Asian turkey lettuce wraps

Here is the other lettuce wrap we made a couple of weeks ago.  It is from my taste of home magazine.  I did cut the ginger in half and was glad I did.   I also didn't chop my veggies as small as the original recipe said, but it is because I didn't really thaw them.  That had no bearing on how much I liked these.  These were only OK as compared to other lettuce wraps, but then again, we like lettuce wraps.  They still get a 4 star.  There were no left overs.  However, the other wraps I have made have been better.
I forgot to take a picture of these (and the other lettuce wraps I just made - Oops.)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs. lean ground turkey (could sub beef - I probably would have, but DH chose this and bought the groceries, so ground turkey it was.)
• 1 16 oz. package frozen stir-fry veggies, thawed
• 1/3 cup teriyaki sauce
• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
• 3 Tablespoons peanut butter
• 1 Tablespoon minced ginger
• 1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 green onions, chopped
• boston or bibb lettuce leaves

Directions

• In a large non-stick skillet coated with cooking spray, cook and stir turkey over medium high heat until no longer pink.  
• Coarsely chop mixed veggies; (I tossed them in the food processor) add to the pan.  Stir in the teriyaki sauce, hoisin sauce, peanut butter, ginger, vinegar and oil.  Cook and stir over medium-high heat for 5 minutes.  
• Add garlic;  cook 1 minute longer.  Remove from heat and stir in onions.  
• Serve on lettuce leaves.

crock pot cabbage rolls

This recipe came from Saving dinner.  My changes were minimal - 1/2 the onion, twice the carrot, more turkey, and that's it.  It was wonderful.  I could smell the cabbage all day, and I'm not the hugest fan of cabbage so I was a bit worried, but it was great.  I loved the sweet tang of the sauce that it made, and the meat inside was so good.

Turkey Tacos

We actually have had this one before and I know we like it.  I actually did not put the meal in the crock pot today because we left so early for berry picking.  Brandon did that for me.  I did finish it up though.  It cooked pretty fast, but luckily I checked on it early and turned the crock pot down to warm so it didn't overcook.  For some reason they seemed salty to me today.  I'm going to think it was the seasoning packet I used or something.  We've had these before and they were perfect.  They were still delicious, just a tiny bit on the salty side.
Like I said in my previous post, it was a very busy day, and much of it was cooking - after my morning run, I made the breakfast cookies, then we went and picked berries and peaches.  Being that I have 4 boys many of the peaches ended up mush by the time we got home from being pummeled or thrown, dropped, etc.  So, I really needed to take care of them today.  I got home and peeled the worst of them and put them in a container, but then taught a piano lesson.  I also had no bread and bananas that needed to make some banana bread on my counter, so after making lunch for everyone,  I spent the afternoon making banana bread, 2 loaves of bread and peach jam.  Then I taught 3 more piano lessons, shredded the meat and decided to make some baked plantains as a side for dinner.  Luckily, I made my regular wheat bread, have never posted a jam recipe because I just follow the recipe on the package of pectin, and I made the hungry girl banana bread that I made a couple of weeks ago so I only have 2 things to blog.  Whew!

Ingredients

• 1 can (15 oz.) spicy chili beans in sauce, undrained (we use mild chili beans in sauce)
• 1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
• 1 1/2 lb turkey thighs, skin removed (we actually used boneless skinless chicken thighs, and used 1 3/4 lbs today)
• 1 package taco seasoning mix
• 1/2 cup thick and chunky salsa (picante works fine)
• 1 package taco shells
• 1 cup shredded lettuce
• 1 large tomato, chopped (1 cup)
• 1 cup shredded cheese

Directions

1. Mix chili beans and onion in a slow cooker.  Top with turkey.  Sprinkle taco seasoning over turkey; spoon salsa over top.
2. cover and cook on low for 7 to 9 hours.  
3. Remove turkey and shred.  Replace turkey and stir   (I actually removed about 1/2 cup of the liquid today because it had a ton.  I don't remember this being the case before.)
4. Heat taco shells as directed on package (we didn't do this today, but have in the past and it is yummy.) Fill shells with meat mix, cheese lettuce and tomatoes.

