Butternut Squash Soup

Butternut squash soup is one of my favorite soups.  Luckily, my husband is great at whipping up a large batch.  Here's his recipe.

Butternut Squash Soup

Makes about 7 cups

Ingredients

• 1 package Costco butternut squash cubes
• 3 cups water
• 18g chicken bullion
• 12 oz sweet onions, chopped
• 1 bay leaf, fresh if possible
• ¹⁄₄ teaspoon nutmeg
• ¹⁄₄ teaspoon sea salt
• ¹⁄₈ teaspoon pepper
• 2 tbsp thick plain Greek yogurt (per serving)

Directions

1. In a large pan, combine the squash, water, bullion, onions and bay leaf, bringing to a boil.
2. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to low, simmer for 20 minutes or until squash is tender, then remove from heat.
3. Take out the bayleaf and blend with immersion blender until smooth.
4. Season with 1/4 nutmeg, sea salt and pepper.
5. Ladle into soup bowls and swirl 2 tablespoon of yogurt into each bowl.
   
   
   I suggest serving it with biscuits and my Everyday Salad.  
   
   Happy eating!

Light Balsamic Vinaigrette

In a previous post, I blogged about my Everyday Salad, which I eat almost every day, like, at least 5 times a week.  In that post, I included a recipe I found for light balsamic vinaigrette.  Since then, I've modified the recipe enough that I decided to write this new post including the recipe for the salad dressing I really use everyday on my Everyday Salad.  Here is my version of light balsamic vinaigrette. 

Light Balsamic Vinaigrette
makes about 8oz

Ingredients:
1/2 c balsamic vinegar
1/4 c water
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp TexJoy Spicy Steak Seasoning (click here to buy it online)

Method:
In a jar or container with a screw-on lid,  add all ingredients, screw on the lid and shake the container vigorously until everything is well combined.

You can store the the dressing in the same container.  Just be sure to shake the container before serving.

Tips: I found the perfect container for shaking and storing your homemade salad dressing!  It's the OXO Salad Dressing 8-Ounce Shaker in Green.  The lid screws on tightly.  The pour spout makes it easy to pour just the right amount of dressing on your salad.  It's also the perfect size!  I got mine at Bed Bath & Beyond for only $9.99.

Note about the Everyday Salad: The Everyday Salad recipe says to put TexJoy directly on the salad, but since I now put TexJoy in the salad dressing, I don't put additional TexJoy on the salad.

Happy eating!

Oxbow Steakhouse & Bar-B-Que

Today my husband and I drove from Dallas, Texas to Austin, Texas.  We decided to stop for lunch along the way and saw a sign for a steakhouse, so we thought we’d give it a try. 

We walked up to Oxbow Steakhouse & BBQ and noticed that the hours by the front door indicated that they’re only open for dinner; however, the sign said “open.”  We pulled open the door and asked the hostess if they were open.  She said they’re usually not open for lunch but that they are today.  Not sure why they were open, but it worked for us! 

The restaurant was empty.  We were seated and brought menus.  My husband wanted a steak and thought about ordering the ribeye, which according to their menu, is their specialty.  I glanced over the menu and noticed the Ribeye Sandwich, which I pointed out to my husband, and he decided to order that instead.  It’s topped with provolone cheese and grilled onions.  He ordered it cooked medium.  It came with his choice of chips of fries, and he chose fries. 

I wanted a salad.  I almost always want a salad.  At home, I eat a salad everyday, so when I’m eating out, I feel the need to have at least one salad everyday too.  I decided to order the Loaded Cobb Salad which is topped with tomato, boiled egg, bacon, cheese and your choice of chicken or steak.  I chose steak and ordered it cooked well done.  I also asked for ranch dressing on the side.

While we were waiting for our meals, the waiter brought out cornbread and dinner rolls.  The cornbread was crumbly and pretty good with some butter on it, but it would’ve been better if it had honey in the mix.  The dinner rolls were kind of dry, but they were okay with butter (what isn’t?).

So, what did we think of our meals?

The steak on my husband’s sandwich tasted like it was cooked well done, not medium.  There was zero pink.  It was a little dry.  If ribeye is their specialty, we weren’t impressed.  The sandwich could’ve used some sort of sauce or something on it to make it juicier.  The fries were okay but nothing special.  My husband dipped them in steak sauce.

The steak of my salad was a little fatty, but it had a great flavor.  The salad wasn’t super big, but it tasted good.  I’m not sure what type of cheese was on it, but it seemed kind of like feta.  It was good, but it wasn’t what I was expecting.  I was expecting something more like cheddar. 

In short, I don’t think we’d stop at Oxbow again, but it was a filling lunch.

