Bacon wrapped turkey meatloaf with kale, apple and cheddar

This is the perfect meatloaf recipe. It combines all of the fall goodness into a tasty lean turkey meatloaf, with just a touch of sweetness from the apple, the tang of sharp cheddar, healthy kale and crispy bacon.

Hope you'll enjoy this as much as I did!



INGREDIENTS:
- 2lbs ground turkey
- 1 bunch of blanched kale
- 1 apple
- 4 oz aged cheddar
- 1 egg
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup ground flax seeds
- 4 strips of bacon
- 1 tsp each salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika (you can adapt to your taste)


RECIPE:
- preheat your oven at 350F
- grate the apple, chop the blanched kale and cube the cheddar in 1/4 inch cubes
- in a bowl, add the spices and the egg to the ground turkey and mix well

- fold in the panko breadcrumbs, apple, kale and cheddar and mix until well incorporated

- shape the meatloaf in a greased form and wrap with the bacon strips

- bake for about 45 min, or until the internal temperature reads 165F

- enjoy!

Tuna melt

There are days when you just do not have what it takes to cook a full-on meal. You just want something quick and simple, but the fridge and freezer are empty, and the pantry is not too far behind… Today was such a day for me.

Here's a super easy recipe for a tuna melt sandwich that will use those last slices of bread you forgot you had in the bottom of the freezer, the last pickle in the jar and that lonely tuna can.

Enjoy!



INGREDIENTS (for 2 medium sized sandwiches):
- 1x 5oz can of tuna in the brine, very well drained (don't hesitate to squeeze really hard, you do not want any liquid in the tuna salad)
- 4 small slices of bread (I used whole wheat with lots of grains)
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup freshly grated sharp cheddar
- optional: 1/2 sour pickle (or capers if you like)
- 1 tbsp butter or olive oil for frying (not pictured)


RECIPE:
- prepare the tuna salad: mix the tuna, mayonnaise, diced pickle, salt and pepper

Note: you can actually stop right there and enjoy a freshly prepared homemade tuna salad. Great as is, but fantastic with avocado, spread on crispy baguette or as a dip for crackers
- spread the tuna salad on two of the bread slices, top with cheese and finish with the two other bread slices

- in a little butter or olive oil, fry the sandwiches over very low heat until golden brown (about 2-3 minutes per side)

- enjoy!

Bacon Cheeseburger from scratch

After nearly a two-month cooking hiatus, I'm back in the kitchen.

I was browsing a few of my favorite blogs last week, and found this recipe for hamburger buns at foodwishes (seriously cool blog btw!). It took about a second before I decided a homemade bacon cheeseburger was how I was going to get back on the horse.

Enjoy! This is well worth your time :D


INGREDIENTS (8 buns)
- 3 1/2 cups AP flour
- 1 cup warm water
- 3 tbsp butter (melted)
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 egg
- a dash of salt
- 1 pack active dry yeast
- 1 egg and a splash of milk for the glaze


RECIPE:
- prewarm your oven at 375F
- mix the yeast, water and 1/2 cup of the flour in a bowl and let rest for 15 minutes at room temperature until foamy to activate the yeast

- add the melted butter, egg, sugar and salt to the yeast mixture and stir until smooth

- add the rest of the flour and using a dough hook, knead for about 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and springy and form into a ball

- place in a bowl with a little bit of oil, cover with foil and let rise for about 2 hours in a warm place until doubled in size (in the closed oven for example- off, of course)

- after 2 hours, drop the dough on a lightly floured surface and flatten with your hands in to a 1/2 inch thick rectangle. cut into 8 equal sized bits and form into small balls

- flatten the dough into discs and arrange on a baking sheet lined with a silicone sheet (or parchment paper). cover with film (do not tighten the film, just place it on top of the discs) and let rise at room temperature for another hour until the discs have doubled in size

- prepare a glaze with the egg and a splash of milk, and brush over the buns very lightly

Note: if you have sesame seeds, now would be the time to sprinkle them on top of the buns (I skipped that step because I just did not have any at home)
- bake at 375F for about 15 minutes, until golden

- slice the buns in half when they are cool to the touch. Use one for your burger and freeze the remaining sliced buns in bags and they will be ready to pop in the toaster oven next time!.
- Enjoy your homemade burger from scratch!!! I used 90% ground beef, maple smoked bacon, sharp cheddar, romaine, ketchup and homemade pickle.

omnomnomnom....