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We are into the second of week of school in these parts and are finally starting to settle in our new routine that entails 3 kids in 3 different schools. That is, until next week when I start my fall classes at our local community college (for those that don’t know, I’m back in school working towards my second Bachelors degree, this one is in Nutrition and Dietetics). I’m so excited about getting back to class, but next week will be the true test of my sanity!

Like every year during the back to school season, I’m feeling refreshed, excited and determined to send my kids off to start a successful and fun new school year.

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As much as I love salads, I haven’t been into them so much lately. I think I’m kind of bored with them maybe? That’s really what it is. We all get into our routines with what we eat, and variations of my super salad just hasn’t been cutting it these days. This salad though, this salad got me and my friend Julie excited last week.

This simple Asian Chopped Salad was the result of what we thought were going to be vegetarian dumplings. We created a vegetarian filling to try in a dumpling but to be honest, I wasn’t thrilled with how they were turning out. While Julie was cutting out her dumplings into a round shape with a biscuit cutter, the outer scraps were collecting into a pile on the cutting board. Being from the “waste not” mentality, I couldn’t bear to throw them in the trash, so I fried them up in a little bit of oil until they were crisp. We added them to our “reject” vegetarian dumpling filling and voila – this amazing salad was born.

I love everything about this salad. The crunch from the veggies and the fried wonton scraps makes it so good. And the dressing was incredibly simple – a little rice vinegar, sesame oil and soy sauce.

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Last week my friend Julie and I had a play date. We’ve been wanting to get together for a while, and even though she lives just a little over an hour from me, it seems like it’s always hard to find the time with both of our busy schedules.

We talked about cooking up some lunch, playing with our cameras and just hanging out but little did I know that our time together was going to stir up both of our creative juices in the kitchen. Personally, I’ve been in somewhat of a cooking slump since the holidays, really not in the mood to try anything new…basically it’s been survival mode around here with lots of easy pasta dishes and big pots of soup. That’s not a bad thing. But I’ve missed the excitement and energy I get when I start playing around in the kitchen, and of course I’ve been wanting to share new stuff with all of you!

Our plan that day was to learn how to make Chinese dumplings together. It’s one of my kids’ favorite things to order when we pick up take-out and something I’ve been wanting to get better at making at home. Well, it turns out, Julie was a natural at putting these dumplings together. They turned out delicious and my kids scarfed them down at dinner time. I’m seriously so excited about making them again and experimenting with different types of fillings.

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Ahhhh, the 7-layer dip. The dip everyone gravitates too at a party, right? I’m a fan that’s for sure.

For some reason though, I have a hard time keeping it at just 7 layers. But this time I did. Only because I didn’t have layers 8 & 9 (which happen to be shredded lettuce and sliced jalapenos usually).

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Earlier this summer I was contacted by the editor of CBSNews.com asking me to contribute a healthy recipe to their Health section.  Of course I was totally flattered and thrilled by this request considering how much I love to talk about food and share healthy recipes with just about anyone and everyone who crosses my path…and let’s be real, it’s CBS!!  My first assignment was “sliders” and I decided to recreate a tried and true turkey burger I’ve been making for some time now.

To me, a slider is basically a mini burger.  I think sliders are genius because if you are really trying to watch your portions, it really forces you to eat less.  That is, if you stick to the one slider…which I really try to do.  That’s the whole point in my opinion…you get a “taste” of the good stuff and then fill up on the actual “good for you” stuff on the side.  But that’s just me…

What makes these BBQ Turkey Burger Sliders awesome is the sauteed green onion and celery along with the smoky Chipotle Tabasco and paprika that is added into the ground turkey mixture before being shaped into patties.  The combination of all those ingredients really adds flavor to the normally pretty bland turkey.  Also, adding shredded cheese directly to the mixture adds a little fat to the lean meat and keeps them juicy.

Visit the Health Section of CBS.com to read the article for this recipe along with a newer one featuring Summer Vegetable Gratin and Baked Zucchini Fries.

