Herby Chicken, Orizo, and Vegetable Soup is the kind of meal that warms you through and through, makes you feel better when you’re not 100%, and puts a smile on your friend’s and family’s faces. This soup stems from the classic Chicken Noodle Soup my Continue Reading
As a resident of the South, when Fall comes around it’s still in the 80s and while my tan disappears, I still have to wear shorts and tank tops. However, there will be a few days with perfect fall moments – chilly mornings and cool Continue Reading
Dry and under-flavored turkey burgers are a thing of the past thanks to my recipe for Juicy Zucchini Turkey Burgers! The ripe, shredded zucchini adds extra moisture and helps to create a light and almost pillowy texture to these turkey burgers, seasoned simply with salt, pepper, and plenty of garlic, Juicy Zucchini Turkey Burgers will become a family favorite!
I find it’s best to prepare the burger mix when everything is at or around room temperature. The ingredients combine easier and your hands won’t freeze while mixing the ingredients!
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, drop in one pound of ground turkey. Using either all white meat or partial dark + white meat is fine, whichever you prefer. Next, shred the zucchini by placing a box grater over a kitchen towel, then run the zucchini over the largest-sized grate. The zucchini will fall into the kitchen towel, making it easy to squeeze out the liquid. Once the liquid is squeezed out of the zucchini, it will be a very tight ball that will have shrunk in size by about half. Add the zucchini to the ground turkey.
Now, add the seasonings of salt, pepper, and grated garlic. The seasonings seem simple, but combined make this burger perfectly delicious and give off all the perfect burger vibes.
The final step is to toss in the breadcrumbs (add about two tablespoons at a time) and the heaping tablespoon of dijon mustard.
Using your hands (they’re simply the best utensil for mixing burgers) combine all the ingredients until the zucchini is evenly shredded and the mustard, bread crumbs, and seasonings are evenly distributed. The mixture should come together and hold its shape. If not, add additional breadcrumbs and mix again.
Once your mixture is ready is fully combined, it’s time to form the burger patties. To do so, pat the mixture into an even-ish layer in the bottom of your mixing bowl, using your fingers divide it into four equal parts.
Scoop out one part of the burger mix. Start by rolling it / forming it into a large ball, then gently patting it flat to about 1-inch thickness.
The final step to the perfect burger patty is to make a large indent in the middle. This step is the secret to ensuring the burgers do not turn into a meatball during the grilling process. Using your thumb, push the center of the patty down creating a thumb-sized crater almost to the bottom of the patty.
Repeat until you have four Juicy Zucchini Turkey Burger patties ready to go.
I personally like to put the burgers on the grill, but a perfectly reasonable alternative is a cast iron skillet.
Heat your grill to approximately 425 degrees and brush the grill plate with olive oil. Place the formed patties on the grill and let them sit for 6 minutes, then flip to the other side for another 6 minutes. Do not move the patties once you’ve placed them on the grill – this will help them get beautiful grill marks, but it also helps form a sort of crust on the outside of the burger that is very delicious!
For my family, I create the ultimate burger topping tray with crisp iceberg lettuce, giardiniera, avocados, red onions (plain or pickeled), and pickles along with mayonnaise, yellow mustard, and ketchup. From there, I let everyone choose their own fixings!
If prefer to be on the lower-carb side, these are great burgers to serve up in a lettuce wrap. If you’re full-carb friendly, my favorite bread for Juicy Zucchini Turkey Burgers is a toasted brioche bun. The sweetness of the brioche is a perfect accompaniment to the tenderness of the burger.
Juicy Zucchini Turkey Burgers are healthy, delicious, and make a perfect family meal! Enjoy making these your own with your favorite burger toppings.
When I’ve run out of creative ideas for dinner (yes, it happens!), or I’m just really busy during the day and need something quick, Savory Weeknight Chicken is my Superhero. It cooks up in 10 minutes or less depending on the type of chicken you Continue Reading
I’ve been making Frittata for well over a decade by now and to this day find it to be one of my favorite foods to eat and even to make. I’ve made so many combinations of this dish but Frittata with Spinach, Zucchini, and Leeks Continue Reading
Summertime food means a few specific things to me: easy, fresh, and you want to keep coming back for more. I get my inspiration for the food I create from all different places; Summer Fresh Vegetable Orzo Pasta was one hundred percent inspired by my friend Vern and his garden. Vern’s garden is a 10-ish foot plot of joy right out in the front of his house that’s brimming with veggie goodness – tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, and more!
When working with fresh, simple ingredients my goal is to always enhance their individual flavors. Summer Fresh Vegetable Orzo Pasta does just that. Roasting the tomatoes brings out their sweetness causing them to release their juices contributing all that natural goodness to the sauce. Sauteeing the corn and zucchini in olive oil gives them a chance to wake up and get slightly caramelized creating a bit of crunch on the edges and a slightly nutty flavor. The sweetness from the creamer and fruitiness of the white wine tie it all together to make the perfect, light, and yummy pasta.
