Great for Passover, or Year Round!

For our second night Passover dinner, we enjoyed dinner with the hubby's sister, her husband, and our three nephews. I cooked up a mix of old and new recipes for us to enjoy. Everything we had for dinner is great for Passover, but would be wonderful any time of the year!

I love to make roasted turkey breast. It is easy and it lends itself well to being creative with flavorings. Using some of the herbs leftover from the lamb recipe and my favorite ingredient for flavoring turkey (oranges) I roasted a flavorful main dish! I used a boneless turkey breast, because it was on sale at the grocery store. My preference is a bone-in breast as it stays more moist, but with a little extra juicing liquid the boneless breast comes out just as well. I followed the cooking instructions in my trusty Joy of Cooking book, so I won't repeat them here. Here's a link to a past turkey breast recipe that I've made - and my best advice is to use an instant read thermometer to check for the appropriate internal temperature.

Roasted Turkey with Sage and Orange

1 orange, sliced into rounds
1 orange, rind removed and juiced
4-6 fresh sage leaves
1-2 sprigs of fresh thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil

In a shallow roasting pan, spread a thin layer of olive oil on the bottom
Arrange the orange slices in a row and place the turkey breast directly on top
Pour the juice from the second orange on top of the turkey breast
Place the orange rind, sage, and thyme on top of the turkey
Season with salt and pepper
Roast until done
Let turkey sit for 15 minutes before slicing

I served the turkey with leftover roasted potatoes from the night before and a delicious mix of roasted white and green asparagus.

For dessert, I found a delicious recipe for Passover Almond Macaroons in Joan Nathan's Quiches, Kugels, and Couscous. I have a few issues with Passover desserts. They can be heavy - and chocolate! We're not huge chocolate lovers here in the Good Cook Doris kitchen which means the standard flourless chocolate cakes won't do it for us. Canned macaroons and boxed Passover cakes aren't bad, but they aren't great either. This recipe was simple and delicious. I consulted my KitchenAid Mixer book for assistance on whipping the egg whites to the correct almost-stiff temperature and channeled my inner pastry chef to try to fold in the almond flour without totally ruining the perfectly whipped egg whites. I'm happy to say that these were a success! With only 4 ingredients these macaroons are the perfect light treat to whip up anytime!

Passover Almond Macaroons
Adapted from Joan Nathan in Quiches, Kugels, and Couscous

4 large egg whites
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 cups almond flour
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (I had 2 baking sheets)
In a small bowl, mix sugar and almond flour together well
Add egg whites to the bowl of an electric mixer
Whip until almost-stiff peaks (stands up straight when whisk is lifted, but not too stiff)
Fold sugar and almond flour mixture into the egg whites in three batches
Drop teaspoons of batter onto the baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes, or until just dry (mine took closer to 20 minutes)

A look at the golden brown bottom of the macaroon:

All the Flavor of Thanksgiving…Not the Way You’d Expect

Before I write my next post in the Local Luxury Dinner Party series, I wanted to share my fun dinner!

I have been working hard to plan meals for the week and get a lot of cooking done on Sundays. This takes away the stress of thinking of something to make every night and frees up more time for homework (well, maybe twitter and some TV watching too). Today when I pulled out my notebook to plan, I decided that I wouldn’t consult any cookbooks. I wanted to be creative and come up with my own ideas for the week.

When we get lazy about planning around here, we end up eating a lot of red meat. I love to cook brisket, burgers, you name it. But for the sake of the hubby’s cholesterol, we’ve decided to have a non-red meat at home month. So that leaves us to decide on some alternative proteins. Since Thanksgiving is quickly approaching, I’ve been craving roasted turkey. When I checked out turkey breasts at Whole Foods last week I almost passed out from sticker shock. $55 for a turkey breast?!? That’s nuts! So we opted for chicken and tofu for our proteins last week.

I still had a hankering for turkey when I started planning today. I went through the ingredients in the fridge first for inspiration and remembered that I had a container of cranberries ready to be turned into sauce. With cranberry sauce in mind, I started daydreaming about Thanksgiving dinner. To me that means lots of my grandmother’s dressing (aka stuffing) with a little turkey and fixings. I figured that turkey breast would still be pricey, so I arrived on the idea of turkey + stuffing meatballs served with cranberry sauce. I picked up some pre-made stuffing mix (sacrilegious in my family), a pound of ground white meat turkey, and fresh celery. Those three ingredients set me back about $12. Added in with the ingredients I had at home, this meal didn’t break the bank. For the two of us, this will be two meals.

