Summer Cucumbers

The cucumbers are ready!  We have just one vine, but we are going to have so many cucumbers, we'll be sick of them by the end of summer!

I love cucumbers, but only the small, pickling variety.  They're so crisp and sweet and so full of flavor.  Ever since I can remember, Mom always had cukes on the table at dinner time during the summer.  And always served the same way...in an ice bath with thick slices of sweet, garden onions.    And then back in '97 or '98, Lis shared the mayo-based recipe which came from Taste of Home.  For sentimental reasons (and for I-love-onions reasons), I guess the first will always be my favorite.  But I can also go through an entire bowl of the others all by myself.

MOM'S SUMMER CUCUMBERS

3 pickling cucumbers, medium-thick slices

thick-sliced sweet onions

Marinade:

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1/4 cup water

1 Tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

about 5 ice cubes

CREAMY CUCUMBERS

peeled and very thinly slices cucumbers (I use a mandolin)

Dressing:

1/2 cup mayo

2 Tbsp vinegar

2 Tbsp sugar

1/8 t salt
fresh dill, chopped

Whisk together.  Add cucumbers.  Chill.

Grilled Rosemary Salmon Skewers

I had forgotten about grilling salmon on rosemary skewers.  I had done it years ago and with three rosemary bushes in our garden, it suddenly hit me that it was time to try it again.  The stems make a wonderful skewer which imparts a subtle rosemary essence to the salmon.  While my stems were pretty hardy, I did first skewer the salmon and tomatoes with a metal skewer, making them much easier to thread onto the stems.

Generally on our grill, I will cook a 1" salmon fillet for about 15 minutes (this is on #4 on a George Foreman grill).  But since the kabobs were cube into 1" cubes, it took much less time.  I cooked them for 10 minutes (turning every few minutes), but next time will only cook 7-8 minutes for a moister outcome. 

GRILLED ROSEMARY SALMON SKEWERS (serves 2-3)

1 tsp minced fresh rosemary
1 tsp EVOO
1 clove garlic, minced (about 1 tsp)
1/2 tsp zested lemon rind
1/2 tsp lemon juice
S&P
1/2 to 3/4" center-cut salmon fillet, skinned, cut into 1" cubes
1/2 pint cherry or grape tomatoes

Preheat grill to medium-high.

Combine rosemary, oil, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, and S&P in a small bowl.  Add salmon cubes, toss to coat.  Alternating the salmon and tomatoes, divide among four 12" skewers.

Oil or spray grill rack.  Grill the skewers, carefully turning once, until salmon is cooked through (times depend on your grill).  Serve immediately.

Stuffed Mushrooms

I had a few button mushrooms in the frig needing to be used.  I love stuffed mushrooms and don't think I've ever made them the same way twice.  This was a bit of a "kitchen sink" stuffing and they came out great!  There were a few leftover I so today for lunch, I reheated them in the microwave and they were, once again, wonderful.  The amounts in the recipe are guesstimates, as I didn't measure, but I think they're probably pretty close.  Adjust the amounts depending on how many mushrooms you use.  This is what I used for 5 mushrooms:

STUFFED MUSHROOMS

5 button mushrooms
1/2 stalk celery, minced
2 thin slices sweet onion, minced
3 medium-small (41-50) uncooked shrimp, diced small
1 oz cream cheese
minced garlic to taste
Panko breadcrumbs (enough to help bind the stuffing)
processed Swiss cheese slices (I used fat-free)

Remove the stems from the mushrooms and dice small.  Combine stems, celery, onions, shrimp, and garlic in a hot skillet sprayed with cooking spray, saute until tender.  Add cream cheese until melted.  Add enough breadcrumbs to bind.  Fill mushroom caps with stuffing.  Tear the cheese slices into bits to cover the top of the stuffing.

Bake at 400 for about 15 minutes.  My cheese melted nicely, but you might want to turn the broil on for a minute or two if you'd like a browner top.

Caprese Salad

Finally!  Good garden tomatoes and so many fresh herbs!  And in the summer, that means Caprese Salad!   So good, I could eat this every day.    I simply drizzle some Balsamic Glaze on a plate, then add sliced fresh mozzarella and full-flavor tomatoes.  Chop some fresh basil and sprinkle it, along fresh black pepper on the cheese and tomatoes.  Drizzle with a good quality olive oil.  Eat every day during summer!

