Category Archives: turkey

September 19, 2015 · 7:57 am

Stroganoff with Farfalle

Talk about fusion cooking! I love mixing cuisines, and stroganoff with farfalle is a good example of a fusion recipe. Combining pasta with stroganoff sounds like a marriage of Italy and Russia, doesn’t it?

I use lean ground turkey instead of beef to lower fat and cholesterol, and whole grain pasta to bump up the fiber. For a quick and nutritious one-pot meal, try this skillet recipe. Use whatever pasta you like. I like farfalle (bowtie) pasta, but its cooking time is longer than noodles.

RECIPE

Ingredients:

  • Nonstick cooking spray
  • 1 pound lean ground turkey
  • 6 oz. frozen chopped onion
  • 1 tsp. minced garlic
  • 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
  • ½ tsp. paprika
  • 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
  • 1 soup can water or broth
  • 1 8 oz. can mushrooms, rinsed and drained
  • 3 oz. dried whole wheat pasta
  • 1 cup sour cream

 

Directions:

  1. Spray a large skillet with the nonstick cooking spray. Combine turkey and onions in the skillet over medium heat and brown.
  2. Add all other ingredients except pasta and sour cream. Stir to combine.
  3. Stir in the pasta, cover the skillet, and simmer for ten minutes or just until pasta is cooked. (Cooking time depends on size of the pasta)
  4. Remove skillet from heat, let stand 5 minutes, then stir in the sour cream.

 

Yield: 4 servings

©2011 RECIPES FOR RECOVERY by Cheryl Norman

Stroganoff with Farfalle

Stroganoff with Farfalle

Purists would shun canned ingredients in favor of homemade sauce and fresh mushrooms. If you have the time, indulge. But if you’re pressed for time, remember that taking a little help from a canned ingredient to cook your own food still trumps a salt-and-fat-laden drive-thru meal.

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July 16, 2013 · 12:03 pm

REVISITING THE GRAVY TRAIN

Encore of my low fat gravy method post:

Several have asked me about my fat-free roux method for making gravy or sauce. Traditional roux is made from browning equal amounts of fat (typically butter) and flour. Although my gravy isn’t fat-free (I finish it with a Tbsp. of butter for flavor and gloss), mine is a lot lower in fat calories. I recently made a batch of this gravy to reheat leftover cooked turkey. The turkey flavored the gravy while the gravy gently warmed the turkey. That’s a win-win!

Start by preheating a quality, heavy-duty skillet. To make one cup of gravy, add two tablespoons flour to the dry skillet over medium heat. Whisk often to cook the flour. Season the flour as desired. When the flour turns light brown and emits an aroma indicating it’s cooked, remove the skillet from the heat.

Add flour to dry, preheated skillet

Add flour to dry, preheated skillet

Whisk flour often to keep it from burning.

Whisk flour often to keep it from burning.

Carefully add about a pint of broth or stock, whisking into the roux. Stand back as the hot skillet may steam from the cold liquid (as an additional step, preheat your broth or stock before adding it to the roux). After roux is incorporated into the liquid, return the skillet to medium heat. Whisk occasionally.

Remove from heat and whisk in broth or stock.

Remove from heat and whisk in broth or stock.

Continue to whisk over medium heat to blend together roux and broth.

Continue to whisk over medium heat to blend together roux and broth.

Allow the gravy to thicken and reduce, then lower the heat. If using the gravy to reheat cooked food such as leftover turkey, place the food in the gravy and let it cook gently until warmed.

Optional: Use gravy to gently reheat cooked meat or poultry.

Optional: Use gravy to gently reheat cooked meat or poultry.

To serve, remove all food from the gravy and plate for serving. Remove skillet from heat. Stir in one pat (approx. 1 Tbsp.) butter to finish the gravy. Pour into gravy bowl to serve.

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August 20, 2012 · 7:55 am

Jalapeño Patty Melt Burger

Delicious and spicy, the jalapeño patty melt burger!

