Thursday, May 27, 2010

Eating Good

I know that should be Eating Well, but whatever. Tomorrow is park day. We inevitably talk about food. Most of us are trying to eat better, get healthy, that kind of stuff. I was cleaning off the island and came across a magazine from our local grocery store that has some pretty interesting recipes in it. I post these for two reasons. One is to share with all my peeps. I love to cook and if I can help someone make a tasty meal, so be it. The second reason is so I don't have to keep them all in my recipe box. I've cleaned the darn thing out a million times and it is stuffed again. If I post them, I can go back and look them up. Sneaky I know. Here's a couple that caught my eye. You know what follows- changes.

One of the things that has really started to make the rounds in our group is hummus. Love it. I like hummus on chips, tortillas, tortilla chips, veggies. If I can put hummus on it, I'll eat it. Here's a recipe I found that seems pretty simple. It even lists add ins. It made the changes for me. How nice was that?

Hummus:

1 15 oz can garbanzo beans (chick peas)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Tbls toasted pine nuts (optional)
1 Tbl snipped fresh parsley

In a blender or food processor combine garbanzo beans, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, oil and salt. Process until smooth, scraping sides if necessary. Spoon into serving dish. Garnish with pine nuts if desired. Sprinkle with parsley.

You can add in lots of things to this to really spice it up. You could add roasted red peppers or just red peppers. You could add green onions, olives, a little extra garlic. Whatever you like, add it. I would probably add some jalapenos for a kick. Yummy.

The other recipe that caught my eye was for turkey burgers. We eat a lot of ground turkey and anything new is good in my book. Keep changing it up, they don't get bored.

Asian Turkey Sliders

1 egg, slightly beaten
1 medium carrot, shredded or 1/2 cup packaged shredded carrot
1/3 panko (Japanese style bread crumbs)
1 Tbl soy sauce
18 to 20 oz ground turkey
3/4 cup napa cabbage (Chinese cabbage) or bok choy
Bottled sweet and sour sauce

In a large bowl, combine egg, carrot, panko, and soy sauce. Add turkey and mix well. Shape into patties. Place patties on a well greased grill rack over medium coals. Grill for 14 to 18 minutes or until done, turning once. Spread rolls with sweet and sour sauce, top with cabbage.

I don't like panko. Call me silly, call me crazy. I would probably just use plain bread crumbs or even crushed crackers or chips. Whatever you like as a binder. I would probably also add ginger. I prefer grated ginger root, but powdered ginger would work as well. Mix the sauce and taste before you add the turkey. You can adjust the seasoning to your taste. Also, buy whole carrots. You actually get more for your money and they are better for you. I might also add a little pineapple juice to the sauce. That's just the way I roll.

The last one is way easy. It's one of my favs when we go to the local pizza joint. I never even thought about making it at home, but it is easy, easy, easy.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

2 cups shredded, cooked chicken
1 pizza crust of your liking
1/2 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce
1 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
Sliced veggies of your choice

Warm or cook your crust according to directions. Toss chicken with BBQ sauce. Layer chicken then veggies on crust. Top with cheese. Cook 10-12 minutes or until edge of crust is slightly brown.

Really, that's it. You can use whatever crust you like, whatever BBQ sauce you like. You can adjust it to your dietary standards or needs. I like it. Super simple is my favorite.

That's all I've got for now. Hopefully you have three new recipes you can use. Enjoy them. I know I will. Let me know if you have any changes you make that makes it better.

Have a great day!

2 comments:

BeckyJoie said...

Love the recipes. We've made the first one and one similar to the BBQ recipe. Yum. Enjoy.

Mermie said...

might have to try the hummus. Can you believe I've never even had a bite of the stuff? We eat pizza maybe once a year, so I want the stuff you normally think of on pizza, if I want bbq chiken I'll go to the bbq joint. Please give my children hugs and kisses from Mermie, or as many as they will stand still for. Love........