Chef Eljabo is in the House!

I had a massive cooking project last weekend and made all kinds of yummy treats. (Take that Rachael Ray, whose cookbook is the bane of my existence!)

Southwest Turkey Burgers Topped with Fresh Salsa - serves 6 @ 3 pts without the bread

Salsa - Note: I didn't make the salsa. I substituted pico de gallo from Kroger instead - yes, I'm lazy but it was still delicious!

• 2 large tomatoes, chopped (2 cups)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red onions
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Burger

• 1 package JENNIE-O TURKEY STORE® Lean Ground Turkey (20 oz.)
• 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
• 1/3 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped green onion - I didn't include
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon to 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper - I overloaded this
• 12 slices thick sliced (Texas) toast or hamburger buns, toasted if desired
• I added minced jalapeno peppers because I'm a pepper freak

Heat grill. In small bowl stir together all salsa ingredients. Set aside. In medium bowl combine all burger ingredients except Texas toast. Mix well. Form into 6 (1/2 inch thick) patties. When ready to grill place burgers on grill over medium heat or medium coals. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, turning burgers once, until burgers are no longer pink in center. To serve, place burger on 1 slice toast; top with 1/3 cup salsa. Top with second piece toast.

Note - This is by far the best turkey burger I've ever eaten. Tons of flavor -moist & super spicy. Please please please try it! The recipe was from a Jennie-O ad in my Rachael Ray magazine.

Summer Corn, Bacon and Potato Chowder

• 1 medium Yukon Gold potato(es) - I used a regular potato
• 1 sprays cooking spray
• 1/2 cup celery, chopped
• 1/4 cup onion(s), chopped (or 1 large shallot)
• 4 piece corn on the cob, kernels removed with a knife
• 1 cup sweet red pepper(s), diced
• 4 oz Canadian-style bacon, diced
• 2 cup fat-free skim milk
• 1/2 tsp table salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper - I used 1/2 tsp
• 1/8 tsp hot pepper sauce, or to taste - I used 1 tsp (love hot sauce!)

Puncture potato in several places with a fork; microwave on high power until tender, turning over once, about 8 minutes. Allow to cool; peel and mash.

Meanwhile, coat a large saucepan with cooking spray. Add celery, onion, corn and red pepper; sauté over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. (Stir bacon and milk into saucepan; stir in mashed potato and mix well. Season with salt, pepper and hot pepper sauce; stir to combine. Cover and simmer 10 minutes (do not allow to boil). Yields about 1 1/2 cups per serving.

Note: This was really, really good - I think it'd also be tasty if you added crab (or fake crab) and Old Bay Seasoning. The recipe is from Weight Watchers.

Raspberry-Peach Cobbler serves 8 @ 3 pts.

• 6 medium peach(es), halved, pitted and thinly sliced (about 1 3/4 lbs) (I just used a bunch of frozen)
• 1 cups raspberries (I used frozen)
• 3 Tbsp sugar, divided
• 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp table salt
• 3 Tbsp light butter
• 1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp sugar
  

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Arrange peach slices in several layers in bottom of an 8-inch square baking pan; sprinkle raspberries over top. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sugar over fruit; set aside.
In a large bowl, combine flour, 2 tablespoons of sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt; mix well to combine. Add butter and mix with a fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add sour cream and vanilla; mix with a fork or a wooden spoon until dough comes together.

Place 8 large spoonfuls of dough on top of fruit in baking pan to make cobbler ‘dumpling’; sprinkle remaining teaspoon of sugar over dough.Bake until fruit is tender and top of cobbler is golden brown, about 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving. Yields about 1/2 cup of fruit and 1 cobbler ‘dumpling’ per serving.

NOTE: I wanted to separate the servings ahead of time so I wasn't tempted to eat 5 servings at a time. I used muffin tins - put the fruit on the bottom, dabbed the dough on the top. It worked brilliantly! This is also a Weight Watchers recipe.