I used a cranberry sauce recipe from the last issue of Gourmet Magazine. The sauce, a mix of cranberries and apples, was a hit at our holiday celebration last year. I have to confess, I made mashed potatoes from a box to serve on the side. I had the box leftover from when I made a King Arthur recipe calling for instant mashed potatoes. I shouldn’t feel bad about boxed potatoes, but I usually write about local, fresh, and homemade!

The verdict on the meal? Delicious! I will definitely be making this again. Next time I’ll use a little more stuffing and add in extra poultry seasoning for a little more flavor. I think it would be fun to make the meat mixture into patty shapes and serve them on fresh kaiser rolls with cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes. Or maybe potato rolls…. So many possibilities!

I had to laugh, as I sat down to eat I pulled out the latest Saveur to peruse. In reference to my dinner, I had to make an edit to the cover:

Thanksgiving Meatballs served with fresh cranberry sauce with apple (and instant mashed potatoes)
Makes 12 2” meatballs

1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1 cup stuffing mix + a little extra (I used Whole Foods chicken flavor)
1/3 cup finely diced celery
1 lb. ground white meat turkey breast

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil (I used cooking spray on the foil to prevent sticking)
Mix egg and milk together in a large bowl
Add in celery and 1 cup stuffing and mix, making sure to moisten the stuffing
Add in turkey and mix using your hands, be careful not to over mix (you’ll end up with dense meatballs)
If the mixture is too wet, add in a little more stuffing
Form into 2 inch balls and place on the greased baking sheet
Bake for 20-25 minutes, turning over halfway through the cooking time

Cranberry Sauce with Apple
Adapted from Gourmet Magazine, November 2009

16 oz. fresh cranberries, washed
1-2 apples (I used Fortune apples), peeled, cored, and diced into 1/2 in cubes
1 cup sugar
1 cup water

Combine water, sugar, cranberries, and diced apples in a medium saucepan
Bring to a boil over medium-high heat
Cook over medium-high heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring constantly
The cranberries will burst and the mixture will begin to thicken (like cranberry sauce!)
You can serve immediately with the meatballs, or to make a nice presentation, line a loaf pan with plastic wrap and spray the plastic wrap with cooking spray
Spoon the sauce into the loaf pan, cover with the plastic wrap and chill for at least 3 hours
Invert the loaf pan onto the plate and slice for serving

Instant Mashed Potatoes
Follow the directions, and if you really want to be gourmet, follow the microwave directions. I did use delicious Kerry Gold butter from Ireland to add flavor.

Serve and enjoy! I’m looking forward to leftovers tomorrow.

Summary:
Prep time: 15-20 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes total (20 minutes meatballs, 15 minutes cranberry sauce, 2 minutes mashed potatoes)
Mixing bowls, spatulas, baking sheet, measuring cups, medium saucepan, microwave safe bowl, serving utensils and plates

Thanksgiving, Part Two

We had a delicious Thanksgiving dinner in November, but my brother-in-law, sister-in-law, and new nephew couldn't make it in for the holiday. Fast forward a few months and they packed up the baby and headed east for a visit.

I decided to make them a Thanksgiving dinner to make up for their missed meal. With a smaller crowd, it was a little easier to get everything cooked and ready in just a few hours. I scaled back the menu (only 4 components instead of 8+).

To start, I whipped up a quick and easy mustard-dill white bean dip served with veggies and pita crackers. The menu for dinner was my grandmother's southern style dressing (stuffing), roasted ginger-maple root vegetables, cranberry sauce, and roasted turkey breast. To the dismay of my guests, I didn't have time to make the pumpkin and pecan pies from Thanksgiving. Instead, I made a tasty apple crisp with a recipe from my friend Megan over at Delicious Dishings.

When I make turkey breast, I usually like to flavor it with orange juice and fresh orange slices. For this version, I decided to use the blood orange marmalade I picked up at the winter farmer's market. I also used the marmalade to make a quick gravy.

