A Full Measure of Happiness

Taco Turkey Burgers

May 17, 2012

My favorite thing ever is when I am sitting at work thinking about what I want to eat for dinner (it’s sad, really, how often I think about my meals ahead of time) and I realize that I have exactly the right ingredients to make something that I imagined up.

That happened today, and it was glorious.

I had a pound (well, a little less) of ground turkey, spinach, tomato, half an avocado, cheddar cheese, and four hamburger buns. Combined with a little Greek yogurt and chili powder, and a taco turkey burger was born.

Taco Turkey Burgers (makes four burgers)

3/4 lb ground turkey
1 t chili powder
1/2 t cumin
1/2 t salt
1/2 ripe avocado
2 T plain Greek yogurt (I used nonfat)
burger toppings: we used cheddar cheese, spinach, and tomato slices

Start by seasoning the meat while the grill preheats. Combine the turkey, chili powder, cumin, and salt, and mix until well combined. Shape into four patties and set aside.

Squash the avocado into a small bowl (yep, “squash” is the technical cooking term)–I use the back of a big spoon. Once it’s creamy and yummy, add the Greek yogurt and mix well.

This is the delicious avocado cream that will make what could be a dry turkey burger taste like delicious, juicy, taco heaven. Well, that and the cheese.

Grill the burgers until cooked through, then top with the cheese, avocado cream, and all those other accoutrements. I prefer to toast the buns whenever I eat burgers, but that’s up to you.

You could just as easily make this with ground beef or chicken–turkey is just what I had in the fridge. Super delicious, super satisfying.

Equally as delicious: Fritz.

Isn’t he just so gosh-darn handsome?

Here’s some other pictures from over the weekend–it’s our three year wedding anniversary coming up in a few weeks, and I’m happy to report that one very bad cat, many torturous nights of studying, many thousands of dollars in school loans, two apartments, and a whole food blog later, I still love the guy.

How could you not?

Tomorrow is Friday!!

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Happy Mother’s Day

May 14, 2012

by Lauren Zietsman

May 14, 2012

Mother’s? Mothers’?

Anyway, I hope you had a happy one.

There are three major mothers in my life:

1). Mine. Basically everything I hope to grow up to be, in the end. If you know my mom, it’s pretty obvious why.

Pretty obvious even if you don’t know her.

2) My sister, Erin. She is celebrating her first ever Mother’s Day as a mom. And an amazing one, at that.

3) Fritz’s mom, Tharrie. Amongst all those horror stories of horrifying mother-in-laws, I lucked out. She is always inspiring and encouraging.

And I hope she doesn’t mind me saying this, but she has been working incredibly hard and getting into amazing shape in the last few months–I almost didn’t recognize her at the airport!

Seriously.

Fritz and I were lucky enough to spend this weekend with his parents and his sister, and we decided to go out east to the wineries, the beaches, the farms (and the local asparagus!), and the cute shopping towns.

Sometimes I love living on Long Island, and today was one of those days.

How did you celebrate Mother’s Day?

I love you, Mee-Maw!!

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Asparagus and Goat Cheese Risotto

May 10, 2012

by Lauren Zietsman

May 10, 2012

I love when asparagus is in season. Because that means spring and sunshine (occasionally) and sweatshirts and my last chance to make hearty winter dishes before full-on summer hits and all I can think about eating are cold salads and frozen fruits and grilled meats.

So as one (of many, I’m sure) last hurrahs, here’s a hearty and delicious risotto that celebrates asparagus…and my affinity for all things goat cheese.

Asparagus and Goat Cheese Risotto (serves 6 as a side)

1 T butter (I use unsalted but either would work)
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 C arborio rice
5-6 C chicken broth (I used 4 C broth and 2 C water to manage the salt a little)
2-3 oz goat cheese
1 bunch asparagus

Start off by roasting the asparagus. Snap off the bottom of each stalk where it naturally wants to separate (just bend it until the tough part pops off) and place them on a baking sheet lightly sprayed with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and roast on the middle rack of a 350 degree oven until tender, about 15 minutes. Once they are done, set aside to cool until handleable, then chop into 1″ pieces.

