Small and beautiful.

   Small, beautiful and delicious! Turkey sliders with spinach and feta - how awesome does that sound? Sliders are one of Justin's favorite things in the world, but since he is like a big baby sometimes, I have to sneak his vegetables in and hide them in order for him to eat them. So here is a perfect example of my sneakiness .... small turkey patties filled with feta cheese and spinach! You can use that trick on your kids... on your husband... or on yourself (if you are not a veggie lover). Recipe makes around 10 - depending on the size.

Ingredients:

*  1.5 lb ground turkey
*  3/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
*  6 oz fresh spinach, chopped
*  1/2 white onion, finely chopped
*  2 tbsp butter
*  1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
*  1 tbsp chicken seasoning
*  1 tsp ground cumin
*  salt and pepper

*  small ciabatta rolls
*  horseradish sauce
*  tomato, sliced
*  pickles

Directions:

1.  In a pan, melt butter and saute onions until translucent. Add spinach and cook for 2-3 minutes to wilt it. Set aside.
2. Combine ground turkey with feta cheese, spinach, and seasonings. Form small patties and grill 3-4 minutes on each side, until fully cooked.
3. Assemble your sliders, our favorite combo is ciabatta buns, horseradish sauce, tomatoes and pickles!

   Such a delicious combo! They are small, so you don't have to feel guilty about eating two of them! They are made out of lean turkey meat and filled with veggies... so you don't have to feel guilty about eating an extra two! Man, I wish I could have a cold beer with this meal... but maybe in a few months!

Enjoy,
Magda.

Sliding dinner!

   So what is your go-to dish? I'm sure you have something that no matter where you go, if you see it on the menu, you are probably gonna order it. Even though we always like to try new things, there are some dishes that we just can't pass up and no matter how much we try, we always end up with them. French onion soup, creme brulee, and eggs benedict are our absolute favorites and we never (and I mean never) miss a chance to try them. Justin has one more "cryptonite" that he can't resist, which he always gets if it's available. It's all sorts of sliders, any form, and shape, any flavor... he loves them all! So I decided to make some for dinner and just to make things more exciting I used chorizo sausage rather than beef and garnished them with avocado mayo. Here is the recipe:

Sliders:

*  1 lb uncooked chorizo sausages
*  1 tsp garlic powder
*  1 cup fresh chopped parsley
*  10 mini potato rolls (or any rolls/buns you like)

Mayo:

*  1 avocado
*  2 tbsp fat-free mayo
*  1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley
*  1 tbsp lime juice
*  salt and papper

Directions:

1. Take chorizo sausages from the casing. Mix with garlic and parsley until combined.
2. Form 10 mini burger patties and grill for 3-4 minutes on each side.
3. To make mayo, combine chopped avocado, fat-free mayo, parsley, lime juice, salt and pepper and mix everything together.
4. Spread the sauce on the roll, top with chorizo patty and enjoy!

   Not only small and cute, but also super duper extra delicious! You can eat as many or as few as you want to. Perfect for parties or just dinners for two. The chorizo is a little bit spicy and it pairs beautifully with the fresh and cool avocado mayo. One fun and delicious meal!

Enjoy,
Magda

Drunken chops!

   Remember when I told you that you are going to see more grilled goodies? I keep my promises and today I will show you how to make delicious grilled pork chops soaked in port, topped with an onion/apple glaze, and served with roasted broccoli! Is your mouth watering yet? I'm getting hungry just writing about it. Even though the dish consists of three different components, it's super easy, fast, and effortless. Oh, and low in calories too! Here is what you need for 4 servings:

Marinade:
*  4 pork chops (1/2 inch thick)
*  1/2 cup port
*  2-3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
*  2 tbsp brown sugar
*  2 tbsp soy sauce
*  1 tsp garlic powder

Glaze:
*  1 large onion
*  1 large apple
*  2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
*  1 tbsp sugar
*  1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
*  1/2 cup water
*  1 tsp corn starch

Side:
*  broccoli
*  cooking spray
*  Vegeta or salt and pepper

   Combine all the ingredients of the marinade, soak the pork chops in it, and refrigerate overnight in a covered bowl or plastic bag. Preheat the grill and grill the chops for about 5-6 minutes on each side until the meat is done.
   To prepare the glaze, thinly slice the onion and apple, saute them with the apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and sugar for about 6-7 minutes. Next add the water and corn starch, bring to a boil, and its done!
   The last ingredient of the dish is broccoli, which I cut into a long pieces (with the stems), cover with cooking spray, sprinkle with Vegeta (or salt and pepper), and bake at 430F for 15 minutes.

