Caribbean Turkey and Black Eyed Pea Burgers

Grocery
1 pound lean ground turkey
2 15 ounce cans black eyed peas
Raw unsweetened coconut
Whole grain hamburger buns
0% Greek yogurt
1 lime
1 jalapeno

Pantry

Ground coriander

Ground ginger

Raw cane sugar or organic brown sugar

Onion powder

Garlic powder

Cayenne pepper

Dried thyme

Ground cinnamon

Ground allspice

Ground cloves
Coarse grind black pepper 

Sea Salt

Directions

First, make the jerk seasoning: combine in a medium bowl 2 tablespoons each of coriander, ginger, and sugar, 1 tablespoon each of onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and cayenne pepper, 2 teaspoons each black pepper and thyme, and 1 teaspoon each cinnamon, allspice, and cloves; set aside.

Remove stem and seeds from jalapeno and chop into a fine dice. Rinse and drain the black eyed peas. Transfer half of the peas to a large mixing bowl; using a fork, mash them until a paste has formed.

Add the rest of the beans to the bowl along with the ground turkey, 2/3 of the jerk seasoning, 1/2 cup coconut, jalapeno, and the juice of the lime. Mix thoroughly. To form burgers, measure out mixture using 1/2 cup measuring cup and roll between your palms until a ball forms. Roll each one in the remaining jerk seasoning to form a crust on the outside.

Note: these will yield about seven burgers, so if you don't need them all they freeze beautifully. If you freeze them, let thaw in refrigerator for one day before grilling.

When ready to grill, press into patties.

Place over medium heat and cook about 7-8 minutes per side or until done.

I topped mine with cucumber slices and 0% Greek yogurt, with mango-cucumber slaw on the side.

Bon Appetit! Kelly


All photos by Kelly Waters

Italian Style Chicken with Linguine

Grocery
Boneless skinless chicken breasts (you will get 2 servings from each)
Red bell pepper
Garlic
3-4 stems fresh basil
Bag of mixed baby greens or spinach
Part skim ricotta cheese
1 24 ounce container all natural marinara sauce
1 13 ounce package whole grain linguine

Pantry
Sea salt
Pepper
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Toothpicks (not plastic)

Directions
Wash the red bell pepper and dry. Heat dry pan to medium-high heat. Place whole pepper in pan and roast on all sides until blackened.

Rinse under cold water and remove outer charred skin; remove stem and seeds. Chop about a third of the pepper into one inch long strips and dice the remainder.

Chop 6 or so cloves of garlic and rinse and remove stems from the basil. Leave four basil leaves whole per each chicken breast; chop the remaining basil.

For the chicken: lightly grease an 8 x 8 pan with olive oil. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Wash the chicken and trim any fat. Place chicken on cutting board and slice across each breast so that you have two thin cuts.

Season each side with salt and pepper. Place two whole basil leaves, a spoonful of ricotta cheese, some chopped garlic, and two red pepper strips on the bottom half of each piece; roll from end and secure with toothpicks.

Place all of the stuffed chicken in the pan. Top each with a spoonful of ricotta, 2-3 spoonfuls of marinara, the diced red pepper, and dash of balsamic vinegar. Bake for about 20 - 25 minutes until done.

While chicken is baking, prepare the pasta. Cook according to package directions; before draining, reserve about a cup of the pasta water. Drain the pasta; add mixed greens to bottom of the pasta pot along with the remaining garlic and basil, remaining marinara, 1/2 cup ricotta cheese, and the reserved pasta water. Add hot drained pasta on top; cover and let sit for about five minutes until greens are just wilted. Add 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar. Toss to combine (sauce will be thick). Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve pasta topped with the chicken (you may want to remove toothpicks prior to serving).

Bon Appetit! Kelly



All photos by Kelly Waters

Five Ingredient Friday: Melon Salad with Feta

Grocery
Watermelon
Honeydew melon
Fat free or reduced fat feta cheese
1 lime

Pantry
Sea Salt

Directions
Cut watermelon and honeydew melon into bite size pieces.

Place in serving bowl. Add a very light dash of sea salt and juice of the lime. Stir and chill. Before serving, top with feta cheese.

Shown with Grilled Pork Chops and Grilled Asparagus

Bon Appetit! Kelly



All photos by Kelly Waters

Grilled Asparagus

Grocery
Asparagus

Pantry
Olive oil
Sea Salt
Pepper

Directions
Wash asparagus and bend the stem end of the asparagus until it snaps (this will remove the tough stem). Discard ends and place asparagus in shallow dish. Coat with 2 tablespoons olive oil and a pinch each of salt and pepper.

Cook on grill over medium-low heat until just tender, about 7-8 minutes, turning halfway through. Serve and enjoy!

Shown with Grilled Pork chop and Melon Salad with Feta.

Bon Appetit! Kelly


All photos by Kelly Waters

Grilled Pork Chops

Grocery
2 boneless pork chops (look for lean ones)

Pantry
Olive oil
Sea Salt
Pepper

Directions
Heat grill to medium heat. Brush both sides of pork chops with olive oil and season with pinch each of salt and pepper.

Place pork chops at diagonal angle on grill. After searing for about 3 minutes, re-position pork chop at the opposite diagonal angle and cook for another 3 minutes (this will give you those professional criss-cross grill marks). Flip chop over and repeat process.

 Remove from heat when pork is no longer pink and serve (about 6 minutes total per side).

Shown with grilled asparagus and melon salad with feta.

Bon Appetit! Kelly


All photos by Kelly Waters

Pork Tacos with Pico de Gallo

Grocery
Lean, boneless, thin cut pork chops (need 1/2 chop per taco)
Taco shells (I used organic yellow corn based, but blue is also fine)
Packaged shredded cabbage, or 1/2 green cabbage, shredded fine
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1/2 sweet white onion
1 jalapeno
Fresh cilantro
1 lime
0% Greek yogurt, plain

Pantry
Raw cane sugar
Sea salt
Pepper
Cumin

Directions
Season pork chops on each side with 1 teaspoon each cumin, salt, pepper, and sugar.

Spray grill with nonstick spray and heat grill to medium. Grill pork about 3-4 minutes each side until cooked through. Cooking time may vary depending on thickness of chops.

Remove from grill and let rest for 10 minutes or so while you prepare the pico de gallo. Chop tomatoes, 1/2 onion, jalapeno, and handful of cilantro. Add juice of the lime and dash of salt. Mix thoroughly and chill until ready to serve.

Slice pork thinly across the grain. Assemble tacos with shredded cabbage, sliced pork, Greek yogurt, and pico de gallo. Serve with avocado slices if you wish.

Shown served with grilled sweet potato chips and southwest style grilled corn.

Bon Appetit! Kelly



All photo by Kelly Waters

Southwest Style Grilled Corn

Grocery
Fresh corn on cob, white or yellow
Limes (one per 2-3 ears)

Pantry
Olive Oil
Sea Salt
Pepper
Cumin

Directions
Remove husks and silk from corn, wash and brush lightly with olive oil. Cut lime in half and rub cut side over each corn cob. Season with dash each of sea salt, pepper, and cumin.

Heat grill to medium and grill corn, turning often until golden all around and tender. Squeeze lime juice over each and serve.

Shown with grilled sweet potato chips and pork tacos.

Bon Appetit! Kelly


All photos by Kelly Waters