Turkey Potpie

After Thanksgiving, we do a lot of turkey sandwiches, and as the love for those sandwiches begins to wane, I cut up the remainder of the turkey, saute some veggies, make a quick white sauce from a basic roux, drape a pie crust over the top of my cast iron skillet, throw it in the oven and cook until the sauce is thickened, the veggies are soft and the crust is brown and golden. It never fails to disappear in one fell swoop, and this year was no exception. In fact, I was asked why I didn't make more. There was talk of buying another turkey for the sole purpose of making another turkey potpie. Good grief. Instead, I bought some turkey cutlets (turkey breast would work also), did a simple roast in the oven on them, cut them up and whipped up another potpie this afternoon for lunch after church. Not surprisingly, it's already gone. But it was tasty! And really, quite easy to whip up. Of course, you could make it with chicken, beef or even pork. And use the veggies you have on hand. I had the basics. I do believe that mushrooms are a necessity, but if you don't like mushrooms, you can make it without them. Make this potpie full of things you love.

Also, you could easily make your own pie crust...I often do, but I do like Trader Joe's refrigerated pie crust, and I tend to use one of theirs to make this meal go even faster.

Turkey Potpie
Ingredients:
1/2 large onion, chopped finely (or 1 medium onion)
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
4 sage leaves, chopped finely
8 oz. mushrooms, quartered
1 lb. cooked turkey, chopped into cubes
3 tbs. butter
2 tbs. flour
2 cups non-fat milk
Freshly grated nutmeg
1 pie crust
Salt & pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 tbs. butter. When it begins to foam, add the celery, carrots, onions, sage and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper. Saute until they begin to soften, about 7-8 minutes. Add the turkey and continue cooking for another 3-5 minutes until the turkey is heated through.

3. Meanwhile, in another pot over medium-high heat, add 2 tbs. butter and heat until foaming. Add the 2 tbs. flour and whisk until the flour is dissolved. Cook for 1 minute (stirring constantly). Slowly add the milk, while whisking constantly. Once all the milk has been added, continue cooking while the sauce thickens. Grate in a little fresh nutmeg and season with salt and pepper. When the sauce has thickened slightly, add it to the vegetable and turkey mixture. It will bubble (see pictures). Let it cook down for 1-2 minutes.

4. Roll out the pie crust until it will fit over the top of the skillet. Lay it gently over the top of the skillet. Don't worry if it doesn't look perfect. It doesn't matter. Pinch a bit around the corners so it stays in place.

5. Put the skillet in the oven and cook for 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

Mini Turkey Meatloafs

Something that doesn't happen very often in my house happened today...I ran out of onions! I put them in almost everything, so it is slightly a crisis to be without them, but since 3 out of the 4 of us are fighting some sort of flu/cold bug thing, I didn't really want to run out to the store. My CSA box had delivered three beautiful leeks on Tuesday, so I decided to use those in place of the onion in my meatloaf. But while raw onions cook relatively nicely in meatloaf, I wanted to be sure that my leeks were soft, semi-caramelized and buttery before they even went into the oven. I also wanted these little guys to be portable and easy to portion, so I used my muffin tin to make these little meatloafs.

These little guys turned out so moist and delicious despite the fact that I only used ground turkey, which can sometimes get dry. Pair one of these little meatloafs with a salad or a plate of sauteed veggies, and you have a wonderful, filling meal.

Mini Turkey Meatloafs
Ingredients:
1.25 lb lean ground turkey or turkey breast
1 cup ketchup (natural ketchup is best)
3/4 cup old fashioned oatmeal (not the quick cooking kind)
1 egg
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
3 leeks, sliced thinly
1 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
Salt & pepper

1. In a medium saute pan over medium heat, heat the oil. When it's hot, add the leeks and a little salt, and cook until soft and just starting to brown. Remove from heat.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 12-cup muffin pan (I use a little olive oil on each muffin tin).

