Ellie Krieger's Shepherd's Pie

 I have a confession to make- up until last week, I had never, in my life, made Shepherd's Pie.  I don't remember ever eating it before.  My mom never made these types of dishes growing up.  I've never been a "meat & potatoes" type eater, so it just never  was something I was interested in making.

 2 things changed that for me- Pie Week and Comfort Food Fix: Feel-Good Favorites Made Healthy by Ellie Krieger.  

  Ellie Krieger's recipes never, ever disappoint and I like that she uses a combination of cauliflower and potatoes for the mashed topping.    I made a few changes, like using lean ground turkey instead of lean ground beef, but that is just because of my personal taste preferences.

I actually put this together on a Saturday night and then covered it and put it in the fridge, so I could just pop it in the oven after church on Sunday and we wouldn't have to wait too long for a hot meal to be ready.

My family really liked this meal, (it is a meal in itself), and I was pleasantly surprised by how flavorful and fun it was.  While we were eating it, we took turns telling stories about how this dish might have gotten the name Shepherd's Pie.  For your sake, I won't repeat any of those stories.  :D

Here is the recipe for Ellie Krieger's Shepherd's Pie
* I used 94% lean ground turkey
* I used chicken broth
* I added 1/2 cup of celery to the veggies
* I added a few splashes of Worcestershire sauce to the filling
* I added some garlic powder, salt & pepper to the mashed potato/cauliflower topping and used an extra Tablespoon of butter

  

Turkey and Pinto Bean Chili (kinda)

It's that time of year again- Chili season! For some reason, once the weather turns a little bit cooler, it just feels like time to make chili. I'm pretty sure that I'm not the only one who feels that way.
I usually make a vegetable-heavy chili, sometimes with ground turkey and sometimes meatless with a few different kinds of beans. I saw this recipe in Everyday Food Magazine and it looked really delicious. I wasn't planning on adding anything extra, but I had some sweet potatoes in the fridge that needed to be used and well, an extra can of beans never really hurt anybody, right?

This was delicious!

Emeril's Turkey and Pinto Bean Chili
from Everyday Food
makes 6-8 servings

4 slices thick-cut bacon, diced
2 medium onions, diced
1 large red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and diced
1.25-1.5 pounds ground turkey
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 teaspoons dried oregano
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cans (15.5 ounces each) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream (optional)
* I added 1 1/2 cups chopped sweet potato with the ground turkey and 1 can drained & rinsed black beans with the pinto beans + a little extra water :D

In a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot, cook bacon over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until bacon is crisp, about 8 minutes. Add onions and bell pepper and cook until vegetable soften, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Add ground turkey, chili powder, cumin, garlic, oregano, and cook about 6-8 minutes, until lightly browned and cooked through. Continually break meat up with wooden spoon. Season with salt and pepper.

Add tomatoes with juice, beans, and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil then reduce to a rapid simmer. Partially cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens. (This could take anywhere from 20-45 minutes, or more.)

Serve topped with cilantro and shredded cheese and/or sour cream, if desired.

Turkey Burgers and Hummus

Isn't it funny how photos turn out when you let your kids help you out? This turkey burger looks like a creature with two eyes- please don't let that distract you from trying it out!

I made both of these recipes for our dinner with friends a few weeks ago and wasn't planning on sharing either of them at the time. But then, we tasted them and everyone raved and I figured it wasn't fair not to share the goodness. The turkey burgers were so good. It must have been the fresh herbs and the little bit of olive oil mixed in. They were so flavorful and not dry at all.
The hummus had a great consistency and was just really good. Both of these were perfect to serve at a family friendly gathering. I look forward to making them both again!

Here is the recipe for Turkey Burgers as seen on Annie's Eats
* I used fresh rosemary, thyme and oregano
* I used 94% lean ground turkey

Here is the recipe for Homemade Hummus

and the recipe for Herbed Hummus
* I used chives

Spiced Turkey Burgers

So its been about 6 weeks since my Dad started my garden for me. I have been watering and weeding and watching in amazement as the veggies have grown so quickly. So many of my veggies are doing great and when I made these little burgers, we were able to use some of the green leaf lettuce from our own garden to make little wraps! So fun and exciting to harvest your own produce.

