Farro Eggplant Kale Casserole

Farro cooks chewy and moist in a rice cooker with 2 cups water/stock per cup of farro. Sliced zucchini, sliced eggplant, sliced tomatoes, kale are are good layers to add to this casserole. This time, I went with whatever was handy. Casseroles are perfect to use up leftovers.

Ingredients
2 cups cooked farro, seasoned
½ cup seasoned ricotta cheese
½ cup colby jack cheese, grated
½ red onion sliced thinly
½ cup sliced black olives
1 cup seasoned cooked ground turkey (optional - I use TVP instead)
1 long Chinese eggplant, sliced into rounds
1 cup chopped kale


Preparation

1. Assemble in layers: onions, farro, ricotta, olives, colby jack, eggplant, farro, TVP or ground turkey, ricotta, kale, olives colby jack
2. Cover with an aluminium foil and bake in 425°F oven for about 30 minutes
3. Top with thin sliced zucchini and serve warm with cucumber raita

Scotch Potato Falafel

Things enveloped in things, enveloped in things... ad infinitum has been quite a tradition with the royalty around the world and through the ages.

Scotch eggs come about in my kitchen on and off, especially since the kids and the other half like it with pasta and sauce. The usual Scotch egg I make for them is fairly standard, with only the flavoring customized.

While I am not a big meat fan, I don't mind occasional turkey or chicken, maybe salmon or halibut, that's about it. No red meat, no other exotic meats. 

So, to satisfy my tastes, I make Scotch eggs my way: instead of ground turkey, I use falafel batter for the outer coating. And, sometimes, I substitute the boiled egg with par-cooked largish new baby potato. That, in short, is the Falafel Scotch Potato/Egg. 

Turkey Enveloped Scotch Egg

Ingredients
For the coating layer:
1 lb lean ground turkey
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp Bragg liquid aminos
1 tsp Shawarma spice mix
1 tsp Cajun spice mix
1 tsp celery seeds
½ tsp ground oregano
1 tsp demerara sugar

1 Tbsp oil

5 boiled eggs, peeled

Preparation

1. Combine the ingredients for the coating layer and mix well
2. Rub some oil in the palms and flatten a ball of meat mixture
3. Envelop the eggs with this seasoned meat mixture coating 
4. Bake in a 425°F oven for about 20 minutes; I prefer it well done rather than underdone so, I turn off the heat and leave it in the oven for an extra 5 minutes
5. Serve warm with salad or vegetable sides like green beans and peas and potatoes; my kids prefer it with pasta and sauce, or pasta salad with veggies

Falafel Scotch Potato

I try to keep the falafel batter envelop layer fairly thin for quick cooking; if the consistency of the batter is not just right, the outer layer will crumble easily. It has happened to me quite a few times - adding flour and baking powder per Bittman's recipe seems to work consistently well, especially if the batter is fairly thick to be able to shape.

Incidentally, veggie balls dipped in chickpea flour batter, called Bonda, is a favorite tea time snack in India. Any filling can be used, but, typically it is mashed potatoes, carrots, peas and onions. I remember "Egg Bonda" that a neighbor aunty used to make and share with me. Bonda is fried in oil. In that sense, this falafel wrapped baked eggs is much like the Egg Bonda from my younger days, only not as much oil involved.

Ingredients

1 to 1½ cups any standard falafel batter - I use soaked chickpeas ground, with added flavors like garlic, tomato paste, salt and cayenne pepper powder; Mark Bittman's recipe works well

a few par-cooked new baby potatoes 

a couple of boiled eggs

a tablespoon or so of oil

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F
2. Envelop the boiled eggs and par-cooked potatoes with the falafel batter
3. Bake in the 375°F oven for about 10 to 15 minutes turning it around, and turning the pan around as needed, depending on your oven
4. Remove from heat, allow to rest before cutting open to serve

Turkey and Soy Bean Meatloaf

Mostly turkey, chicken, fish. Probably once a week. No beef or pork or other dark meat. So, not much meat consumption. Yet, there are some standard favorites. And this turkey meatloaf is one of them.

