Beef Lovers, BEWARE!

These delicious, tasty, mouthwatering morsels were the result of my favorite mini-turkey burgers from Ruby Tuesdays. When gobbling down my plate at dinner one night, I knew I could recreate these flavorful little burgers at home and I was right! Even the most extreme beef eater won't complain over these moist and delicious burgers. Try my Turkey Meatballs or Turkey Sloppy Joes (recipes coming soon!) with the leftover turkey meat!

Image: Turkey Burgers with fries and mixed vegetables.

Turkey Burgers

Serves 2

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS
1/3 - 1/4 lb ground turkey
2 tbs minced onion
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp grill seasoning (Montreal Seasoning)
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1 tbs olive oil
Plastic wrap & tin foil
2 hamburger buns
Lettuce, tomato, ketchup and/or any of the normal burger fixin’s

INSTRUCTIONS
1. With a fork, combine turkey, onion, salt, pepper, garlic powder, grill seasoning, parsley and olive oil in a bowl. Try to simply flake the ingredients together with a fork rather than stir with a spoon or with your hands. This adds a little air and allows for a juicier burger.
2. Line a plastic template (I like the Ziploc Twist n’ Loc rounds lids) with plastic wrap. Create two equal sized portioned patties. Wrap each patty with the plastic wrap. Refrigerate if necessary. NOTE: These patties will keep in the fridge for approx 2-3 days.
3. Heat a grill or grill pan to medium to medium high heat. Make sure the grill is hot before putting any food on the grill to prevent sticking. If you are concerned about sticking, spray some cooking spray on the grill.
4. Put each patty on the hot grill. DO NOT MOVE OR TURN. Cook 5 minutes on first side.
5. Flip each burger and cook 3-4 minutes on the other side. DO NOT FLATTEN OR SMOOSH the patties - this releases the juice in the burger which will mean a dry burger later! Each patty should be firm and bouncy when done. Not sure, cut into the middle of the burger and you shouldn’t see any pink (165° internal temperature).
6. Remove from the heat and cover with foil. Allow to rest for 2-3 minutes. This is a great time to add cheese if desired. Add to a freshly toasted bun with your favorite fixins’.

TIP WHEN GRILLING MEAT - Allow your beef, chicken, turkey, or what-have-you to come to room temperature BEFORE grilling - what this does is allow the meat to sear on the outside and gradually cook on the inside. If the meat is cold or even chilled, you will get an tough, chewy exterior and a raw interior. For normal things like burgers, steaks, or chicken, take the meat out an hour or so before grilling. If marinating, you will need more time so try 2 hours. Happy grilling!!

The more color, the BETTER!

Oh no! Need a last minute yet tasty side dish or appetizer to share with friends? Rather than reaching for a bottle of the blah grocery store salsa or gloppy potato salad, give this addicting and healthful salsa a go! Serve with tortilla chips for a tasty snack or serve as a side dish! FYI: The longer it sits in the fridge, the better it gets!

Image: Black Bean and Corn Salsa with tortilla chips

Black Bean and Corn Salsa

Serves 4

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 7-10 minutes

INGREDIENTS
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 green pepper, medium dice
1/4 red pepper, medium dice
1 clove garlic, minced fine
1 15.5 oz can black beans
1 8.5 oz whole kernel corn
1 hot house tomato, medium dice (approx 1 cup)
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (substitute 1/4 tsp hot sauce)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp olive oil
Kosher Salt & Pepper
Tortilla chip

INSTRUCTIONS
1. In a small sauté pan on medium heat, sauté onion, green & red pepper, and garlic with a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Once soften, remove from heat and cool.
2. Empty black beans and corn into a colander. Rinse and drain then add to a mixing bowl. Add chopped tomato along with the cooled vegetables.
3. Add cumin, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and olive oil to bowl with beans, corn and veg. Stir and taste. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4. Serve with tortilla chips. The more it sits in the fridge, the better it gets.

Taco Fusion!

