Mar-A-Lago Turkey Burgers

This recipe was introduced to me by my wonderful mother-in-law, Kay Shipe. The burgers are juicy and highly seasoned; do reduce the seasoning accordingly if you use less than 4 lbs. of turkey. The recipe is from the Mar-A-Largo restaurant in Florida. For the full unedited recipe from Oprah.com, click here. Kate and I made some small changes to the recipe--our version listed below:

Serves 6

4 pounds ground turkey breast
1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
3 Granny Smith apples , peeled and diced
1 Tbls. plus 1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. Tabasco® chipotle pepper sauce
1 lemon, juiced and grated zest
1/2 bunch parsley , finely chopped
1/4 cup Major Grey's Chutney, pureed*
olive oil, for frying

Place the ground turkey in a large mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients (except oil). Shape into burgers. Refrigerate for 2 hours. (Or cook right away! I've done it several times.)

Place on a preheated, lightly oiled grill. Grill each side for about 5 minutes until meat is thoroughly cooked. Let sit for 5 minutes.

Serve with a side of Major Grey's Chutney.*

*Kate created a fantastic mango chutney to replace the store-bought Major Grey's Chutney. I will get her to post the recipe soon! (hint, hint, if you are reading this, Kate!)

Creamy Herbed Pork Chops

Prep Time: 1/2 hour
Serves 4

Delicious with Green Rice to soak up extra sauce!

4 pork chops, cut 3/4-inch thick
1 Tbls butter (or olive oil, for a dairy-free recipe)
1/3 cup finely chopped carrot
1 Tbls snipped fresh parsley
2 Tbls rice flour
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp vegan bouillon
2/3 cup milk (or chicken broth, for a dairy-free recipe)

1. Trim fat from meat. If desired, sprinkle with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, cook chops in butter (or oil) over medium heat for 5 minutes. Turn chops and add carrot. Cook until no pink remains (another 5 minutes if right thickness). Remove chops reserving drippings and carrot in the pan.
2. For sauce, stir parsley, flour, thyme, bouillon, and 1/4 tsp pepper into drippings and carrot. Add milk (or broth) all at once. Cook and stir till thickened and bubbly. Thin with a could Tbls of water if necessary. Return chops to skillet and heat through. Serve chops on a platter and sauce in a bowl or gravy boat.

A word about ingredients: Pork is not the healthiest meat or the easiest to digest. If you have digestive trouble, you may want to avoid it. You can try this recipe with chicken cutlets instead of pork chops.

Beef & Vegetable Kabobs

Serves 4-6

2 lbs steak, cut into cubes
3 bell peppers in a variety of colors, cut into chunks
1 large red onion
2 tlbs seasoned rice vinegar
2 tbls olive oil
2 tbls soy sauce*
Green Rice**

1. Assemble kabobs on skewers by alternating cubes of steak with peppers and onions.
2. Combine vinegar, oil, and soy sauce in a separate bowl. Brush over kabobs.
3. Cook on a hot grill for 5 - 8 minutes until the beef is cooked to medium. Serve with Green Rice.

*San-J has a Wheat-Free soy sauce
**Click on the "Potatoes Rice and Grains" label for the Green Rice recipe.

Thai Beef Salad with Cucumber Dressing

From The Treasury of Creative Cooking
Serves 4

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 red pepper, cut in thin strips
2 green onions, diagonally cut into 1-inch pieces
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
1 teaspoon soy sauce*
salt & freshly ground pepper
lettuce leaves
6 ounces rice pasta(vermicelli or linguini), cooked according to package directions**
12 cherry tomatoes, halved
Cucumber Dressing (recipe follows)

1. Prepare cucumber dressing; set aside.
2. Brown ground beef in medium skillet. Drain. Add red peppers, onions, and garlic; cook until tender. Stir in vinegar and soy sauce; season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Arrange lettuce leaves on four plates. Top with cold noodles and ground beef mixture. Garnish with cherry tomatoes. Serve with dressing.

Cucumber Dressing
1 medium cucumber, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup coarsely chopped onion
1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon diced jalapeno or green chili pepper
Pinch of salt

Place cucumbers, onions, cilantro, garlic, peppers, and salt in food processor container; process 1 minute. Spoon mixture into small bowl and serve.

