Turkey & Veggie Meatloaf "Cupcakes"

I adore meatloaf, and as you can tell from the last few posts had mushrooms and spinach on hand, so thought a veggie-packed meatloaf would be a perfect dinner on a (finally cool) Fall night.

What you'll need for the meatloaf "cupcakes" (the cheddar mashed potato frosting is a separate post HERE)
1 lb lean ground turkey
large handful or two small handfuls of spinach- chop fine
1/3 red onion chopped
2 baby 'bellas chopped
2-3 shiitakes chopped
dash of sale & soy sauce
oregano
basil
1 egg
bread crumbs
salt & pepper

For the "glaze"
4 T katsup
1 T Worcestershire
1 tsp soy (low sod, organic)
1 tsp brown sugar

Pre heat oven to 350.

In a large bowl mix all meatloaf ingredients well- form little 2" meatballs and press into lightly oiled muffin tin.

In a small bowl mix all "glaze" ingredients and add a thin layer of the glaze to each "cupcake"

Cook at 350 25-30 minutes- let cool in tin for about 5 minutes then move onto a large platter to "frost" with cheddar mashed potatoes!

Enjoy!

Crock Pot Turkey White Bean Chili

I SWEAR I am using Pinterest to do good. So far my "how to bust out a super-clean house", "fix something all McGyver-style" and "make dinner in the crock pot all the time" pins are coming in REALLY handy...and I mean it. I've got a good weekly and  monthly cleaning schedule that has actually stuck for most of 2012, we've had green smoothies for breakfast 5-6 days a week since January- and I have made dinner in the crock pot nearly once a week- which for a small family like ours usually makes 2 dinners or sometimes 2 dinners AND a freezer meal bonus!!
For some reason we started talking chili in the car and I figured it had been a while since I'd made corn bread too- so for this weeks crock-pot dinner, chili it was.
I have a go-to beef chili that I'm sure could win a contest (a contest where there are allowed to be beans in the chili- sorry, I love beans, that's how I roll.)
Since we had LOADED BOWLS for dinner Monday & Tuesday night I wanted to keep our light & healthy theme going and use as much of the items I already had on hand as possible.
Meanwhile, I am trying my darnedest to see if I can get Logan to nap longer than 30 minutes...basically when I put him down for a nap the clock starts tickin and in 29:59 he's up and ready for action so I have to assume that's all the time I've got to get naptime chores done.
During this nap I did the following-
Switched laundry loads
Prepared the chili 100% (had not done ANY prep beforehand like washed & chopped the veggies)
loaded and ran the dishwasher
vacuumed the living room

This should give you an idea of how quick and easy it is to make the chili- the cornbread will have to happen during the afternoon nap!

Here's how I threw it together..
(makes 8-10 servings)

1lb ground lean turkey
1 1lb can diced tomatoes & liquid
1 15oz can tomato sauce
2 cans white beans, drained and rinsed
1 onion chopped
3 bell peppers chopped
1 jalapeno chopped
(I eyeball the spices, go a little lighter than whats here the first time out and then tweak it to your liking..)
1/2 to 1 tsp cyanne pepper*
1/2 to 1 tsp sugar
1 tablespoon cumin
4-6 tablespoons chili powder
1/2-1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp onion powder
Salt & pepper
4 T flour (any kind...like oat, rice or whole wheat!)
If you want MORE HEAT- you can always double the jalapeno or add dried chili flakes- this chili's definitely got a good kick as it is, really,  try making it once and you can always turn it up a notch or more next time!
 *start w a 1/2 the first time you make this- it's got FIRE when you go full tilt

Put everything in the crock pot except the flour.
Use a wooden spoon to stir & break up all the meat, get it really well mixed
Sprinkle a light dusting of flour over the top.
Stir again.
Cover cook 7-8 hours on low.
When you're finished cooking, turn off the crock pot and let the chili stand for 15-20 minutes.
If it needs thickening (everybody is down with a different thickness in their chili- and you can go for a stand-the-fork-in-it version if you want), dust again with flour- (once or twice) stir in & let rest another 15 minutes.
Serve with your favorite chili toppin's

Turkey Joes over Spaghetti Squash

It's 2009 and I hope to continue making more easy weeknight dinners that don't break our calorie bank! We both made big efforts in getting healthy last year and hope to keep that up and even improve on our eating and exercise habits in 2009~

This is one of my favorite go-to recipes that is healthy and full of flavor! I usually make this sandwich style on whole wheat buns, and we've had it as leftovers in taco shells, but Nate had never had spaghetti squash before so I thought this would be a fun twist!

