mediterranean chickpea burger

with only a couple months before my title changes from "college student" to "young professional" i have decided its about time i get in the habit of skimming the daily paper to keep up-to-date with what is going on in the world. and as much as i hate to admit it, i have read all sorts of interesting articles, used news stories as conversation starters, and even come across recipes! this week i tried a recipe from the newspaper that incorporated all sorts of nutritious ingredients. 


if you haven't already figured it out, its like a game for me to make my meals healthy. whether its by substituting greek yogurt for sour cream or wheat flour for white flour. this recipe cuts out some of the red meat thats in your average burger and replaces it with filling, flavorful ingredients. mixing chickpeas and bulgar into the ground beef adds fiber and protein. this mediterranean burger is a great way to mix things up. don't forget to top it off with a side of sweet potato fries(click for my recipe).


with Easter just around the corner i have a couple fun recipes on my list to try...stay tuned!

Ingredients (Serves 4):
2 ounces (approx. 1/4 C.) feta cheese
1/4 C. low-fat plain yogurt (i used greek yogurt and 1/4 C. water)
coarse salt and ground pepper
1/4 C. bulgar (could use breadcrumbs if you want)
1 can chickpeas
1/2 lb. lean ground beef
1/3 cup roughly chopped mint leaves
4 burger buns
1 small cucumber, thinly sliced
1 large tomato, sliced
*next time i would add an egg to the meat mixture


Directions:
In a small bowl, mash the feta with the back of a fork until smooth. Stir in yogurt and season with salt and pepper to taste, set aside.

In another small heatproof bowl, combine bulgar and 1/2 C. boiling water. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 10 minutes. 
Meanwhile, in a food processor, pulse chickpeas until coarsely chopped. 

 

Transfer to a large bowl and add beef and mint. Drain bulgar and add to chickpea mixture. 

With your hands, mix until mixture is evenly combined and holds together when pressed into a ball. Divide into 4, 1-inch patties and season with salt and pepper.
Lightly coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add the patties and cook until browned and crispy on the outside, approximately 4 minutes on each side. 


Serve on a bun with sliced cucumbers, tomato, and feta-yogurt sauce.

pasta with prosciutto

this meal is one of my "go-to" weeknight dinners. it varies slightly depending on the ingredients i have on hand, but it always hits the spot. it is really easy and rich with italian flavor. the sweetness of the red bell pepper and caramelized onions with the salty flavor of the prosciutto make an awesome combination. i have also used the white sauce to make homemade chicken alfredo. 

Ingredients (Serves 3-5):
angel hair pasta
1/2 caramelized onion
1 red bell pepper
4 slices of prosciutto (cut into pieces)
1/4 C. white wine
1/4 t. salt
pepper to taste
2 T. flour
1 cup milk
2 T. butter
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/4 C. grated parmesan 


Directions:
Boil water and cook pasta for approximately 7 minutes.
Drain and drizzle with olive oil to prevent it from sticking together.


Heat 1-2 T. of olive oil in a frying pan. Saute sliced red bell pepper, minced garlic, caramelized onions and prosciutto. I already had caramelized onions in the refrigerator but if you want to know how to make them you can google search a recipe. Cook over low-medium heat until the red bell pepper is tender and the prosciutto is brown around the edges. 
While cooking make the sauce.


Basic White Sauce Directions:
Melt 2 T. butter
Stir in flour one T. at a time.
Add 1/4 t. salt, cook on low for approximately 4 minutes.
Slowly add the milk so that the consistency stays smooth. If you add the milk all at once the sauce will be lumpy. 
Once the milk is added stir in parmesan cheese.
Finally add the white wine and pepper.


Toss the pasta with the white sauce and top with the prosciutto caramelized onions, and bell pepper.

healthy mac & cheese

after babysitting for 8+ years i can't bear the thought of eating one more bite of kraft macaroni and cheese. however, mac & cheese is not just a food for kids. it is still an american favorite, comfort food. it is becoming more common to see restaurants serve mac & cheese as a side dish or on their happy hour menu. i highly recommend hi-life's $4 happy hour macaroni and cheese baked en casserole with roasted anaheim peppers & four cheeses.

unfortunately mac & cheese is traditionally loaded with calories and fat. but the recipe i have for you is comfort food made healthy. by substituting whole milk for skim milk, using low-fat cheese, and adding cauliflower for nutrients this recipe has, get ready for this...half the calories and a quarter of the fat of traditional recipes. this crowd pleaser has less than 200 calories per serving!!! i made it for my family and both my Dad and 11 year old sister gave it two thumbs up. 

this recipe does take about 1 1/2 hours to prepare and bake so i would recommend making it on the weekend or on a night when you have some extra time. enjoy!!

