Sloppy Tonys

Sloppy Tonys

Recently, I’ve been terrible about planning dinner ahead of time, so I was trying to find a recipe the other night that would require only a few ingredients to be picked up at the market. I had a package of ground turkey in the freezer, and that was about it. Rachel Ray’s email newsletter conveniently included the idea for this hit.

When I told Mark that I was making Sloppy Joes, but with turkey, he just responded, “Oh mannnn, Sloppy Tonys….”. The name stuck in my head, along with his whiney tone that comes out anytime I substitute turkey for beef, he’s really got it rough :) To make my meal (and day!) even better, I came home to a new All-Clad pan from the Plakas girls- it cooked the turkey perfectly! This super-fast recipe will definitely go in my book as a favorite!

Sloppy Tonys

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 package (about 1.25 lbs.) ground turkey
• 1 tbsp poultry seasoning
• Salt and pepper
• 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup syrup (I had light syrup in my fridge, and it worked just fine)
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 rounded tablespoon dijon mustard (I didn’t have dijon, but it was still tasty!)
• 8 soft burger rolls, split
• Shredded cheddar or pepper jack cheese, chopped scallions and chopped pickles, for topping

1. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil, one turn of the pan, over medium-high heat. Add the turkey and season with the poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Cook until browned, then stir in the bell pepper, onion and garlic and cook until the vegetables are tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Drain the liquid from the pan.
2. In a bowl, stir together the tomato sauce, syrup, soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar and mustard. Pour the sauce over the meat and simmer over medium-low heat for a few minutes to combine the flavors. Serve the sloppy turkey on the rolls with the toppings.

Of course you could substitute ground beef in this recipe, but I really found that this flavor worked well on turkey. I’ll be the first to admit that turkey can be a bit bland, but these sandwiches were absolutely delicious. I couldn’t wait for leftovers the next night!

Lemon and Rosemary Crock Pot Chicken

Lemon and Rosemary Crock Pot Chicken

On Sunday morning, I had no desire to go to the grocery store, and since I hadn’t been in over a week, my dinner options were looking pretty limited. Sound familiar? Not to fear, Lemon and Rosemary Crock Pot Chicken is here! Yes, this recipe is that good and that easy that I was practically singing about it! Plus, who knew you could put frozen chicken in the crock pot? This is a great last minute meal that is complimented well by a rice dish with a sweet ingredient such as dried cranberries, as well as water chestnuts.

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (can be frozen)

2 cups chicken broth

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp. butter

2 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. dried sage

1/2 tsp. ground thyme

1-2 cloves garlic, chopped

A few springs of fresh rosemary

Salt and pepper

1. Combine all ingredients in crock pot.
2. Cook 6-7 hours on low.

The leftover chicken was great the next day, so double the recipe if you need lunch the following day or are cooking for more. Play with the herbs if you have anything fresh in your refrigerator, or try adding carrots and parsnips, or any other root vegetables, for a heartier dish. Enjoy! 

Mac with Butternut Squash and Jack Cheese

Comfort food, AKA heavy food that is inevitably unhealthy but irresistibly delicious, covered our dining room table yesterday. I couldn’t pass up the second best excuse (besides Thanksgiving) to sit in front of the TV and have a continual flow of cheesy, hot and delicious dishes, but I did make a concerted effort to consume responsibly! My sister, Katie, told me that she tried Bethenny Frankel’s macaroni and cheese recipe and really loved it, so I figured it would be a perfect super bowl side dish. It was definitely a hit and the “secret ingredient” wasn’t detected by the boys, SCORE! Too bad the Steelers didn’t do enough of that… Try this recipe when you’re looking for a healthier alternative to a traditionally non figure-friendly dish and you won’t be disappointed!

12 ounces whole-wheat pasta shells (shells hold the cheese better than elbows)

1 cup milk (1% if you have it)

1 cup freshly shredded Parmesan

1 cup reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1 cup frozen butternut squash, thawed

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon chili powder or a few dashes of Tabasco sauce

1 teaspoon adobo sauce

2 tablespoons bread crumbs

2 tablespoons reduced fat Monterey jack cheese, shredded

2 scallions, thinly sliced

1.   Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Boil pasta shells in salted water until slightly firm, according to package directions.

2.   In another saucepan, combine the milk, Parmesan, cheddar and butternut squash over medium heat until melted and combined. Turn off the heat. Add salt, mustard, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder or Tabasco and adobo sauce.