Joes
1/2 sweet Maui onion chopped
2-3 clove garlic, minced
1 Red Bell pepper, finely chopped
1 lb ground Turkey (or beef)
1 6-oz can tomato paste (I also get a small can of tomato sauce- see below)
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/4 tsp cinnamon
several pinches of kosher salt
1 spaghetti squash (you can also use toasted bread, pita, taco shells...)
Grated cheese *my two faves are sharp cheddar or jalapeno jack
Sour cream to garnish

Remove sticker and wash spaghetti squash. Pre-heat the oven to 350. Microwave on a microwave-safe plate for about 6 minutes in 2 minute intervals. This will make it easier to cut in half lengthwise. Scrape out the seeds and center like when you carve a pumpkin (YAY!)Fill a 9 x 13 baking pan about 1/2 full with water and put the squash cut side down into the pan. Bake the squash for about 50-60 minutes, until squash is tender. Take squash out to cool.

Spray a large saucepan with non-stick spray and a little bit of olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and red pepper. Saute until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add meat and brown, about 5-7 minutes. (two options at this point: if you use extra lean turkey and you do not have fat to drain, just leave all liquids then add tomato paste and spices...an option to that if you've cooked with ground beef or something that you'd rather drain some of the fat, then after draining and adding paste & spices, then add a small, like 6oz can of tomato sauce for sauciness)
Add spices: chili powder, cumin, black pepper, cinnamon, and salt, stirring after adding each spice. Simmer, stirring occasionally & saute (if you have left the juices in and only added tomato paste- let the sauce thicken a bit about 12 minutes)

Scrape the squash with a fork onto a plate (we each ate a 1/4 of a squash and had the other half the next night for leftovers) top with Joe's mix, some cheese and a bit of sour cream. OH! and Black pepper...yummy~

Turkey Sliders with Apple & Swiss

Every once in a while there is a Thursday night college football game that we all RACE home from work to watch, and this meal was perfect for one of those nights! The game started at 6pm and we were having 8 people over, so since I get off work at 5 and have a 30 minute drive, this needed to be something easy, yummy and that would count as dinner for everyone.
These Turkey Burgers combined with the mini-baked taters (coming soon) were perfect, and totally reasonable budget-wise!

Makes 8 Mini Burgers

Kings Hawaiian wheat buns
1 lb lean or extra lean ground turkey
1 Apple, cored and chopped
1/4 sweet white onion chopped
1/3 cups Bread crumbs
1 T. Worstecire sauce
pepper, salt, garlic powder to taste
Swiss cheese

In a medium bowl, using your hands, combine the turkey, apple, onion, bread crumbs, worstecire sauce, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Form 8 small patties.
Grill over medium-high heat for about 7 minutes per side, flipping once or twice.
Add Swiss & turn off heat, put buns on the grill to toast close grill and let cheese melt & buns toast.

Turkey Meatloaf

I like all meatloaf, but we'd been eating quite a bit of beef lately, so I thought I'd switch it up and make some turkey meatloaf instead. The best news here is not the meatloaf, it's that I made it in our NEW OVEN!! HUZZAH!! I finally squawked loud enough, and got the Gas Co. involved, and our landlord replaced the super-jank oven I had been using for over a year. I've never lived in an apartment with a new oven before and since I'm still a ways off from a kitchen that we own with my own appliacnes, I feel pretty darn lucky.

So onward to dinner...
Surprisingly this favorite comfort food is a super-easy weeknight dinner to bust out after work. I was exhausted when I got home and really just wanted to eat a bowl of cereal and call it a day, but I had all the ingredients for making this loaf. Even with the sad little-itty-bit of energy I had, I pulled it together and with in a few minutes the loaf was in the oven and a dinner full of homemade goodness was less than an hour away.



Turkey Meatloaf
By: Me, Beth G.
Serves 4 or 2 with leftovers

1 lb ground lean turkey
1 egg
3/4- 1 cup of bread crumbs
1/3-1/2 cup ketchup or tomato sauce
+ about 1/4 c extra for topping the loaf
About 1 tsp each of Parsley, Basil & Oregano
1 Tbsp of dry onion soup mix
2 cloves chopped garlic
2 tsp water

Pre-heat oven to 400
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl, start with 3/4 c breadcrumbs and 1/3 cup ketchup, and add more of the breadcrumbs if it is still too mushy and more of the ketchup if it seems too dry....
Cover a cookie sheet with foil & spray with non-stick cooking spray.
Make a loaf with the mixture on the cookie sheet and spread a layer of ketchup or tomato sauce on the top. Bake at 400 for 35-45 minutes or until center temperature is 165 degrees.