Of course, lot of beans, lentils and vegetables, with quinoa and brown rice, plus delicious salads do make it easy to present a good variety as the 500+ recipes I've shared here so far reminds me...

For texture and flavor that it brings, I prefer adding the cooked soy beans. I buy dry soy beans in bulk, soak and cook them and freeze them in small portions. Thaw overnight in the fridge and use as needed.

This is a make-ahead dish that lasts almost a week especially if I just serve a slice each every other night or so.

Ingredients
20 oz ground turkey
½ cup cooked soy beans
1 cup finely minced/chopped vegetables - red cabbage, bell pepper, onions
2 Tbsp Chipotle Pesto
2 Tbsp tomato sauce
1 Tbsp Bragg™ Liquid Aminos
1 tsp Wright's™ Hickory Liquid Smoke
½ Tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp paprika powder
1 egg
1 tsp oil
¼ cup Steak sauce

Preparation

1. Pre-heat the oven to 375°F; Grease a loaf pan and keep it handy
2. Heat the oil in a skillet and sauté the vegetables
3. Coarsely grind the cooked soy beans into thick paste
4. Combine all the ingredients except the steak sauce and mix well
5. Pack it into the greased loaf pan, brush the top with the steak sauce
6. Cook in a 375°F oven for about 35-40 minutes, checking once or twice, till firm and cooked through
7. Brush on more steak sauce mid-way, if preferred
8. When internal temperature is 170°F, remove from the oven, allow to rest for a few minutes

Turkey-Stuffed Red Pepper

Stuffed peppers are easy and sumptuous. I prefer the red or the orange peppers for their mild sweetness, rather than the green peppers. And the stuffing depends on the mood and what's available.

Purple peppers were the rage for a while if I could find it at the farmer's market. (Incidentally, Lesson Learnt: not wise to rely on free sites to host my pictures. Most of my food photos from the infancy of this blog are lost; and, I don't have a copy as I never did regular back-ups back then and my old laptop died... well, a series of unfortunate events, as they say, but quite propitious as I get to take fresh pictures when I make them again these days!)

The usual cranberry-pine-nut-rice stuffing like for dolma would be good for the peppers as well. But, to satisfy the protein cravings of the nicer half, these red peppers are stuffed with ground turkey.

Ground Turkey Stuffing:

1. Finely chop some red onions, red cabbage, carrots, celery, flat-leaf parsley, garlic 
2. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan, add the ground turkey, a sprinkling of salt, taco seasoning, and paprika and cook till done
3. Stir in the finely chopped veggies, cover and cook a few more minutes till veggies are tender yet crisp

Stuffed Peppers:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 425°F
2. Cut the bell peppers in half, brush with olive oil, sprinkle some salt and bake in the 425°F oven for about 5 minutes; turn down the oven to 375°F
3. Remove pepper halves from the oven, stuff with the prepared stuffing, cover the stuffing portion of the peppers with a small piece of aluminum foil
4. Return the stuffed peppers to the 375°F oven and bake for another 8 to 10 minutes till peppers are tender

Top with toasted pine nuts, chopped scallions and parsley or cilantro, and serve warm.

Baked Chipotle Turkey Croquettes in Lettuce Wraps with Tahini Dip

Fried vegetable croquettes are a favorite once-in-a-while weekend snack. Any combination of finely chopped or grated vegetables and meat can be shaped into small 'fingers' and breaded and deep fried and presented as fancy croquettes with various dips and sauces.

Rather than deep frying, these Spicy Chipotle Turkey Zucchini Ginger croquettes are baked. And, rather than the usual bread crumbs these turkey croquettes are 'breaded' in seasoned almond meal.

The chipotle chilies in adobo sauce is a favorite flavoring for stews and beans. I wanted to use it for the turkey croquettes, but also carried it into the sauce/dip.

Ready within 20 minutes including preparation time, this dish can be a quick snack or a light meal, especially when wrapped in crisp lettuce leaf.

