Turkey Parm Mini Burgers

I have had a craving for turkey burgers lately, and when I saw these on Joelen’s blog this week, I knew I had to make them for dinner soon!

They were very good.  Honestly, I liked the chicken parm burgers I made back in July better.  But, hubs loved these burgers and will have the leftovers while I’m at school tomorrow night.

Adapted from What’s Cookin’, Chicago?

INGREDIENTS
1lb. Ground turkey
1t. Dried basil
1/4t. Poultry seasoning
1t. Dried oregano
1t. Italian seasoning
1t. Granulated garlic
1t. Onion powder
2T. Soy Parmesan cheese
Salt & Pepper to taste
4 slices Soy mozzarella cheese, each slice cut into quarters
1/4C. Pasta sauce
6-8 Basil leaves, sliced thin
8 Dinner rolls, split & toasted

DIRECTIONS
Toast buns under hot broiler and set aside to keep warm.

In a bowl combine the ground turkey, all the spices, cheese and salt & pepper. Form 8 large meatballs and flatten to create small patties. Cook in skillet with a little oil – about 5 minutes per side – until done.

Top all browned patties with a teaspoon of pasta sauce and a couple slices of cheese. Cover skillet to allow cheese to melt.

Spread a teaspoon of pasta sauce on the bottoms of the split dinner rolls. Transfer each patty onto the bottoms of the rolls and top the burgers with basil and the tops of the dinner rolls. Serve immediately.

Husband Rating – 4 out of 5 – “Very tasty!”

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Creamy Taco Mac

Gather around – it’s story time.   I’m only telling you this because I know my twin brother doesn’t read this blog.  He’d smack me.

Anyway, the year after we graduated from High School he went to work with AmeriCorps while I went to college.  One night, he went to make Hamburger Helper…but found he was out of hamburger and milk.  In a moment of sheer starvation and desperation he decided to make the box mix anyway – using only butter he figured it would be just like boxed mac and cheese, right?  WRONG!!  He says it was the most vile thing he’s ever tried to eat and couldn’t take more than a couple of bites (and for him that’s saying a lot).  In our house, it’s commonly referred to as “the Helper Incident”.  We won’t let him live it down.

This recipe, on the other hand, is something he could have totally made without the meat and it would have been perfect – it tastes just like Hamburger Helper!

I love when I come across recipes that look incredibly tasty and can easily be converted to a dairy free version…this is definitely one of those recipes. It was amazing!  So creamy – you’d never know it was dairy free!

I found this recipe on Annie’s Eats (it’s originally from Delish).

INGREDIENTS
1¼ lbs. Ground turkey
1 Box small pasta
1 Small onion, chopped
1 Clove garlic, minced
1 (14 oz.) can Diced tomatoes, drained
4T. Taco seasoning (I used a packet of hot and spicy taco mix b/c that’s what I had in the house – the extra heat was great!)
3oz. Soy cream cheese
½C. Soy sour cream
Salt and pepper
Shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Cook pasta according to the package directions.  Drain, reserving ½ cup of pasta water.  Set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet or sauté pan, cook the ground turkey over medium-high heat until no longer pink.  A few minutes before the turkey is cooked through, add the chopped onion to the skillet.  Once the turkey is cooked through, mix in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Mix in the diced tomatoes and taco seasoning and let simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes.  Stir in the cooked pasta, cream cheese, sour cream and reserved pasta water, and continue stirring until the cream cheese is melted and the sauce is well blended.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Simmer over medium-low heat 3-5 minutes to reduce the sauce a bit.  Remove from the heat and top with shredded cheddar cheese, if desired.

Husband Rating – 4 out of 5 – “A healthier Helper for the 21st Century!”

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The Best Turkey Chili

I love my Mom’s chili recipe – it’s thick, tomatoey and great over elbow noodles.  But, recently I’ve wanted to try my hand at a recipe with a little more substance so I whipped this up.  It was wonderful!  So thick, rich and had much more flavor than the chili I’m used to.

This recipe makes a rather large batch of chili (I  made this for a committee meeting and it easily fed 8 people), so feel free to cut the recipe in half if you’re just making it for 2 or 4 people.

Like our Halloween placemats?  🙂

INGREDIENTS
1.5lb. Ground Turkey
1 Red Pepper
1 Green Pepper
1 Yellow Onion
3 Cloves Garlic
1T. Olive Oil
3 Cans Reduced Sodium Tomato Soup
1 Can Pink Beans
2.5T. Chili Powder (or, if you have it, Penzeys Chili 9000 is awesome)
2t. Cayenne Pepper
Salt & Pepper to taste
Sour cream, cheddar cheese, green onions – or other toppings of your choice

DIRECTIONS
Finely dice peppers and onion.  Add to a large pot with olive oil.  Saute until just cooked – about 6 minutes.

Add turkey and brown completely.  Drain off any excess fat.

Add garlic and stir to combine.

Next, add the soup, seasonings and beans along with 2 cans of water.  Stir to combine completely.

Simmer on low for 45 minutes with the cover on. Remove cover and cook an additional 20-30 minutes to thicken.

Serve with cornbread and toppings of your choice.

Husband Rating – 4 out of 5 – “Delicious first attempt.  Next time we should try it with beef or buffalo!”

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Roasted Turkey Dinner

What a weird day!  It’s snowing outside and is cold enough to be December.  Christopher was craving a turkey dinner so we did an early Thanksgiving, which shouldn’t be until November.  But, no!  It’s the middle of October!  I’m SO not ready for snow yet.

