Remember how last week I was writing about how excited I was to finally share some family favorite healthy recipes this month? These Turkey Veggie Mushroom Burgers with Goat Cheese and Sautéed Shiitakes are definitely one of those recipes!

I first made these burgers this past summer after being inspired by a Food52 article about half-veggie half-meat burgers. I like to occasionally reduce the amount of meat at meals for environmental and cost reasons so I made burger patties using ground turkey, sautéed mushrooms, brown rice and quinoa before topping them with goat cheese, sautéed shiitakes and balsamic glaze.

We were so obsessed with these burgers after one bite that I posted my dark dinner photo of them on my Instagram feed, missing bun and all since I had forgotten them at the store! I think I can fairly say that these are the most moist burgers I’ve ever made, thanks to the mushrooms and grains, which usually is not something said about turkey burgers. They are also one of the most flavor-packed burgers and you could definitely skip the bun if you wanted to since they taste great either way.

Part of what makes the flavor so good is that I use a Seeds of Change brown rice and quinoa with garlic packet. This isn’t sponsored, but as I mentioned in my Sheet Pan Chicken Fajita Bowls post, the brown rice and quinoa is fluffy and tastes awesome. Mix that together with the ground turkey, some sautéed cremini mushrooms, shallot and garlic and you have a winning burger.

When I make these I like to make a few extras and freeze the uncooked patties for future dinners. I always defrost them before grilling, but you might be able to cook them straight from frozen. I will be sure to try it out next time I freeze some of the patties. I hope you all enjoy these for (almost) Meatless Monday!

Turkey Veggie Mushroom Burgers with Goat Cheese and Sautéed Shiitakes

 

Print

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 10 ounces whole cremini mushrooms, stems removed and finely chopped
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 8 ounces ground turkey
• 1 cup Seeds of Change Quinoa and Brown Rice
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 5 ounces sliced shiitakes
• 4 burger buns, optional
• Goat cheese, for topping
• Balsamic glaze, for topping
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped cremini mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Sauté for 4 minutes. Add the shallot and garlic, continue to cook for 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat, put in a medium mixing bowl and let cool.
2. Place a piece of plastic wrap or wax paper on a dinner sized plate. Once the mushroom mixture has cooled slightly, add the ground turkey, quinoa and brown rice and dijon mustard. Use your hands to combine the mixture, but do not over-mix. Form the mixture into 4 patties and place each patty on the prepared dinner plate. Put the patties in the fridge to firm up for about 10-15 minutes.
3. Heat your grill or grill pan, being sure to lightly grease the grill pan. Once hot, cook the patties for 7-8 minutes per side, or until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
4. While the burgers are cooking, sauté the shiitake mushrooms. Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Season with salt and pepper and sauté the mushrooms for 6-8 minutes.
5. When the burgers are done, place on the buns, if using, then top with the sautéed shiitakes, goat cheese and a drizzle of balsamic glaze.

3.2.2802

Lauren Uncategorized 2 Comments

Every week for the last couple months I’ve been saying to Matt, “Listen to all the awesome recipes I have coming up in January!” and then I make him listen to me read them all for the bajillionth time because I’m just so excited about them. Yes, the last couple months because I’m a planner so I’ve had these in the works for quite some time. All the recipes I’m posting this month are indicative of how Matt and I eat when we’re at home. Sure, we have the occasional pasta night or indulgent meal, but recipes like the Sheet Pan Honey Mustard Roasted Salmon and Broccoli and today’s Baked Barbecue Chicken Egg Rolls are how we eat 90% of the time we’re home.

Even though I keep talking about healthy meals and posting healthy recipes in January, we don’t really look at them as health food. To us they’re just really delicious meals we love that happen to be good for us, too. My excitement stems from finally sharing all these recipes that have been made over and over in our kitchen last year; whether we make them once a month or whether I just came up with it and made it four times in a row because we got hooked. These Baked Barbecue Chicken Egg Rolls fall into the latter category.

I had this idea to combine two of our favorite new meals from last year: the Barbecue Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes and the Southwest Turkey Baked Egg Rolls. Shredded cooked chicken gets tossed in barbecue sauce (I recommend my homemade refined sugar free recipe, which I’ve posted in the recipe below) and some chopped steamed spinach before being rolled up in the egg roll wrappers with some sharp cheddar cheese. They only take 16 minutes to bake and the outside gets really crispy, while the cheese inside gets gooey. I’m literally drooling as I’m typing this – sorry folks!

