Healthy Garden Skillet

Ground turkey is an excellent substitute for ground beef. It's lower in fat and calories than ground beef. I prefer the ground turkey breast for chopped steaks or tacos, but whole ground turkey works great for savory dishes. This recipe couldn't be much healthier, especially if you use fresh vegetables from your own garden, but frozen or canned will work.


                            Healthy Garden Skillet 


1# ground turkey
1 small zucchini, diced
1 small yellow squash, diced
1 large garden tomato, diced, or 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup bell pepper, green or red, diced
1/2 cup peas
1 small potato, thinly diced
1/4 cup diced onion
1/2 cup marinara sauce
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon shredded basil
olive oil
salt/pepper to taste


Sprinkle salt and pepper into ground turkey to season. Form ground turkey into small meat balls, 1/2 inch in diameter. Drizzle olive oil into skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté meatballs, turning occasionally until browned, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from pan. Add diced potatoes. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Then add peppers, zucchini, squash, and onion. Cook for 3-4 minutes until tender.

Reduce heat to medium. Add tomatoes, peas, cooked meatballs, and marinara sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in Mozzarella cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle fresh basil on top and serve.  

Can be a stand-alone dish or serve with a side of pasta.
Add red pepper flakes for a little heat.

Beef and Mushroom Stew with Bacon

A hearty stew makes a great winter weather meal. Bacon makes everything taste better. This quick and easy recipe will please everyone.



                                   Beef and Mushroom Stew with Bacon



6 strips apple-smoked bacon, diced
2 # beef chuck, diced into 1" cubes
3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
2# mushrooms, 2-3 varieties for flavor. I suggest Shitake, portabella, and button.
4 carrots, sliced
1 onion, diced
5 Yukon Gold potatoes, diced
2 tsps. kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
3 Tablespoons flour (For gluten free, use dark rice flour)
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 cups beef stock
2 cups red wine


In large skillet, sauté bacon over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove from pan and set aside. Add 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil to bacon drippings. Add beef and cook until almost done. Remove beef and set aside.

Add 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil to sauté pan. Add mushrooms. Cook until soft. Add flour. Reduce heat to medium. Stir often. Cook 7-8 minutes. Add seasonings. Add beef and bacon, onion, potatoes, and carrots. Add stock and red wine. Simmer to reduce liquid. After 20 minutes, add tomato paste. Cover and continue to slow simmer for 1 hour or until vegetables are soft and sauce thick.

Southwestern Hamburger Steaks with Black Bean Salsa and Potato Hash

Tired of burgers? Hamburger Steaks are a great way to utilize ground beef, and they can be part of a delicious meal. I like to add a bit of spice to everything. Here is a Southwestern-style entrée that will delight everyone. The Black bean Salsa and Potato Hash are great toppers.


                                         Southwestern Hamburger Steaks


2# ground beef or ground chuck, 80/20
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp sage
1/4 cup chopped white onion
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 tsp A1 sauce
2 tsp oil

Mix all ingredients in a  bowl. Add ground beef and mix thoroughly. Form into 5, 6 oz. patties (Make slightly larger to utilize the other 2 oz. of meat).

Add oil to a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Cook patties on one side for 4 minutes. Flip, reduce heat to medium, and cook for 8-10 minutes or until done.


Black Bean Salsa

2 cups black beans, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons chicken stock
1/2 cup dice white onion
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
2 jalapenos, seeded and minced
3 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 lime, juiced
salt/pepper to taste

Heat sauce pan over medium high-heat. Add beans and chicken stock. Cook until most of the liquid is evaporated. Add all other ingredients except lime juice. Heat but don't cook. Remove from heat, add lime juice, cilantro, salt, and pepper. Serve warm over chopped steak.


Potato Hash

2 red potatoes, peeled, diced
1 small sweet potato, peeled, diced
1/2 white onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons oil
1/2 tsp paprika
salt/pepper to taste

Add oil to sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add potatoes. Cook, turning often, until slightly brown. Add onions, bell peppers and sauté 3-4 minutes. Add chicken stock, paprika, salt, and pepper, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 8-10 minutes or until stock is well absorbed and potatoes tender.


Serve Potato Hash as a side dish to Hamburger steak with Black Bean Salsa on top of steak.

