Grab your pesto because you need to make these Pesto Turkey Meatballs as. soon. as. possible! I got the idea for these meatballs from a Hello Fresh box Matt and I got a couple months ago. Usually I already have our meals planned out, but every once and a while we will order one of those meal prep boxes to switch it up. The inspirational meal was pesto turkey burgers. It basically only used pesto to flavor the ground turkey, but I was shocked when the burgers were juicy and so flavorful. I decided to take that concept and create Pesto Turkey Meatballs.

Since I made first these, we’ve eaten them right from the oven, reheated in the microwave and even baked from frozen. Every time they taste so damn good! Ground turkey can tend to be dry, but the basil pesto keeps the meatballs incredibly moist, while also imparting a strong garlic, herb and Parmesan flavor. I added a little olive oil to the ground turkey mixture because I wanted to make sure they would be moist enough.

I love that once you make a bunch they are such a quick and easy meal. I included instructions for freezing them in the recipe below. As delicious as these Pesto Turkey Meatballs are, I need to talk about this Lemon Cauliflower Rice. As you all know, I’m obsessed with lemon and it pairs really well with pesto. Remember way back when to the Kale and Walnut Pesto Pasta with Lemon Shrimp?

I wanted to keep the meal healthy and veggie-centric so I decided to use cauliflower rice. How awesome is it that you can get frozen or fresh riced cauliflower (and other veggies!) in pretty much every grocery store now? It is such a healthy and fun way to switch up your usual meals. The Lemon Cauliflower Rice is so simple it’s ridiculous, but like a super addictive and flavorful ridiculous. You sauté garlic and the riced cauliflower together then stir in lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Done!

I served these with some steamed broccoli and it was definitely two nights of silent dinner – also known as we didn’t say anything because we were too busy stuffing our faces!

Baked Pesto Turkey Meatballs over Lemon Cauliflower Rice

 

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Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

for the pesto turkey meatballs

• 16 ounces ground turkey
• ¼ cup basil pesto
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

for the lemon cauliflower rice

• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 16 ounces riced cauliflower, about 4 cups
• ½ lemon, zested
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper

Directions

for the pesto turkey meatballs

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking pan with nonstick aluminum foil or spray with nonstick spray. Set aside.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the ground turkey, pesto, olive oil, salt and pepper. Try not to over-mix. Form the mixture into 16 meatballs and place on the prepared baking sheet. I like to divide the mixture in the bowl into 4 sections, then make 4 even-sized meatballs out of each section. Bake for 20 minutes or until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Serve over the cauliflower rice with steamed broccoli.

for the lemon cauliflower rice

1. Mince the garlic. Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the riced cauliflower and cook until almost tender. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Stir to combine and remove from the heat when the cauliflower rice is tender.

Notes

This is what I did to freeze the meatballs. I lined a small baking sheet that would fit in my freezer with wax paper. Then I formed the meatballs and placed them on the prepared baking sheet. Put them in the freezer and leave them in there until they harden then remove and put them all into a freezer bag. I baked them right from frozen and just added a couple minutes onto the baking time. Just temp them and make sure they reach 165 degrees F.
You can use fresh or frozen riced cauliflower for this recipe. I used the Trader Joe’s frozen riced cauliflower.

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Lauren Uncategorized 2 Comments

Happy Wednesday everyone! Can you believe we’re halfway through August? Ah, I shouldn’t have even brought it up! Where did the summer go? I bet if I look at my past summer posts I probably said the same thing, but it still shocks me every year. To cheer us all up I’m sharing these flavor-packed and crunchy Southwest Turkey Baked Egg Rolls with an Avocado Dipping Sauce.

When I first made these, Matt and I were so hooked that I made them three weeks in row. That never happens! The egg rolls also got prettier each week as I had more practicing wrapping them. I also got a lot quicker at putting them together; it’s a lot more simple than you would think. I walk you through it in the directions, but if you get the Nasoya brand egg roll wrappers they have a diagram on the back of the package for how to wrap them up.

The ground turkey, corn and spinach filling for these Southwest Turkey Baked Egg Rolls is packed with spices that give it a smoky taste. They aren’t spicy since I don’t like spicy foods, but you could certainly amp up the chili powder if you preferred. The can of diced green chiles is key because it adds depth of flavor and also liquid to keep the ground turkey extra moist. I usually grab a bunch every time I’m at Trader Joe’s. You can use pepper jack cheese if you want a little more heat or if you prefer them more mild like me than you could use shredded Monterey Jack cheese.

Either way, they get baked for eight minutes on each side and when the egg rolls come out they are crispy, crunchy and ready to be dipped in my simple avocado dipping sauce. It’s basically a quick homemade guacamole that has been thinned out to make it a prime time egg roll dipping sauce.