This Summer Fresh Vegetable Orzo Pasta is flexible, extremely family-friendly, and is a great dish to bring to a neighborhood party. Summer Fresh Vegetable Orzo Pasta can be served at room temperature alongside a grilled burger, chicken, or fish. It also makes a great on-the-lighter side main course served up in a heaping portion in a large pasta bowl and a side of crunchy artisan bread.
If you’ve got friends with a garden, go ahead and put in your veggie order now. If you don’t, I suggest you find one, because this Summer Fresh Vegetable Orzo Pasta deserves the best of the best.
This recipe calls for preparing many of the ingredients in an asynchronous manner then pulling them all together in one pot at the end.
First roast the tomatoes by adding them to a cast-iron skillet or sheet tray with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast them in a 425 degrees oven for about 15 minutes (up to 20). When you pull them out they’ll be slightly wrinkly and very juicy.
Meanwhile, cook your orzo pasta to al dente in a pot of salted boiling water.
Next, heat a heavy-bottomed pot (such as a dutch oven) over medium heat with olive oil and butter. Sautee the corn until it turns bright yellow and gets slightly crispy on the edges. Add the zucchini and sautee until it’s just cooked through and starting to caramelize.
Finally add in the roasted tomatoes, wine, creamer, herbs, and remaining butter and stir it all up to combine into a perfect sauce. Add the cooked, al dente pasta and stir to combine. Garnish with some roughly chopped parsley and you’re ready to eat!
On May 5th (Cinco de Mayo) I announced to my husband that I had a great idea for Shrimp Tacos and I was planning to make them tomorrow (on May 6th). He sweetly, but also with some confusion replied, “So you’re going to make tacos Continue Reading
I don’t know how it is in your house, but in our house, chicken salad is beloved and Classic Chicken Salad is our go-to recipe. Classic Chicken Salad works great for our family. My husband turns it into a sandwich and I love to eat Continue Reading
This Fried Egg BLT combines one of my all-time favorite foods – bacon – with one of my must-have comfort foods – over-easy style fried eggs. These two things come together in sandwich form with juicy, ripe tomatoes and crunchy romaine lettuce to form what I believe is the best way to enjoy a BLT: the Fried Egg BLT.
A BLT (Bacon-Lettuce-Tomato) sandwich is a classic and has some personal nostalgia to it. Multiple times throughout the year my Nana would take my sister and me shopping – we’d have a ball! Try on all the clothes, and buy a few things here and there. It always made us feel special. Our shopping trips with Nana included a special lunch where we could order pretty much anything we wanted and Nana always said “yes!” I must get my love for bacon from my Nana because whether on the menu or not, Nana would often order a BLT.
Have you ever seen the face of a teenage waiter when someone orders a dish that the restaurant doesn’t actually serve? I have… multiple times! When the waiter would say (in a confused voice), “Maam, we don’t have a BLT on the menu.” Nana would reply, “Well, it’s very easy to make, can you just ask your chef to whip one up?”
As it turns out the Chef of the restaurant always “whipped one up” and Nana always got her BLT.
My version of the classic BLT – the Fried Egg BLT – is simple to make, packed with bacon, crunchy from crisp romaine lettuce, and ooey-gooey from the warm egg yolk that runs down the sides of the delicious, toasted bread.
First things first, start with the star ingredient: Bacon! Fry up the bacon in a non-stick skillet over medium heat according to how you like to eat your bacon. For me, I like slightly chewy bacon, not too crispy. If you’re a super crispy bacon fan – no judgment here! Plan on four slices of thick-cut bacon per sandwich (this is my preferred in-grocery-store brand of thick-cut bacon).
While the bacon is frying, toast your bread to a perfect golden brown and set it aside for assembly later on.
Thinly slice the tomatoes, season them with salt and pepper and tear the lettuce into pieces the size of the sandwich bread you’re using.
Once the bacon is done and removed from the pan, use the rendered bacon fat to fry the over-easy eggs over the same medium heat. Gently crack the egg into the pan with the rendered bacon fat being careful not to break the yolk. The egg whites will sizzle slightly and begin turning opaque immediately. Sprinkle each egg with salt and pepper.
Once the whites of the egg are set, flip the egg to the other side. Turn the heat off and allow the egg whites to finish cooking with the residual heat. It will take about 30 seconds, up to one minute. Repeat the process until all eggs are fried up over-easy style.
Create a sandwich assembly line in this order: 4 slices of bread, bacon slices, tomato, lettuce, and 4 slices of bread.
Spread mayonnaise on each slice of bread, ensuring it goes edge-to-edge.
Next, layer four slices of bacon on top of the bottom piece of bread, followed by two – four slices of tomato, then two pieces of lettuce, and finally top it with one of the over-easy eggs.
Whether you’re looking for a quick, easy, and impressive meal or you’re just in the mood for bacon, this Fried Egg BLT is for you and whatever crowd you’re serving (just not vegetarians).