*On the soup mix; I just opened a packet, used a tablespoon and ziplocked the rest for dip later :O)

Turkey, Cranberry & Gouda Grilled Cheese

One of my FAVORITE things about Thanksgiving is making turkey sandwiches out of the leftovers. I usually make a big messy sandwich the next day that has stuffing, topped with gravy, and shredded turkey on one side and the top bread spread with cranberry sauce....it's sweet.
Smoked Gouda is a great cheese, and on the Monday after Thanksgiving I was out doing some shopping and found it at a fabulous price so I thought I'd make a grilled cheese for lunch after my morning adventures...

Turkey, Cranberry and Gouda Grilled Cheese:
By Me

2 Slices of wheat bread, each buttered on one side
Lay pieces of Gouda on each un-buttered side of the slices of bread.
Spread cranberry sauce over one side on top of the cheese and put turkey on the other side, put one side on top of the other and cook in a medium skillet over medium head for about 4-6 minutes per side or until each side is golden brown and cheese is soft and getting melty.
Slice in half and enjoy!!

Grilled Turkey Stir Fry

This was Nate's creation this evening~ and it was EXCELLENT!! I helped a little but this one is definitely his.

1 pkg turkey breast cutlets (from Trader Joes)
1 bottle teriyaki sauce *see below for sauce option
roasted sesame seeds
3 carrots chopped
1 crown of broccoli chopped
1 large handful of green beans chopped
1 white onion chopped
Rice noodles
a hand-ful of crushed peanuts
red chili flakes *optional*

* Sauce option: we've used a mix of oyster sauce, soy sauce and a squeeze of lemon with a pinch of 5-spice which is good too

Marinate the turkey 30 minutes in teriaki & heat up grill
boil wather in saucepot for rice noodles
Using a little bit of olive oil saute the veggies in a wok or large skillet for 5 minutes stirring occasionally
Prepare noodles according to package
Grill turkey cutlets, about 3-5 minutes each side turn once & baste with sauce
Chop up grilled turkey
Add 1/4 Cup of teriyaki sauce to veggies
Add cooked drained noodles to veggies
Stir in turkey and peanuts to noodle/veggie mix
Garnish with sesame seeds and chili flakes

This would be easy to make with what ever meat or veggies you have on hand- I loved that he grilled the turkey- the flavor was awesome!

Grown-up Sloppy Joes

Hooray! I finally get to add one of my favorite recipes! I made this last night & if we don't go out to dinner we'll be having leftovers tonight (I think making hard shell joes-tacos though). This can be made with beef or turkey (I almost always make it with turkey) and is super-flavorful and simple to throw together!!

Joes
Olive Oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped *I use a reg size Maui sweet and use about 1/2 of it)
1 clove garlic, minced *I use 2-3 cloves
1 Red Bell pepper, finely chopped
1 Lb ground beef *or Turkey
1 6-oz can tomato paste (I also get a small can of tomato sauce- see below)
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin *I use 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 tsp)
1/8 tsp fresh ground pepper *I use 1/4
1/8 tsp cinnamon *I use 1/4
1 tsp kosher salt *I use several pinches to taste
Whole Wheat burger buns *it's good on toasted sourdough buns too!
Grated cheese *my two faves are sharp cheddar or jalapeno jack
Sour cream to garnish *optional

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and red pepper. Saute until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add meat and brown, about 5-7 minutes. (two options at this point the orig recipe does NOT have you drain the meat, just leave all liquids then add tomato paste and spices...an option to that is draining the meat and then adding paste and small can of tomato sauce & spices)
Add spices: chili powder, cumin, black pepper, cinnamon, and salt, stirring after adding each spice. Simmer, stirring occasionally & saute (if you have left the juices in and only added tomato paste- let the sauce thicken a bit about 12 minutes)
Toast buns or sourdough
Spoon onto the buns, sprinkle with grated cheese, garnish with a dollop of sour cream.




I also made some quick potatoes as a side

2 Idaho potatoes, scrubbed
Kosher Salt
Chili powder
Garlic Powder
Ground black pepper

Cut potatoes in half long-ways, then sliced into little half-circle wedges. Foil & spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray & arrange wedges so they're all flat side up sprinkle lightly with all spices. Flip over and sprinkle other side.
Bake at 350 *about* 15 minutes or until golden (read below about my stupid oven that barley works...I have to really fidget with the temp and WATCH stuff. So I apologize for that!)

Serve with a light summery salad or steamed veggies