Turkey Stuffed Zucchini Boats

I have been experimenting with healthier meals recently and this was one of my awesome recipe finds! I found it on Pinterest and it is from Recipe Girl which is written by Lorie Lane. Her website is full of amazing recipes and beautiful pictures! Hop on over and check it out - I'll still be here when you get back.

This recipe is great because you can really mix it up by varying the meat, the vessel, the cheese etc. Be creative and try different combinations!

Here is my version of the recipe - I stuck pretty close to Lorie's version and just changed a couple things based on personal preference and what I had on hand. You can check out the original recipe here.

Turkey Stuffed Zucchini Boats
Recipe minimally adapted from Recipe Girl

Ingredients:

• Four medium zucchini, ends trimmed then cut in half lengthwise
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 3 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 1 lb hot Italian turkey sausage
• 1/2 cup tex mex shredded cheese blend
• 3/4 cup roasted garlic marinara sauce
• 3 tbsp. fresh basil, finely chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a baking tray with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Use a small spoon to hollow out the zucchini halves - don't scrape all the way to the skin, just hollow out a nice spot to put your stuffing. Place pulp onto your cutting board, roughly chop it up and place it in a medium bowl.
3. Place a medium skillet over medium heat. Add sausage, zucchini pulp, and onions. Sauté until onions are soft and sausage is cooked through and starting to brown. Add garlic and stir until fragrant. Pour mixture through fine mesh sieve to drain off excess moisture from zucchini and any oil from the sausage. Transfer meat mixture to a medium bowl. Add all but two tbsp. of the cheese to the meat mixture, along with the marinara sauce and the basil. Stir til combined adding salt and pepper to taste if desired.
4. Divide meat mixture between hollowed out zucchini, mounding each one and pressing firmly into cavity. Set the filled zucchini halves on prepared baking dish and sprinkle with remaining two tbsp. of cheese - adding extra cheese if desired.
5. Bake in preheated oven 30 minutes or until zucchini boats are tender.

 The original recipe called for one full cup of cheese, but since I'm trying to eat healthier and consume less fat, I cut that amount down. You can add the full amount of cheese if you're not as calorie conscious (seriously jealous right now if you're that person).

 Next time I make this recipe I am going to sauté some mushrooms as well and mix them in with the meat mixture to add a little extra bulk! But overall we really, really enjoyed this recipe and I will definitely be making it again in the near future.

Happy Cooking my Friends!

Curry Turkey Burgers with Mango Chutney



Happy Saturday peeps! Hope your weekend is off to a good start. I've been racking my brain trying to come up with a "healthy" post for you this week after my healthy mac and cheese was an epic fail... I guess some things just aren't meant to be low fat and healthy right?! Is that the wrong attitude to have? Maybe I just need a better recipe... Any way, I was browsing through some of my instagram photos and found this one (apologies for the quality of the photo... I still haven't got the hang of taking photos with my iPhone yet) of Curry Turkey Burgers with Mango Chutney and an Asian Slaw Salad. This is definitely a lightened up burger and the asian slaw salad is a delicious substitute from ceasar salad or french fries. So this is going to constitute my healty post for the week - fitting into the light/ lower-fat category.

Even my hubby who has an aversion to lightened up versions of his favorite foods, really liked these burgers, so I am convinced that even your toughest critics will love these burgers and ask you for seconds. Oh yeah, and they're easy and quick to make, so its a win win situation. What are you waiting for? Whip these up tonight and feel good about your dinner.

Curry Turkey Burgers with Asian Slaw

Recipe adapted from Rachael Ray

Ingredients:

For the Burgers

• 1 1/3 lbs lean ground turkey or chicken (I used a combination of both)
• A handful of fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 inch piece fresh ginger, finely minced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• A couple pieces of roasted red peppers, finely chopped
• coarse salt
• 2 tbsp mild curry paste or a handful of curry powder
• Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
• Multigrain buns (4-6)
• lettuce (optional)
• guacamole (optional)
• mango chutney
• Light mayo (optional)

For the Slaw

• 1 package prepared shredded cabbage mix (coleslaw mix)
• 1/4 seedless cucumber, chopped
• 10 fresh basil leaves, shredded

For the Dressing

• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp vegetable/ canola oil

Method:

1. Combine the chicken, cilantro, ginger, garlic, roasted peppers, salt and curry paste in a large bowl. Form into five patties. Brush or drizzle patties on both sides with a tiny bit of olive oil.
2. Pan fry the patties in a non-stick pan for approximately 6 minutes per side, or until cooked through. Pile patties onto buns and top with lettuce, mango chutney and guacamole (maybe not if you're watching your fat intake), and light mayo (again - go easy on this if you're watching your fat intake).
3. For the slaw, combine the cabbage, cucumber and basil in a large bowl. Combine dressing ingredients in a small plastic container and shake vigorously for one minute. Drizzle sauce evenly over vegetables and toss to coat. Let stand for 10 minutes and re-toss salad. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds if desired.   Serve with the turkey burgers.

