Turkey and Sweet Onion Pitas with Orange-Cucumber Salad

March 16, 2014 by Mackenzie

There’s so many things I love about this dish – the sweet taste of the ground turkey, with the cinnamon, is so unique but it pairs excellently with the citrusy tang of the orange-cucumber salad. It’s healthy, with all the ingredients (except the pita) complying to the “real foods” challenge that I did last summer. One day this week I just mixed the salad into the meat and ate it without a pita – I also thought about making it into an omelete… Once it’s prepared it’s so versatile!

It’s also fast and easy to prepare and keeps well if you want to have an easily prepared meal on hand all week. I put the turkey/onion mixture in one tupperware and the salad in another and then just toasted a pita and warmed up the meat everytime I was ready to have it again. I also threw the salad on top of some spinach and served it with some sweet potatoes (next post!) for another meal. That was excellent as well – all in all, I know I will be making this often!

Comment below if you try it! I would love to hear what you think!

Turkey and Sweet Onion Pitas with Orange-Cucumber Salad
Recipe adapted from Cook Fresh Winter 2014 Magazine
Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large sweet onion, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/4-inch thick
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lb ground turkey
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 large oranges
1 small cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped mint
4 pita pockets, halved and lightly toasted (if you have big pita pockets than you’ll just need 2)
Plain Greek yogurt

Directions:

1. In a 12-inch skillet, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of the oil over medium heat. Add three quarters of the onion, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally until golden brown, 8-10 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the onion to a small bowl and set aside.

2. Add the turkey, cinnamon, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to the skillet, and cook, breaking up the meat and stirring occasionally. Cook for 5-7 minutes, until cooked through. Drain well. Add the onions back in, tossing to combine.

3. Meanwhile, finely chop the remaining raw onion and transfer to a large bowl. Peel the oranges and cut the slices into bite-sized chunks, making sure to catch the juice. Add the oranges, orange juice, cucumber, vinegar, mint, and remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the large bowl; toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Fill the pitas with the turkey/onion mixture and add some of the orange-cucumber salad. Finish it off with a dollop of Greek yogurt and serve with the remaining salad on the side.

Caprese Grilled Chicken

May 14, 2013 by Mackenzie

One of the things I look forward to most in the summer is having family and friends over and grilling on the back deck. The weather is warm, there is lots of good conversation and of course, lots of good food! This past weekend Suzy and Steve came over and we made a delicious dinner – this Caprese Grilled Chicken and a Lemon Couscous Salad with Asparagus and Tomatoes (it’ll be my next post!). It was a perfect Saturday evening in my mind!

This chicken was light, fresh and full of summer flavors! Once the chicken was grilled, I spread a homemade pesto on it, layered some tomatoes and topped it all with mozzarella cheese. We closed the lid of the BBQ to let the cheese melt and voila! A healthy, delicious dish!

Caprese Grilled Chicken
Recipe adapted from Skinnytaste
Makes 8 chicken cutlets (serves 6-8)

Ingredients:
Pesto:
1 cup basil
1 large clove of garlic
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup pine nuts (optional)

Chicken:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced in half horizontally (or 8 chicken breast cutlets)
salt and pepper to taste
1 medium tomato, sliced thin
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Grated parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Pesto: In a food processor, pulse the basil, garlic, parmesan, salt and pepper until smooth. Add the olive oil in a slow drizzle while pulsing, then add the pine nuts and pulse to desired consistency. Transfer to a small bowl and refrigerate until ready to put on the chicken. You can store the extra in a sealed container in the refrigerator or freeze for later use (although we didn’t have much left)

2. Chicken: Wash and pat dry the chicken with a paper towel. Slice breasts in half horizontally and season with salt and pepper. Grill chicken over medium heat on both sides until just cooked through. Lower heat and then spread 1-2 teaspoons of pesto on one side of the chicken, top with 1-2 tomato slices and mozzarella cheese and then close the lid of the grill to let the cheese melt. Enjoy!

Anything and Everything, Chewy Oatmeal Bars

March 5, 2013 by Mackenzie

Now that the golf season has officially started, my days are a bit more jam-packed than they used to be. I fly from my last class to my dorm, change and am up to the Clocktower in just 15 minutes (usually that would take least 25 minutes). And of course, it’s 4 o’clock, which means I’m starting to get hungry…

I made these bars this weekend as a grab-and-go snack for when I’m running out the door to practice. I knew I wanted something that wasn’t crunchy and would make a mess in the car when I bit into it, that would reenergize me for golf and that would be a tasty snack to look forward to!

These bars are great because you can use whatever you have on hand – hence the name, “anything and everything.” I used what I had on hand – dried figs, raisins, walnuts, coconut and sunflower seeds – and they turned out great! I also cut down on the butter from the original recipe and substituted it with applesauce to make these healthier – and you couldn’t tell a difference!

