turkey ranch burger wraps
Last winter I made turkey ranch burgers for dinner. I saw a commercial with a woman making a quick weeknight dinner for her family with ground beef and a packet of ranch seasoning and I was sold. I love ranch flavored things. I have a cast iron grill pan so grilling indoors year round is easy for me. Not too long ago I decided it was time for a turkey ranch burger again, so I brought the grill pan out and got started.
I soon realized I didn’t have any burger buns and I wasn’t making a trip to the store for one bun. I quickly came up with plan b when I saw my new favorite food item in the fridge, Middle Eastern Flat Bread. Have you tried this yet? I LOVE it! I picked it up at Trader Joe’s and I can’t live without it anymore. You must buy some immediately! Moving on…..I grilled the burgers as normal and then after they rested I cut the burger up into quarters and created a wrap. I included spinach and my other newish favorite food item, Greek Yogurt. I’ve kicked sour cream to the curb for this plain yogurt. I say newish because I’ve actually been using it for several months. My favorite brand is FAGE (pronounced fa-yeh) and I like the total fat or 2% fat variety. You must try this soon, and can find it at Trader Joe’s also.
These tasted so delicious. Now that’s its summer I can make these on the bbq and warm the flat bread on the grill as well. You should do this also, I insist.
Turkey Ranch Burger Wraps
ground turkey
packet of ranch seasoning
salt and pepper
greek yogurt
spinach
middle eastern flat bread
fresh squeezed lemon juice
In a large bowl combine ground turkey, ranch seasoning (reserving some) and salt and pepper. Mix well to fully incorporate the seasoning, then shape into burgers. Cook over medium heat either on your stove or bbq until done, flipping once, approx. 5 minutes per side depending on thickness. Remove from heat and let rest for a few minutes then cut into quarters. In the meantime, add the reserved ranch seasoning to the greek yogurt with lemon juice. Spread yogurt onto flat bread and top with spinach and turkey burger.
I can get 2 uses out of one ranch packet. The measurements all depend on how much meat you use and how strong you like the ranch flavor.
where have i been?
It’s been over two months since I blogged and I don’t really have a good reason for the break. Yes, I was uninspired for a while in both the kitchen and then with writing, I went to California (but I did cook and bake with my cousin and her family) and then I’ve been working more lately. I assist chefs in cooking classes and the weeks I work more the last thing I want to do is cook and clean my kitchen after doing that at work. I have been doing some cooking and baking the last couple of months and here are some photos of what I’ll be posting soon.
pineapple and chicken quesadilla
grapefruit sandwich cookies
turkey ranch burger wraps
coconut macarons with chocolate ganache filling
what did you have for breakfast?
With a few simple ingredients I had in the fridge, I turned ordinary eggs and toast into something that seemed a little more breakfast gourmet. I added smoked salmon, cream cheese and greens and I had an eggs-benedict-style dish, and it was delish. I’m a huge fan of anything with smoked salmon and Whole Foods had it on sale, so into the shopping cart it went. This simple recipe is perfect for me because I love breakfast, but I don’t love an all sweet breakfast, I always needs something savory or salty to cut through the sweetness. Thankfully, bacon is usually an option.
I used Mizuna for my greens. Mizuna is a Japanese style leafy green. It kind of looks like a weed to me, but it tastes good. I get bored with regular old lettuce and I like that stores are bringing in a better selection of greens to choose from and experiment with.
eggs, toast and smoked salmon
toast
eggs
smoked salmon
cream cheese
mizuna (any green will work)
happy belated anniversary to me
April 1st, was my one year anniversary for Casual Girl Cuisine. I am two weeks late posting this, but it slipped by me and then I got slammed with a horrible flu. I’m feeling better now. I’m so excited that after a year I’m still blogging about my adventures in the kitchen. I love to cook/bake and take pictures, and I love sharing with anyone who reads this. So for you readers out there, Thank you for reading my little blog and taking part in my kitchen adventures. I’ll keep them coming.
Here is a behind the scenes photo of my precious Tilly wanting to help and be included in the photo staging process. She hates being left out.
come get your cupcake on
Who doesn’t love cupcakes? Do you need an outlet for this cupcake love? Well, I have then event for you. This Sunday, April 17th is the second annual Cupcake Camp Seattle. Come and taste cupcakes from some of the yummiest cupcake shops in Seattle that you know about and some that you don’t, there will also be some amateur cupcake bakers showing off what they can do also. There will be competitions, raffles, decorating and more. Proceeds go to the Hope Heart Institute. So get your tickets now for what promises to be great fun and support a great cause at the same time. For more information check out Cupcake Camp Seattle and to purchase tickets click here. Tickets are $8.oo in advance and $10.00 at the door.
All this fun is taking place at The Canal in Ballard. It’s a beautiful venue overlooking the Ballard Locks. Let’s hope for some sun!
soup for a rainy day: italian wedding soup
March comes in like a lion and out like lamb; April showers bring May flowers. Do you remember those old sayings from elementary school? Well, March came in like a lion and left like a lion and these April showers better bring some beautiful May flowers. This soup can help beat the grey days. Italian wedding soup is a poultry based broth soup that has tiny meatballs, tiny pasta and spinach. It’s the perfect soup to send those cloudy days away. This soup can be a little time-consuming to make, but I used some shortcuts to make it easier.
First, I used a combination of boxed broth and home-made stock. I made a lot of turkey stock after Christmas with the turkey carcass. Second, I already had mini-meatballs. I spent one evening a couple months back making meatballs in all sizes, then froze them all. Let me add that making these minis was not fun. I adapted the soup recipe from the Barefoot Contessa’s Back to Basics cookbook. It’s an incredibly easy recipe to throw together if you already have the meatballs ready to go. The only two things I left out of the original recipe were white wine because I didn’t want to open a bottle for only 1/4 cup, and the celery because I didn’t have any.
I had left-over soup for days. I intended to freeze the extra, but I loved it so much I just ate it day after day until it was gone. I didn’t use the measurements given in the recipe, so I’ll try my best to estimate what I used, but will link you to the actual recipe. If you’d like to give this recipe a try, but not bother making meatballs yourself, buy them and cut them into small pieces. I won’t tell.
Italian Wedding Soup
adapted from Barefoot Contessa
olive oil
1/2-1 cup minced onion, yellow or white
2 garlic cloves, diced
2 carrots, diced
5 cups of chicken stock or broth, home made or bought
1/2 cup of tiny pasta (I used acini di pepe)
2 tbs fresh dill, minced
6 oz fresh spinach
tiny meatballs or regular meatballs cut-up, already cooked
salt and pepper
fresh parmesan, grated
Heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a soup pot and saute onions and carrots until softened then add the garlic, season with salt and pepper. Add the stock or broth and bring to a boil, add your tiny pasta and cook for about 8 minutes. Next add your cooked meatballs and dill. Taste your soup and season with more salt and pepper if needed. Add your spinach last and cook it until it’s just wilted. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with parmesan cheese.
In the words of Barefoot Contessa, “How easy is that?”
casual girl cuisine 