We usually eat these Southwest Turkey Baked Egg Rolls as a meal with a salad or some stir-fried snap peas, but they would also be so good as a party appetizer. If you’re going to make them as an appetizer you should definitely double the recipe because they will be gone fast!

Southwest Turkey Baked Egg Rolls with an Avocado Dipping Sauce

 

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Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

for the egg rolls

• 8 ounces 93% lean ground turkey
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup chopped onion
• ⅓ cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1 garlic cove, minced
• 1 can diced green chiles, about 4.25 ounces
• 5 ounces fresh spinach
• ¼ cup corn kernels
• 2 tablespoons sliced scallions
• ¾ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• Pinch of chili powder
• 12 egg roll wrappers, see note
• ¾ cup shredded pepper jack or Monterey jack cheese

for the avocado dipping sauce

• 1 avocado, cut open and pitted
• ⅓ cup water
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• Salt and pepper

Directions

for the egg rolls

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with nonstick aluminum foil or coat with cooking spray and set aside.
2. Coat a medium skillet with cooking spray then heat over medium-high heat. Add the ground turkey and the salt and cook until it’s almost done browning, about 3 minutes. Break apart the ground turkey with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula as it cooks and browns. Add the onion, bell pepper and garlic then cook until the onion and pepper is a little tender, about 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and add the can of green chiles, spinach, corn, cumin, smoked paprika and chili powder. Stir and continue to cook for about 3-4 minutes, or until the liquid has evaporated and the spinach is wilted. Remove from the heat and let cool a little.
3. Before filling the egg roll wrappers, make sure you have a little bowl or cup of warm water and a clean work surface. Place the egg roll wrapper down so that a corner is facing you. Scoop 3 tablespoons of the turkey mixture and place it near the bottom corner of the wrapper. I like to adjust the mixture so it’s more of a log shape then a big mound. Place a tablespoon of the shredded cheese on top. Take the bottom corner of the wrapper and fold it up and over the mixture so it’s completely covering it then continue to roll it one more time. Fold in the left and right corners so they create a little envelope then continue to roll it until it’s 1 roll away from the top corner. Wet your finger with the water and use it to moisten the whole exposed top corner. Fold the corner down to close up and seal the roll. Place it on the baking sheet. Repeat for the remaining rolls then coat all the rolls with cooking spray.
4. Bake the rolls for 8 minutes, then flip them over and bake for another 8 minutes. They should be crispy and golden brown. Serve warm with the dipping sauce.

for the avocado dipping sauce

1. In a high-speed blender, combine the avocado flesh, water, lemon juice and garlic powder. Blend until combined, about 40 seconds. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Notes

I use Nasoya egg rolls wrappers. I find them in the refrigerated section of my grocery store near the hummus and guacamole.

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Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments

You know this is a quick and easy recipe since it’s from the “10-Minutes Meals” section of my Cook This, Not That! cookbook! Now, I’ve never accomplished this meal in quite that short of a time frame before, but it’s still a fast meal to whip up. I got this little cookbook the year after I graduated college and I cooked about 13 different meals from it for Matt and I that year.

Whenever I get asked about my favorite cookbook I always laugh and mention Cook This, Not That! It’s such a little cookbook and it’s not by any celebrity chef, but I’ve actually cooked a fair amount of recipes from it and they’ve always been really good! In fact, one of my favorite go-to meals, whether it’s just Matt and I or we’re having company, is this Chicken Cordon Bleu from the cookbook. I’ve never made these Sesame Peanut Noodles with Chicken for company, but I make them for Matt and I as make-ahead lunches or dinners whenever we are in the mood for an Asian noodle fix.

The sauce is creamy, tangy and super peanut-ty. I’m obsessed with peanut butter, like most people without nut allergies, so I love that the peanut taste really comes through here. Every time I make it I just want to start pouring it on everything! And by everything I mean on food items so I can then eat them, not covering items in my house with peanut sauce for no reason. I don’t know why I said no reason, I don’t think there would ever be a reason you would cover household items with peanut sauce, but anyways I’m getting sidetracked here!

I throw in sautéed chicken, broccoli, red bell peppers and snow peas, but you could switch it up with whatever protein and vegetables you would prefer. This would be so good with some flank steak, peppers, onions and asparagus – yum! You can also use whatever type of pasta you prefer; I like using long noodles for this, but sometimes I switch up the type of long noodle and use brown rice noodles or whatever else is in my pantry.

The chopped peanuts, toasted sesame seeds and scallions on top add the perfect amount of crunch and texture to this dish. Okay, just describing these Sesame Peanut Noodles with Chicken has made me start craving them so I guess I need to make them again soon! I hope you all enjoy!

