greek turkey burgers with spinach and yogurt sauce

we're trying out a new diet at our house this week where we have no carbs for dinner. tonight i made bun-less greek burgers (with spinach). i served it over a bed of lettuce with grilled zucchini and marinated tomatoes. i packed the burgers with tons of flavor and top it with a creamy cucumber tzatziki sauce.

ingredients for burgers:
1 lb ground turkey
2 tablespoons red onion, minced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced
1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
1 tablespoon greek seasoning
1 egg
1/3 cup thawed and drained frozen spinach
salt and pepper

directions for burgers:
preheat grill (inside or out) to medium high heat. meanwhile combine all ingredients in large bowl and mix together. form into 5 equal patties. cook about 6 to 7 minutes per side.

ingredients for creamy cucumber tzatziki sauce:
1 cup non-fat, plain greek yogurt
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tablespoon dried dill (or 1 tablespoon fresh dill)
1/4 cup english cucumber, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup feta
salt and pepper

directions for creamy cucumber tzatziki sauce:

combine all ingredients in bowl, mix well and let sit in fridge for an hour before serving.

to assemble, place turkey patty on bed of lettuce. garnish with grilled zucchini slices and marinated tomatoes. top with tzatziki sauce and serve.

the final product

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spanakopita panini

in my post yesterday i talked about all of the leftover spanakopita dip i had from kim's bridal shower. i combined other greek-like ingredients to turn this leftover into a simple and easy spanakopita panini. the dip acted as the "glue" so i didn't need to add any cheese. the final product was pretty delicious - the dip melted into a creamy, savory mess that gave the rest of the ingredients tons of flavor. you can use any kind of bread you like, but i used the 100-calorie sandwich thins...bikini season is coming up after all.

ingredients:
100 calorie sandwich thins
grilled chicken breasts, cooked (i used the really thin kind)
roasted red peppers
mushrooms
spanakopita dip
s&p

directions:
preheat panini press. slather each side of bread/sandwich thins with a generous amount of spanakopita dip. season both sides with s&p. top one piece of bread with roasted red peppers, mushrooms and then chicken. top with remaining piece of bread and cook 5-7 minutes on panini press, until bread is crunchy and dip has melted. serve immediately.

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spanakopita bites

when i was planning the menu for kim's bridal shower i asked her what she wanted. she gave me a few suggestions but definitely wanted spanakopita. i knew making these guys the traditional way would be time-consuming and probably not the best idea since i was hosting the party. i didn't want to be greeting guests while i still had food in the oven. so i decided to make spanakopita dip and serve it in pre-made phyllo cups at room-temperature. they turned out great. my favorite part was the hint of garlic at the last second. i found a few different recipes online but ended up tweaking other to make up my own. with this recipe, i made about 60 mini cups and had tons of leftover dip - i've been using the leftovers this week to make meals for dinner...stay tuned.

ingredients:
30 oz non-fat greek yogurt
6 oz light mayo or light sour cream (i used mayo)
2 pounds frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
8 oz feta cheese crumbled
1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
2 tablespoons onion powder
4 cloves of garlic, minced
4 teaspoons fresh dill, minced
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
s&p
mini phyllo cups (found in freezer section)

directions:
in a large bowl, combine greek yogurt, light mayo, spinach, feta cheese, parsley, onion powder, garlic, dill, paprika, nutmeg, and s&p in large mixing bowl. cover with plastic wrap and keep in fridge for at least one hour prior to serving to let flavors come together. (i did this the night before).

when you're ready to serve, cook phyllo cups according to package. remove from oven and fill with spanakopita dip. serve immediately or at room temperature. pretty simple...right?

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lamb meatballs with cumin mint yogurt sauce

i came up with this recipe after having a dream one night about being in the mediterranean enjoying the fine fare. the next morning i scoured the internet looking for lamb meatball recipes. i took different ideas from each recipe and created my own version. the meatballs turned out really well - they were moist and rich with flavor. the mint, garlic and feta paired so nicely with lamb.  the cumin mint yogurt sauce gave the dish that extra oomph - creamy, yet refreshing. i served this as a dinner, but could also be a great appetizer.  make the meatballs smaller and serve with cocktail toothpicks.  

ingredients:
1 pound ground lamb
¼ cup breadcrumbs
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
3 teaspoons fresh mint, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh parsley, chopped
1 egg, beaten
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ small yellow onion, minced
6 ounces non-fat greek yogurt
¼ teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon olive oil
½ tablespoon lemon juice
s&p
pita bread, cucumber slices, tomato slices

directions:
preheat oven to 400 degrees. combine lamb, breadcrumbs, feta cheese, 1 teaspoon mint, parsley, egg and s&p in a bowl and blend together with hands.  mix until combined, but do not over mix.  shape into equal portioned meatballs, should make about 15.  place on cookie sheet greased with non-stick cooking spray and bake for 15 minutes.

meanwhile in a small mixing bowl, combine greek yogurt, cumin, garlic powder, 2 teaspoons mint, olive oil and lemon juice.  season with s&p. refrigerate until ready to use. to assemble, place 3-4 meatballs on top of pita with cucumber and tomato slices.  dollop with yogurt sauce.

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