Turkey Quesadillas with Cranberry Salsa

Turkey Quesadillas with Cranberry Salsa
published in Light & Tasty December/January 2007, p15

Ingredients

3/4 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup water
1 small pear, chopped
1/4 cup chopped red onion
3 tablespoons chopped celery
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
4 flour tortillas (6 inches)
2 cups cubed cooked turkey breast
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

Directions

In a small saucepan, combine the cranberries, sugar and water. Cook over medium heat until the berries pop, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat; cool to room temperature. Stir in the pear, onion, celery, lemon juice, jalapeno, lemon peel and cumin. Set aside.

Place tortillas on a griddle coated with cooking spray. Spoon turkey and sprinkle cheese over half of each tortilla; fold over. Cook over low heat for 1-2 minutes on each side or until cheese is melted. Serve with cranberry salsa. Yield: 4 servings.

Editor's Note: We recommend wearing disposable gloves when cutting hot peppers. Avoid touching your face.

Nutrition Facts: 1 quesadilla with 1/3 cup salsa equals 321 calories, 10 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 80 mg cholesterol, 449 mg sodium, 27 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 32 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 3 very lean meat, 1-1/2 starch, 1 fat, 1/2 fruit.
****
Made April 24th. The first quesadilla I made folded over like the recipe suggests, but it was messy. So, I made the rest with full tortillas until the end when I started folding them again. The quesadillas were really good.

The cranberry salsa was an interesting concept. It was ok with the quesadillas, but when used for tortilla chips... now we're talking!!! I loved the flavors together. I don't know what makes the difference that it'd be so much better with the chips, but it became quite addicting at that point.

Turkey Wild Rice Casserole

Turkey Wild Rice Casserole
published in Light & Tasty February/March 2006, p23

Ingredients

3 cups water
1 cup uncooked wild rice
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon canola oil
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/8 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup fat-free milk
2 turkey breast tenderloins (3/4 pound each)
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/8 teaspoon paprika

Directions

In a small saucepan, bring the water, wild rice and onion to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 55-60 minutes or until rice is tender. Meanwhile, in another saucepan, saute carrot and celery in butter and oil until tender.

Combine the flour, sage, 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper; stir into carrot mixture until blended. Gradually add broth and milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened. Remove from the heat. Stir in rice. Transfer to a 2-qt. baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Place turkey over rice mixture. Combine the parsley, paprika and remaining salt; sprinkle over turkey. Cover and bake at 350° for 60-70 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into turkey reads 170°. Slice turkey; serve with rice. Yield: 6 servings.

Nutritional Analysis: 3 ounces cooked turkey with 2/3 cup rice mixture equals 313 calories, 5 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 87 mg cholesterol, 371 mg sodium, 29 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 36 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 3 lean meat, 1-1/2 starch, 1 vegetable.

***
Made April 19th along side Butternut Squash Apple Bake: This was another big hit. I didn't think Aaron would like it or eat it, but he did. Jared and Matthew couldn't get enough of it. I didn't use regular turkey breasts though. I bought a jenni-o turkey breast package you get in the meat section next to the ham and just sliced off a serving for each of us.

Turkey Alfredo Pizza

Turkey Alfredo Pizza
published in Light & Tasty December/January 2007, p23

Ingredients

1 prebaked 12-inch thin pizza crust
1 garlic clove, peeled and halved
3/4 cup reduced-fat Alfredo sauce, divided
1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 cups shredded cooked turkey breast
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Directions

Place the crust on a baking sheet; rub with cut sides of garlic. Discard garlic. Spread 1/2 cup Alfredo sauce over crust.

In a small bowl, combine the spinach, lemon juice, salt and pepper; spoon evenly over sauce. Top with turkey; drizzle with remaining Alfredo sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and pepper flakes.

Bake at 425° for 11-13 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted. Yield: 6 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1 slice equals 300 calories, 9 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 60 mg cholesterol, 823 mg sodium, 27 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 25 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 3 lean meat, 2 starch.

