Curry Turkey Pasta Salad and an Update

Where oh, where have we been? Well, we have been continuing our diets, which doesn't always lead to the most exciting of menus. That said, the diet has been going well, Matt is down 34 pounds and I am down 23. I'm not saying we don't still eat well, just not as many fun things to share.

On top of that, we have just gone into contract on a new kitchen...

Ok, not just a kitchen, but the whole loft around it. We are selling our house and moving into Minneapolis's downtown North Loop neighborhood. We are looking forward to being in a walkable neighborhood surrounded by restaurants like Sapor, Borough, Bachelor Farmer, Smack Shack, Black Sheep Pizza, 112 Eatery, Bar La Grassa, and Be'wiched, just to name a few. Uh oh, there goes that diet!

With getting the house cleaned up, preparing for a garage sale and finding a new place to buy, we are looking for quick, satisfying meals these days. Over the weekend we roasted a turkey with friends, so we decided to turn the leftovers into a pasta salad. (You could easily do this with chicken too.) Curry powder gives this salad lots of flavor, carrots and celery add a crunch and golden raisins provide a perfect touch of sweetness. We use light mayo and non-fat yogurt to keep the calories low.

Curry Turkey Pasta Salad

4oz pasta
1 t cider vinegar
4 oz roasted turkey, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1/4 c chopped red onion
2 T golden raisins
2 T plain non-fat yogurt
3 T light mayonaise
2 T skim milk
1 T mild curry powder
salt

Cook the pasta according to directions. Drain and rinse with cold water. Put into a bowl and stir in vinegar. Let sit a few minutes to cool an absorb vinegar.

Mix everything but the salt into the pasta. Taste and add salt as needed.

Chill covered for at least an hour.

2 servings
About 430 calories per serving

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted. © 2007-2013 Kathy Lewinski

Turkey and Wild Rice Hotdish

Here is another great use for those Thanksgiving leftovers. It was inspired by this Fresh Corn with Wild Rice side dish from the Pioneer Woman that we had at Thanksgiving. Actually though, it is really not that similar other than having corn & wild rice in it. To me it tastes like the wild rice topped with cream of mushroom soup I had growing up. As much as I've always loved that this dish is totally a step up.

We really enjoyed this, the sweetness of the corn and the nuttiness of the rice coated in a rich mushroom & cheese sauce were perfect on a cold rainy evening. I chose dried mushrooms instead of fresh so I could use the flavorful soaking water to make the sauce, it really boosts the mushroom flavor. For the cheese I used a goat's milk cheddar which has just the slightest goat cheese tang to it but is not overpowering at all.

As a preview to this Friday's Iron Foodie post, I'll let you know that the dried porcini mushrooms came in my package from Marx Foods. Since I used them in this they will not be one of the ingredients in my entry.

Turkey & Wild Rice Hotdish

1/3 c wild rice (use the real thing please!)
1 oz dried porcini mushrooms
1 c boiling water
1 c frozen corn
1 c cooked turkey, chopped or shredded
1 T unsalted butter + extra for dotting the top
2 T all-purpose flour
1/4 c cream
1/2 T sherry
1/2 t dried thyme
1/2 t kosher salt
freshly ground pepper
1/2 oz white cheddar, chopped
panko

Put the wild rice in a small saucepan with 1 2/3 c water & bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat & simmer until tender, about 45 minutes. Drain any excess water.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Put the dried mushrooms in a small bowl & cover with the cup of boiling water. Let sit until the mushrooms are tender, about 15 minutes. Remove the mushrooms, reserving the soaking liquid & chop them

Mix the wild rice, corn, turkey & chopped mushrooms together in a small casserole or baking dish.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the flour. Cook while stirring for 1 minute. Whisk in 3/4 cups of the soaking liquid 1/4 cup at a time, try to leave any sediment behind. Whisk in the cream, sherry, thyme, salt & a few grinds of pepper. Stir until hot & slightly thickened. Add the cheese & stir until melted. Taste for seasoning & adjust as needed.

Pour the sauce over the rice & turkey mixture. Stir to coat everything. Top with a sprinkling on panko & then dot with little pieces of butter.

Bake for 30 minutes until hot & bubbly.

Makes 2 - 3 servings

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted. © 2007-2010 Kathy Lewinski

Turkey and Squash Risotto

It's time to find recipes for all that leftover turkey, well, the pieces too small for sandwiched anyway.

This one is also a great use for any leftover roast squash you might have as well. We like it because it doesn't taste too much like Thanksgiving dinner all over again.

Hope everyone is having a great holiday weekend!

Turkey & Squash Risotto

2 c winter squash, peeled & cut into 1/2-inch cubes (we used delicata but butternut would be great)
1 1/2 T olive oil
kosher salt
3 c chicken or turkey stock
1 slice bacon, chopped
1 small onion, peeled & chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled & minced
3/4 c arborio rice
1/2 c white wine
1/2 t dried thyme
1/2 t kosher salt
fresh ground pepper
1 c chopped, cooked turkey
2 T grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Put the squash into a small roasting pan. Add 1 T olive oil & stir to coat the squash. Sprinkle with a little salt. Roast for 15 minutes or until the squash is just tender. Set aside.

