Homemade Turkey Helper – A One-Skillet Meal

This is a great go-to meal when you want something quick, easy, and nutritious.  Leftovers are great for work the next day; simply reheat in the microwave oven. I developed this recipe by trial and error many years ago.  At the time, I used to make a boxed brand skillet mixture and just got tired of the taste.  I liked the one-skillet concept so I developed my own.  I have been making it ever since, only now I make a healthier version; I use low-fat tomato soup, brown rice, and ground turkey instead of ground beef. 

Enjoy!

Homemade Turkey Helper – A One-Skillet Meal

Serves 5 – 6 People

2 Tbls. Extra virgin olive oil
1 lb. Lean ground turkey
½ Tsp. Fresh ground pepper
¾ Tsp. Garlic powder
¼ Tsp. Kosher salt
½ Medium onion, diced
2 Stalks Celery, diced
½ Green bell pepper, diced
½ Cup Brown Rice
¾ Tsp. Dried basil, crushed
½ Tsp. Dried oregano, crushed
1 (10 ¾ ounce) Can Tomato soup; low-fat and lower sodium variety
1 ¼ Cups Water
1 to 1 ½  Cups Frozen tender sweet peas or frozen sweet corn

1 to 2 Tbls. Parmesan cheese, grated (optional)

Heat a 12 inch non-stick skillet on medium high.  Add olive oil to skillet; spread the oil coating the bottom of the skillet.  Add the ground turkey, ground pepper, garlic powder and salt; mix with a wooden spoon to combine. Cook just until turkey begins to brown, about 5 minutes.

Add onions and celery; continue to cook until onions become translucent, about 3 minutes. Add bell pepper and rice; cook another 2 minutes. Add basil, oregano, tomato soup and water to the mixture, stir to combine.

 

Bring mixture to a boil,reduce heat to low, cover and cook for about 15 minutes.  Add the frozen peas, or corn to the mixture; cook for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until rice becomes tender.  Top with the grated cheese (optional ingredient) and serve.

Roasted Pork Tenderloin, Dumplings and Sauerkraut

Well, I did it, I created a healthier version of our family New Year’s Day meal. My family did enjoy this version as much as the traditional version. I found using whole wheat flour creates a denser product. I am happy that I split the flour half and half with all-purpose white flour.  I will definitely use this recipe again!

If you are counting your carbs, be mindful of your portion size.  These dumplings are very addicting.  It is hard to resist taking just one more, but be strong there will be some left over for munching later.

Be warned…to create this meal, you will need about 1 hour or more for the prep, but it is worth it in the end. Enjoy!

Roast Pork Tenderloins, Dumplings and Sauerkraut

Servings:  8 servings with left over dumplings and kraut

  

Dumplings:

2 Cups mashed potatoes –

To prepare mashed potatoes for the dumplings:

Peel and dice potatoes (about 1 ½ pounds of potatoes) add to pot with cold water, covering the potatoes with water to about 1 inch above.  Add ¼ tsp. salt and ½ tsp. pepper; bring to a boil and cook until fork tender.  Drain potatoes, taking care to drain all excess water.  Slightly mash the potatoes with potato masher or fork.  Finish with an electric hand mixer, whipping potatoes until all lumps are gone.  Refrigerate until cool.

1 ¼ Cup All-purpose White Flour

1 Cup Whole wheat flour (I used King Arthur Flour -100% Organic Whole Wheat Flour)

¼ Tsp. Kosher Salt, plus 1 Tsp. (divided)

¾ Tsp. Double Acting Baking Powder

1 Whole Egg

1 Egg White

1/4 Cup Smart Balance OMEGA 3 Buttery Stick, melted

¼ - ½ Cup 1% Milk (start with ¼ cup and add additional milk, as needed, 1 tablespoon at a time to achieve correct consistency)

Fill a large stock pot with 4 quarts cold water, add 1 teaspoon of salt; bring to a rapid boil. 

Sift flour, ¼ tsp. salt, and baking powder into a large mixing bowl; repeat sifting three times. Add mashed potatoes, eggs and melted butter.  Add ¼ cup of milk and mix to combine, taking care not to over-mix! (Note:  I use my hands, or a wooden spoon to mix dough.) Add additional milk as needed.  Consistency should be a pliable and stretch easily while not falling apart, and it should hold together when rolled into a ball. This dough should not be sticky! If dough is too wet, add a little all-purpose white flour.

Turn out dumpling mixture onto a large lightly floured surface; divide into 6 equal pieces.  Roll each into a roll, about ¾ inches in diameter and 12 inches in length.  Cut each log into ½ inch pieces and set aside.