***
Made April 13th: This was my first experience using a prepared pizza crust. Man does that make life easy!! The recipe was really great and everyone seemed to like it (until I pulled out my Hawaiian Chicken BBQ pizza I had hiding in the oven so everyone would this one first - lol)

Anytime Turkey Chili

Anytime Turkey Chili
published in Light & Tasty October/November 2006, p41

Ingredients

2/3 cup chopped sweet onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (16 ounces) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15-1/2 ounces) great northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
1 can (15 ounces) crushed tomatoes
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 cups cubed cooked turkey breast

Directions

In a large saucepan, saute the onion, green pepper, oregano and cumin in oil until vegetables are tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer.

Stir in the beans, pumpkin, tomatoes, broth, water, brown sugar, chili powder and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour. Add turkey; heat through. Yield: 8 servings (2 quarts).

Nutrition Facts: 1 cup equals 241 calories, 2 g fat (trace saturated fat), 45 mg cholesterol, 478 mg sodium, 32 g carbohydrate, 10 g fiber, 25 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 3 lean meat, 1-1/2 starch, 1 vegetable.

********
Made April 5th: This is a recipe that I kept opening to and wanting to try but would be missing an ingredient here and there before I finally got everything together. Aside from the simmering, it was really quick to put together. I love that it had pumpkin in it. It was a really interesting soup flavor.

I served this with maple syrup corn bread and a strawberry-spinach salad.

Wild Rice Turkey Salad

Wild Rice Turkey Salad
published in Light & Tasty August/September 2006, p27

Ingredients

2 cups cubed cooked turkey breast
2 cups cooked long grain rice
1-1/2 cups cooked wild rice
1-1/2 cups green grapes, halved
1/2 cup thinly sliced celery
1/2 cup chopped water chestnuts
1/2 cup fat-free mayonnaise
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup chopped red apple
6 lettuce leaves
6 tablespoons slivered almonds, toasted

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, salt and cinnamon; stir into turkey mixture until combined. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Just before serving, stir in apple. Serve in a lettuce-lined bowl; sprinkle with almonds. Yield: 6 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1-1/3 cups equals 279 calories, 5 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 42 mg cholesterol, 494 mg sodium, 40 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 19 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 2 very lean meat, 1-1/2 starch, 1 fruit, 1/2 fat.

******
Made March 21st: We were all pleasantly surprised at how much we enjoyed this dish. It had just the right amount of crunch and sweetness.

I served this strawberry leaf salad as the side:
baby greens
crumbled feta cheese
sliced strawberries
almonds
berry vinagerrete

Two-Cheese Turkey Enchiladas

Two-Cheese Turkey Enchiladas 6 points/12 enchiladas
published in Light & Tasty October/November 2006, p41

Ingredients

1 pound extra-lean ground turkey
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes, divided
1 package (8 ounces) reduced-fat cream cheese
1/4 cup fat-free sour cream
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies
1 cup salsa
8 fat-free flour tortillas (8 inches), warmed
1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

Directions

Crumble turkey into a large nonstick skillet; add the onion, green pepper, brown sugar and seasonings. Cook and stir over medium heat until turkey is no longer pink. Stir in 1 cup crushed tomatoes. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, sour cream and chilies until blended; set aside. Combine salsa and remaining tomatoes; spread 1 cup into a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Spoon about 3 tablespoons cream cheese mixture and 1/3 cup turkey mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll up and place seam side down in baking dish. Top with remaining salsa mixture; sprinkle with cheddar cheese.

Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly. Yield: 8 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1 enchilada equals 329 calories, 9 g fat (5 g saturated fat), 49 mg cholesterol, 776 mg sodium, 39 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 24 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2 starch, 2 lean meat, 2 vegetable.

*******
Made March 9, 2011.
My family really liked this recipe. Jared said he didn't like it, he LOVED it! And Matthew had a hard time staying out of them.

