Knead to Cook

Food & fitness obsessed girl.

Mexican soup.

by Filed Under: Ground Turkey, Soups 2 Comments

Rainy afternoon here in Pennsylvania which makes me immediately think of making soup.  I was going to be busy with appointments later in the day and this is a great recipe to make and just let simmer until dinnertime.

Ingredients:
2 tsp of olive oil
1 lb of lean ground turkey
1 yellow pepper, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 medium sized yellow onion, chopped
1 jalapeño, diced
1 28 oz can of chopped tomatoes
2 c of chicken broth
1/2 c of water
1 can of red beans, with liquid
1 c of corn, frozen or drained from a can
2 tsp of cumin
1/2 tsp of smoked paprika
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In you large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil and add the ground turkey, onion and peppers.  Breaking the meat apart and stirring until no longer pink, about 10-12 minutes.  Then add the remaining ingredients.  Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer and cover. Serve with chopped red onions, sliced jalapeños, cheddar cheese or a dollop of sour cream.

The fun spoon is available through a wonderful artist on Etsy.  Click the link below to access her work.

 http://www.etsy.com/people/pumpernickelandwry

— Knead to Cook

Turkey chili.

by Filed Under: Chili, Ground Turkey 4 Comments

I love chili.  In fact my entire family does.  It is the quintessential food for cold days, football viewing days & rainy days – whenever.  I lighten this recipe up by using lean organic ground turkey & by using a lot of spices to pump up the flavor.  I hope you give this one a try!

Ingredients:

2 tsp of olive oil
1 lb lean ground turkey (not the dark meat)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 – 15 oz cans of dark red beans
1 – 28 oz can of chopped tomatoes.  I like Furmano’s with onions and peppers for this recipe.
1 – 6 oz can of tomato paste
1/4 c of water
1 tsp of chili powder
2 tbl of ground cumin
2 tsp of cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional:  I throw in one jalapeño chopped with seeds.

Toppings:
Low fat cheddar cheese
1 red onion, diced
1 jalapeño, chopped

Directions:
In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil.  Once hot, add the onions, peppers and ground turkey.  Cook until no longer pink.  Add the garlic & the remaining ingredients.  Bring to a boil.  Turn down, cover and let simmer for 1-6 hours.  Stirring, of course, occasionally.  Top with cheddar, onions or jalapeños.  Enjoy!

The spoon was made for me by Carrie.  Here is the link to her Etsy page 🙂

http://www.etsy.com/people/pumpernickelandwry

 

 

— Knead to Cook

Red sauce with garlicky turkey meatballs.

by Filed Under: Ground Turkey, Pasta, Sauces 4 Comments

I’m very much an Italian girl.  Grew up eating pasta, sauce & meatballs my entire life.  It is, without a doubt, one of my comfort foods.  Memories of my family gathering around the table, fighting for more meatballs (I remember one time someone “accidentally” getting stabbed with a fork, are part of my fondest memories.)  Being a Gambino – you can understand why.

But as I got older, and adopted healthier eating habits, I revamped the old school recipe to be a bit healthier.  The sauce has remained the same… the meatballs have undergone a huge change & white pasta has been replaced with whole wheat.  All in all, still very tasty and comforting.  I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do.

Sauce:

1/2 c olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 (28 oz) can of Furmano’s diced tomatoes
1 (28 oz) can of Furmano’s chopped tomatoes
1 can of tomato paste
2 bay leaves
2 pinches of red pepper flakes
2 tsp of Italian Seasoning
1 tsp of Oregano

In a Dutch oven, heat the oil over a medium flame.  Once hot, add the onions and stir for about 8 minutes.  Add garlic for 30 seconds.  Add salt and pepper, both cans of tomatoes, paste, bay leaves, and the remaining seasonings.  Turn the flame down as low as it goes, cover and simmer.  Stirring occasionally.

Meatballs:

1/2 c of Panko breadcrumbs
1/4 c of parsley, chopped
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 c of Parmesan Reggiano cheese, grated
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 lb of 85/15 ground turkey
1/4 c of olive oil

Combine all ingredients (except for the olive oil) in your mixing bowl.  Mix by hand until incorporated, avoid over mixing.  Roll into balls and place on a plate or cookie sheet.  Your going to work in batches browning them.  Once complete.  Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium flame.  Once the oil is hot, add several meatballs to the pan.  Allow for room to roll them around for growing.  Avoid overcrowding.  This process will take about 10-12 minutes  Once browned on the outside, gently place the meatballs into the sauce.  Be careful when adding and stirring the sauce as you can break up the meatballs.  Work in batches until all of the meatballs are browned and added to the sauce.

I let the sauce simmer on the stove for about 4 hours or more.  Keep a watchful eye and stir occasionally.  Serve over your favorite pasta and enjoy!

— Knead to Cook