at home with ann

Sometimes turkey burgers can be bland.  Or dry.  Or you try to cook them on the grill and they don't work because they are so low in fat.  These turkey burgers, however, were delicious.  Adding a couple extra ingredients gave them a great texture and flavor, and the layer of goat cheese on the bun was just the thing to take them to the next level.  After photographing, I topped with a little bbq sauce and lettuce, but you can roll however you like.   Colin and I eat dinner at the early-bird-special hour of 6:00.  Now that daylight savings has come this means it's light enough when we eat to photograph my food with the benefit of natural light as opposed to the yellow hue of our dining room chandelier.  Colin finds this fascinating, and this photo shoot went like this: C: What are you doing with your plate on the window sill, Mommy? A: I'm taking a picture so I can share the recipe. C: I'll help.  I have a bite? A: I'm almost done...

You know how when you get so far behind on something you can't even think about it because it's just too daunting to start?  That's part of how I was feeling for the past six weeks.  I have pictures and recipes and stories to share, but I felt like I needed hours to get back on track.  Of course starting and doing anything is always the best way to get back in the swing of things, so we'll ease in nicely with one of my absolutely favorite sandwiches. I'm hoping I can keep the momentum going since Jon is busy renovating our half bath and we have finally caught up on Game of Thrones.  Wow, we are old and boring. I served this on Christmas Day, which is why you see my festive decor and bloody marys in the background.  It takes a bit of prep work, but once everything is ready to go, they are easy to assemble for a crowd. Fancy Roasted Butternut Sandwich Crusty Sourdough or French Bread 1 Butternut Squash, sliced and roasted (directions below) 1 Granny Smi...

I'm often saying that I made a new recipe and Colin gobbled it up.  He is a good eater, which is great for his little growing person, and because I love to cook.  He certainly has his favorites (salmon, smoothies, and don't get between him and a muffin), but he is willing to give most anything a try.  That being said, he did not love these, and I cleaned a fair amount of spinach and artichoke off of the floor.  Jon and I, on the other hand, enjoyed them quite a bit.  More for us.   These were delicious as a vegetarian entree, but could also be made with little crimini mushrooms as an appetizer.  Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms 6 portobello mushroom caps, cleaned and stems and gills removed Olive oil 1 garlic clove, chopped 1 can artichoke hearts, chopped 10 oz. frozen spinach, thawed 2 oz. cream cheese 1/4 cup greek yogurt Parmesan cheese, for topping Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a pan, heat olive oil over medium. ...

I've tried to convince you to drink green smoothies before, and I'm not giving up!  They taste bright and refreshing, and on the mornings after a particularly rough night in baby land, they give me energy.  This mix gets it's tropical taste from the combination of banana and coconut oil, as well as the usual suspects of spinach, almond milk, and a handful of ice.  It would also be delicious with the addition of pineapple or mango. Let's go back to the coconut oil, though.  According to Organic Facts.com: The health benefits of coconut oil include hair care, skin care, stress relief, maintaining cholesterol levels, weight loss, increased immunity, proper digestion and metabolism, relief from kidney problems, heart diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, HIV and cancer, dental care, and bone strength. These benefits of coconut oil can be attributed to the presence of lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid, and its properties such as antimicrobial, ...

If, like me, you ate far too many jelly beans or peanut butter eggs this weekend, you might also be ready for a healthy, filling, and very nutritious dinner.  This is one of those meals that I love making because once you've done the prep chopping, it's easy, delicious and even better the next day.  You can certainly customize it based on whatever vegetables you like or are quietly sitting in your produce drawer on their last legs.  Vegetable Chickpea Curry Serves 6 Ingredients: Olive oil 2 cups potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes 1 medium onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, chopped 28 oz. can diced tomatoes in juice 1/2 small can tomato paste (about 1/3 cup) 2 cups cooked chickpeas (or 1 can, drained and rinsed) 1/2 pound green beans, cut into 1 inch pieces A few handfuls of fresh spinach leaves 2 teaspoons coriander 2 teaspoons cumin 1 teaspoon garam masala 1/2 teaspoon turmeric 2 teaspoons kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated...

This lasagna is filling, creamy and delicious.  Sometimes you want to go all out with cheese, in which case try the Classic Lasagna .  Other times you want to try something a little different, and this recipe, while still Italian comfort food, won't put you straight into a food coma.  I used zucchini, yellow squash, baby bella mushrooms and onions for the vegetable layer, but feel free to use whatever you like or have aging in your vegetable drawer.  Ever since the Mushroom Millet Bowl , I've been loving mushrooms.  They add an almost meaty consistency to this sauce.  I really liked this lasagna, and Jon said he did too, although he added a healthy sprinkling of Asiago cheese to the top of his.  The only thing I would change for next time would be to add fresh basil to the tofu spinach mixture, almost making a spinach pesto.  Will report back when I do! Vegetable Lasagna inspired by Daily Garnish Ingredients: 3 medium zucchini 2 medium ye...