Happy eating!

3 Stacks

We're visiting my husband's sister's family in Dallas, Texas, and last night that took us out to dinner at 3 Stacks BBQ.  BBQ is definitely better in Texas than it is in Los Angeles, so we're happy to get our fill of BBQ while we're here.  It's kind of like a sports bar with TVs and a beer list.  They have a variety of TexMex food and BBQ.

I ordered Contessa's salad, which is described on the menu as "hearts of romaine lettuce tossed with a 1/4 pound of chopped brisket, beans, cheddar, pico de gallo, and crispy tortilla strips. Served with avocado ranch dressing."  I asked for the salad without beans and with the dressing on the side.  I ended up not using the dressing.  It was okay, but I preferred the salad topped with the the spicy BBQ sauce that was on the table.  It was a really good salad.  I had a brisket salad at a BBQ restaurant in L.A., and it wasn't nearly as good as this one.  I could eat this brisket everyday.

My husband was torn between ordering the Brisket Tacos and the Brisket Cheesesteak.  Only in Texas.  In the end, he decided to order the Brisket Cheesesteak, which is described on the menu as "brisket with sauteed peppers, onions, and mushrooms topped with our queso on a toasted hoagie roll."  All the sandwiches come with beans (which are basically BBQ beans) and fresh cut fries.  His sandwich was huge.  I tasted a little of the meat mixture, and it was so good.  I mean, how could it not be?  I also tasted a couple of the fries.  They are very crisp and flavorful fries.

Our niece and nephew were with us, and they both got the kids' Chicken Tenders, which comes with a side.  Our nephew got fries for his side, and our niece got the loaded smashed potatoes.  She licked those potatoes clean.  She only ate one of her chicken tenders, but she loved the potatoes.  Our nephew ate all of his chicken tenders but didn't finish his fries.

My sister-in-law ordered the Club 9 which is described on the menu as "smoked turkey breast thinly sliced served with bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mayo."  Her sandwich also came with beans and fries.  She shared it with her husband.  It was huge.  They really debated on how to even bite into it, but they managed.

We were all too full for dessert, but the kids got dessert anyway.  The kids' meals come with a complimentary ice-cream sundae.  Once again, our niece licked her bowl clean.

I really liked 3 Stacks, and I would totally go back if I lived in Dallas.

Happy eating!

Healthy Fish & Chips

Fish and chips is truly delicious, but deep frying is definitely not healthy.  Here's a healthier way to make this classic meal without the side of guilt.  This is a recipe in 2 parts.  First, baked fries (or, chips), and second, pan-fried fish.  Enjoy!

Baked Fries
(serves 2)

Ingredients:
2 medium potatoes*
TexJoy (or your favorite seasoning blend)
butter flavor cooking spray

Method:
Preheat your oven to 400.

Chop potatoes into fry-size pieces.

Put parchment paper on a cooking sheet.  Spread out the fries in a single layer.  Spray the fries with cooking spray and sprinkle with TexJoy.

Bake for 20 minutes.

Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and use a large spatula to flip the fries over.  Spray the fries with cooking spray and sprinkle with TexJoy.

Bake for another 15-20 minutes or until the fries reach desired crispness.

*You can substitute sweet potatoes for the potatoes.  Make recipe as described above, but reduce baking time to 10 minutes on each side.

While the fries are in the oven, prepare the fish.

Pan-Fried Fish
(serves 2)

Ingredients:
8 oz whitefish (cod, tilapia, etc)
1/4 c flour
1/4 c cornmeal
1 egg white
2 tbsp water
TexJoy (or salt & pepper)
butter flavor cooking spray

Method:
Cut the fish into strips.  How many cuts you make depends on the size of your fish fillets.  I cut mine once in half lengthwise and widthwise.  Sprinkle the fish with TexJoy.

Combine the flour and cornmeal in a small bowl.

Combine the egg white and water in another small bowl.

Dip the fish in the egg white mixture, and then dip the fish in the flour mixture to coat.

Spray a frying pan or griddle with cooking spray and heat to medium-high.  Add the fish and cook until the bottom of the fish is golden-brown (3-5 minutes).  Spray the fish with cooking spray, and sprinkle with TexJoy.  Carefully flip the fish over in the pan to grill the other side.  The fish is done when both sides are golden-brown and the inside is flakey.

This meal is also delicious with my Everyday Salad on the side.

Happy eating!

Tri-Tip Sandwiches

Do you have leftover tri-tip?  Then, you'll love this recipe!

