Family Favorites-Better Than Your Average Loaf

9/17/2013: NOW UPDATED WITH EXCITING, LIVE ACTION PICTURES!!!!!!!!!  Enjoy.

Speaking of ground turkey,  a few years back I was searching for other ways to turn ground turkey into a meal. I decided that it can't be THAT difficult to make a meatloaf out of turkey rather than beef.  And, VIOLA, it is NOT!

Here's what you need:

-1 lb ground turkey (All natural is best)

-1/2 white onion, peeled and chopped fine

-1/2 c bread crumbs

-1/2 tsp garlic powder

-1/2 tsp coarse ground black pepper

-1 egg

-Handful of fresh Italian parsley, chopped fine

-3-4 shakes Worcestershire sauce

-3 TBS Mole sauce (I got that stuff in a small box)

-3 TBS Honey BBQ Sauce

-1 TBS A-1 Steakhouse Marinade

-Nonstick Spray

-Loaf pan or baking dish

-Large bowl

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In large bowl, combine turkey, egg, breadcrumbs, onion, parsley, garlic powder, pepper and Worcestershire sauce.

This is how your chopped parsley will look when you use a less-than-stellar knife. When I become rich and famous, I will invest in one of those chef-grade chopping utensils sent from the heavens above! 

Use your hands, live on the edge. Knead it all together until all the herbs and spices and whatnot are thoroughly incorporated. If it's still rather mushy or loose, add more bread crumbs until you can form it into a loaf.

 Spray baking dish with non-stick spray and put loaf into dish.

Put dish into oven--for 35 minutes or so, completely ignoring this, sitting on the top of the oven, waiting to be chopped.  Oh well, one time without onion will not kill me!

Combine Mole sauce, BBQ and Steakhouse marinade in a small bowl, stirring or whisking.

At the 35-minute mark, lower oven temp to 350 degrees.

Take loaf from oven and brush the entire top of the loaf with the Mole/BBQ sauce.

Put loaf back in oven and bake for another 15-20 minutes or so.

In my humble opinion, I think it's better than beef-infused meatloaf......especially with the mildly spicy Mole sauce. And, it makes for a great meatloaf sandwich the next day!  Try it. Let me know what you think.  You do NOT have to serve it with all the items seen in this shot.  But steamed green beans are pretty tasty!!!  Boxed potato mixes, not so much.  

Family Favorites-Turkey and Roasted Vegetables with Cous Cous

I cannot begin to tell you where I got this recipe, whether I made it up myself or if I saw it in a magazine...I just don't know.  I do, however, know that it was the first dish I ever made using ground turkey. It has become the most popular menu item in our household....both the kids love it and it has served us well over the years. It was also one of the first meals my son learned to cook once he moved out on his own. This makes a mama proud!

There is so much you can do with this, so don't feel confined to follow this recipe precisely, but try it this way once and then see where your mind takes you. Not only is it satisfying, it's HEALTHY! Very low in fat and very high in all the fiber, nutrients and other stuff we need.  Sorry I don't have pictures of the final product, to me, it really is as simple as making a PB&J, so I just never shot pictorial proof.

Try it and let me know what you think!

Ingredients

-1 pkg Jennie-O Extra Lean Ground Turkey Breast

-2-3 zucchini

-2-3 yellow (summer) squash

-3 bell peppers (assorted colors)

-1 white onion

-3 cloves fresh garlic, crushed

-1 TBS extra virgin olive oil

-2 tsp onion powder

-½ tsp kosher salt

-½ tsp coarse ground black pepper

-1 TBS Italian seasoning

-¼ C Mrs. Dash LemonHerb Peppercorn Marinade

-1 TBS low or sodium-free soy sauce

-1 pkg couscous

-1 tsp curry powder

-1 tsp celery seed

-2 TBS fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley, finely chopped

Preparation

Vegetables:

• Preheat oven to 400° F
• Thoroughly wash vegetables
• Cut zucchini and squash into ¼-inch slices
• Core, seed, and cut bell peppers into 1-inch strips
• Peel and cut onion into wedges (Cut in half, halve again, and halve each remaining piece)
• In large mixing bowl combine vegetables, onion powder, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, garlic and olive oil
• Toss until vegetables are evenly coated with oil and seasonings
• Spread over large baking sheet
• Bake for 25-30 minutes, stirring once for even roasting.

Turkey

• Begin turkey preparation as soon as vegetables are in oven
• In skillet, brown turkey on medium heat
• Once turkey is crumbled, after 5 minutes or so, add marinade and soy sauce, stirring well to coat meat
• Stir often and remove from heat when most liquid has evaporated, but don’t overcook, or turkey will be dry and hard.

Couscous

• While turkey is browning, start couscous.
• Following package directions, bring water to boil on high heat.
• Add curry powder, celery seed, and parsley to water as it heats.
• Once water is boiling, add couscous, and stir thoroughly to incorporate spices.
• Do NOT leave on heat, as couscous will boil and explode.
• Remove from heat, and cover. Let sit until ready to serve, then fluff with a fork to combine all the added ingredients.

Presentation

You can combine turkey and vegetables, or plate them separately. Here, we just pile everything on top of the cous cous and leave the fancy presentations to the gourmet chefs. However, roasted vegetables quickly lose heat so it’s best not to remove them from oven until you are ready to eat. Serve with soy sauce.

This dish serves four to five people. Very low in fat, yet packed full of flavor, this is a quick, easy and versatile meal that you can use often. For different variations, change up the vegetables used for roasting, use any other flavor of Mrs. Dash Marinade, or serve with sticky rice instead of couscous.

It's Bean A While...

I know. I fairly dropped off the face of the earth for a while. Got a job outside the hermit cave and thusly all my assorted writing and cooking and general musings took a back seat. But now, I am BACK!  Maybe not better than ever, but more ready than ever to....

I am [in the process of ] revamping. I've got some rearranging to do, some rewrites to accomplish and some new stuff to add. In the meantime, feel free to read through the archives and follow me, via all the usual social media suspects so you'll know when there's something new to view. Failing that.....