Arugula Turkey Burgers & Sweet Potato Fries

Clearly I have been pretty absent here lately. There was a nice long trip to Mexico to revel in and now the extra QT with the babes to make up for the lost time, so the blog has not gotten the love. But I wanted to share this quick recipe that was so delicious before you all thought I fell off a cliff. I know that grilling in the winter seems insane to us with highs in the single digits, but there is always a grill pan in your house (or just tell the hubs to bundle up). Use it and remember those easy summer days that are (hopefully!) not too far away. We try to go bun less when we are watching what we eat, but these fantastically crispy sweet potato oven fries make it feel as if nothing is missing. 

Arugula Turkey Burgers

Imperfect Polish 2015

serves 4-6

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1.5 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tablespoon salt 

2 teaspoons pepper

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 eggs

Tabasco or hot sauce to taste 

1/4 cup panko bread crumbs (sub regular bread crumbs if you want)

2 minced garlic cloves

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 cup fresh arugula (baby arugula fine or even spinach)

2 lbs ground turkey

In a large bowl, combine lightly with a fork everything except the turkey. Next, work in the turkey with the fork and your hands until well combined. Use a light hand so the burgers do not get tough. Form the burgers into the size desired. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to the day before. 

When ready to eat, heat a grill or grill pan to medium high heat. (spray with cooking spray if using a grill pan) Grill each burger until cooked through (cooking times vary depending on size, but if firm to the touch it is probably done). Let rest for a few minutes, then serve warm. 

Crispy Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Imperfect Polish 2015

serves 4-6

4-6 sweet potatoes

olive oil

tablespoon corn starch

1 teaspoon pepper

2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)

1 teaspoon onion powder (optional)

1 teaspoon brown sugar (optional)

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 

Cut the sweet potatoes into fries about 1/4 inch thick. Toss on a few baking sheets trying not to crowd the fries so they get crisp. Combine all of the spices in a small bowl and set aside. Drizzle enough olive oil on the fries to coat well, then sprinkle with the spices. Toss with clean hands until everything is coated well. Bake until crispy, about 25 minutes. Turning over with a spatula once to twice. 

Enjoy! 

xo

Erin 

Orecchiette with Sausage, Corn, and Chilies

There are not a ton of pasta recipes that make since in the summer that you serve warm, but this one has al fresco night dinner written all over it. The recipe is an interesting mix of Mexican and Italian flavored that really turned out lovely. I wish I could take credit for this creativity, but Martha strikes again. This is also delicious as leftovers for lunch the next day. The market did not have orecchiette that day, but bow tie was just as good. 

Orecchiette with Sausage, Corn, and Chilies

Martha Stewart Living, June 2013

serves 4 to 6

Salt and Pepper

1 lb orecchiette pasta

8 oz sweet Italian sausage, casings removed

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 to 3 jalapeño or Fresno chilies, deseeded, very thinly sliced (keep some seeds if you like more heat)

4 1/2 cups fresh yellow corn kernels (from about 6 ears)

sour cream, for serving

fresh chopped cilantro, for serving

1. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, and then drain pasta. 

2. Meanwhile, cook sausage in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, stirring to break up into bite size pieces, until golden brown and cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer sausage to a plate; drain fat from skillet. Add butter to skillet, scraping up brown bits with a wooden spoon. Add chills and cook, stirring occasionally, 1 minute. Add corn and continue to cook until corn turns a deeper yellow and chilies are softened, about 2 minutes. Return sausage to pan along with pasta and toss to combine, adding enough pasta water to form a smooth sauce that coats the pasta. Season with salt and pepper, and serve with sour cream and cilantro. 

Enjoy! 

Erin 

Smokey Lentil Soup with Turkey Sausage

I am pretty sure that you think all I eat is soup. But I can't help but share another recipe that is on heavy rotation. Especially after the gluttony of Thanksgiving. This Smokey Lentil Soup with Turkey Sausage is not a new recipe. I have shared before on Forks & Amusement. It deserves a re-post. There are a ton of vegetables and the lentils keep the soup hearty, but healthy. I love the smokey flavor the chipotles give this dish, which makes it so different from most lentil soups. If you want to keep it vegetarian, you can keep out the sausage. Turkey sausage works well, but I have also used fresh kielbasa and sweet Italian sausage for delicious results. 

Smokey Lentil Soup with Turkey Sausage

forks & amusement 2010

serves 8-10

1 1/2 cups lentils

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 onions, chopped

3 leeks, rinsed well, chopped, whites only

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 large turkey sausage links, casings removed

4 carrots, small dice

4 celery stalks, small dice


salt and pepper

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped

4 canned chipotle peppers, deseeded, chopped

2 1/2 tablespoons adobo sauce (what chipotles are canned 

in)

8 cups chicken stock

grated Parmesan cheese

Place lentils in a large bowl, pour in enough boiling water  

to cover them and wrap top with plastic wrap. Let sit for 15 

minutes. Repeat. Then drain.

Meanwhile, in a large pot heat up 1 tablespoon of the olive

oil over medium heat and add in the onion and leek. Saute 

until they are beginning to become translucent, then add 

the garlic. Cook for 30 seconds, then add in the sausage.