I found the 3 TB of cream cheese/sour cream mix and the 1/3 cup of turkey mix to be too much for one tortilla. I was using the 6 in tortillas, so that might make a difference. I ended up getting 12 enchiladas out of this recipe. With the number of enchiladas I had, I found the sauce to be just the right amount. I was afraid the enchiladas might be too spicy, but the tomatoes did a good job of diluting it.

Very good recipe. I will definitely make it again.

Terriyaki Turkey Burritos

Terriyaki Turkey Burritos

Ingredients
12 fat-free flour tortillas (8 inches)
1 pound lean ground turkey
1/2 cup chopped onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 package (16 ounces) broccoli coleslaw mix
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/3 cup reduced-sodium teriyaki sauce
1/2 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded reduced-fat Mexican cheese blend

Directions

Wrap tortillas tightly in foil. Warm in oven at 350° for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the turkey, onion and garlic over medium heat until turkey is no longer pink; drain. Pour into a bowl and set aside.

In the same skillet, stir-fry broccoli in oil for 2 minutes. Add the teriyaki sauce, five-spice powder, garlic powder and pepper; cook and stir for 1 minute. Stir in cheese and turkey mixture; heat through.

Spoon about 1/2 cup filling off center on each tortilla. Fold sides and ends over fill and roll up. Place seam side down in an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish.
Cover and bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until heated through. Yield: 6 servings.

Nutritional Analysis: 2 burritos equals 493 calories, 14 g fat (5 g saturated fat), 80 mg cholesterol, 982 mg sodium, 60 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 32 g protein.

***********
September 23, 2010 - YUM. I really like the flavor of the Chinese 5 spice.

Turkey Barbecue

Turkey Barbecue

Ingredients

1 celery rib, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup picante sauce
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1-1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
Dash hot pepper sauce
4 cups cubed cooked turkey
8 whole wheat hamburger buns, split
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Directions

In a large nonstick skillet, saute the celery, onion and green pepper in oil for 3-4 minutes or until tender. Stir in the brown sugar, ketchup, picante sauce, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, salt, pepper and pepper sauce; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 3-4 minutes. Add turkey; simmer 10 minutes longer or until heated through. Serve in buns. Yield: 8 servings.

Nutritional Analysis: 1 sandwich equals 295 calories, 7 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 53 mg cholesterol, 758 mg sodium, 33 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 25 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 3 lean meat, 2 starch.

****************
Sept 22, 2010 - I really liked this, but it does have a little bit of kick to it. Serve it on a bun or bread for a BBQ sandwich. I did not have turkey, so I substituted chicken.

Quick Turkey Casserole

Quick Turkey Casserole

Ingredients

2 cups sliced onions
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons butter
2 teaspoons canola oil
3 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed reduced-fat reduced-sodium cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
2 cups cooked long grain rice
1-1/2 cups cubed cooked turkey
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup fine cornflake crumbs
1/8 teaspoon paprika

Directions

In a nonstick skillet, cook onions and sugar in butter and oil over low heat for 15-20 minutes or until onions are golden brown, stirring frequently.

Meanwhile, place cream cheese in a shallow microwave-safe bowl; cover and microwave on high for 20-30 seconds or until softened. Add soup; stir until blended. Add the rice, turkey, parsley, salt and pepper. Cover and microwave on high for 3-4 minutes or until heated through.

Toss onions with cornflake crumbs; arrange over turkey mixture. Sprinkle with paprika. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 1-2 minutes or until topping is heated through. Yield: 4 servings.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving (3/4 cup) equals 375 calories, 13 g fat (5 g saturated fat), 63 mg cholesterol, 625 mg sodium, 42 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 22 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 3 lean meat, 2-1/2 starch, 1 vegetable.

*****
Made May 12th. This recipe really is quick to put together! The longest part was carmelizing the onions. I cooked the rice up in the afternoon so that I wouldn't have to wait for it before putting the dish together which worked out really well. I had just enough crumbs left of a box of cornflakes for this recipe, so it was a good way to use them up!