Anything and Everything, Chewy Oatmeal Bars

Makes 1 8×8 pan – 9 large bars
Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients:
1 2/3 cups quick oats
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup oat flour (if you don’t have oat flour, measure out 1/3 cup of oats and process in a food processor until very fine)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 to 3 cups of dried fruits or nuts (my combination was 1/2 cup diced dried figs, 1/2 cup raisins, 1/2 cup of roughly chopped walnuts, 1/3 cup ofshredded coconut, and 1/3 cup raw, unroasted sunflower seeds – other options would be dried cranberries, pecans, almonds, dates, apricots, pepitas, chocolate chips…)
1/3 cup peanut butter or almond butter
1 teaspoon almond extract
3 tablespoons melted butter
3 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup honey or maple syrup
2 tablespoons lightcorn syrup
1 tablespoon water

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper, making sure it comes up the sides so you can easily remove the bars from the pan. Lightly spray the parchment paper with non-stick spray as an extra precaution.

2. In a large bowl, stir together all the dry ingredients – oats, sugar, oat flour, salt, cinnamon and all the dried fruit and nuts.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together all of the wet ingredients (all the remaining ingredients). Add wet mixture to the dry mixture and mix it all together – I found using my hands was easiest.

4. Spread mixture into prepared pan and pat it all down nice and firm. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until the edges have begun to brown. When you pull them out, they may seem a little soft but they will harden as they cool, plus you want them soft and chewy. Allow to cool completely and then slice bars. I found that storing them in an airtight container in the refrigerator helped to solidify them if they seem a little crumbly. Enjoy!

Tomato and Quinoa Bisque

February 14, 2013 by Mackenzie

Here’s a great soup recipe for a cold winter day! It’s easy to prepare, healthy and delicious!

I especially liked this soup because the quinoa gave it texture. I like my soups to be full of veggies or to be a little more exciting then pureed “something”. This was a great soup because it gave the classic tomato soup a little boost! Plus, it was a protein-packing boost!

Tomato and Quinoa Bisque
Recipe Adapted from Good Life Eats
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 large onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 15oz can whole, peeled tomatoes
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 can of water
1/2 cup quinoa, dry but rinsed
1/2 cup almond milk
Grated cheese to garnish

Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and saute for five minutes. Add the garlic, salt, pepper, and italian seasoning and saute for 3-5 more minutes.

2. Add the tomatoes and tomato sauce, mixing well. Fill one of the empty cans with water and add to thin it out a bit (you may not need the whole can, or you may need more – I would have done less if I could do it again). Add the quinoa, bring to a boil and then cover and reduce heat to low. Let simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the quinoa is cooked.

3. Remove the soup from the heat and cool slightly. Transfer half of the soup to a blender (all of the tomato chunks) and blend until smooth. Return to the pot, remixing with the non-blended half. Stir in the almond milk and additional spices if necessary (chili flakes!).

4. Serve warm, garnished with freshly grated cheese and with a toasted english muffin!
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Steelcut Oats – Cardamom, Vanilla and Bananas

February 10, 2013 by Mackenzie

When we were at the store last week I bought some plain, quick-cooking steelcut oats to make for breakfast. I’ve been experimenting with different combinations of toppings and here is my favorite so far!

Steel-Cut Oats with Cardamom, Vanilla and Bananas
Serves 1

1/4 cup steel-cut oats, uncooked
3/4 cups water
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 Banana

Boil 3/4 cups water in a small saucepan. Add oats and cook, covered for 5-7 minutes. Let sit 1 minute. Add cardamom, vanilla and sliced banana – mix it up and eat with a hot cup of coffee!
(The cardamom and vanilla amounts are just approximations of what I do – I just add however much I feel is necessary to give it a good flavor, but start there)

Other good toppings to mix and match:
Blueberries, Bananas, Raspberries
Cinnamon, Cardamom, Vanilla Extract, Almond Extract, Maple Syrup, Honey
Slivered Almonds, Pecans, Walnuts, Chocolate Chips

Winter Salad with Sweet Potatoes, Pomegranate Seeds, Goat Cheese and more!

December 6, 2012 by Mackenzie

Libby and I made this salad for dinner last night and it was oh so good!! Libby made it up so I’m giving her all the credit 🙂 It’s awesome and will definitely be made again soon!

Winter Salad

Serves 2

1. Peel sweet potatoes and cut into 1 inch chunks. Toss with olive oil and salt and pepper and bake until tender, about 25 minutes.

2. To make the vinaigrette, whisk together: 1/2 tsp dijon mustard, 1 tsp of brown sugar, 1/8 cup of balsamic vinegar, 1/4 cup of olive oil and salt and pepper. We eyeballed these ingredients and did our best just now to think of how much we used… so definitely taste and see if it needs more of anything.

3. In a large bowl, add mixed greens, walnuts, goat cheese, pomegranate seeds, dates, sweet potatoes and vinaigrette! Serve with a piece of toast with honey butter.

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