Anyway, onto the food.  Like I said, Christopher was craving a turkey dinner and there’s no way I’m going to make a whole bird just for the two of us (and the occasional scrap I give to the kitties), so I decided to get a bone-in turkey breast.  It cooked in under an hour and was delicious on this cold night.  The hint of lemon in the meat was lovely.

INGREDIENTS
1 Bone-in Turkey Breast (2-4lbs.)
Juice of 1 lemon
2 Cloves Garlic, pressed
1/2t. Italian Seasoning
1/4t. Poultry Seasoning
1T. Olive Oil

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Gently pull the skin away from the outside of the bird but do not remove completely.

Mix lemon juice, garlic, Italian seasoning, poultry seasoning and olive oil in a small bowl.  Rub generously all over the bird, making sure to get plenty in the cavity you’ve just made between the skin and meat.

Roast in the oven for approximately 45 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the breast reaches 155 degrees.

Remove from oven and cover with foil to rest for 5-10 minutes.

Carve and serve.

Husband Rating – 4.5 out of 5 – “This really hit the spot.”

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Turkey Sausage Stuffed Zucchini Boats

I’ve got a new found love for zucchini and almost started drooling when I saw these on Annie’s Eats.  I should have read the directions all the way through, because I didn’t have enough time to let these bake with the zucchini…so I made a few changes and cooked the veggies while making the filling and broiling afterward – worked like a charm.

I made a few ingredient tweaks, either due to allergies or just plain forgetting an ingredient…but these were fabulous!

[New Photo added 8/7/2010]

INGREDIENTS
1 Zucchini, about 12 inches long or 2 6-inch
2T. Olive oil, divided
½C. Onion, chopped
3 Cloves garlic, minced
½C. Mushrooms, chopped (did not use)
1lb. turkey sausage, casing removed
2T. Dry white wine
2-3 Tomatoes, seeded and diced
3T. Chopped fresh basil
1t. Minced fresh rosemary (did not use)
¾C. Grated Parmesan cheese  (I used soy Parmesan)
1 Egg, lightly beaten
½t. Salt
½t. Pepper

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375.

Cut zucchini in half lengthwise.  Scoop out insides, leaving a shell about ¼-inch thick.  Put in an oven-safe dish with 1/4 inch of water and set in oven.  Allow to cook while you’re making the filling – about 15 min.

In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  Crumble and cook the sausage until just about done.  Add onion and sauté  until tender, about 4-5 minutes more.  Add the mushrooms (if using), herbs, tomatoes, wine and garlic to the skillet and sauté another 2 minutes.  Remove from the heat.

Drain of any excess fat, remove from heat and set aside to cool.  Once the turkey mixture has cooled a little, mix in the Parmesan, egg, salt and pepper.

Remove zucchini shells from oven and place on a foil-lined cookie sheet, and pre-heat your broiler.  Fill the zucchini shells with the sausage mixture.

Broil approx. 12 minutes, until golden brown and bubbly.  Serve immediately.

—

Husband Rating – 4.5 out of 5 – “the only thing that could make these better is using real pork sausage”

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Turkey Burgers

Hubby and I have found a new love for turkey burgers.  We never realized how jucy and flavorful they could be (all the ones I’ve had in the past tasted like cat food).  This recipe is super simple and really good!

INGREDIENTS
1lb. Ground Turkey
2 Cloves Garlic, crushed
1 1/2t. Minced onion
1/2t. Poultry seasoning
1T. Dried Italian spice mix
S&P to taste

DIRECTIONS
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix with hands.  Form into patties (I get 4 good size ones out of one pound of turkey).

Cook on the stovetop, or grill, until cooked through (do not squish the meat, try not to flip more than once).

Top with anything you like.  I’m simple, some Colby Jack cheese and lettuce, and I’m a happy gal.

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Shepherd’s Pie

I’d never made Shepherd’s Pie before tonight.  It was really good!  I used Alton Brown’s recipe as a jumping off point and made a few modifications.  I had some ground turkey in the house, so I decided to use that instead of beef.  Next time, I’m going to make more potatoes…the top layer should definitely be thicker. 

INGREDIENTS
For the base:
1lb Gound Beef or Turkey
1bag frozen carrot/corn/green bean mix
1 white onion, diced
1t. Worstershire sauce
2 Cloves Garlic
1/2T. Poultry Seasoning

For the potatoes:
1lb Russet Potatoes
2T Butter or Margarine
2T. Chives, finely diced
S&P to taste
(The potatoes called for half and half as well, but Hubby can’t have diary, so I left it out.  They were still quite good).

DIRECTIONS
Dice potatoes into 1in. pieces.  Add to a large pot of cold water.  Bring to a boil and continue simmering 10-15 minutes (or until pieces can be crushed with tongs).  Drain water and add potatoes back into the pot.  Add butter, chives, seasonings and half and half (if using) and mash until desired consistency is reached.
 
In another pan, brown and drain ground turkey.  Leave a small amount of fat in the pan for the onions.  Add onions and cook until translucent. 

Add poultry seasoning and worstershire sauce.  Next, add the frozen veggies.  Cook for 5-8 minutes to warm.  Add garlic and cook an additional 2 minutes. 

Transfer mixture to an oven-safe casserole and top with potatoes.  Sprinkle with paprika and bake at 350 for 15 minutes.  If you want a crispier top, just place it under the broiler for the last 5 minutes.

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Weaved Turkey Bacon Sandwich

This, friends, is what happens when my husband is left to fend for himself at lunchtime on a Sunday afternoon.  6 slices of turkey bacon – arranged neatly in a weave pattern – then microwaved until crispy.  Served on a hard roll with lettuce.

This was just too funny not to post.

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