Ingredients
10 oz ground turkey
1 tsp Bragg™'s Liquid Aminos
½ medium zucchini, grated finely and squeezed to remove water
1 Tbsp freshly grated ginger
1 pimento cherry pepper chopped finely (optional)
2 Tbsp finely chopped chipotle in adobo sauce (less if preferred)

Almond meal: combine about 1/3rd cup of raw almonds, 2 Tbsp parsley (finely chopped fresh, or dried), 1 tsp curry powder, 1 tsp smoked paprika, and grind to crumbs for breading

Oil Mister/Sprayer/Spritzer: Table top oil spritzer is handy- not just for cutting back on oil usage but also for eliminating the use-and-throw store-bought cooking oil spray cans.

Spicy Chipotle Sesame Sauce/Dip:
1 or 2 chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
1 Tbsp sundried tomatoes packed in oil
1 Tbsp Tahini
1 Tbsp Olive oil
½ Tbsp Pomegranate Red Wine Vinegar
water as needed

Combine the ingredients and blend to a smooth dip consistency adding a little water at a time as needed.

Preparation

1. Pre-heat the oven to 425°F.
2. Have the almond meal ready for coating
3. Knead the turkey and the rest of the ingredients and shape into long thin cylinders
4. Coat with the seasoned almond meal
5. Arrange in a roasting pan and spray some cooking oil
6. Bake in 425°F oven for about 15 minutes, till internal temperature is 170°F

Wrap each croquette in a crisp piece of lettuce - I prefer Romaine, but the bland Iceberg work well for the kids. Sprinkle with finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley and/or cilantro. Serve with any other favorite dip or sauce or dressing.

Fenugreek Capers Yogurt Sauce with Baked Turkey Meatballs

Dips and Sauces sometimes make the dish - they add that unique flavor to take an everyday wholesome food from good-and-healthy to mouth-watering-and-exciting .

In my kitchen, I come up with sauces and dips on-the-fly frequently. And many of these sauces and dips come about without much forethought. Which means, I don't get to write down the exact measurements as I am not paying attention to that aspect.

I usually have a pack of Methi leaves (dried fenugreek leaves) handy. It is readily available at most Indian stores. I use it in Rotis and Naan and Pita bread.

This Spicy Fenugreek Capers Yogurt sauce (dip) just happened one day when I was looking to serve the plain old meatballs with something that can double as a dip and dressing. And, since it was quite delicious, I immediately wrote down the things I added, from memory. Short-term memory served me well, I think, as I tried this recipe again a week later and the sauce turned out just as delicious. So here it is...

For the Fenugreek-Capers-Yogurt Sauce:
¼ cup plain thick non-fat Greek yogurt
1 Tbsp Oilive oil
1 Tbsp dried Fenugreek leaves (Methi)
1 Tbsp Capers
1 tsp stone-ground spicy mustard
1 tsp red wine vinegar
4 pickled jalapeño rings
salt to taste

Combine the ingredients in a blender and blend till smooth and creamy.

For the Baked Turkey Meatballs:
The almond meal plus flaxseed meal combination is one of the favorites. I had saved some that I had made for the Almond-Flax Encrusted Baked Chicken Nuggets (before use), which I decided to use up for this meatball.

Ingredients
10 to 12 oz lean ground turkey
¼ to 1/3rd cup seasoned almond+flaxseed meal mixture
Cooking spray

1. Pre-heat the oven to 425°F
2. Add the seasoned Almond-Flaxseed meal a little at a time to the ground turkey and knead well; shape into firm balls
3. Place the balls in a roasting pan, spray with some cooking spray, turn the balls over and spray all around
4. Bake in a 425°F oven for about 15 minutes, checking part-way
5. When the internal temperature is close to 170°F remove from the oven and allow to rest
6. Serve warm in a bed of lettuce topped with marinated red onions and peppers, with the Fenugreek Capers Yogurt sauce that doubles as a salad dressing