MIA

So, since I started back teaching in August, I have been a bit absent from blogging and seriously I have been missing it!

So, I can't promise anything, but I am vowing to try and post something at least once a week! With the holidays approaching, I have plenty of craft projects going that I am excited to share!

Turkey Kofta & Quinoa Tabouli

These kofta kabobs are so flavorful, cheap and healthy! Using ground turkey instead of ground lamb or beef is light on your pocketbook and your waistline! I know, you are probably thinking, "how could turkey replace the delicious lamb?!" Believe it or not, there is so much flavor in these from all of the herbs and spices that you barely even taste the lamb if you use it, so it makes perfect sense to substitute it with the turkey!

I love serving this with tabouli because the lemony salad is so refreshing next to the spiciness of the kabobs. I usually use bulgar (a whole wheat kernel) as the base for my quinoa, but this time I decided to use quinoa instead. Quinoa is a South American grain-like crop and is one of the healthiest things you could ever put in your belly! It is a complete protein, so it has all of the essential amino acids residing within. It is mainly grown for its edible seeds and they are so adorable because when you cook them, they spiral out and look like little sea creatures!

Turkey Kofta Kabobs

Ingredients:

2 lbs. ground turkey

6 cloves garlic, minced

5 tablespoons onion, grated

4 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

1.5 teaspoons sea salt

1.5 tablespoons ground coriander

1.5 teaspoons ground cumin

1 tablespoon garam masala (use cinnamon if you don't have this spice in your cabinet)

1/2 teaspoon all spice

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:

Place all ingredients into a large bowl and fold together. Be careful not to "mash" or "squish" the meat together...you might be tempted to just throw the spatula down and mash it all together with your hands, but your kabobs will be juicier and tastier if you fold all of the ingredients together instead. Grab about two heaping tablespoons of the meat mixture (no need to measure, just eyeball) and form into a ball. Then roll back and forth between your palms to make a log shape. Place on the grates of your pre-oiled grill and grill for about 5 minutes per side. Your kabobs may take shorter or longer depending on your grill, but be careful not to overcook them or they will lost their lovely texture and yummy juices!

Quinoa Tabouli

Ingredients:

3 cups water

1.5 cups dry quinoa

pinch of salt

1/3 cup olive oil

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

juice from two lemons

1 large tomato, diced

1 medium cucumber, diced

1/2 cup red onion, chopped small

3 cups chopped fresh parsley

ground pepper to taste

Directions:

Bring water to boil and add pinch of salt. Add quinoa and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 15-20 minutes. Fluff quinoa with fork. Add remaining ingredients and stir together. Chill in refrigerator for at least one hour before serving to cool down and allow flavors to marry.

Pork Meatballs and Veggie Stirfry

I picked up some Hoisin sauce at the local Asian market last week because I had heard it mentioned by several tv chefs. Even though I had never tasted the stuff, I popped open the lid, gave it a good sniff and prepared my method of attack! Results? Delicious, rich, sweet, savory, and the perfect amount of spicy (which is a lot for me, so if you don't like the spice so much tone down or cut out the sirachi and red pepper flakes on the recipe).

Recipe

Ingredients:

2 bell peppers, julienned

1 medium red onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup sliced button mushrooms

1 cup frozen baby lima beans

1 tablespoon ginger root, minced

cooked Chinese pork meatballs (I picked mine up frozen at Asian market)

1 chicken bullion

1/2 cup water

1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon Sirachi sauce

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

olive oil for pan

Directions:

1. Drizzle just enough olive oil to cover the bottom of your wok, and place on medium heat. Sauté onions and garlic just enough to sweat them. Add chopped bell peppers, cooked meatballs, mushrooms, ginger root, and water. Continue to sauté for 5-10 minutes until everything is cooked through. Add baby limas and remaining ingredients and continue to cook for another 5 - 10 minutes. Cornstarch should help thicken up your sauce. I like to serve over thin spaghetti, but you can serve over rice if you prefer! Enjoy!

Basil Butter Dip & Hummus

I had some friends over this weekend and made these two delectable dipping treats!

The Basil butter is on the left and the Hummus is on the right (and isn't that funky Guam serving tray just about the funniest and oddest thing you've ever seen?! I came across it on a recent thrifting adventure and just couldn't pass it up!)

Basil Butter Recipe Hummus Recipe

Indgredients: Indgredients:

2-3 packed cups of fresh basil leaves 1 can chickpeas/garbanzo beans

1/2 stick of butter 1 clove of garlic

1 clove of garlic 2 tablespoons low fat sour cream

salt to taste 2 tablespoons lemon juice

healthy drizzle of olive oil

salt to taste

*1 tablespoon of tahini paste

With both dips, you can just place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smoothe. Serve with crackers (I love triscuits) or slice up a nice French baguette!

*If you have tahini paste, it adds a very authentic taste to the hummus, but trust me it will be good enough to devour without it. When I make "specialty" hummus dips by adding roasted red pepper

Coconut Cream Pie

When you think of a diner, what do you think of? Pie, of course! My favorite pie is coconut cream pie. I mean, pecan pie. Oh, and I love pumpkin pie. Blueberry cream pie is good too. Ok, so maybe I can't pick a favorite; but this coconut cream pie is delicious!

Recipe

Ingredients:

2 eggs

3 cups half & half

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 7 oz. package coconut flake, toasted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 9 inch pie shell, pre-baked

1 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed

Directions:

1. Combine eggs, half & half, sugar, flour, and salt in a medium sized saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir with a whisk constantly (this is important so nothing sticks to the bottom and burns). After all ingredients are combined and sauce thickens a little bit (right after boiling), remove from hear and add 3/4 of toasted coconut.
2. Pour sauce into pre-baked pie shell and chill for 1-2 hours.
3. Top with whipped cream and remaining toasted coconut
4. Dig in!

Keep Calm and Carry On!

Art of the Day

In 1939, at the beginning of World War II, the British government released a poster that stated "Keep Calm and Carry On." They did this in an attempt to raise morale in case of an invasion. The image is classic and simple. I love it! The message is positive and the image itself is recognizable by pretty much any hipster. Funnier still is how many variations on the phrase exist now. People have plugged every imaginable phrase into the popular image. What would phrase would you plug in?

Chalkboard Paint Fun

Chalkboard paint is so much fun to play with. It takes something we all remember and love-chalkboards-and allows you turn virtually anything into one! You can buy chalkboard paint in spray paint form or in a can. I suggest using the can for larger projects and the spray paint for larger projects. I found a quart paint can of the stuff for about $15 and the spray paint kind for around $4. Check your local hardware store.

You can paint almost any surface with it from glass, to wood, to metal. I had some metal sheets cut at a laser cuter and made some chalk boards that are magnetic (I used a grinder to get texture on the edges).

I also spray-painted some left over paint stirs I picked up for free at the hardware store and turned them into garden stakes.

You can tape of an area off on a jar or cannister with blue painter's tape and spray with chalkboard paint. You end up with a storage container that you can erase and re-label at your convenience!