Chocolate Caramel Slices

I ran across this recipe on the Bon Appetit blog (www.bonappetit.com).  It is a take on a traditional Australian dessert.  It has a buttery crust topped with caramel, then a layer of chocolate ganache.  What put it over the top for me was a sprinkling of kosher salt on the chocolate.  I love the contrast between salty and sweet.  It's a very easy recipe, but do plan ahead.  You'll want the crust to cool comlpetely and after the three steps are finished, it will need to be refrigerated to set up.

CHOCOLATE CARAMEL SLICES

Crust
1 cup flour
1/4 light brown sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2" cubes
1 Tbsp ice water
1 large egg yok

Caramel Topping
one 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup light brown sugar
6 Tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, diced
2 Tbsp dark corn syrup (I used 1 1/2 Tbsp light corn syrup and 1/2 Tbsp molasses)
1 tsp vanilla

Chocolate Glaze
6 oz bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
3 Tbsp whipping cream
Flaked or kosher salt

PREPARATION:

For Crust:
Preheat oven to 350.  Butter 11x7x2 metal or 9x13 glass baking dish.  Blend first 4 ingredients in processor.  Add butter.  Pulsing, blend until coarse meal forms.  Add 1 Tbsp ice water and egg yolk.  Blend until moist clumps form.  Press dough onto bottom of pan; pierce all over with a fork.  Bake until golden, piercing if crust bubbles, about 20 minutes.  Cool completely on a wire rack.

For Caramel Topping:
Whisk first 5 ingredients in medium saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves, butter melts, and mixture comes to a boil.  Attach candy thermometer to the side of the pan.  Boil gently until caramel is thick and temperature registers 225 degrees F, whisking constantly, about 6 minutes.  Pour caramel evenly over crust; cool 15 minutes to set.

For Chocolate Glaze:
Meanwhile, melt chocolate with cream in microwave in 15-second intervals, stirring occasionally.  Spread chocolate over warm caramel; sprinkle with sea salt.  Refrigerate until chocolate is set, at least one hour.

Farro Vegetable Salad (Central Market)

When we stopped into Central Market last weekend, this was a salad they were demo-ing.  It's basically an interesting take on Taboulleh Salad, and I like it so much more!  Instead of bulghar wheat, you use farro, a grain very close to wheat berries, but a bit softer. And you add arugula!  At least for me, if it's got arugula, I'm gonna eat it.  You make a mint vinagrette and simply add some nice summer tomatoes and diced cucumbers (pickling, please......not those big ole honkin' ones they sell in stores these days).  Wonderful!  Wonderful!

FARRO VEGETABLE SALAD

1/2 large tomato (three thick slices), diced

1 1/2 cups cooked farro (see note*)

1/4 cup chopped arugula, or more to taste

about 2 small pickling cucumbers, diced

Mint Vinaigrette:

2 Tbsp EVOO

1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp minced fresh mint

2 tsp honey

S&P

Mix farro, tomato, arugula, and cucumbers.  Toss with vinaigrette.

*NOTE:  You can usually find farro in the bulk section of larger markets or whole food grocery stores.  To get 1 1/2 cups (there abouts) of cooked farro, start with 1/2 cup raw farro.  Bring 1 1/2 cups of salted water to a boil.  Add the uncooked farro, bring back to a boil.  Take off heat.  Let sit, covered, for an hour.  Drain.  Bring another 1 1/2 cups of salted water to a boil, turn down to simmer (#2 on my electric cooktop).  Simmer about 30 minutes or until farro is still a bit firm to the bite.

Crab with Vegetables

This was a demo dish at Central Market in Dallas (Southlake) when we flew in last weekend.  I'm a sucker for demo dishes.....I always buy what they're selling and end up making it.  This is such a simple dish using either a red curry (a bit spicier) or yellow curry (a bit milder) sauce.  They're really close and even for those of us a bit more sensitive to heat, I think you'd be okay with either one.  I'm sure there's a recipe for a basic curry sauce you could substitute....this is simply my plug for Central Market (www.centralmarket.com)!

