Steak & Veggies a la Chickpea Crêpe

Well three nights in a row of sauteed zucchini and onions probably warrants some real estate on the blog. I must say, multiple bouts of food envy collided to produce this wonderful concoction of a dish.

Envy #1 - Mom's grilled zucchini and onions. Yum! Nothing quite compares to the nostalgia of being at home and eating dinner (fresh off the grill) outside on the screen porch with mom and dad.

Envy #2 - Bar Suzette Crêperie. A Sunday stroll through Chelsea Market wouldn't be complete without visiting the sample sale of the weekend or more importantly some of the market mainstays - for example Bar Suzette . However, when the crêperie closes early for a special event...food envy ensues.

Envy #3 - Carnivorous cravings. Every now and then who doesn't love a good steak, even if it is in the form of thinly sliced strips!

Ultimately the crepe provided a bit of a smoky spice, while the veggies and steak offered a savory balance, reminiscent of an herbes de provence blend. All in all providing a full range of tasting experience for an eager palate.

The recipe:
Crepe (makes 2):
1/4 c. chickpea flour
1/4 c. almond milk
2 tbsp. water (maybe a little more)
dash of cayenne
dash of cumin
1/4 tsp. salt

Filling:
1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced
1/2 large zucchini (or 1 medium), cut in match sticks
1 ear medium sweet corn, kernels sliced off
1 tbsp basil, chopped
2 cloves garlic, fine chop
1/3 lb. top sirloin (or another lean cut of beef)
2 tsp rosemary, fine chop
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil
Plain greek yogurt for garnish

Begin by slicing up the vegetables/herbs. Add ~1/2 tsp olive oil to a saute pan and add onions. After about 3 minutes add in zucchini, corn and garlic (using additional oil/cooking spray as necessary to prevent burning). Cook for another 3 minutes, add desired amount of salt and pepper along with fresh basil.

Meanwhile mix together ingredients for crepes until a liquid consistency is achieved. Pour batter into a 9 inch pan and spread to cover the full pan. Cook over low-med heat. Flip once the edges start to curl.

Moving on to the steak, season with salt and pepper and press chopped rosemary into the meat. If using thin sliced meat, you will only need to cook for about 30-60 seconds on either side.

Transfer the crepe to a plate and top with all the ingredients + a dollop of plain greek yogurt. 

Mediterranean Turkey Burgers with Mint-Pomegranate Yogurt Sauce

Well I wasn't expecting a return to the blog at least until I was through my test (1 week!!!), but this Memorial Day Weekend of studying and isolation has left me somewhat craving a creative outlet. So today, I bring to you my gourmet MDW cook-out. 

The latest issue of cooking light features an array of burger recipes and even spills the beans on techniques for a better burger. Flipping through the pages, I knew I had to finally get around to making the mediterranean/greek burgers I have been putting off for quite a while. Some of my favorite restaurants in NYC (Meme Mediterranean, ilili) serve the most amazing mediterranean food  and lamb burgers are always on the menu - I opted for a fusion of the same flavors, using turkey instead. The special twist is that nestled inside is a wonderful mixture of feta cheese, onion and garlic.

I happened to find/use 99% fat-free ground turkey, which is pretty much asking for the burger to be dried out, but fear not, that's where the greek yogurt comes in. When mixed in with the ground meat and spices, it adds a nice amount of moisture to the equation. In terms of the spices, I probably could have been a bit more liberal in the quantities, but I thought the flavors worked nicely regardless. In fact, I decided to save my bread until the end of my meal so I could enjoy the flavors of the burger free of distraction.

While normally, I would have topped these burgers off with some traditional tzatziki, I had an inexplicable case of pomegranates on the brain, so tzatziki had to step aside for its replacement...mint pomegranate yogurt sauce. Don't be surprised if there is another pomegranate post sometime in the near future - I recall reading somewhere that pomegranate seeds don't keep for too long.

Happy Memorial Day from my kitchen to yours!

The recipe:

Burger:
2 tbsp. red onion
1-2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp. feta cheese

1/4 lb. ground turkey (I used 99% fat free)
1 tbsp. plain non-fat greek yogurt
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. rosemary
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/8 tsp. paprika
1/8 tsp. of ground cinnamon

Italian bread (or whatever bread you choose)

Mint Pomegranate Yogurt Sauce
Fresh mint leaves, 1-2 tsp chopped
1 tbsp. pomegranates seeds
1 tbsp. plain non-fat greek yogurt

Garnish:
Baby spinach leaves
Cucumber

Heat 1 tsp of olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes then add garlic and saute for another minute. Remove from heat, add feta cheese and sprinkle with pepper.

Add ground turkey to a bowl, add yogurt, lemon juice, cumin, oregano, rosemary, paprika and cinnamon. Mix together (don't overmix) until combined. Make 2 equal sized patties out of the turkey mixture. Put the onion-feta mixture onto half of the patty. Top with the other patty working the turkey around the edges to seal burger closed.