I don't know how I found this recipe, but I had a little feta in the fridge and these little patties can be made ahead, so they were the perfect thing to mix up before church and grill as soon as we walked in the door. I used my indoor grill and we were eating lunch within about 15 minutes.
These burgers were flavorful and juicy. I made them into smaller patties, so that we could have wrap them in lettuce leaves. Fun and delicious!


Here is the recipe for Spiced Turkey Burgers from Pinch My Salt
* I used fresh dill, fresh oregano, and fresh Italian parsley
* I omitted the olives
* I made 12 small patties instead of just 6

Turkey-Hummus Sliders

I saw this recipe in Food Network Magazine and thought it was such a fun idea. It was an out-of the ordinary way to use hummus (hummus is mixed into the ground turkey mixture) and perfect for little hands.

I can usually always find mini whole wheat pitas at my local grocery store, but as soon as I put these sliders on the menu, the mini pitas were nowhere to be found. At first I thought I would just turn this into a pita creation, putting all the ingredients into a pita half and eating it that way, but that kinda takes away the fun and cute part of this slider.

So, I just got full size whole wheat pitas and cut out small circles with a biscuit cutter, making sure that I kept the closed edge at the bottom, so the two sides would still stay together. It may not be as cute as the original idea, but it worked!

My husband really raved about this one, which kinda surprised me. (I left the tomato slice off of his). He loved the combination of the pita, hummus, little burger and the cucumber-feta mixture. He said it tasted great and reminded him of something that would be served in a restaurant. My kids really liked it too.

I think it is essential that all the parts of this slider be served together. I don't think that it would taste as good with just the sliders. The cucumber-feta mixture, whole wheat pita, and hummus spread on the bottom of the pita are must-dos. All of the components work together to make this a really tasty, bite-size winner of a meal/snack.

Recipe for Turkey-Hummus Sliders From Food Network Magazine
* I used 94% lean ground turkey
* I used roasted red pepper hummus
* I used dried oregano in the feta-cucumber mixture because I didn't have dried mint
* I used less oil to cook my sliders

Fried-Egg-Topped Turkey Burgers with Kale Salad

Sometimes I see a recipe that looks a little bit wierd and interesting at the same time, so I have to try it. This was one of those. I couldn't get over the idea of a fried egg on top of a burger.
The more I think about it, I guess it isn't that strange. Kind of the same idea as a breakfast sandwich with egg and some sort of meat, just switched around a bit.

We don't eat burgers often, but every once in awhile we have some version of a burger and this time they just happened to be topped with a fried egg.
Maybe this is some sort of food fad, but if it is, I have never seen it before.

I changed a few things- like getting rid of the mayo that was on the bread, and switching out the Italian bread for a bun, but mostly we stuck to the recipe. We added romaine to the burgers and my kids even had some ketchup. Eggs and ketchup can go together, right?

The kale salad was the perfect thing to have on the side. Crunchy, raw and slightly tart. Letting the kale marinate in the lemon juice/olive oil softens it a little, but it still keeps lots of crunch.

If you make burgers at home often, this would be a fun way to change it up a little bit and even if you don't, it still makes a great dinner.

Recipe for Fried-Egg-Topped Turkey Burgers with Kale Salad
* I didn't use the mayo to top the burgers
*Instead of Italian bread, we used old-fashioned hamburger buns
* I used 93% lean ground turkey
*I made sure my egg yolks were cooked through, by flipping my eggs over

Baked Egg Rolls

I should've posted about these sooner because I can't remember why exactly we made them!
I do remember that they were delicious and fairly easy, so my family really enjoyed them.

I always like it when you can make something at home that is usually considered unhealthy and it can be healthy and light. These have the wonderful crisp outside that you want from an egg roll and also a delicious filling. I preferred them without any dipping sauce.