To get ready for the risotto, bring the broth to a boil in a saucepan and reduce heat to medium to simmer. You’ll spoon the hot broth 1/2 C at a time into the rice to make the risotto–and it really does have to be hot!

In a large pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat and sauté the onions and garlic until they soften. Add the rice and stir, letting it toast for 30 seconds or so.

Start adding the broth 1/2 C at a time–once the first ladle full is absorbed by the rice, give it a stir and add another. You don’t want to stir the rice nonstop, but you do have to do it every few minutes to make sure the rice cooks evenly. The first few spoonfuls of broth will get absorbed quickly, then it will start to slow down–and it’s better to add less, since you can always add more but you can’t take it away!

The rice is done cooking when it looks thick and creamy but is still a little al dente in the middle–it shouldn’t be mushy. Take the rice off the heat and let it rest for a minute or two, then stir in the goat cheese and the asparagus.

If it feels too “dry” at this point, you can add another spoonful of broth and mix it right in.

The goat cheese definitely took this to the next level. I would have added white wine, too (substituted for a bit of the broth), but all of our current stash is too sweet! Someone has been drinking all the dry whites around here…

(…and that someone may or may not be me).

If you don’t like asparagus, you could substitute (or add) any vegetable that you do like–peas or mushrooms would both be great in this recipe.

And if for some crazy weird reason you don’t like goat cheese, you can use Parmesan instead. But if you don’t like goat cheese, you are also missing out on some of life’s finest tangy dairy and you may want to seek professional help.

This is definitely a nice hearty side dish, so you may want to serve it with a salad or something light instead of another (God forbid) starch.

I’m off to go take care of a rapidly evolving migraine (meaning–I’m gonna go to bed and hope it goes away!), but I hope you guys are all planning some amazing Mothers’ Day brunches and desserts and cocktail hours that I get to hear about after the weekend!

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Lightened Up! Broccoli and Cheddar Soup

May 8, 2012

by Lauren Zietsman

May 8, 2012

You guys know by now how I feel about soup. And if you don’t–well, I freakin’ love it. I’d have soup for every meal if I wasn’t concerned that my teeth would fall out if I never used ‘em.

Plus I like to crunch things every once in a while. And I guess I would want to have separate elements on my plate every once in a while.

Okay, so I’d definitely never eat soup for every meal. But I still like it a lot.

Here’s a ridiculously tasty and satisfying recipe for you for a good old broccoli and cheddar soup. I never liked that smelly green soup growing up, so it was easy for me to take the inspiration and change it significantly without feeling like I was messing with a classic. A few substitutions for high-calorie ingredients, plus a lot of additions to up the flavor makes this a soup that even a green-soup hater or a health freak can love.

Broccoli and Cheddar Soup (Lightened Up!)

1/2 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 C chopped leeks (I used frozen leeks–new product for me from Trader Joes!)
1/2 C carrots, peeled and chopped
4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1 large bunch broccoli, diced
6 C chicken broth
2 C skim milk
3 oz extra sharp cheddar cheese
3-4 T flour
1/8 t ground nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

Follow a basic soup recipe for this one: in a light sprinkle of canola oil over medium-high heat, add the onions, garlic, leeks, and carrots to a large soup pot and allow them to sweat until they begin to soften. Add the potatoes, broccoli, and chicken broth, turn the heat down to medium and cover, simmering until the potatoes and broccoli are tender, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, toast the flour in a small saucepan for 30 seconds or so over medium heat, then add the milk slowly, stirring until a nice “roux” (okay, not officially a roux, but close) is formed. Add the cheddar cheese and stir until the sauce thickens and the cheese melts, 3-5 minutes.

Combine the cheese sauce into the veggie base and stir. Either use an immersion blender (one of the best kitchen tools ever) or blend the soup in a blender (do about a third at a time) until it is smooth. I left the soup with some chunks and pieces of veggies left just to make it a bit more enjoyable to eat.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

The secret to this soup is to use extra sharp cheddar–little will go a long way to flavor this soup. You can (and probably should) top the soup with some extra cheddar, too.