Place dumplings into the pot of boiling water, careful not to crowd the pot.  Reduce the heat to medium/high. Once the dumplings rise to the surface, cook for an additional 5 minutes; remove with a slotted spoon to a colander; rinse with cold water, drain and set aside. I usually cover the dumpling with a wet paper towel to prevent drying.

Sauerkraut:

2 Tbls. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

½ Large Sweet Onion, diced into ¼ inch pieces

1  14oz. Can Sauerkraut, rinsed and drained (I used SnowFloss Kraut)

1  14oz. Can Sweet Bavarian sauerkraut rinsed and drained (I used SnowFloss Kraut Bavarian Style Sweet)

1 ½ Tsp. Light Brown Sugar

1 Cup Water

In a large, nonstick, sauté pan heat the olive oil, add onions and cook until translucent, stirring every so often.  Add sauerkraut, mix to combine; sauté for about twenty minutes on medium heat. Combine brown sugar and water, mix until sugar is dissolved; add to pan with sauerkraut and onions and reduce heat to low.  Cook on low for about 25 minutes, until kraut is tender and water is dissolved. Set aside.

Roasted Pork Tenderloin:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2 Pork Tenderloins – about 1 to 1 ½ pounds each

2 Tbls. Extra virgin olive oil infused with garlic (plain extra virgin olive oil will work also)

1 Tsp. Dried Thyme

½ Tsp. Garlic Powder

½ Tsp. Mrs. Dash Original Blend – Seasoning Blend

½ Tsp. Ground Pepper

¼ Tsp. Kosher Salt

Pre-heat a large nonstick skillet on medium high.

In a small bowl combine all dry seasonings. Rub dry mixture onto all sides of the tenderloins. Transfer tenderloins to skillet; sear on each side until browned. Transfer browned meat to a 10 X 15 baking dish and place in oven.  Roast until meat reaches an internal temperature of 150 - 155 degrees.  Remove pork to a plate and cover with foil and keep until ready to serve.

Finishing the Dumplings and Sauerkraut:

Sauerkraut and Dumplings - prepared earlier
1 ½ Cups Unsalted Low-fat Chicken Broth

In the same baking dish you roasted the pork in, add the cooked kraut and dumplings. Mix together with the left over meat juices. (Note:  I keep the some of the dumplings seperate from the kraut) At this point add the chicken broth to the kraut and dumplings; stir. 

Cover the dish with foil and place in oven; cook for 20 minutes. Remove foil stir the kraut and dumplings; continue to cook in oven for an additional 10 minutes or longer if you prefer a crispier dumpling.

To serve:

Slice pork roast in ½ slices and serve with kraut and dumplings on the side.  If you prefer, you can top with a fat free, low sodium gravy.

Herb Roasted Chicken

For this recipe I used a young organically grown chicken, free of additives and antibiotics.  I must say, this recipe produced a very juicy, flavorful, and tender roasted chicken.  If you prefer, you can substitute the whole chicken with bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts, and adjust your cooking time.  I have not tried it this way, so I am not sure if you would achieve the same results, but I feel it would be very close.

What makes this recipe healthy:

• Organic chicken
• Low Sodium
• Remove the skin when serving – low fat

Favorite Products:

• Dried herbs and spices

Herb Roasted Chicken
Serving size:  5 – 6 servings

3 Tbls. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 Tbls. Real Lemon Juice
2 Tbls. Worchester Sauce
1 Tbls. Honey
2 Tbls. Dried Parsley
1 Tsp. Mrs. Dash Original Blend – Seasoning Blend
1 Tsp. Garlic Powder
1 Tsp. Onion Powder
1 Tsp. Crushed Dry Rosemary
½ Tsp. Dry Thyme
¼ Tsp. Cracked Pepper
5 - 5 ½ Lb. Whole Chicken

Herb Mixture:
In a small bowl, combine the first 11 ingredients. Stir until thoroughly combined.  The herb mixture should resemble a loose paste.  Reserve about 1 ½ tablespoons of the mixture.

Preparation:

Clean your chicken with cold water, then pat dry, inside and out.

Lift up the skin on one side of breast meat by running your finger gently under the skin to loosen it from the breast meat, taking care not to tear the skin.  On that side of the breast, place half of the herb mixture under the skin of the breast and message mixture along the entire side of the breast and down along the thigh, coating the entire surface of the meat.  Repeat on other side of the breast. Take 1 tablespoon of the reserved  herb mixture and rub the entire cavity of the chicken.  With the remaining mixture coat the outside of the chicken.