Turkey chili

I found this recipe on blogchef.net.  I only veered slightly from the original recipe skipping some red pepper flakes or some such spicy ingredient, tossed in however much salsa was left in the bottle, subbed out some italian seasoning for oregano since I was out.    I also had no crushed tomatoes in the size specifies so I used pureed tomatoes.  I can't say I followed any of the simmer times.  I just simmered until I was done cutting the next batch of veggies which I was doing between trying to get all the kids turns to video chat with DH who is out of town.  Made for a bit of a chaotic dinner making since my recipe was online today.
The chili was surprisingly good.  I was a bit skeptical with the 3 zucchini in there, but it was good.  Nice mix of flavors with the taco seasoning, green chilis, onions, spices, and salsa.  I can see this turning out a bit different each time you make it depending on the salsa used.  Today I used a black bean and corn I had in the fridge that needed to be used.  I also found it humorous that it is a turkey chili made with a whole can of beef broth.  Don't know why, but that just makes me smile.  :)

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons oil
• 1 1/2 lbs ground turkey
• 1 package (1 oz. or 1/4 cup) taco seasoning mix
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano (I used Italian seasoning but would use oregano if making again.)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 (14.5 oz) can beef broth
• 1 15 oz. can kidney beans (rinsed and drained)
• 1 15 oz. can black beans (rinsed and drained)
• 1 7 oz. can chopped green chilies
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 3 meduim zucchini (quartered lengthwise and sliced)
• green onions, sour cream, and/or cheddar cheese for toppings (I didn't have green onions so I didn't use them, but they would look nice.)

Directions

1. Spray a large pot with cooking spray.  Add ground turkey to the pot breaking it up as you add it.  Season with taco seasoning, coriander, oregano, and tomato paste.  Mix until the meat is coated with the seasonings.  Continue cooking until the turkey is browned.  
2. Pour in beef broth, bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes or until broth has slightly reduced.  Add salsa, tomatoes, green chilies, kidney beans and black beans.  Continue cooking at medium heat for 10 minutes (while chopping and sauteeing onion and green pepper.)
3. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon (didn't measure.  I probably used somewhere between 1/2 and 1.) oil in a skilled over medium high heat.  Stir fry onion and green pepper until onion is translucent.  Add to the chili and mix well.  In the same pan, add the other Tablespoon of oil and the zucchini.  Stir fry of 5 minutes.  Add the zucchini to the chili.  
4. Continue cooking for 15 minutes or more. (I think we only made it 10 but I figured #1, we had longer simmer time earlier, #2 I didn't want my zucchini too soggy, and #3 I had kids to get to scouts. :)  Add water if the chili becomes too thick.  

Serve over tortilla chips.  Top with cheese while warm so it will melt.  Then add sour cream and green onions if desired.

Turkey bean burgers

x

The original of this recipe is from taste of home's simple and delicious magazine.  I changed things around to make more than 4 burgers.  They were tasty, but they fell apart when cooked.  That is probably totally my fault because the original recipe called for an egg white and I subbed out egg substitute.  Next time I'd use 1 egg for this amount to see if that helped the staying together problem.)  I liked that they had hidden veggies in them.  DH even said he would have never known they had zucchini in them had he not read the recipe and watched me make the burgers.  That is saying something because he doesn't like zucchini.

Ingredients

• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 egg
• 1 cup shredded zucchini
• 1 cup finely chopped sweet pepper (I think I used orange)
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1.25 lb. ground turkey (lean)

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, coarsely mash beans.  Add the egg, zucchini, red pepper, and spices and turkey.  Mix together and form into 6 patties.
2. Grill on the barbecue for 4-5 minutes on each side or until internal temp. of 165.  Serve on buns with lettuce and onion.

southwestern stuffed turkey breast

This recipe is from a taste of home healthy cooking recipe cards booklet that I picked up at the grocery store. I'm actually on my second copy of that because I left my first one next to some beef I had defrosting and blood soaked through 1/2 of it. Since I had various recipes already chosen from that magazine and the ones I had tried were pretty good, I decided to go get myself a second copy. I wasn't disappointed with this recipe either. I did not buy a large turkey breast, but I think I would if I make this again. It would have been easier to roll. I just figured I'd use the chicken breasts I already had, and kind of thought of rolling them individually, but in the end I just laid the pieces side by side and rolled it as a group which was sloppy, but worked - it just wasn't particularly pretty. I really liked the mix of ingredients. I worried the crushed red pepper would give it too much spice, but it was fine.
I was also at the orthodontist with kids today for longer than expected so I just used some frozen diced onion and diced green peppers to speed things along.



