Italian Turkey Stew

I made this for dinner a few days ago. Rich, hearty turkey stew with Italian herbs, served over spaghetti squash. Yum!

Italian Turkey Stew

1 lb ground lean turkey

1 can diced or stewed tomatoes, undrained

2 cups diced zucchini

1-2 cloves garlic, diced or pressed

1 small can tomato sauce or some leftover marinara

Italian seasoning or fresh herbs such as parsley and oregano, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a pot. Simmer over medium low until cooked through. I put it on low and just slow cooked it about 2 hours until dinner time, but it should work just as good to cook it higher until done through.

Spaghetti squash is easy to prepare to serve this over. I used a small one. Just wash it, place on a plate and microwave about 10 minutes. It will pop while being cooked. The shell is really hard, better to let it pop than try to stab a vent hole in it. Once it's cooked, cool enough to handle. Cut or pull it apart, scrape out the seed section in the middle and use forks to shred up the rest like spaghetti.

You could also serve it over pasta, rice, bread, in cooked tiny pumpkins or bread bowls, or just straight as a soup by adding a bit more water.

Stuffed Cabbage

These are soooo good! Easier to make than it seems. A little time consuming, but worth it!

Stuffed Cabbage

1 head cabbage (I used purple since it was on sale, I usually use green)

1 lb ground lean turkey

1 1/3 cup shredded cauliflower (I shredded with cheese grater)

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1/4 cup parmesan
1/2 tsp worchestershire sauce

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp italian seasoning or herbs of your choice

1 can diced tomatoes

Boil a large pot of water, enough to cover cabbage.

Meanwhile, cut core from cabbage, discard core. Isn't it pretty in the middle there?

When water comes to a boil, use large tongs to put the cabbage into the water for 4-5 minutes. Move cabbage to a plate, peel off outer leaves that are cooked and softened. Set leaves aside and return cabbage to water for 4-5 more minutes. Repeat until all leaves large enough to work with are cooked.

Meanwhile, prepare filling. Combine turkey with cauliflower, onion, parmesan, worchestershire sauce, garlic, pepper and herbs.

When all the cabbage leaves are cooked, begin filling. Fill each cabbage leaf with turkey mixture, about 1/4 cup for the largest, most take less depending on size. Fold in sides, fold up stem end then roll top over like a burrito. Place seam side down in baking pan.

At this point you can put them away for later if you want. Just put foil over the top and into the fridge. I like to assemble them during morning nap time so I know there are no "little helpers" in the kitchen when I'm messing with boiling water. Or you can cook them right away.

When you're ready to cook, just top with tomatoes, cover with foil and bake at 350 for 1 1/2 hours.

I shred the stem and large coarse pieces of cauliflower to make this filling, and cook the nice florets as a side dish. Just pile them in a casserole dish, cover and bake alongside the stuffed cabbage. A little cheese or lemon on top makes them yummy!

These are in the fridge for now, I'll post pics of dinner after they're cooked :)

If you love stuffed cabbage but don't want all the hassle, this is easy to make into a casserole too! Just quarter and coarsely chop up the cabbage, then layer cabbage and filling into a casserole dish instead of making rolls. Top with tomatoes and bake. Yum! Not as visually appealing, but tastes just as good!

..and here's a picture of dinner ready to go!

Whole wheat carrot cake with yogurt sauce

This turned out so yummy! I had carrots to use up, started out planning to make muffins but couldn't find enough muffin tins, so I decided to make carrot cake instead. I meant to make it low fat, but forgot to leave out the oil and use applesauce instead. Next time!

The yogurt sauce is super easy to make, and the tanginess of the yogurt has a similar flavor combo with the carrot cake as you'd expect from cream cheese frosting, without the major fat pill. Cheaper to make too!

Whole Wheat Carrot Cake

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup unbleached flour

2 cups sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

3 cups shredded carrots

1 cup canola oil (next time I'll try applesauce instead!)

4 eggs

Combine all dry ingredients. Add remaining ingredients, mix well. Pour into 2 greased round cake pans and bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool 20 minutes or so in pans, then put a plate upside down on top of pan and flip it over to remove cakes from pans. I stacked the cakes with no filling, they stuck together just fine.

Serve wedges drizzled with yogurt sauce.

Yogurt Sauce:

1 6-oz cup low fat plain yogurt (or flavored yogurt if you want)

1/2 cup powdered sugar (could use less)

1/4 cup milk, or as needed to get the consistency you want

Mix together and chill. It will thicken some with standing, since the cultures in the yogurt get to work on the milk added. Yum. Great dressing for fruit salad, dip for fruit or leave out the sugar and add spices instead for a quick creamy salad dressing. So easy!

Hearty Pumpkin Turkey Chili

This one is time consuming, but cheap, lean and worth the wait!
I made yummy chili tonight, with some quick biscuits, and since I was way under my calories for the day and needed to use up some carrots I made carrot cake with yogurt sauce instead of frosting. Yum.
Okay, it's not beautiful, but color means nutrition! It's loaded with good for you stuff, and good tasting too!

Hearty Pumpkin Turkey Chili

1 1-lb bag dried small red beans (or any beans)

1 lb lean ground turkey (optional)

2.5 cups mashed cooked pumpkin (1 small, or canned, or use acorn or other squash, or sweet potato)

2.5 cups diced zucchini

1 small-medium onion, diced

2 cans diced tomatoes, undrained

3 tbsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp cinnamon

At least 7 hours before dinner time (or the night before), rinse and sort beans. Cover in cold water to soak.

After soaking, cook beans by package directions then drain.

At least 3 hours before dinner, slice pumpkin in half, scoop out seeds and place cut side down on a pan. Roast at 350 until tender, depending how thick it is that's usually about 40-60 minutes.

Toss the zucchini and onion on a baking sheet and roast them at the same time for about half as long, to get that wonderful sweet roast flavor.

At least an hour before dinner, scoop pumpkin out of skin and mash. Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Add a little extra water if needed. Cover and simmer over low at least an hour or until turkey is done. Best to turn off the heat at least 30 mins before eating, to let it cool. The thick, rich texture and tomatoes really hold the heat so it doesn't cool to edible temperature in the time it takes to dish it up and get to the table!

Excellent with whole wheat or pumpkin biscuits. Makes great leftovers!

Dinner tonight

So, we're back on a healthy diet.
Tonight's dinner is a good one! I'm making a simple baked Asian Style Cod, with brown rice and broccoli. Super easy!

The recipe:
1 lb cod fillets (about 4)
1 sliced green onion
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 1-inch segment ginger, diced
4 garlic cloves, diced
4 tsp sesame oil
4 tsp soy sauce

Make squares of foil. In the middle of each square place a piece of fish. Top with a couple bits of green onion, 1/4 cup mushrooms, a garlic clove, a bit of ginger and a teaspoon each of sesame oil and soy sauce. Fold the foil shut to make a little packet. Place the packets in a baking dish and bake them at 350 or 400 about 20 minutes or until fish flakes easily. Open foil, pour over cooked brown rice, noodles or a salad and enjoy!