Organic turkey burgers and gravy

 I found some organic ground turkey at publix yesterday!  It was humanely raised, no antibiotics, no growth hormones...very nice!  My kids loved these burgers, even the baby ate them, and Eva isn't a huge meat eater. I added some extra seasoning to them and the gravy came out very flavorful.  Turkey burger gravy usually doesn't taste as good as gravy from beef or pork because of the lack of fat but with the right seasoning it really worked well! I promised the kids mashed potatoes but I didn't want to peel the potatoes so I baked them in the oven first, scooped out the insides and then mashed them.  I was so surprised that Eva loved these!  She usually doesn't like mashed potatoes but she ate seconds, maybe it was because of the gravy.  I've been experimenting with this recipe and I found out that the bread crumbs make a big difference.  I've been buying soy-free regular bread crumbs which work really well for breading chicken and fish but not for meatballs and turkey burgers.  This time I used panko bread crumbs instead and oh, they tasted so much better!!  I love testing recipes, especially when they come out well!
On to my next cooking adventure!
Until next time,
Libby

My Kids Love Chicken Nuggets!

I make these about once a week or once every other week.  I use organic chicken and soy-free bread crumbs from Whole Foods.  We use different kinds of dipping sauces and they taste so good!  These are so much better than McDonald's chicken nuggets.  These come from happy chickens without hormones or antibiotics.  I've been working hard this week writing the proposal for my cookbook.  I never realized that so much goes into getting published and the process is really exciting to me.  I'll be querying agents starting next week, so wish me luck or pray for me!

Recipe of the Week: Better Than Bisquick Pancakes

I came up with the name for this recipe because I  used to love Bisquick pancake mix.  When I would prepare pancakes from scratch, they never tasted as good.  I used to buy the kind that you add oil and an egg to because I thought that was a little bit healthier, right?  Probably not.  Now that I found that I am allergic to soy and I gave up processed  food, I have created a yummy pancake recipe that tastes better than any pancake mix.  Maybe it tastes so much better because I know what is in them and there are no chemicals or toxins involved.  I make these maybe once a month because they are so rich.  So here is the recipe, my kids love them and you won't need much syrup because they are already sweet.  Instead of pouring maple syrup over them, we dip the pancakes in syrup so we use less syrup (real maple syrup is not cheap).



Better Than Bisquick Pancakes (not a low-fat meal)

2 cups all-purpose flour (use 1 cup organic whole wheat flour to add fiber)
2 Tablespoons sugar (I use Fair Trade raw cane sugar)
2 teaspoons baking powder (Rumford brand states on the label that the corn starch is non-gmo)
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 dashes sea salt
2 ½ cups organic buttermilk (it's the buttermilk that makes these taste so good)
2 organic eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons melted organic butter
1 tablespoon flax meal (optional, for added fiber)
Cooking oil (almond oil or organic canola oil work well)
Real Maple syrup (avoid the chemical laden pancake syrups, they are awful)

In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Mix together.  Set aside.
In another bowl, mix buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla.
Melt butter in the microwave, 30 seconds.  Stir to melt it.
Pour wet ingredients into dry.  Mix until combined, do not over mix.  Add melted butter and mix together, lightly.  Heat a skillet or griddle, brush lightly with oil.  Once the pan is hot, using a large spoon, scoop batter into pan and let one side brown lightly.  Using a spatula, carefully turn pancake over and lightly brown the other side.  Once cooked, place on a plate in a warm oven to keep the pancakes warm while they all cook.
Serve with maple syrup or fresh fruit and whipped cream*(good for dessert).
Makes enough 4-inch pancakes for 6 people, about 24 pancakes.  You can ½ the recipe for 12 pancakes.  Leftovers can be refrigerated and reheated in a skillet or on a griddle.
Variation:
Add 1 cup blueberries to batter, serve by itself, no syrup.
Add 1 cup chocolate chips, to batter, serve by itself, no syrup.
Sift confectioners sugar over pancakes, with fresh berries or bananas.
Use whatever combination that you like.
*For whipped cream:  1 cup heavy cream, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, whip with a wire whisk or with a mixer until light a fluffy.

