Friends, what you are looking at has been my lunch/dinner for 3 days last week. I think it’s safe to say that I’m completely hooked on these Pizza Stuffed Mushrooms and the best part? They literally take like 15 minutes to make.

This recipe for Pizza Stuffed Mushrooms was created by Katie of Mom to Mom Nutrition and can be found in the Healthy Family Classics cookbook from my dear friends Produce For Kids. The cookbook is filled with healthy, simple recipes that you’ll enjoy making for and with your family. Not only is it a great cookbook to have in your collection, but you can feel good knowing that 100% of the proceeds from this cookbook go towards helping end child hunger in our nation through Feeding America‘s children’s programs. Produce for Kids is generously providing 3 copies of the cookbook for me to give away today to 3 lucky readers – see below the recipe for details.
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(This post is part of the #ThinkRice campaign that I am participating in as a member of the Healthy Aperture network, sponsored by USA Rice.)

Happy Spring!! I don’t know about you, but Spring is most definitely my favorite season of the year. Depending on where you live, the weather has warmed up (we hit the 90s last week – too warm!) and when the weather is nice like it has been I just crave good, light, fresh food. No offense to winter comfort food, but I am so done with all that. Bring on the crunchy veggies, fresh fruit, all things grilled and my current favorite obsession – grain salads! This Caprese Rice Salad screams fresh, warm weather food and was enjoyed along side our favorite grilled chicken.

I know tomatoes are technically a summer food, but here in Florida they are pretty much available all the time. Especially the smaller varieties like cherry tomatoes, which happen to be one of my favorites. They are sweet and bite sized and are perfect for salads like this one.

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My parents have owned a pizzeria since I was 4 years old. I have so many memories of sitting in a booth in our pizza shop in New York coloring on white paper plates and playing with pizza dough (our version of play-dough) for hours. My kids have no idea how good they have it, ha ha! I don’t ever remember complaining about being there (though my mom might have a different memory) and looking back I would never change a thing.

The best part of your parents owning a pizzeria or restaurant? Obviously, the access to the food. That’s a no brainer. I can’t tell you how many slices of (good, NY style) pizza I’ve had as my after school snack.

Peppers and eggs has always been an item on my family’s restauarant menus for as long as I remember (we have owned 3 over a span of over 30 years). I think it’s definitely a NY Italian thing because I recently saw it on the menu of our local pizza shop and it brought a smile to my face. My husband actually ordered it and it was so so good. Peppers and eggs is traditionally served on a long toasted Italian roll, loaded with mozzarella cheese. The combination of soft, toasted Italian bread and the peppers, eggs and cheese is just perfection.

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I have been using my crock pot like a mad woman lately. The last few weeks I’ve used it for several chilis and soups, pulled pork and to cook chicken to use in recipes like these Slow Cooker Pesto Chicken Melts. My crock pot has been a good companion in the kitchen lately that’s for sure.

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I’ve been in quite the funk lately. For no reason really, other than maybe I just haven’t been treating myself very well…i.e. over-indulging in food and drinks, not enough sleep or exercise, and just too much stinkin’ thinkin’…you know the drill. I am at the point in my life where I really know myself and I know when I get in these “not feeling well” funks the only way out of it is changing my way of thinking and discipline. The power of Positive Thinking is no joke…it can really make or break your day whether your mind is in a positive place or not. And as far as discipline goes…for me, just recognizing the things that I know make me feel better, writing them down and putting them somewhere where I can look at them throughout the day really helps change my frame of mind. Also surrounding myself with positive people and quality family time are super important. Sometimes you just gotta know when to feed the soul.

Here’s what’s on my “What Makes Me Feel Good List” right now (taped to my bedroom mirror):

Take vitamins every day

Swimming

Yoga

Pilates

Running

Lots of Water

Unplugging early in the evening

Getting to sleep before 11

Waking up early

Routine

These are things I know I can accomplish most days…actually, every day. Daily exercise is very important to my mental well-being so rotating my favorites helps to motivate me and keep things interesting. It all sounds very simple…but I think when we get into those “funks” we really have to focus on simple…and before you know it you are feeling like yourself again.

