Stuffed Turkey Burgers

Need something fast but still tasty? Picky eaters? No problem! These burgers are comprised of very few ingredients and should satisfy everybody's palates. Best of all, they are loaded with flavor but are...SURPRISE! They are healthy for you. Serve with sides of your choice and if you want to add condiments to your burger...I seriously doubt anybody is going to stop you.

Stuffed Turkey Burgers

1¼ lb. lean ground turkey (93/7 blend)

½ cup chopped roasted red peppers (drained and rinsed if using jarred)

½ cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

¼ tsp. kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

4 whole wheat buns (or any other buns of your choice)

Preheat the broiler or prepare the grill. Divide the turkey into 4 equal-sized rounds. Make two equal-sized patties out of each round so you have 8 patties total. Sprinkle one side of four of the patties with 2 tbsp. each of the roasted red peppers and cheese, and top with the remaining patties, working the turkey around the edges to seal the burgers closed. Sprinkle the patties with the salt and a few grinds of pepper. Grill or broil until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Serve on the buns.

Serves 4

NOTE:  You can also pan-cook the burgers if you don't have access to a grill or don't trust your broiling skills. Cook for the same amount of time on each side using medium to medium-high heat.

If you don't care for roasted red peppers, try swapping them out with different things, like olives or finely chopped onion. You could even use crumbled bacon, but switch out the mozzarella cheese for a cheddar, baby Swiss or perhaps a smoked gouda.

Ginger Fruit with Pineapple Sherbet

Some flavors are just quintessentially "summer." Citrus flavors tend to be most popular and can show up in both savory and sweet applications. This is a delectably tasty cold treat, sure to perk up everyone's taste buds and leaving palates cleansed. The refreshing tang of ginger combines with fruit and notes of vanilla along with creamy sherbet - even little ones could enjoy this dessert. This would be a great thing to serve on the hottest dog days of summer. For a fancier presentation, use pretty stemmed glasses and garnish with mint sprigs.

Ginger Fruit with Pineapple Sherbet

1 (8 oz.) can pineapple chunks, in juice

1/3 cup orange marmalade or apricot preserves

1 tbsp. finely snipped crystallized ginger

¼ tsp. vanilla extract

1 (11 oz.) can mandarin oranges, drained and rinsed

2 pints pineapple sherbet (can also use orange, lemon or lime sherbet)
Mint sprigs, for garnish (optional)

Drain the pineapple and reserve the juice. In a medium bowl, combine the pineapple juice, marmalade, crystallized ginger and vanilla. Add the pineapple chunks and the drained mandarin oranges. Gently toss to coat.

Cover and quick-chill in the freezer for 15 minutes or chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Spoon the sherbet into 4 chilled, stemmed sherbet dishes or small dessert bowls. Top each with the fruit mix and serve immediately.

Serves 4

Portuguese Style Fish Stew

Portuguese cuisine is not readily found across the country, but using a few simple ingredients, you can recreate the flavors of a culture that relies heavily on the sea for its food. This is a forgiving recipe and can be tweaked to reflect your tastes. If you like spicy food, consider passing red pepper flakes at the table. Serve with a good crusty artisan bread.

Portuguese Style Fish Stew

2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

2 bay leaves

2 tsp. paprika (smoked or sweet)

1 small onion, thinly sliced

1 small green bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

1½ lb. skinless striped bass, cut in 2" chunks (or any other firm white-fleshed fish)
½ lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 cups liquid**

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Crusty bread, to serve

Heat 2 tbsp. olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the bay leaves and paprika and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the onion, bell pepper, tomatoes, garlic and 2 tbsp. of the cilantro; season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook until the vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, if needed.

Add 2 cups of the liquid of your choice and reduce the heat to medium-low. Season the fish with salt and pepper, then nestle the pieces among the vegetables in the pan. Cover and simmer until the fish is just cooked through, 5 - 7 minutes. Add the shrimp during the last few minutes of cooking, as they take very little time to cook and will continue cooking in the broth once it is off the heat. Make sure to remove the bay leaves before serving.

Divide the stew among bowls. Drizzle with a good finishing olive oil and sprinkle with the remaining 2 tbsp. cilantro. Serve immediately with the bread. Pass crushed red pepper flakes and lime wedges when served.

Serves 4

NOTE:  Fish, shrimp, chicken and vegetable stocks, dry white wine or water can be used as cooking liquids.  A combination can also be used.  Preferably, use fish stock in this recipe to better complement the dish.  You can find canned fish stock in the store but if you want use any shrimp stock, you will have to make your own.