Recipe of the Week: Wild Caught fish fillet with potatoes and asparagus. An organic, soy-free, and GMO-free recipe.

Recently I have been trying to become more aware of where my food comes from and I have learned two things: wild-caught fish is better for the environment, and farmed fish are given antibiotics, which can be harmful to humans.  I am allergic to soy so I cannot eat fried food from restaurants anymore since most eateries use vegetable(soybean) oil for frying food.  That means no more french fries or any of those delightful fried goodies for me.  It works out to be much healthier for me though, which is a good thing.  I occasionally splurge and make fries from scratch and they are worth the effort!

My mom always made fish like this when I was growing up.  I love fish cooked this way!

12 ounces of wild-caught fish.  I used frozen Whole Market Sole from Whole Foods but you can use whitefish, flounder, talapia, or a similar fish.
1 cup of soy-free bread crumbs.  You can use panko bread crumbs or 365 brand of bread crumbs from Whole Foods Market.
1 organic egg
1 tablespoon organic milk
Organic canola oil or almond oil
1/4 tsp Seasoned Salt (without MSG)
1/4 tsp Old Bay seasoning.  If you need to avoid sodium use garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper instead.
Organic Russet or Idaho potatoes.  2 small potatoes per person or 1 large potato per person.
Sea Salt
Black Pepper
One bag frozen organic asparagus or 1/2 pound fresh organic asparagus.
1 garlic clove
1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Wash and peel the potatoes.  Chop them into steak fries, shoestring, or cubes.  Place the potatoes in a large pot and fill the pot with water until the potatoes are just covered.  Bring the water to a boil, turn the heat down to medium-high and simmer until the potatoes start to soften.  You should be able to pierce a piece with a fork but you don't want them to get too soft.  After about 5-8 minutes, drain the water and keep the potatoes in the pot.  Heat a frying pan or skillet with 1/4 - 1/2 cup of oil on medium heat. You may need to turn the heat down if they cook to fast or the oil gets too hot. Once the oil is hot, place as many pieces as will fit in a single layer.  The goal is not to deep fry your food.  Lightly cooking at a lower temperature is much better than deep frying food.  The potatoes shouldn't be covered with oil, you need just enough to cook one side of the french fry.  The potatoes may stick when you put them in the oil so gently move them around a little when you put them in.  Flip the fries to cook evenly once one side begins to brown. It can take up to 10 minutes per each batch of potatoes but keep an eye on them because over-cooking makes them crunchy and hard - you want them lightly browned.  As each batch of fries are cooked, remove them from the oil into a bowl lined with paper towels to soak up the oil.  Immediately upon removing them from the oil, lightly toss them with some sea salt and black pepper, or any other seasoning that you wish.

While the potatoes are cooking, place the egg and milk in a bowl and lightly beat with a fork, until mixed.  In another bowl, place the bread crumbs and seasonings.  Remove the fish from the packaging and using one piece at a time, dip completely in the egg and then place in the bread crumbs.  Make sure each piece is covered well and set aside.  Heat the 1 tablespoon of oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat.  Turn the heat down a bit and place the fish in the pan.  You may need to cook it in batches depending on how big the pan is.  It only takes 2-3 minutes per side, once the bottom starts to brown, flip the fish and cook the other side.  If it gets too dark too quickly, turn the heat down. Once the fish is cooked, remove it from the pan and place on paper towels to soak up the oil.

For the asparagus:  If you are using fresh asparagus, fill a pot halfway with fresh water and bring to a boil.  Snap or cut the bottoms of the asparagus and then place the asparagus in the boiling water.  Blanch them for 1 minute.  If you are using frozen asparagus, boil them until no longer frozen - you don't need to cut the bottoms.  Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in the same skillet the fish was cooked in and place 1 minced clove of garlic in the oil for 30 seconds before adding the asparagus.  Sauté until lightly browned and tender. Sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper.  Serve with the fish and fries.