ground turkey – Page 2 – Best for the Moment

Cleaning out the fridge: Dairy-free lasagna

August 21, 2011January 2, 2020Posted in Dairy-free, RecipesTagged cannellini, cheeseless, dairy-free lasagna, ground turkey, white beansLeave a comment

Traveling three weekends in a row = no groceries + creativity in the kitchen. Using the minimal (and I mean minimal – check out the photographic evidence) ingredients I had left in the fridge, freezer and/or cupboard, I came up with some pretty decent concoctions, starting with a dairy-free lasagna…

Inspired by the idea that lasagna doesn’t have to use cheese (see cheeseless lasagna), I experimented with smashed white beans, layered with leftover ground turkey, cherry tomatoes, bread crumbs, and of course no-bake lasagna noodles.

Interestingly enough, it tasted pretty good – especially the day after. With a little imagination, if you let go of your need for cheese, it ain’t bad (and tastes curiously like this cassoulet). PS – I cheated a little and sprinkled freshly shaved parmesan on top.

Beg, Borrow and Meal

July 7, 2011January 2, 2020Posted in BRAT friendly, RecipesTagged absinthe, ground turkey, lamb shoulder, tortilla pizza1 Comment

This Moroccan-spiced Lamb Shoulder from Absinthe…

…was a delicious topping on a broiled tortilla pizza – drizzled with olive oil.

I also made a “pizza” from leftover ground turkey, seasoned with thyme, salt, pepper and olive oil. Easy!

Dinner with Dad

February 4, 2011January 2, 2020Posted in RecipesTagged cheeseless lasagna, ground turkey1 Comment

On Monday night I had a weeknight houseguest: my dad, in town for business. Since he loves Italian food, and the only form of pasta in my cupboard was lasagna noodles, I made a recipe for cheeseless lasagna (was also low on cheese).

Unfortunately I don’t have the link to the recipe anymore, but you basically brown the meat, simmer it in tomato sauce with spices, pre-soak the noodles, and then layer the mixture in a 9×13 dish, top generously with Parmesan, and bake for about 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Delicious and guilt-free!

Happy Blog Birthday

February 18, 2010January 2, 2020Posted in RecipesTagged apples, apricots, fruit, ground turkey, meatloaf, oranges, pork chops2 Comments

Dinner with David + 365 days ago = birthday blog! One year ago I started blogging about what took place in my kitchen on busy weeknights. That evolved into a challenge of incorporating Farm Fresh to You deliveries into dinner planning, which has taken on a life of its own.

While I still whip together meals to wind down after a busy workday, I’ve started really enjoying cooking on Sundays. I pick out my recipe in advance, spend time thinking of the tweaks based on what’s actually in my cupboard, and spend Sunday evening cooking and blogging about it. I’ve learned new techniques and worked with unique ingredients like kale, and made more batches of risotto and butternut squash soup than I thought I ever would.

One of the most exciting things about this whole experience has been the response from friends, family and followers. I love hearing that I’ve inspired someone to try a new recipe, or simply shared in the joy of food. It’s one of my favorite things to talk about, and everyone has their own unique viewpoint and legacy in the kitchen.

To celebrate my blog birthday, I’ll be posting some of my favorite techniques… starting with fruit! Since David and I don’t eat up the seasonal fruit in our kitchen fast enough, I’ve created many ad lib recipes by cooking fruit with meat. This week I came up with a couple of new approaches, inspired by one of my favorite recipe resources: Everyday Food.

Saute sliced, halved apples in olive oil; toss with honey and serve over pork chops (or pancakes/french toast for breakfast!)
Poach chicken breasts in homemade veggie broth or low-sodium chicken broth; add orange slices once chicken is cooked through and simmer for a few extra minutes
Roast pork chops with sliced apricots; drizzled with honey
Add peeled, grated apples to ground turkey to make extra moist (and a little sweet) meatloaf or meatballs

What’s your favorite way to use fruit and meat together?