Sesame Peanut Noodles with Chicken

 

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Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 8 ounces linguine pasta
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts or tenders
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 cup snow peas, trimmed
• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• 3 tablespoons peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1½ tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil, plus more for noodles
• Chopped peanuts, toasted sesame seeds and scallions for topping

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta. When there’s 5 minutes left on the pasta, add the broccoli florets. Drain the pasta and broccoli together then toss with a little sesame oil and a little rice wine vinegar in a large bowl to keep the pasta from sticking. If you don’t have rice wine vinegar just a little sesame oil is fine.
2. While the water is coming to a boil, start the chicken and veggies. Cut the chicken into thin slices then cut in half if the pieces are too long.
3. Sauté the chicken in the olive oil on medium high heat until almost browned. Season the chicken with a little salt and pepper right after putting it in the pan. Add the bell pepper and snow peas. Cook until the bell pepper is tender and the chicken is browned then remove from the heat.
4. In a small microwave safe bowl, add the lime juice, peanut butter, water, soy sauce and sesame oil. Microwave for 45 seconds and then whisk or stir until combined. Pour over the noodles and broccoli and toss to coat. Add the cooked chicken and veggies then toss to combine. Top with the chopped peanuts, toasted sesame seeds and scallions, if desired.

Notes

I usually use Jif creamy peanut butter for this recipe. I find the natural peanut butters tend to separate and not mix as well when I cook or bake with them. I haven’t tried this specific recipe with natural peanut butter so if you do give it a shot let us know how it worked!
This recipe accounts for 2 ounces of pasta per person, which is the FDA’s recommended serving size. If you are used to larger pasta portions you can certainly use more! The dish is loaded with chicken and veggies though so we find the dish filling as is.

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Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments

Has anyone else been obsessed with strawberries this season? I got hooked on baking with them after I made the Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Muffins. That prompted me to bake the Beet Donuts with a Strawberry Rhubarb Brown Butter Glaze and I even made strawberry rhubarb white chocolate chip cookies. The cookies were purely for eating, not blog purposes, but comment below if you want the recipe!

Not to mention the large amounts of fresh strawberries Matt and I have consumed so far this summer. I had not done any savory cooking with them though and that needed to change! Enter these Mini Strawberry Balsamic Pizzas with Chicken and Sweet Onion. To say Matt and I loved these mini flatbread pizzas is an understatement. Matt proclaimed he would be okay eating these naan pizzas every night and I would have to agree.

We need to dive into these pizzas layer by layer to truly appreciate how much deliciousness I’ve snuck in there for you. First, the base is naan flatbread. Naan is similar to pita bread, but softer and fluffier. I like using naan for this recipe because then everyone can have their own little pizzas and all the work of dealing with fresh dough has already been done for you. Easy! If you don’t have naan at your store you could always use pitas or pizza dough.

Next, these pizzas don’t have marinara sauce, pesto or garlic oil. They have something even better – fresh strawberry balsamic spread! This is the only “cooking” part of the recipe and it couldn’t be more simple. Finely chopped strawberries are combined with some honey and balsamic then you let them sit for 15-20 minutes. This is called macerating the berries and letting them sit out with sugar (in our case, honey) releases their juices and softens the strawberries. Once their macerated, you mash them together and ta-da! Strawberry balsamic spread. Look at the strawberry balsamic spread!

The acidity from the balsamic balances out the sweetness of the berries and honey making it the perfect base for our other toppings. Next up we have chicken and sweet onion. I used grilled chicken, but you could use rotisserie chicken if you prefer. Chicken pairs well with the strawberries and the onions get nicely softened, which mellows their taste, in the oven. Classic mozzarella is the cheese of choice for these pizzas along with just the right amount of goat cheese to add some extra flavor pockets without overpowering the whole pizza.

I wanted these pizzas to really scream strawberry so in addition to the sweet and tart strawberry spread, we also have fresh sliced strawberries nestled into the melty mozzarella. Finally, a drizzle of balsamic glaze and sprinkling of fresh basil to finish the pizzas off once they’re out of the oven. Even though I just took a long time to break down these pizzas – sorry I’m just so excited! – they are incredibly simple to whip up making them ideal for lazy summer nights. I hope you try these soon and make sure to let me know in the comments below if you try them!