I used jasmine rice because it was what I had on hand, otherwise I would have substituted brown rice. Instead of turkey I used the Tyson teriyaki chicken breast filets - which I am loving because I don't have to worry about cooking the chicken. I'm down to one last filet and then I'll have to start cooking my own chicken again! lol I also used 1 TB of margarine instead of half oil and half margarine. I realized as I was inputing this recipe into WW that I forgot to add the paprika. oops.

The dish was really good and creamy, but high in points. I did use neufchatel cream cheese so that helps. As written it is 8 points for 4 servings with 3/4 c. = serving. I dished myself 3/4 c and I think there were more than 4 servings left. I need to remeasure for myself. It's possible it made more like 6 or 8 servings.

I would definitely be interested in making this again. It would make a good standby recipe if I have rice or meat that needed used up.

Spinach Turkey Roll

Spinach Turkey Roll, 4 pts for 8 servings
published in Light & Tasty August/September 2004, p29

Ingredients

1 cup meatless spaghetti sauce, divided
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup soft whole wheat bread crumbs
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1 pound lean ground turkey
1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions

In a bowl, combine 1/4 cup spaghetti sauce, eggs, bread crumbs, onion, garlic, basil, oregano and mustard. Crumble turkey over mixture and mix well.

On a sheet of waxed paper, pat turkey mixture into a 12-in. x 8-in. rectangle. Sprinkle with spinach and cheese. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a short side and peeling waxed paper away while rolling. Seal seam and ends. Place seam side down in a 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan coated with cooking spray.

Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 50-60 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 165°. Let stand for 5 minutes before slicing. Heat remaining spaghetti sauce; serve over turkey. Yield: 6 servings.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving (1 each) equals 230 calories, 11 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 137 mg cholesterol, 395 mg sodium, 12 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 20 g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges: 3 lean meat, 2 vegetable.

**********
Made April 5th. This has been on the menu since I went through the cookbook and I finally had the time to make it. The hour-long cooktime makes it challenging because the heating is off in our oven, making it so everything takes longer. I was pleasantly surprised when this dish was ready in an hour and a half.

I used 99/1 ground turkey, which I'm sure helped keep the points low. I ran out of mozz cheese, so I mixed some cheddar in with it too. My spaghetti sauce was leftover from spaghetti I had made previously. I prefer Del Monte's Four Cheese, so that was what I used. I don't think I spread it out quite as much as the recipe calls for because I was able to fit it in a 7 x 11.5 pan (or whatever the size is just under 9x13. I cut the loaf into 8 slices too. For 6 servings the points would have been 6.

I am quite pleased with the final product. Jared said it was ok, but I enjoyed the meatloaf flavor without all the points. It is a good healthy option to meatloaf. I think next time I might try fresh spinach instead of the frozen because I don't care for the frozen spinach taste, although it wasn't very strong in this recipe.

Turkey Sausage with Root Vegetables

Turkey Sausage with Root Vegetables LT03, 134, 7 pts

Made Feb 5th. There is a 3 point difference between the published nutritional info and my final product. I used John Morrel's polish sausage for my sausage and well, that's just full of points!

I wasn't too sure about this dish. I chose it because we had the sausage in the freezer. However, Matthew and I ended up really liking it. The boys on the other hand, did not.

Tex-Mex Turkey Tacos

Tex-Mex Turkey Tacos LT03, 151, 6pts for 2 tacos

These were made on Feb 18th (Thurs) and were finally all gone yesterday (Feb 22nd). This made so much taco filler that we were really tired of eating it. That aside, I liked that it is a low point meal. A serving of the taco meat is 1/3 cup which fills the taco half full. The carrots were an interesting twist, but they weren't a bad addition.

I don't think we'll make these again any time soon just because we got tired of eating all the leftovers, but I would make them again.