*San-J has wheat-free soy sauce
**I use Thai Kitchen noodles; they are gluten-free

Mediterranian Salad

Serves 4

1 head of romaine lettuce
4 soft-boiled eggs, cut into quarters
8 oz. uncured ham or turkey ham, cut into bite-sized chunks
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
2 tomatoes, cut into slices
1 cucumber, cut into slices
1 jar of artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 small can sliced black olives
8 oz. feta cheese, crumbled

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and serve with Giant's Simply Enjoy Ripe Olive and Feta Vinaigrette.

Cornish Hens with Lemon and Herbs

From Martha Stewart Living
Prep Time: 10 min. Total Time: 65 minutes
Serves 4

This recipe is also delicious with a chicken roaster. I like to roast my chicken at 450 for about 10-15 minutes to sear in the juices a bit then turn it down to 375 or 350 and cook for about 1 1/2 hours for a 4 lb. bird. Check for doneness as described in the recipe with a meat thermometer. I serve this with Lemon Thyme Rice Pilaf.

2 Cornish hens (about 1 3/4 pounds each), room temperature, rinsed well and patted dry
1 bunch fresh thyme (about 1/2 ounce), plus more for garnish
2 lemons, halved, plus wedges for serving
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
3 Tbls unsalted butter (or olive oil for a dairy-free recipe)
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat over to 450. Place hens in a roasting pan, breast sides up. Place 2 thyme sprigs and 1 lemon half in cavity of each hen (or 4 thyme sprigs and 2 lemon halves in the cavity of one chicken). Loosen skin from breast and place remaining thyme and the parsley underneath. Squeeze remaining lemon halves over hens. Rub butter (or oil) all over hens. Season generously with salt and pepper.
2. Roast hens, rotating pan halfway through, until skin tuns golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 180 degrees, 45 to 50 minutes. Let stand 10 minuets. Cut hens in half lengthwise. Garnish with thyme sprigs, and serve with lemon wedges.

Chick-Peas with Vegetables and Feta Cheese

From The Family Circle Cookbook
Serves 4

This is a very healthy recipe; serve over plain brown rice or Green Rice (recipe under "Potatoes Rice and Grains" label) to form a complete protein with the beans. A great way to use your summer garden veggies.

2 16-oz cans chick-peas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
3/4 cup finely crumbled feta cheese
2 to 3 tsp Dijon mustard
4 medium-size tomatoes
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tbls olive oil
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 large sweet red or yellow pepper, cored, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 1/4 tsp leaf marjoram, crumbled
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 large yellow squash, cut into chunks
1 large zucchini, cut into chunks

1. Preheat oven to moderate (375).
2. Lightly grease shallow 2-quart baking dish, 8x8x2 inches. Add beans, feta, and mustard. Chop 2 of the tomatoes; stir into beans with salt and pepper.
3. Heat 1 tbls oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, sweet pepper and marjoram; saute 5 minutes or until onion is softened. Add garlic; saute 2 minutes. Stir into bean mixture.
4. Heat remaining tbls oil in same skillet. Add yellow squash and zucchini; saute 5 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, seed and shop remaining 2 tomatoes; stir into squash mixture. Spoon over bean mixture. Cover dish with aluminum foil.
6. Bake in preheated moderate oven (375) for 45 minutes.

Southwestern Corn Chowder

A great summer soup.

4 ounces bacon (5 or 6 slices), cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 medium onion, diced
1 large carrot, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 fresh small poblano chile, seeded and cut into 1/4 inch dice
coarse sea salt
1/2 t ground cumin
freshly ground black pepper
pinch of red chile pepper flakes
1 c dry white wine
1 lb yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
5 c chicken stock
3 c fresh corn kernels, about 6 ears
1 c heavy cream
note from Christy: it also calls for 1/4 c fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish, but it can be done without it

1. In a lrg pot or soup pan, add the bacon and cook until crisp, about 5 minutes.
2. Cook onions until softened, 4 min. Add carrot, celery, and chile pepper and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1 t salt, the cumin, 1/4 t black pepper, and the red pepper flakes. Raise heat to high; add wine. Cook until most liquid has evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes. Add potatoes and stock and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.
3. Stir in corn and cream; cook until corn is tender (do not let cream boil), about 5 minutes more. (If you want to add the cilantro, add it here.) Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with reserved bacon pieces.