Greek Turkey Burgers with Tzatziki

Time is marching on, and regardless of the fact that we want to travel and finish fixing up our house and prepare a nursery and sleep in and do all kinds of other childless things, yesterday marked the halfway point of my pregnancy.  This bun is officially half baked.  On one hand, I'm very excited to meet this body roommate of mine; yet on the other hand, I do not wish to rush into an entirely new life. 

But really, life hasn't changed much around here.  The biggest difference I can point to is the fact that I've traded my daily glass of wine for an almost daily scoop of ice cream.  We are gearing up for another Memorial weekend camping trip and hosting dinner parties and doing yardwork and just living a happy newlywed life.  I am enjoying every minute.

Frank had his good friend Mead over Saturday to help him with some work on our basement.  I spent the lovely day running errands while they measured and hammered and sawed and Lord only knows what else down there.  I went to Bill's Imported Foods for the first time in a long time to get some fresh kalamata olives, feta cheese, and pita bread.

When I returned home, it took merely minutes to throw together these simple burgers, and we all agreed they packed a giant flavor punch. 

Greek Turkey Burgers
Serves 4

1/2 yellow onion, diced
2 cups spinach or kale, chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 package lean ground turkey (1.25 lbs)
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup chopped pitted kalamata olives (or less to taste)
2 Tbsp chopped sundried tomatoes
2 Tbsp fresh dill (optional)
1 tsp dried oregano (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp olive oil

Tzatziki Sauce
1 cup Greek yogurt
Juice of 1 lemon
2-3 Tbsp fresh dill, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 English cucumber, grated on box grater
2 Tbsp olive oil

Mix together and let sit for flavors to combine.

In a medium skillet, saute your onion in 1 Tbsp olive oil until softened.  Add chopped spinach or kale and cook until wilted, about 1 minute.  Cool.

In a large bowl, combine turkey, sautéed onion/spinach, feta, olives, sundried tomatoes, herbs, salt and pepper, and 1 Tbsp olive oil.  Mix well and form into 4 patties.  Refrigerate until ready to cook.

Grill 5-6 minutes on both sides, or until center is no longer pink.

Serve on pita or bun with cucumber, spinach, tomatoes, and tzatziki sauce.

Spinach Pie

Here's another entry for the "tasty but ugly" file.  There are so many posts that fit that category on this site, I should probably consider it as a new title for the blog!

I can't even show you what this Spinach Pie looked like on a plate because it was such a mess!  But as I sit here enjoying leftovers for lunch, I can't get over how yummy it is so I need to record the simple and healthy recipe.

Over a year ago, Frank and I were staying with his parents in St. Louis for his brother's wedding.  I was perusing a coffee table photo book about the history of St. Louis, which I find to be a culturally-diverse and fun city with some really great food traditions.  When I got to the section in the book about "The Hill" (the neighborhood settled by Italian immigrants), there was this recipe for Spinach Pie.  It looked so healthy and simple, I wrote the recipe down in the Notes app on my phone.  I've glanced at it occasionally ever since.

Last night, with Frank digging in the garden and me lounging on the patio swing, I decided it was time to try this recipe.  It's crammed with three boxes of frozen spinach, so it's super iron-packed.  And of course the Italian version of the recipe calls for fresh ricotta (pronounced by my father-in-law as "ree-GOAT-ah"), but I had only cottage cheese in my fridge (do not tell the aforementioned father-in-law this!) and it worked just fine. 

This pie is a cross between a quiche, soufflé, and casserole, made with simple and basic ingredients in one bowl.  Hard to beat, especially for busy working adults and/or parents.  As I was eating this ugly food last night, the constant thought that kept flitting through my mind (other than "yum!") was, "this would be a great way to get a toddler to eat spinach!" 

Spinach Pie
Serves 6

1 large yellow onion, diced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1.25 cups bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
1 cup red sauce (this is the Italian way of saying pasta/spaghetti/marinara sauce).
3 boxes frozen spinach, thawed and water squeezed out
1.5 cups ricotta or cottage cheese
6 eggs
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
pinch of crushed red pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Saute onion in olive oil.  Add to a large bowl with all the other ingredients.  Mix well.  Pour into greased baking dish.  Bake 75 minutes.