3. In a large bowl, combine the meat, egg, oatmeal, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, leeks and salt and pepper. Mix until combined. Do not overmix.

4. Using a scooper, portion the meat mixture into the 12 muffin tins.

5. Cook for 20 minutes or until they reach 160 degrees on the inside. Let cool and remove from the muffin tin.

Spice-Rubbed Turkey Breast with Cranberry Sauce

In preparation for Thanksgiving, I decided to cook up some turkey breasts for dinner tonight. I found a lovely spice rub via my Better Homes & Garden's Holiday magazine, and the cranberry sauce is a traditional sauce using cranberries, orange juice and sugar. Just the taste of these two together is causing me to eagerly look forward to Thanksgiving next week! We are heading over to some dear friends' house, where our hostess will provide the bulk of the heavy lifting when it comes to cooking, but I will be bringing a few dishes to add to the fare.

Here they are, in no particular order:
AB’s Green Bean Casserole (no cream of mushroom soup!!)
Chorizo and Cornbread Stuffing
Sweet Onion Tartlets
Overnight Refrigerator Rolls
Chocolate Cream Pie (for my weirdo boys, who don't like fruit desserts or pumpkin pie)
Sweet Potato Casserole (aka, Andy's Sweet Potatoes)
Pear Crisp

All but one of these are new recipes, and I'm thrilled to get to try them out with my family and our friends who are very adventurous food eaters (thank goodness)! I will post the results of all of these dishes, good or bad, and let you know how hard or easy they were. Because I'm running a Turkey Trot with Andy on Thanksgiving morning, I'm hoping to do most of this menu the day before Thanksgiving, while just wrapping up the last minute details the day of.

Back to the aforementioned turkey breast...this spice rub would work well on chicken as well. Now to the details:

Spice-Rubbed Turkey Breast
Ingredients:
2 3- to 3-1/2-lb. fresh or frozen bone-in turkey breast halves (I used boneless)
Nonstick cooking spray
2 Tbsp. packed dark brown sugar
2 tsp. paprika
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
3/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a large shallow roasting pan and rack with cooking spray. In small bowl combine brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder, salt, cumin, chili powder, and pepper. Place turkey breast halves, bone side down, on roasting rack in prepared pan. Set aside.

2. Starting at breast bone, slip fingers between skin and meat to loosen skin, leaving skin attached at top. Lift skin and spread spice mixture evenly under skin over breast meat. Insert oven-going meat thermometer into thickest part of breast, without touching bone. (My turkey breasts were skinless and I massaged the rub all over the meat.)

3. Roast, uncovered for 10 minutes. Turn temperature down to 350 and roast until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. Remove from oven and let rest.

Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients:
1 package fresh cranberries (usually 12-16 ounces)
1 cup sugar
1 cup freshly squeezed OJ

1. Combine in a pot over medium-high heat. Cook until sugar has dissolved and the cranberries start to pop.

2. Turn the heat down to a simmer and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and pour into a serving dish. The sauce will thicken as it cools.

AB's Baked Meatballs

My friend Tori told me that she tried Alton Brown's (AB) baked meatballs the other day, and she said they were a scream! Not that I'm shocked...it is AB after all. I'd seen them in my Good Eats Book 2, but hadn't gotten around to trying them. So I decided to whip up a batch, modified a bit to what I had in the house (I don't typically keep ground lamb in the freezer, but I do keep ground pork and ground turkey!) So, I'm posting my modified recipe, but I'll post what AB used below in case you want to go with the original. I baked these to freeze and pull out for a quick and easy dinner one day.

AB's Baked Meatballs (my version)
Ingredients:
8 oz. ground pork
16 oz. ground turkey
5 oz. Swiss chard, chopped
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
1 large egg
1.5 tsp dried basil
1.5 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 cup breadcrumbs (I used panko)

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Combine the following in a large mixing bowl: meats, chard, cheese, egg, basil, parsley, garlic powder, salt, red pepper flakes, and 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs. Using your hands, mix until all ingredients are well incorporated. Use immediately or put in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.

