Pesto Turkey Burger

Before I talk about these amazing Burgers… I wanted to let everyone know that you can now find me on Facebook and on Twitter.  Actually, I’ve been on Twitter all along, but I finally got around to inserting the links on my webpage.  Click on the Facebook or the Twitter widgets and you’ll be on your way.  But don’t forget to post comments or send me emails through my blog either.  I will be on both!

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OK!!!  In the mood for a burger but want to stray away from the ordinary beef burger?  I know that I love options and when I took out a package of ground turkey, I knew I had to make burgers. 

What I love about Turkey Burgers is that they are juicy, tender and flavourful.  And definitely not boring. 

Ingredients (this will make about 6 patties)

• package of ground turkey
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 free-range egg

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl.  Use your hands to gently mix the ingredients together.  I find this part very therapeutic .  Just make sure you don’t over mix it. 

Next, divide the mixture into 6 equally sized patties. 

Preheat your BBQ to medium heat.  Don’t forget to grease the grates so that the patties don’t stick when they go on the grill. 

You will want to grill the burgers on one side until they are brown, then flip them over.  It took about 5 minutes per side.  Just before they were done, I added a couple slices of my favourite cheese and melted it.  I also noticed that these patties shrunk a little bit, but thickened as they cooked.

Serve the burgers with whatever toppings and condiments that your heart desires. 

I served mine with one Tbsp. of pesto, 1/4 apple, spinach and a bit of mayonnaise (which exploded all over my burger as I opened the lid of the squeeze-bottle). 

Hope you enjoy your burgers! 

Question:  What is your favourite meal to BBQ during the summer ? Do you BBQ all year round?

Back soon

Bea

xoxo

Another Gluten-Free Pizza

It’s been a long time since I’ve had pizza, let alone made it myself again.  Since having started bootcamp in April, I tried to stay away from that type of food, but hey, there is no reason why I can’t make a healthier version myself, right? 

I bought some gluten-free frozen pizza shells, which are individual sized and perfect for a meal.  Once again, I had some chicken thighs in the fridge, so on to the pizza it went. 

For the sauce I used pesto, since I have an open jar in the fridge that also needs to be consumed before it goes bad.  Then I layered the pizza with some baby spinach, chicken and 2 slices of dill Havarti (hmm..my favourite cheese at the moment).

Into the oven it went for 10 minutes on 400F. 

It was pretty good.  I find that the trick with gluten-free crusts is that they get crispy.  By doing so, it’s still chewy on the inside.  I tried making these pizzas on the BBQ the other night, but the crust was crispy at first and then started tasting like stale bread, especially when it got a little cold. 

Hope everyone is having a good start to their week. 

What do you like to put on your pizza?

Bye for now.

Bea

xoxo

Snippety Snap

Today was a great day because the sun was shining when I woke up this morning.  It’s about time that we see nice warm Spring weather. The nice weather also meant that I can start riding my bike to work. 

I took my bike to the shop Tuesday afternoon and picked it up again Wednesday.  The mystery of my rear tire was solved…. a staple.  I must have picked that one up when I rode last.  At least everything is functional again and I rode to work this morning.  It was nice breathing in the crisp ocean air on my morning commute. 

For dinner was some yummy seafood tonight.  I picked up some Red Snapper fillets on my Costco trip last weekend and decided to cook up a couple and freeze the rest. 

Pesto crusted Red Snapper

This Red Snapper was so tasty and juicy.  I decided to dip each fillet in some egg mixed with pesto and then rolled it in some Gluten-Free crumbs and pan fried it in a little bit of olive oil. 

I served it with some pesto pasta as well.  I finally got down to trying these new pasta spirals.  I really enjoyed them..they were actually nice and soft. 

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This weekend is going to be crazy busy.  My hockey league is hosting our annual hockey tournament.  Everyone plays 3 games and if we make it to the finals, we’ll have one more game to play Sunday afternoon. I’ll be heading straight to the rink after work Friday afternoon and I will definitely not have the time to blog this weekend as I’ll be spending my weekend at the rink, playing and working at the tournament. 

Wish us luck…I’m going to miss the hockey season when it’s done.  But I have new adventures coming up over the next couple of months, so all is good. 

Hope everyone has a great Friday and weekend.  Take advantage of the sunshine if it makes an appearance where you live. 

Cheers,

Bea

xoxo

Breakfast and Dinner perfection

It felt so nice to sleep in this morning and to wake up to the sun shining and the snow all melted away.  Trevor is away this week, on a work trip and also visiting family out East, so I have the weekend to myself.  And since I finished up my report cards last night, I planned on having a fairly mellow weekend, especially after a crazy busy week. 

When I woke up this morning, I decided to try my hand at making the popular Breakfast Pizzert I keep hearing and reading about in the blogosphere.  Christin over at Purple Bird Blog made one a while back that looked really tempting.  SoI thought I’d try one out myself this morning..with no kids around and no commitments, let the cooking experiment begin

TADAHHH …….

