Turkey Bolognese

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. olive oil
1 lb. lean ground turkey
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbs. dried oregano
1 1/2 c. dry red wine, divided
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
2 Tbs. tomato paste
3/4 lb. pasta (penne)
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 c. chopped fresh basil
1/4 c. heavy cream
1/2 c. fresh grated Parmesan

Heat a large skillet on medium high heat and add the olive oil. Add the ground turkey and cook until no longer pink. Add in the garlic and oregano and cook for one minute. Add in the red wine and and use a wooden spoon to scrape the brown bits into the sauce. Add the canned tomatoes, tomato paste, 2 tsp. salt and 1 1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the directions on the box. While the pasta finishes cooking, add in the nutmeg, basil, cream and remaining 1/4 cup wine and stir together. Drain the pasta and add to the sauce. Stir together and add another 1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese. Divide into serving dishes and top with chopped basil and more grated Parmesan.

Turkey with Cranberry and Barley

Ingredients:

2 c. low-sodium chicken broth
1 c. uncooked barley
1/2 c. chopped yellow onion
1/2 c. dried cranberries (Craisins)
1/4 c. slivered almonds
1/2 tsp. ground sage
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. fresh cracked pepper
1 frozen Jennie-O oven-ready turkey breast (skinned)
Fresh Parsley, chopped

Combine the broth, barley, onion, cranberries, almonds, and seasonings together at the bottom of the slow cooker. Place the turkey on top. Cook on low for 4-6 hours. Remove the turkey from the slow cooker and let sit for 10 minutes. Stir the ingredients in the slow cooker together.

Slice the turkey and serve with the stuffing. Top with a sprinkle of fresh parsley.

Mini French Onion Meatloaves

Ingredients:

1 lb. lean ground turkey
1 egg
1 c. Panko
1 pkg. onion soup mix
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 c. Ketchup

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with tinfoil. Spray with nonstick spray. In a medium size bowl, mix together the turkey, egg, Panko, onion soup mix and pepper. Form into two equal size ovals. Place on the tinfoil and spread the top of each with Ketchup. Bake for 40 minutes. Let slightly cool and serve.

Turkey Spinach Spaghetti Pie

This savory spaghetti pie delivers in flavor while still remaining on the healthier side. Even being Weight Watchers friendly, the fact that there is only 4 ounces of pasta in this whole pasta pie is amazing, and it is SO cheesy!

Ingredients:

4 oz. Barilla Veggie Spaghetti, broken in thirds, cooked and drained
8 oz. cream cheese, 1/3 less fat
3/4 c. liquid egg whites
1/2 c. light sour cream
1/4 c. chopped fresh basil
1 tsp. garlic powder
10 oz. chopped cooked turkey (I used Oscar Mayer Carving Board)
10 oz. pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 c. shredded Marble Jack cheese
1 chopped roasted red sweet pepper, from bottle

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 inch springform pan with non stick cooking spray. Beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Add in the egg whites and sour cream and mix until combined. Stir in the basil, garlic powder, turkey, spinach, shredded cheese and roasted pepper.

Add in the pasta, stir and pour into the prepared dish. Spread out in an even layer. Bake uncovered for 50-55 minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

(Makes 8 servings, 8 Weight Watchers Smart Points per serving)

Mini Turkey Meatloaves with Brussels and Potatoes

I know many people are a huge fan of one-pot recipes to where everything cooks in the same pot at the same time. You end up with very little dishes and you never have to worry about having to reheat something that gets done quicker than the rest of your meal. This recipe, although baked in the oven, and not in a pot, has the same theory. Your veggies, starch AND meat are cooked next to each other in the oven, on the same temperature, and for the same amount of time!

Ingredients:

1 lb. lean ground turkey (Jennie-O, 93% lean)
1 egg
1/4 c. chopped onion
1/4 c. Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
3 Tbs. ketchup, divided
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
1/2 tsp. garlic powder, divided
3/4 tsp. salt, divided
3/4 tsp. fresh cracked pepper, divided
1 lb. small potatoes, cut in half (such as fingerling, purple, redskin, etc)
2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb. mini Brussels sprouts (or normal size)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Line two baking sheets with tinfoil, going up over the edges of the pan (or curving the edges up to catch any liquid) and spray with non stick cooking spray. Set aside. In a large bowl, add the paprika, 1/4 tsp. garlic powder, salt and pepper together. Add the potatoes and toss. Drizzle with 1 Tbs. olive oil and stir together until all of the potatoes are coated. Pour onto half of one of the prepared pans and spread into a single layer. In the same bowl you just used, toss the Brussels sprouts, 1 Tbs. oil and a pinch of salt and pepper together. Pour onto the other side of the pan next to the potatoes and spread out in an even layer.