This was a manageable meal to make on the weekend. The turkey and stuffing cook at the same temperature. The vegetables can be cooked first, and then reheated just before serving. Here are the recipes for you to try:

Mustard-Dill White Bean Dip
2 cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 cloves garlic, peeled (more if you like it strong!)
2 tablespoons prepared mustard-dill sauce (or, Dijon mustard + dill)
1/4 - 1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Place garlic, beans, and mustard-dill sauce into a food processor
Pulse and stream in olive oil until desired consistency
You can serve immediately, or let chill for at least an hour to let the flavors develop

Roasted Turkey Breast with Blood Orange Gravy

Printable Recipes

2 turkey breasts, skin on
1/4 cup blood orange marmalade
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning (or sage & thyme)
Salt and Pepper
Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Rinse and pat the turkey breasts dry
Cut 1" slits across the top of the breast into the skin with a small paring knife
Using your hands, rub marmalade into all the slits
Using your hands, rub olive oil all over the turkey breasts, making sure to coat well
Sprinkle salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning over the turkey breasts
Place the breasts into a foil-lined roasting pan
Cook uncovered at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes per pound, or until the internal temperature reaches 170 degrees (use a meat thermometer)
Remove from the oven and let rest for 20 minutes before slicing

Quick Blood Orange Gravy
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2-3 tablespoons blood orange marmalade
Pan drippings from roasting pan

Pour all ingredients into a small sauce pan over medium-high heat
Bring to a boil and cook for about 5-8 minutes until marmalade has dissolved
Serve hot

Marilyn's Southern Style Dressing
Makes 1 9"x13" pan (enough for 2, 4, or 6 depending on the crowd)

1 loaf sandwich bread (I used whole-wheat potato, challah is the best)
1 stick of butter, melted
2-3 medium yellow onions, diced
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup carrot, chopped
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1.5 tablespoons poultry seasoning
Black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Melt butter in a large bowl in the microwave on high for 3 minutes
Add celery and carrots to the bowl and mix, microwave on high for 10 minutes
Add seasoning and mix well
Cube bread into a large bowl (you can cut or tear by hand)
Add vegetables, eggs, and chicken broth to the bread and mix gently
Pour into 9"x13" pan and spread evenly
Dot the top with pats of butter
Bake uncovered for 1.5 hours, basting with chicken stock for the last half hour
Serve hot

Roasted Maple-Ginger Root Vegetables
Adapted from Food and Wine Magazine

1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
4 parsnips, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
2 tablespoons minced ginger
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 cup pecans
Salt and Pepper
(I also threw in a few sprigs of rosemary)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees
Spread the pecans on a baking sheet and toast for 2-3 minutes (be careful not to burn them)
Remove from the oven and set aside
Toss the vegetables with the olive oil, nutmeg, and salt and pepper
Spread in a single on a large baking sheet (or 2)
Roast for 30 minutes until just starting to brown
Sprinkle with ginger, maple syrup, and pecans
Continue to roast for about 20 minutes
Serve immediately, or reheat for a few minutes before serving

Apple Crisp
For the full recipe, click over to Delicious Dishings. Megan made cute mini-crisps in a number of small baking dishes. I used one large casserole dish for easy cleaning. I followed her recipe (but forgot the vanilla and orange juice by mistake). It was scrumptious and a perfect ending to a great dinner!

Two Meals - Turkey Burgers with Tomato & Spinach and Ravioli with fresh sauce

This week I stopped at the store mid-week after work to pick up some ingredients for dinner. We'd already had beef for a few dinners, so I was looking for another source of protein for dinner. I asked the hubby for suggestions, and he mentioned chicken Florentine (we had some spinach in the fridge). For some reason, I just wasn't interested in chicken for dinner. Looking at the meat case, I saw that ground turkey breast was on sale. Turkey burgers are not a regular item on our menu, but I decided to give them another try.

Knowing we had spinach in the fridge, I thought about making a Mediterranean style burger with the spinach, tomato and feta. I picked up the ingredients along with some foccacia style buns and marinated olives then headed home to get cooking.

Sticking with the Mediterranean theme, I made a quick cucumber salad with some leftover mint (from the fresh rolls), minced red onion, and a little olive oil and vinegar.

I like at least three components with dinner, so I needed one more dish on the side. I found some red lentils in my pantry while digging around and put those on the stove while making the burgers. I completely overcooked the lentils and they came out extra mushy. I mixed in some balsamic vinegar and the hubby really like them. Next time I'll try this recipe and watch the pot a little better!

