Keep It Simple Foods » Turkey

What a Meatball

Jessica — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 00:45:27 +0000

I love meatballs but I don’t love the calories and fat that go with them! I wanted to use what I had on hand and the idea came to me- teriyaki turkey meatballs!

The idea for the meatball mix came from Ellie Krieger. I used carrots, scallions, and chopped red bell pepper in the mix to keep the meatballs moist and delicious! Also, I used the fuller fat ground turkey. I find that the very lean turkey breast can become quite dry when baked in the oven and even if you buy the fuller fat, its still better than full fat red meat.

To give these an extra zing of flavor, I made a teriyaki sauce to lightly drizzle over the meatballs. If you want, you can use store bought, but this sauce is ready in just a few minutes and tastes great! I served the meatballs with some smashed potatoes just because I had some yukon gold potatoes in the pantry and some light fresh peas. I can see these meatballs being paired with lots of different sides and I will definitely keep this one in the rotation.

This was a great week night meal- the sweet sauce complements the turkey and it kept me full.

Teriyaki Meatballs
1 pd of ground turkey (fuller fat)
1/3 cup of breadcrumbs, preferably whole wheat
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 cloves of garlic minced
2/3 cup of grated carrots
6 scallions, white part thinly sliced
few tablespoons of finely chopped red bell pepper

Mix the above and preheat oven to 400. Form mixture into large meatballs- makes about 12. Cook for about 10 to 15 minutes or until no longer pink inside.

Teriyaki sauce
1/2 cup of soy sauce, low sodium
1 clove of garlic minced
1/4 teaspoon of ginger
1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil
1/4 cider vinegar
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1 tablespoon of cornstarch.

Whisk above ingredients in a small bowl, with particular attention to the cornstarch.

Set over low heat until bubbly and brown. Then set aside and keep warm.

Drizzle sauce over the meatballs when they are done and immediately serve!

Curry Turkey Burgers

Jessica — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 23:31:19 +0000

Now that it feels like summer in DC, I had to make my curry turkey burgers. This recipe is SO easy. I like something where I can use one bowl so there is easy clean up because I HATE washing dishes. I’m so glad that my boyfriend almost always takes that duty

I got the idea for these burgers from Rachel Ray. Although for mine, I like to add several more indian spices to really rev up the flavor. Also, I do not use super lean ground turkey here. I prefer more fat as turkey tends to dry out and even if you get the higher fat content, it is still way healthier than your normal burger.

1 package of 85% or 90% ground turkey
2 1/2 teaspoons of curry powder
1/2 teaspoon of turmeric
1/4 teaspoon of ginger
1/4 teaspoon of garam masala
dash of salt
small pinch of red pepper flakes
3 scallions, diced
1 small red bell pepper, diced
small handful of whole wheat breadcrumbs

Mix the above and form 4 patties. Grill for several minutes on both side or saute: Put about 1 tablespoon of grapeseed/extra virgin olive oil over med high heat until both sides are browned and inside is cooked- about 4 minutes per side.

Dress with your favorite toppings! I like a thick slice of red onion, dollop of ketchup and a thick pickle slice, although I was out of them in this picture. Hope you like it!

My first Turkey!

Jessica — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 23:57:00 +0000

So, I’m on the late train in roasting. I know that this is the best way to enjoy juicy chicken and turkey, but I have never tried it since making a giant turkey for myself would lead me to eat leftovers for about 2 weeks. But, since I was cooking my very first thanksgiving, I figured it was about time. Since I was just cooking for myself and one other person, I chose a turkey breast with ribs (a little less than 6 pounds). Using the following recipe, my turkey turned out juicy and full of flavor. So, save this recipe for your next chicken or turkey!

Roast Turkey (5 to 7 lb turkey)

4 springs fresh rosemary
4 springs fresh thyme
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
8 cloves of garlic, cut thinly
1 teaspoon garlic power
Salt
Pepper
1 onion roughly chopped
1 celery (for moisture on bottom of pan.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In setting up the turkey, place in a roasting pan. Smooth butter and oil over the top of the turkey. Place one stalk of celery in pan to provide moisture on the bottom of pan. Sprinkle salt, garlic powder and pepper over turkey. Rub about 2 sprigs of rosemary and thyme over top of turkey. Pull up some of the skin at the front of the turkey to create a pocket over the turkey breast (do so gently). Place a generous amount of garlic cloves, 1 sprig of rosemary and thyme in the pocket. Then place the leftover garlic, rosemary, thyme, and onions in the cavity of the turkey. Wrap the turkey in aluminum foil and place meat thermometer in the breast of the turkey, not touching bone. Place turkey in oven and cook for approximately 2 and 1/2 hours, depending on oven. In last hour of roasting, baste twice with liquid on the bottom of pan. Take tin foil off in the last 20 minutes of roasting to brown the top. Turkey is done when the meat thermometer reaches 170 degrees.

Word of note: With my oven, I had to increase the temperature to about 360 in the last half hour of cooking, to speed things up and brown the top.

The finished product!