3.   Drain the pasta but don’t rinse it. Add it to the cheese sauce and toss to coat the pasta. Taste and add more hot sauce, chili powder, adobo sauce, salt or pepper, according to your taste.

4.   Spray a shallow baking pan with cooking spray and put the pasta-cheese mixture in it. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs, Monterey jack cheese and scallions. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until heated through.

The key ingredient to take away from this preparation style is the butternut squash. It adds to the creaminess without adding as much fat and calories as cheese, and you won’t even detect the substitute! However, there are many options to add your own twist to this recipe. For meat lovers, try adding crumbled bacon or sausage. To pump up the veggies, add sautéed broccoli or mushrooms. 

If you have a really picky eater, pick up some shaped noodles or a box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, and use this recipe for the sauce (instead of the packet of cheese mixture). You won’t even know the difference!

Chicken Sausage, Bean and Veggie Stew

Who doesn't love a good stew? They're usually quick, easy, healthy and require just a short list of ingredients. This recipe is one of those light entrees that doesn't make you feel bad when you splurge and make french fries for the side dish (my plan for tonight's leftovers!). Other than chopping the vegetables and sausage, this stew is effortless and mainly involves simply opening cans. I recommend trying it for an uncomplicated weeknight meal- especially for you snowed in Chicagoans who are probably freezing and in need of a steamy supper!

Chicken Sausage, Bean and Veggie Stew

6 oz. fully cooked chicken sausage, diced

2 zucchini, diced

1 cup mushrooms, diced

1 small onion, chopped

1 15 oz. can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes (with basil and garlic)

1 8 oz. can tomato sauce

1/2 cup water

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 spring fresh rosemary

2 cups baby spinach

1. Spray a large nonstick pot with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add the sausage, zucchini, mushrooms and onion. Cook, stirring frequently until the vegetables soften, about 8 minutes.

2. Stir in the beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, oregano, basil, cayenne pepper and rosemary. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer about 5 minutes. Remove the pot from heat and stir in the spinach until it wilts, about 1 minute.

A quarter of this recipe, which is a pretty big serving, is about 250 calories. If you want to make more of a one-pot-meal, add cooked rice, cous cous or orzo just before serving. Substitute the kidney beans with garbanzo beans or black eyed peas if you have them on hand, and change up the seasonings if you have any fresh herbs. Mini meatballs could also replace the chicken sausage, if you have some in your freezer. Leftover stew always tastes just as good, if not better, the next day. This is a very freezer-friendly meal!

Pistachio Pesto Pasta with Shrimp

Pistachio Pesto Pasta with Shrimp

Pasta isn't one of my favorite things to cook, and much to Mark's dismay, I don't make it often. For me, there are so many other dishes that give you the ability to play up flavor and be creative. I found the idea for this recipe while flipping through my Rachael Ray magazine and thought that it sounded interesting and would be worth testing out, especially since wonderful seafood is so accessible here in San Francisco. Additionally, most of the ingredients are things you likely have on hand, except for shrimp and possibly pistachios (which make a great snack by themselves). 

I was blown away by the amazing flavor of this pesto sauce. I have never heard of using pistachios to make pesto, but the nutty flavor that it produced was out of this world! Make this for a family dinner or when you're having a couple of friends over. It's fairly easy, different, and makes an excellent presentation!

Pistachio Pesto Pasta with Shrimp

3 pieces jarred roasted bell pepper, coarsely chopped

3 cloves garlic, unpeeled

2 cups chopped flat-leaf parsley

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

A couple of handfuls parmigiano-reggiano cheese

1/4 cup pistachio nuts, toasted

About 1/3 cup EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil), plus more for drizzling

Juice of 2 lemons

Salt and pepper

1 pound spaghetti or linguine pasta (I always use whole wheat pasta)

1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp (I bought the small shrimp so that they mixed into the pasta well)

Splash white wine or white vermouth

2 tablespoons butter

1. In a small skillet, saute the red bell pepper and garlic cloves over medium-high heat for 8 to 10 minutes. Pop the garlic cloves from their skins. Using a food processor, pulse the pepper, garlic, parsley, red pepper flakes, cheese and pistachios with about 1/3 cup EVOO and half of the lemon juice; season with salt and pepper to taste. Place in a pasta bowl.

2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Add a small ladleful of the pasta cooking water to the pesto, then drain the pasta and toss with the pesto for 2 minutes to coat.