Matt loves barbecue sauce so he proclaimed that he likes these even more than the Southwest Turkey Baked Egg Rolls. I don’t think I could choose because it depends on what I’m in the mood for, but these definitely win in their simplicity of the filling. Another reason we’ve had these egg rolls so much recently is because they freeze so well. We’re big fans of freezing meals so we have something quick instead of succumbing to takeout and I freeze these after they’ve been baked and cooled. To reheat, I just put them on the toast setting of our Breville Smart Oven or you could bake them at 375 degrees F for ten minutes.

I love having ranch dressing with barbecue sauce so I was excited to see so many healthier ranch dressings made with Greek yogurt at the grocery store! I got one from Hidden Valley Ranch and it’s so good with these egg rolls, but with way less calories and fat. I hope you all try these soon!

Baked Barbecue Chicken Egg Rolls

 

Print

Yield: 7 servings (3 rolls per serving)

Ingredients

for the egg rolls

• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
• 1¼ cups barbecue sauce
• ½ cup steamed and strained spinach
• 3 tablespoons chopped red onion
• 21 egg roll wrappers, see note
• 1¼ cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• Greek yogurt ranch dressing, for dipping

for the barbecue sauce

• 1 small can tomato paste, about 6 ounces
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 4 teaspoons molasses
• 4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 4 teaspoons maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

for the egg rolls

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with nonstick aluminum foil or coat with cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the shredded chicken, barbecue sauce, spinach and red onion until fully coated.
3. Before filling the egg roll wrappers, make sure you have a little bowl or cup of warm water and a clean work surface. Place the egg roll wrapper down so that a corner is facing you. Scoop 3 tablespoons of the chicken mixture and place it near the bottom corner of the wrapper. I like to adjust the mixture so it’s more of a log shape then a big mound. Place a tablespoon of the shredded cheese on top. Take the bottom corner of the wrapper and fold it up and over the mixture so it’s completely covering it then continue to roll it one more time. Fold in the left and right corners so they create a little envelope then continue to roll it until it’s 1 roll away from the top corner. Wet your finger with the water and use it to moisten the whole exposed top corner. Fold the corner down to close up and seal the roll. Place it on the baking sheet. Repeat for the remaining rolls then coat all the rolls with cooking spray.
4. Bake the rolls for 8 minutes, then flip them over and bake for another 8 minutes. They should be crispy and golden brown. Serve warm with the ranch dressing.

for the barbecue sauce

1. Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil then reduce to low heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat.

Notes

I use Nasoya egg rolls wrappers. In Whole Foods I find them in the refrigerated section near the hummus and guacamole. In Wegmans I find them in the refrigerated section near the tofu and blocks of cheese.

3.2.2802

Lauren Uncategorized 6 Comments

Tomorrow is the big day! Are you sick of Thanksgiving recipe posts yet? I love seeing everyone’s Thanksgiving recipes because it gives me inspiration for Christmas meals and cozy dishes to enjoy all winter long. I have a non-holiday recipe queued up for Monday – and you will not want to miss it – and then I’m diving right into Christmas dishes! I would take a longer break, but there’s just so many holiday recipes I’m excited to share with you all.

Last week I shared the Leftover Turkey Pull-apart Sliders with a Maple Mayo and Cranberry Barbecue Sauce and today I have another creative way to re-imagine your leftover turkey, cranberry sauce and even your leftover butternut squash! These Leftover Turkey Lettuce Wraps with Cranberry Tahini Sauce are healthy and light, which is perfect after a day filled with eating, eating and more eating!

I’ve used tahini in a few recipes here on Lemon & Mocha. If you aren’t familiar with the ingredient, it’s ground sesame paste and it’s a healthy way to bring rich flavor and nuttiness to a dish. This cranberry tahini sauce was so good that I found myself seeking out things to put it on when we ran out of turkey lettuce wraps. I loved it as a salad dressing and as a dipping sauce for my grilled chicken. While the cranberry tahini sauce has many uses, it’s especially delicious when drizzled over tender turkey and sweet roasted butternut squash all wrapped up in a fresh lettuce leaf.

Even though I came up with this dish as a fresh take on leftovers you better believe I’m going to be cooking up some turkey and butternut squash in the next few months so we can have these lettuce wraps for dinner and lunches.

I hope you all enjoy these as much as we did! Happy Thanksgiving!

Leftover Turkey Lettuce Wraps with a Cranberry Tahini Sauce

 

Print

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

for the dressing

• 3 tablespoons cranberry sauce
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 1½ tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder

for the lettuce wraps

• 12 butter lettuce leaves
• Leftover roasted turkey, about 8 ounces
• Leftover cooked butternut squash, about 1 cup

Directions

for the dressing

1. Blend together all the ingredients until smooth.

for the lettuce wraps

1. Top each lettuce leaf with some turkey and roasted butternut squash then drizzle with the tahini cranberry dressing.

3.2.2802

Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments

Hi everyone! Matt and I got back from our Japan vacation early Sunday morning. I’m a few days behind, but I’m finally checking in with you all! We had an amazing time – the sites were unreal and the food was beyond delicious! I am planning to eventually put together a food guide so I’m looking forward to sharing more of our trip with you all. In the meantime, I’m going to be posting a few pictures on Instagram over the next few weeks so make sure you’re following me! Now, let’s dive into today’s recipe in preparation for the day after Thanksgiving.

