frank's favorite recipes

This is a compilation of Frank's favorite recipes. For those of you that might have a family member or significant other than enjoys meat and starch with every meal- these are the recipes for YOU!

A little about Frank....

 

Frank is not a picky eater by any means, and is usually willing to try any of my experiments at least once. However, the ONE thing that Frank will not compromise on is MUSHROOMS. 

If there are mushrooms in the recipe, the mushrooms are not allowed to be mixed in the same sauce/salad bowl/casserole etc. Rarely will he be willing eat around, or pick them out. He has even gone as far as "forgetting" them at the grocery store.

Personally, I have never had such an aversion to any specific food (except for maybe spam) so it's hard for me to relate. Therefore, if you too have to guarantee  a "mushroom-free-environment, the following recipes are for you too!

I however LIKE mushrooms so I typically make (if possible) one version with and one version without mushrooms. For example, the Asian Chicken Burgers (see recipe below) call for mushrooms in the topping. To appease Frank, I simple make one batch with and one batch without:

The bowl on the left is for Frank (mushroom less) and the bowl on the right is for me :)

Asian Chicken Burgers Source: Food Network Ingredients:  1 small carrot 1 small red onion, halved 1 pound ground chicken or turkey 1/4 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) 1/4 cup hoisin sauce 1 tablespoon grated peeled ginger 4 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce 3 teaspoons hot Asian chili sauce *I used sriracha 8 ounces white mushrooms, thinly sliced 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil Juice of 1 lime 4 whole-wheat sesame hamburger buns *1 jalapeno (chopped and seeded)   Directions: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Mist a baking sheet with cooking spray. Grate the carrot and 1/2 onion* into a large bowl. Add the chicken, panko, 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce, the ginger, 3 teaspoons soy sauce and 1 teaspoon Asian chili sauce and mix until combined. Shape the chicken mixture into 4 patties and place on the prepared baking sheet**. Bake until cooked through, about 20 minutes.  * I used my food processor instead of grating the onion. Grating the onion turned it into a mushy liquid for me so I had to improvise. If you don't have a food processor, you could also finely chop the red onion. ** I cooked our patties in a cast iron pan to give them more texture. Meanwhile, thinly slice the remaining 1/2 onion. Toss with the mushrooms, sesame oil, lime juice and the remaining 1 teaspoon soy sauce in a bowl***. Mix the remaining 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce and 2 teaspoons Asian chili sauce with 1 tablespoon water in another bowl.  *** I also added 1 chopped seeded jalapeno to the mushroom/onion mixture Warm the hamburger buns in the oven. Serve the burgers on the buns with a drizzle of the hoisin-sambal sauce and some of the mushroom mixture. Per serving: Calories 360; Fat 14 g (Saturated 3 g); Cholesterol 75 mg; Sodium 1,143 mg; Carbohydrate 40 g; Fiber 4 g; Protein 24 g  Quinoa Lasagna   Adapted from: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/quinoa_lasagna.html Servings: 8   Prep Time: 45 minutes Total Time: 1 1/2 hours    Ingredients 2 cups water 1 cup quinoa 2 tablespoons canola oil or olive oil (I’ve been using coconut oil as a substation for canola) 1 cup chopped onion 1 lb Italian turkey/chicken sausage (*this is optional, omit if you’d prefer veggie lasagna) 1 cup sliced mushrooms (Frank vetoed the addition of mushrooms) 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 cups tomato sauce or prepared pasta sauce (I would recommend making 2.5-3cups, a little extra is always good) 2 cups fat free cottage cheese skim Ricotta Cheese (I dislike cottage cheese in lasagna, primarily because it give a weird texture, I recommend using Ricotta Cheese instead) 1 large egg, beaten 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil or 1/2 teaspoon dried 1 tablespoon dried oregano 2 cups sliced zucchini 2 cups packed fresh spinach (or 1 package frozen spinach cutlets, defrosted) 1 1/2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese Preparation  1)      Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray (if you’re using a non-stick dish, the cooking spray is not necessary) a)     NOTE* the recipe only calls for 1 layer, in a 9x13 baking dish. If you want thicker lasagna I would recommend using a smaller dish. Since we’re substituting quinoa for noodles, we’re not limited to a rectangular dish. OR if you have a large group of people, you could double the recipe, use the 9x13 dish and have a 2-layer lasagna. 2)     Combine water and quinoa in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until all the water is gone. Stir every 3-5 minutes. 3)     Preheat oven to 350°F. 4)     Add oil to a large skillet and heat over medium heat. Add onion and turkey sausage; cook, stirring frequently, until sausage is browned. Browning meat is critical to flavor, so even though it takes a little extra time, it is not something I would skimp on! 5)     Add garlic and sauce. Stir until sauce bubbles. Remove from heat. 6)     Combine ricotta cheese and egg in a medium bowl; mix well. Stir in Parmesan, basil, spinach and oregano. Now for the layering!! 1)      For 2-layer Lasagna: a)     Spread 1/3 of the quinoa on the bottom of the baking dish b)     Spread 1/2 sauce over the quinoa c)      Make a layer of all the zucchini d)     Then 1/3 ricotta cheese mixture, e)     Then repeat, finish with the remaining quinoa and spread mozzarella on top. 2)     For 1-layer Lasagna: a)     Spread all ½ the quinoa on the bottom of the baking dish b)     Spread all of the sauce over the quinoa c)      Make a layer of zucchini d)     Spread all of the ricotta cheese mixture e)     Finish with the remaining quinoa, and spread mozzarella on top 3)     Bake the lasagna until it is hot and the cheese is melted, bubbling and slightly browned around the edges, 35 to 40 minutes. Let stand for about 10 minutes before serving. a)     NOTE* To get the top lightly browned, turn the oven to broil and carefully watch the cheese until it crispens and is lightly browned around the edges. It is important not to walk away during this step or the top of your lasagna WILL BURN!   Nutrition: Per serving (without turkey sausage): 267 calories; 11 g fat ( 4 g sat , 4 g mono ); 39 mg cholesterol; 23 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 19 g protein; 3 g fiber; 524 mg sodium; 578 mg potassium. Nutrition Bonus: Calcium (27% daily value), Vitamin A (24% dv), Vitamin C (21% dv), Folate (20% dv), Magnesium (19% dv), Potassium (17% dv)