Tuna Patties with Roasted Potatoes & Tartar Sauce

The tuna patties we made tonight were really yummy. I was skeptical about how they would turn out at first, but they ended up being quite tasty.

Tuna Patties
(from Simply Recipes)

2 6-ounce cans tuna
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 cup white bread torn into small pieces
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp water (or liquid from the cans of tuna)
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbsp chopped fresh chives, green onions, or shallots
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Several squirts of Sriracha
1 raw egg
olive oil spray

Drain the liquid from the tuna cans.

In a medium bowl, mix together the tuna, mustard, torn white bread, lemon zest, lemon juice, water, parsley, chives, and hot sauce. Sprinkle on salt and freshly ground black pepper. Taste the mixture before adding the egg to see if it needs more seasoning to your taste. Mix in the egg.

Divide the mixture into 4 parts. With each part, form into a ball and then flatten into a patty. Place onto a wax paper lined tray and chill for an hour. (We actually stuck these in the freezer for about 8 minutes, since we were in a hurry.)

Heat a skillet on medium high. Spray with olive oil spray, then gently place the patties in the pan, and cook until nicely browned, 3-4 minutes on each side.

We served ours with the suggested tartar sauce (recipe below) on buns for a tuna burger. Mike also roasted some potatoes with olive oil, salt, pepper, cumin, smoked paprika, zatar, and thyme. All in all, a very satisfying meal.

Tartar Sauce
(adapted from Simply Recipes)

1 cup Trader Joe's low fat mayonnaise
1/2 cup chopped bread and butter pickles
1 teaspoon capers, chopped
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons chopped shallots
2 Tbsp chopped scallions
2 teaspoons lemon juice
6 drops-ish of sriracha
pinch of chili powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix everything together in a bowl and voila!

Roasted tomato soup & grilled cheese sandwiches

Mike and I love grilled cheese and tomato soup. We've attempted several different grilled cheeses (all turned out deliciously - you can't go wrong with hot cheese and buttered toast), and a couple of different tomato soups (with mixed results). When I saw this recipe on Smitten Kitchen's blog, I wanted to leap with joy. Roasted garlic and tomatoes?! Molten cheddar cheese?!? I'm in. Especially since our farmer's market has been stocked with a plethora of cheap, super ripe tomatoes over the past couple of weeks.

Roasted Tomato Soup with Broiled Cheddar
(from Smitten Kitchen's recipe)

Soup

3 pounds plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large or 4 small cloves garlic, unpeeled
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves or 1/4 teaspoon dried
1/4 teaspoon (or more to taste) dried crushed red pepper
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock

Lid

4 1-inch slices from a large loaf of rye bread, whole wheat sourdough or bread of your choice (or 16 1-inch slices from a baguette), toasted until hard and lightly buttered on one side
1 tablespoon grated raw onion
1 cup coarsely grated cheddar (or more to taste)

For the soup: Preheat oven to 400°F. Wrap garlic cloves in a tight foil packet. Place tomatoes, cut side up, on large baking sheet. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper (I used 1 full teaspoon of Kosher salt). Drizzle tomatoes with olive oil. Add foil packet of garlic to tray. Roast until tomatoes are brown and tender (garlic will be very tender), about 1 hour. Cool slightly.

Unwrap garlic packet and peel cloves. Transfer cloves, tomatoes and any accumulated juices to a blender or food processor and pulse machine on and off until tomatoes are a chunky puree. Transfer tomatoes to medium pot and add thyme, crushed red pepper and stock and bring to a boil Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 25 minutes. Remove from heat and adjust seasonings to taste.

To make cheddar lid: Preheat oven to 350. Arrange four ovenproof soup bowls, crocks or large mugs on a large, foil-lined baking sheet. Stir grated onion into the warm soup. (I love this last-minute suggestion of onion.) Float toast slice(s) in each bowl, buttered side up and divide grated cheese generously over top. (If you’re using a wide bowl, you might find that you want more cheese to create a thick, broiled lid.) Bake soups on tray for 15 to 20 minutes, until cheese on top is bubbling and brown at the edges. Serve immediately.