Spray a nonstick grill pan with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Grill the burger until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side.

Meanwhile chop mint and mix together with pomegranate seeds and greek yogurt.

To serve, slice burger in half and place both halves on top of lightly toasted italian bread. Top with yogurt sauce, then if you so choose add cucumber slices and baby spinach.

Thanksgiving: Practice Round

Stuffing, Cranberry Sauce & DessertDisclaimer: This is a long one.

While enduring a long car ride back to NYC through Middle-of-Nowhere, Pennsylvania, my mind got to wandering about food, the mouth-watering Thanksgiving feast my aunt and uncle prepare every year, and my minimal involvement in the operation. So with that in mind, I posed the idea of a "Thanksgiving practice round" potluck to my roommates. We determined that our poor little oven would cease to function at the sight of a turkey, so we got some help in that department, but once the remaining responsibilities were divvied up, it was time to get to brainstorming. My main task - the stuffing. With so many fantastic recipes out there it was a tough choice, but I settled on a slightly modified version of Fennel, Sausage and Caramelized Apple Stuffing from Cooking Light. Upon subscribing to CL, my close friend in media broke the news that the average reader was ~25 years my senior (ha!), but I have to say I've been thoroughly pleased with the recipe ideas thus far.
When I arrived at Whole Foods to pick up a few last ingredients, I was helped by the lady at the bakery counter who handed me a loaf of sourdough bread fresh from the oven. Now normally this would be a welcomed predicament, but I was a bit concerned about just how fresh (and still hot) the bread was - considering stuffing usually calls for at least day old bread. I decided to trust the recipe and go with it. Low and behold, the fresh bread, which ends up going in the oven to brown and crisp the edges, creates a similar effect to day-old without actually being stale.

While the bread was in the oven I went to work on the other parts of the dish aka I slaved away over the cutting board fighting back onion tears and fending off unruly flying carrot pieces.

As I continued to work my way through the recipe and the ingredients piled up in my bowl, all I could think of was Rachel Ray's "garbage bowls", but instead of reducing trips to the trash can, I was reducing the amount of time I would later hover over the sink hand-washing multiple dishes and pans. Yes, hand-washing. Sadly our dishwasher has been yet another victim of repairs our management company doesn't seem to be competent enough to arrange.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm still enjoying leftovers, but a few notes on the ingredients I chose and how I would potentially tweak them. I opted for chicken sausage to cut out some of fat and make the dish a bit lighter, which I am certain I compensated for by unintentionally using extra bread. To that note, I think a whole wheat baguette would've also been a nice choice, but regardless, be sure to keep the bread to 12 oz. so the other ingredients don't get lost. I think I've proven by now that I'm a flavor junkie, so I likely would have added in an extra sage, fennel seed, garlic and pepper. Lastly, the apple flavor was not all that present in the dish, so if that is something you want, I would go for a more "powerful" apple, like a granny smith.


FENNEL, SAUSAGE AND CARAMELIZED APPLE STUFFING
The Recipe:
12 ounces sourdough bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Cooking spray
1 12 oz. package of Chicken Sausage (I used Sweet Italian)
5 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
4 cups onion, chopped
1 1/4 cups fennel bulb, chopped
1 1/4 cups carrot, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
5 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
3 cups chopped Golden Delicious apple
2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 400°. Arrange bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 16 minutes or until golden, stirring after 8 minutes. Place in a large bowl.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cut chicken sausage into small pieces. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add sausage to pan; cook 8-10 minutes or until browned and crispy. Add sausage to bread.

Return pan to medium-high heat. Add 3 teaspoons oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion, fennel, carrot, sage, fennel and garlic. Add 1/4 teaspoon pepper; sauté 8 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Add vegetables to sausage mixture.

Return pan to medium-high heat. Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add apple and sugar; sauté 5 minutes or until apple caramelizes, stirring occasionally. Add to the sausage mixture.

Combine broth and eggs in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add broth mixture and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper to sausage mixture; toss well to combine.

Spoon sausage mixture into a 13 x 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray. Cover with foil. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes. Uncover dish; bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until browned and crisp.

HOMEMADE CRANBERRY SAUCE
Any magazine I read seems to insist that homemade cranberry sauce is a requirement for Thanksgiving, so in an effort to avoid the canned jelly blob monster, I thought I too would try my luck at making my own. Mission accomplished. Luckily I had onion left over from my earlier chopping frenzy, so the process was low maintenance.

I did cut the sugar in half from the original recipe, which meant I still used 3/4 of a cup. It felt like a lot of added sugar (maybe agave would be a substitute candidate), but it was worth it.