In a medium size bowl, combine the ground turkey, egg, onion, breadcrumbs, 2 Tbs. ketchup, Worcestershire, 1/4 tsp. garlic powder, 1/4 tsp. salt and pepper together (I like to use my hands) until everything is well incorporated. Divide the mixture into four equal parts and with each part, form into an oval shape, about 1 inch high and around 4 inches long. Make sure all of them are roughly the same shape so that the cooking time is even. Place the mini meatloaves on the other prepared sheet. Brush around a teaspoon of ketchup on top of each meatloaf. Place the meatloaf on the lower rack, and the vegetables on the higher rack and cook, both at the same time, for 30-32 minutes until the potatoes are tender and the meatloaf is cooked through. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before serving.

(This recipe makes four servings, and each serving, which includes one mini meatloaf, 1/4 of the potatoes and 1/4 of the Brussels sprouts, is around 10 Weight Watchers Points Plus.)

Doritos Taco Salad

 

Before dating, who is now my husband, I have had this salad maybe once or twice, and as morbid as it sounds I believe it was at a funeral with a potluck lunch afterwords. I had a leftover bag of Doritos from a party sitting in the pantry and he looked at me one day and said " I am craving Doritos Taco Salad, you should really make some". Usually he never gives me hints for dinner so I took this as a victory. It is one of the best (not really healthy for you per say) salads ever. Especially since I LOVE taco salads. You normally see this recipe with a large tomato, chopped into pieces. I found some delicious looking multi size and color tomatoes while at Target and decided to use those. Any kind of tomato will do, or if you are really feeling lazy and have everything but the tomato, and have a jar of salsa sitting around, you could throw that in there instead.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 head romaine lettuce, chopped
1 c. tomatoes, chopped
3/4 lb. lean ground turkey (like Jennie-O)
1 packet taco seasoning (or 3 Tbs. of homemade)
1 c. shredded taco shredded cheese (or any cheddar blend)
2 c. crushed Nacho Doritos
1 c. Western dressing

In a medium skillet on medium heat, cook the ground turkey, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes or until the meat isn't pink anymore. Do not drain! Add in the taco seasoning and stir until combined well. Let the meat cool slightly while you put the salad together. In a large bowl, combine the romaine, tomatoes, shredded cheese and meat together. Add the Doritos and Western dressing before serving so the lettuce doesn't wilt and the Doritos don't get soggy and stay nice and crunchy!

To spice this salad up if you eat it frequently, you can change the mixing or toppings by adding jalapeno, black olives, black beans, sour cream, etc. Any of your favorite taco toppings will do!

Cran-apple Turkey Grilled Cheese

There is only one photo for this recipe. I thought the photo pretty much spoke for itself. This is a great way to use up leftover cranberry sauce (homemade or from a can, it doesn't matter). And of course it also includes my life motto, "everything is better with an egg on top!" Only, technically, it isn't on top and is instead nestled into this delicious grilled cheese.

Ingredients:

1 small apple, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
10 slices deli turkey
2 eggs, cooked over-medium
4 Tbs. cranberry sauce
2 Tbs. Miracle Whip, light
2 tsp. yellow mustard
2 sandwich style slices of Muenster cheese
4 slices Potato bread (or any other style bread)
Spray butter (Parkay)

Heat a large skillet to medium low heat. Lay out the bread and spray one side of each slice with the butter spray. Place two slices of the bread butter side down on the skillet. In a small bowl, mix the mustard and Miracle whip together, divide in half and spread on top of the bread. Place the Muenster cheese slice on top. Lay out half of the apple on once slice, and the other half of the apple slices on the other piece of bread. Top with five slices of deli turkey on each. Add the eggs. Spread the cranberry sauce on the top slices of bread and place cranberry side down (obviously). Using a spatula, flip the sandwiches over to get golden brown on the other side. If the cheese is having a hard time melting, Place a pot lid on top so that it makes the head hover over the sandwiches. Once the other side is a golden brown, remove from the head and let cool slightly before cutting in half.

