Spinach Turkey Roll

ETA on 8/9/14: To make this gluten-free, I replaced the 1 cup of bread crumbs with 1/4 cup coconut flour.  

This was delicious, and the presentation was pretty impressive.  I used Jennie-O turkey, which comes in a 1.25-lb tray (as opposed to just 1 pound as the original recipe calls for).  I added parmesan and salt to the mixture for more flavor.  And I don't keep mustard powder in the pantry (though maybe I should), so I used regular Dijon mustard.  I also don't keep wax paper around, so I used aluminum foil to roll the meat mixture.

Spinach Turkey Roll
Taken from this recipe.



Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup marinara sauce
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup grated or shredded parmesan
• 1/2 onion, minced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tray (1.25 pound) ground turkey
• 1/4-ish teaspoon salt
• 1 package (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• olive oil in a mister
• another 1 cup marinara sauce for plating

Directions:

• Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the first 11 ingredients together.
• On a large sheet of aluminum foil (or wax paper), spread the meat mixture out and shape into a large rectangle, a little larger than 12x8 inches, and approximately 1/2-inch thick.  Sprinkle with the spinach and cheese.
• Position the short side of the meat rectangle towards you, and carefully roll up the meat like a jelly roll, peeling the foil away as you go.  Seal the ends and the seam and discard the foil.
• Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.  Transfer the turkey roll to the baking sheet, seam side down, and bake for 50 - 60 minutes until cooked through (internal temperature registers 165 degrees F).
• When the roll is done, heat the remaining 1 cup of marinara sauce.  Slice the turkey roll into individual portions and top with the heated sauce.

Vietnamese Turkey Stuffed Tomatoes

This is based on a Vietnamese favorite of mine growing up. There are as many variations of this as there are Vietnamese moms, and even my version is not exactly like my mom's.  Traditionally this is made with ground pork, but I prefer ground turkey myself.  Serve over brown rice, or whole wheat couscous in the picture below.

Vietnamese Turkey Stuffed Tomatoes

Ingredients:

• 1/4 yellow onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• olive oil 
• 8 - 10 smallish-mediumish tomatoes (about 4" - 5" diameter)
• 1 lb. ground turkey
• fish sauce
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup water

Directions:

• Cut a 2" hole in the top of each tomato and remove all seeds (you can leave the membranes).  Set aside.
• In a large deep skillet, the one you'll use to eventually cook the tomatoes in (you should be able to put a lid on it without squishing the tomatoes, sautee the onion and garlic in a splash of oil, until translucent and fragrant.  Remove from heat.
• In a large bowl, mix ground turkey with the sauteed onion and garlic.  Add fish sauce to taste (I use approx 2 tablespoons).
• Stuff each tomato with turkey mixture.  Over-stuff a little bit to have the pretty seared meat muffin-top (okay, so maybe the words "meat" and "muffin" shouldn't be put next to each other, you get the gist).
• In the skillet you previously used to sautee the onion and garlic, heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil on medium-high heat.
• Place the tomatoes meat-side-down in a single layer in the skillet and sear for a couple of minutes.
• Once the meat side is nicely seared and brown, turn down the heat to medium, add the water and a few more dashes of fish sauce.
• Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes until the meat is thoroughly cooked and the tomatoes are nice and soft but still keep (somewhat) their shape.  (If your tomatoes are bigger, you'll need to add more cook time.)

If you end up having extra turkey mixture after stuffing all your tomatoes, just roll them into little 1" balls and throw them into the pan next to the tomatoes.  They'll cook up nice and tender.

Turkey Meatballs

Pasta is the quick and easy go-to meal in most households.  Made with the proper ingredients, it can be very nutritious as well as yummy.  I always use whole wheat pasta, I switched from the white stuff years ago and have never gone back.  Whole wheat or whole grain anything used to be difficult to find at the grocery store, but nowadays everyone carries at least a couple of options.

I also like to make turkey meatballs instead of beef.  When I do use ground beef, I make sure it's from a leaner cut, like ground sirloin.  And I normally like to add extra veggies to my sauce.  Diced zucchini and carrots work really well, and also button mushrooms.  I'll just throw these into the pot while the meatballs are simmering (earlier for carrots, which take longer to soften, and in the last 15 minutes or so for zucchini or mushrooms, which cook much faster). 

Turkey Meatballs
This is a compilation/adaptation of different recipes I've read over the years.
































Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground turkey*
• 1/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan
• 1 egg, beaten
• a couple teaspoons of Tastefully Simple Italian Garlic Bread Seasoning (or any other Italian seasoning)
• a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce
• olive oil
• 1 jar Trader Joe's Organic Marinara Sauce

Directions:

• In a large bowl, mix together the first 6 ingredients above (without the oil and marinara sauce).
• Form into 1.5" balls.
• In a large skillet, add a couple tablespoons of olive oil and brown the meatballs on medium-high heat, turning them a few times to make sure each side is nice and brown.
• Once the meatballs are brown on all sides, reduce heat to low.  Add the entire jar of marinara sauce and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.

*Today I used a 1 lb. package of Foster Farms ground turkey.  I sometimes use a package of Jennie-O turkey, which is actually 20 oz., or 1.25 lbs., so if you use this brand, just slightly increase the amount of bread crumbs, grated parmesan and seasoning.  The single egg is still fine.