midweek dericiousness

(sorry, kids...i've been slacking on the blogging. i know, i know. i'll be better, i promise!)

i was very disappointed to learn that there was no new lost this past week, but this was NO reason to not have a delicious midweek meal. jim was coming over for dinner, so it of course had to be something uber healthy. kiran was eating too, though, so it had to be something deceptively healthy. my solution?

turkey burger paninis & grilled asparagus

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 1/4 lb ground turkey (i used 99% lean for jimbo)

1/2 cup chopped artichoke hearts

1/4 cup chopped sundried tomatoes

2 tbsp dijon mustard

1 whole garlic loaf (or any loaf of bread), sliced into 16 slices

8 slices muenster cheese, each slice cut in half

1 bunch asparagus

4 tbsp olive oil

nonstick spray

1 lemon

put 2 tbsp of olive oil in a saute pan over medium low heat. warm the oil for a minute, then place the onion in the pan. sweat them and toss around in the pan occasionally until all the slices are covered in the oil, then pop a tightly fitting lid on it and lower the flame. allow it to caramelize while preparing the turkey meat, checking on it occasionally and stirring. when the onions are soft and a light brownish color (about 15 minutes), add the balsamic vinegar and pepper to taste and stir into the onions. set aside.

preheat a grill pan over a medium high flame. combine the turkey meat, artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, dijon mustard, and some salt & pepper. score the meat with your hand into 4 equal sections, then divide each section into 2 for 8 small patties. spray your grill pan with nonstick spray. form each patty to fit the shape of your sliced loaf and place on the grill. since they are small, they will only take about 2 minutes per side. in the meantime, set up an assembly line with your slices of bread, cheese on each piece and caramelized onion on each sandwich. once the turkey patties are cooked through, your assembly should look like this:

bread

1/2 slice muenster cheese

caramelized onion

turkey patty

1/2 slice muenster cheese

bread

use one side of the grill pan to grill and press the sandwiches to melt the cheese and toast the bread while you prepare the asparagus on the other side (or use a panini press and use the grill for the asparagus). the bread should have nice grill marks on both sides and the cheese should be slightly melty to bind the whole sandwich together.

while you're grilling the sandwiches, prepare the asparagus. toss with the remaining olive oil, salt and pepper and throw them on the grill for about 5-6 minutes while you grill the sandwiches on one half. when they're done grilling, squeeze the lemon juice on top and there you go...the perfect side dish to a healthy sandwich!

man, risotto is needy

there are many things that i have yet to make. most of these things are either labor intensive or take way too long. examples: a whole turkey, fresh pasta, and until last night, risotto.

i bought a pack of arborio rice at the store about a month ago, thinking that i would take a stab at it one night when i had some extra time. unfortunately, i didn't get that extra time until a month after it was purchased, but no matter. it was all good. i still had some leftover homemade stock, so i decided that this would be a great way to use it. since i'm still on my "don't be a fatass" plan, i was looking for a way to make it with minimal amounts of (read: no) cheese. also, i didn't have any cheese left in my place and was too lazy to go to the store to get any.

surprisingly, the risotto didn't even need the cheese! it still turned out super creamy and delicious. i added lots of pepper and some lemon juice to cut the extra richness of it and came up with something that i will definitely make again. it's even healthy, so you don't have to feel guilty eating it! guilt free risotto - i think my life is complete. if you decide to make this (which i recommend), just make sure you have a good book to read while you're stirring, because you will be hovering above your stove for at least 30 minutes making sure your risotto is cooked just right. (it sounds like a nightmare boyfriend.)


i've named this risotto in honor of the book i was reading:

harry potter's risotto of secrets (and by secrets, i mean it has no cheese!!!)
4-6 cups chicken stock
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup of arborio rice
1 bundle of asparagus, tough stems removed and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1 can of artichoke hearts, chopped
2 carrots, shredded
1 lemon
salt & pepper

pour the stock into a pot and bring it up to a low simmer. keep it heated throughout the process, but don't let it go crazy boiling.

