Turkey Burgers with Marinated Veggies

So what is better then homemade grilled hamburgers? Well what about turkey burgers...
They are so tasty and healthier for you, too. I bought ground turkey and made the patties myself. Why did I do this? Well because I like to make more work for myself! Nope just kidding the truth is I find the burgers, whether you use beef or turkey, end up juicier. I also have a few tricks to keep those burgers from sticking to the grill.

Ingredients:

2 lbs ground turkey
1/2 red onion
1/2 bunch of cilantro
2 Roma tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons pepper
2 teaspoons garlic salt
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons of vegetable oil
8 pepper jack cheese slices
8 buns

Materials:

cookie sheet
wax paper
paper towel

1) First, line a cookie sheet with wax paper and set it aside and then start mixing the meat.
2) Now its time to make the patties. Divide the meat into 8 equal portions and form each into a tight ball. Now flatten and then place on the cookie sheet.
3) After all the patties are formed place them in the freezer for 20-30 minutes. This helps the meat keep together and prevent it from falling apart later on.
4) Now its time to make the marinated veggies. Cut the tomatoes into slices, the onion into strips and chop the cilantro. Combine together with the olive oil, lemon juice and red wine vinegar. Place in the fridge until ready to serve.
5) Now back to the patties, after the 30 minutes its time to season them. Mix the pepper, garlic salt, dried parsley and cayenne in a small bowl and then sprinkle on each patty on both sides.  It's key to season right before grilling to avoid the seasonings from drying out the meat.
6) Get the paper towel and soak it in the vegetable oil and rub it onto the hot grill...This will help to prevent the meat from sticking as well.
7) Now its time to grill them on the BBQ for roughly 8 minutes on each side or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees and top with the cheese.
8) I also like to place the buns and the grill  to slightly toast them. Finally, assemble the turkey burger with the marinated veggies. I also add a little mustard on my bun :)

Homemade Pizza

Now I promised that I was going to turn those left over ingredients from the Mediterranean meal into a new dish and here it is, Pizza. Now usually when I make pizza I like to also make the dough as well. Pizza dough, although quite easy, can take time and time is something that we all do not have when trying to make a quick week night meal. So for this recipe I used the help of pre-made pizza dough from a local pizza place. So here we go...

Ingredients:

8-10 oz of pizza dough (I used wheat)
flour for dusting
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 garlic cloves
The left overs of the following:
spinach
cilantro
artichoke hearts
sun dried tomatoes
feta cheese

Materials:

Pizza pan or cookie sheet
Rolling pin

1) First, chop all the ingredients. Mince the garlic, chop the spinach, cilantro, artichokes and sundried tomatoes. 

2) Next roll out the dough. Do this to fit your pan. I did not have a pizza pan so I used a cookie sheet. Now sometimes pizza dough will want to shrink back after you roll it out. The trick to prevent this is to use a fork to poke around the edges and presto it stays.
3) Now its time to assemble the pizza. Place the dough on the cookie sheet and spread the olive oil evenly. Next scaddar the garlic followed by the spinach, cilantro, artichokes, tomatoes and lastly the cheese. Drizzle a little more olive oil over the ingredients and place in a 400 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.

This pizza is not only easy but delicious and a great way to use your left overs from the Mediterranean meal the night before.

Mediterranean Beef Roulades with Stuffed Bell Peppers

Well first things first... A roulade is just a fancy way of saying to roll which is exactly what this delicious dish is, beef that is filled with Mediterranean ingredients, rolled up and cooked. Its accompaniment is a mixture of brown and wild rice, vegetables and stuffed in halved green bell peppers. So lets get started with this amazing meal.

