Back to the grind! I am back to the office today and back into wearing long pants. Vacation was great and it finished off with a visit to the parade on Friday and a Super party on Saturday. For the party, I prepare a pretty simple menu as I wanted to have foods that my niece would love. She has a limited selection of food items to say the least and is very comparable to a kids menu.

The menu consisted of pepper crusted pork loin served with a peach apple chutney, grilled sweet potatoes and carrots with a brown butter reduction, boiled and grilled corn, panko and Parmesan crusted homemade chicken fingers, homemade garlic cheese fingers, simple berry and nut salad, smashed potatoes and a couple of grilled turkey breasts with a tangy blueberry sauce.

I chose to share the turkey with blueberry sauce recipe today because – well I think it was pretty tasty.  Turkey breast is something I over look at the grocery store a lot so I thought it would be fun to give it a whirl.  Turkey is very healthy for you and one of the leanest meats on the planet.  Pair it with a tangy blueberry sauce as the gravy and zesty was a happy camper!

Ingredients

Turkey Breast

• Turkey Breasts (2)
• 3 Sprigs of fresh thyme
• 1/4 Cup of Vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. Hoisin Sauce
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 Tbsp. Soy sauce
• 1/4 Cup Olive Oil

Sauce

• 3 Cups Blueberries
• 1/4 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. Butter
• Hint of lemon juice
• Dash of sugar ( if needed)

Method

1. Combine all ingredients except the turkey in a large bowl and mix together
2. Toss turkey breasts  in a large ziploc bag and pour marinade over and let sit as long as you can.  It can sit the night before or even a few hours before grilling
3. Preheat grill to medium heat.
4. Place turkey on the grill, skin side down and leave until skin is crispy and does not stick on the grill.  Turn over and continue cooking.
5. Once almost cooked through, remove from heat and move to the side of the grill with the burners off.  Let sit until juices run clear and cooking is complete
6. Remove from grill and let rest on plate before carving.
7. For the sauce, heat sauce pan over medium heat and add the blueberries ( reserve 1/2 cup) and vinegar and let cook down.  About 12 minutes ( stirring occasionally)
8. Once reduced, add the sugar and lemon juice and continue cooking for 3 more minutes
9. Add the butter and reserved blueberries just before serving and stir through for 1 minute
10. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: The key to succulent turkey breast every time is ensuring the meat has a chance to rest.  This will allow the juices to crawl back to the center of the meat.  Do remember that the meat will continue cooking once you remove it from the heat.   You do not want to over cook it!

I thought I would share with you some photos ( Note I took 108 but didn’t want to overwhelm you) from the parade.  It was a great time and the kids had a blast.  The BBQ after the parade was my favorite part… surprise surprise!

Parade Shots

Have a super Monday and if you are just starting vacation – I am JEALOUS!  If you are back at it today, keep your chin up and keep smiling.  I will talk to you on Wednesday where I think I will announce something really exciting for the month of September for Zesty.  Want to know a hint?…. you can be a part of it!

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty

Hello ZestyCook readers! My name is Marianne, and you can find me over at from french fries to flax seeds. Food has been a passion of mine since I was a little kid, and more recently I’ve really become interested in healthy eating and finding that balance between nutrition and pleasure. I am currently working on a career change, and will be (hopefully) starting my program to become a Registered Dietitian next September.

When Zesty put the call out for some guest posts, I jumped on the chance to share a family favorite recipe with you all. It was featured on my blog a little while back, and I had a few requests for the recipe then. It definitely falls in line with the types of recipes Zesty features on his blog – quick, readily available ingredients, and more specifically – it tastes great.

Can you tell this is one well used recipe around here?

Ingredients

Salmon Loaf (serves 4)

• 2 Cans (213 g) salmon (wild sockeye is preferred, but wild pink salmon is good as well)
• 6 – 7 Soda crackers, crumbled
• 1 Tsp. lemon juice
• 3 Tbsp. milk
• 1 Tbsp. melted butter
• Pepper to taste
• 2 eggs

Method

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Mix all ingredients, except eggs.
3. Beat eggs until fluffy, then fold into mixture.
4. Spread mixture into small loaf pan.
5. Bake for 45 min, or until golden and crispy on top.



6. ENJOY!

You could definitely jazz up the recipe with other herbs and spices, but we like it as is, with just a sprinkle of lemon juice. The recipe doubles well, and the leftovers make great sandwiches. If you like salmon, you should definitely give it a try!

Zesty Here

Thanks Marianne (from french fries to flax seeds) for introducing me to a new idea!  I have never had such a loaf but I know from the ingredients I would love it.  I hope everyone has a great Wednesday and be sure to let me know what you think of this creative creation.

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty