Bbq Buffalo Burger with Mango Ketchup and Red Slaw

Bbq Buffalo Burger with Mango Ketchup and Red Slaw (compliments of foodnetwork.com)


1 pound buffalo meat, finely ground (I would substitute ground beef or ground turkey)
1 cup bbq sauce (Mesa) or your favorite brand
Salt and pepper

Divide the meat into fourths and shape into burgers. Brush on both sides with the bbq sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste. Grill for 3 to 4 minutes on each side.

Mango Ketchup:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 mango, peeled and coarsely chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
Pinch of ground cloves
1 habanero pepper, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
Salt and freshly ground pepper


Use side burner or grill top. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Add onions and garlic and cook until soft. Add mango and cook for 5 minutes, or until soft. Add cinnamon, allspice, cloves and habanero and cook an additional 2 minutes. Place the mango mixture in a food processor and add the vinegar and honey. Process until smooth.
Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve cold or at room temperature.


RED SLAW:
1/2 large head red cabbage, finely shredded, divided
1 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
Salt and freshly ground pepper
8 slices rye bread


Place vinegar and oil in a small saucepan and bring to a boil Place 3/4 of the cabbage in a large bowl and add the hot vinegar mixture and stir well. Add the caraway seed and season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix together all ingredients and season with salt and pepper to taste. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour, until wilted. Just before serving, add the remaining raw cabbage.

Pasta with Tomato and Peas

Pasta with Tomato and Peas (compliments of foodnetwork.com)


1 pound linguine
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 shallots, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 carrot, diced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
5 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 cup grated Romano


Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving 2 cups of the pasta water.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Add the shallots, garlic, carrots, salt, and pepper. Cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Add the tomato paste and 1/2 cup of the hot pasta water. Stir to melt the tomato paste and create a sauce, adding more pasta water if necessary. Stir in the oregano, thyme, and parsley. Gently fold in the cooked pasta, peas, and the cheeses, adding more reserved pasta water if necessary. Transfer to a platter and serve immediately.

Turkey Chili-Topped Turkey Chili Burgers with Red Pepper Slaw and Funky Fries

Turkey Chili-Topped Turkey Chili Burgers with Red Pepper Slaw and Funky Fries


1 (16 to 20 ounce) sack extra-crispy style frozen potato fries
1/4 cup chili powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons grill seasoning (recommended: McCormick Montreal Seasoning)
1/4 cup vegetable oil, divided
2 to 2 1/4 pounds ground turkey breast, 2 packages
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, eyeball it
1 cup tomato sauce, 1 (8-ounce) can
3 red bell peppers, 1/4 of 1 pepper finely chopped, remaining peppers thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, divided
2 tablespoons hot sauce, divided
1/3 pound, 6-ounce chunk, Cheddar or smoked Cheddar cut into 1/4-inch dice
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar, eyeball it
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt, divided
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
4 cups shredded red cabbage, 1 sack, available in produce department
Coarse black pepper
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup curly parsley, a couple of handfuls of leaves, finely chopped
4 soft burger rolls

Preheat oven to the temperature listed on the sack of fries.
Preheat a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Combine chili powder, cumin and grill seasoning in a small bowl. Add a tablespoon of vegetable oil, 1 turn of the pan, to a skillet and half of the turkey. Break up the turkey with the back of a wooded spoon. Season the turkey with half of the spice mixture. Break up and brown turkey a couple of minutes, then add half of the finely chopped onion and cook another couple of minutes. When onions are translucent, add Worcestershire sauce and tomato sauce, adjust seasonings and simmer the chili sauce over low heat until ready to serve.

While chili sauce is working, make the burgers. Place the remaining turkey in a bowl and add the remaining spice mixture, half of the remaining chopped onions, the 1/4 red bell pepper that's chopped, 2 cloves of chopped garlic and about a tablespoon of hot sauce. Combine the chili burger mixture and incorporate the diced cheese. Form 4 (1-inch thick) patties. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add a tablespoon of vegetable oil, 1 turn of the pan, then the burgers. Cook the burgers 6 minutes on each side.

When you place the burgers in the pan, the timing is right to add the fries to the preheated oven.

While everything is moving forward, throw together the slaw salad. In the bottom of a medium bowl, combine 1 tablespoon hot sauce – just eyeball it, with about 3 tablespoons vinegar, 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 teaspoon salt. Add the red pepper strips, red onion and red cabbage to the bowl and toss to combine. Add some pepper, to taste.

Chop the last 2 cloves of garlic. Add about a teaspoon of salt to garlic and using the flat of your knife blade, mash the garlic and salt into paste. Place the paste in a small bowl with 3 tablespoons butter, cut into chunks. Melt the butter and paste together on high in the microwave 20 seconds or so. Remove the fries from the oven and toss with melted butter and lots of parsley and adjust seasoning to your taste.

Separate burger rolls. Pile chili-cheese burgers on the bun bottoms. Top with scoops of chili sauce and a spoonful of the remaining finely chopped raw onions. Set bun tops in place and serve the burgers with piles of red pepper slaw and funky fries.