Kickin' Turkey Tacos with Cranberry Salsa

Because there's always turkey left over from holiday meals, here is another easy recipe to deal with them. Kickin' Turkey Tacos



                                                          Kickin' Turkey Tacos



6 flour tortilla wraps
2 cups cooked, turkey, shredded
1 cup shredded cheese (Cheddar or Pepper Jack)
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1 package Taco seasoning mix
1 cup water
1 tablespoon oil
1 cup Cranberry Salsa (Recipe below)

Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add shredded turkey and minced jalapenos. Sauté while stirring for 2-3 minutes, then add Taco Seasoning mix, 1 cup water, and mix. Reduce to a simmer and cook until most of the moisture is gone, about 8-10 minutes.

Heat tortillas in microwave for 15 seconds or warm over stove burner. Add some turkey, cheese, and a tsp. of Cranberry salsa. Roll up and enjoy.


Cranberry Salsa

1 cup onion, small diced
1 cup bell pepper, small diced
1 cup tomatoes, small diced with juice
2 jalapenos, seeded and minced
1/2 cup jelled cranberry sauce or 1/2 cup minced whole cranberries
Juice of 1 lime
salt/pepper to taste

Add all ingredients to bowl, squeeze in lime juice, finish with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Add to taco.

Leftover Kickin' Turkey Chili

Thanksgiving dinners always provides leftover turkey. If you need an easy recipe to dispose of it, try this one - Turkey Chili. Chili relieves the blahness of some holiday meals. You can make Chili as hot as you want by increasing chili powder or a dash of hot sauce.




                                              Leftover Kickin' Turkey Chili


4 cups leftover cooked turkey, white and/or dark meat, chopped or shredded
1 can white Northern beans, drained
1 small white onion, chopped
1 Anaheim pepper, seeded and diced.
2 jalapenos, seeded, minced
1 can tomato sauce
1 cup chicken stock
1 tbl spoon Canola oil
1 tbl spoon flour
2 tsps. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
salt/pepper

1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup chopped green onions

Heat deep pan over medium-high heat. Add Canola oil. Add chopped turkey. Season with cumin and chili powder. Add flour and stir into turkey. Cook 4-5 minutes until seared slightly. Add chopped onion, diced Anaheim pepper, and jalapeno and cook 2-3 minutes until wilted. Add beans, tomato sauce, and stock. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 20-25 minutes until thickens. Season with salt/pepper. If you wish more heat, add hot sauce.

Ladle into bowls. garnish with sour cream and green onions.

Crockpot Southwestern Chicken Stew

Using a Crockpot or slow cooker is an excellent way to avoid the bother of cooking. It's great for when you're expecting company, too. This recipe covers all the bases in flavors.




                                  Crockpot Southwestern Chicken Stew


2 boneless chicken breasts or 3 thighs, medium diced
1 small onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 bell pepper, diced (I prefer red bell peppers)
2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
2 jalapenos, minced
1 can corn, drained, or 1 1/2 cups frozen corn
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups chicken stock, or amount needed to cover ingredients in Crockpot
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp paprika
salt/pepper to taste
2-3 dashes hot sauce if you prefer more heat.
2 tablespoons flour mixed with water for a slurry to thicken stew. (I use cornmeal or rice flour to avoid gluten)


Place all ingredients (Except slurry) in Crockpot. Cover with stock and heat on slow for 7-7 1/2 hours or High for 3 hours.  Add slurry mixture and cook 15-20 minutes.

Serve in a bowl or over rice for a fuller meal.

Butternut Squash Soup

Fall is the time for soups. One of my wife's favorites is Butternut Squash Soup. It's easy to prepare and holds well in the refrigerator.



                                                  Butternut Squash Soup

2-3 small butternut squash. Peel and cube into 1-inch pieces.
1 small onion, peeled and diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
2 tablespoons butter
8 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup heavy cream
1-1/2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 tsp. pumpkin spice
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
salt/pepper to taste


Peel and dice squash. Melt butter in large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and carrot. Cook 7-8 minutes until onion is translucent. Add squash and stock. Reduce heat to medium. Slow simmer for 20 minutes or until squash is tender.

Use a blender stick to puree contents, or remove squash, carrot, and onion with slotted spoon and puree in a blender. Return to stock pot. Season with salt. pepper, pumpkin spice, and nutmeg. Cook for 5-6 minutes more.  Remove from heat. Add heavy cream and maple syrup.


Topping

1 cup whipped cream
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tablespoon maple syrup.

Spoon over individual portions before serving.