These, my friends, are Leftover Turkey Pull-apart Sliders with a Maple Mayo and Cranberry Barbecue Sauce. Fluffy potato rolls are stuffed with leftover turkey, tangy cranberry barbecue sauce, a quick maple mayo and gooey cheese. You bake them in the oven so the tops get golden with just a bit of crispy cheese on top. I may have made these sliders with Thanksgiving in mind, but they would also be perfect for tailgating, Super Bowl parties or an everyday Friday night.

Have you made pull-apart sliders before? They are one of my favorite ways to serve an easy, casual meal. You cut a set of rolls open and lay them flat in a baking pan. Then you add your toppings like it is one big piece of bread before adding the top half of the roll set. They get baked away and then it’s time to eat! I usually let them cool for a minute then cut them in the pan so the sliders are easier to actually pull-apart without the filling getting yanked out every time someone grabs one.

These are designed to use up you leftover Thanksgiving turkey and cranberry sauce since having those two dishes meal after meal can get a little boring. Gooey, cheesy sliders are definitely not boring and the sweetness of the maple mayo with the tanginess of the cranberry sauce balances perfectly. You can really use any kind of rolls for these, but I love potato rolls since they are so buttery and fluffy. I was only going to eat one or two of these sliders, but I couldn’t help gobbling them up with Matt over the next couple days.

I hope you enjoy these sliders! What Thanksgiving leftovers are you looking forward to the most?

Leftover Turkey Pull-apart Sliders with a Maple Mayo and Cranberry Barbecue Sauce

 

Print

Yield: 9 sliders

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce
• 2 tablespoons cranberry sauce
• 9 dinner rolls, cut in half
• 1½ cups roasted turkey pieces
• ¾ cup shredded mozzarella, plus more for topping
• 1 tablespoon butter

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise and maple syrup. Set aside.
3. In another small bowl, combine the barbecue sauce and cranberry sauce. Set aside.
4. Place the bottom halves of the dinner rolls into an 8 x 8” square baking pan. Evenly spread on the maple mayo. Top with the turkey pieces, then the shredded mozzarella. Spoon the cranberry barbecue sauce over top. Put the top half of the rolls on.
5. Melt the butter. Spread the butter over the tops of the rolls then sprinkle some extra shredded mozzarella on top. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and the cheese is melted.

3.2.2802

Lauren Uncategorized 2 Comments

I am obsessed with the recipes I’ve been posting so far in October! I’m normally super excited about all the food I’m sharing, but I feel especially extra excited for all of these. This Chicken Schnitzel and Pesto Spaetzle with a Cauliflower Sun-dried Tomato Sauce is no exception. In fact, it’s heavily contributing to that extra excitement. This dish has a lot of components, but when they come together in the same bite it is pure magic.

On the bottom we have our homemade spaetzle dumplings. They are technically a dumpling, but I think of them as noodles. If you love pasta then you will love spaetzle since they are like egg noodles with a bit of chewiness to them. A classic German dish, spaetzle is typically served with lots of butter and parsley. We are taking a slightly healthier approach and topping them with a quick homemade almond and spinach pesto. The pesto is nutty and makes the spaetzle a beautiful green color. However, before adding the pesto we cannot get away without pan-frying the spaetzle.

I seared them in a pan with just a little bit of coconut oil cooking spray; they just need to get very lightly browned, which adds a crispy textural element to the little dumplings. On top of the incredible pesto spaetzle is crispy chicken schnitzel. It’s basically a fancy German way of saying a breaded cutlet. Usually I make schnitzel with veal or pork cutlets, but I wanted to keep the dish a little lighter so we are using chicken cutlets. The cutlets are thin so you can shallow fry them in just a little bit of olive oil.

Although the crispy chicken schnitzel and cozy pesto spaetzle would be amazing on their own, I felt like the dish needed one more flavor to pull it all together. Enter this out-of-this-world creamy cauliflower sun-dried tomato sauce. I officially want to put this sauce on every pasta, pizza and chicken dish I make from now on. I might even eat it as a soup. You will know what I mean once you make it. Chicken broth, cauliflower, garlic and seasonings are simmered together before being blended with some sun-dried tomatoes and olive oil. Pure magic! I got the recipe from Caitlin @starinfinitefood – you need to follow her Instagram if you don’t already! She posts beautiful food and clean recipes. When you get a bite with the spaetzle, pesto, chicken schnitzel and sun-dried tomato sauce together it is one of those bites where you just have to shout out, “Damn!” after lots of mmming and other inappropriate noises.