3. Put the remaining 1/4 cup breadcrumbs in a small bowl. Cover a scale with plastic wrap. Weigh meatballs into 1.5 oz. portions and place on a half sheet pan. Using clean hands, shape the meatballs into rounds, roll in the breadcrumbs and place the meatballs in miniature muffin tin cups. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden and cooked through. *If you don't have a miniature muffin tin cup, just place them on a half sheet pan.*

I did flip my oven to broil and broiled these little guys for about 4 minutes at the end - the turkey makes them look white, and meatballs to me should be brown and lovely.

AB's Ingredients as in the Good Eats Volume 2 book:
8 oz. ground pork
8 oz. ground lamb
8 oz. ground round
5 oz. frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
1 large egg
1.5 tsp dried basil
1.5 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 cup breadcrumbs

Sausage and Peppers

I realize there are a gazillion Sausage and Peppers recipes out there, none of which have particularly appealed enough to me to make the dish...maybe I haven't looked hard enough. But this morning, on my way out the door for work, I took out a turkey kielbasa sausage, an onion and some peppers for dinner tonight. I guess my subconscious wanted to try a version. :)

Rather than putting this on a sandwich, or serving it solo, I made my version with some veggie elbow macaroni and some, gulp, cooked broccoli with cheese. Many of you know that I can't stand cooked cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, etc.). I typically only eat them raw. But we had a head of broccoli in the fridge before we left for vacation and I didn't want it to go to waste, so I flash cooked it and threw it in the freezer. I wanted a filling veggie for dinner tonight so I didn't eat bread with the pasta, sausage and peppers dish, so I pulled out the broccoli, topped it with a little shredded cheese and cooked it for a few minutes. Not my favorite, but it sure does fill a girl up.

Sausage and Peppers
Ingredients:
1 turkey kielbasa sausage link
6 oz. veggie elbow macaroni pasta (or any kind of pasta you choose)
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 yellow onion, sliced
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1/2 yellow, green and red peppers, sliced into strips
Salt and pepper

1. In a non-stick skillet over medium high heat, heat the olive oil. Add the onions and peppers and cook until softened but not brown. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package instructions.

3. Slice the turkey kielbasa on the diagonal, and toss in with the peppers and onions. Cook until the sausage starts to brown on both sides. Add the Worcestershire sauce and mix well.

4. When the pasta is cooked, add the pasta to the peppers mixture and add a small ladle-ful of pasta water (about 1/4 cup). Add the Parmesan cheese and stir until mixed. Serve immediately.

Swedish Meatballs

My first menu item of the week is Swedish Meatballs. This recipe is from the Eating Well magazine that all the other wonderful meatball recipes came from. I very much enjoyed this dish, and it will be a regular in our house.

Swedish Meatballs
Ingredients:

1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 dry whole-wheat breadcrumbs
3/4 tsp salt, divided
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
8 oz. ground turkey breast
8 oz. ground pork
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 lb. button mushrooms, sliced (I used cremini)
1 14oz. can reduced-sodium chicken broth (I used beef broth)
1/4 AP flour
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tbs lingonberry or seedless raspberry jam (I used cherry preserved)

1. Combine onion, breadcrumbs, 1/4 tsp salt, pepper, nutmeg and cardamom in a large bowl. Add turkey and pork; gently mix to combine (do not overmix). Create 20 meatballs.

2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the meatballs and cook, turning occasionally and reducing the heat if the pan gets too hot, until almost cooked through, 10-12 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

3. Add mushrooms to the pan and increase heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring occasionally, until their liquid has been released and evaporated, 8-10 minutes.

4. Whisk broth and flour in a bowl and add to the pan along with the meatballs. Bring to a simmer and cook until the meatballs are just cooked through and the sauce is thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add the sour cream, parsley, jam and the remaining 1/2 salt to the sauce; gently stir until combined.

