Italian Sausage and Portobello Melts

Do you love pizza? Mushrooms? Italian Sausage? These melts give you ALL the flavor but are a mindless, easily prepared, super healthy dinner option. A quick Google search of the health benefits of portobello mushrooms and I was sort of blown away by all the good stuff in them. Will definitely be adding these to a more constant meal rotation.

Simply preroast some portobello mushroom caps on a baking pan (remove the stems) at 350° for about 15 minutes. Drain off all the excess liquid and pat dry with a paper towel. Now add some olive oil soaked sun dried tomatoes to the mushroom caps. I love Cucina and Amore version but I'm sure there are others out there.

Next top with sliced mozzarella cheese and some precooked and crumbled Italian sausage. I like to add the sausage underneath and on top of the cheese. A 1/2 pound of sausage is the perfect amount for 4 large mushroom caps.

Put these back in the oven for about 10 minutes to melt the cheese and then hit the broiler for the final minute or two if you like it extra bubbly with crispy edges, yum! Top with fresh chopped basil at the end and enjoy. Makes an excellent dinner served with a side salad or would be a fun appetizer to share. Either way, it's delicious.

Green Curry Meatball Soup

Finally coming out of this awful allergy induced sinus infection, yay Spring! I wanted to cook last night but am still craving soup/decongestants. After a week on antibiotics and toast/soup I wanted something fresh and light but soup still seemed appealing. Spicy green curry soup is the perfect combination of heat and fresh herbs while being fairly light and healthy. Adding noodles or rice would be great but I felt like omitting the carbs. This came together so easily and will definitely be making it again soon.

Green Curry Meatballs:

1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs

1 fresno pepper, seeds removed and finely chopped

1 scallion, finely chopped

1 lb dark ground turkey

1 tsp green curry paste

1 egg

dash of salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients with a fork (wet hands are the easiest route, wetting them first helps prevent sticking) and form into balls. Around 1.5 inches in diameter is a quickly cooking size. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes before placing them into the soup.

*Green curry paste is spicy, if you don’t like the heat you can easily switch this to red curry paste and swap out the Fresno pepper for a sweet red pepper.

For the soup:

1 fresno pepper, seeds removed because they are HOT

1/2 finely chopped onion

salt and pepper

1 can coconut milk

1 qt chicken broth

2 tsp freshly grated ginger

2 tsp green curry paste

1 cup zucchini spirals

1 cup greens (swiss chard or spinach)

lime zest, lime juice

Cilantro and Thai Basil

Finely chop a half or whole onion, I think a half is enough and sauté over medium heat with a drizzle of olive oil. Add in the pepper and soften. Add some salt and pepper. Now stir in the fresh ginger and curry paste and stir gently for 1-2 minutes releasing all of the aromas. When it’s very fragrant add the chicken broth, stir to combine, and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and add in the vegetables and stir in the coconut milk and drop in the meatballs. Gently simmer until the vegetables have wilted and the flavors have had a chance to meld (15 minutes is good enough, but the longer the more intense the flavor). The coconut milk will separate if the heat is too high so watch it and stir occasionally until you are ready to eat. Stir in zest and juice of one lemon. Add more salt and pepper if necessary. Serve with loads of freshly chopped cilantro and Thai basil.

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Turkey, Red Pepper, and Feta Meatballs

I created this recipe a year ago and never got around to posting it. A friend of mine asked me for it the other day and I realized I had only shared it on IG. Here it is now, easier to search for. These meatballs are amazing! The feta and shallots help keep the ground turkey from being dry, so they are perfectly moist (no apologies), and loaded with flavor!

What you need:

1 lb dark ground turkey

1 red pepper, finely minced

1 shallot bulb, finely minced

2 tbsp crumbled feta

2 tbsp breadcrumbs

2 tsp dried oregano

2 tsp dried parsley

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 egg

Mix all ingredients, hands work best, and form into golf ball sized balls. Bake at 425 for about 25 minutes. Excellent served with a dollop of Greek yogurt and olive oil. Hummus or tzatziki would also be great accompaniments (store bought is fine, thank you Ina). Serve on warm pitas, in a salad, with pasta, or make them on skewers with veggies. The possibilities are limitless!