Adventures of a Messy Chef

Archive for the ‘Turkey’ Category

Italian-Style Cabbage Stew

Mar 14th, 12 / 0 Comments

As I mentioned earlier this week, I got a gorgeous head of cabbage in my farm bag from Front Porch Pickings. My husband is a good German boy (from Pittsburgh originally) and he loves cabbage!! I normally make haluski or slaw with it, but since it’s been so dreary out, I went looking for a soup recipe to fill our bellies. I found some inspiration online and tweaked some recipes until it fit us just right!

Use your giant soup pot – this makes a TON! I made the mistake of starting with a smaller pot and had to transfer… oops!! This soup is filling and chock full of good for you vegetables. And the calorie count can’t be beat!!

Italian-Style Cabbage Stew

Yield: 12 servings (about 1.5 cups each)
Nutritional Info: according to myfitnesspal.com (love this website!), each serving is approximately 260 calories.

When you slice the cabbage, cut the entire head in quarters. Trim the hard core out of the center of each piece. If your cabbage is on the larger side, you might need to cut your pieces in half again. You want to cut the cabbage into thin ribbons, about 1/4-1/2″ wide, no longer than one of your fingers (any longer and it will be annoying to eat!). There’s really no wrong way to do this, just start cutting until you have manageable pieces!

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 package (19 oz) sweet turkey Italian sausage, casings removed
1 large onion, diced (approx 2 full cups)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
2 cans (15 oz each) Great Northern Beans, drained
2 cans (14 oz each) petite diced tomatoes
1 medium head cabbage (about 2 lbs), quartered and sliced thinly
4 cups low fat, low sodium chicken broth
4 cups water
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp Italian seasoning
12 Tbsp shaved Parmesan cheese

Heat olive oil in large soup pot of medium-high heat. Remove sausage from casings and saute in the oil until cooked through and brown, breaking up sausage as it cooks. Remove sausage from pot with a slotted spoon and set it aside for a few minutes.

Add onion to the pan, saute until golden brown and starting to soften, about 3 minutes. Add minced garlic, saute 1 minute. Add white wine, scraping the bottom of the pot to loosen all of the browned bits. Add white beans and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.

Uncover the pot and add the tomatoes (juice and all!), cabbage, broth, water, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and cooked sausage. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the lid and simmer for another 20 minutes (until your cabbage is softened).

Serve your soup up and sprinkle each bowl with 1 Tbsp of shaved Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!!

CSA/Local Produce, Italian, Soup, Turkey

Spicy Sausage and Black-Eyed Pea Chili

Dec 19th, 11 / 0 Comments

Eesh. 4 whole months since I last blogged. Who am I?! The big little girl is at Grandma’s house this week and that allows a little more time in our schedule, so I decided to cook some dinner! Yay! I’ve been sick and needed something spicy to smoke all the germs out and this did the trick. This spicy chili incorporates two types of meat, some gumbo-inspired vegetables, and a Southern twist … black-eyed peas! Super filling, super spicy, and super delicious! Top with your favorite chili toppings – cheese, some onions, or sour cream and serve with cornbread for a fine meal!

One quick food note – if you’re not a connessuer of black-eyed peas (aka you are not from the South!), do not get confused when you go shopping for them. The sell them ‘seasoned’, like the Glory Brand. They are also sold plain:

See!? That doesn’t say anything but ‘black eyed peas’. They’re plain. That’s the kind you want. If you accidentally buy the seasoned kind, it’s ok, you can still use them, but leave the paprika out or you’ll have a giant smoky bowl of chili!

Also, if you’ve never cooked with andouille, do not be afraid!! I bought Aidells brand and they are sold in my store near the hot dogs and kielbasa. They’re fully cooked, so I just quartered them. There are 4 in the pack. You can use all 4 for sure, or save one to fry up with some eggs and potatoes (yum!).

Hope you enjoy!