Looks like one ginormous cookie or pancake….and it tasted oh so good. I ate it around 10:30am and my stomach didn’t even make a peep until about 4pm.  Definitely very filling.

GF Apple Pumpkin Breakfast Pizzert

Mix together all of the following ingredients

• 1/2 cup  Gluten-Free flour mix
• 1 tsp  Aluminum free Baking powder
• 2 tsp  agave syrup
• 2 Tbsp  100% pure pumpkin pure
• 1/2 grated apple
• pinch of salt
• 3/4 Tbsp  Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter
• 1 tsp  Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp  Vanilla
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/3 cup  Chocolate Chips

Spray a glass pie dish and pour mixture into the prepared dish.  Stick in a 420F oven that was NOT preheated for about 15 minutes.  Allow to cool in the pie dish for a few minutes before trying to remove it. 

I found mine was a little tough to get out in one piece without breaking it, so if you eat it right out of the dish, why not?  I also drizzled mine with some maple syrup, but you can top yours with whatever your little heart desires. 

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I’m sure glad I managed to get my pizzert out of the oven in time this morning.  About 10 minutes after sitting down for breakfast, the power went out.  I had already noticed when I got up that all of the clocks were flashing, so this was obviously not the first time the power went out today.  But with the power out, it was perfect timing to get out of the house and run a bunch of errands.

I planned out my meals for the next few days, made myself a grocery list and headed over to Trevor’s house to take care of something for him.  I also made my way to the school to print off my report cards, prepare some stuff for Monday and work a bit on my class banner (pictures to come soon… you will NOT want to miss those). 

Now on to tonight’s meal… it’s DA BOMB……..

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Roasted Leg of Lamb with Smashed Potatoes and Squash

It didn’t take long at all to make the Lamb and the flavour was unbelievable….juicy, tender and very very tasty. 

Here’s what I did…….

ROASTED LEG OF LAMB

• 1 Kg  Butterflied Boneless Leg of Lamb
• 3 Tbsp  Pesto
• 2 Tbsp  Balsamic Vinegar
• 3 tsp  olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• salt and pepper to taste

To prepare the marinade, mix all of the ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside while you prepare the lamb.

Trim any excess fat off of the lamb, including that large gland that is often found on a leg of lamb.  (not every piece has one, but most do… it kind of looks like a really big chunk of fat, but it’s more round and bubbly). 

Place the lamb in a dish and pour the marinade over the lamb.  Cover and place in refrigerator for a couple of hours. 

Preheat your oven to 450F.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and go get your meat thermometer.  Find the thickest part of your meat and insert thermometer.  Place the meat on the cookie sheet and into your oven.  Mine took about 20 minutes or so, but you want an internal temperature of 145F for Medium Rare. 

After you take it out of the oven, tent it with aluminum foil and let rest for about 10 minutes.  By doing so, the juices in the leg of lamb will have a chance to settle.  Then place on a cutting board and cut with the grain into desired thickness. 

Serve lamb with potatoes and vegetables and all of the good juices that came from the lamb. 

Smashed Potatoes and Squash

I used 3 medium red potatoes and a medium sized butternut squash.  Place the potatoes into a large pot.  Peel and slice your squash into large pieces and place into pot with the potatoes.  Add enough cold water to cover your vegetables.  Then boil until tender…about 25 to 30 minutes.

Drain the water and then peel the potatoes.  Add some fresh grated nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste, 2 Tbsp of Earth Balance Butter and about 1/2 cup of milk.  Smash everything together until you get the consistency for mashed potatoes.  I also added about 1/3 cup of freshly grated Parmesan Cheese.

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For dessert I had a bowl of fresh fruit and some non-fat vanilla yogurt. 

So the night comes to an end with an anticipated good game of hockey.  We play tonight at 10:45pm (gross times, but it’s for the love of the game…).  I’m going to try my dandiest to not fall asleep on the couch before I have to leave..only about 1.5 hours to go.  But then again, I do get to sleep in tomorrow morning.  There will be no school visits on my agenda either.. simply a day to relax, play with the dog, enjoy some fresh air and do a little bit of cooking.  Oh…and plan out a few lessons on nutrition for my class. 

What are your plans for Sunday?  What do you do when you have a day to relax?

Hope you’re all having a great weekend.

Bea

xoxo

Fire in the sky

I woke up this morning to a beautiful sunrise.  It looked as if the sky was on fire.  My picture doesn’t do the actual sighting any justice, but you get the idea. It was actually a little redder. 

Other than that, nothing too interesting today in my world.  I found my head wandering and thinking a lot about Xena today.  And this morning as I was eating my breakfast I heard a disturbing newscast about a Tour Company in Whistler, B.C. which is being accused and investigated for brutally culling 100 sled dogs after the 2010 Olympics.  The allegations are disturbing and just about made me lose my breakfast.  Lets hope the allegations are false.

Lunch was this….

leftover red cabbage and Roesti from last night, minus steak since we ate it all. 

For dinner I decided to make some personal pizzas. 