Sausage Sauce Piquant

Reminiscent of the flavors of New Orleans, this dish is delightfully spicy - using only freshly ground black pepper, no less! A rich tomatoey sauce thickened by roux is the star of the show with the accompanying players of onion, green bell pepper and garlic completing the cast. For authenticity, use andouille sausage if you can find it. Serve over plain boiled white rice or boiled egg noodles.

Sausage Sauce Piquant

1 lb. sausage

1 (15 oz.) can no salt added diced tomatoes, drained

1 small onion, chopped

½ a green bell pepper, diced (or more to taste)

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1 cooking spoon flour

1 cooking spoon canola oil

¼ cup water

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

In a large heavy skillet (preferably cast iron), heat the oil over medium heat until hot. Add the flour and immediately begin stirring. You must stir constantly or else the roux will burn. Cook the roux until it becomes a light chocolate color, about 15 - 20 minutes.

Add the onion and green pepper and stir to coat the vegetables; this will also stop the roux from browning any further. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Add the tomatoes, water, salt and pepper to taste. Cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer about 1 hour. Halfway through cooking, taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if necessary. Serve with plain boiled white rice or cooked egg noodles - serving dinner rolls alongside to sop up the sauce isn't a half-bad idea, although you could always serve piping hot cornbread as a side dish, too.

NOTE:  If you can't find andouille sausage, reasonable substitutes are chorizo, smoked pork sausage and smoked turkey sausage. Smoked turkey sausage or turkey kielbasa work quite well and lowers the fat content of the dish considerably.

When making the roux, "cooking spoon" implies it is a big spoon (tablespoon, serving spoon, etc.). The flour doesn't have to be level, but should not be heaping.

Jell-O Dream Pie

Why is this a "dream" pie? Its ethereal texture is as light and airy as a dream. This won't-weigh-you-down dessert is the perfect counterpoint to a heavy meal and with its citrusy flavor, cleanses the palate. This would be great to serve after a summer barbecue or dinner party. You can also change the flavor of the pie using different flavors of Jell-O, but keep in mind that you will need to change the yogurt flavor to relatively match the Jell-O. Strawberry and lime, respectively, are quite good.

Jell-O Dream Pie

1 (.4 oz.) package sugar free orange Jell-O

1 small can mandarin oranges, drained and rinsed

1 (8 oz.) container fat free Cool Whip

1 (6 oz.) container fat free lemon yogurt

2/3 cup boiling water

1 graham cracker pie crust, pre-made or from scratch

Chop the oranges. Dissolve the Jell-O in the boiling water. Add the yogurt and the oranges and stir until the mixture is smooth (it will look curdled in the beginning but keep stirring - it'll mix together). Refrigerate the filling until partially jelled. Fold in the Cool Whip (more or less, to taste) and mix thoroughly. Turn into the graham cracker crust and refrigerate.

NOTE:  Check frequently on the jelling process; it doesn't take long to partially jell.  If the Jell-O gets too firm, it will create lumps in the pie. Decorate the top of the pie with leftover slices of mandarin oranges for a fancier presentation.

If you want to make a from-scratch graham cracker crust, use the recipe from the Frozen Key Lime Pie (can use either the original recipe OR the vegan crust recipe provided at the end of the entry).

Serves 8

Beef and Noodle Skillet

If you need a fast but tasty meal on the table, consider trying this. Reminiscent of Tex-Mex dishes, this dish can be tweaked to be as spicy as you need it. Inexpensive ingredients and ridiculously easy preparation make this a real pleaser. It can be easily doubled or tripled to feed many people. Serve with sturdy tortilla chips for scooping...although you can always use forks if you so choose.

Beef and Noodle Skillet

1 lb. supreme lean ground beef (93/7 blend)

2 cups uncooked egg noodles

1 cup kernel corn

1 cup sliced scallions

1 cup water

½ cup salsa (thick and chunky style)

16 oz. no salt added tomato sauce

Cook the noodles in boiling, salted water according to the package directions.

In a large skillet, cook the ground beef thoroughly and drain off all the fat. Add the corn, scallions, water, salsa, tomato sauce and the egg noodles. Stir completely to blend and cook uncovered until the sauce reaches the desired thickness. Taste for seasoning and add a small amount of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, if needed.  

Serve immediately with tortilla chips. Accompanying beverages may include lemonade, iced tea or, preferably, frosty beers.

Serves 4

NOTE:  If you don't want to use beef, you can substitute it for lean ground turkey breast (93/7 blend). The original recipe also called for regular tomato sauce, but since I try to cook with as little salt as possible, I changed the recipe to suit my tastes. You may certainly use regular tomato sauce - I'd recommend not adding any additional salt, then.