Turkey & Sage Dumpling Soup

 

Ingredients

Ingredient Checklist

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• ½ cup diced onion
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 4 ¼ ounces (about 1 cup) plus 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour, divided
• 7 cups water
• 1 ½ tablespoons reduced-sodium turkey or chicken bouillon (such as Better Than Bouillon)
• 1 ¼ pounds boneless, skinless turkey breast cutlets
• 4 teaspoons minced fresh sage, divided
• 2 bay leaves
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper, divided, plus more for garnish
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 large egg yolk, beaten
• ½ cup skim milk
• Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions

Instructions Checklist

• Step 1

  Melt butter in an Instant Pot set to sauté. Add celery, carrots, onion, and garlic; cook until soft and fragrant, 5 to 8 minutes. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons flour over vegetables, stir, and cook 1 minute.

• Step 2

  Add 7 cups water, bouillon, turkey, 1 tablespoon sage, bay leaves, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Cover and cook on high pressure 20 minutes. Release pressure with quick or natural release. Remove turkey; shred or chop. Discard bay leaves; return turkey to pot. Turn Instant Pot to sauté; bring back to a boil.

• Step 3

  Combine remaining 1 cup flour, baking powder, remaining 1 teaspoon sage, salt, and remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Whisk together egg yolk and milk; stir into flour mixture until just blended. Form dough into dumplings using a teaspoon, and drop into soup. (They will expand.) Partially cover; cook until dumplings are cooked through and tender, about 3 minutes. Garnish with pepper and parsley.

Honey Sriracha Meatballs

 

Ingredients

Ingredient Checklist

• 2 pounds ground turkey
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• 2 larges eggs
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons sriracha
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
• Cooked rice or quinoa (optional)
• Sesame seeds (optional)

Directions

Instructions Checklist

• Step 1

  Preheat oven to 375 °F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Spray with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

• Step 2

  In a large bowl, mix together ground turkey, bread crumbs, eggs, green onions, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Once combined, shape into about 1.5 -inch balls (roughly 40 meatballs ). Place on baking sheet , spaced well apart .

• Step 3

  Bake the meatballs for about 25 minutes , or until they are browned and cooked through.

• Step 4

  While the meatballs are in the oven, place sriracha, honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, and ginger in a small saucepan over medium heat ; whisk to combine. Bring to a boil, whisking continuously. Once the sauce is boiling, reduce heat. Take 1 to 2 tablespoons of the sauce out of the saucepan and put in a small bowl. Add cornstarch and stir with a fork. Once combined, add the mixture back to the saucepan (to help sauce thicken ). Simmer the sauce for about 10 minutes. When the meatballs are done, place them into the saucepan and toss to coat .

• Step 5

  Add 4 meatballs to a container with some rice or quinoa, if desired. Top with sesame seeds, if desired, and more green onions. Meatballs will keep, refrigerated, up to 4 days.

Turkey Brine

Ingredients

1 gallon vegetable broth

1 cup sea salt

1 tablespoon crushed dried rosemary

1 tablespoon dried sage

1 tablespoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon dried savory

1 gallon ice water

In a large stock pot, combine the vegetable broth, sea salt, rosemary, sage, thyme, and savory. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently to be sure salt is dissolved. Remove from heat, and let cool to room temperature.

When the broth mixture is cool, pour it into a clean 5 gallon bucket. Stir in the ice water.

Wash and dry your turkey. Make sure you have removed the innards. Place the turkey, breast down, into the brine. Make sure that the cavity gets filled. Place the bucket in the refrigerator overnight.

Remove the turkey carefully draining off the excess brine and pat dry. Discard excess brine.

Cook the turkey as desired reserving the drippings for gravy. Keep in mind that brined turkeys cook 20 to 30 minutes faster so watch the temperature gauge.

Mexican Casserole

Ingredients

1 (5.25-ounce) can whole green chiles, drained

Cooking spray

1 pound ground turkey breast

1/2 pound ground beef

1 cup chopped onion

2 teaspoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (more to taste)

1/2 teaspoon salt (more/less to taste)

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chiles (Rotel works best)

2 cups frozen whole-kernel corn

1 (16-ounce) can black beans

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup chopped tomato

1/2 cup chopped green onions

Preheat oven to 375°.

Cut green chiles in half lengthwise. Arrange chiles in a single layer in an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add turkey, beef, onion, chili powder, cumin, salt, and garlic; sauté 5 minutes, stirring to crumble. Add cayenne pepper and diced tomatoes; cook 5 minutes or until liquid evaporates.

Spoon turkey mixture over chiles. Top with corn and beans. Sprinkle cheese over beans. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes; top with chopped tomato and green onions.

Bell Pepper and Tomato Penne with Meatballs

Ingredients

Meatballs

1  (3/4-ounce) slice firm white bread (such as Pepperidge Farm)

1/3  cup  minced fresh onion

1/4  cup  finely chopped cremini mushrooms

2  tablespoons  finely chopped fresh parsley

2  tablespoons  grated fresh Parmesan cheese

1/4  teaspoon  salt

1/4  teaspoon  dried oregano

1/4  teaspoon  crushed red pepper

1  large egg yolk

1/2  pound  lean ground turkey

Cooking spray

Sauce

2  teaspoons  olive oil

3/4  cup  chopped onion

4  garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/2  cup  julienne-cut yellow bell pepper

1/2  cup  julienne-cut orange bell pepper

1/2  teaspoon  salt, divided

3  cups  chopped seeded plum tomato (about 2 pounds)

1/2  cup  tomato juice

2  tablespoons  balsamic vinegar

1  teaspoon  sugar

1/2  teaspoon  dried oregano

1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper

1/4  cup  thinly sliced fresh basil

Pasta

1/8  teaspoon  salt

8  ounces  uncooked penne (about 2 cups tube-shaped pasta)

Preheat oven to 400°.

To prepare meatballs, place bread in a food processor; pulse 10 times or until fine crumbs measure 1/2 cup. Combine breadcrumbs, 1/3 cup onion, and next 8 ingredients (1/3 cup onion through turkey); stir well to combine. Lightly coat hands with cooking spray. Shape turkey mixture into 20 (1-inch) meatballs. Place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 12 minutes or until done; cover and keep warm.

To prepare sauce, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 3/4 cup onion; sauté 3 minutes. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add bell peppers and 1/4 teaspoon salt; sauté 2 minutes. Add tomato and next 5 ingredients (tomato through black pepper); bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 13 minutes or until sauce thickens. Stir in basil and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add meatballs; stir to coat.

To prepare pasta, while sauce cooks, bring 3 quarts of water to a boil in a large saucepan; add 1/8 teaspoon salt and pasta. Cook 10 minutes or until al dente; drain. Serve meatball mixture over pasta.