I really thought this soup was great–it was hearty, but you are seriously eating a giant bowl of vegetables. The potatoes help to make this taste nice and creamy without having to use heavy cream, and the other vegetables keep it from tasting like a giant spoonful of blended broccoli.

Also, I found this picture from before we moved and it made me laugh. A lot.

I’ll try to take some pictures of the apartment tomorrow, now that we have the place mostly set up. If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram, you’ve already seen most of it.

Have a good night!

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Basic Honey and Nut Granola

May 6, 2012

by Lauren Zietsman

May 6, 2012

I rarely make granola at home, because:

I can’t stop eating the ingredients when I am putting it together;
I can’t stop eating the soft and chewy clusters during baking;
I can’t stop eating the crunchy, slowly cooling clusters once they are done baking; and
Whatever I don’t eat only lasts a day or two once Fritz gets his hands on it.

As you can see, there may or may not be a willpower (or lack thereof) issue going on here.

A classmate of Fritz’s did us a huge favor last weekend by letting us borrow his truck, so I had promised treats in the form of cake or cookies. He requested something healthier, so I decided there’s no better treat than granola, chock full of the good stuff.

This is a basic granola recipe that you can change however you want by adding different mix-ins after you finish baking and cooling the clusters.

And it turns out that when you make granola with a purpose, you can set aside a big jar! Makes me think that I should tell myself that each batch has to last a week, and give making it for us another try.

Basic Honey and Nut Granola (adapted slightly from Oh She Glows)

dry ingredients

2 1/2 C raw oats (I used old-fashioned)
1 C raw almonds, roughly chopped
1/2 C raw walnuts, chopped
1/2 C raw sunflower seeds
2 T ground flaxseed
1/3 C sweetened coconut flakes
1 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t salt

wet ingredients

4 T honey
1 T canola oil
3 T agave nectar
2 T peanut butter
1/3 C brown sugar

mix ins

1 C raisins–could also add pumpkin seeds, craisins, or whatever strikes your fancy

To make: preheat the oven to 300 degrees. In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and set aside. In a small saucepan, bring the wet ingredients to a boil, the reduce heat to low and simmer for 5-7 minutes. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry (it’ll be thick and difficult to stir at first!) and make sure to mix everything thoroughly.

Spread onto a baking sheet covered with a nonstick mat or parchment paper, and bake for 30-40 minutes, stirring every fifteen minutes to make sure it all bakes evenly.

Remove to cool–it will harden as it cools, not during baking. It’s okay that the granola is still soft right when you take it out of the oven! It’ll get crispy as it cools.

Once it cools, break it into pieces if it hasn’t broken up yet, and mix in the raisins. Store in a large airtight jar or plastic container for up to a few weeks…but it won’t last that long.

An important thing to note: this granola does not taste like peanut butter! You wouldn’t know it was in there unless I told you–it just adds a nice saltiness to everything.

Also, make sure that all the nuts you use are raw, otherwise they’ll probably burn as you bake them.

I loved how dark and crunchy everything got–it tasted amazing mixed in yogurt with banana (my breakfast) or in a big bowl with milk (Fritz’s dinner part 1). Perfectly sweet with a hint of salty and maximum crunch.

Even Henry likes it.

We’ve finished up with the majority of our side of things on the apartment: I made curtains, we hung shelves, and Fritz put some final touches on the place. Now the landlord has to do his side of things: mainly put a ceiling on our laundry room. I’ve seen Henry disappear into the ceiling and it makes me very nervous!

When he’s not sneaking around our heads M:I-V style, or swiping granola, he’s sitting on the windowsill having the time of his life:

He loves the new place, that’s for sure.

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Cajun Coffee Dry Rub

May 4, 2012

by Lauren Zietsman

May 4, 2012

Could it possibly be true…could I be blogging for the second day in a row?! The heavens rejoice and I am feeling so excited to have my kitchen fully unpacked, only a few small projects to do, and to have my camera back out and in action!