3. While the pasta is working, in a large nonstick skillet, heat a drizzle of EVOO over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp, season with salt and pepper and cook until almost fully pink, about 3 minutes. Add the remaining lemon juice and the wine (or vermouth). Swirl in the butter to melt. Serve the pasta in shallow bowls and top with the shrimp.

Substituting chicken for shrimp in this recipe would also be delicious. I would saute the chicken in some olive oil and a splash of white wine with a little bit of salt, pepper and a spice or two that you have on hand, such as cumin and dried parsley. You could also make just the pasta if you're looking for a meatless meal. If you doubled the batch of pesto, freezing the extra sauce would be perfect for a night when you want to throw together a quick but tasty dinner.

Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies

It is so great to get back into cooking, and in a nice, big kitchen! Mark and I are finally settled into our new place in San Francisco, and I thought it only appropriate to post this recipe for Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies (California style!). The recipe is from Bethenny Frankel’s Skinnygirl Dish cookbook. I’ve tried a few of her recipes, but this was my first baking experiment. They turned out to be pretty delicious, and I will definitely be making them again.

Because there is a Whole-Foods-type grocery store nearby, I was able to easily buy non-dairy butter and oat flour (the only ingredients you might not have in your pantry), but you could definitely use regular butter and flour. These chocolatey bursts of goodness are excellent heated up for a few seconds in the microwave with some whipped cream on top- a perfect, guilt-free indulgence!

8 tbsp Non-dairy butter, softened

1 1/2 cups Raw sugar

1 small Banana- mashed

2 tsp Vanilla extract

2 cups Oat flour

2/3 cup Cocoa powder

3/4 tsp Baking soda

1/4 tsp Salt

2 cups chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar, banana and vanilla extract with a hand mixer until light and fluffy.

2. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Stir flour mixture into the butter mixture until well blended. Stir in the chocolate chips. Drop by 24 rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets.

3. Bake for 8 min. Cool slightly on the baking sheets before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Instead of making the entire batch, I ended up just baking eight cookies, and freezing the rest of the dough. That way, I’ll have pre-made dough ready to drop onto a cookie sheet for a quick chocolate fix!  

Triple Layer Trifle with Toffee

This trifle is undeniably one of the best desserts that I have ever had. The combination of the chocolate cream, wafers and toffee was a huge hit this past Thanksgiving with my fiance's family. Not only did it taste wonderful, but it is quite pretty and would be perfect for any holiday party. There is no doubt that I will make this trifle again. It's most definitely an impressive dish to prepare and can be done ahead of time. I admit, one night, we even had some before we went out to a big Italian dinner because it was so irresistible!

Triple Layer Trifle with Toffee

  

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

4 cups heavy cream (do not use reduced fat)

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup pure pumpkin puree

1 - 7.5-ounce jar marshmallow cream (such as Marshmallow Fluff)

6 - 1.4-ounce chocolate-covered toffee bars, chopped

1 1/2 - 9-ounce boxes chocolate wafer cookies (such as Nabisco Famous)

1)     In a small saucepan, melt the chocolate with 1/2 cup cream over medium-low heat, stirring until smooth. Cool.

2)     While the chocolate is cooling, using an electric mixer with a whisk attachment, whip 2 cups cream with 1 teaspoon vanilla until stiff but not dry.

3)     In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin and marshmallow cream. Fold in the whipped cream in 2 parts; refrigerate. Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups heavy cream to the mixer bowl and whip until thickened. With the machine on, slowly add the chocolate mixture and the remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla and beat until stiff but not dry.

4)     Spread one-third of the chocolate cream in a 4-quart clear glass trifle bowl and top with one-fourth of the toffee. Stand 8 cookies on their edges around the perimeter of the bowl. Then, place a single layer of the cookies, one-third pumpkin cream, single layer of cookies, one-third chocolate cream, one-fourth toffee, single layer of cookies, one-third pumpkin cream, one-fourth toffee, single layer of cookies, one-third pumpkin cream and one-third chocolate cream. Sprinkle the top with the remaining toffee. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

If you wanted to make this more Christmasy, you could leave the pumpkin out and double the marshmallow, add a teaspoon or two of peppermint extract, and possibly some red food coloring to really make it look fancy! The Nabisco wafers are perfect because they break up the creams and add the perfect chocolate fix. The toffee crunch adds a final level of flavor and texture. You just can't go wrong with this recipe!