We love burgers, but we limit our red meat to one serving per week. Consequently, I look for alternatives to the juicy beef burger. (Boca Burgers and MorningStar Farms aren’t an option for me right now because they contain soy, which interferes with medication I take; however, veggie burgers are a good alternative if your doctor agrees)

I buy lean ground turkey for making my own sausage, pasta sauce, etc. and I’ve experimented with ways to make it more palatable as a burger. The problem is the taste. Turkey has a tendency to be bland, so it’s necessary to bump up the flavors. One solution is my recipe that’s a knock off of a popular beef burger at a fast food chain, the jalapeño patty melt burger. It has a kick, especially if the salsa is hot. If you aren’t a fan of spicy hot food, you can vary the recipe with milder cheese, salsa, and peppers.

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RECIPE

Ingredients:

  1. ½ pound lean ground turkey
  2. dash of salt and pepper
  3. 1 jalapeño pepper, thinly sliced
  4. 2 Tbsp. salsa, divided
  5. 1 bunch fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
  6. 2 ounces pepperjack cheese, divided in fourths
  7. 2 whole wheat burger buns

Directions:

  1. Preheat a cast iron grill pan, outdoor grill, or contact grill.
  2. Combine ground turkey with the salsa, chopped cilantro, salt and pepper. Do not overwork the meat.
  3. Form turkey mixture into two equal patties (make a bit thinner in the centers to prevent burger bulge)
  4. Cook for five minutes on hot grill or grill pan, turn, and cook opposite sides of burgers five minutes.
  5. While burgers cook, separate the bottoms and tops of the buns. Place on fourth of the cheese on each bottom.
  6. Remove burgers from heat and place on the cheese on the bottom portions of the buns. Add a fourth of the pepperjack cheese, and the jalapeño slices.
  7. Place burger, bun and all, back in the grill pan or on the grill. Weight the burger down and cook one minute or until cheese melts. (If using a contact grill, no weight is necessary)
  8. Carefully remove jalapeño patty melt burger from the grill and serve.

Yield: 2 burgers

Variations: Mix the salsa with 1 Tbsp. sour cream and spread on each bun before adding the cheese.

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May 5, 2012 · 12:02 pm

Cinco de Mayo Casserole

Today is Cinco de Mayo and also Kentucky Derby day. I created a special recipe honoring both events. I hope you’ll try it at your next fiesta.

RECIPE

Cinco de Mayo Casserole

Ingredients:

  • 1 beer (any kind, including non-alcoholic)
  • 1.3 pounds lean ground turkey
  • 1 package Bloemer’s* chili seasoning
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
  • 1 15½ oz. can chili beans
  • nonstick cooking spray
  • 6 8″ diameter whole-wheat tortillas
  • 8 slices Boar’s Head 3-Pepper Jack cheese
  • 8 oz. shredded Monterrey jack cheese
  • 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Coat the inside of a 9″ X 13″ casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
  3. Place a 4-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add beer, ground turkey, and chili seasoning mix. Stir.
  4. Cover and cook the turkey, lifting lid occasionally to break apart the meat. The turkey should poach in the beer and become fine.
  5. Cook turkey mixture for ten minutes, covered, then simmer uncovered for five minutes.
  6. Add chopped onion, canned tomato sauce, and canned chili beans. Stir to combine.
  7. Cover and remove from heat.
  8. In the casserole dish, place 2 tortillas in the bottom. They will overlap some, and that’s all right.
  9. Spoon half the turkey chili (about 4 cups) over the tortillas.
  10. Cover the chili with the 8 slices of cheese.
  11. Place 2 tortillas over the cheese.
  12. Spoon remaining turkey chili over the tortillas.
  13. Cover turkey chili with 2 more tortillas.
  14. Spread tortillas with 8 ounces shredded Monterrey Jack cheese until completely covered.
  15. Place aluminum foil over the casserole dish.
  16. Bake casserole covered for 30 minutes, then remove the foil for 5 minutes.
  17. Garnish with the chopped cilantro.
  18. Allow casserole to cool about 10 minutes before serving.

This casserole can be assembled a day ahead then baked the day you want to serve it.

Yields: 6–8 servings

*Bloemer Food Products are available in Louisville and online at http://www.bloemerfoods.com/

Cinco de Mayo casserole

Cinco de Mayo Casserole

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