CRAB WITH VEGETABLES (serves 4)

1 lb crab claw meat
1/2 green bell pepper, medium dice
1/2 medium onion, medium dice
1 cup diced pineapples (I used canned Chunk Pineapples, then quartered them)
Kent Rathbun's Elements Red or Yellow Curry Sauce, to taste
1-2 Tbsp canola oil
Cook jasmine or basmati rice

Preheat your grill or skillet to a medium high heat.  Add your cooking oil then the vegetables with fruit and saute until golden brown on the edges.  Add the crab meat and the sauce and simmer together for about 5 minutes.  Serve with rice.

Orange and Fennel Salad

I needed a simple complementary salad to go with my Grilled Orange Salmon the other night.  This one was perfect...a nice subtle anise flavor along with the orange, and then the sweetness of a few dried cranberries.  I served the salmon and salad with a steamed whole grain brown rice mixture.  A great dinner for another hot summer evening.  Recipe courtesy of Food Network.

ORANGE and FENNEL SALAD

1 fennel bulb, trimmed and thinly sliced
2 medium oranges, peeled (you could easily substitute mandarin oranges)
1 Tbsp EVOO
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
S&P to taste
2 Tbsp sweetened dried cranberries

Place the sliced fennel in a bowl.  Slice oranges to divide flesh sections and add to bowl.  Drizzle with olive oil, vinegar, and S&P.  Toss, top with dried cranberries.  Serve.

Grilled Orange Salmon

Salmon on the grill last night.  This recipe was close to others I've used except for one important addition:  tarragon.  Yuuuummmm!  This came out just perfectly, light and flavorful on another hot summer evening.  So simple, so easy, so delicious.  Recipe from Taste of Home website.

GRILLED ORANGE SALMON  (serves 2)

2 Tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 Tbsp minced fresh tarragon
1/2 Tbsp EVOO
3/4 tsp minced chives
1/4 tsp zested orange peel
1/2 tsp minced garlic
S&P to taste
1 salmon fillet (about 3/4 pound)

In a small bowl, combine the first eight ingredients.  Set aside 1 Tbsp marinade for basting.  Pour remaining marinade into a ziploc bag; add salmon.  Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate 2-3 hours.

Drain and discard the marinade.  Grill, uncovered, over medium heat or broil 6" from the heat 12-15 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork (#4 on the George Foreman grill for about 10-12 minutes).  Baste occasionally with reserved marinade.

Chili Lime Chicken Kabobs

Still grill season!  Thanks goodness for the grill.  I can't even imagine turning on the oven in this heat.


I had made the quinoa salad and since we had just had fish the night before, I went with chicken this time.  I needed something other than just a grilled chicken breast.  I hadn't grilled vegetables this year and came across a kabob recipe.  I love grilled vegetables and don't know how they just slipped my mind! 


Now generally, I will grilled the meat and vegetables separately since they tend to need different cooking times.  But I put everything on one skewer just so I would have a better photo.  And these all actually came out just perfect.  I cut the chicken a bit differently than the original recipe and changed the vegetables a bit.  But the seasoning was just right.  A great meal for this stiffling weather.


CHILI LIME CHICKEN KABOBS  (serves 2-3)


3/4 pound chicken breast, cut into cubes, about 1 1/4"
1/2 sweet red pepper, cut into about 1 1/2" squares
1/2 sweet onion, cut into about 1 1/2" cubes
about 6 button mushrooms, halved or quartered, depending on the size


Marinade:
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 lime juiced (2 Tbsp)
3/4 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp onion salt
1 tsp minced garlic
1/8 tsp cayenne, or to taste
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper


In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, and lime juice.  Stir in spices.  In two shallow dishes, places chicken in one the vegetables in the other and pour the marinade over each.  Marinade for 4-6 hours or even overnight.


Preheat grill to medium heat (I used #4 on the George Foreman grill).  Thread chicken, pepper, mushrooms, and onion on to metal skewers (if using wooden, soak in water for about 20 minutes) and discard the marinade.  Grill skewers, turning occassionally, for 10-15 minutes, or until juices run clear.

Red Quinoa, Black Bean, and Corn Salad

We are back from a really wonderful visit in Texas.  In July.  In the midst of a heatwave/drought.  Out of the fire into the frying pan.  Texas is on about their 20th day of heat over 100 degree temps.  Everything was burned up.  The grass is all dead and brown, as are the crops.  Are we luckier here?  We're in the upper 90's with about 1 billion percent humidity.  But it is still green here.  If you're in the midst of this awful summer and have pets, please remember the heat hits them, too.  Water, water, water, and indoor cooler temps.  Please.

