Turkey Parm Mini Burgers

I have had a craving for turkey burgers lately, and when I saw these on Joelen’s blog this week, I knew I had to make them for dinner soon!

They were very good.  Honestly, I liked the chicken parm burgers I made back in July better.  But, hubs loved these burgers and will have the leftovers while I’m at school tomorrow night.

Adapted from What’s Cookin’, Chicago?

INGREDIENTS
1lb. Ground turkey
1t. Dried basil
1/4t. Poultry seasoning
1t. Dried oregano
1t. Italian seasoning
1t. Granulated garlic
1t. Onion powder
2T. Soy Parmesan cheese
Salt & Pepper to taste
4 slices Soy mozzarella cheese, each slice cut into quarters
1/4C. Pasta sauce
6-8 Basil leaves, sliced thin
8 Dinner rolls, split & toasted

DIRECTIONS
Toast buns under hot broiler and set aside to keep warm.

In a bowl combine the ground turkey, all the spices, cheese and salt & pepper. Form 8 large meatballs and flatten to create small patties. Cook in skillet with a little oil – about 5 minutes per side – until done.

Top all browned patties with a teaspoon of pasta sauce and a couple slices of cheese. Cover skillet to allow cheese to melt.

Spread a teaspoon of pasta sauce on the bottoms of the split dinner rolls. Transfer each patty onto the bottoms of the rolls and top the burgers with basil and the tops of the dinner rolls. Serve immediately.

Husband Rating – 4 out of 5 – “Very tasty!”

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Tagliatelle with Fresh Corn Pesto

Usually, when I browse through my monthly Bon Appetit magazine, I pull out multiple recipes I want to try.  This month…not so much…but I did find one that looked very tasty.

It was suggested that this pasta dish be served as an appetizer, but it looked hearty enough for a main dish so we decided it would make a great Sunday dinner.  And, we were right!  It was very very tasty!

Usually in a recipe like this, I admit, I cheat and use frozen corn.  But, there was some great-looking corn at the farmer’s market this weekend so I decided to go with fresh.  It’s totally worth it!  If you have access to fresh corn, use that.  You won’t regret it.

INGREDIENTS
4 Bacon slices, cut lengthwise in half, then crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
4C. Fresh corn kernels (cut from about 6 large ears)
2 Garlic cloves, minced
1 1/4t. Kosher salt
3/4t. Freshly ground black pepper
1/2C. Freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for serving
1/3C. Pine nuts, toasted
1/3C. Extra-virgin olive oil
8oz. Tagliatelle
3/4C. Coarsely torn fresh basil leaves, divided

DIRECTIONS
Cook bacon in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp and brown, stirring often.  Using slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain.  Pour off all but 1T. drippings from skillet.

Add corn, garlic, 1 1/4t. salt, and 3/4t. pepper to drippings in skillet.  Sauté over medium-high heat until corn is just tender but not brown, about 4 minutes.  Transfer 1 1/2 cups corn kernels to small bowl and reserve.  Scrape remaining corn mixture into processor.  Add 1/2C. Parmesan and pine nuts.  With machine running, add olive oil through feed tube and blend until pesto is almost smooth.  Set pesto aside.

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally.  Drain, reserving 1 1/2C. pasta cooking liquid.  Return pasta to pot.  Add corn pesto, reserved corn kernels, and 1/2C. basil leaves.  Toss pasta mixture over medium heat until warmed through, adding reserved pasta cooking liquid by 1/4 cupfuls to thin to desired consistency, 2 to 3 minutes.  Season pasta to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer pasta to large shallow bowl.  Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup basil leaves and reserved bacon.  Serve pasta, passing additional grated Parmesan.

Husband Rating – 4.5 out of 5 – Really tasty!  Could have used more bacon, though.

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Fettuccine with Asparagus and Pancetta

I was so sad a few months ago when Gourmet Magazine decided to stop publishing.  It was my favorite magazine!  As consolation, those with subscriptions were automatically signed up for Bon Appetit Magazine for the remainder of the time they would have received Gourmet.

Finally, this past week I received my first issue of Bon Appetit.  It’s pretty good!  Lots of great recipes and good pictures too!