   How good does that look? The pork chops are super flavorful (well, they taste like port so they have to be amazing!), the glaze is sweet and tangy, and the broccoli is nicely roasted with a little bit of crunch! Oh, and check this out... all this has only 350 calories and 40 grams of protein!!! You can't beat that! Who said you need to sacrifice taste in order to cut down on calories?

Enjoy.
Magda.

Enjoy the weather!

   I love spring. This is absolutely my favorite season with warm, but not hot weather, beautiful green trees, herb gardens, and GRILLING!!! The second you go outside you can tell that all our neighbors loves grilling as well, because all you smell is deliciousness in the air! I can't say enough good things about grilled food, it's super flavorful, smoky, healthy, and fun. You can get super creative and come up if all sorts of different things which are wallet and figure friendly. Today, I will show you how to make the best chicken skewers ever with colorful veggies.

*  2 chicken breast (two halfs)
*  1 red bell pepper
*  1 medium onion
*  12-15 small white mushroom
*  1 medium zucchini
*  olive oil
*  salt and pepper

Marinade:

*  1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
*  1/4 cup lemon juice
*  lemon zest
*  2 tbsp honey
*  1/4 cup soy sauce
*  1 tbsp fresh grated ginger

   Mix all the ingredients of the marinade, cut the chicken into uniform cubes, and soak in the marinade for at least 24 hours (more or less, I just prepare it the night before). Cut all the vegetables (besides mushrooms) into bite size pieces (generous bites), drizzle with some olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and put it all onto the skewers. I put the vegetables on separate skewers than the chicken (different cooking time) and I alternate the chicken pieces with chunks of onions (for extra flavor). Grill on medium heat for about 3-4 minutes on each side (remember that skewers have 4 sides) until chicken is completely cooked but not dry.

   Don't be afraid of the black color on the meat or vegetables, this is absolutely the best part of the dish. That smoky and delicious char makes grilled food so special. The grilling season in the Morgan's household is on, so stay tuned for more delicious recipes.

Enjoy.
Magda.

Good and good for you!

   What am I saying? The title should be: "Delicious and good for you"! Me and Justin love burgers, but we try to avoid junk food in our house (well, at least most of the time!) so we always make our own burgers from the good quality lean meat and with lots of fresh veggies! It's funny how men and women have different definition of "veggies"! I have to make sure Justin puts his lettuce and tomato on the bun because otherwise he swears that two spoons of ketchup is like two servings of veggies! I love traditional beef burgers but my absolute favorite is a turkey, feta, and cilantro burger! So flavorful, so healthy, and if you use whole wheat bun, it's absolutely guilt free. Oh, and you know it's fast and easy too, right? What you need is:

*  1 lb lean ground turkey
*  1 cup feta cheese (crumbled)
*  1 cup chopped cilantro
*  salt and pepper

*  burger buns
*  lettuce
*  tomato
*  onion
*  black olives

   Mix meat with feta cheese, cilantro, and spices but remember that feta is salty so you don't want to over season it. Form four "generous" patties and grill for about 8-10 minutes (4-5 minutes on each side) until the middle is no longer pink and juices come out clear. Remember it's not beef so it has to be cooked all the way. That's pretty much it, you are ready to stack your burger. It's really tasty when served with olives so make sure you try it this way unless you don't like them.

   Do you see this chunk of feta hanging out from the side of it? Man, I love feta! And about the Fritos on the side... I said we don't eat junk food "most of the time"!

Enjoy.
Magda