Yield: Eight 1-cup servings (a very full 1 cup!)

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 links (9 ounces) andouille sausage, chopped or crumbled
1 1/4 pound ground turkey
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste (I used about 1/4 tsp of each)
3 cups chicken broth
10 ounce can diced tomatoes with chiles (such as Rotel)
8 ounce can tomato sauce
Two 15.5-ounce cans black-eyed peas, rinsed
2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
shredded cheddar, diced green onions, or sour cream for topping

1) In a large, heavy pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook until browned, about 2 minutes. Add the turkey and cook, crumbling, until browned, 2 to 3 minutes more.

2) Add the celery, bell pepper, onion, garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes.

3) Stir in the chicken broth, tomatoes, tomato sauce, black-eyed peas, hot sauce, thyme, chili powder, paprika and cumin. Bring to a low boil, lower the heat and cook for 20-30 minutes more.

Pork, Soup, Turkey

(21) Parmesan Polenta with Sausage and Mushrooms

Feb 2nd, 10 / 0 Comments

I need to get something off my chest before I review this recipe. Dear Cooking Light – what the hell kind of recipe serves FIVE?!? Weird. At the suggested serving sizes, I got 4 servings of polenta and 5 servings of sausage, which is fine because the baby will love the sausage serving. Ok, vent over.

This is a solid, quick, weeknight meal. I had it on the table in 30 minutes and there was little to no chopping, which is always a bonus!! I think this meal has potential, too. I think it would be great with some caramelized onions and a little fresh garlic in with the tomatoes. I also should have used fresh basil, but we’re budget cooking this week, so dried had to do (it was fine!). I added a touch of red pepper flakes because I only had sweet Italian sausages in my freezer.

The polenta was delish (I used regular old cornmeal, not ‘instant polenta’) and a beautiful soft contrast to the sausage and mushrooms. My only suggestion to you is to slowly add the cornmeal to the water and whisk while you’re doing it. Otherwise you’ll end up like a few clumps. I speak from experience here, I promise!

Parmesan Polenta with Sausage and Mushrooms

Source: Cooking Light Magazine, October 2000
Yield: 5 servings (serving size: about 3/4 cup sauce and 3/4 cup polenta)

3 (3-ounce) links hot turkey Italian sausage
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/3 cup dry white wine
2 (8-ounce) packages presliced mushrooms
2 tablespoons chopped fresh or 2 teaspoons dried basil
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
4 cups water
1 cup instant polenta (such as Contadina)
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Pierce sausages; cut each diagonally into 1-inch pieces. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage; cook 3 minutes or until browned. Add the wine and mushrooms; cover, reduce heat, and cook 10 minutes. Stir occasionally. Remove sausage from pan. Cook the mushroom mixture over medium-high heat 5 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates. Stir in the basil and tomatoes; cook 1 minute or until heated. Return sausage to pan; keep warm.

While sauce is simmering, prepare polenta. Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan; stir in polenta, garlic powder, sugar, and salt. Reduce heat to low; cook until thick (about 5 minutes), stirring frequently. Stir in cheese. Serve with sausage mixture.

CALORIES 288 (30% from fat); FAT 9.5g (sat 3.3g,mono 3.6g,poly 2.4g); IRON 2.5mg; CHOLESTEROL 58mg; CALCIUM 95mg; CARBOHYDRATE 35.1g; SODIUM 689mg; PROTEIN 18.2g; FIBER 1.6g

Main Dishes, Turkey

(9) Better than Mom’s Meatloaf

Jan 11th, 10 / 0 Comments

Three things you need to know:
1) My mom never made meatloaf much when we were growing up. (so I can’t really say this is “better than mom’s”)

2) My husband will eat most anything you feed him. Meatloaf is #1 on his list of things I am not allowed to make. Boo!

3) My husband and I have been married almost 5 yrs, together 9 years.