Needless to say, my oven won't be used for a while.  It's all grilling and salads here.  I'm doing some chicken/vegetable kabobs on the grill tonight and made this salad to go along with it.  I think I got a bad batch of quinoa, the last couple of batches I made never fluffed up.  I ran across this Red Quinoa a few months ago at Fresh Market and had kinda forgotten about it.  I made it last night for a side dish so I used the leftovers to make this salad today.  It's gonna go great with the kabobs.

RED QUINOA, BLACK BEAN, AND CORN SALAD

1 to 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa (I made a batch last night with 1 cup quinoa and 1 1/4 cup water....we ate about half of it....these were the leftovers)
1/2 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 can white shoepeg corn, drained and rinsed
1/3 sweet red pepper, small dice
1/4 cup minced red onion
1 mango, skinned and diced
minced cilantro, to taste
1 green onion, green part only, chopped (I added this since I used red quinoa, it needed a bit more color)

Dressing:
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 tsp Durango salt *
1/4 tsp black pepper

Whisk until combined.  Add to salad mixture.  Chill.

*Have you seen those fancy-schmancy salts in gourmet food chops?  I picked up a couple of these yesterday.  This one is called "Durango" is a basically a smoked salt.  Kinda smells like liquid smoke.  If I did not have this, I would use some type of southwest seasoning blend, or some cumin and chili powder.

Spring Rolls

Absolutely the most perfect very-hot-summer-evening-workin'-out-in-the-yard dinner.  You're hungry, but can't stand the thought of anything heavy for dinner.  I love Spring Rolls.  Any time of the year.  But when you're close to 100 degrees with 2000% humidity, oh are these ever good.

You've seen them in the grocery store, back in the section which carries fresh sushi rolls.  Now, theirs are much prettier than mine.  I don't have the technique down quite right for rolling, but the taste result is exactly the same.  Also, in restaurants and grocery stores, they use a single skin to roll the ingredients.  I can't do it.  I need to use two or the stuff will end up poking through the skins and tearing them.

Generally, they serve Spring Rolls with Sweet Chili Sauce.  I like it, but I also like a traditional Vietnamese Dipping Sauce.  This is the only recipe I have to offer for this post:

VIETNAMESE DIPPING SAUCE

1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sugar

Bring to boil, stirring to dissolve sugar.   Remove from heat and allow to cool.  Add:

1 1/2 Tbsp fish sauce
1 1/2 Tbsp white vinegar
1/2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp finely chopped garlic cloves

Now, what you stuff your rolls with is pretty much up to you.  Here are some suggestions.  Add as much/little as you like, or substitute ingredients which better suit your palate:

rice vermicelli
green leaf lettuce
bean sprouts
finely sliced cabbage
carrots, shredded or cut like matchsticks
matchstick-cut cucumbers
chopped peanuts
finely sliced green onions
grilled or roasted shrimp
chopped mint leaves

Another beauty of this idea is if you don't feel like making rolls, make a salad!  Here's some ideas for a wonderful Vietnamese Salad:

lettuce
rice vermicelli
angel-hair shredded cabbage
cucumber
carrot
peanuts
chopped red pepper (for color)
bean sprouts
mint
basil
green onions

DRESSING FOR SALAD:

1/4 cup water
1/2 cup sugar

Bring to boil, stirring to dissolve.  Set aside and allow to cool.

Pound the garlic and shallot into small pieces with a mortar and pestle or grind in a mini-chop.  Stir into the sugar water, then add remaining ingredients.

Top the salad with hot egg rolls or serve with potstickers on the side.
The dressing recipes came from THE ELEPHANT WALK COOKBOOK, a Cambodian Cookbook by DeMonteiro and Neustadt.

A side note, Jim and I will be leaving for Texas tomorrow to visit his Dad.  We'll be back next week.  Enjoy your weekend.

BBQ Chicken

I have never barbecued a chicken.  Ever.  I have tunnel vision when it comes to chicken on the grill, I don't think I've ever grilled anything other than skinless-boneless chicken breasts.  I ran across an article on chicken the other day and it just looked so good.  Any why not?  The bone naturally enhances the flavor and the skin helps seal in the juices.  And you don't have to eat the skin.  Just peel it off for wonderfully-flavored and juicy meat.  Or maybe sneak in just a bit of the crispiness in a few bites.  However you do it, it comes out wonderfully.

