Jun 30 2012

Spicy Turkey Mac & Cheese

I love Mac & Cheese. Baked or stovetop, I don’t care – it’s all good for me!

You know what else I love? Mac & Cheese as a meal. But somehow, I don’t feel like mac & cheese alone makes a meal.

This one does.

The addition of ground turkey with a spicy kick makes this one hearty enough to eat alone. And the pasta is cooked over a simmer in the milk, so there’s no draining and it gives it a more creamy flavor.

Plus, it’s easy and fast, and it satisfies the little girl in me (who loved the blue box mac & cheese) while not making me feel overly guilty for eating it.

Ingredients:
Recipe adapted from Macaroni and Cheesecake

3 cups milk
2 cups uncooked whole grain penne pasta
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 lb ground turkey
3/4 cup onion, diced
1/4 cup red bell pepper, seeded & diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded & finely diced
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 TBSP olive oil

Directions:

Pour uncooked pasta and milk into a large saucepan over medium heat. Let milk come to a simmer (do not boil). Cook the pasta, simmering, for 25-30 minutes or until cooked through.
Meanwhile, heat a skillet with olive oil over medium high heat. Add onion, red bell pepper, garlic, jalapeno pepper, and ground turkey. Cook until turkey is browned and onions and peppers are softened.
Once the pasta is cooked through, add the salt and pepper and cheddar cheese and stir until the cheese melts. Pour turkey mixture into the pasta and stir to evenly coat. Serve and enjoy!

Jun 15 2012

Sausage and Egg Crepes

You’ve never had a crepe until you’ve had a homemade crepe. Seriously.

They are easy to make and so versatile. We have made endless variations, and soon enough, they will all be posted here on the blog The hubs requested crepes this morning (a rare day off for him), so of course we had to make them.

Egg, turkey sausage, and provolone cheese topped with red and green bell peppers, onions, and the hubs had jalapenos and tomatoes on his. Mmmmm…

The batter will make at least 4-5 crepes, depending on the thickness that you prefer. We like ours on the thinner side.

The crepes are soft and not very durable like tortillas, so they are best eaten with a fork. We are stubborn though, and we pick ours up to eat anyway. They don’t fall apart too bad, but don’t expect them to hold the ingredients quite as sturdily as a tortilla would

(Yes, we squeezed lime on ours for taste

)

Ingredients:
For the crepe batter
Adapted from AllRecipes.com

2 eggs
1.5 cups unsweetened almond milk
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
1 pinch sea salt
1.5 tsp olive oil

For the filling (enough for two crepes)

3 eggs
1/2 cup turkey sausage (my recipe will be posted soon!)
1/4 cup red bell peppers
1/4 cup green bell peppers
1 jalapeno, sliced
1/4 cup tomato, diced
1/4 cup onion
lime, to garnish
Provolone or cheese of choice

Directions:

You will need two separate pans: one for the crepes and one for the sausage and eggs. The crepe pan should be wide and shallow (ours is about 10″ in diameter). The other pan can be smaller. Heat both over medium high heat, allowing them to rise to the intended temperature. The crepes will not cook evenly if the pan is not heated through completely.
While the pans are heating up, prepare crepe batter. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and blend until thoroughly mixed. The batter should be very thin – trust me, this is the best way to get it to spread fast in the pan.
Once the pans are heated, begin to cook your sausage. Once the sausage is cooked, add the eggs and any seasonings you may like (salt, pepper, etc.).
While the eggs cook, spray the crepe pan with an olive oil cooking spray. Using a 1/2 cup measuring cup, scoop batter into crepe pan. It is easiest for me to poor with one hand while I have the other hand holding onto the handle of the pan and tilting it back and forth to get the batter to cover the entire bottom of the pan.
When the eggs are cooked, turn off the eye and pull them aside to prevent them from over cooking.
The crepe should cook for approximately 1-2 minutes on the first side. You should be able to lift the edge up just barely to check to make sure it isn’t burning. Flip it when it’s browned to your desire.
Cook an additional 1-2 minutes, again checking to make sure you don’t over-cook. Once it is cooked through, transfer it to a plate, fill with egg and sausage mixture, and top with desired toppings. Roll up like a burrito to serve. It is easier to eat if cut in half or if you use a fork. Enjoy!

This recipe was shared on Fresh Bites Friday, Full Plate Thursday

May 31 2012

Feta, Spinach & Cranberry Stuffed Turkey Breasts

OH.MY.GOSH.

Feta, spinach, & cranberries, all stuffed into a turkey breast? Yes, please!

I’ve mentioned before the “mmm” factor – that is, I judge how good a meal is by how many times the hubs says “mmm” while he’s eating it (and how emphatic his “mmm”s are, ha!).

This one was off the charts. Like, on another planet.

I’d have to say that I agree.

The turkey, cranberry, and spinach blend together like a Thanksgiving dish. The addition of the Feta transforms it into a dish that can be served year-round. Oh, SO good!

Best of all, it is so easy to make!

The hubs told me to never stop making this. I’ll take that as a good sign

Ingredients:

1/2 cup frozen spinach, thawed & squeezed dry (you should have ~1/4 cup when squeezed)
1/4 cup red onion
1 clove garlic
1-2 TBSP dried cranberries
1 TBSP + 2 TBSP olive oil
1/2 cup crumbled Feta cheese
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1/4 tsp lemon pepper
salt + pepper, to taste
1.5 lbs turkey breast

Directions:

Heat 1 TBSP olive oil over medium heat + sautee onion, garlic, spinach and cranberries until soft.
Lay out turkey breasts and season both sides with garlic powder, poultry seasoning, lemon pepper, salt & pepper.
Once the cranberry and spinach mixture is done, spread evenly between turkey breasts onto just one half of the breast. Then, top this with the feta, also spread evenly between each turkey breasts. Fold the empty side of the turkey breast over the side that is stuffed.
Heat 2 TBSP olive oil over medium high heat. Sear and brown both sides of your turkey breasts (just a couple minutes on each side).
Cover pan and cook until turkey is done all the way through. Use a meat thermometer to determine when the breast reaches 175°. Be sure to check at the thickest part of the turkey and place the thermometer in the center of the meat. The thickest part on this recipe is going to be where the breast folds over.

Serves 2 people

May 15 2012

Individual Turkey Meatloaves

I love these little ramekins. They have made my life so much easier since I have started to only make enough food for dinner for us to have one serving (you see, the Hubs and I have very little willpower with leftovers). I bought these to make individual chocolate souffles for Christmas dessert last year, and since then they have cooked more meals then I can count.

You’ve got to try this recipe!

Apr 3 2012

Perfect Turkey Taco Meat

Being married to a Mexican, I had to perfect my taco meat a while ago

In Mexico, they don’t really use ground meat very much, but we’re going to pretend that they do anyway! I could eat this for dinner almost every day … it’s sooooo good!