Turkey burgers, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and zucchini noodles have bad reputations because they’ve tasted horrible or they have a notorious history. Either way, many refuse to give these ingredients a shot. Here are some new ways to prepare these ingredients that will result in happy taste buds.
SNACKS
Banana Cake Cookies – We couldn’t wait on these to cool before tasting because they smelled so good! Slather with a bit of almond butter for another layer of deliciousness!!
DINNERS
Greek Turkey Burgers with Tzatziki Sauce & Creamy Coleslaw – A staple meal in our house. In my experience, traditional grocery stores tend to carry ground turkey that is gamey and less than appetizing. Opt for a higher quality ground turkey, ideally organic, to allow the feta and olive to take center stage. If you are in a rush, skip the tzatziki sauce and top your burgers with coleslaw. While a different flavor altogether, it gives it a delicious creamy crunch that hits the spot too!
Brussels Sprouts Cranberry Quinoa Salad & Chicken Sausage – I know, I know, you “hate” Brussels Sprouts. This time, they are shredded and served as salad greens. That traditional overcooked, stinky, and mushy thing is nonexistent. My original intent was to serve the chicken sausage on the side. However, at the last minute, I decided to slice it and throw it in the salad. Outcome: Great success.
Pan Seared Chicken with Lemon & Garlic Roasted Broccoli – Start with a good quality organic chicken breast, pound it out so it’s even, season it well, and presto! Served with roasted broccoli that is slightly crunchy and garlicky with a hint of lemon and cheese and dinner is ready in a flash.
Lemon Zoodles with Artichokes & Chicken Sausage – Zucchini should be organic if it’s to be eaten. That didn’t happen this week b/c the grocery store didn’t have any. So, I used non-organic zucchini [the horror, I know!!] I don’t make a habit of it, but on occasion, it happens. As for the recipe itself, within two bites, the hubs requested that it “be on the rotation.” My little, one who typically despises zoodles, agreed. That is sayin’ something.
Hope something makes your belly smile…
(Smartphone users: scroll to the bottom of the screen to sign up for weekly recipe emails from We Eat For Real).
Greek Turkey Burgers with Tzatkiki Sauce & Creamy Coleslaw
Adapted from Tablespoon 
Burger Ingredients
4 T. jarred olive tapenade
1 lb. ground turkey ½ c. crumbled feta cheese, halved
sea salt/pepper
Optional Ingredients
100% whole wheat pita pockets or whole wheat burger buns
Mint leaves, whole (optional sandwich topping)
Organic kale or other greens (optional sandwich topping)
Red onion, thinly slice (optional sandwich topping)
Directions: In a small bowl, use your hands to mix together the olive tapenade, ground turkey, ¼ c. feta cheese, and salt/pepper. Form into four patties. Pan sear on medium heat (approximately 6 minutes per side). After flipping, top with the remaining feta cheese. Allow to rest a few minutes after cooking to seal in the juices. Serve with any or all of the above sandwich toppings.
Tip: Push a thumb print into one side of each patty before pan searing. This will prevent them from rising too high.
Tzatziki Sauce Ingredients (optional)
1 (6-ounce container) organic plain Greek yogurt
1/2 c. organic cucumber, finely diced
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 T. fresh lemon juice
sea salt, freshly ground pepper
Directions: In a small bowl, add all ingredients and stir. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Creamy Coleslaw
Adapted from Eat Clean Diet
Ingredients
1/4 c. organic mayonnaise
1/4 c. organic plain Greek yogurt
1 T. honey
1 T. white vinegar (alternatives: red wine vinegar or apple cider)
1 T. fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 t. sea salt
fresh ground black pepper
4 c. shredded cabbage
1/2 c. shredded organic carrot
Directions: In a serving bowl, whisk together mayo, yogurt, honey, vinegar, lemon juice, sea salt, and pepper. Stir in the shredded cabbage and carrots. Taste and season with salt/pepper, if needed. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Tip: The longer you refrigerate, the better it gets. You can even make it a day ahead of time.
Brussels Sprouts Cranberry Quinoa Salad & Chicken Sausage
Adapted from Gimme Some Oven
Salad Ingredients
1 lb. Brussels sprouts, rinsed and ends trimmed, then sliced using a food processor (or by hand)
2 c. cooked quinoa
1 c. dried organic cranberries (check ingredients for added preservatives and sugar – sometimes organic sugar cannot be avoided)
2/3 c. slivered almonds, (toasting optional)
1/3 c. feta, roughly shredded
Orange vinaigrette (see below)
1 pkg. preservative free chicken sausage
Directions: Cook the quinoa according to package directions.
