Thai Turkey Skillet (lettuce wraps)

If you like Thai food with hints of heat (spice) along with a slight nuttiness of nut butters, then you'll LOVE this! Josh made it last night for dinner and I seriously DID NOT want my serving to end!

It was spicy, nutty, tangy and colorful too!

Ingredients:

1 lb. Lean ground turkey

2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced

1 Tbsp. minced or grated fresh ginger (original recipe calls for 2 Tbsp)

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

3 Tbsp. peanut butter (preferably natural)**

2 Tbsp. lime juice

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 Tbsp. sesame oil

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

8 cups spinach (original recipe calls for 8 romaine lettuce leaves to use for lettuce wraps)

Brown the ground turkey in a large non-stick skillet or wok; drain the grease.
Add the peppers, ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes.
Cook over medium-high heat about 4 min, or until the peppers have softened slightly.
Meanwhile, whisk together the peanut butter, lime juice, soy sauce, sesame oil, and cilantro.
Remove the skillet from the heat and add the peanut butter mixture to the skillet; mix well.
Serve 1 cup of the meat mixture over a bed of spinach (2 cups).

**This dish would be considered paleo if you use an almond butter.

Recipe courtesy of: The book, FIT2FAT2FIT by Drew Manning p. 146

"Pepper" Inspired Ranch Turkey Burgers

Easy! Tasty! 5 ingredients.

HERE YOU GO! 

SUPER EASY and juicy Turkey Burgers.

These are my "pepper" inspired burgers...(with a HIDDEN VEGGIE aspect...Shhh!)

Ingredients:

2 packages - 99% Lean Jennie-O ground Turkey

28 turkey pepperoni slices, chopped

1.5 cups pepperjack cheese, grated

3 raw asparagus spears, chopped as finely as possible.
1 original ranch packet (not the ranch "dips")

Put all ingredients in a bowl.

Mash up and thoroughly mix.

This makes 8 (4.2-4.5 oz. patties)

Get the BBQ fired up anywhere between 350 and 400 degrees.

Place on grill for 3 min.

Flip, and let cook another 3 min.

I served ours with the Oroweat thins and avocado, lettuce, pickle and tomato.

It was a tasty and well-balanced dinner with hidden veggies! You couldn't even tell.
I also served it along my "string beans and onions" recipe.

Saucy Asian (Turkey) Meatballs

Oooooh! Now, THIS is worth a try!

I came across this recipe this morning, and thought this just looked amazing! 

Mason even loves meatballs and that's ONE way I have been able to hide vegetable purees within the meatballs, but for this recipe, I just wanted to try it out without putting my own twist to it. 

So here's a tasty lunch, dinner or appetizer idea!

Meatball Ingredients: (makes 40 meatballs)

1  1/2 lb. Lean Ground turkey (I used 93/7)--I'm almost certain 99% fat free will work just fine (FYI: the original recipe calls for ground beef)

1/2 lb. ground pork

2 tsp. sesame oil

1 C. panko breadcrumbs

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. salt

2 eggs

3 tsp. minced garlic

1/2 C. thinly-sliced green onions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Thoroughly mix everything together.

Roll into forty 1 in. meatballs.
Place on a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Bake for 10 min. Rotate meatballs. If you are using two baking sheets, then this is also the time to rotate the pans.
Bake an additional 10 min. (20 min total baking time)

Asian Sauce Ingredients:

1 1/3 C. Hoisin sauce (you'll need 2 jars)

1/2 C. Rice vinegar

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 C. Soy sauce

2 tsp. Sesame Oil

2 tsp. Ground ginger

Optional garnish: toasted sesame seeds and sliced green onions.

Mix everything in a saucepan and heat through. Pour the sauce over the meatballs and garnish with toasted sesame seeds and green onions. 

We served 5 meatballs over 1/2 C. brown rice with 1 C. steamed veggies.

You can use this tasty recipe for appetizers at any event as well.
The sauce contributes a sweet and tangy bite to the hearty meatball that makes a delicious dinner.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from http://cookingwithmandy.blogspot.com/2013/02/saucy-asian-meatballs.html

Gluten Free-Turkey-Veggie Lasagna

I'm a huge fan of Lasagna and Italian food in general, but I like to tweak Italian food to make it just a bit more healthier.  So here's my own version of Turkey-Veggie Lasagna, which is also gluten free.

 Ingredients:
Lasagna noodles (I use Tinkyada, it's wheat free & gluten free)

 2 tsp. Minced Garlic
1/2 tsp. Dried Oregano
1/2 medium red onion (chopped)
1/3 cup Non-Fat milk
8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 yellow (or red) bell pepper (chopped)
1/2 tsp. salt
1.5 cups chopped portabello mushrooms
1.5 Jars of pasta sauce (My favorite is Classico Four Cheese)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 zucchini chopped
1.5 cups low fat cottage cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Pour olive oil in a saute pan and saute onions, garlic, mushrooms, zucchini, and bell pepper til all veggies are tender.

 Add ground turkey to the sauteed veggies and cook thoroughly.
Add salt, pepper, and oregano

 Boil Lasagna noodles til they are al dente' (follow the package directions)

 Mix Milk, Cottage Cheese, and Parmesan Cheese in a separate bowl.

 Start the "Layering Process"
1. Cover the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan with pasta sauce
2. Lay 1 layer of Lasagna Noodles on top
3. Add cheese mixture on top of noodles
4. Add meat-veggie mixture on top of cheese
5. Pour sauce on top of meat-mixture
6. repeat these steps until you are out of noodles, meat, and cheese mixture

 

 Make sure your top layer is a layer of Lasagna noodles.  Pour sauce over noodles, sprinkle mozzarella over sauce, cover with foil, and bake in the oven for 30 minutes (or until the lasagna is boiling on the sides).

Once out of the oven, let the lasagna sit and cool for about 10 minutes. Serve it up and Enjoy!!
Makes 10 servings

Turkey Chili

I've never been a fan of "beany chili" (or chili with an enormous amount of beans in it).  So years ago I made up my own chili with minimal amounts of beans.  Later we changed up our diet to eat healthier and started using Ground Turkey instead of Ground Beef...the problem with ground turkey is that it's not as "Flavorful" as beef.  After tweaking my chili recipe, you can't even tell it's made with turkey.

 

1 package Lean Ground Turkey

1/2 tsp. minced garlic (small clove of fresh garlic)

1 1/2 Tbs. Cholula hot sauce

1/2 tsp. crushed red peppers

1 tsp. Natures Seasoning

1 tsp. Tobasco hot sauce

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. fresh cracked pepper

 

In a large pot, brown the turkey meat.  During the browning process add in all the above ingredients (add more of each seasoning depending on what you like personally...ie. more spicy? more garlicky? just add another tsp. of whichever ingredient you want)



Once the meat is browned and seasoned add the next set of ingredients:

1 14oz. can black beans

2 14oz. cans petite diced tomatoes

2 14oz. cans tomato sauce

1 package McCormick Chili Seasoning (I use 30% less sodium)

Evenly mix the chili and bring to a boil.  Then turn the stove on low and simmer the chili for a few hours...long enough for all the flavors to blend evenly together.  Then serve & Enjoy!