There's really not a recipe here.  For half a chicken, I mixed 1 Tbsp each of paprika and chili powder, along with a tsp of kosher salt.  I very lightly rubbed some canola oil on each piece and then covered it with the rub.  We have a large, standing George Foreman grill.  I turned it to #5 and let it come to temperature.  The breast takes about 10 minutes longer than the thigh, leg, and wing so I started that first, about 5 minutes on each side.  Then I turned the temp down to #4 and put on the other three pieces for about another 15 minutes, turning about every 5 minutes until the internal temperature reached about 165.  I then brushed on some prepared barbecue sauce on each piece and let it cook about another 5 minutes until the temp reached 170.

I still have half of the chicken leftover from last night and will be using it in a pasta salad tonight.  I love leftover chicken, especially during these horribly hot, humid summer days!

Mandarin Miso Salmon

We are definitely in the middle of summer here in Chattanooga and our meals definitely reflect that.  LOTS of salads and grilled food.  I had picked up some miso paste last time I was in an Asian food store and had been wanted to try it with salmon.  This is a great combination between the miso and citrus.  Great hot summer evening dinner.  I served it with grilled asparagus and basmati rice.

MANDARIN MISO SALMON (serves 2)

one 3/4 pound salmon fillet
3 Tbsp freshly-squeezed orange juice, plus the zest from the peel
1/4 tsp granulated garlic
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp rice wine vinegar or lemon juice
1/2 Tbsp miso (I prefer white miso)
1/2 tsp honey

chopped chives, for garnish (optional)
finely chopped red pepper, for garnish (optional)
mandarin orange slices, for garnish (optional)

Combine juice, garlic, ginger, vinegar, miso, and honey.  Stir  until thick.  Add orange peel zests.  Marinade salmon at least 30 minutes, or overnight.

Grill.

Serving suggestions: green salad (would be wonderful with the Go-To Summer Salad {see May 31, 2011 post}, steamed vegetables, steamed rice, broccoli.  Found at www.spiciefood.blogspot.com.

Bleu Cheese Baked Potatoes

Twice baked potatoes with bleu cheese.  It doesn't get much better than this.

BLEU CHEESE BAKED POTATOES (8 servings)

4 medium baking potatoes
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup (1 oz) crumbled bleu cheese
1/4 cup milk or buttermilk
4 Tbsp real butter, cut into chunks
3/4 tsp salt or to taste
Dash pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
8 pieces bacon, cooked and crumbled
Grated cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400.  Wash and dry potatoes.  Rub them lightly with a bit of olive oil and place directly on oven rack.  Bake for one hour or until potatoes are done.  Remove potatoes and let cool just a bit.

Cut an opening on the top and hollow out each potato, to make 8 servings.  Scoop out the insides and placein a bowl.  Mash, and add butter, sour cream, bleu cheese, milk, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  Beat with a hand mixer until fluffy.

Carefully spoon mixture back into potato shells.  Place in a baking dish and return to hot oven and bake for 12-15 minutes.

Remove and sprinkle bacon and cheese over each potato bake an additional 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

NOTE:   I just baked two potatoes for four servings.  I served two one night and save the other two for another night.  The potatoes the first night were incredible.  The potatoes the second night weren't nearly as good.  I would suggest serving them as soon as they are made.

Red and Blue Velvet Cake

Happy 4th of July and Happy Birthday America!

Growing up, outside of Halloween, this was probably my favorite holiday!  Summer as a kid, wasn't it just the best?  No school, hot weather, sprinklers in the yard, watermelon, homemade (hand-cranked) ice cream.  And our own little fireworks show at nightfall.

Now it's a traditional 4th of July lunch at noon:  Nathan's hotdogs,  baked beans, cole slaw, and potato salad while watching "Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest" every year at noon (broadcast on ESPN) taking place at Coney Island, Long Island.  This year, I made a special dessert:  Red and Blue Velvet Cake, and let me tell you!  It is definitely Red, White, and Blue!  Very tasty and so colorful it will leave your tongue a new color!