Sweet & Sour Meatballs

I'm so excited to share this recipe with you! I get Eating Well magazine - their tag line is "Where Good Taste Meets Good Health." I love the magazine, because every single recipe is spelled out perfectly with all the nutrition information! How convenient! And most recipes are well under 500 calories per meal - PERFECT! The April 2012 issue came on Saturday and it is CHOCKED full of amazing recipes. In fact, my entire week's menu comes from this issue. Tonight I made Sweet & Sour Meatballs. To say they were a hit is the biggest understatement of the year. These meatballs are moist, tangy, a little spicy and were adored by the whole family. They do take a little time - from start to finish, about an hour - but it is SOOOOOOOO worth it. Without further ado, here is the recipe.

Sweet & Sour Meatballs (courtesy of Eating Well magazine)
Ingredients:
1 20-oz. can pineapple chunks
3 tbs rice vinegar
2 tbs ketchup
2 tbs reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tbs brown sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1 large egg
1 medium carrot, shredded
1/4 cup finely chopped scallion whites
2 tbs minced fresh ginger (I did not have fresh ginger and used ground ginger instead - about 1 tsp)
1.5 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
3/4 tsp salt
8 oz. ground turkey breast
8 oz. ground pork
2 tsp canola oil
1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup sliced scallion greens

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and coat with cooking spray (or use a Silpat on your baking sheet).

2. Drain pineapple juice into a small bowl. Whisk in vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce, brown sugar, cornstarch and crushed red pepper. Set aside.

3. Finely chop enough pineapple to yield 1/2 cup. Press out excess moisture with paper towels. **Do not skip this step - it is necessary.** Reserve the remaining pineapple chunks for the sauce.

4. Lightly beat egg in a large bowl. Stir in carrot, scallion whites, ginger, five-spice powder, salt and the finely chopped pineapple. Add turkey and pork; gently mix to combine (do not overmix). Using a scant 1 tbs each, make 36 small meatballs. Bake on the prepared baking sheet until just cooked through, about 15 minutes.

5. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add bell pepper and cook for 1 minute. Whisk the reserved juice mixture and add to the pan. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in the remaining pineapple and the cooked meatballs. Stir to coat.

6. To serve, thread a meatball and a piece of pineapple and pepper onto a small skewer or toothpick. Transfer to a platter, drizzle with sauce and sprinkle with scallion greens.

Serve as an appetizer or as a meal with rice and a vegetable.

Stuffed Turkey Cutlets

We eat a lot of turkey cutlets in our house. They defrost fast, cook up fast, are low in calories and fat, and you can make them super yummy super quick! I have crusted them in Parmesan and breadcrumbs, made Turkey Pomodoro, and a million other versions, but tonight, I tried stuffing these little beauties and to great result! I borrowed this recipe from Cooks.com, and this one is a keeper for sure.

Stuffed Turkey Cutlets
Ingredients:
1/2 (6 oz.) pkg. Stove Top corn bread stuffing
1/2 (1 tbsp.) stuffing seasoning pkg.
3 tbsp. butter
4 tbsp. chopped pecans
2 tbsp. parsley
2/3 c. hot water
1 lb. turkey cutlets
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/2 jar of chicken or turkey gravy (or you could make a homemade version)
2-3 tbs white wine or chicken broth

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Combine stuffing, seasoning, 2 tablespoons butter, parsley and pecans.

3. Stir in hot water. Cool slightly. Spread on turkey cutlets, roll and place seam side down, not touching, in greased 9x13 inch baking dish or pan. (I used toothpicks to secure these.)

4. Sprinkle with paprika, dot with butter. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes. This can be put together early in the day or the night before it is to be baked.

5. Heat the gravy over low heat and thin with a little white wine or chicken broth. Add herbs (dried or fresh) to taste. Spoon a little over each turkey cutlet.

I served this with extra stuffing and green beans. Quite tasty.