For the burgers, I put a little of the topping in the burger and then topped them with the same ingredients. Turkey burgers are quick cookers - so don't forget to watch the pan while you cook. Read down past the recipe to see what I did with the leftover spinach and tomatoes.

Mediterranean Turkey Burgers
Makes 2 Burgers

Printable Recipe

1/2 pound ground turkey breast (white meat turkey)
1 teaspoon Greek seasoning (I have a blend - salt, garlic, oregano, thyme, onion)
1 tablespoon crumbled Feta cheese
1/4 cup spinach and tomato (see recipe below)

Heat a little oil in a medium non-stick skillet over medium heat
Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl
Divide into two patties
Cook the patties for about 2-3 minutes per side, until cooked through

Spinach and Tomatoes
Inspired by a post on Playing House
1 small plastic container of cherry tomatoes
3-4 handfuls of fresh spinach, chopped
Salt
Olive Oil

Heat a small amount of olive oil in a small-medium skillet over medium heat
Add spinach and a little salt to the pan and cook until just wilted, set aside
Add the tomatoes and a little salt to the pan and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes (until they squish when you press on them)
Remove from the heat and set aside
Serve as a topping or side dish to the burgers.

Serve the burger on your favorite roll with the sides!

Summary for burgers and spinach/tomatoes
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: Spinach/tomato: 15 minutes; Burgers: 10 minutes
Skillets, knives, cutting board, bowl, utensils

Meal 2: Ravioli with Fresh Spinach, Tomato, Basil Sauce

We had plenty of spinach and tomato left over after dinner. I turned it into a quick fresh sauce for some ravioli. We picked up the grilled asparagus and artichoke ravioli at our local winter farmer's market. I bought some local basil at our warehouse club store (they do carry local products!). I threw it all in the food processor, brought to a quick boil, then simmer.

Added to the ravioli and we had a fresh tasty meal! Remember - you can always turn your leftovers into something tasty (well, most of the time).

Summary:
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 5-10 minutes
Food processor, sauce pan, pasta pot, serving utensils

One Sauce - Two Dishes

In one of my many trips to Whole Foods to enjoy free samples, I came across a brand of barbecue sauce that is a now staple in our house (Angus Sauces). They are a Massachusetts company and their founder was at the store sampling. I picked up one bottle of their traditional sauce and have buying ever since! This trip I picked up a bottle of the Tumbleweed Thai cooking sauce and figured I could find a way to use it for whatever I was making.

We had come home from our weekend trip and had plans to make dinner for a few guests (and about 3 hours to get ready). Instead of coming up with a fancy, complicated menu, I decided to stick with something easy and quick. The menu was chicken breasts marinated in the Tumbleweed Thai sauce served with veggie couscous. Served with a little extra sauce on top, this was a great summer meal. With no AC in the kitchen I am always looking for summer menus that require very little oven or stove time.

This is a couscous dish that I make a lot in the summer. I dice up all the leftover veggies in the fridge, saute them until they are just softened, and then toss them with the warm couscous. You can serve it warm or cool - it's a great make-ahead dish. This version included zucchini and purple and orange bell pepper.

The next night we were still tired from our busy weekend away and didn't feel like cooking. We eat out very rarely on weeknights, so I scanned the pantry and put on my thinking cap. Since I had I only used about half the bottle of sauce on the chicken I decided to incorporate that in dinner. We also had plenty of pasta, some frozen edamame, and some ground turkey breast. I decided to throw it all together for a quick version of a noodle dish that I made last month. The meal required no chopping, just cooking and assembling. It was great and reheated well for lunch the next day. You could easily use leftover chicken or tofu in place of the ground turkey breast. Here's the photo and recipe:

Quick Tumbleweed Thai Noodles
Note: I made about 3-4 servings adjust your quantities as necessary

1/2 package of spaghetti
1/2 pound ground turkey breast
1/2 cup (appx.) frozen edamame (already shelled)
Handful of peanuts
1/2 bottle of Thai Tumbleweed cooking sauce

Spread the peanuts in a single layer on a foil covered toaster pan
Toast for 2-3 minutes, making sure not to burn them
Set aside until later

Boil water for the pasta
Add pasta and edamame to the water and return to a boil
Cook until desired texture (approximately 10 minutes) and drain

While the pasta and edamame are cooking, brown the turkey in a non-stick skillet over medium heat
Drain any excess fat if necessary

In a large bowl, combine the noodles, turkey and edamame
Pour the sauce over the top and toss well
Top each serving with the toasted peanuts

Summary:
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Skillet, pasta pot, serving plates and utensils

Burgers - Two Ways

Our electric bill typically goes down by $20/month in the summer because we are out back grilling instead of baking. Here are two different delicious burger recipes to help you save some money this summer (or really, year round). First up, a twist on the turkey burger. Second, a twist on a cheeseburger.

