White Bean & Roasted Pepper Dip

I read a darling blog post on Smitten Kitchen on how she and her "hubby to be" met, and it was over a dip!  Call me a hopeless romantic, but I LOVE a story like that. Plus, I will admit, I love roasted peppers, beans and lemons, so hence, that recipe kept running across my mind.  Since I am a somewhat lazy cook, I decided to "wing it" on the recipe for a recent last minute party I had at my house. Below is what I did, but if you want to compare, or read the darling post she wrote, here's the original posting that inspired me.

Great with pita chips, fresh pitas or even tortilla chips.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups
Ingredients

1 can of white beans (like white northern beans), drained
1/2 cup of roasted red peppers, drained
1 tsp lemon zest
1/2 lemon juiced, about 2 Tbsp
4 oz cream cheese
Salt & Pepper

Put all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.  Chill until ready to serve.

Make it as smooth as you can...Chill until ready to use.  It keeps for about a week, but it shouldn't last that long.

Pfeffer Schnitzel

I had this dish on a trip we took to Germany this summer.  Everywhere you go in Germany, there is schnitzel on EVERY menu.  It's definitely the national dish!  I was a bit tired of the fried version, even though it is delicious.  We had an outdoor lunch in the Augustiner Keller beer garden and I saw pfeffer schnitzel on the menu!  I know enough German to understand pfeffer is pepper, which I love!  This one was served with spaetzle and fried onions.  Yum! 

I wanted to recreate this dish at home!  So here is my first attempt, You could use chicken, turkey or veal instead of pork, but do get the thinnest cut of meat that you can, and then pound it to a uniform thickness under 1/4 inch.  Getting it thin and tender is the keep to this dish.  Traditionally, it would be served like pictured to the left, or even with red cabbage and potatoes. We had ours with broccoli, as I felt a bit more green needed to be involved here. Certainly not traditional, but definitely more healthy.

As a note, I used half and half instead of whipping cream, but I do think that whipping cream would have tasted more traditional.

Ingredients

Serves 4

8 Pork cutlets, pounded thin to 1/4 inch

2-3 Tbsp flour

2-3 Tbsp olive oil

1 cup chicken broth

1 med onion, minced small (about 3/4 cup)

1 Tbsp cracked black pepper

1/2 cup cream

1 1/2 tsp cornstarch

Salt and pepper

With a meat mallet and some plastic wrap, smack the meat until it is a uniform thickness of less than 1/4 inch.  If you don't have a meat mallet, you could use an empty wine bottle!

Lightly dredge the pork in flour, shake off excess.

Saute the onions in about 1 tablespoon of oil until golden brown.

Deglaze the pan by adding the chicken broth and bring to a boil.  Turn the temperature to medium and add the cream, stirring to combine. 

 Add the cornstarch to a small amount of water and mix thoroughly, add to the broth/onion/cream mixture.  Add the pepper, and salt to taste.  Keep sauce warm while you fry the  pork cutlets.

Keep sauce warm while you fry the  pork cutlets. In a non-stick pan over medium high heat, add a bit of oil and fry the pork cutlets for 2 minutes per side, letting them get a little bit brown on the edges. Cover the cutlets with the sauce and serve at once.

Here's a little shot of us eating lunch in the beer garten!

Turkey & Sausage Meatloaf with Spinach

I like ground turkey, but I have struggled with the texture of meatloaf made with ground turkey before because it is so crumbly and doesn't hold its shape..  Here's an excellent solution with adding Italian sausage that gives it a denser texture.  I've made this with, and without, the breadcrumbs, so if you are trying to go gluten free, or just don't have breadcrumbs, go ahead and try it without.

We've loved this for dinner a couple of times recently, and the leftovers are excellent for sandwiches too.

Serves 4-5
Ingredients

20 oz ground turkey (low fat)
8 oz spicy Italian sausage
1 egg
2/3 cup fresh bread crumbs
1 tsp garlic
1/2 cup shallots, or onions, chopped
2 cups spinach, chopped
Salt & Pepper


Pre-chop the spinach, onions and garlic.

Call me lazy, but when it comes to half a pound of Italian sausage, I have an excellent easy solution.
LOL

Add the turkey and sausage to the food processor with the egg, crumbs and seasoning.  Mix well and add it to a loaf pan, and smooth the top. Bake for about 1 hour at 350 F degrees.

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