Lets start with the roulade first:

Ingredients:

10 slices of carne asada meat
Salt and pepper to taste
4 garlic cloves
2 bunches of spinach leaves
6 oz julienned sun dried tomatoes
14 oz jar of marinated artichoke hearts
8 oz container of feta cheese
1 tablespoon of olive oil

Materials:
 
20 toothpicks
cookie sheet

Instructions:
1) First we need to cut all the ingredients to make it easier when wrapping stuffing the meat. Mince the garlic and chiffonade the spinach. Chiffonade is cutting the spinach in thin strips. This can be achieved by laying all the leaves on top of each other, then rolling it up into a cigar shape and then cutting it across with the knife to get thin ribbon like pieces. You also need to separate the artichoke hearts.
2)Spread the meat on the cookie sheet and season with salt and pepper. Next, sprinkle with garlic. Now its time to stuff the meat with the veggies and cheese. Place these ingredients in the center of each piece of meat. (You will have extra spinach, tomatoes, artichoke hearts and feta cheese but don't worry because I have a great recipe for the left over)
3) Now its time to wrap the meat. Fold one side over the filling and then roll, place two toothpicks at both ends to secure the filling. *Photo below

4) In a pan add the olive oil and turn to medium high heat. Add three or four of the rolled meat to sear on all sides and then place back on the cookie sheer. Continue until all the roulades have been seared off.
5)Next bake in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until the meat is cooked through. Remove toothpicks and its ready to eat.

Now lets make the stuffed bell peppers:

Ingredients:

2 cups of rice (I used brown wild rice)
4 cups of water
1 container of grape tomatoes
1/2 red onion
1 bunch of cilantro
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
4 green bell peppers
1 cup of water

Materials:

Rice cooker or pot with lid
Glass baking dish

1) First thing is to cook the rice. I use a rice cooker to make it but you can use a pot with a lid. If using a pot pour the rice and water into the pot and cover using medium heat until a boil reaches the lower heat to low. If using a rice cooker please follow the direction for it because each rice cookers could be different.
2) While the rice is cooking take this opportunity to cut the veggies. Slice each tomato in half long ways. I used about half the container. Next chop the onion and cilantro. Place all three ingredients into a bowl and add oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Mix well and let the veggies marinate in the fridge until the rice is done.
3) At this point  you can cut the bell peppers in half long ways and remove seeds and stems. Place in the glass baking dish and set aside.
4) Once the rice is done cooking add it to the veggies and mix until well incorporated. Fill each bell pepper with the rice mixture and fill the bowl with the water. (The water help steam and cook the bell pepper)
5) Place the dish in the oven at 350 degrees and cook for 30 minutes.

Now you can enjoy this delicious meal with pita bread.

*As I stated before you will have left over veggies and cheese which can make another completely different meal. Come back tomorrow to find out what I turn these remaining ingredients into...I'm thinking something Italian :)

Halloween Cookie Pops

I love to make tasty and pretty treats for holidays and this is one of my favorites that I made for a friends Halloween party. This is a really simple and fun recipe that will sure to impress your friends.
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 Ingredients:
1 package of Oreo Cookies
8 oz Cream Cheese
14 oz Dark Chocolate Melts
Orange and Black Sprinkles

Materials needed:
Food processor or blender
Mixing bowl
Wax paper
Cookie Sheet
16 Lolly-pop sticks
Ribbon (optional)*

Steps:
1) Put cookies in a food processor or blender and blend until fine crumbs.
2) Mix together the crumbs and soften cream cheese until well blended. I used my hands and kneaded it like dough.
3) Next make 16 balls of equal size. I cut the cookie mixture in half and did this until I had 16 pieces. Then rolled each piece in my hands until round.
4) Place cookie balls on a cookie sheet that is lined with wax paper. Place in freezer for 30 minutes.
5) Right before the 30 minutes is up it is time to melt the chocolates. There is two different ways to go about this. You can use a double boiler (a pan with water and then a bowl on top) or use a microwave safe bowl. I went with the microwave way and it worked great. Just put the chocolates in the bowl and cook for 30 second intervals mixing after each until all the chocolate is melted. It takes about 2.5 minutes total.
6) Once this is done it is time to start making the pops. Take out the balls from the freezer and place a stick in each of them. I found it helpful to dip the tip of the stick in the chocolate first before sticking it into the cookie balls.
7) Lastly, dip the pops, one at a time, into the melted chocolate until covered completely. Shaking off any excess chocolate. At this time, while the chocolate is till warm, you are going to want to put on the sprinkles on and then place back onto the cookie sheet. After they are all covered place in the fridge until its time to eat them.
*On a side note if you want to dress them up a bit you can make bows out of ribbon and tie them onto the sticks but I suggest you do this before you put the sticks in the cookie balls.

~Stay tuned for other holiday pops. I have great ideas for Christmas!