The pesto, sun-dried tomato sauce and chicken schnitzel are all incredibly quick recipes to whip together. However, although mixing the spaetzle dough takes barely any time at all, pushing the batter through a spaetzle maker, colander, slotted spoon or whatever you are using into a pot of boiling water is time consuming. Now, I’ve never used a spaetzle maker so maybe that would make it infinitely quicker, but every time I’ve done it I always forget quite how long it takes to push the dough through. The reason you are pushing it through is to make it into those odd little squiggly shapes that you then boil until they float before scooping them out and letting them drain. The good news is you can make spaetzle ahead of time and simply run them under cold water and strain them before storing them in the fridge until you’re ready to brown them up. I hope you try this dish soon, and make sure you invite me over when you do!

Chicken Schnitzel & Pesto Spaetzle with a Cauliflower Sun-dried Tomato Sauce

 

Print

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

for the spaetzle

• ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
• ⅓ cup whole wheat flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ¼ cup nonfat milk, or water
• 2 eggs, beaten

for the pesto

• 2 cups packed spinach leaves
• ⅓ cup whole almonds
• 2 cloves garlic
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon salt

for the sun-dried tomato sauce

• 2 cups cauliflower florets
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cloves garlic
• ½ teaspoon dried parsley
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup julienned sun-dried tomatoes, about 5 whole ones
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

for the chicken schnitzel

• 1 pound chicken cutlets, pounded to ¼” thick
• ¼ cup flour
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• ¾ cup panko bread crumbs
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• Vegetable oil, for shallow frying

Directions

for the spaetzle

1. Bring a medium to medium-large pot of water to a boil.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together both flours, the salt, nutmeg and black pepper. Add the milk and beaten eggs then stir to combine.
3. Using a spaetzle press, colander or slotted spoon with round holes, press the batter through with a wooden spoon so it falls/drips into the boiling water. Once you’ve pressed a bunch through, use a slotted spoon to skim the spaetzle noodles out when they’ve floated to the surface. Put them in a colander to drain while you finish making the rest.
4. Once you’ve made all the spaetzle, spray a large frying pan with cooking spray. Heat the pan over medium-high heat and add the spaetzle. Cook, stirring as needed, until lightly browned.

for the pesto

1. Blend all the ingredients together in a food processor until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Toss with the spaetzle to coat.

for the sun-dried tomato sauce

1. Bring the cauliflower, vegetable broth, garlic, dried parsley and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Cover, reduce heat to low and let simmer for 20 minutes. Carefully blend the contents of the saucepan in a high-speed blender. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and olive oil then blend again until smooth.

for the chicken schnitzel

1. If the chicken cutlets are really big, cut them in half. Set up your breading station with three shallow bowls. Put the flour in one, whisk together the egg and Dijon in the other, and mix together the panko and dried parsley in the third. Season the chicken cutlets with salt and pepper. Dip the chicken cutlet into the flour mixture and make sure it’s completely coated, shaking off any excess. Then dip it into the egg mixture and make sure it’s completely coated, letting any excess drip off. Then dip the cutlet into the panko and make sure it’s completely coated. Repeat until you’ve breaded all the chicken cutlets.
2. Over medium heat, heat enough olive oil in a high-sided skillet so that it will come halfway up the side of the chicken. Test that your oil is ready by tossing in a couple panko breadcrumbs. If your oil isn’t hot enough, the panko will sink. If your oil is too hot, in which case you should turn the temperature down, the panko will burn. If it bubbles then your oil is ready for frying the cutlets. I cooked mine in two batches; you don’t want to overcrowd the pan. Cook the chicken for 3 minutes on each side. Make sure it registers 165 degrees F when you remove it, otherwise cook it a little longer. Remove the cutlets to a paper towel lined plate then move them to a wire cooling rack so they stay crispy. Refresh the olive oil as needed and repeat for any remaining chicken cutlets.
3. Serve hot over the spaetzle tossed with pesto. Pour the warmed up sun-dried tomato sauce over top.

Notes

For the spaetzle, you can use all all-purpose flour if you would prefer.
I highly recommend using this pesto since it’s fresh, nutty and really easy to whip up. If you would rather use your own, you will need about ½ cup to toss with the spaetzle.

3.2.2802

Lauren Uncategorized 4 Comments