Turkey Caprese Sandwich

I use to live by my sister-in-law and she would make sandwiches often and share them with me. I moved away about a year ago and have craved all of them since. This is one of them and it is so delicious. We made 24 of these and cut them in half for a family get together. They are gourmet and wonderful.

Ingredients (per sandwich):
1 asiago bagel, split and toasted
1 clove garlic
mayonnaise
2 slices turkey
fresh mozzarella cheese
1/2 roma tomato, sliced thinly
1/8 purple onion, sliced really thin
1 sprig fresh basil
kosher salt
10 drops olive oil

Directions:

Split and toast Asiato Bagel. As soon as you remove bagel from toaster, rub with a clove of garlic on the inside of each half. Put mayonnaise on each half. Put two slices of turkey on bottom piece of bagel. Top turkey with fresh mozzarella pieces. Add three slices of tomato. Put sliced onion on top of tomato. Roll up a leaf of basil and cut into strips. Put strips of basil on top of onions. Drizzle olive oil all over onions and basil. Sprinkle kosher salt all over. Top with other half and enjoy!

*I bought the bagels, fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and turkey at Costco. It is an easy sandwich to make; it just sounds complicated. I also cut the bagels in half and laid them out on a cookie sheet and broiled them for 30 seconds or so.

Pesto Turkey Burger

I got this recipe from a magazine...I don't even know which magazine because I just tore it out. It had been floating around our kitchen for the past couple weeks. I was very good. I love the strong flavors of a good pesto.

Ingredients:

For the Burgers:
1 1/2 pounds ground chicken or turkey
3/4 cup grated sharp cheddar or 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I did the Parmesan)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
6 burger rolls
Lettuce or spinach
Sliced tomatoes

For the Pesto Mayonnaise:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp pesto

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground chicken, cheese, salt, and pepper until evenly blended.
2. Shape the meat into 1/2-inch thick patties. After the grill has been prepared and is ready, grill the patties until meat is not longer pink inside.
3. Serve the burgers on the rolls, dressed with the tomatoes, lettuce, and pesto mayonnaise

North African Meatballs & Couscous with Dates

So I tried The Food Network's Melissa D'Arabian's recipe from last week's show. It was a hit with all but two in my family and even those two liked it, just didn't want as much sauce as the rest of us. It had very different flavors than I usually cook with, which was great. Good to shake things up once in awhile. My only complaint was that there weren't any leftovers. I wanted more later.

North African Sauce:

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 lemon, zested
1/2 cup pitted and chopped briny olives (I purchased just the right amount off the olive bar at our Smith's)
1/2 cup white wine (I subsituted diluted apple juice)
1/4 cup chicken stock or broth
1 (14-ounce) can crushed or diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
Pinch ground cinnamon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

In a large saucepan heat the olive oil over medium heat and saute the onion and garlic until soft but not brown, about 3 minutes. Add the lemon zest and olives and cook for 1 more minute. Add the white wine, deglaze the pan, and let it reduce for a 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the stock, canned tomatoes, sugar, red pepper flakes, and cinnamon, and simmer to blend flavors, about 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Meatballs:

Ingredients:

1 egg

2 tablespoons tomato paste

3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Pinch ground cinnamon

3/4 pound ground beef

1/3 cup finely ground rolled oats or fine bread crumbs

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 to 4 tablespoons vegetable oil, for cooking

4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions:

In a medium bowl, add the egg and tomato paste and stir until smooth. Add the cilantro, ginger, cumin, and cinnamon and mix until well blended. Stir in the ground beef and oats, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and combine gently after each addition. Do not overmix. Rolling with your hands, make about 32 meatballs, about 1-inch in diameter.
In a large saute pan, heat 3 tablespoons vegetable oil over medium heat, and brown the meatballs in batches until golden on all sides. Add more oil, as needed. Transfer the meatballs to the pan with the sauce and let simmer for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve over Couscous with Dried Dates.