Mexican Quinoa with Sausage, Beans and Pico de Gallo

This is a repeat of the mexican quinoa dish we made several months ago and really enjoyed. We wanted to add some more protein to the meal more filling so we quickly sauteed some andouille sausage from Trader Joes and added it on top as a garnish. We also sliced up some avacado and added it into the mix. This recipe is a definite keeper and we'll be making more of it in the future.

Mexican Baked Eggs

Tonight's recipe comes from one of my favorite blogs: Closet Cooking. This is a fairly standard tex-mex dish in that it resembles nothing authentically Mexican, yet incorporates all the ingredients that are commonly stereotyped as being south of the border. No matter the authenticity, this turned out pretty well and had some fantastic flavors to it. We served it over some roast potatoes I had baked in olive oil, salt, pepper, tons of minced garlic, and smoked paprika. For future meals we would add some more protein with some chicken sausage pieces to help make the dish even more filling.

Mexican Baked Eggs
(originally found on the Closet Cooking blog)

Serves 4

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1-2 tsp cumin
1-2 tsp chipotle chili powder
2 jalapeno peppers, seeds removed and diced
1 (28 oz) can of diced tomatoes
1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1-2 tsp oregano
1 handful of cilantro, chopped
4 eggs
Grated cheese (we used a reduced fat Mexican blend)

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Saute the onions in the oil over medium heat until soft. Add in the garlic, cumin, chipotle powder and jalapeno. Saute for a minute and stir in the tomatoes with their liquid and the black beans. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro and oregano.

Closet Cooking's blog entry actually forgot to include the oregano in the instructions, so I figured this would be the appropriate time/place to add them in. None of the blog comments mention the missing oregano, so I'm not sure what other people did. Oops!

Transfer half of the sauce to a baking dish (I used an 8x8 inch dish) and crack 4 eggs directly on top. Spoon the rest of the sauce around the eggs and bake 8-10 minutes, or until the eggs begin to set. Generously sprinkle cheese on top and broil until the cheese is super melty. The egg whites should be fully cooked at this point.

Mediterranean Chicken Stew

I subscribed to an unhealthy number of food blogs (or maybe it's the other way around) and I'm always excited to read their daily suggestions. Tonight's recipe came from The Kitchn (yes, it's lacking an e on purpose) and was appealing to me because of how good the recipe looked and how quickly it would be to cook it. Part of what makes the dish so quick to make is that the author created a shortcut by buying a pre-cooked chicken from the store and just tearing off chunks to be included in the stew. Brit makes an incredible roast chicken on her own, so I figured I would just ask her to cook a whole chicken for our meal instead of buying one from the store.

Mediterranean Chicken Stew
(Adapted from a recipe posted on The Kitchn food blog)

Serves 4

Olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp dried oregano
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 cup chicken broth
2 bay leaves
Black pepper
1/2 roast chicken, cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, coarsely chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice

Heat 1-2 tbsp olive oil in a large pot over medium heat and saute the onions until they are soft, about 7-8 minutes. Throw in the garlic and oregano and stir for another minute to prevent any burning. Toss in the tomatoes (with their liquid), chickpeas, broth, bay leaves, and pepper to taste. Stir, bring to a boil, and cook for 5 minutes. Add in the chicken pieces and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Remove the stew from the heat, stir in the olives and lemon juice, and serve!

We served our stew over some cinnamon couscous (as was originally recommended in the recipe) but only seasoned the grain with some olive oil, salt, pepper, and cinnamon. We did not include the recommended raisins and orange juice.

Overall, the stew was fantastic. Perfect weeknight meal and made some great leftovers. Just be careful not to get any pieces of the bay leaf or you'll end up choking on them or chewing for far too long. I'd add in some more olives and lemon juice the next time I make this and I'll definitely be making this again.