Tri-Tip Sandwiches
(Makes 2)

Ingredients:
8 oz tri-tip, sliced (6-8 slices)
2 oz swiss cheese, sliced (or your favorite cheese)
4 slices rye bread
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 c mushrooms, chopped
TexJoy
spray butter
cooking spray

Method:
Spray a frying pan with cooking spray, and turn heat to medium-high.  Add the onions and cook until opaque.  Add the mushrooms and cook until all the water is removed and the onions are caramelized.

Spray butter on the rye bread.  Heat a griddle over medium heat and spray with cooking spray.  Add the bread, and cook until one side of each slice of bread is golden-brown.

Sprinkle TexJoy on the tri-tip, and build each sandwich as follows.  Start with one slice of bread (grilled side up).  Add half an ounce of cheese, and top that with half of the mushrooms and onions.  Add 4 ounces of tri-tip and another half ounce of cheese.  Top with another slice of bread, grilled side down.

Spray the griddle with cooking spray and place each sandwich on top.  Cook until the bottom side of the bread is golden-brown.  Carefully flip the sandwiches over with a spatula and cook until the cheese is melted and the bottom side of the bread is golden brown.

Plate.  Cut in half.  Enjoy!  These sandwiches go well with my Everyday Salad and Baked Sweet Potato Fries.

Happy eating!

Duke's Malibu

It was a spontaneous idea to eat a late lunch at Duke's in Malibu today.  It was just such a beautiful day with perfect weather, and we had no plans for Valentine's Day.  We called ahead to make sure they were having their normal lunch menu, which they were, and then we headed to the coast.  We would've made a reservation, but they were all full for reservations for the day.  However, the lady on the phone said that they reserved a third of their restaurant for walk-ins.  The winding drive down Topanga Canyon can be beautiful, but it is also full of twists and turns.  Keep that in mind if (like us) you're coming from the valley.

We probably could've found street parking if we really tried, but we decided to make it easy on ourselves and just go with valet.  This was the first time we've ever parked our own car at valet.  The valet directed us to park our car directly behind another car.  It's basically stacked parking, but the valets can move cars around when guests are ready to leave.

There were people waiting in the lobby when we arrived.  The hostess said the wait was about 20 minutes.  It was probably around 2:20pm, and lunch ends in the dining room at 3pm.  The hostess mentioned that there's open seating in the bars and on the patio if we wanted to check that out.  She put our name in, gave us a buzzer, and we walked down the hall towards the bar area.  The whole restaurant has windows facing the ocean, so as we walked, we had a great view.  

There are 2 bars.  The first one looks like it's kind of behind the restaurant area, elevated from the booths below.  At the second bar, the whole area is open seating.  There were open tables and seats at the bar when we arrived, but none of them were right next to the water, so we kept walking, hoping for a better view.  We walked out onto the patio, which is just past the second bar area, and all of the tables were taken.  However, there was a counter against the wall with 5 stools, all of which were empty, and it was right next to the water.  We decided to sit there and keep an eye out on the other tables to see if someone left.

We had never been to this Duke's before, although we've passed it many times coming and going when we have beach days at Point Dume.  We ate at the Duke's in Maui and loved it, so we've been wanting to compare the two.  First of all, the Duke's in Malibu has a better view than in Maui.  You're closed to the water, and you can hear the waves crash from your table.  I highly recommend sitting on the patio.  It was 75 and sunny on Valentine's Day.  It's not everywhere you can eat outside at the coast in February and not even need a jacket.

My husband went to the bar inside to ask about menus.  He was told that a waitress would come out and give us menus.  After waiting about 10 minutes, we still didn't have menus, so he went back to the bar and came back with menus this time.  I'm not saying anything bad about the waitress.  Service was kind of slow, but it looked like all of the waiters/waitresses had a lot of tables to handle, and we weren't in a rush.  My husband always seems to be in a rush, but I said to him, "Let's just enjoy being here.  We don't have anywhere else to go."  It was nice just watching seals play in the water and couples stroll hand-in-hand on the beach below.

We had 2 menus to look over, the Barefoot Bar menu and the regular restaurant lunch menu.  The bar menu has a lot of options for starters, entrees, drinks, and daily happy hour specials.  There are some items that aren't included on the regular menu.  I will always eat in the bar at Duke's so I can order off of this menu!

Shortly after my husband came back with menus, the people sitting at the table right next to us got up to leave.  We hopped up and claimed their table before they were even out of their chairs.  It was necessary because there was another couple ready to swoop in only seconds later.  The table was perfect, right next to the water with a great view.  We were in the shade, which was nice.  I burn without sunscreen.  There were also heaters hooked to the bottom of the thatched roof umbrellas, and they came on about an hour later just as it started to get chilly.  It was perfect!