On my quest to “de-funk” my attitude…I’m really trying to eat clean. Lots of fruits, veggies and good protein make me feel good so I’m trying to stick with all things healthy at the moment. I’m starting my days off this week with a Super Juice that I make in my juicer (bunch of kale, 2 celery sticks, 2 apples, 1 cucumber and 1 beet) and sip on it while I get the kids ready for school (and before my coffee!).

Of course, just because I’m eating clean and healthy doesn’t mean I won’t be eating well. This Spinach and Eggplant salad is one of my absolute favorite salads to eat for dinner or lunch. I can’t take credit for this creation, I actually have been ordering it at our local pizza place for some time now and just started finally making it at home.

I start with a base of fresh spinach leaves and then pile on the red onions, tomatoes, parmesan or mozzarella cheese and of course strips of the Baked Breaded Eggplant that I love. I make a quick dressing out of red wine vinegar, olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper. If I have some kalamata olives around I add those too.

Delicious!!

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Spinach and Eggplant Salad

• Author: Aggie's Kitchen
• Category: Salad

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Ingredients

• 1–2 handfuls of fresh spinach leaves
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 red onion, sliced thin
• shredded mozzarella or parmesan cheese
• 2–3 slices Baked Breaded Eggplant, warmed in oven or toaster oven and cut in strips
• kalamata olives, optional
• Simple Red Wine Vinaigrette (recipe below)

Simple Red Wine Vinaigrette

• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon dijon
• 1 small pinch dried oregano
• small pinch salt and fresh ground pepper

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Instructions

1. On large plate assemble salad starting with fresh spinach leaves. Top spinach with cherry tomatoes, sliced onion, shredded cheese, kalamata olives (optional) and eggplant. Dress lightly with Simple Red Wine Vinaigrette, to taste.

For the Vinaigrette

1. Combine all ingredients in a jar or air tight container. Shake until well blended.

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A couple of weeks ago, my friend Holly blogged about some Naan Pizzas she made.  Naan bread is pretty new to me…had my first experience with it at our local Indian restaurant not long ago and also saw Aarti make pizzas out of it on her final episode of Food Network Star.  These breads make the perfect crust for quick pizzas!  I found these breads in the deli section of my grocery store, near the pitas and other flat breads.

I was inspired by my produce drawer to make these little pizzas into “Stingers”…the name comes from one of my favorite pizzas my dad serves at his restaurant.  Strips of green peppers, onions and garlic…baked first in the oven and then added as toppings in addition to traditional sauce and cheese.  While I was cutting my veggies I actually had a deja vu moment that took me back to the days where my mom would pick me up after school and bring me back to their pizza shop to hang out.  She would keep me busy sometimes by giving me something to do in the kitchen…cutting up peppers and onions seemed to be a job that always needed to be done.  It was so long ago (I must have been in middle school!) and the memory made me smile.

Before I share the recipe for these delicious pizzas I want to thank everyone for all of their votes for my recipes entered into the Pacific Natural Foods Everyday Chef Challenge.  It was a fun experience creating the recipes out of secret ingredients and though I didn’t win, both recipes turned out delicious and the positive feedback from you all who made them is so much appreciated!  The contest is now in the Finals…Elana’s Pantry’s Thai Vegetable Soup is up against Herbivoracious’s Tortillas and Spinach in Black Bean Sauce.  This is a tough competition, both dishes look and sound awesome!  You can vote for either of these two recipes every 24 hours up until Wednesday October 13.  And while you are there, vote for one of the Everyday Challengers that are up for the Culinary Bootcamp Grand Prize as well.   My friends Holly, Merry and Lori along with some other great cooks are all in the Finals and need votes!  Good luck to everyone in the Finals!!

Grilled "Stinger" Naan Pizzas

Ingredients:

• 1-2 green bell peppers, sliced
• 1 yellow onion sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 TB olive oil
• pinch of salt and pepper
• pinch of dried oregano
• 2 pieces of regular or whole grain Naan bread (I used whole grain)
• pizza sauce
• shredded mozzarella cheese
• non stick or olive oil spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. In a glass baking dish, combine peppers, onions and garlic. Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper and oregano. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until vegetables are cooked through and softened.
3. Preheat grill or grill pan to low heat. Spray or brush both sides of Naan with olive oil and place on grill over indirect heat (or in grill pan). Cook Naan until slightly browned and grill marks show (about 4-5 minutes, keep an eye on it). Take Na'an off grill and start to prepare pizzas by adding toppings onto grilled side. Spread sauce, then cheese, then vegetable mixture onto the Naan and carefully place back on grill. Close grill lid and cook for 5-8 minutes until crust is browned and crisp and cheese is melted.

