Teriyaki Turkey Burgers

This recipe was submitted by Amanda31H on July1st

These are a Jennifer Hudson WW recipe pick- and I'm making them tonight!  Love them.
Teriyaki Turkey Burgers
Ingredients

	1 1/4 pound(s) Turkey, ground, 93% lean/7% fat, raw
	1 Tbsp ginger root, fresh, finely chopped
	1 Tbsp minced garlic
	1 tsp sesame oil
	1/4 cup(s) teriyaki sauce
	1/4 cup(s) scallion(s), chopped
	2 Tbsp cilantro, fresh, finely chopped
	1 large egg white(s)
	2 spray(s) cooking spray
	8 medium scallion(s), root ends trimmed
	4 item(s) reduced-calorie hamburger roll(s)

Instructions

• Preheat a grill (or grill pan) to medium-high.
  
• In a large bowl, combine turkey, ginger, garlic, oil, teriyaki sauce, scallions, cilantro and egg white; mix until just combined. Make four burgers, about 3/4-inch-thick each.
  
• Offheat, coat both sides of burgers with cooking spray.
  
• Grill burgers, flipping once, until fully cooked, about 5 to 7 minutes per side. A few minutes before burgers are done, place whole scallions on center of grill and cook, turning once, until bright green and charred, about 2 minutes.
  
• Remove burgers and scallions to a plate; lightly toast rolls on grill. Serve each burger on a roll topped with 2 scallions. Yields 1 burger per serving.

Grilled Pizza

This recipe was submitted by atc282 on July1st


Every week, we have made it a tradition to make homemade pizzas (well, I don't make the dough homemade--I either buy Whole Foods whole wheat ready-made dough or store-bought Naan flatbread). We recently tried to make it more "gourmet" by doing it on the grill! Super easy and quick!
 Easy Grilled Flatread Pizzas
Ingredients:
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
1 pkg (of 2), store-bougth Naan flatbread (we used wheat)
Store-bought basil pesto (we used Classico brand)
1-2 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
Any summer veggies of choice: We used yellow squash, zucchini, onion, and eggplant, and red bell pepper
1 cup finely shredded mozerella cheese
Directions:
Heat grill. Brush olive oil over sliced veggies of choice and sprinkle to your liking salt and pepper (for added "kick" add a few dashes of crushed red pepper flakes).  Grill veggies (about 5-7 minutes on each side) until tender and cooked. Remove from grill and chop into smaller, bite size pieces.
In a bowl, mix together 1-2 cups of ricotta with 2-3 tbsp. basil pesto. Mix together thoroughly until a smooth paste.
Heat up Naan flatbreads on grill (about 1-2 min. each side). Remove from grill.
Assemble pizzas. Smear ricotta/pesto base generously on Naan. Scatter various chopped grilled veggies over base. Finish by sprinkling top of pizzas with mozerella cheese. Optional: Place back on grill (lid closed) for about 1 minute (until mozerella is melted). Remove and serve!!
You can easily add grilled meat of choice to these pizzas. I haven't served with any sides as they are filling (each Naan is like a "personal size pizza"). Enjoy!

Portobello Burgers

This recipe was submitted by zsvendsen on July 1st



Here's a recipe for portobello burgers (including link to my blog, but it's just duplicate info)

http://zandyring.wordpress.com/2011/07/01/the-secret-to-portobello-burgers/

You have to start with some good caps. Shriveled caps don’t work for me – they’re tough. I don’t mean fully dried ones, I mean ones that are old enough to shrivel. Skip those and go for some good, fresh, fleshy caps. The shriveled ones work better chopped up.

So get some good caps (one per burger), clean (use a damp paper towel – mushrooms absorb water so running them under the tap will make them bloat), pat dry, and put into a ziplock bag (or a container, whatever suits your fancy – just make sure it seals) with your marinade of choice. Good options include garlic/red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, teriaki sauce, even Worcestershire sauce. Choose something that you like.

If you need a recipe try this:
1/4 cup red wine vinegar (I use marsala in a pinch)
a tablespoon or two of crushed garlic
a few tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce (to taste)
a teaspoon of crushed red pepper (to taste, more if you really want some heat)
Mix up in the bag (or bowl – whatever), and then add the caps. Let them sit for 10 minutes on a side, then remove. If they marinate for too long they will get mushy.

Toss on the grill (start with the smooth side on top) and grill on each side for about 4 minutes. Put on a bun. If you’re making cheese burgers, top the portobello with cheese after your first flip and it’ll melt nicely (try Swiss!).  Serve with the regular lettuce, tomato, etc.