Recipe for Baked Egg Rolls
* I used lean (94% lean) ground turkey instead of ground turkey breast

Chicken Parm Burgers and Carrot Fries

I saw this recipe for Chicken Parmesan Burgers in Bon Appetit magazine and thought it was a really fun twist on chicken parm and a burger.
We don't eat burgers very often or meat for that matter, but these just looked too fun to pass up.
I used some local, lean ground turkey (93 % lean) instead of ground chicken since it was from a local farm and I have switched the two before with great results.

I had also seen a recipe for Carrot Fries that I wanted to try and this was the perfect opportunity to have a classic "burger and fries" dinner, but without the classic part.
The burgers were great. I made them smaller than the recipe said because I used a whole grain baguette for the "bun" and didn't want the burgers to be too big for the bread.
I used basil from my basil plant (Yay!- I love having my own herbs!) and used provolone cheese instead of the fresh mozzarella called for since that is what I had in my fridge.

I think I overcook my carrot fries a little bit, but they were still delicious.
This was a fun dinner.

Recipe for Chicken Parmesan Burgers
* I used local, lean ground turkey (93% lean)
* I used a whole grain baguette
* I used provolone cheese

Recipe for Carrot Fries

Pork (Turkey) Meatball Banh Mi

I have developed a "like" for spicy food. It has been fairly recently that I have enjoyed spicy food more than I used to.

This is one spicy sandwich.

I have never had a Banh Mi, so I am definitely not an expert on what they are supposed to look like or taste like. I saw this recipe for a Meatball Banh Mi in a recent issue of Bon Appetit and I thought it looked delicious, plus it was really interesting.

I finally got around to making this sandwich a couple of weeks ago. I halved the recipe for everything except the meatballs, because I knew just from looking at the ingredients that this was going to be a little too spicy for my kids. I thought they could probably handle the meatballs though, so I decided I would make them little noodle bowls with the meatballs included. (This is not something I usually do- making the kids a separate little dinner, but this time the heat was too much for them to handle.)

I used lean ground turkey for the meatballs and greek yogurt instead of mayo for the hot "mayo" spread. I also used a whole wheat baguette for my sandwich.

This sandwich definitely had a really spicy hot bite to it, but it was really tasty! I really liked it and I thought of my younger sister when I took that first spicy bite because she would love this sandwich.

For the noodle bowls, I just sauteed a big head of napa cabbage and some matchstick carrots, then added that to some noodles and topped it with the meatballs.

If you like spicy sandwiches or love Banh Mi, you will definitely want to try this recipe. Or if you just are intrigued and want something new for dinner- give it a shot!



*I used Greek Yogurt for the hot, spicy mayo sauce
* I used lean ground turkey instead of ground pork

Recipe for Pork Meatball Bahn Mi

Chili-Stuffed Baked Potatoes

The past couple months, I have had the opportunity to cook and serve dinner at a local homeless shelter. I have been blessed with great people who are willing to help me out in this endeavor and it has been really rewarding for us.
It is a temporary shelter, that operates in the colder months of the year. It has been really great to have the opportunity to help those in need.

This is what we served for dinner a couple of weeks ago at the shelter.

I don't usually use canned pasta sauce when I am cooking. I prefer to make my own.
But I multiplied this recipe by 6 to get a large enough amount to serve and this time, I used a shortcut by using prepared sauce. I had to prepare other things for the dinner too, so using prepared sauce was a time saver for me this time.
I saved a small amount of the chili and a few baked potatoes, so that we could have dinner too.

I had to doctor up the sauce with some extra spices because it needed some flavor, but after adding garlic powder, oregano and some pepper, it turned out being a pretty great topping for the baked potatoes.
When we served these at the shelter we had shredded cheese and sour cream as toppings, but here at home I used greek yogurt and chopped green onions.

I used ground turkey instead of ground beef because that is what I do.
The good thing about this recipe is that you could adapt it anyway you want and could sub in homemade sauce if you wanted to.
It sure worked out for me when we had to feed a lot of people!

