Acorn Squash and Pear Soup

From Taste of Home



Ingredients:
2 medium acorn squash, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
4 medium firm pears, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 celery ribs, thinly sliced
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried sage leaves
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 carton (48 ounces) chicken broth

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine the first nine ingredients; toss to coat. Transfer to a greased shallow roasting pan. Roast at 375° for 1-1/4 hours or until squash is tender, stirring occasionally.

Cool slightly. In a food processor, process squash mixture with broth in batches until smooth. Transfer to a Dutch oven; heat through, stirring occasionally.

Comments:
I halved this one as well because we're just two people here. We can only eat so much. Anyway, the worst part of this recipe is the squash. Holy hell, those are a pain in the ass to peel and chop up! Once that hurdle is cleared it's easy sailing. The house smelled heavenly as the mixture roasted. I took it out a little shy of the 1 1/4 time as it was beginning to get kind of crispy on the edges. It's got a sweet overtone from the pears but overall it's really good. I did add a few good grinds of black pepper to my bowl and I cooked up some crusty rolls for dipping.

Turkey Burgers with Roasted Eggplant

From Cooking Light



Ingredients:
1 (8-ounce) eggplant
Cooking spray
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley, divided
4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 pound turkey tenderloins, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon less-sodium soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon Marmite
4 (1 1/2-ounce) hamburger buns, toasted
4 Bibb lettuce leaves
4 (1/4-inch-thick) tomato slices

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400°.

2. Lightly coat eggplant with cooking spray; wrap eggplant in foil. Place eggplant on a jelly-roll pan; bake at 400° for 45 minutes or until very tender, turning once. Remove from foil; cool slightly. Cut eggplant in half. Carefully scoop out pulp to measure 1 1/4 cups; discard skin. Place pulp in a food processor; process until smooth. Reserve 1/4 cup pureed pulp. Combine remaining pulp, 1 tablespoon parsley, 2 teaspoons oil, juice, and garlic. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; set aside.

3. To prepare grinder, place feed shaft, blade, and 1/4-inch die plate in freezer 30 minutes or until well chilled. Assemble the grinder just before grinding.

4. Arrange turkey pieces in a single layer on jelly-roll pan, leaving space between each piece. Freeze 15 minutes or until meat is firm but not frozen. Combine meat and remaining 2 teaspoons oil in large bowl; toss to combine. Pass meat through meat grinder completely. Immediately pass meat through grinder a second time. Combine reserved 1/4 cup eggplant puree, turkey, remaining 1 tablespoon parsley, soy sauce, and Marmite in a large bowl. Divide mixture into 4 equal portions, gently shaping each into a 1/2-inch-thick patty. Press a nickel-sized indentation in the center of each patty. Cover and chill until ready to grill.

5. Preheat grill to medium-high heat.

6. Lightly coat patties with cooking spray; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place patties on grill rack, and grill 4 minutes until well marked. Carefully turn patties over, and grill 3 minutes or until done. Place 1 patty on bottom half of each bun; top each serving with 1 tablespoon eggplant mixture, 1 lettuce leaf, 1 tomato slice, and top half of bun. (Reserve remaining eggplant mixture for another use.)

Comments:
Ok, who really grinds their own turkey? Please... quit making the rest of us look like lazy cooks. Go to the grocery store and buy Jennie O like a normal person. Anyway, a little time-consuming on the eggplant prep (I actually ended up roasting and pureeing it the night before.) Good results, if not exactly earth-shattering. The eggplant in the burger itself is pretty much invisible. The condiment on top is interesting, but not really the best thing I ever ate. I do have some leftover tortillas so I plan to use the leftovers as a dip. We'll see how that goes.

Crunchy Baked Flounder

From Cooking Light



Ingredients:
1/2 cup panko
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
4 flounder fillets (1 1/2 lb.)
Salt and pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425°F. Mist bottom of a large baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Combine panko, Parmesan and butter in a small bowl and stir mixture well.

Sprinkle both sides of flounder generously with salt and pepper. Arrange fish in prepared baking dish. Sprinkle panko-Parmesan mixture over fish. Bake until fish is cooked through and crumbs are golden, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

Comments:
Seriously easiest dish ever. I don't know that I've ever had flounder before and while I'd say it's "fishier" than pollock or cod, it was still bland enough that I could eat a piece of it without smothering it in Miracle Whip. Man, I wish I liked fish more because it's supposed to be so good for you...

Sloppy Joes

From Eating Well



Ingredients:
12 ounces 90%-lean ground beef
1 large onion, finely diced
2 cups finely chopped cremini mushrooms, (about 4 ounces)
5 plum tomatoes, diced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup chili sauce, such as Heinz
1/4 cup ketchup
8 whole-wheat hamburger buns, toasted if desired

Directions:
Crumble beef into a large nonstick skillet; cook over medium heat until it starts to sizzle, about 1 minute. Add onion and mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until the vegetables are soft and the moisture has evaporated, 8 to 10 minutes.

Add tomatoes and flour; stir to combine. Stir in water, vinegar, chili sauce and ketchup and bring to a simmer, stirring often. Reduce heat to a low simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened and the onion is very tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Serve warm on buns.

Comments:
A different spin on sloppy joes, and I've got to say these are MUCH better than the usual ground beef + prefab spice packet deal. I didn't even mind the mushrooms. Much. I'm still working on actually liking them. I think I went a little crazy with the chili sauce and it burned a little, but it was still good. Leftovers were great with tortilla chips too!