 Brown the sausage with the vegetables, breaking up the 

meat with the back of a wooden spoon. Continue to cook 

and break it up until cooked through. Remove pot from heat 

and pour meat mixture into a bowl.

Return pot to the stove over medium heat and add the 

other tablespoon of oil. Once it is hot, add the carrot and 

celery. Cook the vegetables until they are just beginning to

 soften, stirring often. Add in the salt and pepper (to taste), 

cumin, thyme, chipotle and adobo sauce. Stir well and add 

the meat mixture back in the pot. Add the lentils and 

combine well, cooking for just a couple of minutes. Add the

 stock and bring soup to a boil.

Lower heat to low and allow to simmer for 30 minutes or 

until lentils are softened and cooked through. Taste soup 

for seasoning and adjust as needed. Serve in bowls with 

grated Parmesan on top.

Peanut Sesame Spaghetti Squash

We have a pretty serious Thai and Chinese take out schedule around here. And though it is always enjoyed, you can't erase the guilt. So I set out to make at least one of our favorite dishes in a much less caloric way. This side dish is creamy, nutty, spicy and feels indulgent. The perfect combination so you can enjoy it anytime you are craving take out. Or at least the night that your favorite place is closed. 

Peanut Sesame Spaghetti Squash
Forks & Amusement 2012
makes 4 side dishes

1 spaghetti squash, halved and seeds scooped out
1 tablespoon sesame seed oil
1 clove of garlic, minced very fine or smashed to a paste
1 tablespoon peanut oil or olive oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
chili garlic sauce or Sriracha to taste (I like 1 tablespoon for heat) 
2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
Optional: if you use natural peanut butter, 1/2 tablespoon agave nectar or honey
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Roast spaghetti squash in a 375 degree oven for 30-45 minutes until just tender and you can rake a fork through the strands. Remove the strands of the squash and place in a large bowl. Set aside to come to room temperature or chill in the fridge. 

Meanwhile, place all of the rest of the ingredients, except the cilantro in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Taste and adjust for any seasoning or additional splashes of ingredients. 

Once squash has cooled, toss the dressing with the squash to coat evenly. You may not need all of the dressing depending how large your squash is. Sprinkle the cilantro over the squash and serve at room temperature or chilled. 

Spicy Sausage Soup with Potatoes & Kale

This is an example of a Pinterest success. 

How many recipes have you pinned and how many have you actually made? On top of that, how many have actually turned out good? 

After getting confirmation from my fellow culinary friend who I pinned this recipe from that this soup was delicious, I made a huge pot and dove in. 

Creamy, spicy, hearty, and cheesy, make this soup this week. You will not be disappointed. 

Tuscan Spicy Sausage Soup with Potatoes and Kale
adapted from this recipe
serves 4

4 slices bacon, diced
1 lb ground hot Italian sausage
1 large yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups (32 oz) chicken stock
3 cups russet potatoes, cubed
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 cups kale, in bite size pieces
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Parmesan cheese, grated

In a large pot, cook the bacon until crispy. Drain the grease. Add the sausage, breaking it apart as it cooks. Once sausage is browned and crumbled, drain off grease leaving a tbsp to saute the onion.

Push the sausage and bacon to the edge of the pot and add the onion to the center; saute until translucent; add garlic; saute until fragrant.

Stir in the stock and potatoes, season with salt and pepper, and simmer for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are just tender.

Add kale and heavy whipping cream. Bring to a simmer. Top with Parmesan cheese, when serving.

Enjoy! 

xo

Erin 

Chorizo, Kale & White Bean Soup

The best season to cook has arrived. Cold weather stews, soups, and one pot meals are all I can think about making these days. Not to mention it makes dinner so easy and the days following with leftovers. This spicy little number is starch free, packed with protein, and every one's favorite super food, kale. Kale is so hot right now, right? If you are over kale, you can use spinach instead. You could also use any sausage you like if you are not into chorizo (you are missing out). 

Chorizo, Kale & White Bean Soup
Forks & Amusement 2012
serves 8-10 (can be halved easily)

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 lbs chorizo or any sausage you like
1 large onion, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 - 15 oz cans of white beans (cannellini or navy)
1 cup white wine
2 lbs kale, roughly chopped (frozen or fresh spinach works too)
2 1/2 quarts chicken stock (10 cups)
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon sherry or balsamic vinegar
optional: Parmesan cheese for topping

Place a very large pot over medium high heat and add the oil. Cook the chorizo until browned and cooked through. Turn off the heat, remove the chorizo onto a plate lined with paper towels to drain. 

Turn heat back to medium high, add the onion and carrot. Saute the vegetables until tender, add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. 

Add the beans to the pot and cook until heated through, stirring it all together. Pour in the wine and cook until reduced by half, scraping the bottom of the pot and stirring. Stir in the kale, season with salt and pepper. 

Pour in the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for ten minutes. Skim off any extra oil on top of the soup. Turn off the heat, add the vinegar and taste. Adjust seasoning if needed. Serve warm with grated Parmesan cheese. 

Freezes really well. 

xo
Erin