Chili-Stuffed Baked Potatoes adapted from myrecipes.com


Preparation Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes minutes

1 pound ground turkey, I used 93% lean
1 small onion, chopped
2 cups Ragu® Old World Style® Pasta Sauce
4 large potatoes, baked and split
1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 can (19 oz.) red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
garlic powder
pepper
oregano
green onions
greek yogurt

Brown ground turkey with onion in 12-inch skillet, stirring occasionally, 8 minutes or until onion is tender; drain if desired.

Stir in chili powder and cook 30 seconds. Stir in beans, Ragu® Old World Style® Pasta Sauce and other spices. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until heated through.

Evenly top hot potatoes with ground turkey mixture.

Garnish, if desired, with diced avocado, sour cream (I used greek yogurt for mine), chopped green onions, and shredded cheddar cheese.

Greek Meatballs and Greek Roasted Vegetables

I first made this meal last summer. I had clipped the recipe for the roasted vegetables out of Family Circle Magazine and decided to make meatballs to round out the meal.
I had some ground turkey and I just added ingredients that I thought would make a tasty meatball and hoped for the best.

They turned out great and everyone was very excited about this dinner. I quickly wrote down the estimates of what I used for the meatballs, so I could make them again because I didn't take a picture of them that first time we ate them.

I don't like repeating recipes over and over again, because I like to try new things all the time, but I knew that I wanted to make this particular meal again sometime.
I recently made the meatballs and roasted vegetables again, this time using ground turkey breast for the meatballs and the results were great.

The key to keeping the meatballs moist is browning them first in a little bit of oil, then adding liquid- I prefer chicken broth- and then covering them, to let them cook completely.

I really love the combination of eggplant, green pepper, and red potatoes, that the recipe uses in the roasted vegetables. Chickpeas are added to these veggies, near the end of the roasting time and really enhance the whole dish. Top it off with fresh lemon juice, fresh herbs and a little feta, and you have got a real winner.

Both times that I have made this meal, I have prepared the veggies first, and started roasting them, then made the meatballs while the veggies are in the oven. That way everything is ready at about the same time.


Greek Meatballs by Mary Ann
20 oz ground turkey, 93% lean or ground turkey breast
1 egg
2-3 oz feta cheese crumbles, flavored with basil and tomato
1 1/2 Tbls chopped fresh oregano
3 Tbls chopped fresh parsley
1/3 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
garlic powder
salt
black pepper
2 Tbls skim milk

Mix all meatball ingredients with a fork.
Form meat mixture into balls about the size of golf balls.
Heat 1 Tbls olive oil in a saute pan over med-high heat. Add 1/2 of the meatballs and brown on all sides. Add 1/3 cup chicken broth or water. cover with a lid and cook until meat is no longer pink in the middle, about 6-8 minutes.
Repeat with remaining meatballs.

Greek-style Roasted Vegetables adapted from Family Circle magazine

• 1 pound small red potatoes, quartered
• 2 small eggplants, cut into 1/2-inch half-moons
• 1 medium-size sweet onion, sliced
• 1 medium-size green bell pepper, sliced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 lemon
• 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas/garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped oregano
• 1 tablespoon chopped mint
• 2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

Directions

1. Heat oven to 425 degree F. In a large roasting pan, toss together the potatoes, eggplants, onion, green pepper, 1-2 tablespoons of the olive oil, the garlic salt and pepper. Peel off the lemon zest with a peeler and add to mixture. Reserve lemon. Roast vegetables at 425 degree F for 30 minutes, stirring twice.

2. Add chickpeas and roast an additional 15 minutes.

3. Stir in juice from lemon, oregano and mint. Top with feta crumbles.

Giada's Mini Chicken (Turkey) Meatballs

These are the little meatballs I used to bribe my family a couple of weeks ago.

I saw them this summer in Redbook Magazine, when Giada De Laurentiis was featured and she shared some of her favorite recipes. I ripped out the page and put it in my 3-ring binder and tried to work it into our menu.