Smoky BBQ Turkey Burger Sliders

Ingredients:

CARAMELIZED ONIONS

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 large Vidalia (or sweet) onion, thinly sliced
• Pinch salt and pepper

BASTING SAUCE

• 1/3 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce
• 2 TB mango chutney

CHIPOTLE SAUCE

• 1-2 TB Chipotle Tabasco sauce
• 1/4 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt or reduced-fat mayonnaise

PATTIES

• 1.25 lb extra-lean ground turkey
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
• 2 green onions, finely chopped
• 1 TB Chipotle Tabasco sauce
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• good pinch salt and pepper
• 8 whole wheat potato rolls

Directions:

1. Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill with a cover, or pre-heat a gas grill to medium-high. For best results, use a non-stick grill which helps to avoid adding oil.
2. On the stove, heat 2 tsp olive oil in a non stick skillet. When oil is hot, place celery and green onion in pan. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until soft, about 8-10 minutes. Set aside to cool. We are going to add these to our burger mixture later.
3. In the same nonstick skillet, heat 2 tsp olive oil in . When oil is hot, place sliced onion in pan. Season with good pinch of salt and pepper and cook. Saute onions until browned and caramelized, about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. While onions are caramelizing, prepare basting sauce and Chipotle Sauce.
5. Combine Greek yogurt (or mayo) and Chipotle Tabasco in a small bowl and mix well. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
6. Combine barbecue sauce and mango chutney in small bowl and mix well. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

To make patties:

1. Combine ground turkey, Chipotle Tabasco, smoked paprika, low-fat cheese and cooked and cooled green onions and celery in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Gently combine and mix using hands or large spoon. Form into 8 even sized patties, do this by scoring meat mixture in half, then quarters, then eighths.
2. Use a non-stick canola oil spray, to prevent patties from sticking to grill.  Spray patties directly with spray before placing on grill.
3. Place patties on grill rack, cover and cook until bottoms are browned, about 4-5 minutes. Using spatula, flip patties and cook additional 4-5 minutes. After flipping, use brush to baste turkey burgers with mango BBQ sauce. After cooking for 4-5 minutes, flip and baste other side.

To assemble burgers:

1. Spread chipotle sauce on both sides of open potato rolls. Place patty in bun and top with caramelized onions. Take a big bite and enjoy!
2. For those sauce lovers (like my hubby!), can be served with additional Mango BBQ sauce on side!

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Apparently I’ve been on a salad kick lately…at least from looking at my last few posts.

This one was another spontaneous creation.  I was trying to throw together something quick to take to the park for lunch…a few moms and our kids were meeting up for an afternoon at the playground, and while the kids were eating their PB&Js, we ate this salad.

If you haven’t tried couscous yet, you must try it soon.  It is so unbelievably quick to cook up, so that in itself is a huge reason why.  Plus, if you are into whole grains, the whole wheat couscous is packed with protein and fiber…all good for you.  I combined the cooked couscous with a bag of pre-shredded coleslaw, some additional shredded carrots, sliced green onion and sliced toasted almonds…then tossed with a homemade tangy vinaigrette made easily with pantry ingredients.  The pictures shown are missing the almonds though…I forgot to add them until after the “photo shoot”!  I probably could have gone back and retaken the pics but then in all reality who knows when this recipe would have actually been posted…

Enjoy!

Asian Couscous Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 cup uncooked whole wheat couscous
• 1 1/4 cup water
• 3/4 of 16 oz bag of pre-shredded coleslaw mix
• 2 carrots, shredded
• 3-4 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup sliced and toasted almonds
• 1/3 cup crunchy chow mein noodles (optional)
• 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil (or oil of your preference)
• 1 TB hoisin sauce
• 1 TB honey
• 1-2 cloves minced or pressed garlic
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In small bowl, whisk together rice wine vinegar, oil, hoisin, honey, garlic, salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. Bring 1 1/4 cups water to boil. Add 1 cup uncooked whole wheat couscous. Take off heat and set aside for 5 minutes. Once couscous has absorbed water, fluff with a fork and let cool.
3. In large bowl combine shredded coleslaw mix, carrots, green onion and almonds (and crunchy noodles if adding). Add cooled couscous to mixture and gently combine. Add dressing to salad and toss. Taste for additional salt and pepper. Can be served immediately at room temperature or refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

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