets.)
Oil, one quarter cup vegetable or canola oil to begin with; add a little more if frypan gets too dry during the cooking process or the cutlets.
Parsley, one quarter cup, chopped, of fresh flat-leaf parsley

What you will need:
One medium bowl
One large bowl
One large baking sheet
Parchment paper or waxed paper
One large fry pan
One pair of tongs
One serving platter

Photos during the preparation process:

The process:
In the medium bowl, mix the eggs with water and Kosher salt.
In the large bowl, put the Panko Crumbs and spread around.
Put each turkey cutlet into the egg mixture.
Put the egg-coated turkey cutlet into the Panko Crumbs and cover all over the cutlet.
Repeat with each cutlet:
Place coated cutlets on a lined baking sheet with either parchment paper or waxed paper.
Let the cutlets dry a bit before beginning the frying process.
Pour the oil into the large frying pan and turn heat under the frying pan up to medium high temperature.
Add the dried coated cutlets into the hot frying pan with the cooking oil.
Sprinkle a small amount of the crushed, black pepper while cutlets cook.
Let the cutlets brown on one side, then with the pair of tongs, turn the cutlets over to brown on the opposite side.
Cooking time is about two minutes per cutlet side. (time depends on the heat of the cooking oil.)
Do not burn the frying cutlets.
Place the cooked turkey cutlets on to a serving platter.
Sprinkle the chopped, fresh parsley on top of the cutlets before serving.

Meatloaf - with new spice combinations

My meatloaf recipe with new spice combinations - a very nice surprise.

Everyone has a special meatloaf recipe. Fantastic when it is a family tradition passed on to the next generation. I have my favorite, go-to, family recipe also.
Last night, though, I was looking through my spice collection and I chose a combination of spices that attracted me because of the warmth of each ingredient. Wow, what a surprise to find that this blend of spices created a new version of my family's recipe for meatloaf. Can't wait to share this with you, too.
Along with our meal highlighting this new meatloaf recipe, I served a side green salad and for the comfort carb sidedish, I prepared my new go-to grain: Roasted Brown Rice Couscous (gluten-free). Oh, and it does come in a convenient box, is organic brown rice and cooks-up in 15 min. How easy is that? (As Ina Garten, "Barefoot Contessa" would say.)
Hope you will try this healthy grain as your sidedish when you have comfort on your mind at mealtime.
Thank you Lundberg Family Farms for Roasted Brown Rice Couscous. Gluten-free, Vegan and 100% whole grain. Kosher product, too. Here is the link to their product: http://www.lundberg.com/Products/Roasted_Brown_Rice_Couscous.aspx

Preparation time of this recipe: about 15 minutes.
Cooking time for this meatloaf: about one hour to one hour and fifteen minutes, depending on the calibration of temperature in your oven.

Preparation:
Loaf pan coated with Canola Oil spray on bottom and all sides.
Large mixing bowl
Wooden spoon
Oven mitts
Place oven rack in the middle portion of your oven
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Kitchen knife
Large spatula
Serving platter

Ingredients:
Ground beef, one pound
Egg, one whole egg
Ketchup, one half cup; a little more also to spread on top of the meatloaf before cooking.
Worcestershire sauce, one quarter cup
Cumin, one teaspoon
Paprika, one teaspoon smokey version if possible, if not then plain paprika
Cinnamon, one teaspoon
Kosher salt, two teaspoons
Black pepper, one teaspoon, crushed
Parsley, one quarter cup fresh, chopped (or one tbs. dry parsley)If using fresh parsley, save a few pieces to put on top of the cooked meatloaf for a pretty pop of color as the garnish.

Assemble the meatloaf mixture:
Put the ground beef into the large mixing bowl
Crack one whole egg into the mixing bowl with the ground beef
(option: crack the egg into a small bowl first to make sure the egg is fresh and then empty the egg into the ground beef.)
Add the ketchup into the mixing bowl with the groundbeef and egg.
Add the Worcestershire Sauce into the above mixture also.
Add the cumin, paprika and cinnamon into the mixture above.
Add the salt and crushed black pepper into the mixture above.
Add the fresh, chopped parsley into the groundbeef mixture, too.
Mix all the ingredients in the mixing bowl with the wooden spoon using a light, turning-over stroke, so all the ingredients remain loose.
The goal is to have a mixture with some air in the combined groundbeef texture.
Add the meatloaf mixture into the greased loaf pan.
Spread some ketchup on top of the uncooked meatloaf.
Place the loaf pan into the preheated oven at the middle section of the oven.
The meatloaf will be ready when it is browned on the top of the meatloaf, and the meatloaf has pulled away from the sides of the loaf pan.
Depending on the amount of fat in the groundbeef used, you may want to pour off some of the liquid fat that remains in your loafpan. Use your oven mitts to carefully carry the cooked meatloaf in the loafpan to the sink to pour-off the fat into the drain of your sink.

Serving suggestion:
Using your kitchen knife along with a large spatula, cut wide sections of your cooked meatloaf and carefully place on the serving platter.
Put a few pieces of whole, fresh parsley on the top of the sliced meatloaf for the garnish.