I'm off to start up on my Saturday kitchen project... top secret productions in preparation for the February Secret Recipe Club!! Woot! Can't wait to share with you. :)

Happy Cooking my Friends!

On the Fifth Day of Christmas... Delicious Turkey

Turkey... for most people Christmas dinner is not complete without it. If the turkey is dry or lacking flavour, dinner is not usually considered a success. Turkey causes the most stress for most people taking on the huge task of cooking Christmas dinner - whether its for your immediate family members or for your extended family plus all of your "closest friends". So its important to start with a great recipe and some awesome tips! Hopefully this post will give you a good start.

And, lets not forget the gravy - it is equally important and can cover a multitude of culinary sins when poured over a plate! It can moisten dry turkey and give flavour to not-so-perfect mashed potatoes! So I've got a great gravy recipe to share with you! It got rave reviews at our Thanksgiving dinner and I know it will be a hit at your Christmas dinner too.

Roast Turkey

Recipe adapted from Canadian Living Everyday Favorites

Ingredients:

• 15 lb turkey (preferably a fresh, never frozen turkey)
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 tsp each dried sage and thyme
• 1 tsp coarse salt & freshly ground pepper
• bacon (about 1/2 a package, but buy a nice big package because you'll want the other half of the bacon to go in your stuffing!)
• fresh thyme, rosemary and sage sprigs
• whole head garlic, cut in half horizontally
• 1/4 of a large onion, chopped into coarse chunks
• 1/4 of an apple, coarsely chopped
• a few bottles of dark beer (approximately 1/2 a bottle for each 1/2 hour of cooking)

Method:

1. Remove giblets and neck from turkey. Place in large saucepan and set aside.
2. Rinse turkey inside and outside and then pat dry inside and out. Loosely fill cavity with fresh herb sprigs, garlic, onion, and apple chunks. Don't over stuff it. You just want those yummy ingredients in there to give it some delicious flavour. Lift wings and twist under back. Tuck legs under band of skin or tie together with kitchen twine.
3. Immediately place turkey, breast side up, on rack in roasting pan. In small bowl, mix together butter, sage and thyme. Rub over turkey. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Lay strips of bacon over turkey until most of the outside is covered in bacon. Tent with foil, dull side out, leaving sides open.
4. Roast in 325F oven, basting with 1/2 bottle of dark beer every 30 minutes, for 4 hours. Remove foil; roast until meat thermometer inserted in thigh registers 185F, about 1 hour longer. Transfer to cutting board; tent with foil and let stand for 20 minutes before carving.

*Note: This cooking time is for a 15lb stuffed turkey. For details on how long to cook your turkey (based on size and whether or not it is stuffed), please check out the JD farms website. Cooking time makes a big difference in the taste of your turkey, so be sure to keep a close eye on your turkey while it cooks and makes your house smell so delicious!

Gravy
Recipe adapted from Canadian Living Everyday Favorites

Ingredients:

• 4 1/2 cups chicken stock
• half a bottle of dry white wine
• 1 onion chopped
• 1/2 cup each sliced carrot and celery
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour (you might need a bit more)
• 2 tbsp butter
• salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. While the turkey is cooking, to saucepan with turkey parts, add stock, wine, onion, carrot and celery; bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and skim off the fat. Simmer for three hours. Strain into a measuring cup, adding enough wine to make 3 cups.
2. When turkey is done, skim fat off roasting pan. Stir flour into pan; cook over medium heat, stirring for 1 minute. Whisk in stock and bring to boil, stirring to scrape up brown bits; reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Whisk in butter. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Strain if desired.

I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as we do! They are delicious and have become a part of our holiday traditions. I'm sure you are almost ready for Christmas by now... I however am not! I still have much Christmas shopping to do... its on my to-do list for tomorrow. I did get my Christmas cards out today (finally!) though! They may be a day or two late though.

Happy Cooking my Friends!