Place a baking rack in a baking dish, large enough to hold your entire chicken.  Place chicken the rack, back side down.  Turn the wing tips under the chicken, allowing the chicken to rest on them.  Tie the legs loosely together using kitchen twine.  Cover the entire dish with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for up to 4 hours. 

Roasting:

Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and place on counter.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Remove plastic wrap from chicken and place chicken in oven.  Chicken is done when you place a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh, not touching the bone, and it registers  165 degrees.  Depending on your oven, this could take about 2 – 2 ½  hours.  Let chicken rest for about 20 minutes before slicing and serving.

I would serve this with a refreshing salad and potato side dish.

NOTES AND REFERENCE:

Test your meat thermometer for accuracy:
Place probe in ice water, taking care not to touch the probe to the container, temperature should register 32 degrees.

 Place probe in boiling water, again taking care not to touch the probe to the container, temperature should register 212 degrees.

If you find that your thermometer is not accurate, adjust your cooking accordingly.

APPROXIMATE CHICKEN COOKING TIMES

USDA Food and Inspection Service

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/images/masthead_interior.jpg

Approximate Chicken Cooking Times
Type of Chicken	Weight	Roasting 350 °F	Simmering	Grilling
Whole broiler-fryer+	3 to 4 lbs.	1 1/4 - 1 1/2 hrs.	60 to 75 min.	60 to 75 min*
Whole roasting hen+	5 to 7 lbs.	2 to 2 1/4 hrs.	1 3/4 to 2 hrs.	18-25 min/lb*
Whole capon+	4 to 8 lbs.	2 to 3 hrs	Not suitable	15-20 min/lb*
Whole Cornish hens+	18-24 oz.	50 to 60 min.	35 to 40 min.	45 to 55 min*
Breast halves, bone-in	6 to 8 oz.	30 to 40 min.	35 to 45 min.	10 - 15 min/side
Breast half, boneless	4 ounces	20 to 30 min.	25 to 30 min.	6 to 8 min/side
Legs or thighs	8 or 4 oz.	40 to 50 min.	40 to 50 min.	10 - 15 min/side
Drumsticks	4 ounces	35 to 45 min.	40 to 50 min.	8 to 12 min/side
Wings or wingettes	2 to 3 oz.	30 to 40 min.	35 to 45 min.	8 to 12 min/side

+ Unstuffed. If stuffed, add 15 to 30 minutes additional time.

* Indirect method using drip pan.

Italian Style Turkey Sausage

What makes this recipe healthy: 

• It is homemade
• The use of ground turkey instead of pork sausage
• Low sodium

Italian Style Turkey Sausage

Serving size: 6 – 8 servings

1 lb. ground turkey
1 tsp. fennel seed
¼ tsp. dried cracked/crushed rosemary
1-½ tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. sugar
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. cracked ground pepper
1 tbls. extra virgin olive oil
1 tbls. water

In a bowl, combine all ingredients, being careful not to over mix.  Turn out the mixture onto plastic wrap, and shape into a log.  Refrigerate overnight.

Divide mixture into 8 equal sized portions, shape each into a ball and flatten to shape a patty.  Fry patties in a non-stick skillet that has been lightly coated with olive oil.  Turn as needed to brown on both sides, and cook until no longer pink inside (about 10 – 15 minutes).   

Note:  You can use this sausage in recipes that call for bulk Italian sausage.

Or serve as sausage patties…
Or serve as Italian style sausage sandwiches, see recipe below.

Italian Style Turkey Sausage Sandwich

2 tbls. extra virgin olive oil
1  medium sweet onion, sliced
1  green pepper, seeded and sliced into strips
1  sweet red pepper, seeded and sliced into strips
1-14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, no salt added (I use Muir Glen Organic)
1 tsp. dried oregano
½ tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. dried basil
¼ tsp. dried cracked/crushed rosemary
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. cracked ground pepper
¼ tsp. sugar
Dash or two of red pepper flakes (optional)
½ cup low-fat, low-moisture mozzarella cheese, shredded
8 cooked, Italian style sausage patties (see recipe above)

Crusty whole wheat buns, or crusty whole wheat baguette, cut into individual serving sizes (two sausage patties per serving).

Heat the oil in a non-stick skillet; add the onions and sauté until translucent.  Add the peppers and sauté about 3 minutes, or until barely tender.  Add the next nine ingredients and continue to cook for 10 minutes. 

Place a cooked sausage patty in the center of the bun/cut baguette, spoon on the pepper/tomato mixture, top with mozzarella cheese. Place under the broiler (cheese side exposed) and broil just until cheese bubbles and turns slightly brown.