Turkey Pomodoro

This dish is traditionally made with chicken cutlets, but I made it with turkey cutlets. Quite delicious and a nice change from the regular chicken/turkey dish. This recipe is adapted from my Cuisine at Home magazine.

Turkey Pomodoro
Ingredients:

5 boneless, skinless turkey cutlets
Salt and black pepper
AP flour
2 tbs olive oil
1/2 cup vodka
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
4 tbs fresh lemon juice
1 cup chopped fresh tomato
4 tbs heavy cream
1/3 cup sliced scallions

1. Season cutlets with salt and pepper; then dredge in flour. Heat a saute pan on medium high heat and add olive oil.

2. Saute cutlets on both sides. Transfer cutlets to a platter; pour off fat from the pan.

3. Deglaze pan with vodka (AWAY FROM HEAT); return to heat and cook until nearly evaporated.

4. Add broth and lemon juice. Return cutlets to pan and cook on each side for one minute. Transfer cutlets to a warm plate.

5. Stir tomato and cream into sauce. Heat through; pour over cutlets. Garnish with scallions.

Stuffed Peppers Part Two

This last week, Hannah, last season's runner up, visited the ranch on the Biggest Loser. She shared her recipe for Turkey Stuffed Peppers, and they looked so good, I knew I needed to make them. When I stopped at the fruit and veggie stand on the way home from work on Friday and colored peppers were all $.59 each, I snapped up six peppers with this recipe in mind. I made a few small variations in the recipe, but very few indeed. It didn't need a whole lot of improvement.

These were delicious and so low in calories, but VERY filling. Thanks Hannah for a yummy new recipe.

Hannah's Turkey Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients:
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup onion, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, minced
1.25 lb lean ground turkey
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1.5 - 2 cups chicken broth, divided
6 medium - large sweet bell peppers (I used a mix of red, yellow and orange), washed
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 tbs fresh cilantro or parsley, chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a non-stick skillet, add the 2 tsp of olive oil and heat over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes. Add the garlic, and stir for 30 seconds. Add the turkey. Break into pieces. Add salt, pepper, garlic powder and cumin and cook until no longer pink. Add the tomato sauce and 1/2 cup chicken broth. Reduce heat and simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. Add cilantro or parsley.

2. Cut bell peppers in half lengthwise and remove seeds and stern. Put in baking dish (I used two - one 8X8 and a 9X13), and spoon turkey mixture into each half, using all of the turkey. When all of the turkey is used up, pour the rest of the chicken broth into the bottom of the pans (this will help steam the peppers). Cover baking dishes with foil and bake for 35 minutes. When done, sprinkle with cheese before serving.

If you're interested in calories, 1/2 of a pepper is a mere 136 calories and only 7.3 grams of fat, but a whopping 12.6 grams of protein. Yummy.

Fiesta Casserole

A favorite in the Larsen house is something called Fiesta Casserole - a funny little recipe I found on the back of a Krusteaz baking mix box many years ago. It's always a hit at potlucks, and it's the perfect meal when it's been as cold and rainy as it has been here.

Fiesta Casserole
Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef or turkey
1 cup onion, chopped finely
1/2 green pepper, chopped finely
1/2 cup prepared chili sauce (on the same aisle with the ketchup)
Salt and Pepper
1/4 cup chopped green chilies
1 cup Krusteaz or Bisquick Baking Mix (not the pancake mix - the Baking Mix)
1 cup non-fat milk
3 eggs
1-2 cups shredded cheddar

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Brown meat and drain. Add onion, green pepper and chili sauce. Cook until tender.

3. Remove from heat and add salt and pepper to taste and green chiles.

4. In a medium bowl, mix Krusteaz, milk and eggs. Spray an 8X8X2 baking pan with Pam or other spray. Pour half the batter into pan.

5. Add meat mixture and distribute evenly. Pour remaining batter over meat.

6. Top with cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

7. Serve with sour cream, salsa and guacamole.