Mini Strawberry Balsamic Pizzas with Chicken & Sweet Onions

 

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Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients

• ¼ cup finely chopped strawberries
• 1 teaspoon honey
• ½ teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 2 naan flatbreads
• ½ cup chopped cooked chicken (either grilled or rotisserie)
• ⅓ small sweet onion, sliced thin
• ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons shredded mozzarella
• ½ cup sliced strawberries
• 1 ounce goat cheese
• Chopped basil, for topping
• Balsamic glaze, for topping

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In a shallow bowl, stir together the chopped strawberries, honey and balsamic vinegar. Let sit for 15-20 minutes to let the strawberries soften and release their juices. Once the strawberries have softened, mash with a potato masher and stir together.
3. Place the naan flatbreads on a baking sheet. Divide the mashed strawberry topping between the two pizzas. Spread the strawberry mixture out, leaving a small border on each pizza for the crust. Top each pizza with ¼ cup chopped chicken and half of the sliced onion.
4. Top each pizza with ¼ cup of the shredded mozzarella, sprinkling over the chicken and onion. Then top each pizza with ¼ cup of the sliced strawberries. Crumble the goat cheese over the strawberries, dividing between the two pizzas, and sprinkle on the remaining mozzarella as well. Bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the crust is browning.
5. When the pizzas are out of the oven, top with the chopped basil and balsamic glaze before serving.

Notes

You can find balsamic glaze in the grocery store. If you want to make your own: combine ½ cup good quality balsamic vinegar with 2 tablespoons brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer until the mixture is reduced by half, about 10 minutes. The glaze should be thick and syrupy. Let cool before serving. Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

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Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments

I’m back with another healthy make ahead lunch or dinner recipe for you! It is much needed after Monday’s Elote Hot Dog, right? Those hot dogs were so good, but food like that is a treat for Matt and I. Most weeks, lunches and dinners consist of meals like these Sheet Pan Chicken Fajita Bowls. Many people think healthy is boring, but that’s only if you let it be boring! You all know I’m obsessed with food so I would never eat healthy every day if it meant sacrificing flavor.

Let me break down these bowls for you. Chicken tenders, red bell pepper and onion get tossed in a simple yet flavor-packed seasoning mix. I find it to taste more earthy and smoky than spicy, but if you like spicy food you can definitely increase the amount of chili powder. It then all gets baked at the same temperature on the same sheet pan.

Grains get layered on the bottom of the bowl, topped with the cooked chicken and veggies, black beans, avocado mashed with lime juice and garlic powder. That’s it!

If you notice in the photos that two of the fajita bowls are missing their black beans that is because Matt does not like them. Everyone is all about “doing it for the gram” these days, but I would just rather everyone like and enjoy their food!

Matt and I have been cooking fajita chicken and veggies over rice for dinner since we first started cooking together. Once we discovered the Seeds of Change brown rice and quinoa microwavable packets we started having this meal nonstop because the rice quinoa packets are so easy and crazy good. No, this is not an ad, we are just long-term obsessed! I have been able to find these packets at almost every grocery store I’ve been in, including Costco.

If you would prefer to make plain brown rice or quinoa I would definitely season it a bit. You could even try a different grain, I’ve been into barley lately, or substitute in some sweet potatoes – yum! Now I’m thinking about how I could roast sweet potatoes wedges on the same pan as the chicken and veggies – keeping that one in mind for later! No matter how you customize your Sheet Pan Chicken Fajita Bowls, after one bite you will making this one on repeat!

Sheet Pan Chicken Fajita Bowls

 

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Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

for the chicken

• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken tenderloins
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 small onion
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
• Pinch chili powder
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

for the rice bowl

• 2 small avocados
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 cups Seeds of Change Brown Rice & Quinoa with Garlic
• 1 cup black beans
• 1 lime, for garnish

Directions

for the chicken

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a half sheet baking sheet with nonstick aluminum foil or spray with nonstick spray and set aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine the paprika, garlic powder, ground cumin, salt, pepper and chili powder. I don’t like spicy foods so if you like yours more spicy, add more chili powder. Just be sure to taste it so you don’t over-spice it.
3. Cut the chicken tenders in half. If they are really wide, you might need to also cut them in half lengthwise so they aren’t too big (see my photos for reference of how big mine were). Cut the bell pepper and the onion into slices. You don’t want the slices too thin of they will overcook. Add the chicken, bell pepper slices and onion slices to a medium mixing bowl. Add the olive oil then toss to combine. Add the spice mixture then toss to coat. Place the seasoned chicken and veggies on the prepared baking sheet and spread them out so they’re touching as little as possible. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the chicken reads an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.

for the rice bowl

1. Put the avocado flesh in a small mixing bowl. Mash with a fork then season with the lime juice and garlic powder. Season with salt and pepper, adding more lime juice or garlic powder as needed. Stir to combine.
2. To plate the dish, give each bowl ½ cup of the rice and ¼ cup of the black beans. Divide the chicken, veggies and mashed avocado between the 4 bowls. Garnish with a lime wedge.

Notes

We love the Seeds of Change Brown Rice & Quinoa with Garlic in my house. It’s microwavable, packed with flavor and I can find it at most stores. If you want to use your own cooked brown rice or quinoa plan for 2 cups cooked total, or ½ cup per serving. You might also want to season the rice or quinoa since I have only tried this dish with the seasoned Seeds of Change packets.

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Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments