In an effort to help fight hunger in my community, Barnaby and I have taken The Hunger Challenge. As part of Hunger Awareness Week, we’ll be living on a total of $12 a day (the amount given to a two-person household in Washington State) until this Friday. At the end of the week we’ll calculate what we normally spend each day on food and beverage, then subtract the allowance and donate that amount to our local food bank. I know it won’t solve the hunger problems so many are facing, but my goal is to at least provide meals and tasty inexpensive recipes for those in need, and encourage others to join in the fight against hunger. In King county alone, an additional 137,000 meals a day are needed. We can all help reduce that to zero if we work together. Even in an economic downturn we are still a very wealthy nation – no one should go to bed hungry, and no one should have to choose between paying the rent or eating.

This week our focus is to be creative and come up with inexpensive meals that are healthy and flavorful. It’s easy to eat cheap, but unfortunately nutrition and taste are usually left out of the equation. One way to find quality ingredients for a fraction of the price is to shop at ethnic markets. We’ve always enjoyed shopping at our local Asian and Latino markets and find their fruits, vegetables and meats -as well as herbs, spices and sauces- are high in quality and markedly cheaper than mainstream markets.

Our first dinner was a remarkably tasty concoction created by Barnaby. Inspired by ingredients we found at an Indian market, he created a dish that he simply calls “Turkey Dal.” The dal we used was masoor dal, a type of orange lentil. It can be purchased in bulk, is high in protein, and is cheap, cheap, cheap! And delicious too. We cooked the dah -which ended up dissolving into creamy goodness (photo shows the dish pre-cooked)- with ground turkey, canned tomatoes, carrots, celery, onion and curry powder. Our total cost for this meal we calculated at only $4.40, and we have two more meals worth each left over.

Budget or no budget, this was one darn good meal!

Click here for the recipe:

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I can barely think of food today. After our Thanksgiving feast yesterday I am still.so.full. You’d think after feeding 18 people there would be no more food left over, but oh contraire! Our two refrigerators are still as packed as my belly.

The perfect light meal that knocks out some of that left over bulk is the classic day-after-Thanksgiving meal: Turkey Soup. I promise, a nice warm bowl of this will calm that overstuffed tummy.

Turkey Soup
You could also substitute chicken. Want it even lighter? Make it without noodles.

1-1/4 pounds boneless turkey meat
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoons dried thyme
1/4 teaspoons dried basil
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 quart homemade broth from turkey carcass
1 cup water
2 carrots cut into thin rounds
1 cup small pasta (such as shells or bowties)
2 celery stalks, chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Handful of fresh spinach
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Heat butter and oil in large pot and add the onion, garlic, thyme, basil and rosemary.  Saute on medium heat until onions begin to brown, about 5 minutes.

Increase heat to high, add broth and water and bring to a simmer.  Add carrots and cook until tender, about 10 minutes.

Add the pasta and celery and cook until just tender, about another 5 minutes.  Then add turkey meat and spinach.  Stir in parsley and lemon juice.

Makes 6 servings.

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Nothing screams summer barbecue like a good old fashioned cheese burger. But since the price of beef has increased it’s nice to have another tasty and satisfying alternative. Many people wrinkle their noses at the thought of a turkey burger, as they are usually dry, boring and uninspiring. I’m hoping to change that perception – at least in my circle of friends!

Asia met Washington State the other night when I created these delicious and juicy burgers. What ground turkey needs – especially turkey breast- is an ingredient that will not only add, but lock in, moisture in the meat. I’ve done this before with onion, but this time I went for the Triple Crown: red onion, green apple and fresh ginger. All ingredients providing moisture, flavor and texture.

Apple Ginger Turkey Burgers

1 – 1.5 lb ground turkey breast
1 Granny Smith apple, grated with peel on
2″ piece of fresh ginger, peeled (about 1/2 – 3/4 tablespoon)
1 small red onion, diced
1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

Place the ground turkey in a large bowl. Crush the peeled ginger through a garlic press, and add the grated apple and diced onion. Add the soy sauce and a couple pinches of salt and a few good cranks of fresh ground pepper. Mix well with your hands, then form into patties (about 4-5).

Grill a few minutes on each side or until juices no longer run red. Patties should feel slightly firm, but not hard.

Great topped with Brie (shown) or sharp white cheddar.

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My aunt and uncle moved to Bosnia almost two years ago. “Why Bosnia?” you ask? My uncle has donned the humanitarian cape and is prosecuting war crimes in Sarajevo, and my aunt, the little globetrotter that she is, has been traveling around exploring all corners of Europe. Lucky her!

One of her jaunts was to Turkey, where she purchased us a beautiful Turkish coffee set. Four demitasse cups, a sugar bowl and the pot (known as a cezve) of pounded silver and ceramic with a little star and crescent. Brewing the coffee, or kahve, is an intriguing method that dates back to the 16th century. It’s surprisingly easy to make and is so rich, flavorful, and whew! strong. One cup of this and I was hopped up like a whirling dervish.

The coffee we used is a finely ground (finer than espresso) Turkish blend called Mehmet Efendi. For each serving I placed one demitasse full of fresh water and one teaspoon each of coffee and sugar into the cezve. I stirred the mixture thoroughly over low heat then waited until the coffee frothed up. Next, I poured a little foam into the cups then placed the cezve back on the heat until the coffee frothed up again. Let the dregs settle then sip and enjoy the creamy sweetness.

Brew some up for yourself and imagine sitting on an Istanbul terrace overlooking the blue of the Bosphorus Straight.

But then be prepared to clean out your garage, plant your garden, iron all your linens, wash your car and re-caulk your bathtub. You’ll certainly have the energy for it!

Check out Incasa Coffee’s history of Turkish coffee and I Need Coffee’s Turkish coffee tutorial. Here’s a short video we did of our first time using our new coffee set.

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