Buffalo Turkey Burgers

I am trying to get better with the whole adding personal aspects of my life or little snippets of why I created the recipe to the page but so far I have failed miserably. I will try my best from now on :-).

I love buffalo style everything, minus the fact that 90% of restaurants add bleu cheese, to which I can't stand! So this recipe is a lean version (I always use ground turkey when making burgers at home), of a buffalo style burger, only using a Queso Fresco to get the same crumbling effect, but less of a foot-like cheesy smell.....Enjoy!

Ingredients:
3/4 lb. Jennie-O lean ground turkey, 90% fat free
1/2 c. shredded Pepper-Jack cheese
1/4 c. Panko breadcrumbs
2 Tbs. fresh chopped chives
3 Tbs. Frank's Red Hot Sauce, Chile n' Lime
Sliced Tomato
Romaine Lettuce
1/2 c. Queso Fresco cheese (or Bleu if you are into that sort of cheese....)
* Frank's Red Hot Sauce, Chile n' Lime or Original
4 Foldit, 5 grain Flax, Flatout Bread

In a medium size bowl, combine the ground turkey, pepper-jack cheese, Panko, chives and chile n' lime Frank's hot sauce together (I prefer using my hands). Heat a grill pan to medium heat and spray with non stick cooking spray. Form the ground turkey mixture into four equal size patties, making sure that the center is slightly more thin than the outside so that the turkey will cook more evenly. Place the patties on the prepared grill pan and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, placing a lid on top while they are cooking. Make sure to check the center of one of the patties if you are unsure if the center is cooked (you do not want to consume raw turkey!). Place a turkey patty on each of the four Flatout 5 grain "hamburger" buns. Top with romaine lettuce, sliced tomato, around 1-2 Tbs. of crumbed Queso Fresco, and many dashes more of hot sauce!

(Makes 4 burgers, 9 WW points per burger)

Turkey Pickle Roll-ups

Do you need a super easy roll-up recipe? Then this is that recipe. They take about 10-15 minutes to make and people love them because they taste fresh and light.

Ingredients:

3 (10 inch) soft tortilla shells
Sliced hamburger pickles (in a jar, already sliced rounds)
Oscar Mayer Deli, Oven Roasted Turkey Breast
4 oz. 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened
Romaine lettuce

Lay out each tortilla. Spread with about 1.5 ounces of cream cheese in an even layer, making sure it reaches the edges. Place 5 slices of roasted turkey on top of the cream cheese. About a third way down the tortilla, place a single layer row of sliced pickles. On top of the pickles, place two romaine lettuce leaves (removing the last inch of stem). Fold the tortilla over so that it is covering the pickles and lettuce and tuck in tight. Then continue to roll forward until the tortilla shell is rolled up completely. Place picks about every inch to keep the pinwheel shape. Slice in the middle between each pick and place on your serving tray.

Turkey Taco Pizza

 

Ingredients:

1 whole wheat pizza crust
3/4 lb. ground turkey, lean
2 green onions, chopped
1 pkg. taco seasoning
4 mini bell peppers, chopped
1 c. shredded reduced cheddar cheese
1/2 c. fresh cilantro
1/2 c. Queso Fresco, crumbled
2 small tomatoes, seeds and core removed, chopped
*hot sauce, optional

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lay the pizza crust out on a flat surface. Spread the cheddar cheese out on the bottom of the crust. In a medium skillet, on medium heat, cook the ground turkey and green onion together until the turkey is no longer raw, stirring frequently (around 3 minutes). Add in the taco seasoning and stir together until everything is mixed well. Spread the meat out evenly on top of the cheese, followed by the bell pepper, tomato and Queso Fresco. Bake for 8-10 minutes directly on the rack in the oven (watch closely, they cook fast and the crust can start to burn in a second!). Top with cilantro after cutting into slices, and a few dashes of hot sauce for the brave ones!