First up is a Southwest inspired turkey burger served with guacamole and a coucous, quinoa, and orzo blend. As I've mentioned before, we're trying to add more variety into our diet and this is a great addition. One thing to note about the healthiest choice when you are choosing ground turkey: when you go to the store, the healthier choice is ground turkey breast, not just ground turkey. Ground turkey contains both white and dark meat and is not as low cal/low fat as the ground turkey breast.

A few recipe tips: The onions in the burgers help to keep them moist. I tried out a new trick I saw Bobby Flay do - after you form the burger patty, press down in the middle to give it a little indent. When the burgers cook, they usually puff up in the middle. By starting with the indent they will end up flat - not like a baseball. I'm happy to report that this worked. Check out the photo! Now on to the recipe:

Southwest Inspired Turkey Burger
1 lb. ground turkey breast
1/4 of a vidalia onion (helps keep burgers moist)
Handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground chili powder
A few shakes of green (jalapeno) Tabasco sauce
Salt and Pepper

Fire up the grill to medium-high heat
In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients together by hand
Split the mixture into four equal portions
Form four burger patties, pressing down in the middle to give them a little dent
Grill for a few minutes on each side

I toasted our whole wheat hamburger buns on the grill before serving
Top with guacamole and burgers and enjoy!

Summary:
Prep time: 5-10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Cutting board and knife, bowl, plates, grill spatula, grill, and serving dishes

Makes 4 quarter-pound patties


Next up, a Non-Traditional Cheeseburger and Fries

Using another idea from one of the endless food shows I watch on TV, I decided to make a cheeseburger with the cheese inside the burger. We had some leftover mozzarella from the caprese sandwiches that I had for lunch during the week. Using my regular burger recipe, I added the cheese and voila! - a gourmet dinner at home. On the side, I made a delicious batch of no-fry fries. The recipe comes from an issue of a Better Homes and Gardens, "Simply Perfect Dinners" that I've had for a while (I just checked the magazine and the date is Spring 2000). There are 4-5 recipes in there that I always go back to - a great investment for $5.99! Here's the recipe.

Start the fries first, since they take longer than the burgers.

No-Fry Fries (adapted from Better Homes and Gardens)
Non-stick cooking spray
2 large baking potatoes (1 lb. total)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees
Lightly coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray
Cut potatoes lengthwise into thin wedges (I cut these in half again to make shorter fries)
Place the wedges into a ziplock bag and spray them with the non-stick cooking spray
In a small bowl, mix the cheese, paprika, and pepper
Pour the mixture into the ziplock bag, close bag, and toss until potatoes are well-coated
Pour out potatoes onto the baking sheet and arrange them in a single layer
Bake for 15 minutes and then turn the fries over
Bake for another 15 minutes until crisp and fork-tender

Summary:
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Cutting board and knife, ziplock bag, baking sheet, spatula

Nutrition info per serving: 155 calories, 3g total fat, 4mg cholesterol, 103mg sodium, 29g carbohydrates, 3g dietary fiber, 5g protein

Inside-out Sirloin Cheeseburgers
1/2 lb. ground sirloin
About 1 tablespoon diced vidalia onions
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Montreal grill seasoning
2 1-inch squares of mozzarella cheese

Fire up the grill to medium-high
In a bowl, mix the sirloin, onions, Worcestershire, and grill seasoning by hand
Split into two even portions
Take one portion and split into to even pieces
Form each of the two pieces into a patty
Take one patty in your hand, place the mozzarella square in the middle, and top with the second patty
Crimp the edges to seal around the cheese
Repeat with the second portion of meat
You will have 2 quarter-pound burgers to grill
Grill for a few minutes on each side until desired doneness

We served ours with ketchup and mustard, lettuce, and tomato.