Accidental Gravy and Other Experiments

January 13, 2010January 2, 2020Posted in RecipesTagged broccoli, brown rice, butternut squash meatballs, chicken, corn, flax fettuccini, gravy, ground turkey, mushrooms, peas, potatoes2 Comments

Buttery potatoes + leftover chicken + broth = surprise gravy! Tonight I was short on time, but had a random burst of ideas for a “hands-off” meal. First, a fresh delivery from Farm Fresh to You arrived, so I prepared “Herbed New Potatoes” from Ina Garten’s “Barefoot in Paris” cookbook (using red potatoes, even though she calls for white or Yukon Gold).

While the potatoes steamed for 30 minutes or so, I microwaved frozen corn and pulled out the leftover “honey-baked” chicken breast from last night. The potatoes left a nice frothy butter sauce in the pan, so I poured chicken broth in and added the chicken breast. After bringing it to a boil, a delicious aroma started rising. Suddenly David was asking for some of the “sauce” to pour over the chicken – and voila, gravy!

In our quest to eat healthy in 2010, I thought I’d share some of my other recent experiments:

Honey-Baked Chicken Breast with Sauteed Peas & Baby Bella Mushrooms and Brown Rice

Leftover Turkey & Butternut Squash Meatballs with Broccoli and Flax Fettuccini

Best Meatloaf Ever

December 28, 2009January 2, 2020Posted in RecipesTagged apples, ground turkey, leeks, manchego, meatloaf3 Comments

Ground turkey + leeks + manchego + apples = best meatloaf ever. I made a hybrid recipe inspired by Everyday Food’s Turkey Meatloaf with Fontina and Mushrooms, and my own meatloaf experiment with apples earlier this month. Plus, I substituted manchego for fontina, left out the garlic (didn’t have any!) and used one leek instead of two. Miraculously, the resulting meatloaf was my best yet – David and I were both impressed!

Here’s the skinny:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Saute sliced mushrooms in 1 tablespoon olive oil until golden brown; place in mixing bowl
Saute sliced leeks in 1 tablespoon olive oil in same pan until soft; place with mushrooms in bowl to cool
Meanwhile, grate 1 cup’s worth manchego cheddar (or fontina, gouda, etc.)
Peel 3 small apples and grate until you have 1-2 cups
To the bowl containing the mushrooms and leeks, add 1 lb. ground turkey, 1 egg, grated cheese and apple
Mix by hand, or a potato masher is a good trick if you don’t want to get your hands dirty
Form a 10×4 inch loaf in a pyrex dish; bake for 45 minutes and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes (Martha’s version uses parchment paper, but the apples make mine extra juicy so a dish is your best bet)

If you’re not following @everydayfood on Twitter yet, be sure to check them out at http://twitter.com/everydayfood.

Stocking up for Winter

December 13, 2009January 2, 2020Posted in RecipesTagged apples, butternut squash, ground turkey, meatloaf, pumpkin5 Comments

Butternut squash + pumpkin + apples = stocking up the fridge. The cold, rainy weather was a good excuse to finally put the remaining fall & winter produce to use. I dug up recipes from Everyday Food for inspiration, and made a mess in the kitchen, but it was worth it! Now we can enjoy at least a week’s worth of butternut squash soup, roasted pumpkin, meatloaf and mashed potatoes.

About once a year I go to battle with a butternut squash, armed with knife and peeler, and tonight was no exception. But knock on wood, I haven’t lost a finger or pulled a muscle yet, and the various recipes I’ve used never disappoint. This time, I tried “Corn and Butternut Squash Chowder” from the September 2009 issue of Everyday Food. I made some slight adjustments, substituting olive oil for vegetable oil, and cumin instead of curry. The changes seemed to fit right in and the results were just as delicious, with the added texture of corn.

Meanwhile, I cut and peeled the last sugar pie pumpkin from my Capay delivery to use in a Roasted Pumpkin recipe from the October 2008 issue of Everyday Food. I left out the sage and substituted onions for shallots. The pumpkin was soft, but a little bland without the sage, so I’ll likely add it to pasta or chicken and rice later this week.

This one’s an original, and an experiment at that: I thought apples might make a nice addition to turkey meatloaf, which has previously been dry due to a lack of moisture (and fat) in the meat. So I peeled and shredded three apples in a bowl and added ground turkey, an egg, salt and pepper. I baked the “loaf” at 350 degrees for about 35-40 minutes (or until the meat was cooked through and slightly browned on the edges). The apples leave juice at the bottom of the pan, but that means extra moist meatloaf with a nice sweet aftertaste! We had ours with buttery mashed potatoes on the side.