Grilled Onion Burgers

This recipe was submitted by AlishaMay on July 1st


I thought I would share a simple Onion Burger recipe, complete with my tips to minimize patty shrinkage :)
Makes 4 quarter pound hamburgers
1lb  90/10 ground beef (higher fat content contributes to shrinkage)
1 packet Beefy Onion Lipton Soup Mix
3-4 shakes from the Worcestershire bottle.
parchment paper or waxed paper
1. Mix ingredients until just incorporated and divide meet into 4 equal parts
2. Lay 4 squares of waxed paper onto a tray
3.  Make hamburger patties that are fairly flat and thin.  As they cook the meat will shrink to a bun size patty.  Lay the patty on the paper for easy transfer to the grill.  Once on the paper make a small indentation in the center of the patty
4. Transfer the patty to the grill using the paper and then peel it off of the top and discard the paper
5. Leave the burgers alone for about 5 minutes (depending on how how your grill is).  Resist the urge to squish them, or move them.  After 5 minutes flip
6. Again, resist the urge to squish the burger - you're just squeezing out the juicyness, not making it cook any quicker.  Allow to finish cooking to your desired doneness .
7. Enjoy!

Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

It's not Friday, but I made these for dinner tonight and had to share the recipe with you before I forgot it (I don't do well with writing recipes I create down).  I threw these together with leftovers from the fridge, so feel free to adapt it to fit your leftover usage needs. :)

Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

4 Med bell peppers (peppers that stand on their own are helpful)
2 Cups cooked rice
1 can diced tomatoes with Italian seasoning (or use fresh if you have them)
3/4 c pasta sauce (alternatively you could use broth, soup, cream, etc...)
1 1/4c Italian Cheese Blend, divided
1/4 c panko bread crumbs (or whatever you have on hand)
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
handful of chopped parsley

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Fill a pan with hot water and place it in the oven with a backing rack over it (this is what you'll use to seam the peppers)
3. Cut the tops off the peppers and clean out the seeds and membranes.  Cut a bit off the bottom if necessary to make them stand up nicely, but be careful not to have hols in the bottom or your filling and juices will come out.
4. Place peppers on the baking rack in the oven and let them steam for about 10 minutes until they feel like they have softened most of the way.
5.  Meanwhile, cook your rice and combine with the tomatoes, pasta sauce and 1 cup cheese.
6.  In a separate bowl,  combine bread crumbs, 1/4 cup cheese, chopped parsley and olive oil.  Stir to combine
7.  Remove peppers, baking rack and pan from the oven.  Spray a small pan with a bit pan spray and put the peppers in, and stuff them with the rice mixture and top with breadcrumbs.
8.  Bake for 30 minutes and enjoy!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

This recipe was submitted by SpinningJess on June 24th

Seems to be a soup theme!  Here's my favorite:  Chicken Tortilla Soup
3-4 boneless chicken breasts
3-4 cans chicken broth (or you can use bullion, whatever is easier)
1 can corn (drained)
1 can white hominy (drained)
1 large can diced tomatoes (do not drain)
2 jalepenos, diced
1 onion, diced
1 bell pepper (I usually use red/yellow/orange to get a good mix of color), diced
1/2 packet taco seasoning
I grill the chicken, usually season it with salt/pepper/garlic powder/onion powder.  Let it cool a bit and then chop into small pieces.  Combine everything else into crock pot and let cook for 6 hours or so.   Serve with tortilla chips/frito's and cheese on top.  Wonderful flavor, freezes well (for those of us having babies soon, it's great for a quick meal to pop in the microwave) and is pretty darn healthy!

Avocado and Black Bean Salsa

This recipe was submitted by atc282 on June 24th

This is perfect as a summertime appetizer, side dish, or a relish for any grilled meat! Super easy and great to serve if you're doing Mexican or are grilling out!!

Avacado & Black Bean Salsa
Ingredients:
1-2 large fresh tomato(es) or 1 can diced tomatoes
1 Can Black Beans
1 large avacado
1/2 Can Corn
1/2 Lime, juiced
1 small red onion (optional)
1 bunch fresh cilantro (optional)
Seasonings: Cumin, Salt & Pepper

Directions:
In a strainer, drain (if using canned) tomatoes, corn, and black beans. Chop and dice (if using fresh) tomatoes, avacados, red onion (optional). Combine all ingredients in bowl, and squeeze on the lime juice. Season to your liking with cumin, s&p. Add chopped cilantro to top before serving (optional).
Served best as an appetizer with blue corn tortilla chips! Another great addition is adding a handful of crumbled queso fresco or feta to the dip right before serving.