Serve with extra red sauce and grated cheese.

Mexican-Stuffed Peppers

It appears I have somewhat of a thing for "stuffed" recipes, as fully 67% of my last three posts feature something stuffed inside something else.  Is it because I like to use vegetables in new and interesting ways? Or because serving some stuffed vessel is a convenient and beautiful way to present a meal? Or perhaps I just feel stuffed myself with a 14-week old alien mutating in my belly?  The answer is all of the above.

I've made stuffed peppers twice this past winter, Italian-style with marinara sauce, but I can't for the life of me find the recipe I used! [Update:  my friend Ann is the one who originally gave me the recipe and it's this one.  She also recommends this one for a rice-free version!] Tonight I threw these peppers together with a Tex-Mex flair because longtime readers are well aware of my everlasting affection for spicy south of the border food.
 

I was originally going to just stuff these peppers with rice, beans, and salsa, but found a ton of stuff in my fridge that needed to be used such as a rice/jalapeño/pea side dish, a package of ground turkey, the dregs of a jar of roasted salsa, and a smidge of leftover enchilada sauce.  This is pretty simple to whip up yourself using what you have on hand or buying some simple ingredients like taco seasoning or enchilada sauce.

Mexican-Stuffed Peppers

Makes 4 large servings (I only made 2 servings and I have lots of leftover filling)

4 bell peppers

1 package ground turkey

1 small yellow onion, diced

1 jalapeño, seeds removed and diced

Salt/pepper

1 Tbsp cumin

1 Tbsp ancho chili powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1 can black beans, drained

2 cups cooked rice

1 cup salsa

1/2 cup enchilada sauce or tomato sauce

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Heat oven to 350.

Cut peppers lengthwise and remove guts.

In large skillet over medium high heat, brown turkey with onion, jalapeño, and seasonings.  Add beans, rice, salsa, and sauce and heat through. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Fill peppers to overflowing, cover, and bake 30 minutes.  Remove cover, add cheese, and bake another 10-15 minutes or until browned and bubbly.

Serve with Greek yogurt, avocado, lime juice, and/or your other favorite Mexican accompaniments.

Lentil and Mushroom Shepherd's Pie

The second I saw this shepherd's pie on The Kitchn website, I knew I was going to make it.  My carnivorous husband declared it "meaty!" even though it's vegan.  I thought it was the perfect healthy but comforting January dinner.  Very flavorful and satisfying!  Will definitely make again.

I served it with that awesome Winter White Salad (which I've mentioned a hundred times on this blog!!  Make it!!), but made less white by adding parsley leaves and pomegranate seeds.

I highly recommend baking and pureeing your sweet potatoes in advance, just to simplify your dinner preparation if you're making this on a weeknight.  Once that's done, it's a simple boil and sauté operation before throwing it in the oven for a brief stint. 

 

Too bad it photographs so poorly!  Don't judge this book by its cover please!

 



Lentil and Mushroom Shepherd's Pie, from The Kitchn
Serves 6

3 large sweet potatoes, baked and pureed
1 cup brown lentils
3/4 cup dry steel cut oats
bay leaves (3 or 4)
1 teaspoon salt
2 packages (8 oz each) mushrooms (I used one button, one crimini), sliced
1 medium onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup vegetable stock
1/4 cup red wine
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp soy sauce or tamari
2 tsp smoked paprika
handful chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a pot, boil 5 cups of water with your lentils, oats, bay leaves, and salt.

In a separate skillet, sauté mushrooms, onion, carrot, celery, and garlic in olive oil until softened.  Season with salt and pepper.

Drain lentils/oats and combine with sautéed vegetable mixture.  Add stock, wine, tomato paste, tamari, paprika, and parsley.  Simmer for 5 minutes to marry all flavors.  Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

Pour mixture into casserole dish and spread sweet potatoes on top.  Bake until hot and bubbly, about 20 minutes.