Ingredients

• 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes (not packed in water - I buy the julienne cut ones.)
• 2/3 cup boiling water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 small green pepper, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup frozen corn, thawed (I didn't bother thawing)
• 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons grated lime peel
• 1 boneless skinless turkey breast half (2 pounds) I used 4 chicken breasts =2.5 lbs.

Directions

1. Place tomatoes in a small bowl; cover with boiling water. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes (oops I didn't cover them when they were sitting there.) Drain, reserving 3 tablespoons liquid; set aside. Meanwhile, combine the seasonings in a small bowl.
2. In a large skillet, caute the tomatoes, onion, green pepper, and garlic in oil until tender. Stir in corn and 2 teaspoons seasonings; remove from the heat. Stir in breadcrumbs and reserved tomato liquid. Add lime peel to remaining seasonings; set aside.
3. Cover turkey with plastic wrap. Flatten to 1/2 inch thickness; remove plastic. Sprinkle turkey with half of lime-seasoning mix (I accidentally put all of it here -oops) Spread vegetable mixture to within 1 inch of edges. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a short side; tie with kitchen string. (Didn't do this either even though mine was separate pieces of chicken) Sprinkle with remaining lime-seasoning mixture. Place on a rack in a shallow roasting pan; cover loosely with foil. (I just put mine on a cookie sheet and covered with foil.)
   
4. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Uncover; bake 15-30 minutes longer or until a meat thermometer reads 170, basting occasionally with pan drippings. Let stand for 15 minutes before slicing. (I only baked it for 1 hour. I checked it at 40-45 minutes and it was already at 148-155 so I uncovered it and cooked it a little while longer. I had NO drippings to even think of basting it with - not that I checked very often - maybe because I used chicken instead of turkey.)

Chimichangas

I got the idea to make these from a recipe I found for "Skinny Chimichangas" on recipegirl.com. It is originally a weight watchers recipe. However, I didn't make it very skinny - mostly because I didn't use light tortillas - I used the pre-made bake yourself tortillas - not good for you, but definitely tasty. I also added extra cheese and didn't use light cheese. I doubled the recipe and changed the spices too. This is of course how I made it. I'm writing it down as they cook in the oven so I don't forget what I did. :) I served mine with shredded cabbage (would have preferred lettuce, but cabbage is what I had.) and some salsa and sour cream - honestly, I'm more worried about getting veggies in my kids and family than I am in cutting out fat. If you want to make them skinny, check out recipegirl. I cut out other steps because I wasn't using fat free tortillas. These were very yummy. Definitely a keeper. I loved the inside the way I made it. I think it could just as easily have been made with ground beef. I also think it would be good with kidney beans thrown in. I'm putting in a picture of the whole tray fresh out of the oven, and how I served them.


Ingredients

• 1 lb ground turkey breast
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 clove garlic, minced (actually I used a heaping teaspoon of minced garlic from a jar.)
• 1 Tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 heaping teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 8 ounce cans tomato sauce
• 1 4 oz can mild green chiles
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 15-16 6-inch ready to cook flour tortillas (Larger tortillas would have made a better chimichanga, but the ready to cook at my store only come in 6 inch.)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray a nonstick baking sheet with nonstick spray.

2. Cook turkey, onion, garlic, chili powder, oregano and cumin in a skillet, breaking up the turkey until browned, about 6 minutes. Stir in tomato sauce and chiles; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until the flavors are blended and the mixture thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the cheddar.

3. While cooking this, cook the tortillas in another skillet. I had no idea how many to use, I just started cooking tortillas at the same time I started cooking turkey and they both got done about the same time and ended up being the right amount. Lucky me.

4. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the filling into the center of each tortilla. Fold in the sides, then roll to enclose the filling. Place the chimichangas, seam-side down, on the baking sheet. Bake until crisp, about 10 minutes. Do not turn.

White Turkey chili

This is another recipe from Saving Dinner although I did change this one up a bit. It was quite good. A bit sweet, not too spicy for the kids, etc.

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lb. ground turkey
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 can great northern beans
• 1 can mexicorn
• 1 16 oz jar salsa
• 2 15 oz cans diced tomatoes (I used 1 petite diced with sweet onion and 1 regular diced because that is what I had. If doing this again, I'd probably use another petite diced with sweet onion. I liked the smaller diced tomato and the added flavor of the onion.)

Directions:

In a skillet heat butter over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook till translucent. Add turkey and brown, salting and peppering to taste. Drain, add the rest of the ingredients and heat until bubbly and completely heated through.