This was the cover recipe of this edition.  I made a few changes (subbed soy for dairy ingredients, and left out the peas – C and I hate peas) and it was wonderful!  I suggest trying this soon!

Original recipe – Bon Appetit.  The recipe with my tweaks is below.

INGREDIENTS
12oz. Fettuccine
3oz. Pancetta or bacon, chopped
1lb. Asparagus, trimmed, cut on diagonal into 1-inch pieces
1 Bunch green onions, thinly sliced, white and pale green parts separated from dark green parts
3 Garlic cloves, pressed
1/2C. Soy Parmesan cheese, grated, plus additional for serving
1/3C. Plain soy milk
3T. Olive oil
3T. Fresh squeezed lemon juice
1T. Grated lemon peel
1/4C. Italian parsley, chopped and divided
1/4C. Fresh basil, thinly chopped and divided

DIRECTIONS
Cook pasta in pot of boiling salted water until tender.  Drain, reserving 1/2C. pasta cooking liquid.  Return pasta to pot.

Cook pancetta in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp.  Using slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to paper towels to drain.  Pour off all but 1t. of the drippings from skillet.

Add asparagus to drippings and sauté 3 minutes.  Add white and pale green parts of green onions and garlic.  Sauté until vegetables are just tender, about 2 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Add veggies, 1/4C. pasta liquid, dark green parts of green onions, 1/2C. Parmesan, milk, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon peel, half of parsley and half of basil to pasta.  Toss, adding more cooking liquid by tablespoonfuls if needed.  Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper (because the pancetta and Parmesan are salty, I did not add any extra salt – it was perfect without).

Transfer to large bowl.  Sprinkle pancetta, remaining parsley and basil pasta. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese.

Husband Rating – 4 out of 5 – “Delicious!!”

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Roasted Red Pepper and Basil Pesto Pasta

Christopher and I love basil…like LOVE basil…and we’re always looking for new ways to use it so when I saw this recipe on Picky Palate I knew we had to try it.  Of course, we omitted the heavy cream and it was still very good!  I wish it was just a little ‘saucier’.  Next time I’ll reserve some of the pasta water to add to the finished dish.

I had some shrimp on hand that I wanted to use, so I just threw that in with the drained pasta and sauce and cooked for a few minutes.  Chicken would also be great with this.  I have a feeling this is going to be a regular in our house from now on.

INGREDIENTS
1/2C. Roasted red bell peppers from a jar or fresh
3 Cloves fresh garlic
1/3C. Parmesan cheese, grated
1/3C. Pine nuts (did not use)
1 1/2C. Basil leaves
1/2t. Salt
1/2C. Extra virgin olive oil
1lb. Pasta of your choice
1/4C. Heavy cream (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Place roasted red peppers and garlic into food processor.  Pulse until well combined.  Add the parmesan, pine nuts, basil leaves and salt.  With processor running, slowly drizzle in olive oil.  Set aside.

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain and transfer to a large rimmed skillet or pot.  Pour in pesto and stir.  Stir in heavy cream if desired.  Heat for 5 minutes or until heated through.

Husband Rating – 3.5 out of 5 – Very good, but could be saucier.

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Salmon Pesto Pasta

It has come to my attention by some of my loyal readers – ok, just one crazy pesto-obsessed reader/friend – that there is a lack of pesto in my blog.  Well, Aaron…this one is for you!

I’ve been wanting to make salmon pasta for a while now and got a wicked craving for it today.  Bridget at The Way The Cookie Crumbles shared this wonderful recipe with me and I can’t thank her enough.  It was very tasty!

My only two modifications were to eliminate the pine nuts from the pesto (I just don’t care for them) and I used plain soy milk instead of evaporated milk.

INGREDEINTS
8oz. Pasta (I used angel hair)
12oz. Salmon
Salt and Pepper
1t. Grated lemon zest
1T. Olive oil
1. Lemon juice
5oz. Evaporated milk (I just use pasta water)
½C. Pesto (recipe follows)
Grated Parmesan, for serving

DIRECTIONS
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain and pour evaporated milk into pot to warm and add cooked pasta to the pot.