I decided to serve these alongside the Farmland Vegetable Pie, to round out the meal.
The kids used toothpicks to eat these and they were really flavorful.
I don't usually measure the ingredients that accurately when I make meatballs. I just throw all the ingredients in a big bowl and I can usually tell when the consistency is right.

I changed a couple of things- like I only used 1 egg instead of 2, I used 93% lean ground turkey, I used skim milk instead of whole and grated Parmesan cheese in the meatballs.

These turned out really great.
They were bite-size, which made them perfect for toothpick stabbing.

My kids really liked them and so did my hubby. I liked them too.

Giada's Mini Chicken Meatballs adapted from Redbook Magazine

1/4 cup	plain breadcrumbs
1/4 cup	chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 large	egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon	skim milk
1 tablespoon	ketchup
3/4 cup	freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 teaspoon	salt
3/4 teaspoon	freshly ground black pepper
1 pound	ground turkey, 93% lean
2 tablespoons	olive oil
1 1/2 cup	low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup	chopped fresh basil, for garnish (I omitted this)
1/2 cup	freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish (I omitted this)

1. In a medium bowl, stir together breadcrumbs, parsley, egg, milk, ketchup, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Add the turkey and combine well. Use a melon baller (or a teaspoon measure) to scoop the mixture; roll the seasoned chicken into 3/4-inch mini meatballs.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add the meatballs and cook without moving until brown on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Turn the meatballs and brown the tops, about 2 minutes longer. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until the meatballs are cooked through, about 5 minutes. Garnish with chopped fresh basil and Parmesan cheese.

One Year Ago-Roasted Red Pepper Soup and Tomato Edamame Grilled Cheese Sammies

CEiMB- Stuffed Turkey Burgers

Roasted red peppers and mozzarella cheese, stuffed inside a turkey burger (I used 93% lean), in my opinion, these couldn't be better- Peggy was the one responsible for this yummy choice; go visit her blog to see what she thought, to get the recipe (or go to the link below) and then, make one more quick stop at the CEiMB Blogroll to see what others stuffed inside their burgers and what their results turned out to be!
(Sick of the 1-sentence posts yet? or do you prefer short and sweet?)

Recipe for Stuffed Turkey Burgers

One Year Ago- Cheese-Stuffed Chicken in Phyllo and Dorie's Chocolate-Chocolate Cupcakes with Praline Buttercream and Ganache Filling

CEiMB- Turkey Meatballs with Quick & Spicy Tomato Sauce and Whole-Wheat Spaghetti or Spaghetti Squash

This week's CEiMB recipe, Turkey Meatballs with Quick & Spicy Tomato Sauce and Whole Wheat Spaghetti, was chosen by Amanda over at Oddball Oven Mitt. I really like meatballs (is that wierd, because I don't actually like meat?) Anyway, I was excited about this meal. My 4-year old is always asking me for noodles and red sauce, so she was excited too.
I decided to give everyone a choice and serve cooked spaghetti squash too. I used whole wheat angel-hair pasta and most everyone wanted some noodles and some squash. I followed the recipe pretty closely. I used 93% lean ground turkey because I think it is better for meatballs than ground turkey breast, which is a bit leaner.
One of the things I did change was that I made the meatballs smaller than Ellie called for. My kids like meatballs and I prefer them to be smaller also, so I got about 28 meatballs and then changed the cooking time accordingly. And I didn't add the sauce and meatballs to the pasta. I just served up everyones plate separately and that left enough sauce and meatballs to be distributed to the pasta and the squash.
We really enjoyed this dinner. To see what everyone else thought, check out the Craving Ellie Blogroll!

