Lettuce Wraps

Working overtime, going to the gym and making a home cooked meal…it takes commitment to do them all. But I’m managing. Mostly.

Sometimes I worry that my dinners are too simple to be worthy of a blog post. But then, I think about why I started writing here in the first place. To share the happenings in my kitchen. To keep a personal record of my journey with food. So I’m going to try worry less and post more.

Like I said there’s nothing complicated about these lettuce wraps. But ground beef seasoning is flavorful and easy to throw together on a busy week night.

Ground Beef Seasoning

Cumin
Black pepper
Salt
Chili powder
Red pepper flakes

That’s it. I kind of just sprinkle by eye so experiment as you go to get the taste you want. Squeezing fresh lemons over the top seals the deal.

And as always, I use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream.

Pearl Couscous Stirfry

Have you ever heard of Pearl Couscous? I hadn’t up until a few weeks ago. I saw a coworker eating it at the kitchen table at work. I asked, “What kind of grain is that?” “Pearl couscous”, he said. “Would you like to try some?” And try some I did. And then just another spoonful more. Such a yummy, nutty flavor to it!

I liked it so much that I made a point to find some when I went to the grocery store later that week.

Searching the Web and Pinterest, I easily found a bunch of recipes. Tonight, I was inspired by a post from Your Food Life.

Pearl Couscous Stirfry
Serves 2 to 3

Ingredients
1 cup vegetable broth
1/4 cup filtered water
2/3 cup Pearl Couscous
1 tomato
1/2 white onion
6 mushrooms
Shredded cabbage
1/2 green bell pepper
1/2 orange bell pepper
1/2 lb ground beef
1 egg
Salt
Pepper
Garlic salt
Parsley
Butter
Olive oil

1. Boil the vegetable broth and water, then add the Pearl Couscous. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Let it cook for about 20 minutes. Mix in a 1/2 tbsp or less of butter once the liquid is almost vaporated.
2. Brown the ground beef on a separate pan, then set aside.

3. Peel the tomato and chop it in the half. Then peel the onion and chop it in half. Blend both ingredients together into a puree.

4. Mix the puree with the ground beef and cook with a drizzle of olive oil for about 3 minutes.

5. Chop remaining veggies and add them to the pan.

6. Once the veggies are almost done, break the egg into a bowl and whisk. Then make a space on the pan and slowly pour in the egg. Wait a minute or two, then mix it in with the rest of the ingredients.

7. Season the beef-veggie stirfry then serve with your delicious Pearl Couscous.

This was a big hit. So glad I made it. 🙂

Kadın Budu Köfte (Fried Meatballs)

Kadın Budu Köfte, translated into English is lady thigh meatball. This is perhaps due to its shape or perhaps to where its going after you eat it. 😉 Whatever the reason, it’s well seasoned, fried, and dipped in cool yogurt. In other words, it’s “çok lezzetli” (very delicious).

Kadın Budu Köfte
Ingredients
1 lb ground beef
1/2 onion (chopped)
1/4 cup cooked rice
4 eggs
Flour
Köfte bahartı (ingredients below)
Cumin
Salt & pepper
Vegetable oil for frying

Directions

1. Cook 3/4 of the ground beef with the onions, then drain the fat. Be sure to break it up as small possible.
2. Put the raw and cooked ground beef in a large mixing bowl with 1 egg, the rice, and spices. Knead together until well mixed. Refrigerate for 20-30 minutes.

3. Remove the bowl from the fridge and begin shaping your meatballs. They should look like mini footballs.
4. Put some flour in 1 bowl and beat the remaining 3 eggs in a separate bowl. Dip each köfte in the flour and then egg.

5. In a pan, heat some vegetable oil. Once the oil is sizzling hot, put in some of the köfte. I cooked mine in batches of 6.

Kadın Budu Köfte is traditionally served cold (prepared as above and then refrigerated and served the next day). But you can also eat it right away, warm. Serve with plain Greek yogurt.

Köfte Bahartı
Cumin
Paprika
Black pepper
Coriander
Allspice
Hot red pepper
Sodium bicarbonate

Breakfast Pizza

I found this breakfast casserole recipe (looks more like an egg pizza to me) during the holiday season, but never got around to making it until tonight. You’ll notice that I altered this recipe quite a bit from the original.

Breakfast Pizza
Ingredients
Pillsbury Thin Crust Pizza Crust
5 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/2 shredded cheese (cheddar & pepper jack)
1/2 lb ground beef
3 sliced mushrooms
2 baby gold potatoes (peeled and grated)
1/4 chopped bell pepper
1/4 chopped onion
Cumin, salt, pepper, garlic powder, sage

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place a skillet over medium heat and add the ground beef. Break up the ground beef as it cooks, letting it brown completely. Season, drain fat and set aside.
3. Sautee onions, mushrooms, and peppers in olive oil until soft. Drain oil and set aside.
4. Unroll the pizza dough in the bottom of a 9×13 casserole dish.
5. Spread the sausage over the dough, then spread on the veggies.
6. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs with the milk, salt, and pepper. Pour the egg mixture over the top of the casserole. Sprinkle with cheese.
7. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes until the crust is golden and the eggs are set.

This was a lot of food for two people, but the leftovers will be good for the morning (real breakfast).

Etli Biber Dolması – Meat Stuffed Peppers

I’ve been looking forward to making this dish all week. It was my first time ever making biber dolmasi, so I needed a recipe to reference. Google came back with this. I didn’t have any reassurance that this recipe would turn out well and a Turkish man to please. The odds were against me. But I am proud to report that I was successful.

I had to adjust the recipe slightly: I used 4 bell peppers, 3/4 of a pound, and a 1/2 cup of Jasmine rice. I omitted all of the seasonings except for salt and pepper. Then I added some cumin, red pepper flakes, and garlic powder (only had a tiny clove of fresh garlic). Other than that, I followed the recipe as is.

The peppers came out nice and soft, but not too soft. And the stuffing was delicious.

And now I am stuffed! 🙂

And tired. Glad tomorrow is Friday.