Mediterranean Turkey Burgers

I made this recipe in late spring/early summer, and am just now getting it posted. Enjoy!

Recipe From: Cooking Light Magazine

Ingredients & Directions: Click link above.

Rating: Yummy!
Warming Up: The patties warm up fine.
Notes:
I don't care for the taste of arugula, so I used different toppings.
Use any leftover pitas to make Pita Salad with Tomatoes, Cucumber, and Herbs.

Upside-Down Pizza Remix

This weekend I decided to revisit the Upside-Down Deep Dish Pizza recipe. I really liked the original way of making it, but thought I'd switch it up a little this time.

The changes I made:

• added green onions to the meat and cooked them a little before adding the sauce
• mixed low-fat ricotta cheese with the broccoli instead of using mozzarella on top
• used refrigerated crescent sheet instead of pizza crust
• added sliced tomatoes and a sprinkle of shredded Parmesan cheese to the top before baking

This version did need to bake longer - I'm not sure if it was the crescent rolls topping or the tomatoes on top, but I think I ended up baking at 375 for 35-40 minutes, just check on it while it's baking.

This time the dish was equally as delicious and I used the extra crescent sheet to experiment with appetizer options. Maybe I'll have to do a post about that sometime soon. :)

Lettuce Tacos

A few weeks ago I went to PF Chang's with my brother and his wife. When we were there we had some delicious lettuce wraps. On the way home I thought, "I could make tacos the same way." Tonight was the night I did.

Ingredients:
ground turkey
taco seasoning
green onions
reduced fat cheddar cheese
lettuce (I used green leaf)
---------------
salsa
avocado

Directions:

1. Brown ground meat. Add sliced green onions. Cook until onions are semi-soft.
2. Follow directions on taco seasoning.
3. Wash lettuce leaf and pat dry.
4. Top with meat mixture, cheese, and any other taco toppings you like.
5. Wrap lettuce around inside ingredients before eating.

Rating: pretty good, just have to get your brain around the fact that there's no shell
Warming Up: just warm up the meat like you would a normal taco...should warm up fine.
Notes:

• I feel that this recipe has a lot going for it:
• It's healthier than the normal alternative, and if you don't like it the first night you still have everything you need for a nice taco salad.
• The lettuce leaves seem to fit less meat and filling than a taco shell (well, I suppose that depends on the lettuce you use), so there's more calories saved.
• Lettuce tacos are a little messier than normal ones, so maybe you'll eat less because you won't want to get too messy.
• Also, since you're saving some fat, calories, carbs, etc., there's room for dessert. :)
• Next time I'll probably pair it with Apple Straws - one of my new favorite snacks. (I feel a future blog entry coming on...)

WW PointsPlus*: the only points here are the cheese and meat mixture so it depends on how you make it and what additional toppings you use.

My Turkey Chili

Today was the perfect day to make chili - a big football game on tv and frigid temperatures outside. My recipe for chili changes almost every time I make it, but does have some common ingredients. Below is today's version. (amounts are in italics because that's what changes each time) Also, I tend to "eyeball" the measurements. I don't like a lot of beans in my chili, so today's version had a total of about one can between the two types.


Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey
5 green onions, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes (with onion and garlic)
1/2 can low sodium black beans
1/2 can chili beans (medium sauce)
12 oz low sodium V8 juice
Emeril's Southwest Seasoning
other spices to taste


Directions:

I am a big fan of "less dishes to do, the better," so I make this in one pan.

1. Brown ground turkey, adding spices as desired. (I've found that the ground turkey in a tube falls apart more easily, making it perfect for this recipe. I add garlic at this point - because I add garlic to basically everything.) Drain meat, if needed.
2. Add green onions, tomatoes, and beans. Stir, cooking for a little bit, letting everything get incorporated.
3. Add juice and Emeril's Seasoning (to taste), stir. 
4. Simmer on low heat, stirring occasionally. (Today I let it cook until the game was over - about an hour and a half.)
5. Serve with condiments you like. (for me: light sour cream and cheddar cheese, today: beer bread on the side.)

Rating: I tweak the recipe every time, but it's always tasty!
Warming Up: always warms up nicely.

Upside-Down Deep Dish Pizza

Recipe From: Ragu advertisement

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 jar Ragu Pasta Sauce
1 package (10 oz) frozen, chopped broccoli, thawed and squeezed dry (optional)
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 can (11 oz) refrigerated pizza dough

Directions:

1. Brown ground beef in skillet, drain. Season. Stir in pasta sauce, bring to a boil. Put into a 2-quart baking dish.
2. Top with broccoli, then cheese. Press dough over dish, sealing edges.
3. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes or until crust is golden. Let stand 10 minutes.

Rating: Delizoso! 
Warming Up: Warms up really well, tastes just as good (if not better).
Notes:

• I used ground turkey and reduced fat cheese to make this a little healthier and lower in fat.  And, of course did use broccoli.
• I did not use Ragu sauce, I would suggest using any jar of pasta sauce you like, since this was from a Ragu ad that's why the recipe calls for Ragu.
• I couldn't find a 11 oz pizza crust (only a bigger size), so just discard what you don't need to cover your baking dish.