Turkey Meatballs with Quick And Spicy Tomato Sauce and Whole-Wheat Spaghetti 2006, Ellie Krieger
The spicy kick and multiple herbs in this sauce lend layers of flavor without fat. The carrot, onion and Parmesan add volume and moisture.
Prep Time: 20 min Cook Time: 30 min
Ingredients
Sauce:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (28-ounce) can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes, liquid included
1 teaspoon finely minced canned chipotle en adobo and sauce, or more to taste
2 teaspoons chopped oregano leaves
1 sprig fresh rosemary
Salt
1/4 cup torn fresh basil leaves
Meatballs:
Cooking spray
1 pound ground turkey meat ( I used 93% lean)
1 slice fresh whole-wheat bread, crusts removed, pulsed into crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
1/2 cup finely grated carrot
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 large cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves, plus more for garnish
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 box (16 ounces) whole-wheat spaghetti
Directions
Fill a large stockpot with water and bring to a boil for pasta.
Make Sauce:
In a 4-quart saucepan heat the oil over medium heat. Saute the onions until translucent, about 3 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add tomato paste, tomatoes, chipotles, oregano, rosemary, and salt. Bring all the ingredients to a low boil, reduce heat and cook for approximately 15 minutes, until liquid has evaporated slightly. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. While sauce is cooking, make meatballs.
Meatballs:
Preheat the broiler. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Combine the turkey with all other ingredients in a large work bowl. Form into 2 1/2 -inch balls and place on a baking sheet. Broil for 10 minutes, or until browned and almost entirely cooked through.
Meanwhile, remove rosemary sprig from sauce and add fresh basil. Add the meatballs to the sauce, cover, and cook additional 10 minutes, or until sauce has slightly thickened and meatballs have absorbed some of the sauce. While the meatballs are cooking, cook the whole-wheat spaghetti according to package directions.
Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Add the sauce and meatballs, toss and heat through over medium heat. Divide evenly among 4 pasta bowls and garnish with parsley and 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan.
Yield: 6 servings

Coming Tomorrow- Persian Pomegranate-Walnut Chicken

Individual Baked Pastas with Mini-Meatballs

A couple of weeks ago, Maria posted a recipe for Individual Baked Pastas on her blog, Two Peas and Their Pod. Check out her post to see how she prepared her baked pastas and her method of throwing them together. I took her idea and ran with it.
I decided to make some mini-meatballs out of lean ground turkey and throw them into the pasta. I also made a pasta sauce with the veggies I had in my fridge.
I already had some whole wheat pasta that was cooked, waiting to be used. So, I made the meatballs and sauce, and then threw all the ingredients together and topped them with cheese. I made them in little ramekins and put the leftover meatballs in the freezer. The best thing about this recipe or idea is that you can make it your own by adding whatever veggies you want or using your favorite sauce or cheese. My kids were crazy about this dinner. It is always more fun when you have your own little dish of pasta.

Mini-Meatballs by Mary Ann

16 oz lean ground turkey (I used 93% lean)

1- 10 oz pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1/4 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 egg white

salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until combined. I like to use my hands to evenly distribute the ingredients. Form into mini- meatballs and place on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and bake for 10 minutes, or until cooked through. Watch them closely, though, you don't want them to get tough.

Garden Pasta Sauce by Mary Ann

1 small onion, chopped

2 medium carrots, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

1 small zucchini, chopped

1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes

1 6-oz can tomato sauce

1 Tbls fresh Italian parsley, chopped

1 Tbls fresh basil, chopped

1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped

Italian seasoning

salt and pepper

In a large dutch oven, heat 1 Tbls olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, green pepper, and zucchini. Saute for 5-7 minutes, or until tender. Add crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and fresh herbs. Bring to a boil and them reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes. Season to taste, with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning, if necessary.

To assemble baked pasta- combine cooked pasta, sauce and meatballs in a large bowl. You could also add cheese. Or you can add the pasta, sauce and cheese in layers. Spoon into prepared ramekins (you could also use a large 9x13-inch dish) and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes at 375 degrees.