Ingredients (8 servings):
7 oz. elbow or shell pasta
1 head of cauliflower, roughly chopped
1 1/2 C. low-fat (2%) shredded cheddar or cheese blend
1/4 C. shredded Parmesan
2/3 C. skim milk
1 egg
1/2 t. salt
1 t. butter, melted 
2 T. panko breadcrumbs (i used regular breadcrumbs)


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


Boil water and cook pasta until al dente, about 8 minutes
While pasta is cooking steam the roughly chopped cauliflower until very soft.
Drain the pasta, drizzle with olive oil, and let cool.
Shred the cheese if not pre-shredded. 
Beat the egg, milk, and salt in a separate bowl. 
Mix the melted butter and breadcrumbs (or panko) in another bowl.
Now your ready to start putting it all together!


Mash or blend cauliflower and gently mix in with pasta.
Take a pinch of all the cheeses and mix in with the breadcrumb/ butter blend...set aside.
Mix the rest of the cheeses in with the pasta/cauliflower.
Pour the milk mixture in with the pasta/cauliflower. Carefully stir and fold in the milk mixture until combined.
Fill 6-8 ramekins with pasta mixture and sprinkle with breadcrumb topping (you can use a casserole dish if you don't have ramekins).


Bake for 30-40 minutes, uncovered, or until tops just start to brown.

I bought my ramekins at Target from the $1 bins!

Next time...
1. make my own breadcrumbs with whole wheat bread (trim crust) in food processor. 
2. try whole wheat pasta.
3. add some black pepper and paprika.
4. try cottage cheese to create a creamer texture.

an experiment in the kitchen (meat sauce)

im kicking myself now for not taking pictures but this creation ended up being so good I decided to share it with you anyway. i was craving good old spaghetti and meat sauce for dinner. when i went to the pantry for a jar of tomato sauce, I was out! so the experiment began…

Ingredients:
1 yellow bell pepper 
½ yellow onion

1 glove of garlic

1 ½ T. sugar

1 6 oz. can of tomato paste

1 t. dried basil

1 C. water

salt and pepper to taste

1 Lbs. ground beef

Directions:

start water for pasta and cook pasta as directed (suggestions below*).

cook ground beef until browned. 

while the meat is cooking dice ½ an onion, mince one garlic glove  and one yellow bell pepper. remove the meat, but do not drain the grease, leave it in the pan. sauté the onion and bell pepper in the grease from the meat until the onion is translucent. add the salt, sugar, pepper, basil, tomato paste, and water. stir until the tomato paste has turned into the consistency of a sauce.


next pour the sauce into a blender and “mix” the ingredients for a smoother texture. transfer the sauce back into the pan and add the already prepared meat. 


the sauce is ready to be served. put a generous helping over a serving of pasta and enjoy!

*Cooking Tip:I recommend adding a teaspoon of salt to the water and putting olive oil over the pasta once you have drained it to prevent the pasta from sticking.  if you find that the the sauce is to acidic add a little sugar to even it out!

thai honey peanut chicken

we all have nights when creativity and inspiration are just not happening. yes, the typical grilled chicken, bbq chicken and lemon chicken are great, but sometimes switching it up is much needed. last night all “the girls” came over to try this Asian inspired dish…and it was a hit! it is sweet and creamy with a little kick (if desired). i mean who doesn’t like an recipe involving peanut butter. this meal takes less than 20 minutes to prepare and get on the table! enjoy.  

Ingredients: (serves 3)

1 lb. chicken

¼ C. soy sauce

1 t. minced garlic

1 T. peanut butter

2 T. honey

½ t. curry powder

1 T. lime juice

1 t. siracha (optional)

Directions:

Start cooking rice according to directions then defrost and cube the chicken.

Mix all the ingredients into a medium size bowl.

Cook chicken and the sauce over medium-high heat for approximately 7 minutes or until chicken is done.

Serve over a scoop of rice and garnish with crushed peanuts and cilantro.

Cooking Tip: using the marinade as the sauce- even though it came in contact with raw meat- is safe because it will get to the necessary 160° when you cook it with the chicken.