Who says that you can't cross some global borders with your food. Like most Americans, I love tacos! Super flavorful, moist meat shoved in a warm tortilla topped with whatever you want, what could be better?! For those who have never tried fish tacos before, THIS is the recipe for you. I took the familiar flavors of sweet lemony basil, pungent garlic and fruity olive oil to marinate plump tilapia fillets for a mouthwatering taco that everyone will devour. If you are still on the fence, try the marinate on the fish and see if that wets your whistle. When I asked Steve, my husband, what he thought about the recipe he said, "I could eat about 10 more!"

Image: Italian Fish Tacos served with steamed corn and basil rice

Italian Fish Tacos

Serves 4

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Marinade Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS
3 gloves of garlic
3 cups of fresh basil
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
4 fillets of tilapia or any firm white fish
8 flour tortillas
1/4 head of shredded lettuce
1 tomato, chopped
Optional: sour cream with a squirt of Srarachi sauce

INSTRUCTIONS
1. In a mini food processor, add garlic, basil, salt, pepper and olive oil. Puree until smooth.
2. In a large food storage bag, add the fish and basil and garlic mix. Fold out all the air and zip closed. Roll the bag around till all the fish is coated in the marinade. Place in the fridge for 1 hour (no more than 3 hours). NOTE: Before cooking, bring fish out of fridge for 10-15 minutes. This allows a more even cooking and prevents under cooking.
3. Heat a non-stick griddle on 350° (or non-stick saute pan on medium heat) with enough olive oil to coat the bottom.
4. Add the fish and saute for 3 minutes on one side. Turn and 2 minutes on the other. If the fish is thicker than 1/4”, then cook up to 4 minutes per side. Fish is done when you take your spatula on the flesh and it seems very firm.
5. Cut fish into small slices so it fits easy in the tortilla.
6. Microwave the tortillas in a wet paper towel for 20 seconds and add fish, lettuce, tomato and sour cream.

Serve with rice and corn. To make a cohesive dish, add 1 tbs of marinade to rice while cooking.

General WHO?

So after craving a big pile of General Tso's chicken from the local chinese joint, I decided to try to make my own. I did some research on Food Network and Delish to get some inspiration as to the combination of ingredients to give it that sweet, sticky yet spicy sauce. Give it a try and let me what know you think! Trust me - you could eat a flip-flop as long as it's covered in this sauce!

Image: Fried Shrimp covered in Sweet & Spicy Chinese Sauce served with steamed broccoli and brown rice

Sweet & Spicy Chinese Sauce (Very like General Tso’s only better)

Makes approx 1-1/4 cup

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS
1 shallot, minced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tbs olive oil
1/4 cup soy sauce (no reduced sodium)
1/8 cup white wine vinegar (just half your 1/4 cup measure)
1/2 cup guava jelly
1/4 cup pineapple juice
1 tbs honey
1/2 tsp Srarachi sauce (you can find it in the Chinese section of the grocery store-clear bottle with red sauce and green top)
1 tbs butter, room temperature
1 tbs cornstarch

Instructions
1. On medium heat, sautee the shallot and garlic in the olive oil.
2. Once soften (approx 5 minutes), stir in soy sauce, vinegar, guava jelly, pineapple juice, honey and Srarachi sauce.
3. Stir on medium heat till the jelly has melted and the sauce is barely boiling.
4. Mix the butter with the cornstarch until completely smooth. Make sure your sauce is boiling before adding the butter-cornstarch mixture. Stir until smooth.
5. Allow to cool to room temperature.

Pour over chicken, shrimp or pork - try it as a dipping sauce with steamed veggies!

Deep Fry Mix:
Flour for coating
Egg Wash (for chicken and pork=2 eggs beaten with 1 tbs water, for shrimp=2 egg whites with 1 tbs water)
1 to 3 ratio of flour and cornstarch

1. Make sure your protein is seasoned with at minimum salt and pepper - For shrimp I like a dash of Old Bay.
2. Dust protein with flour
3. Dip protein in egg wash
4. Coat protein in flour/cornstarch mix
5. Allow to dry on a baking sheet or cutting board for 10 minutes before deep frying (oil temp=350°-375°)