Summary:
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 10-15 minutes
Cutting board and knife, bowl, grill, and grilling utensils

Passover Eats - Part 5: Dinner!

The last few nights of Passover got busy with meetings and other things that kept me from the blog. Here are a few more posts about our Passover meals. In honor of the BU Hockey Team going to the national championship game, we had a festive meal on Saturday night. It was colorful and delicious! On the menu: brisket, turkey breast, golden beets and asparagus, and a medley of colorful roasted potatoes. Perfect for leftovers! The brisket and beets were covered in the earlier Passover Posts. The turkey is a pretty easy recipe - just make sure to cook it long enough! I don't have exact measurements - it all depends on the size of the turkey.

Lara's Roasted Turkey Breast
Fresh turkey breast
1 orange, zested and sliced
2-3 tbsp. of butter
Salt
Pepper
A few dashes of poultry seasoning
A splash or two of orange juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Sprinkle some olive oil on the bottom of a roasting pan
Arrange orange slices on the bottom of the pan
Rinse and pat the turkey breast dry
Place the turkey, skin side up on top of the oranges
Make a few slits in the turkey skin
Pour orange juice over the top
Rub butter and orange zest all over the top of the turkey, making sure to get it into the slits under the skin
Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning
Bake for approximately 2 hours (until internal temperature is 170 degrees or indicator pops up)
If the turkey looks like its getting too brown, put a piece of foil over the top

Let rest for 15-20 minutes before slicing.

Summary:
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: Approximately 2 hours
Roasting pan, cutting board, knife, zester, measuring cups

Thursday is Turkey Day!

Cooking in every night means a little extra effort - and can get boring without some variety. I picked up some ground white meat turkey at the store and decided to make some hearty chili with some extras from the pantry. This cooks in about 20-25 minutes and is easy to freeze for future lunches. Serve with cornbread, biscuits, or any bread you like. You can also add in extra veggies if you have them on hand.

Turkey Chili
1 lb. ground white meat turkey
1 can white beans, drained
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 can diced tomatoes
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
2-3 tbsp. tomato paste
Cumin, chili powder, cilantro, salt, pepper
Shredded cheese to top it off

In a large skillet, heat a small amount of olive oil over medium heat.
Add turkey, break up into smaller pieces, and cook until brown - about 5-8 minutes

At the same time...
In a soup pot, heat a small amount of olive oil over medium heat
Add minced garlic and heat for 2-3 minutes
Add both cans of beans and can of tomatoes
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low
Stir in cooked turkey, tomato paste, and spices.
Simmer until it's time to eat - top with shredded cheese and enjoy!

Summary:
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 20-25 minutes
1 skillet, 1 soup pot, can opener, serving dishes and utensils.

A few hours of cooking - food for the week!

When it comes to having easy to bring weekday lunches - it is a struggle. We try to bring lunch everyday, taking in leftovers. This week we had a snowy Sunday forecast and decided to make a turkey breast. The turkey is easy to do - cooks for about 2 hours - and lasts all week! Today is Wednesday and we are still working on finishing it!

Every time I make a turkey breast I do it a little differently. This week was inspired by the other leftover ingredients we had in the fridge.

Roast Turkey Breast with Fresh Cranberry Orange Relish

Fresh Cranberry Orange Relish
1 whole orange, unpeeled, cut into eighths and seeds removed
1 12 oz. bag of fresh cranberries

Place cranberries and oranges in a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is all in small pieces.

Roast Turkey Breast
Turkey breast
1 onion sliced
A few carrots sliced
Relish (from above)
Chicken broth
Olive oil
Poultry seasoning

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Using a roasting pan (or brownie pan, whatever you have), place onions and carrots in the bottom of the pan.
Place turkey breast on top of veggies.
Lift up skin and spread relish underneath.
Pour about 1/2 - 1 cup of chicken broth over the top of the turkey.
Brush turkey with olive oil.
Sprinkle with about 1 tbsp. or so of poultry seasoning.
Place in oven and bake for about 2 hours (until temperature indicator pops up).
Let rest, slice, and eat!

For more photos - click on the album to the right.

Summary:
Prep time - about 15-20 minutes
Cook time -2 hours
1 roasting pan, chopping board and knife, and food processor.