Turkey Burgers with Aioli and Roasted Potatoes

I love burgers. I would be lying if I said that I prefer turkey burgers over beef, but our healthier version definitely gives cows a run for their money. Tonight's were the juiciest we've made thus far - I think we've finally figured out the key. Mushrooms. Seriously, the mushrooms make for the juiciest turkey burgers around. And you can't even taste the mushroom flavor!! Which is why we made a topping out of the extras. 

Turkey Burgers with Aioli

For burgers:

1 lb ground turkey breast (very lean, almost fat free)
2 portobello mushroom caps, diced very small
1 small onion, diced small
4 cloves garlic, minced
handful parsley, chopped small
2-3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 tsp salt
black pepper to taste 

For mushroom topping:

1 pint baby bellas, sliced
1 small onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, sliced
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

2 slices melty cheese (we use TJ's reduced fat cheddar)
4 slices tomato
4 lettuce leaves (we prefer butterhead lettuce but any lettuce will do)
ketchup
mustard
buns

For Aioli:
(ingredients here)

For Potatoes:
(ingredients here)
 
In a medium bowl, combine all burger ingredients. I prefer to use my hands to make sure everything is well-mixed, and then I form them into patties by about a 1/2 cup-sized handful. Heat a large pan over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray, then lay the patties flat in the pan. Cook over medium heat for about 3 minutes, then flip the patties. Let them continue cooking for about 60 seconds, then add 1 cheese slice per patty and cover. After about 2 additional minutes, you will have cooked turkey patties with melty cheese.

In a separate medium sized pan over medium heat, add olive oil and heat until shimmering. Add the onion and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 1 additional minute. Add your mushrooms, saute for 2 minutes and then reduce the heat to medium-low. After the mushrooms have released almost all of their juices (3-4 additional minutes), add the Worcestershire, salt and pepper. Stir to coat the mushrooms. Cook for 2 additional minutes and then remove from heat. Set aside until you're ready to assemble the burgers.

Meanwhile, toast your buns. I like to add the aioli to the bottom part of the bun, then layer the patty, the mushrooms, tomato, lettuce and then add ketchup and mustard to the top bun.

Baked Tilapia with Tomatoes & Basil

Over the past week, and for the upcoming week, we have made (or planned to make) dishes that are mostly repeats of previously attempted recipes. I admit that I made the request that we revisit recipes so we can work on our technique, or embellish them or even just make something over again that we really really enjoyed.  

Tonight, it was the Baked Tilapia with Tomatoes & Basil. This time, we baked a whole quart of Roma tomatoes and a couple lemons instead of just 2 tablespoons' worth. 

We served this dish with herbed brown rice and steamed fresh green beans from the farmer's market. I love Saturdays!

Chickpeas and Charred Tomato Pasta

We whoopsied and waited too long to use the tomatoes we got from the farmer's market on Saturday - they ended up being gushy and moldy. TEAR! So we had to throw them out and improvise a little bit. We made the Chickpeas and Charred Tomato Pasta recipe again, but we were forced to make a few changes. 

Instead of a pint of cherry tomatoes, I charred a half of a regular tomato we had in the fridge. To supplement the flavor, we added 2 links of TJ's garlic chicken sausage and 1/2 of a diced onion to the charred tomato. Satisfied that the dish had been saved, we reverted back to the recipe and followed all the subsequent instructions.

As a topping, we steamed some broccoli and sprinkled it with salt and pepper. We also topped it with parmesan this time - I think it was a good, but not necessary, addition to the dish.

FISH TACOS! Plus fixins

Mike and I tried out several taco recipes this past summer (see here, here and here), and fish tacos were by far our favorites. We slowly determined what other elements were the best (in our humble opinions) from each rendition, and tonight we brought those elements together in holy taco perfection.