Put the stock into a saucepan & bring to a simmer. Keep simmering throughout cooking.

In another large saucepan, heat the 1/2 T olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chopped bacon & cook until crisp. Remove to a paper towel to drain & set aside.

Add the onion & garlic to the pan & sauté until the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium-low. Add the rice & stir for about 1 minute. Add the white wine & cook white stirring until all the liquid is absorbed. Add the stock 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until each addition is absorbed before adding the next. (The rice should be tender with just a bite at the middle at the end. If it isn't use more stock or some water.) With the last addition add the thyme, 1/2 t salt, a few grinds of few pepper, bacon, squash, turkey & cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted & everything is heated through.

Makes 2 - 3 servings

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted. © 2007-2010 Kathy Lewinski

Turkey Cooking with the Big Easy

You may remember about a month ago we cooked a couple chickens with a Big Easy Oil-less Infrared Turkey Fryer. The results were really wonderful & we promised to try a turkey & let you all know about it. So, a week ago we got a turkey breast & invited some friends over for fakesgiving.


It was incredibly easy to cook the turkey in the Big Easy. We started the day before by coating the 6 lb turkey breast in a salt rub.

Salt Rub
adapted from Bon Appetit

3 T kosher salt
1/2 T dried oregano
1 1/2 t dried lemon peel
1 1/2 t garlic powder
1 1/2 t ground pepper
1 1/2 t dried sage

Then we let the salt rubbed turkey sit in the fridge for 24 hours. When we were ready to roast the turkey we just rinsed off the rub, put the turkey in the fryer basket & were ready to go. Are you ready for our first video....

The turkey turned out beautiful. Juicy on the inside, golden brown & crispy on the outside. It cooked much quicker than in the oven plus freed up the oven to cook other parts of dinner.

All & all we'd say a great way to cook a turkey.

Disclaimer: I was given a Big Easy Infrared Turkey Fryer & Flip video camera from Char Broil through the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program to try. I was not reimbursed in any other way or told what to write about my experiences.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted. © 2007-2010 Kathy Lewinski

Turkey Chili

Chili is really one of our cold weather food staples. We often make a big pot for dinner on the weekend & then eat leftovers for lunch the rest of the week.

The wonderful thing about chili is you really can play with whatever ingredients you have on hand. This one was made from some left over turkey meat we had in the freezer. We keep lots of different kinds of dried beans in our pantry & like to mix two together for color & taste (for this chili we used navy beans & Rancho Gordo Vaqueros, a favorite of ours for chili). We use our own canned tomatoes in this chili but love to use the Muir Glen Fired Roasted Tomatoes as well. Another favorite ingredient in our chili is beer, it just gives it that added something. This is another flavor you can really alter by using different types of beer from light to dark (We really like Sessions Black for making chili.).

Topping can be whatever you like but my favorite is just a dollop of plain non-fat yogurt. It has less calories that sour cream but adds the same creaminess & tang (it also helps me cool things down when Matt adds a little too much spice to the chili for me!).

Turkey Chili

1 c dried beans
1 T olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
6 small or 3 large jalapenos, seeded & chopped
2 red bell peppers
1 1/2 t ground cumin
1 1/2 t dried oregano
1/2 t chili powder
2 c cooked turkey or chicken meat, shredded or chopped
14 1/2 oz crushed tomatoes
12 oz beer (we used a pale ale)
1/4 c tomato paste
salt

Put the beans & 3 cups water in a large pot & bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes. Turn off heat, cover & let sit for one hour. Turn heat back on & bring to a simmer. Let simmer covered for about 1 - 1 1/2 hours. You want the beans to be tender but not mushy.

In a large soup pot heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions & cooked until tender & translucent. Add jalapenos, peppers, cumin, oregano and chili powder. Cook while stirring for about 3 minutes. Stir in the turkey. Add the beer, tomatoes & beans. Cover, turn heat down to a simmer. Let simmer for at least 1/2 hour to let spices blend. (We let ours simmer for 3 hours.)

5 - 6 servings

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.
© 2007-2009 Kathy Lewinski

Turkey Yakitori Burgers

Our local grocery store gives away a free magazine called Real Food. We picked it up a couple weeks ago & were surprised at how much we wanted to make from it, especially some unusual grilling recipes. This week we tried the Ground Turkey Yakitori.

The recipe had versions for serving this over rice or as a burger. We did the burger version. This was an incredibly tasty burger. There is plenty of binder to hold the turkey together (often an issue with turkey burgers). The Sweet Soy Glaze has a wonderful sweet/salty flavor, it was good on the burgers, onions & mixed into mayonnaise. Matt liked the mayo version as a dip for his roasted potatoes. This is not a flavor combination you'd usually expect for a grilled burger but it really works.