Noodle Pudding - Noodle Kugel

Noodle Pudding or Noodle Kugel

Bringing back holiday tradition with this sweet dairy Noodle Kugel. Talk about comfort food!!! Sweetness with butter and cheeses mixed with cinnamon and noodles. Oh, yes, this has it all. Great brunch dish or weekend at home. Perfect dish to serve at the end of a fast such as Tisha B'Av or Yom Kippur.

Ingredients:
· 16 ounces (400 gm) broad egg noodles
· 4 Tbsp. (50 gm) butter, melted
· 1 pound (500 gm) cottage cheese ( or 8 oz. cottage cheese + 8 oz. farmer’s cheese)
· 1 pound (500 gm) sour cream
· 4 eggs, beaten
· 1/2 cup sugar
· 2 Tbsp. vanilla extract
Topping:
· 1 cup crushed cornflakes
· 1 tsp. cinnamon
· 1/4-1/2 cup sugar

Preparation:
1. Cook noodles in boiling water according to package direction. Drain and rinse with cold water.
2. In a large bowl, mix the noodles with the melted butter, cheeses, eggs, sugar and vanilla.
3. Pour into a greased 9x13 inch pan.
4. In a separate bowl, mix the cornflakes, cinnamon and sugar. Sprinkle the cornflake mixture on top of the noodle mixture.
5. Bake in a preheated oven for about 1 hour at 350 degrees Fahrenheit or until the top is brown.

Grilled Chicken Made Easy

Platter of Grilled Chicken over fresh Garden Salad

It is amazing how a few ingredients make plain chicken tasty. It is summertime so get your grill fired up, oil the rack or use a mesh grid sprayed with Olive Oil or Canola Spray and get ready to grill some chicken breasts (boneless skinned) or bone in. Make extra chicken for lunch the next day. Cook once, eat twice!

Rinse your chicken pieces and pat dry. (Be sure to wash hands after touching raw chicken.) Put on mesh grid or a plate to bring to your grill. Brush chicken pieces with a little olive oil or drizzle a bit on each piece before placing on your grill. Sprinkle the chicken with a bit of salt. (Pepper after chicken is cooked, as pepper can burn at high heat.) That's it. Grill on medium heat and turn over once.

Serve: Prepare a side salad just before you put the chicken on the grill, but do not put dressing on the salad until you are ready to eat. This is a very healthy meal if you are cutting back on carbs. (You can always have a treat later after this kind of meal and not feel too guilty.)

Enjoy

Hamburger Stretch

It is possible to get five burgers from one pound of ground beef by adding some flavor. Depending on the servings for yourself or your family, this is an economical way to stretch food on a budget. Cooking for two? You then have lunch the next day or two.

Prep: Purchase a good quality ground beef. Bring out one egg, ketchup, Worcestshire Sauce, salt & ground pepper, bread crumbs or Panko crumbs (crispy, Japanese crumbs). Optional: add chopped onions, green/red peppers, chopped baby spinach. Have your chopping board and sharp knife ready along with a large bowl. A smaller bowl for cracking open the egg. Also have a clean plate ready to put the formed burgers on before cooking. (Can prepare formed burgers uncooked, keeping them covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator for an hour or two.)

Mixing ingredients: No measuring required. With clean hands, put the ground beef in a large bowl. Crack open the egg in a smaller bowl to make sure the egg is fresh, then put the egg on top of the ground beef. Continue to add the rest of the wet ingredients, then the veggies, saving the crumbs for last for the desired consistency. When using the wet ingredients, use amounts that you feel comfortable with a few shakes at a time. The ground beef should be loose a bit. After adding some crumbs, use your clean hands to gently blend in all the ingredients.

Make hamburger patties for your desired size burger, putting them on a clean plate to transfer to a frypan or outdoor grill. Be sure to use a spray Canola oil for frypan or grill rack. (Canola oil can be brushed in a pan or on a grill. Canola oil holds up to a high heat. A vegetable oil also, but olive oil requires a lower heat.)

Important point when cooking burgers: Do Not Press Down with a Spatula. This will release juices and make a very dry burger. A simple test for doneness in meat is: press a clean finger gently to the center. The firmer the meat, the more well done the meat is. A medium well burger is done with just a little press in the center.

Serving tip: Allow cooked burgers to rest a few minutes on a clean plate before serving. Use this time to have desired condiments available at the table to build your custom burger. If using a bun, add some fresh lettuce or baby spinach (washed), have sliced tomatoes available to include veggie servings during your meal. Or serve a burger on a plate with a side salad.

With a tasty, custom burger prepared at home, you will not miss a take-out burger and will WOW your family and friends. Your burgers will be healthier prepared with the control you have over the ingredients you put into your food.

Enjoy

Food Blogging Adventure Begins Today

My food blogging adventure begins today. Looking forward to sharing simple, quick, meal planning with you. You say you cannot cook? Willing to take a first step into homecooking land?
Give yourself a gift of good nutrition with lots of flavor! As I learn to post some of my favorite dishes here, please feel free to email me personally with your questions or concerns.
The Souper