Fish Tacos with Avocado & Pico de Gallo

1 package corn tortillas
1 package frozen cod (from TJ's -3 to 4 filets), thawed

1 1/2 cups jasmine rice
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp cumin
2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tbsp salt
black pepper to taste
3 cups water

1 avocado, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 medium onion, finely chopped and divided
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped and divided
1 medium tomato, diced
1 medium jalapeno, diced
handful of cilantro, roughly chopped
juice of 1 lime

TJ's light Mexican cheese
TJ's light sour cream
cilantro for garnish

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Heat a medium pot on high heat for about 45 seconds. Add the olive oil - when it starts to shimmer, add the cumin, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Saute for about 30 seconds, then add the rice. Saute the rice until it starts to become translucent - about a minute. Pour the water over the rice (it should hiss at you as it hits the bottom of the pot). Wait for the rice to come to a boil, then stir it ONCE (this is key) to incorporate the spices, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for about 15 minutes or until all of the water has been absorbed. Do not stir.

Place the fish filets in a 9x13 baking dish and season both sides with salt and pepper (we also used some Goya seasoning, but all the fish really needs is a little salt to bring out the flavor). Place the pan in the oven and cook for 10-12 minutes, or until a knife is easily inserted into the thickest portion of the filets ("like butter," if you will). Remove from oven, slice the filets into bite-sized portions and set aside.

Bell peppers: Meanwhile, heat a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Add 1/3 of the onion and all of the bell pepper. Saute until softened - 5 - 8 minutes - then add the garlic. Continue to cook for about 2 additional minutes (just long enough for the garlic to release its flavor). Salt and pepper to taste, then remove from heat.

Pico de Gallo: Combine the tomatoes, the other 1/2 of the garlic, the remaining onion, the jalapeno and the cilantro in a medium bowl. Add lime juice, salt and pepper and stir to incorporate.

When all of the elements are complete and the rice is just about finished, heat a small pan over medium-high heat. Toast the tortillas for about 45 seconds on each side.

Prepare tacos. I like to layer it as follows, but feel free to vary as much as you like: Rice at the base, cheese layered on top for melting, then the fish, the bell peppers, the pico, the avocado, the sour cream and a little cilantro on top. NOMS!

I wish we had gotten pictures of the gargantuously delicious finished products, but alas we were so hungry we forgot until they were almost annihilated.

Saffron Risotto with Chicken Sausage and Collard Greens

My saffron risotto has always been a big hit for the two of us. I highly, highly, highly recommend this risotto if you're willing to take the time to make it right. It probably takes me 45 minutes just to make the risotto and you can't rush it or it won't turn out well. Risottos themselves aren't enough to be an entree, but when we supplement the dish with some protein and greens, it's an incredibly filling meal. Brit's grandmother had sent us a polenta recipe that involves a sausage and veggie topping, including onions, spinach, mushrooms, and more. We loved the topping and decided to incorporate that idea into the risotto.

I sliced up an onion and bell pepper and sauteed them until they were soft. I then added some sliced garlic chicken sausage, cooked until browned, mixed in a few cloves of minced garlic, and then finished it off by throwing in some sliced mushrooms. The whole thing was cooked until the mushrooms were done and set aside until the risotto was ready.

I had also tried cooking some collard greens the previous night with some sliced onion, minced garlic, and chicken stock. The problem was that I had not actually finished cooking them by the time we were ready to eat the meal. So, we saved the collard greens and finished cooking them for tonight's meal. We served the dish by placing the collard greens, sausage, and veggies on top of the risotto.

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Have you ever wanted to make a dish that appears so fancy, yet is actually quite simple? I occasionally like to try out a complicated dish just so I can improve my skills in the kitchen, but this is not that dish. This dish is easy. So incredibly easy. 