Tasty Turkey Burgers

Sadly, with the upcoming move I've had little to no time for creative endeavors in my kitchen. This past weekend, Mark and I went home to knock a few wedding planning items off of our agenda. As usual, we returned to Chicago with two grocery bags full of goodies. My mom sent me back with a homemade turkey burger that was so delicious, I couldn't resist sharing her secret!

 

These freeze extremely well and would be a great make-ahead meal. Since the recipe serves eight, just take the uncooked patties that you want to save for later and individually wrap them in foil or wax paper, place into a Ziploc bag, and freeze. Remove the patties from the freezer the night before you plan to eat them, and you'll have a dinner ready in 15 minutes! The best part is, these have great nutritional stats (about 260 calories per patty), so you can indulge in a small portion of oven-baked fries for a guilt-free dinner!

 

Tasty Turkey Burgers

2 carrots, cut into 1-inch lengths3 stalks celery, cut into 1/4 in cubes
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 clove garlic
1 lb. ground turkey
1 large egg
1 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
3-6 tbsp Red Hot Wing Sauce (such as Buffalo Style)
1 tbsp Creole seasoning
8 hamburger buns (toasted in the oven)
8 slices Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese (optional) 

Pizza Pocket

Many of you know that Mark and I will be moving to San Francisco shortly, so I'm trying to get rid of the food in our apartment and not buy much. This can make coming up with a creative dinner idea a little tricky, but tonight's creation was delicious! Chicagoans will understand my love for Pockets, a salad, pocket and calzone fast food-type restaurant. I usually order the greek salad, which is out-of-this-world good. The salads come with bread (or a pocket, if you will). Call me crazy, call me cheap, but after reading Bethenny Frankel's books, I know to save leftovers and try to use them! So tonight I had a leftover pocket of bread. Not much to work with, however I did pick up a couple of portobello mushroom caps yesterday figuring I could do something with them.

As the train rolled along the tracks, my creative wheels started turning (and my stomach started growling...) on my way home from the office. I started thinking that I could quickly marinate a mushroom, then add cheese, turkey pepperoni and some marinara sauce and pile into my pocket- voila! It took me about 25 minutes from start to finish to put this together, and I was quite satisfied with the result. If Mark reads this, he'll be very mad and jealous that he missed out on Pizza Pockets, so I guess this is a test to see if he's reading my blog :)

Pizza Pocket

1 portobello mushroom cap
1 tsp olive oil
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
Garlic salt and pepper
1 pocket/sub bun/hamburger bun (whatever type of bread you have will work)
8-10 turkey pepperonis
1/4 cup marinara or pizza sauce
1 slice provolone cheese

1. Preheat broiler.
2. Whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic salt and pepper. Pour over mushroom and let marinate 10 minutes.
3. Place mushroom under broiler for 5 minutes. Turn over and broil for another 5 minutes.
4. Top the bottom of the bun with the mushroom, stem side up. Pour marinara/pizza sauce into mushroom. Add pepperoni, cheese and top with the other side of the bun.
5. Broil for 5 minutes and enjoy!

Tip- I really don't have much in my fridge now, so this is pretty basic. You could easily dress this up by adding sauteed onions and bell peppers, different types of cheese or even sausage. Sometimes we forget how great simple recipes can be if we use our imagination (and free sides that come with takeout...). Stay tuned, I might have some fancy-schmancy peanut butter and jelly recipe up next!

T-Lish Coffee

Flavored coffee is so delicious, but sometimes I just want to MAKE flavored coffee rather than going out to BUY it (you can tell it's getting cold in Chicago!). My sister, Kristen, was telling me about how she adds spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg, as well as orange zest, to her coffee grinds. Since Halloween was this past weekend, I was inspired to make some type of pumpkin-flavored coffee. I had this great pumpkin tea from World Market, and came up with an ingenious idea- coffee flavored with a tea bag. This seemed like a simple way to give my coffee a little flava boost!

T-Lish Coffee
1 tea bag (I would try vanilla or pumpkin, or some other type of sweet tea)
5 tbsp coffee grounds
4 cups water

1. Add tea bag and coffee grinds to coffee maker. Add water (as you normally would) to coffee maker.
2. Brew
3. Enjoy- it doesn't get much simpler!

I'm definitely a sweet coffee lover, so adjust depending on your preferences. If you like a more bitter coffee, add more coffee grinds, and skip the sugar. This is a simple way to jazz up your java. It's simply TEAAAA-licious!!