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

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

Thai Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

Grocery
1 pack chicken tenders (5-6 tenders)
Dry roasted unsalted peanuts
2 limes

Pantry 
All natural peanut butter (preferably smooth)
Red pepper flakes
Dark brown sugar
Low sodium soy sauce
Ground ginger
Sea salt

Directions
Submerge some wooden skewers (one per tender) in water and soak for 30 minutes. Wash chicken tenders and skewer each piece down the middle lengthwise. Season each side with ginger, red pepper flakes, and a very light dash of salt. Refrigerate while you make the peanut sauce.

For peanut sauce: combine 1 cup peanut butter, 1/2 cup soy sauce, 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, and juice of both limes in food processor. If sauce is too thick, add in some hot water, up to a 1/2 cup.

Heat grill to medium; cook chicken 3 to 5 minutes on each side, until cooked through.

While chicken is cooking, roughly chop about 1/4 cup of peanuts.

Serve chicken with peanut sauce on the side and garnish with chopped peanuts.

I served mine with steamed snow peas, sliced mango, and cilantro-coconut rice.


Bon Appetit! Kelly


All photos by Kelly Waters

Grilled Chicken Tostadas

Grocery
Boneless skinless chicken breasts (cooked and sliced, 1/2 breast per serving)
0% Greek yogurt, plain
Whole grain tortillas
1 heart of romaine
1 lime

Pantry
Cumin
Salt
Pepper

Directions
Spray grill with nonstick spray and turn to medium heat. When hot, grill tortillas until just browned, about 45 seconds to one minute. Flip and brown other side, remove from heat.

Top with cooked chicken and season with a sprinkle each of cumin, salt, and pepper. Reduce grill heat to lowest setting. Move tortilla away from direct heat until chicken is warmed through. Note: On my gas grill, I turned off all burners besides the back row and kept tortillas in front.

Meanwhile, slice romaine heart lengthwise and place on grill, cut side down, and grill for about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and chop.

 

Cut lime into wedges. When chicken is warmed through, assemble tostadas by topping with Greek yogurt, chopped romaine, and a squeeze of lime juice. 

I also topped mine with spicy black bean watermelon salsa.

Bon Appetit! Kelly

All photos by Kelly Waters

Grilled Pizza

Grocery
Whole grain tortillas
1 small jar all natural tomato sauce
Fresh pineapple, cut into bite size pieces
Fat free or reduced fat feta cheese
Organic mixed baby greens
Fresh basil
Free range chicken tenders or chicken breast, cooked and cut into bite size pieces

Pantry
Pepper

Directions
Spray grill with nonstick spray and turn to medium heat. When hot, grill tortillas until just browned, about 45 seconds to one minute. Flip and brown other side, remove from heat.

Dress pizza with tomato sauce, chicken, pineapple, and feta. Season with black pepper (you won't need any salt as the feta is already salty). Reduce grill heat to lowest setting. Grill pizza away from direct heat until cheese has melted slightly and toppings are warmed through.

Note: On my gas grill, I turned off all burners besides the back row and kept pizza in front. Mine took about 12 minutes with the cover closed.

Top with basil and mixed greens and enjoy!

Bon Appetit! Kelly


All photos by Kelly Waters

Tex-Mex Style Black Bean and Turkey Burgers

Grocery
1 15 ounce can black beans
1 small sweet potato (or you can use 1/2 large one)
Garlic
Parsley
Cilantro
Jalapeno
1 pound lean ground turkey (use lean ground chicken or beef if you prefer)
Whole grain rolls

Pantry
Cumin
Paprika
Sea salt
Pepper

Directions
Rinse and drain the black beans. Transfer half of the beans to a large mixing bowl; using a fork, mash the beans until a paste has formed. Add the rest of the beans to the bowl; set aside.

 

Finely mince the sweet potato, 2-3 cloves of garlic, and jalapeno (leave seeds in if you want more heat). Measure 1/2 cup each (about a handful) parsley and cilantro, loosely packed, and coarsely chop. Add to black beans along with 2 tablespoons of cumin and 1 tablespoon each of paprika, salt, and pepper.

Add turkey and mix to combine. To form burgers, measure out mixture using 2/3 measuring cup and roll between your palms until a ball forms. Repeat until all burgers are formed and refrigerate for 2 hours until well chilled before grilling.

Note: these also 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 until bottom is cooked, then flip until other side is done. I served mine with reduced fat feta cheese and a tablespoon of  0% Greek yogurt on whole grain sandwich thins, along with grilled corn.

Bon Appetit! Kelly


All photos by Kelly Waters