Bon Appetit!

In our pursuit of a healthier lifestyle Damonn and I have been trying a lot of new recipes. Some of them hits, some misses, some just need a little personal tweaking either to suit our tastes or our limited time in the kitchen. Here are a couple of recipes that have become family favorites. Both of them are from The Sonoma Diet Cookbook which is filled with wonderful, healthy and for the most part, simple recipes. They even have desserts! The recipes below are written as they are in the cookbook with our personal changes in parentheses.


Grilled Mushroom Turkey Burgers – In our kitchen these days ground turkey is as versatile and as common as olive oil and garlic. These make great burgers, meatballs and by just omitting any particular “shape”, a great filling for tacos.

2 Tbs dried porcini or shitake mushrooms (I chop up one small can of canned mushrooms to save time)

1 cup boiling water (can be omitted if not re-hydrating dried mushrooms)

12 oz ground turkey breast

1/2 cup bottled salsa (we love marinara as well for an Italian twist)

(1 egg - I add this to help the patties hold their shape)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (we usually omit)

6 cloves garlic, (1 Tbs minced from jar)

2 tsp chopped fresh sage (we use 3-4 shakes of dried)

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

4 whole wheat hamburger buns, toasted

Lettuce, salsa, sliced red onion, avocado, tomato (optional)

Rinse dried mushrooms and place in bowl of boiling water for 20 mins (If using). Drain and chop.

Combine all ingredients through black pepper in mixing bowl and mix well. Form into 4-5 patties, 3/4-inch thick. Cook on grill over medium coals or in frying pan on stove on medium-high until no longer pink (165F). (If cooking on stove you may want to cover with lid to help them cook through more evenly) Serve burgers on buns with desired toppings. Crunchy veggies make a great side!



Crustless Feta and Cheddar Quiche – When you just can’t take another cold salad and need something a littler richer, a little heartier this is just the ticket. Serving it with whole-wheat toast and some fresh fruit rounds out the meal.

Olive oil cooking spray

4 beaten eggs (we use five)

1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour (I've used regular flour as a substitute)

4 cloves garlic (2 tsp minced from jar)

1 Tbs chopped fresh dillweed, thyme or mint (we use 2 tsp of dried dill)

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/8 tsp kosher salt

1 1/2 cups low-fat cottage cheese

1 10-oz pkg frozen chopped broccoli, cooked and drained (or medium head fresh, boiled and chopped)

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

1 cup shreeded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly coat 9-inch pie plate with olive oil. In medium bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients and spoon into pie plate. Bake for 40-45 min. or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on wire wrack for 5-10 min before serving.


Click this link to go to The Sonoma Diet Cookbook link on Amazon.com