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I’m not excited about the pictures I took of these burgers. These little guys were just not very photogenic. I guess that happens sometimes. But, good pictures or not, these burgers were awesome.Stuffed Turkey Burgers were this week’s pick for Craving Ellie in My Belly. Thank you to Peggy at Pantry Revisited for choosing this recipe, my husband raved about them!

I love the method used in this recipe, you make two smaller patties first, put the “stuffing” in the center of one of them, then top it with the other patty and seal the edges. It’s honestly so easy and you can really turn these babies into any kind of burger you want! Ellie’s recipe calls for stuffing with roasted red peppers. Being the unorganized cook that I proudly am, I had used up all of my roasted red peppers for other meals early in the week, leaving none for this recipe. Oh well…time to improvise. I had some sun dried tomatoes and fresh spinach in the fridge so that’s what I went with, along with the shredded mozzarella. As I was reaching for the salt and pepper, I picked up Greek seasoning instead. And a new recipe was born.

To keep things really healthy, I served the burgers on Arnold’s Whole Wheat Sandwich Thins, my new favorite sandwich bread. Since all the toppings were stuffed inside, all I needed was a little ketchup and I was happy!

So sure…I might have over grilled the burgers a bit, I get paranoid with ground turkey…but I promise you…they were good! Enjoy!

Stuffed Turkey Burgers

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 pounds lean ground turkey
• 1/4 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh spinach
• 1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• Greek seasoning

Directions:

1. Divide turkey into 4 equal sized rounds. Make 2 equal sized patties out of each round so you have 8 patties total. Season both patties with Greek seasoning. Sprinkle 4 of the patties with sun dried tomatoes, spinach and cheese, top with remaining patties, working the turkey around the edges to seal burgers closed. Grill or broil until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side.
2. Edited: I wanted to mention a trick I learned years ago...when dealing with turkey burgers, its good to refrigerate the patties for about an hour before grilling, it helps keep them from falling apart when handling them on the grill.

Adapted from Stuffed Turkey Burgers, Ellie Krieger

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On to dinner…tonight I made an alternative to the typical turkey burger. Really, this is nothing like a turkey burger. It actually reminded me of a huge meatball on a bun. It was delicious. To keep it moist and flavorful (since ground turkey is known for being pretty bland), I added sauteed vegetables to the meat mixture before making the patties. You get the added bonus of extra veggies, while keeping the meat seasoned perfectly. My husband loved it, and I think you will too.

Turkey Bolognese Burgers

Ingredients:

• 1.25 lean ground turkey (I used Jennie-O)
• 8oz (1 package) baby portabella mushrooms, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• about 1 tsp garlic powder
• about 1 tsp dried oregano
• about 1 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes (or more if you want a kick!)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 TB egg whites (or 1 egg, beaten)
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• tomato sauce, (homemade or jarred - I used Newman's Own Tomato Basil for sake of time)
• mozzarella cheese, shredded or sliced
• French Hamburger Buns or Prudy's Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns

Directions:

1. Turn broiler on.
2. In large hot non-stick skillet, add mushrooms, onions and seasonings to about 2 tsps of olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook for about 10 minutes till vegetables are cooked down. Let cool to room temperature.
3. In a large bowl combine turkey, cooked vegetable mixture, egg whites and Parmesan. Mix gently but thoroughly. Add salt and pepper to taste. Form into 5 patties.
4. Place on broiler rack about 8 inches from heat. Cook for about 20 minutes until browned. Add tomato sauce liberally on each patty. Add mozzarella cheese over sauce and place back under broiler. Cook for about another 5-7 minutes or until cheese is bubbling.

Serve on Toasted Garlic Buns.

To make Toasted Garlic Buns – Drizzle a small amount of olive oil over both sides of buns. Sprinkle with garlic powder and oregano. Place under broiler for 2-3 minutes until lightly browned. Keep an eye on them!

(Shown here on Prudy’s Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns…)

Enjoy!

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