You can probably now deduce that I haven’t eaten much meatloaf in my life. My husband is out of town overnight for a business meeting and for some reason, I felt like making meatloaf! YES! Freedom to partake! I found this recipe in my stack. It’s from Weight Watchers magazine 2005. I find WW recipes either hit or miss. This one is a hit in my book. The original recipe suggests you free form the meatloaf into 2 smaller loaves, but it also gives instruction for a loaf pan, which is what I did. These are hearty, moist slices and quite flavorful! I can’t believe it’s less than 200 calories per serving!

Better than Mom’s Mini-Meatloaves

Source: Weight Watchers Magazine, March/April 2005
Yield: 8 servings (1 slice per serving)

Well-seasoned lean ground beef and ground turkey breast combine to make two exceptionally flavorful meatloaves – one for tonight and another for the freezer.

2 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 pound ground lean beef (7% fat)
1/2 pound ground turkey breast
2/3 cup quick-cooking (not instant) rolled oats
2 large eggs
2 Tbsp chopped parsley (I used 2 tsp dried parsley)
1 Tbsp Dijon-style mustard
3 tsp Worcestershire sauce, divided
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup ketchup

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.

2) Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet; add the onion and saute until soft, about 8 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.

3) Meanwhile, combine the beef, turkey, rolled oats, eggs, parsley, mustard, 2 tsp of the Worcestershire sauce, the garlic, thyme, seasoned salt, and pepper in a large bowl; stir in the onions and blend lightly with a fork (I just used my hands!). Let stand 10 minutes.

4) Shape the mixture into two (6-inch) loaves and place on the baking sheet. Combine the ketchup with the remaining teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce; brush over the top of each loaf. Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a loaf reaches 160 degreesF, about 35 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

Cook’s Tip: If you prefer, the entire batch can be made in a single 9×5-inch loaf pan, sprayed with nonstick spray. Increase the cooking time to 1 hr. Slice off half the loaf and, when cool, wrap in foil and freeze.

Per Serving:
188 Calories, 8g Fat (2g Sat. Fat, 0g Trans Fat), 104mg Chol, 365 mg Sodium, 9g Carbs, 1g Fiber, 20g Protein, 29mg Calcium

Beef, Main Dishes, Turkey

(1) Turkey Reuben Sandwiches

Jan 5th, 10 / 0 Comments

I know, I know, this is not exactly a recipe, more like a method, but whatever, I needed some guidance! I normally don’t put dijon on a reuben, but it was quite tasty!! They were easy and quick and filling. And a good way to use up that leftover New Year’s Day sauerkraut! YUM!

PS: I used some light butter-spread stuff instead of canola oil.

Turkey Reuben Sandwiches

Source: Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2006
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 sandwich)

Smoked turkey stands in for corned beef in this lightened variation of a deli favorite. Serve with a pickle wedge and chips.

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
8 slices rye bread
4 (1-ounce) slices reduced-fat, reduced-sodium Swiss cheese (such as Alpine Lace)
8 ounces smoked turkey, thinly sliced
2/3 cup sauerkraut, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup fat-free Thousand Island dressing
1 tablespoon canola oil, divided

Spread about 3/4 teaspoon mustard over each bread slice. Place 1 cheese slice on each of 4 bread slices. Divide turkey evenly over cheese. Top each serving with 2 1/2 tablespoons sauerkraut and 1 tablespoon dressing. Top each serving with 1 bread slice, mustard sides down.

Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 sandwiches to pan; top with another heavy skillet. Cook 3 minutes on each side or until golden; remove sandwiches from pan, and keep warm. Repeat procedure with remaining oil and sandwiches.

CALORIES 255 (38% from fat); FAT 10.7g (sat 4.8g,mono 3.9g,poly 1.5g); IRON 0.7mg; CHOLESTEROL 44mg; CALCIUM 311mg; CARBOHYDRATE 18.9g; SODIUM 865mg; PROTEIN 19.6g; FIBER 3.4g