Up next- Craving Ellie- Warm Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Greek-style Stuffed Peppers and Greek WonTon Cups

The other day I noticed that I had a little bulgur and some feta I needed to use and 6 gorgeous peppers, so I turned to The Food You Crave and found a recipe for Greek-style Stuffed Peppers. I made a couple changes to the recipe- I used ground turkey breast instead of ground beef and added a can of cannellini beans. I was able to fill 12 pepper halves and still had a little of the meat mixture leftover, so I made some Greek WonTon cups- using Greek Seasoning to flavor them and cooked up the leftover meat mixture. I put the mixture inside and topped them with some chopped plum tomatoes. Yum!

Greek-Style Stuffed Peppers from The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger

1 pd lean or extra-lean ground beef ( I used 20 oz. ground turkey breast)

One 10-oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1 medium zucchini, coarsely grated ( about 1 1/2 cups)

1 15-oz can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1 small onion, minced

1/2 cup bulgur

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1.2 tsp salt

Freshly ground pepper to taste

3 medium red bell peppers, cut in half lengthwise, core and ribs removed

Two 14.5 oz cans no-salt-added stewed tomatoes, finely chopped and juices reserved (I used 2 cans of diced tomatoes, seasoned with olive oil and garlic)

1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine the beef, spinach, zucchini, beans, onion, bulgur, egg, oregano, salt and a few grinds of pepper. Mix until thoroughly combined.

Arrange the pepper halves cut side up in a 9x13-inch baking dish and fill each pepper half with the meat mixture. Pour the tomatoes with their juices over the peppers and sprinkle with the feta. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Uncover and bake the peppers until filling is completely cooked and the peppers are tender, about 45 minutes longer.

To make Greek WonTon cups- Go to this post and substitute Greek Seasoning for spice mix used.

Up next- Homemade Samoas for my Matt, on his birthday

Slider Caesar Salad and Veggie Manicotti

Sliders are just too popular around here. My kids love them and they make a great, little lunch-I often sneak the leftovers into the lunchbox, if there are any leftovers.
We had a Rachael Ray night, combining two of her 30-minute meals. The salad was delicious- I swapped out the ground beef for lean ground turkey and used fat free mayo in the dressing. The kids were loving their little sliders on a stick. The veggie manicotti was a quick dish to throw together and these 2 dishes went really great together. As she would say, Yum-O!


Slider Caesar Salad From Every Day with Rachael Ray Magazine
2 kaiser rolls, cut into cubes
4 Tbls extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
1/3 cup fat free mayonnaise
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
20 oz. lean ground turkey, 93% lean

One 12-ounce package romaine hearts, torn into small pieces

1. Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 375°. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the bread with 2 tablespoons olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toast for 8 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, 3 tablespoons parmesan, mustard and remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil; season with salt and pepper.

3. Crumble the ground turkey into a medium bowl, season with salt and pepper and combine. Divide into 12 equal portions and roll into balls. Thread 3 meatballs onto each of 4 wooden skewers, leaving a 1/2-inch space between each; pat each meatball into a 2-inch patty.

4. Preheat a grill pan over medium heat. Brush the patties with olive oil and grill, turning once, about 6 minutes total for medium.

5. Meanwhile, add the lettuce and croutons to the dressing and toss. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon parmesan and season with salt and pepper. Top with the skewers.

Veggie Manicotti from Everyday with Rachael Ray Magazine
Eight 6-inch-long lasagna noodles (I used whole wheat)

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise

2 summer squash, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise

1 pint cottage cheese, drained in a strainer

One 16-ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained and 1/3 cup finely chopped

1/4 cup finely chopped basil leaves, plus 8 leaves, thinly sliced

Salt and pepper

1 tomato, chopped

1. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the noodles, stirring often, until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water.

2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the zucchini and cook, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool.

3. Using a food processor, puree the drained cheese until smooth; add to the zucchini along with the chopped roasted peppers and chopped basil. Season with salt and pepper. Rinse the food processor bowl.

4. Lay the noodles flat on a work surface. Place an equal amount of the zucchini mixture at the end of each noodle, then roll up. Divide the rolls among 4 dinner plates.

5. Using the food processor, puree the remaining roasted peppers with the tomato until smooth. Season with salt and pepper and pour over the rolls. Top with the sliced basil.