Meatless Mondays: Mayo-less Egg Salad with Pinenuts and Avocado

I had a HUGE craving for deviled eggs Easter weekend but didn't have the time or energy to put into making them, so opted for egg salad instead. When I got ready to make my egg salad I realized I was out of mayonnaise so whipped up a mayo-less egg salad with sour cream instead. It was creamier and definitely healthier - sour cream has about half the fat and calories of mayo. 

I decided to get a little crazy and mix pine nuts in my egg salad since I love them and had them in my cupboard. It added a nice crunch! Then I got even crazier and topped my egg salad english muffin with mashed avocado. It was awesome! Egg salad + pinenuts + avocado = Meatless Monday Magnificence! 

Mayo-less Egg Salad

An Ashley's Cooking Adventures Original

Printable Version

Ingredients

Makes about 4 servings

10 eggs, boiled and peeled

1 cup sour cream

1 cup celery, diced

2 tablespoons dijon mustard

2 tablespoons fresh dill, minced

Several green onions, chopped with white and green parts

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup pine nuts

1 avocado, mashed (if you want to go a little crazy!)

Directions

Place peeled eggs in a large bowl and chop finely with serrated food chopper. 

Scoop in sour cream and mustard and mix until smooth. Add in celery, dill, green onions, and pine nuts. Salt and pepper to taste. 

Refrigerate until ready to serve. Top with mashed avocado and enjoy!

Turkey Burgers with Creamy Cucumber Dill Sauce

After absolutely loooooving Southwest Turkey Burgers with Avocado Sauce, I've been thinking about what other yummy sauces I could make to top turkey burgers. I always buy ground turkey in bulk at Costco so have it in my freezer almost all of the time and on my last Costco visit I also picked up some cute baby cucumbers. They inspired me to whip up a creamy cucumber dill sauce to top off the burgers.

 My hubby didn't seem very excited about the idea, but one spoonful of the sauce changed his mind. It's like a simplified version of tzatziki sauce. Creamy, tangy, a little crunchy. It was very yummy on top of juicy turkey burgers and melted cheese, but could also be a dip for pitas, crackers, veggies, whatever your little heart desires!

Turkey Burgers with Creamy Cucumber Sauce

An Ashley's Cooking Adventures Original

Printable Version

Ingredients

4 small cucumbers

1 1/2 cups sour cream

2 tablespoons fresh dill

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

Ground turkey

Seasonings of choice

Cheese slices, if desired

Directions

Slice cucumbers into large pieces. Place into food processor and pulse until diced into small pieces. 

Add in garlic, dill, and lemon juice. 

Pulse to combine. Remove from food processor and scoop into small bowl.

Stir in sour cream and salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Prepare turkey burgers and desired and cook. Top with melted cheese if desired. Remove from grill and plate. Scoop creamy cucumber sauce on top of burgers. 

Meatless Mondays: Fettuccine with Asparagus and Mushrooms

For my second Meatless Mondays post, I am sharing a recipe a modified from my Williams-Sonoma Bride and Groom Cookbook. The original recipe calls for peas, which would be absolutely lovely in this dish, but I didn't have peas and used mushrooms instead. A combination of asparagus, mushrooms, and peas would be really great in this light, creamy, citrusy pasta dish. It's a wonderful spring meal.

Fettuccine with Asparagus and Mushrooms

Modified from Williams-Sonoma Bride and Groom Cookbook

Printable Version

Ingredients

1 bunch thick asparagus 

1 tablespoon butter or lie oil

2/3 cup heavy cream (I used fat free half & half)

Minced zest and juice of 1 or 2 lemons

Kosher salt and pepper

3/4 cup peas OR 8 ounces fresh mushrooms OR both

1 pound fresh fettucini (I used Bertolli, in the refrigerated section)

Leaves from several sprigs of fresh basil (I used dill instead)

Shaved or grated Parmesan or pecorino cheese for garnish

Directions

To prepare the asparagus, snap off the tough woody ends. Cut the asparagus into diagonal pieces. In a small saute pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add in the mushrooms and asparagus and saute for 2 minutes. 

Reduce the heat to low, add the cream, and heat until warm. Add lemon zest, salt, and pepper to taste. Do not allow the mixture to boil.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the peas and cook for 30 seconds. Add the pasta and cook until the pasta is tender and rises to the surface, 30 seconds - 5 minutes depending on the freshness. Stir occasionally so that the pasta cooks evenly. Drain the pasta and peas, reserving a few tablespoons of the cooking water.

Return the pasta and peas to the pot and season with salt. Pour the asparagus cream sauce mixture over the pasta and toss to coat. Add the reserved pasta liquid as needed to loosen the sauce. Tear some of the basil leaves into pieces and add along with lemon juice to taste and additional salt and pepper. Serve at once, garnished with additional basil leaves, pepper, and cheese.