In a large skillet heated to medium heat, add the chicken sausage.
Prepare the vinaigrette and set aside.
Once the quinoa and chicken sausage are underway, slice the Brussels sprouts in the food processor. To a large serving bowl, add the Brussels sprouts along with the cranberries, almonds, and feta.
Once the chicken sausage is fully cooked, allow to cool slightly before slicing. Add the chicken sausage along with the quinoa. Top the salad with the orange vinaigrette, and give it all a gentle stir. Season with salt/pepper to taste.
Orange Vinaigrette
1/4 c. freshly-squeezed orange juice
1/4 c. olive oil
2 T. apple cider vinegar
Pinch of sea salt and pepper
Directions: Add all ingredients to a container with a lid and shake vigorously.
Pan Seared Chicken with Lemon & Garlic Roasted Broccoli
Preparation timing tips: First, preheat the oven and warm the skillet. Then, prepare the broccoli. Once the broccoli is in the oven, prepare the chicken.
Lemon & Garlic Roasted Broccoli
Ingredients
1 bunch of broccoli, florets cut off with a knife (or pulled off by hand)
2-3 T. olive oil
salt/pepper to taste
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
Grated Parmesan cheese (topping)
Fresh lemon juice (topping)
Directions: Preheat oven to 425 degrees (bake setting, NOT convection).
In large bowl, toss the broccoli, olive oil, salt/pepper, & garlic. Arrange in a single layer on parchment paper or a foil lined baking sheet. Roast for about 20 minutes (at 10 minutes, flip the veggies over with a spatula). Remove from the oven and sprinkle with cheese and freshly squeezed lemon. Serve immediately.
Pan Seared Chicken
Ingredients
2-3 organic chicken breasts
Sea salt, freshly ground
Black pepper, freshly ground
½ T. Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute (alternative: another dry, preservative free poultry seasoning)
½ t. or less olive oil
Directions: Heat a skillet to near medium heat. Pound out the chicken so its thickness is even to ensure even cooking. Sprinkle both sides with salt/pepper and the dry seasoning. Coat the bottom of the skillet with olive oil, giving the pan a swirl or two around. Place the chicken breasts on the pan (do not move around once placed). Approximately 7 minutes later, flip the chicken in the skillet. Notice how far up the side of the breast it is cooked. If the color change is about ½ of the way, you can estimate it will likely take about the same amount of time on the flipped side. Ideally, the chicken is flipped only one time in the skillet. Never ever cut into the chicken while cooking to see if it’s done. All of the juices run out and the result is dry chicken. Once the chicken has cooked on both sides, remove it from the heat and allow it to rest for several minutes before cutting.
Lemon Zoodles with Artichokes & Chicken Sausage
Adapted from Inspiralized
Artichokes Ingredients
1 can halved artichokes, drained, patted thoroughly dry
1 T. extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and pepper, to taste
1 garlic clove, minced
Pasta Ingredients
3 medium organic zucchinis, stems chop to remove
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
1/8 to ¼ t. red pepper flakes, depending on your desired level of heat
3 garlic cloves, minced
½ lemon, juiced
¼ c. grated Parmesan cheese
Sea salt/ black pepper, freshly cracked
Directions: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees (bake setting, NOT convection). In a mixing bowl, gently stir the artichokes, olive oil, salt/pepper, and garlic. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. Spread the artichokes in a single layer. Bake for 20 minutes, flipping with a spatula 10 minutes into roasting.
Once the artichokes are roasting, use a Spiralizer or other gadget to create zucchini noodles (a.k.a. zoodles).
Warm two large skillets to near medium heat.
In one skillet, add the chicken sausage. Turn it every so often to brown slightly on all sides. Once cooked, remove from heat and cover.
In the second skillet, add the olive oil, red pepper flakes, and garlic. Stir and allow to saute until the garlic is fragrant (about a minute). Reduce the skillet heat a bit and add the zoodles. Use tongs to gently turn the zoodles over and over to coat evenly with the olive oil mixture. Add the roasted artichokes and gently toss. Squeeze the lemon juice over the zoodles and add the cheese. Season with salt/pepper to taste.
Note: The zoodles only need to be heated in the skillet for about 5 minutes.
Serve the chicken sausage alongside the zoodle pasta.
weeatforreal.com 