Adjust oven rack to upper position and heat broiler on low. Line a baking sheet or pan with aluminum foil. Season salmon liberally with salt and pepper, sprinkle with zest, then rub with olive oil. Broil until salmon is no longer translucent and is firm when pressed, about 10 minutes. Remove from broiler and sprinkle with lemon juice. Use fork to flake into bite-sized pieces.

Add salmon to pasta mixture and stir over medium heat until hot. Remove from heat and stir in pesto. Top with Parmesan.

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Pesto

INGREDIENTS
1/4C. Pine nuts, toasted
5 Cloves garlic, unpeeled
2C. Fresh basil leaves, rinsed thoroughly
2T. Fresh parsley leaves, Italian (optional)
1/4C. Extra-virgin olive oil
Pinch table salt
1/4C. Grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS
Toast nuts in small heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until just golden and fragrant, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer the nuts to bowl of food processor.

Add the unpeeled garlic to empty skillet and toast until, shaking the pan occasionally, until fragrant and the color of the cloves deepens slightly, about 7 minutes. Let the garlic cool, then peel and add to food processor.

Place basil and parsley in heavy-duty, quart-size, zipper-lock bag; pound with flat side of meat pounder until all leaves are bruised.

Process nuts and garlic until finely chopped. Add remaining ingredients except cheese; process until smooth, stopping as necessary to scrape down bowl with flexible spatula.

Transfer mixture to small bowl, stir in cheese(s) and adjust salt.

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Husband Rating – 4 out of 5 – “Mmmm…this salmon was awesome!”

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Garlic, Lemon and Basil Chicken

Another gem from LovesToEat!  This was super simple and deilsh!  Perfect for a weeknight meal.

(Edited 2/24/10 – New Photo)

INGREDIENTS
1lb. Thin-sliced chicken breasts
1/4C. Fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/4C.  Basil, chopped
2 Garlic cloves, crushed
3T.  Grated Parmesan cheese (I used soy parm.)
2T. Vegetable oil
S&P to taste
1.5C. Cooked broccoli
Angel hair pasta

DIRECTIONS
Mix together lemon juice, basil (reserve a small amount to stir into the cooked pasta), garlic and oil in a Ziploc bag.  Close and shake to incorporate everything.  Add chicken to the bag and let marinate for 45 minutes.

Heat grill (or indoor grill pan) to medium heat.

Boil water and cook pasta according to package directions.  During the last 4 minutes of cooking, add broccoli.  Drain (reserve a small amount of pasta water at the end in case the dish is too dry).

Cook chicken until completely cooked through.

Serve chicken on top of the pasta and broccoli mixture.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese before serving.

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Husband Rating – 4.5 out of 5 – “I love basil!”

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Caprese Salad

While at the store picking up ingredients for our Mother’s Day lunch with Hubby’s family I came across these fabulous looking tomatoes.  I knew I needed to get a couple and do something with them.

Caprese salad is one of my favorites because it is so incredibly simple and incorporates two of my very favorite things…fresh basil and fresh mozzarella cheese.  You can’t go wrong!

INGREDIENTS:
2 Large Tomatoes
1 Ball Fresh Mozzarella Cheese
6 Leaves Fresh Basil
Drizzle of Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
Wash and dry tomatoes.  Slice into 1/4″ rounds and arrange on a large platter.

Slice mozarella cheese and top tomatoes with cheese.

Chiffonade basil leaves and sprinkle over tomatoes and cheese.

Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper, and you’re done!

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Basil & Lemon Grilled Swordfish

Swordfish is, without a doubt, our favorite fish (so much so that we served it at our wedding).  This marinade was thrown together randomly one day and we’ve stuck with it ever since.   It’s super simple and very tasty!

INGREDIENTS
1lb Swordfish Steak
1 1/2 T Olive Oil
2 Cloves Garlic, pressed
1 1/2t Dried Basil
S&P to taste
Juice of 1/2 lemon (reserve the other half for plating)

DIRECTIONS
Marinate swordfish in oil, basil, garlic, S&P and lemon for at least 2 hours.

Remove from marinade and grill until internal temperature reaches 120.

Serve with reserved lemon wedge.

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