Spicy Super Bowl Turkey Sliders

Tried this last night with cabbage leaves instead of slider buns.  Just added a dollop of organic ketchup, dill pickle, and Dijon mustard.  Didn't even miss the buns. We love the heat and used cabbage instead of buns to cut carbs and were very happy with the results! Leave out the jalapenos if you don't like the heat.

Ingredients:
1 lb. 99% fat free ground turkey
1 cup grated vegan cheese alternative (jalapeno almond or Daiya jalapeno shreds work well)
3 cloves crushed garlic
1 tbsp Mrs. Dash chipotle
1 tsp ground pepper
(Optional) small can of diced jalapenos, drained
Canola oil
Several cabbage leaves (cut the toughest part of the spine off)


Directions:
Separate cabbage leaves by running cold water over the leafy edge.  Mix together ground turkey, vegan cheese, garlic, spices, and jalapenos.  Shape mixture into 3-inch patties. Saute' patties in oil on both sides until browned.  Serve with condiments, pickles, tomatoes, etc.

New Year's Soup

Happy New Year!

I published this a while back but it's a new year and I've revised it a bit.

My grandmother Florence was from the South and every New Year's Day she made sure we were equipped for the New Year with a healthy, good-luck tradition.  We always ate black-eyed peas and collard greens with ham for good luck on New Year's Day.  The greens symbolize prosperity and the peas symbolize good health.  Since we can't eat ham anymore in our family, I have substituted Tofurky which is an awesome Vegan sausage.

15 oz. can organic black-eyed peas or cook dry beans according to package instructions
32 oz. vegetable or chicken broth
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves finely diced garlic
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes
1 tbsp. fresh chopped herbs, e.g. parsley, thyme, oregano
1 bunch rinsed and chopped collard greens
1 diced Tofurky Sausage
2 tsps. balsamic vinegar
*1-3 tsp. hot pepper sauce, optional- if you want a little heat!
Salt/Pepper to taste
1 tbsp. grape seed oil

Saute onions, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and Tofurky sausage in oil, set aside.  In stock pot, add black-eyed peas, broth, collard greens, vinegar, and herbs.  Add sauteed ingredients to stock pot.  Simmer for about 30 minutes or until greens are soft.  Add salt and pepper to taste. Serves 6-8.

Tofurky Italian Sausages are just one of the products made by Turtle Island Foods.  Check out their website to look at their products.

http://www.tofurky.com/

Cedar Plank Honey-Peppered Salmon with Rosemary

Can't decide which of my salmon recipes I like best!  Sometimes it's this one!

Ingredients:
4 salmon filets
3 cloves finely chopped garlic
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsps rice wine vinegar
2 tsps. black pepper
1 tbsp ancho chili powder
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary

Directions:
Two hours before grilling, place cedar plank in water.  Mix ingredients for marinade together.  About an hour before cooking, place salmon in marinade, skin side up so the marinade soaks into the meat. I remove the skin because I like the marinade to soak into both sides of the filet but not necessary.

To grill:
Place salmon on cedar plank. Set grill for indirect grilling and heat to medium high. Cove grill and cook  for about 20-25 minutes or until the internal temperature reads 135 degrees.

Stove top directions: In medium hot pan, saute' salmon approximately 3-4 minutes then flip over and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes until the meat is done-flaky but not too dry.

Chicken Curry Salad with Veganaise

For those of us who must refrain from foods with high cholesterol, Vegenaise is the absolute best option for a mayo substitute and we like it so much better than mayonnaise!  

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked chicken breast, chopped into small cubes

1/4 cup finely diced onion

1/2 cup seeded grapes cut into halves

1/2 cup chopped apple

1/2 cup Vegenaise

1-3 tsps curry powder (I like a lot of curry so adjust to your palate)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup chopped celery

1 tsp. coarse black pepper

Salt

Directions:

Mix ingredients together-serve on greens as a chicken salad or on toast for sandwiches.

*I've also used raisins instead of grapes in this recipe.

Turnips, Potatoes, and Greens

Every Saturday, we visit Guy Gillespie from On the Vine, LLC at Scottsdale's Pima Crossing Farmer's Market.  We call Guy the "Sam Malone" of Farmer's Markets.  He loves to chat, share his wife, Heather's awesome recipes, and sells fresh, beautiful produce!  Saturday, Guy gave us some turnips and threw down the gauntlet challenging us to come up with a recipe.  I have never cooked turnips so this was an experiment but I'm happy to say...Yum!

I did take some time to look at the health benefits of turnips and turnip greens.  Wow! Some of the benefits derived from turnips are: They are really high in calcium, low in sugar, a great antioxidant, has anti-inflammatory properties, and high in Vitamins C, E, and K...just to name a few.

For this recipe, I used both turnips and turnips greens so although it was easy, it was a 2 step process.

Turnips and Potatoes
Ingredients:
3-4 turnips peeled and quartered
3 medium red potatoes, diced into 1-inch cubes, do not peel
2 shallots, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed or finely diced
2 tbsp. canola oil
1 tbsp Mrs. Dash
2 tsps. paprika
Salt/Pepper

Directions:
Brown potatoes and shallots in oil, turn stove to low and cook for 10 minutes.  Add garlic, and turnips. Cook on low until turnips and potatoes are soft.  Season with Mrs. Dash, paprika, salt and pepper.

Turnip Greens
Ingredients:
2 bunches of turnip greens, washed and coarsely chopped, large stems removed
2 shallots, thinly sliced
1 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 cup toasted pecan or walnut pieces

Directions:
Saute' shallots in oil until they start to brown then turn off stove.  Add turnips greens and lemon juice to skillet.  Mix until the greens start to wilt- 1 minute or less. Try to preserve that beautiful green color of the greens.  It's so much better for you and looks more appetizing!

Mix the potato/turnip mixture with the greens and serve.  We served this recipe with honey peppered salmon.