American Turkey Burger Sliders

Who doesn't love bite size hamburgers? My husband and I switched to ground turkey about two years ago now and we will never go back when it comes to burgers at home! I occasionally will eat a normal one out in public, but turkey is my preferred choice for burger making. Add some peppery arugula, some gooey cheese and a slather of BBQ sauce and you've got yourself a great slider!

Ingredients:

3/4 lb. Jennie-O Lean ground turkey
1/4 c. bread crumbs
1/4 c. BBQ sauce (Mad Dog & Merrill) (plus more for tops of bun)
3 slices Kraft Fat Free Singles, Sharp Cheddar
6 Kings Hawaiian Dinner Rolls
Fresh arugula

In a medium size bowl, combine the ground turkey, bread crumbs and 1/4 c. BBQ sauce together. Form into 6 small patties, making sure the middle is thin enough to cook evenly. Heat a grill pan (I use my favorite Paula Deen pan) to medium heat. Spray with non stick cooking spray. Set the 6 mini burgers onto the hot grill pan. Let cook for about 2-3 minutes until the meat caramelizes, then flip over and let cook for a remaining 3-4 minutes. They will cook fast, and make sure you check the middle to make sure they are fully done. They will still have a pinkish red color but only caused by the BBQ sauce. Place a 1/2 slice of the Kraft cheese on top of each burger, place a lid on top until the cheese melts over the sides.

To assemble, spread BBQ sauce on the inside of the top buns. Place the bottom buns on your serving tray and top with a mini burger. To that, add a few pieces of fresh arugula and then the top bun. Stick a skewer through the middle if you want to make them easier to grab (although the cheese sticking to the BBQ sauce on the top bun holds it pretty well).

Makeover Stuffed Cabbage Casserole

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. olive oil, divided

1 1/4 lb. ground turkey, lean

2 small onions, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp. fresh thyme

1 Tbs. smoked paprika

salt and pepper

1/2 head cabbage, chopped

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, with juice

1 can (15 oz) tomato juice

2 c. cooked quinoa

1 1/2 c. shredded white cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13x9 pan with non stick cooking spray and set aside. Heat a large pan on medium heat and add the ground turkey. Cook until no longer pink, drain and set aside. In the same pan, add 1 Tbs. olive oil and onion. Cook over medium heat for about 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme, Paprika, salt and pepper and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the tomato juice, diced tomatoes and ground turkey. Cook 5-7 minutes longer until the sauce starts to thicken. 

In another large skillet on medium-high heat, add the olive oil and cabbage. Cook approximately 5 minutes until the cabbage is halfway cooked, and season with salt and pepper. When the meat mixture is done, add the quinoa and stir to combine. Spread the cabbage on the bottom of the prepared pan in an even layer. Top with the meat mixture. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with the white cheddar, and bake for 20 more minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

Chocolate Bacon Pancake Dippers

Ingredients:

2 c. Heart Smart Bisquick
1 egg
1 1/2 c. Almond Breeze, chocolate almond milk (or any other brand)
18 slices turkey bacon (Jennie-O), cooked and crispy

In a medium size bowl, whisk the Bisquick, egg and chocolate almond milk together. Set aside. Heat a large flat pan to medium heat. Spray with non stick cooking spray. Dip four pieces of bacon into the batter and place on the preheated pan. In about 45 seconds to a minute, check to see if the bottom is golden brown, and if it is flip over and continue to cook for another minute.

(Makes 18 servings, 2 WW points per pancake dipper!)

Tex-Mex Slow Cooker Chili

Ingredients:

1.25 lb. ground turkey (85% lean, Jennie-O)
1 small onion, chopped
1 c. sweet bell pepper, chopped (I used red and orange)
2 large garlic cloves, minced (or 4 small)
29 oz. can tomato sauce
6 oz. can tomato paste
15 oz. black beans, drained
1 1/2 Tbs. chili powder
10-11 oz. bag frozen sweet corn, thawed
1 Tbs. sugar
2 c. water

In a medium saucepan, cook the ground turkey and onion on medium low heat for 3-4 minutes until the onion starts becoming translucent and the turkey is fully cooked. Drain. Add the cooked turkey, and the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker. Mix together and cover. Cook on low heat for approximately 6 hours.