Baked Carrot Fries

 I love trying new side dishes, but I don't want to put a lot of effort into them because it's just a side and during the week there is just so little time! Tonight I made carrot fries to go with our turkey burgers. They were so delicious! Carrots have such a natural sweetness that really comes through when you cook them. They were quick and easy to make and healthy and delicious to eat!

Ingredients

• 1 lb carrots
• olive oil
• garlic powder (optional)
• salt and pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Peel and cut one pound of carrots in half, then slice lengthwise into "fry size" strips.
3. Spray with or toss lightly with olive oil.
4. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and garlic powder, if you wish. 
5. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until they are slightly browned and tender.   

Turkey Chili Burgers

I am always looking at new turkey burger recipes to try but rarely do I actually stray away from my go-to recipe. I saw a recipe for Chicken Chili Burgers on this blog that I read pretty often so I decided to make them... with a few changes of course! One change I made was to use ground turkey breast instead of chicken. While they were good, I think in the future I would stick to chicken or ground turkey that is a mixture of light and dark meat as they were a little bit dry. Or maybe mix in a little bit of actual chili....hmmm, something to try in the future! Anyway, I liked the addition of the beans for both texture and nutrition.  Also, the flavoring was pretty subtle so if you love spicy, you may want to add extra spice. We topped them with reduced fat white cheddar with jalapenos, which was delicious!

We enjoyed them on buns from Nature's Pride that I received as a part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program. Nick was quite excited because we got both white AND wheat buns! These buns were huge! I thought the wheat one was pretty good, and Nick really liked the taste and texture of the white ones.

 Ingredients

•  3/4 cup canned kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 small onion, minced
• juice of 1 lime
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 2 Tbsp diced green chiles
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper  
• Reduced fat jalapeno cheddar cheese (or your own favorite)

Directions

1. Slightly mash the kidney beans and then add all remaining ingredients. 
2. Mix together so that all the spices are incorporated pretty evenly into the meat.
3. Form into 4-5 burgers, depending on how big you want them. (We made 5 and they were plenty big).
4. Grill or cook in a skillet (with nonstick cooking spray or olive oil) over medium heat until cooked through. During the last couple minutes, place cheese on burger so it can melt (we put ours on a little late...as you can tell by the photo but it was still good!)

Spinach and Artichoke Frittata

I rarely actually "cook' breakfast in the morning, but I do love to cook breakfast for dinner! Frittatas are one of my favorite things to make because you can adapt them to your tastes or whatever you happen to have in your refrigerator. Also, they are quite easy to make, which is a huge plus! I saw the idea for this spinach and artichoke fritatta on Cara's Cravings and wondered why I hadn't thought of that before! I love spinach and artichoke dip, and this is like that in a healthier form! It was quite tasty, and I plan on enjoying this again in the future!

Ingredients
1 9oz box frozen spinach
3 eggs
3/4 cup egg substitute
4oz nonfat plain Greek yogurt
1/2 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp dried dill
1 oz grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 14oz can of artichokes, drained and quartered
3 oz goat cheese, crumbled

Directions
1.  Preheat oven to 400ºF. Microwave spinach just until thawed.
2. Whisk together the eggs, egg substitute, yogurt, salt, pepper, dill, and Parmesan cheese.
3. Heat the olive oil in a large, oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Cook the onion until softened, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the garlic and artichokes, and cook 1 minute more.
5. Finally stir in the spinach and distribute the mixture evenly throughout the pan. Increase heat to high, then pour in the egg mixture. Cook, stirring gently, for a few minutes, letting the bottom start to set.
6. Crumble the goat cheese on top of the frittata, and place the skillet in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until the frittata is set. Let rest for a few minutes before slicing and serving.

Vanilla Ice Cream

I have had my ice cream maker for close to 3 years now. I just took it out of its box about 2 weeks ago. I can't believe I wasted all that time... It is a mistake I am sure I won't make again as I am already debating what flavor to make next! I made classic vanilla ice cream for my first flavor because it goes so well with other desserts such as cobbler and chocolate cake! While vanilla is not typically my favorite flavor, this was so good that I couldn't help but sneak a bite every time I opened the freezer to get it out for Nick!

What is better than homemade ice cream?

Homemade Ice Cream with SPRINKLES!

Vanilla Ice Cream (adapted from Simply Recipes and Alton Brown)
Makes 1.5 Quarts
Ingredients:

• 7 egg yolks
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 cups whole milk
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1.5 Tbsp vanilla extract 

Directions:

1. Pour the heavy cream and milk into a saucepan, over medium heat. Bring the mixture just to a simmer, stirring occasionally, and remove from the heat.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks until they become pale in color. (I whisked/beat them for 3-5 minutes.) Add the sugar and whisk to combine. 
3. Temper the cream mixture into the eggs and sugar by gradually adding small amounts, until about half of the cream mixture has been added.  It is CRITICAL that you do this very slowly so you don't cook the eggs.
4. Pour in the rest of the cream and return the entire mixture to the saucepan. Place over low heat. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon. If you have a thermometer, it should be about 170 to 175 degrees F.
5. Pour the mixture into a container and allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Stir in the vanilla extract. 
6. Place the mixture into the refrigerator, cover and store for 4 to 8 hours or until the temperature reaches 40 degrees F or below. 
7. Pour into an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's directions. This should take approximately 25 to 35 minutes. Serve as is for soft serve or freeze for another 3 to 4 hours to allow the ice cream to harden.
    

 
 

Corn and Edamame Succotash

Summer is officially here, and that means lots of cook outs and grilling! There are always the usual side dishes- potato salad, cole slaw, chips, etc., but don't you want something HEALTHY to go with that?? Well, I do so that is why I thought this was the perfect side dish to take to a cook out. It is a great mix of flavors with the different types of vegetables and the light dressing. Plus, it looks pretty with all the vibrant colors! I got the idea from this recipe from  Cooking Light, but of course had to change it up just a bit...

 Ingredients:

• 12 oz frozen corn
• 1.5 cups shelled edamame (thawed if you buy frozen)
• 2 cups cut green beens (thawed if you buy frozen)
• 1 cup diced onion
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1.5 cups grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 chopped fresh basil
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1.5 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• Salt and Pepper

Directions
1. Dry roast the corn by heating a non stick skillet over medium heat and adding corn. Cook, stirring frequently, until it starts to brown in spots.
2.  Remove corn from heat and set aside.
3.  Put olive oil into another skillet and add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is lightly browned.
4. Stir in corn, edamame, and green beans. Season with salt and pepper and cook for about 3 minutes.
5. Remove skillet from heat and stir in tomatoes, basil, lemon juice, and balsamic vinegar. Season again with salt and pepper if needed.
6. Serve at room temperature.