Turkey Yakitori Burgers
(adapted slightly from Real Foods)

1/2 - 3/4 lb ground turkey
1/2 t garlic, minced
1 t fresh ginger, minced
1 T chopped spring onion (or scallion), white part only (we chopped the greens & put them in with roasting potatoes
1/2 t honey
1/2 T soy sauce
2 T well-beaten egg
1 t corn starch
1/2 t salt
1/4 t black pepper

Sweet Soy Glaze

1/4 c Mirin wine or sweet sherry (I used regular sherry & a teaspoon of sugar)
1/4 c soy sauce
1 T maple syrup
1 T brown sugar
2 t fresh ginger, minced
2 T lemon juice
1 t cornstarch
1 T cold water

6 spring onions, trimmed & cut to about 8-inches long
1/4 c mayonnaise

In a small saucepan bring the Mirin, soy sauce, maple syrup, brown sugar, ginger & lemon juice to a boil. Mix the cornstarch & water together to dissolve the cornstarch. Stir into the boiling mixture. Let boil for about 15 minutes until thickened. Set aside to cool. Once cooled mix 1 T of the glaze into the mayonnaise & set aside to top the burgers.

Mix all the burger ingredients together with your hands & form into two patties. Grill over medium-high heat for 3 minutes per side. Brush with glaze & flip. Grill 2 more minutes. Brush with glaze & flip again cooking 2 more minutes.

When the burgers have about 5 minutes left put the onions on the grill & brush them with the glaze. Grill until they are soft.

Brush both the burgers & onions with glaze once more before serving.

Serve the burgers on rolls (sesame would be good) topped with the mayonnaise & lettuce. The onions can be eaten on the side or on the burgers.

Serves 2

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.
© 2007-2009 Kathy Lewinski

Smoked Turkey Breast

This past weekend Sunday was my birthday & we decided to spend the day smoking a turkey breast on the grill. It was a perfect day for sitting in the sun and drinking a beer with the smell of apple wood smoke wafting around us. We debated whether to cook the turkey on the rotisserie or smoke it but I'm glad smoking won because the flavor was really amazing.

We brined the turkey overnight which helped it stay nice & moist. The herb wet rub, along with melted butter basted on while smoking, gave it an incredible color and flavor as well as a crispy skin. The smoke flavor really penetrates the meat.

As good as it was warm I think it might even be better later on cold. We've been enjoying it on sandwiches & in a pasta salad.

Smoked Turkey Breast

1 turkey breast, with bone, about 6 lbs

Turkey Brine

10 c water
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c soy sauce
1/2 c kosher salt
1 t cayenne pepper

In a container large enough to fit the turkey breast mix together the brine ingredients. Stir to dissolve the salt & sugar. Put the turkey in the pot, cover & place in the refrigerator. Let sit for at least 8 hours.

Remove the turkey from the brine. Rinses & dry.

Wet Rub

2 T brown sugar

2 T kosher salt

1 T paprika

2 t mustard powder

2 t dried sage

2 t dried thyme

1 t dried marjoram

1 t garlic powder

1 t onion powder

1 t ground black pepper

2 T olive oil

Combine all the ingredients together in a small bowl to make a paste. Add more olive oil if it seems to dry.

Rub all over the turkey including under the skin.

Smoking
(These instructions are for smoking on a gas grill. I imagine you can do a similar method with a charcoal grill or smoker but since we don't have either I don't know the exact instructions.)

Apple (or other fruit) wood chips
melted butter

Soak the wood chips

Heat the grill to about 300 F with the flames only on one side. Add the wood chips in a smoker box to that side. Let them heat
until they start to smoke then put the turkey in the side of the grill with no flame.

Let the turkey smoke for about 3 hours or (30 minutes per pound), basting with melted butter occasionally.

Add more wood chips to the box as needed. Smoke until the turkey reaches 165 F. Let rest about 10 minutes before carving.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.
© 2007-2009 Kathy Lewinski

Peanut Turkey Burger

Oh my gosh, this was one heck of a burger!

Matt loves the Turkey Burger at the Edina Grill & it inspired him to try making his own version at home. Don't be scared by the peanut butter in it, with the other seasonings it adds a decidedly Asian flavor & a wonderful texture. I really like Matt's Sea Salt & Thyme Burger but this burger has moved to the top of the of the burger list.

We topped this burger with a garlic mayo which Matt made by mixing 2 - 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise with one minced garlic clove & a drop or two of Sriracha for color.

Peanut Turkey Burger

1 medium carrot, julienned
1 scallion, chopped
1/8 t ground ginger
1 t kosher salt
10 oz ground turkey
1 1/2 T chunky peanut butter
1/4 t sesame oil
1/2 t sriracha chili sauce

Place all the ingredients together in a bowl. Work with hands to mix but to do overwork.

Cook on a griddle (turkey burgers tend not to hold together well on a grill) until done, about 6 to 7 minutes per side.

Serve with lettuce leaves, more julienned carrots & garlic mayo.

Makes 2 burgers

In case you are wondering the fries on the side are baked sweet potato fries. Super easy & good for you.