RED AND BLUE VELVET CAKE

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cocoa powder
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups buttermilk, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 Tbsp red food coloring
2 Tbsp blue food coloring (I found mine at Hobby Lobby in the cake decorating department)
1 tsp white distilled vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

1 pound cream cheese, softened
2 sticks butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

FOR THE CAKE:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray two 9" cake pans and line them with parchment (I used Baker's cooking spray).

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a large mixing bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, vinegar, and vanilla.  Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined, scraping down the sides several times.

Divide the batter in half and gently fold the red food coloring into half, and the blue into the other half.  Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for about 20-22 minutes (mine took 32 minutes), turning the pans 180 degrees, half way through.  Test the cakes with a toothpick for doneness.  Remove from oven and cool completely.  When completely cool, cut each of the two cakes in half so you'll have four layers.

FOR THE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until smooth.  Add the sifted sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated.  Increase the speed to high and mix until light and smooth (about 4-5 minutes).

FOR THE CAKE:

Gently move on the the colored-layers to a cake plate.  Frost the top of that layer gently, trying not to spread any crumbs.  Add the alternate colored-layer on top of that and do the same.  Alternate the next two colors.  Frost the sides, again watching for any colored-crumbs.  Top the cake with red, white, and blue sprinkles.  I found the star decorations to stick in the cake at Hobby Lobby.

Turkey Meatloaf

I don't think I've ever used the same meatloaf twice, and I know I'll keep making different ones just depending on what I happen to have in the refrigerator.  This time, I happened to have just 8 ounces of frozen turkey breast, and a bunch of veggies, including about 4 ounces of whole button mushrooms which had just a few days of life left in them.    I obviously adjusted amounts in this recipe to accomodate the 8 ounces of turkey.  I'll list the original amount as listed at www.Epicurious.com, and in parentheses the amount I used.

Since I had such a small loaf, I used a small 8"x3 3/4"x2 3/8" disposable aluminum loaf pan.  This came out to just the right size for the two of us.  And instead of the usual ketchup or BBQ sauce topping, I used a roasted red pepper sauce which was a really nice difference.  I love Ajvar by itself, as a dip for little toast squares, and I'll definitely be using it on meatloaf again.

Substituting the turkey breast, skim milk,  Egg Beaters, and Ajvar really keeps this as a much lighter fat/calorie version of traditional meatloaf, but it's still moist and full of flavor.  I used a thermometer until the center reached 170, my small loaf took about one hour.

TURKEY MEATLOAF

1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion (1/2 cup)
1 Tbsp minced garlic (1/2 Tbsp)
1 tsp olive oil (1/2 tsp)
1 medium carrot, cut into 1/8" diced (1 small carrot)
3/4 pound cremini mushrooms, trimmed and very finely chopped in a food processor (4 ounces white mushrooms)
1 tsp salt (1/2 tsp)
1/2 tsp black pepper (1/4 tsp)
1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce (3/4 tsp)
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh parsley (2 1/2 Tbsp)
1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp ketchup, divided (1 1/2 Tbsp)
1 cup fine fresh bread crumbs from 2 slices of firm white sandwich bread (1/3-1/2 cup Panko)
1/3 cup 1% milk (2 1/2 Tbsp skim)
1 whole large egg, lightly beaten
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
1 1/4 pound ground turkey, mix of light and dark meat (8 oz ground turkey breast)

(The following instructions are for the original amount of ingredients listed in the recipe.)

Preheat oven to 400.

Cook onion and garlic in oil in a 12" nonstick skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until onion is softened, about 2 minutes.  Add carrot and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes.  Add mushrooms, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated and they are very tender, 10-15 minutes.  Stir in Worcestershire sauce, parsley, and 3 Tbsp ketchup, then transfer vegetables to a large bowl and cool.

Stir together bread crumbs and milk in a small bowl and let stand 5 minutes.  Stir in egg and egg white, then add to vegetables.  Add turkey and remaining 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper to vegetable mixture and mix well with your hands (mixture will be very moist).

Form into a 9x5" oval loaf in a lightly oiled 13x9x2" metal baking pan and brush meatloaf evenly with remaining 2 Tbsp ketchup.  Bake in middle of oven until thermometer inserted into meatloaf registers 170, 50-55 minutes. 

Let meatloaf stand 5 minutes before serving.