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Turkey Meatballs and Zucchini Noodles

10/20/2014

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It's Kids Clothes Week, so family and house will be de-prioritized for seven days.  Sorry, sweeties!  Fortunately, I have a stash of yummies in the freezer for family dinners.  This is one of our favorites, and when I make it fresh, I always freeze half of the meatballs and sauce for another time.  This is how they come out of the freezer:
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You can find the recipe here. 
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 Instead of pasta, I like to serve these with zucchini noodles.  I have a new toy, the Spriralizer.
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It produces wonderful noodles from any vegetable. 
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If you're not a fan of slimy zucchini (who is, I wonder?) try this trick: Sprinkle the zucchini with salt and let sit for an hour or so.  It draws a bunch of the water out for a firmer "noodle."  See how much water I was extracted by the salt (below)?  For you smoothie lovers, don't throw away the zucchini water -- save it as a boost in your breakfast treat.
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To cook, simply sauté in a little butter, olive oil, or pesto.  Serve with meatballs. 

Blessings!
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Juicy, Tangy Turkey Burgers

4/25/2014

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After many attempts and failures, I have found the 3 secrets to a juicy turkey burger:
1.  Don't use the leanest ground turkey -- the 85% lean / 15% fat is still healthy, but you do need that fat.
2.  Add FRESHLY ground bread crumbs and egg to keep the moisture in
3.  Let the burgers stand 5-10 minutes, so the juice can evenly reincorporate back into all the meat.

Ingredients:

1 small red onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup fresh soft bread crumbs (don't use the dry bread crumbs, or your burgers will be rubbery)
2 tablespoons BBQ sauce
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper 
2 pounds ground turkey -- 85% lean / 15% fat

Instructions:
Cook onion and garlic in olive oil until very tender. Place in large bowl and cool 10 minutes. Add bread crumbs, BBQ sauce, egg, salt, and  pepper, and mix well. Work in turkey with your hands until combined. Form into 
patties (or 14 silders).  Refrigerate patties 3 hours. Grill or saute until done, turning once, until internal temperature reaches 170 degrees F.  Top with cheese; cover and let stand until cheese melts.

Yields 8 burgers or 14 sliders

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Turkey Thigh Tray Bake

9/26/2012

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Turkey thighs are one of the most economical cuts of poultry, and they are DE-LISH.  This is an easy tray bake recipe I developed, inspired by Jamie Oliver's recipe (here).   NOTE:  You'll need to brine the thighs for 2 days ahead of baking.

Ingredients:
2 turkey thighs, with bone and skin
Olive oil
Brining water/addititves (see technique here)
Baby Yukon Gold potatoes, cooked until tender
Marniated tomatoes with their marinade juice
6 garlic cloves, peeled
Smoked sausage, sliced (I use about half of a package of Pederson's Sweet
German Smoked Sausage
) 
Maple syrup
   
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Instructions:
Brine the turkey thighs in a brine mixture for 2 days. Drain brined turkey and pat dry.  Heat a cast iron skillet to medium-high heat with a glug of olive oil. Brown the thighs, skin side down.  You'll know they are ready when they no longer want to stick to the pan.  Set aside.  They will not be done -- that's okay.  We're gonna bake 'em.  
 

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Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  In a baking pan, line the bottom with the cooked potatoes, the tomatoes, the garlic and the slices of smoked sausage.  Pour the marinade from the tomatoes over all. 

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Make a well for each of the turkey thighs, and put the thighs, skin down, in the wells.  Drizzle liberally with maple syrup.  Bake for 45 minutes, until thighs register 170 degrees internal temp.  If the juices that run out are clear, the turkey is done. If you see any red tinge of blood, keep cooking for a little longer.

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