Portobello Lasagna Rollups

Portobello Lasagna Rollups (compliments of foodnetwork.com)


12 whole-wheat lasagna noodles (about 3/4 pound)
2 teaspoons olive oil
12 ounces portobello mushrooms, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups Easy Tomato Sauce, recipe follows, or store bought marinara sauce
1 (15-ounce) container part-skim ricotta cheese
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 egg, lightly beaten
Freshly ground black pepper
Pinch ground nutmeg
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
3 ounces grated part-skim mozzarella cheese (about 2/3 cup)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Cook the noodles al dente according to the directions on the package. Drain them well and spread them out onto aluminum foil or waxed paper to prevent them from sticking.

Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and all the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Season with 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of the tomato sauce and simmer for 2 minutes. In a medium bowl combine the ricotta cheese, spinach, egg, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, a few turns of pepper, and nutmeg.

Spread 1 cup of tomato sauce on the bottom of a 9 by 12-inch baking dish. Spread about 2 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture onto a lasagna noodle. Top with about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the mushroom mixture, roll the noodle and place it into the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining noodles. Spread the remaining 1 1/2 cups of sauce over the lasagna rolls. Top with grated cheeses, cover loosely with foil, and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 minutes more.


Easy Tomato Sauce:
1 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes, drained, tomatoes chopped
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes longer. Add the remaining ingredients and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Yield: 6 servings



Nutrition Information
Per Serving Calories 497
Carbohydrates 56 g
Total fat 18 g
Saturated fat 7.4 g
Protein 26 g
Fiber 12 g
Sodium 1108 mg

Turkey Meatballs with Quick And Spicy Tomato Sauce and Whole-Wheat Spaghetti

Turkey Meatballs with Quick And Spicy Tomato Sauce and Whole-Wheat Spaghetti (compliments of foodnetwork.com)


Sauce:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (28-ounce) can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes, liquid included
1 teaspoon finely minced canned chipotle en adobo and sauce, or more to taste
2 teaspoons chopped oregano leaves
1 sprig fresh rosemary
Salt
1/4 cup torn fresh basil leaves

Meatballs:
Cooking spray
1 pound ground turkey meat
1 slice fresh whole-wheat bread, crusts removed, pulsed into crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
1/2 cup finely grated carrot
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 large cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves, plus more for garnish
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper

1 box (16 ounces) whole-wheat spaghetti



Fill a large stockpot with water and bring to a boil for pasta.
Make Sauce:
In a 4-quart saucepan heat the oil over medium heat. Saute the onions until translucent, about 3 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add tomato paste, tomatoes, chipotles, oregano, rosemary, and salt. Bring all the ingredients to a low boil, reduce heat and cook for approximately 15 minutes, until liquid has evaporated slightly. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. While sauce is cooking, make meatballs.

Meatballs:
Preheat the broiler. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Combine the turkey with all other ingredients in a large work bowl. Form into 2 1/2 -inch balls and place on a baking sheet. Broil for 10 minutes, or until browned and almost entirely cooked through.

Meanwhile, remove rosemary sprig from sauce and add fresh basil. Add the meatballs to the sauce, cover, and cook additional 10 minutes, or until sauce has slightly thickened and meatballs have absorbed some of the sauce. While the meatballs are cooking, cook the whole-wheat spaghetti according to package directions.

Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Add the sauce and meatballs, toss and heat through over medium heat. Divide evenly among 4 pasta bowls and garnish with parsley and 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan.


Yield: 6 servings (1 serving equals about 1 1/3 cups pasta and sauce, plus 2 meatballs


Nutrition Information
Nutritional Analysis per Serving
Calories 332
Carbohydrates 39 grams
Total Fat 10 grams
Saturated Fat 3 grams
Protein 23 grams
Fiber 8 grams
Sodium 568 milligrams

Mexican Meat-zza: Mexican Deep-Dish Pan Pizza

Mexican Meat-zza: Mexican Deep-Dish Pan Pizza (compliments of 30 minute meals, foodnetwork.com)


2 boxes corn muffin mix, 8 1/2 ounces each (recommended: Jiffy)
2 eggs
4 tablespoons melted butter
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup frozen corn kernels
Extra-virgin olive oil or, vegetable oil, for drizzling

Topping:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin or vegetable oil, 2 turns of the pan
1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons cayenne sauce
Salt
2 1/2 cups (10-ounce sack from dairy aisle) shredded Cheddar or jack cheese
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1 small can, 2 1/4 ounces sliced chillies or jalapenos, drained
2 scallions, chopped
2 small vine ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced
2 tablespoons drained sliced green olives (salad olives)
1 to 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves, optional garnish
Mild to medium taco sauce to pass at table, 1 cup



Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Mix together 2 packages muffin mix with 2 eggs, 4 tablespoons melted butter (melt in microwave 30 seconds), 1 1/2 cups milk and frozen corn kernels. Wipe a nonstick skillet with a little extra or vegetable oil and pour in the muffin mix. Use a large skillet, 10 to 12 inch. Choose a pan with oven safe handle or, double-wrap handle with foil to protect it in the oven. Place pan in oven and bake 12 to 15 minutes in center of the oven until light golden in color.

Brown the meat over medium high heat in a second skillet in extra or vegetable oil, 2 turns of the pan. Add onions and spices and cook meat 5 minutes more.

Remove cornbread from oven and top with meat, cheese, and veggies. Add pan back to oven and cook 5 minutes more to melt cheese. Garnish with cilantro, optional. Cut into 8 wedges and serve the deep dish pan pizza from the skillet. Pass taco sauce at the table to sprinkle on top.