Turkey Stuffing Bake

Mmmm, a little taste of Thanksgiving early.  This was a great easy meal and very flavorful.  I prepared it early and just popped it in the oven at dinnertime.  This is adapted from my favorite food magazine, "Everyday Food"


2 tbs evoo
2 lbs ground turkey
1 tbs fresh sage, finely chopped
3 tbs flour
3 1/2 cups chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste
1 yellow onion, diced medium
3 celery stalks, diced medium
8 cups whole wheat bread (cut in large cubes)  I used home made bread, you could use a crusty bread too.
2/3 cup dried cranberries
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tbs butter cut into small pieces


Preheat oven to 425.  In a large skillet, heat 1 tbs oil over medium-high.  Add Turkey and brown til cooked.  Drain.  Return to the pan, add sage and flour and stir to coat.  Add 1 1/2 cups broth and cook, stirring and scraping up any browned bits, until liquid is thickened.  Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a baking dish.


Rinse out skillet; wipe dry.  Return to heat and add 1 tbs oil.  Add onion and celery and cook until softened, about 8 minutes.  Remove from heat and add bread, cranberries, and 2 cups broth; toss until combined.  Stir in eggs.  Pour bread mixture over turkey mixture; dot with butter.  Bake until juices are bubbling and bread is golden brown, 20-25 minutes.  Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Turkey Wraps

These are a great lunch, or a nice main course when it's too hot to cook!
I used left over turkey meat from one that that we roasted.

Turkey cut into bite size pieces
2 stalkes celery chopped
1 apple chopped
1/2 cup mayonnaise
squirt of dijon mustard
2 tsp thyme
salt and pepper to taste
handful of craisins
Tortilla shells (whole wheat are great too!)

Combine all the ingredients except tortillas. Mix well. You may want to adjust the amount of mayo or mustard depending on your tastes. Wrap it up and enjoy!

Quick Cassoulet

This is not your traditional Cassoulet, but full of flavor and very quick.

1 onion, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

1-2 cloves minced garlic

2 tbs olive oil

2-3 turkey sausages (fully cooked)

2 cups cooked tebo beans (or canned-any white bean works)

1 can diced tomatoes

1 bay leaf

1 tsp thyme (or use 1-2 sprigs fresh)

salt and pepper

Topping:  

fresh bread crumbs

olive oil

salt and pepper

Saute' the onion, carrots, celery and garlic in the olive oil for a few minutes.  Add sliced sausage and cook for a few more minutes, then add the beans, tomatoes, bay leaf, thyme, salt and pepper.  Cover and simmer until everything is warmed through and the vegetables are tender.

While the cassoulet is cooking, prepare topping.  Toss the breadcrumbs with some olive oil, salt and pepper and toast until golden.  Serve on top of the cassoulet.

Cassoulet  is a rich, slow-cooked bean stew or casserole originating in the south of France, containing meat (typically pork sausages, pork, goose, duck and sometimes mutton), pork skin (couennes) and white haricot beans.

Stir-fried Turkey in Lettuce Wraps

January... people tend to go healthy and light.  This is a great recipe for that!  This is from my Everyday Food magazine.  This is my most favorite magazine and I make tons of recipes from it.  I love it because it is so seasonal, and I love to cook that way. 

1/4 cup soy sauce

4 tsp fish sauce (I didn't add this, because I didn't have any and it was still great)

4 tsp sugar

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 large shallot finely chopped (you can always substitue onion)

2 tbs peeled fresh minced ginger

2 garlic cloves minced

1 small jalepeno or serrano chili finely chopped

1 lb ground turkey  (or substitute ground beef or ground chicken)

2 large heads bibb, boston, or iceberg lettuce, leaves seperated

1.  In a small bowl combine first 3 ingredients, wisk until sugar is melted, set aside.

2.  Heat a large skillet or wok over high heat until hot, add vegetable oil and swirl to coat.  Add shallot, ginger, garlic and chili and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add turkey and cook, breatking up meat with a wooden spoon, until almost cooked through, about 5 minutes.  Add half the sauce to skillet and stir until meat is cooked through, about 2 minutes.  Serve in lettuce leaves with remaining sauce.

                                                                     

                                                                       

Smoked Turkey

My husband made this for his guys weekend away.  We have a Big Green Egg.  For those of you not familiar, it's a smoker grill, and it looks like this:

Yes, it sits out all winter and we even use it.  As a matter of fact, my husband had to pour hot water on the lid because it was frozen shut.  Anyway, on with the recipe.

1/2 gallon apple juice
1/2 cup salt
1 cup brown sugar
1 quart of water

Combine the above ingredients and heat enough to dissolve the sugar and salt.  Pour this over your turkey.  You will need a big bucket or stock pot, something big enough to hold the turkey, so it will be covered once you pour the brine onto it.

Add:
3 oranges halved and squeezed
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbs whole cloves
2 bay leaves

Soak the turkey in the brine for 24 hours.  This should be in your fridge, or do its cold enough outside, then you won't take up fridge space.  Remove from brine, and refridgerate for 12 more hours.
smoke on The big Green Egg on a vertical turkey rack at 225 for 7 hours.

I was fortunate enough to have some of the left overs, and it was fantastic!  Well worth the effort.  Yeah, easy for me to say since I didn't do anything.  :-)