I found some gluten-free Pizza crusts in the freezer section of the grocery store and was tempted to try it.  I was pleasantly surprised and such a quick dinner option.

As for my toppings, I layered my pizzas with pesto sauce, onion, red pepper, mushrooms and garlic.  Then I added a couple slices of salami, garlic and herb goat cheese and topped it off with some grated Dill Havarti.

I stuck them in a 400F oven on a cookie sheet for about 10 minutes, as per directions on package. 

VOILA….

The crust was crispy yet soft in the middle.  I will definitely be buying these again. 

Since I made two..will be taking one to work for lunch tomorrow. 

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE PIZZA TOPPINGS? ANY OTHER GLUTEN-FREE CRUSTS OUT THERE?

Time for a treadmill workout and then a nice hot bath..ahh.

Much love,

Bea

xoxo

Check out this link for the ATX Gluten-free pizza challenge.

TGIF Leftovers

Did anybody else notice that today seemed to fly by?  I’m always happy when Friday rolls around because that means the weekend is just that much closer.  And it’s been a long week too, so it will be nice to somewhat sleep in tomorrow morning.  I decided to have a quiet evening once again.  There is lots to do around my house, so I will stab at my chores tonight.  That way I can do more fun things this weekend and cook up more good eats.  And as far as food is concerned…lots of leftovers to finish up. 

Lunch was this:

And dinner was the last of my leftover gnocchi and more of this:

Not sure yet what tomorrow’s dinner will be.  Something basic and kid friendly most likely since the kids are pretty finicky.  I usually leave Saturday’s dinner plans up to Trevor.  Sunday night will be much more interesting and blog worthy, so stay tuned.  I foresee something with pesto so that I can use up my sauce.  Probably a pizza of some sort, but any other suggestions?

Take care,

Bea

xoxo

Knock Knock…. Who’s there?

Hehe…made you look

Why “Knock Knock”?  Gnocchi is the name of the game tonight.  (Gnocchi, get it? hehe)

Well I guess I shouldn’t really be complaining of all the rain we are getting lately.  After watching the news tonight, I should be glad that I do not live on the East coast.  Our eastern friends got between 6 and 19 inches of snow overnight.  I remember when I used to live up north, it would take me hours to shovel the driveway.  Just when I thought I was finished, I’d have to start all over again.  And you knew it was bad when you couldn’t find your car the next day.  Hope all my Eastern US readers are keeping warm and surviving the snowfall.  Chin up… spring is only a couple of months away.   

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Buckwheat Squash Gnocchi with Pesto

I love cooking with Squash and am always finding ways to incorporate it into my meals….stews, risotto, roasted, soups, etc.  Squash is a surprisingly versatile and delicious vegetable.  Even if you have no imagination or time, you can’t really screw up squash.  Be creative..enjoy

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• 1 Quart low-sodium Free-Range Organic Chicken Broth
• 1 smallish Butternut Squash peeled, seeded and cubed
• 1 medium yukon gold potato, peeled and cubed
• 1 cup Sorghum Flour
• 1 cup Buckwheat Flour
• 1/2 cup Potato Starch
• 1/2 cup Sweet Rice Flour
• 2 Tbsp  Guar Gum
• 1 egg
• some extra flour for rolling

The combined amount of squash and potato should be about 3 cups, so if you need more than ingredients listed, go ahead and add some. 

In a large pot just cover with broth.  Cook for approximately 12 minutes or until fork tender.  Strain well , transfer to a bowl and mash until not lumpy and reserve liquid for later.

Add the flours and guar gum and mix with wooden spoon until mixed.  Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. 

Make a well in center and add your egg.  Knead gently for 2 – 3 minutes until still sticky but forms a ball.  Heads up:  the flour really stuck to my hands, so have a paper towel handy. 

Divide dough into 4 pieces.

With hands dusted with flour, form each piece into a long rope about an inch thick.  I had fun with this step…hehe

See what I mean?  No need to roll into spiral…actually kind of looks like sausages. 

With a knife dusted with flour cut into small pieces.  (you may have to keep dusting it with flour repeatedly).  Place onto a cookie sheet not touching one another.  You will probably need 4 cookie sheets.  This way any extra gnocchi are ready to be frozen. 

Boil reserved broth and one cup of water in a large pot.  When at a rolling boil add gnocchi – when they float to the top they are done

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While the gnocchi was cooking, I cooked up some Veal Scaloppini.  They only take a minute or so on each side and they are done, so it’s important to cook them right before you are going to eat.  Don’t forget to season with some salt and pepper. 

Once the gnocchi were cooked, I drained the broth and returned to pot.  Then I added some of this goodness. 

And I added some fresh parmesan. 

I tossed it together and I was ready to chow down. 

And once again…lots of leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

This was the first time I tried making gnocchi and I was pleasantly surprised. It didn’t take me all that long and I wasn’t sure how it would turn out as a gluten-free version.  I experimented with the combination of flours and it worked. I was very happy

 

TGIF tomorrow.  Happy Friday everyone.

Bea

xoxo