It’s amazing how quickly I got used to not blogging, and how it feels weird to start thinking about it again every time I want to bake or cook. It feels good to be back, though. Cathartic. Yummy.

Note to self: whipping together a late-night giant batch of cookies (chocolate snicker doodles) to “test the oven” only works if you manage to bake them, rather than just eating most of the dough and having a belly ache the next morning.

I’m trying to stop using “stress” and “moving” as excuses to eat whatever I want, whenever I want. Time to get back on the lean and green bandwagon and try limiting myself to, you know, three cookies a day instead of six.

Starting with pork chops!

I threw together this dry rub quickly so that Fritz could grill the pork chops and corn while I figured out what to do with some green beans and pine nuts (answer: butter).

Cajun Coffee Dry Rub

1/4 C finely ground coffee
1/4 C Cajun spice mix (we happened to have a premixed spice–if you don’t, try using a combination of any of these: chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt, and pepper together with a little cayenne for heat)

Combine and store in a glass or plastic container.

To use, dry the meat with a paper towel (we made two big pork chops) and rub the seasoning directly onto all surfaces of the meat. Grill over high heat for a few minutes on each side. Take off the grill, cover with foil, and allow to rest for a few minutes minutes to finish cooking.

By the way, I was talking with a few coworkers about cooking (one of our favorite topics at the clinic) and as of 2011, the Department of Agriculture cooking regulations dropped the “safe internal temperature” of pork from 160 degrees to 145 degrees–meaning your pork can safely be tender and pink in the middle.

I had always thought that to be safe, pork had to be cooked to whiteness through and through (still true of ground pork), but it tasted mighty fine to have a nicely pink and juicy chop without worrying about trichinosis or E. coli.

Not that I worry much about foodborne pathogens in general, but still. Some of you might!

Anyway, enough of that.

The coffee Cajun rub was delicious! I love a good dry rub–it really added a salty and tasty crust that was more Cajun than coffee.

It also blackened beautifully.

Do you eat pork cooked medium or are you still well-done people?

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Banana Bread Green Monster

May 3, 2012

by Lauren Zietsman

May 3, 2012

Oh, hey guys. Remember me?

I’m so excited to announce that we are officially moved into our new apartment–it’s definitely not my dream home, but it has a dishwasher, washer and dryer, nicer kitchen appliances, a big closet to house my ~~shopping addiction~~ clothes, and a little more room to wander around in. Meaning that our kitchen, living room, and dining room are not one room as it was in our last apartment.

In fact, I sometimes catch Fritz wandering around looking for me like a little lost child. Not sure how he will handle a move to a big-boy house.

Anyway, we are still waiting for the landlord to hook up the internet (hopefully this weekend) so I get it in the whole house and not just in our dining room. Now that the kitchen is all unpacked, the internet is partially good to go, and I’ve been grocery shopping–the blogging can make triumphant return.

Pictures of the apartment to come in the future. Until then, since I went for a few days eating pizza and almost no vegetables, I started craving green monsters hard core…and thought of a new one!

Banana Bread Green Monster (serves two…or one very thirsty lady)

1 ripe banana, frozen (peel before freezing!)
1 C milk
2 handfuls spinach leaves (I use fresh)
1/4 C walnuts
1/4 C oats
sprinkle of cinnamon

My first though upon making this was, “how the heck have I never thought of this before?!”

So delicious!

Combine the ingredients in your blender, light stuff on bottom (spinach, oats, cinnamon, walnuts), heavy stuff on top (banana–and ice, if you use it), and pour the milk over the top.

Blend the heck out of it until it’s nice and smooth.

Gosh, I’ve missed green monsters. It feels so good to have the kitchen set up again!

This one tastes just slightly nutty from the walnuts and the oats, and was very filling. Best part was how banana-bready it tasted!

You could add some ground flaxseed, too, or vanilla, or whatever else makes you think of banana bread.