I love spinach and artichoke dip.  It's one of my favorite bar foods, and I will frequently make it at home for parties or appetizers-for-dinner nights.  Spinach and artichokes are healthy, but sadly, cream cheese, mayo and sour cream are not especially.  While making my weekly batch of hummus (it's scary how fast we go through it around here), I thought adding spinach and artichoke might be a good change from the usual garlic and lemon flavor.  It was.  Not only are the flavors delicious, but adding these ingredients ups the nutrition and volume considerably.  Spinach and Artichoke Hummus Yield: 6 cups 2 cans or about 3 cups chickpeas 1/4 cup tahini 1/2 lemon, juiced 2 garlic cloves Olive oil Water Hot sauce Salt 1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed 1 can artichoke hearts, drained In a food processor, combine tahini and lemon juice and a little water.  Process until well mixed. Add in garlic, mix well. Add in chickpeas in 2-3...

We had a very quiet Christmas around here this year.  I was due on December 24th, which meant that it was likely we would be spending Christmas in the hospital.  December 24th came and went, as did the 25th, 26th and 27th (I'm writing this on the 28th and holding out hope!).  In any case, major travel or hosting plans were not in the cards for me this year, so we had Christmas dinner for two.  This also meant I got to spend six hours sitting in front of the fire and wore yoga pants all day.  Given my current mood, this was ideal.  Fish is incredibly easy to cook.  This particular salmon was individually portioned filets separately vacuum packed and frozen.  I would highly recommend checking out the frozen fish section at your market, I find that it's easier to find fish that has been wild caught, and the prices are better.  Most of the fish at the counter has been previously frozen, anyway, and this way you don't have as much pr...

This is another easy vegetarian dish.  I usually have the bulk of the ingredients (chickpeas, rice, canned tomatoes, spinach, onion) on hand, so it's a good option to keep in mind.  My completely sporadic posting schedule might make it hard to see, but I usually try to balance our eating for the week by offsetting any meat based or heavy dishes with lighter vegetarian fare.  Mediterranean Casserole 1 cup uncooked brown rice, steamed according to package directions 1/4-1/2 cup plain yogurt or sour cream Olive oil 1 onion, chopped 1-2 cloves garlic, chopped 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes salt and pepper 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed 1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes in juice 1 bag fresh spinach, or one box frozen spinach, thawed 8 oz. feta cheese, cubed or crumbled Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook brown rice according to package directions.  Stir in yogurt or sour cream and set aside. In a saute pan, heat olive oil o...

This is a super fast, super healthy recipe.  Aside from the time to cook rice, it takes about 10 minutes total.  And, it's made from ingredients you can keep stocked in your pantry, so you can throw it together on nights when you have absolutely no idea what to make. I had absolutely zero ideas on what to make for dinner at the beginning of this week.  I knew I was going to cook a batch of dried chickpeas because Jon kept asking when I was going to make more hummus.  As a side note, said hummus contained the hottest jalapenos I have ever come in contact with, and we can barely eat it without chugging milk.  I'm currently brainstorming ideas for what to serve it with to cool it down a bit.  I'm thinking something along the lines of a yogurt feta spread.  More to come on that.  Anyway, a whole batch of chickpeas is a lot of chickpeas, so I used some in this meal, and the rest in a quinoa dish I'll share tomorrow.  Chickpea and Spinach Curry...

Before we get started today, I need to jump on the royal wedding bandwagon. I've actually always been on the royal wedding bandwagon.  In 1981, my mother and I watched Charles and Diana's wedding together.  I was too young to remember watching, but I do remember that dress.  I visited St. Paul's Cathedral when I went to England at age 15, and hoped I'd run into William around London and he might decide that I'd make a good princess.  If it wasn't going to be me, Kate makes an excellent choice.  I confess that I haven't seen all the coverage yet today (although of course I DVR'd it), however, my first impression is that she looked lovely and they seem very happy.  It has been reported to me that they had the same hymn at their wedding as we did at ours, and also my mother said Kate didn't look as beautiful as I did on my wedding day, but mothers are supposed to say things like that. I should have made scones.  Instead I made couscous. This salad ...

My aunt gave me a quiche dish and a recipe for crustless quiche.  I like getting recipes as gifts, because I'm sure you'll be shocked to learn that I like to read recipes.  You don't need a quiche dish to make this, a pie plate will work, but with the right dish it's prettier.  And pretty counts.  And a quiche dish is uniformly deep, so it will cook more evenly. Eggs are one of my favorite foods.  I think I would take them if I was abandoned on a desert island.  Eggs and hand lotion.  If you saw the state of my hands, you'd understand. Crustless Quiche adapted from my aunt, Harriett Ingredients: 1 medium onion, chopped 1 bag baby spinach, or 1 box frozen spinach, thawed olive oil 5 large eggs 1 cup milk or half and half (I used 1% milk) 1-2 cup grated cheese Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Butter of spray a 10" quiche dish or a glass pie plate. Heat a few teaspoons of olive oil in a skillet, and saute onion for about 5 minutes.  ...

