Turkey Spanakopita Burgers

Adapted from Rachael Ray

Four words: Must. Try. This. Recipe. This used to be one of my favorite dishes to make, and for some unknown reason, I got away from making this as often, which is tragic. After rekindling my love with these turkey burgers, it will be back on a regular rotation! These are healthy (I use 99% fat free ground turkey breast) and just absolutely delicious. You must have tzatziki (preferably mine) to top it with, or it's just not the same :) OK, you don't have to have it, but I highly recommend it. Nick is not a huge fan of tzatziki and he told me tonight he actually really likes mine, especially on the burgers - that says something! Feel free to top these with toppings of your desire. Personally, I just went with tzatziki and banana peppers because I adore them. Nick got tzatziki, sliced tomato, and thinly sliced cucumber. SO good. These are also great without the bun, hun!

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan, plus some for drizzling and some to top the rolls
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 1 box, 10 ounces, frozen spinach, defrosted
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano, lightly crushed in the palm
• 1/4 pound feta crumbles (I use reduced fat)
• 1 1/3 pounds ground turkey breast, usually 1 package
• 1 tablespoon grill seasoning (recommended: Montreal Steak Seasoning by McCormick) 
• rolls of your choice (I used kaiser)
• dash of garlic powder (to top each roll)
• few slices of seedless cucumber (optional - for topping)
• few slices of tomato (optional - for topping)
• banana peppers (optional - for topping)

Directions:
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. To one side, add a little extra-virgin olive oil and a tablespoon of butter. When butter melts, add the chopped garlic and chopped red onion and cook 5 minutes. Be sure to watch them and not burn them by constantly stirring around the pan. Transfer the onions and garlic to a bowl to cool. Return pan to heat. Wring the defrosted spinach dry buy twisting it in a clean kitchen towel over your sink. Separate the spinach as you add it to the bowl with cool onions, garlic and season with 1 teaspoon of oregano. Add in feta crumbles then chicken or turkey, grill seasoning and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. Mix and form into 4 patties, 1-inch thick. Raise heat on pan to medium-high. Add patties and cook 6 inches on each side. Season the sliced cucumbers and tomatoes with salt and pepper if desired. Toast rolls with a brush of EVOO and a dash of garlic powder on them, if you prefer.Top with your favorite toppings! 

 

Persian Style Chicken Kabobs

Courtesy of Plated Perfection

Moby Dick's House of Kabob is one of my favorite places ever. Anyone that knows me is aware of this...I usually go there once a week. I've always thought of attempting kabobs at home, but never got around to it. Today I decided to wing it! I knew that the key ingredient to keep the chicken moist is to marinate it in yogurt, so this is what I came up with. I will say the one adjustment I would make is in the spices - I would probably not use cinnamon the next go around, but to each their own! I served this with lime zest basmati rice (yep, out of a box - but I did add some fresh lime juice), homemade tzatziki sauce, and a side of tomato and cucumber salad. You can also get creative with the vegetables you add to the skewers.

Kabobs:
1/3 cup plain yogurt
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper
1/2 tsp turmeric - approx.
1/2 tsp paprika - approx.
1/2 tsp cinnamon - approx.
1/2 tsp dry mustard - approx.
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1 inch chunks )
1 zucchini squash, sliced equally into bite sized pieces
1/2 onion (I used yellow), cut into bite sized pieces
1 orange bell pepper, cut into bite sized pieces

bamboo skewers (soak for 20-30 min. beforehand so they will not burn, or use metal)

Mix together the first 7 ingredients in a bowl. Toss them in a ziploc bag with the chicken. Make sure all pieces are covered with the marinade and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours. I've read you can do this up to 24 hours. Skewer up the chicken and vegetables, leaving room in between to cook. Grease grill pan with olive oil and grill each side of the skewer for approximately 5 minutes, depending on the thickness of your chicken. I finished mine off in the oven at 375 degrees for approximately 10 minutes. It kept the chicken moist.

Tomato Cucumber Salad:
1-2 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
dash of oregano
dash of salt and pepper
handful of chopped, seedless cucumber

Mix together and serve on the side. This can be refrigerated prior to cooking.

To serve, I laid down the rice (use your favorite), the skewer, and topped with tzatziki sauce and the tomato cucumber salad.

Mediterranean Salmon

Courtesy of Plated Perfection
Harris Teeter informed me recently that Alaska Wild Salmon is only in season for a bit longer, so I took advantage and purchased some. I decided that would be my healthy lunch to take to work! I was also craving my homemade tzatziki sauce, so I figured I'd combine my efforts. I always throw the tzatziki sauce together on a whim and never follow the same measurements or recipe, so I recommend making this to your liking - taste along the way! The salmon was super easy to make, and then I just topped it with the sauce and some feta crumbles...yum in my tum. (This is over one serving of salmon and about 4+ servings of sauce; I wanted to make extra to have around this week).

- 1 filet wild salmon (approximately .5 pound)
- 2 lemons
- 1 tb dried oregano (half for salmon, half for sauce)
- few dashes of lemon pepper seasoning
- dash of salt
- 1 tb olive oil
- 1 larger container of non-fat greek yogurt (approximately 1 cup)
- 1 tb fresh chopped dill
- 1 tb fresh chopped mint
- 2 cloves garlic, diced
- approximately 3 inches English cucumber, peeled and diced (these are seedless)
- 1 tb crumbled feta

Place a large sheet of aluminum foil in a baking dish (any oven-proof dish). Coat the foil with half of the EVOO and put the other half of EVOO on top of the salmon. Place salmon on foil. Sprinkle with a dash of salt, lemon pepper, juice of 1/2 lemon, and oregano. Fold the foil on the ends and create a tent above the fish. Bake at 400 for approximately 20-25 minutes (depending on the thickness of the fish).

In the meantime, it's time to tzatziki! Mix the greek yogurt, 1/2 tb oregano, juice of 1.5 lemons, dill, mint, garlic, and cucumber. BAM! You're done.

Top the salmon with a hefty serving of tzatziki and your desired amount of feta. Top with additional dill (optional).

Chicken Souvlaki with Tzatziki Sauce

Tzatziki Sauce Courtesy of Plated Perfection
Chicken Souvlaki Courtesy of Allrecipes.com

Chicken Souvlaki:

• 3/4 cup balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, sliced once cooked
• Pita bread, grilled or broiled (this recipe makes enough for approx. 4 pitas)
• Lettuce, for pita
• Grape tomatoes, sliced in half for topping
• Feta cheese, for topping

Mix the first four ingredients in a bowl and marinate the chicken breasts for at least an hour. I pounded the chicken breasts out so that they would be thinner and cook faster. Grill the chicken for approximately 8 minutes per side, until cooked all the way through. Top each warm pita with sliced chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, feta, and tzatziki sauce (recipe below).

Tzatziki Sauce:

• 2 6-ounce containers of Greek yogurt (I used non-fat Fage)
• juice of 1.5 lemons
• approx. 1/3 cup English cucumber, peeled and chopped (or peeled)
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1-2 tb fresh dill (measure to taste)
• 1 tb rice wine vinegar (approx.)
• few dashes of salt

Mix together all ingredients and refrigerate.