Try not to kiss your blender.

For your viewing pleasure, some pictures of our pre-move–when Henry would hide in boxes and leap out to attack people. People meaning Fritz.

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Creamy Coffee Ice Cream

April 26, 2012

by Lauren Zietsman

April 26, 2012

First off, sorry that I’ve been MIA from the blog world (again). I really miss it, but between my new clinical (and all the studying that comes with it) along with the impending move (this Saturday!), I’ve been really super busy. I definitely miss blogging more regularly and I can’t wait to get back into the swing of things once this move is over.

I can’t promise that’ll be next week though–but hopefully really soon!

Anyway, I had a bunch of egg yolks sitting in the fridge leftover from when I needed six egg whites for another recipe.

My only thought: ice cream.

I keep the bowl of my ice cream maker in the freezer so I can make frozen yogurt, ice cream, or sorbet at a moment’s notice. You never know when the mood may strike!

Fritz requested coffee ice cream, and I was happy to oblige.

Creamy Coffee Ice Cream (adapted from The Little Epicurean)

2 C heavy cream
1 C milk (I used 2%)
2 T granulated sugar
1/3 C whole coffee beans
6 egg yolks
1/4 C granulated sugar
1 t ground coffee
1 t vanilla extract

We always keep whole coffee beans around, because we don’t drink coffee very often (one or two times a week) and don’t mind grinding the beans fresh every time in a little coffee grinder my mom gave me.

In a medium pot, bring the cream, milk, and 2 T sugar to a boil. Microwave the coffee beans for 30 seconds, then add them into the pot.

Let the coffee beans steep for at least 30 minutes.

I could have taken pictures of this all day. Isn’t it so beautiful? And the taste of coffee-infused sweet cream…um. Yeah. Try not to taste this too many times.

Strain the beans out and throw them away. Return the coffee cream to the pot and slowly bring back to a boil.

While the cream is reheating, combine the yolks and the 1/4 C sugar in a medium bowl, whisking in the sugar.

Once the cream is hot, remove from the heat, and slowly add to the egg mixture, 1/4 C at a time. I had to recruit Fritz for a second so I could take a picture of this–that’s not my man hand, don’t worry.

When all the yolk is added, return the entire mixture to the pot. SLOWLY heat the mixture over low heat until it just starts to thicken, stirring constantly.

I did this step way too fast, and ended up breaking the custard just enough to have a little off texture once it froze. Don’t be like me. Have patience, and don’t try to clean your cupboards while your carefully constructed custard scrambles over medium heat.

I stirred it up enough to disguise it a bit–it should look like this on the surface, but in reality be much smoother and probably a little less thick. Add the vanilla and ground coffee, just for a little added flavor boost and texture.

Put the custard in the fridge to cool. Once it’s cool, you can stick it in the ice cream maker to freeze.

Hello, you beautiful thing, you.

This is where you can see that the texture of my ice cream is a bit off. Having made custard ice creams before, I can assure you that you can do this better than I did. I also returned this ice cream straight to the freezer after taking these pictures to continue freezing to a better consistency.

I meant to take more pictures, but it got dark.

And we ate it all by the next day.

The flavor of this ice cream was amazing–perfect amount of coffee taste, with a sweet and rich custard base that’ll make you swoon.

I’ll definitely be making this again.

Meanwhile, Henry will be enjoying the last few days of his ultimate playland–cardboard boxes all over for him to hide in and peer out of:

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Italian Breadstick Popcorn

April 22, 2012

by Lauren Zietsman

April 22, 2012

This popcorn reminds me of some savory bread you have to start off a meal in a cozy Italian restaurant.

Except it’s popcorn, so it takes about fifteen minutes to make from start to finish. That, and it’s a grain, so there’s quite a bit less guilt when it comes to eating a bowl of freshly popped and healthily seasoned popcorn than a stack of white bread slathered in butter.

Not that I have anything against butter. Quite the contrary; however, I do have to maintain my girlish figure, you know, so I gotta keep it to a minimum.