The recipe:
1 tbsp. canola oil
3/4 c. onion, chopped
3/4 c. sugar (yoiks!)
1/2 c. white wine
1/2 c. water
1 package fresh cranberries
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
2 tsp. fresh grated orange rind

Cook the onion in the oil for about 4 minutes. Add the sugar, wine, water, ginger and cranberries. Bring mixture to a boil for about 2 minutes then reduce to a simmer for about 8 minutes. Add the orange rind to the mixture once in the serving bowl.

THE FINAL ACT: PUMPKIN FLUFF LAYER DESSERT

With so much good food on the way, I wanted to make sure that dessert was light. Going with the flavors of the season, pumpkin seemed an appropriate base. I came across a pudding-type dessert that seemed just perfect - Pumpkin Fluff. I made it my own by creating a "layer dessert". This was a real crowd pleaser and a perfect way to end the meal.

1 16 oz. can pumpkin
1 1.5 oz. box sugar-free instant vanilla pudding mix
1 8 oz. container fat-free cool whip
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 pack cinnamon graham crackers

Take the cool whip out of the freezer so it has a few minutes to "thaw". Make the pudding and allow it to set (about 5 minutes). Mix in the pumpkin, cool whip and pumpkin pie spice.

In a serving dish crush 2 graham crackers to layer the bottom surface. Spoon or pour in half the pumpkin pudding mixture. Crumble 2-3 more graham crackers to create a middle layer. Add in the remaining mixture and top with crushed graham crackers. Put back in the refrigerator and chill for 1 hour.

Note: If you make this too far in advance the graham crackers might start to get a little soft/borderline soggy, but I have to say, I still somehow managed to enjoy leftovers 24 hours later...proof I love dessert?

And with that, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Eat well, be merry and enjoy the company of family and friends!

Pear Invasion: Featuring Bok Choy, Ground Turkey and Greek Yogurt

I'm not sure whether this so called "pear invasion" was a product of my severe indecisiveness or just a bout of creativity, but either way, the end result was a satisfying and flavorful dish that I already can't wait to make again.

Growing up, my family spent some time in Hong Kong, which naturally meant that we were able to experience various types of Asian cuisine. While my adventurous spirit was often lacking during the time we were there, luckily my mom continued to incorporate vegetables such as bok choy into dinners when we returned to the US. (Did I mention that she is also a fantastic cook and comes from a family full of gourmet chefs!) Anyhow, I've been on a hunt to incorporate bok choy into my diet more frequently beyond just throwing it into a stir fry or sauteeing it. So, when I came across this recipe for Bok Choy and Apple Slaw in Real Simple magazine my interest was piqued.

A little detail about the ingredients I decided to use:
Bok choy has always been a bit intimidating with its large leafy presence, so I typically opt for the baby bok choy instead.
Pears are fantastic around this time of year and there are so many varieties to choose from - I however chose to use a more traditional Bartlett for this recipe.
Ground Turkey is one ingredient that I purchase, repack into single sized portions and freeze for single-serving opportunities like this.
Greek yogurt is another ingredient that I end up needing more often than one would think, so I try to keep it around my fridge.

So you might be wondering what is so indecisive/creative about this recipe? Allow me to elaborate. I incorporated pear into every facet of this dish to ultimately create a salad. Pear mixed with the greens, pear in the turkey mixture and pear in the dressing!

The recipe:

2 heads of baby bok choy
1 pear, skin removed, cut into 4 equal wedges

1/2 lemon
1tbsp + 1 tsp greek yogurt

4 oz. lean ground turkey
~1/2 in. grated fresh ginger
1/3 c. onion, chopped
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp. dried parsley
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
Salt and Pepper to taste

Optional: A few crumbled walnuts

Begin by washing the baby bok choy and cutting into manageable bites, probably about 1 inch wide. Next, cut the pear into 4 pieces and sqeeze a little lemon juice over the slices to prevent browning. Cut one slice into long strips, chop once slice, dice one slice and enjoy the last one as a snack while you cook.

Add some cooking spray to a pan and sautee the ground turkey, ginger and onion over low-med heat. After about 2 minutes add soy sauce, dried parsley, garlic poweder, salt and pepper to the pan. Next add in the chopped 1/4 pear. Mix as necessary and until the turkey is done, but be sure not to overcook or you might risk drying it out.

Next add the diced pear to a mini chopper with some lemon juice (probably about 1 tsp). Turn on the chopper to puree, which won't take long, given the small quantity. Add in the greek yogurt and mix in the chopper again for about 10 seconds.

Plate the bok choy with the long slices of pear, add the cooked turkey mixture and top with dressing.

Now I would be lying if I told you I ate this right then and there. As difficult as it was, I was able to resist consumption until the next day for lunch. As a packing tip, the yogurt dressing actually added a nice moisture to the turkey come the next day so I would advise setting it a tupperware container so that the dressing more or less sits on the turkey. Also, a few walnuts crumbled up was a nice touch to finish off the salad.