in a deep pan (i used my deep skillet), heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. add the garlic and onions and sweat them, being careful so they don't start browning. if they do, knock back the heat. when the onions are translucent, add the rice and coat in the oil. cook for 1-2 minutes, until the rice is lightly toasted.

once the rice is toasted, add 1/2 a cup of the heated stock. stir the stock into the rice and continue stirring until the stock is absorbed. when all the liquid has been absorbed, add another 1/2 cup of stock and the asparagus. remember the stir the rice frequently. (if you don't...i'm not sure what will happen, but i bet it won't be as good as mine. so listen!) once the liquid is absorbed, add another 1/2 cup of stock. repeat until the risotto is a nice, creamy consistency. it will take between 30-45 minutes. about halfway through the process, add the artichoke hearts & season the mixture with salt & a good amount of pepper. when the risotto is about ready, add the carrots and zest & juice of the lemon. test the seasonings and see if it needs more salt & pepper.

enjoy the healthy, creamy goodness!!

i love the weekend!!!

is it just me, or did this week just drag on forever? i was SO happy that friday finally rolled around. not only is it a long weekend, but i had a bunch of produce to use up! my roommate kiran and i have lived together for almost 4 years now, and during that time, i have converted her to enjoying (working on loving) vegetables. she now buys random vegetables for me to cook for her. her choices this week? eggplant and asparagus. my friend cmoore came over for dinner too, so it became an awesome girls' night in (dessert included)!

girls' night in

stuffed eggplant, grilled asparagus, and roasted garlic shmear (drooling yet?)

dessert: nectarine-blueberry crumble

2 heads (whole) garlic, plus 2 cloves, chopped

olive oil

1 1/4 lb ground turkey

1/2 onion, chopped

1/2 green bell pepper, chopped

1 bunch asparagus, 3 stalks chopped, rest reserved whole

6 mushrooms, chopped

1/4 cup roasted red peppers, chopped

7-8 greek olives, chopped

2 carrots, grated

1 tbsp honey

1 large eggplant

1 lemon

1 french loaf

for the dessert:

3 nectarines, pitted & chopped

1 small pack of blueberries

1 1/2 cups instant oatmeal

2-3 tbsp butter, softened & chopped

1/2 cup brown sugar

3 dashes of cinnamon

preheat the oven to 400 degrees. take the 2 heads of garlic and chop off the top 1/4-1/2 inch of them so the cloves are exposed. put each head of garlic in foil and drizzle 1 tsp of olive oil over each head and wrap them individually. place on a baking sheet and put in the oven for 30-45 minutes until they are soft and buttery. when they are cool, squeeze them out into a small bowl and mash with a fork into a shmear.

while the garlic is cooking, cut the eggplant in half lengthwise. scoop out the insides of the eggplant, leaving a 1/4-1/2 inch of flesh on the skin. chop up the inside flesh of the eggplang. heat up 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet. brown the ground turkey in the hot oil, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks. add in the chopped garlic and onions and allow to sweat out for a bit. then add in the peppers, chopped eggplant, asparagus, mushrooms, olives,

carrots, and honey. cook everything together until the mixture is all heated through. (at this point, i think i would have added a 14 oz can of tomato sauce, but i didn't have any on hand. next time!) fill the eggplant halves with the turkey mixture. (you'll have extra that you can use as leftovers...check out the next post.) place the halves on a baking sheet. drizzle olive oil and sprinkle salt & pepper over the eggplants and put into the oven for about 15 minutes.

heat a grill pan on medium high. toss the whole asparagus in olive oil, salt & pepper. place on the grill and cook for about 5-7 minutes, until it is grilled and cooked through.

split the french loaf in half and toast in the broiler. serve with the roasted garlic shmear.

when the eggplant is ready, cut into sections. squeeze lemon juice over the eggplant and grilled asparagus.

for the dessert, combine the nectarines and blueberries in 3 small, individual pyrex bowls with the cinnamon. in a separate bowl, combine the oats, brown sugar, and oatmeal. mix them with your fingers. portion out the oats over each pyrex bowl and place into a 450 degree oven. cook for about 15-20 minutes, until the oats are crispy and bubbling. serve with ice cream (if you have it). yeeeeeah. :)