This post is part of my vacation series highlighting some amazing recipes from my favorite bloggers! Eat Live Run - Spinach Feta Turkey Burgers We've spent the better part of a week discussing what kind of grill we'll be purchasing when we get back from vacation.  These would be a perfect kick off to summer grilling.  PS- We're going charcoal, time to be grilling purists.  PPS- We still have a gas grill so I can cook veggies all week and make them into wraps with goat cheese. Baked Bree - Mixed Greens with Berries and Glazed Almonds I love salads like this.  Greens, a fruit, and a protein are the perfect combination.  

I can't eat sandwiches every day for lunch, I get totally burned out on them.  I am fortunate to eat lunch at home, so I can pull something together at the last minute, but this would also be great for a super fast supper when you get home late. This was just a simple bed of baby spinach and a few grape tomatoes drizzled with olive oil and this fancy vinegar I received as a gift.  Any kind of light vinegar would work on this, though. Then I poached one egg.  To be honest, my husband made this egg, because he is the egg master in our house.  I have a snazzy little insert for a pan that makes perfectly shaped poached eggs, but you can also make them by cracking an egg into a little bowl and gently transferring it to simmering water.  Whenever I try that I always make a huge mess, though.   Simmered until the egg was cooked, but the yolk runny (about 4 minutes).  If you don't like runny yolks you can cook it completely and it will be more like a hard bo...

You may have noticed that I often start with recipes I find online, and then change a whole bunch of things about them.  Part of the reason I do this is to suit my personal tastes, and the other reason is to try to create my own dishes.  When I first started cooking, I followed recipes to the letter.  I felt confident following directions, but not so much going off on my own.  I remember going out to the grocery store late at night mid-cooking to pick up some ingredient I thought I couldn't possibly live without.  If you are just getting into cooking, don't be scared, the worst thing that can happen is you end up eating egg sandwiches for dinner. This dish exceeded my expectations.  I am a big fan of Mediterranean flavors, and this was a great combination.  Plus, you can make strata in advance and chill in the fridge before baking.  It's perfect for brunch, lunch or dinner. Mediterranean Strata adapted from Cooking Light Ingredients: 8 oz b...

Green smoothies (or Green Monster s) are very trendy.  It's just adding spinach or kale to traditional smoothies to make a vitamin packed, super healthy drink.  In my experience, baby spinach is the best green to work with because it has a mild flavor and blends well.  You don't actually want to feel like you're drinking spinach.  I used peanut butter and banana in this recipe because they are both strong flavors, and that's really all you taste when you drink it.  Also, you get the nutrients from the banana and healthy, filling protein and fat from the peanut butter. Ingredients are simple enough, just banana, peanut butter, milk, spinach, and ice cubes. To start, I put a very ripe banana and a couple tablespoons of peanut butter in the blender along with a few handfuls of baby spinach leaves. Then I added about a cup of milk and blended well until completely combined and bright green!  Finally, I added in a handful of ice cubes and ran the blender ...

I had big plans to make a healthy spinach dip using pureed white beans as the creamy base.  When I opened my container of beans from the fridge I found they were no longer at their prime, or edible at all, so I had to rethink the recipe.  This is a pretty basic recipe, and I promise I'll try it with the beans soon, but in the meantime... Regular Old Spinach Artichoke Dip 1 14oz. can artichoke hearts 1/2 - 1 bag spinach 1 garlic clove 1/4 - 1/2 cup sour cream or plain greek yogurt 2-3 Tablespoons mayo 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper Parmesan cheese, for topping Paprika, for garnish (optional) You can make this by hand, but it's much easier in the food processor. Put artichoke hearts, spinach and grated garlic in the bowl of your food processor.  For dip recipes like this or hummus, I grate the garlic on a microplane so it's a paste.  This prevents anyone from taking a big bite of raw garlic. Give it just a few pulses, I think I had five.  You don't ...

I call this spanakopita eggs because it has some of the main Greek ingredients in common: spinach, egg, onions, feta.  It does not have layers of buttery phyllo dough, so it's much healthier. The entire process took less than 10 minutes, so it's perfect for a last minute meal. Start by sauteing 1/4-1/2 cup onion in olive oil. When the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes, add in 1-2 beaten eggs.  I used one egg and about 1/2 cup of onion.  Stir until eggs are cooked.  At this point I realized that there is no way to take an attractive picture of scrambling eggs. Serve over a bed of baby spinach, topped with chopped tomato and a little crumbled feta.  That's it, dinner is ready!