I had found this recipe last November while looking for Thanksgiving meal sides to make. I had printed the recipe out, stuck it in our horribly disorganized recipe binder, and nearly threw it out a week ago while telling Brit that I didn't think we would ever make it. I'm so glad she convinced me on the spot that not only would we make it at some point, but that we would be making it the following week.

Harvest-stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

(originally posted on The New York Times' 2010 Vegetarian Thanksgiving website)

serves 6 (we made 4)

1 onion, diced small

1 cup cashews

2 tbsp olive oil (plus more for brushing)

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup cooked brown rice

1 can lentils, drained and rinsed (this was actually an ordeal for me... let's not talk about it)

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

1/2 cup vegetable broth

1 tsp dried basil

1 tbsp thyme

6 portabello mushrooms, stems and gills removed (we used 4)

1 tomato, sliced thin (i'd now recommend 2 after making this dish)

salt

black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a skillet, saute the onion and cashews in the olive oil over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Once the onions are soft and brown add in the garlic and cook a few more minutes.

Combine the onion mixture with the rice, breadcrumbs, broth, basil, and thyme. Mix well and season again with salt and pepper to taste.

Brush both sides of the mushroom with a little olive oil and place top side down on a non-stick sprayed baking sheet. Use at least 1/2 cup of the stuffing to fill the mushroom cap. Layer a tomato slice on top and bake for 30 minutes until the mushroom is browned and releasing some juices.

YUM!

After making this dish, Brit suggests (and I highly agree) that at least two slices of tomato should be placed on top of the mushroom and stuffing mix. Also, place a slice of cheese on top of the tomato/stuffing/portabello goodness. DOUBLE YUM!

Roast Asparagus and Caramelized Mushroom Quesadillas with Goat Cheese

Last month we made a fantastic caramelized mushroom and asparagus quesadilla with goat cheese chevre. There are a lot of components to it, so it's not th easiest dish in the world, but it doesn't take all that long and the flavors are totally worth it. Sadly I do not have a picture, but I'm sure we'll make this one again in the near future.

I was a little zealous with the chipotle powder, which Brit's roommate Brooks definitely noticed (and appreciated!). Make sure the asparagus is really tender so you aren't biting into hard pieces in the asparagus. The best part of this dish is easily the goat cheese. I tried my best to cut the cheese into small pieces which were then randomly scattered around the quesadilla. The gooey, delicious surprise when one would bite into the goat cheese was the best part of this meal.

Greek Green Beans with Sausage in Tomato Sauce

I follow the Closet Cooking blog and frequently find recipes that look interesting and fun. This recipe photo caught my eye, the ingredients all looked delicious, and the instructions were very simple. Making the dish takes at least an hour, but it's well worth it.

Greek Green Beans with Chicken Sausage in Tomato Sauce
(adapted from Closet Cooking's Fasolakia recipe)

Serves 4

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped (double the original recipe)
2 large pinches red pepper flake
1/2 package TJs andouille chicken sausage, diced (our own modification)

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 lb. green beans, trimmed and cut into bit sized pieces
1/2 teaspoon oregano
Salt
Pepper
1 handful parsley, chopped
1 handful dill, chopped
1/2 cup feta, crumbled

Saute the onions in the olive oil over medium heat until soft. Add in the garlic and cook for another minute. Normally, you should add the red pepper flakes with the garlic, but I forgot to do so and added them later. Turn the heat down to medium-low and throw in the chicken sausage. Cook a few more minutes.

Mix in the diced tomatoes, green beans, oregon, the red pepper flakes previously forgotten, and salt and pepper to taste. Adjust the heat until the dish is simmering in the diced tomatoes juice and cook for 40 minutes or until the green beans are tender.

Remove from heat, mix in the dill and parsely, and serve garnished with feta cheese.

We served our dish over cous cous, which worked really well as the grain soaked up a lot of the liquid from the tomatoes. The dill gave a really great flavor to the dish and both the large portion of red pepper flakes and andouille sausage give it a nice heat.