We have leftovers across the board – so one night of extra dishes might help alleviate the next 2-3. 😉

Meatballs & Honey

December 1, 2009January 2, 2020Posted in RecipesTagged ground turkey, honey, meatball, oregano4 Comments

Turkey meatballs + honey = gooey goodness. My standard recipe for turkey meatballs was missing a key ingredient this week, so rather than gambling with expired eggs I used honey for the “glue” that holds the meat and bread crumb mixture together. The results were moist meatballs with a pleasantly sweet flavor. (I didn’t overdo it – just drizzled probably 1/4 cup’s worth in the bowl.) Plus, I added dried oregano, salt and pepper.

I also credit the baking method – rather than frying in olive oil, I baked the meatballs in a pyrex dish. Healthier to boot!

Birthday Enchiladas

November 3, 2009January 2, 2020Posted in RecipesTagged enchiladas, ground turkey3 Comments

Tomatoes + ground turkey + tortillas + cheese = birthday enchiladas at the Jackson house. For 7 years I’ve celebrated various family birthdays with the Jackson family, and my mother-in-law always whips up decadent enchiladas for the occasion. Since David and I spent his birthday in Mountain View, he requested the traditional recipe just like home.

I love a good challenge in the kitchen. So I picked up all the ingredients and went to work on three burners – quite the multi-tasking experience. The shorthand version is this:

Combine 1 can tomato sauce, 1 large can diced tomatoes, and 1 can tomato soup in a sauce pan with two cloves of garlic, plus 2 tbsp. butter, 1/2 cup of chopped onions, a pinch of salt, chili powder, and sugar. Simmer for 30 minutes. (I forget tomato sauce and, funny enough, V8 juice was a perfect substitute.)
Meanwhile, brown 1 pound ground turkey or hamburger; drain and add 1/2 cup chopped onions, 2 tbsp butter, 1 clove minced garlic, pinch of oregano, salt and cumin.
Fill 7-10 tortillas (I used the burrito size) with meat and grated cheddar cheese; roll each tortilla and fit snuggly in a baking dish (I use pyrex) – you can use a toothpick if necessary to hold it all together.
Once the dish is filled with enchiladas, pour the tomato mixture over the top and sides (and lift the tortillas slightly to allow some sauce to run underneath to prevent sticking.
Sprinkle a generous amount of grated cheese and sliced black olives over the top.
Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees. Let cool slightly, and enjoy! (The Jacksons serve it with French bread and spinach salad with poppy seed dressing, candied pecans, and cranberries – for a truly gut-busting meal.)

The best part? Leftovers for days. Literally – we ate them for three days. 😉

Pumpkin Meatballs

October 29, 2009January 2, 2020Posted in RecipesTagged ground turkey, pumpkin2 Comments

Pumpkin + ground turkey + mushrooms = delicious meatballs. I regularly stock my fridge and freezer with ground turkey for instances when burritos or meatballs call our name. Tonight, while I went to town prepping meatballs, I serendipitously set my sights on the Sugar Pie Pumpkin that came in our bi-weekly Capay delivery.

Meatballs require moisture, whether it’s bread crumbs or egg whites, so pumpkin is the perfect seasonal addition. I simply scooped out the seeds and added the fleshy portions to my meatball mixture. I roasted the remaining pumpkin slices in the oven, just like you would with butternut squash.

I served the meatballs with Healthy Harvest pasta, topped with olive oil and parmesan. Delish! (The pumpkin will be saved for another time – unfortunately I had a small thumb casualty when attempting to peel the skins.)

Tag: ground turkey

Cleaning out the fridge: Dairy-free lasagna

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Beg, Borrow and Meal

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Dinner with Dad

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Happy Blog Birthday

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Accidental Gravy and Other Experiments

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Best Meatloaf Ever

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Stocking up for Winter

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Meatballs & Honey

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Birthday Enchiladas

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Pumpkin Meatballs

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