Gosh, that was so much punctuation in one sentence. Way too much, upon review–but I figured I’d leave it in so you can have a little giggle when you look back at it (if you are the grammar-lovin’ type). My mind works in frequently interrupted run-on sentences, so I often find myself struggling to construct proper (or even barely acceptable) English.

There I go again.

What was I talking about?

Italian Breadstick Popcorn (adapted from this website)

2/3 C unpopped popcorn (or two bags unflavored popped popcorn)
spray or mist olive oil
3 T rosemary, ground (I used a mortar and pestle to be quick)
1/2 t garlic powder
black pepper and salt to taste

This recipe is one of those standard “season-taste-reseason” recipes–it’s really up to you and your palate.

First, pop the popcorn. I use a Whirly Pop with a small amount of canola oil (way less than they suggest, which works perfectly every time), but you could just use a bag of unflavored popcorn, too.

Mist the popped popcorn with olive oil (you can be generous with the spray, since it’s not dousing the kernels) and top with the herbs. I started with about 1 T rosemary and a few abundant shakes of garlic, pepper, and salt.

Give it a nice toss and add a bit more seasoning as you taste. I really wanted to get the rosemary flavor in there, so I added a lot more rosemary and a bit more S&P.

If the seasonings aren’t sticking well, add a bit more oil and re-toss. Keep in mind that the herbs may fall to the bottom of the bowl, so scoop around there before adding more.

This savory popcorn disappeared much faster than the peanut butter fudge popcorn, which both surprised me and…didn’t. I like a sweet and decadent popcorn as much as the next girl, but light and salty popcorn is so addicting.

And much healthier!

Are you a sweet snacker or a salty snacker? I admittedly will have either, but I definitely find myself craving sweet before salty!

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Chicken Fingers with Homemade Honey Mustard Sauce

April 21, 2012

by Lauren Zietsman

April 21, 2012

This recipe is really all about the sauce. You can dip whatever the heck you want in it.

‘Specially since it’s not bad for you! Guilt free dippin’ sauce for whatever you feel like dippin’.

Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

1/2 C plain Greek yogurt (mine was actually European-style yogurt, but either would work)
4 T mustard–I used two tablespoons sweet mustard and two of spicy mustard, trying to use up those lingering bottom-scraper condiments.
1-2 T honey

Start with the yogurt.

Stir in mustard.

Stir in honey.

I know. It sounds weird and ridiculous.

Not any more ridiculous than all the recipes I looked at for honey mustard that used 1/2 C mayonnaise as the base.

Um, no thanks.

I hate mayonnaise. I can only stomach it in small quantities in egg or chicken salad, but other than that–yeecch. I also have to wash my hands a thousand times after touching mayonnaise because the oily smell and feel make me want to die a long, slow death involving rock salt and a grapefruit spoon.

Okay, that was a bit much.

Anyway, I’m not a big fan of mayonnaise and still found this honey mustard sauce to be a really nice combination of sweet and spicy without being overly sweet.

Taste and adjust the sauce as you want–a bit more honey if you want it a bit sweeter; more mustard if you want more of a kick. You could add in a little horseradish, garlic powder, or whatever you want to make it your own.

I thought the basic recipe was just perfect.

Fritz, who is a self-proclaimed mustard hater, said it “wasn’t bad” and actually ate some with the chicken fingers I made for dinner, even though I offered barbecue sauce as a substitute.

And speaking of chicken fingers, here’s my quick-and-easy version:

Breaded Chicken Fingers

3 lbs chicken breast
1 egg, beaten
3-4 T flour
1/2 C breadcrumbs, seasoned with your favorite herbs and salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

I started with a package of Gold’n Plump chicken that was sent to me free of charge for a review. I used their pre-seasoned lemon pepper flavor. The chicken was tender and a nice size for these chicken fingers, but I was not a fan of their marinade. Too garlicky and fake lemony for my taste.

Slice the chicken breasts into thin strips (“fingers”, if you will), then coat with flour, dip into the egg, and cover with breadcrumbs.