We decided to get a couple of starters off of the Barefoot Bar menu.  My husband chose the Panko Crusted Calamari, which comes with guava cocktail sauce and meyer lemon remoulade.  It was a nice big serving for sharing, or it could be a small meal for one person.  I loved that the calamari were strips and not tentacles.  I hate tentacles.  They were really meaty, lightly breaded and delicious.  I would definitely order them again, and I’m not usually a huge calamari fan.  

I chose to get the Crispy Coconut Shrimp for a starter.  Coconut shrimp is one of my favorite appetizers ever, but they had me at “lilikoi dipping sauce.”  “Lilikoi” is the Hawaiian word for Passion Fruit, and it conjures up delicious memories from Maui.  The starter came with 5 huge butterflied shrimp which were lightly breaded and juicy.  The lilikoi dipping sauce wasn’t as good with the coconut shrimp as I expected.  I actually liked the shrimp better without the sauce.  These were so good that even my husband liked them, and he doesn't usually like coconut.  However, next time I’d probably try something else, perhaps the Crab & Macnut Wontons, the Fisherman’s Chowder, or the Grilled Chicken Quesadilla.

For his entree, my husband ordered the Kalua Pork Mac & Cheese, which is only offered on the Barefoot Bar menu and on the dinner menu (not the lunch menu).  It’s described on the menu as “Luau style slow cooked pork, creamy white cheddar sauce, ditalini pasta.”  If you follow my blog, you know how much I love white cheddar.  I never would’ve thought of putting these ingredients together, but it was a brilliant idea.  It came in a hot, oven-baked bowl and was a decent size serving for something so hearty.  I ate a few bites, and it was love.  It’s awfully rich, so I don’t know that I’d be able to eat an entire meal of it, but my husband didn’t have a problem finishing it off.  We are so going to try to replicate this at home.  We already buy white cheddar and make kalua pork.  Look for a recipe in the future!  Oh, and yes, this is definitely a MUST order item.  Until we perfect it ourselves, I would definitely order this.

I ordered a salad from the main lunch menu, the Arugula & Farro salad.  This is the exact same salad I ordered at the Duke’s in Maui, and it was the best meal I had during that entire visit.  I just had to order it again here for comparison sake.  It’s described on the menu as “Fire roasted vegetables, cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, feta, basil lemon vinaigrette.”  There are options to add citrus herb marinated fresh fish or fire grilled chicken breast.  There were 3 types of fresh fish, and I chose the Mahi Mahi.  I also asked for the salad without cucumbers.  I usually ask to have dressing on the side, but I didn’t this time.  The salad looked delicious and reminded me a lot of the one in Maui.  The fish wasn’t nearly as good though, I mean, how could it be?  It’s not like we catch fresh fish in Malibu the way they do in Maui.  They also forgot to leave out the cucumbers, so I had to pick them out.  I have trouble digesting them, so I wanted to make sure I didn’t accidentally eat one.  Overall, the salad was really good.  It wasn’t as amazing as what I remembered in Maui though.  Also, I hadn’t started making my Everyday Salad back when I was in Maui, and I think I’d prefer that salad over this one.  So, will I order this salad again?  No.  Did I enjoy eating it?  Yes.  Next time I might try the Turkey, Bacon & Burrata Sandwich, the Fish & Chips, or the Baja Fish Tacos.

We looked over the dessert menu, but we were too full at that point to even share something.  I was really impressed that the menu was shaped like a surfboard though, and if (when!) we come back, I'd probably try the Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie.

We left around 4:20pm, 2 hours after arriving.  It was a wonderful way to spend the afternoon.  There weren’t any tables available in the bar when we left.  The restaurant is closed daily from 3pm to 5pm, so I assume people who arrived early for their dinner reservation were starting with a drink in the bar.  It was really pretty painless considering it was Valentine’s Day and something we decided to do at the last minute.  Sometime I want to come back during sunset.  I’m sure there’s an amazing view from any table that time of day.

The valet was quick to get our car.  Valet parking only costs $3 before 4pm, and $4 after 4pm.  It’s worth it for convenience.  

Happy eating!

Kicked-Up Tuna Melt

Oh, canned tuna.  It's one of the healthiest and most inexpensive sources of meat you can buy.  My mom always used to make tuna salad mixed with mayo, and I hate mayo (it just makes things taste soggy), so I wasn't a huge tuna fan growing up.  However, as an adult, I've created my own version of a tuna melt that I truly love.  I used to replace the mayo with ranch dressing, but now I replace it with enchilada sauce from Trader Joe's.  Yeah.  It's awesome.  Here's my easy and delicious recipe.  It's not like any tuna melt you've ever had before, and it's the only one I've ever had that I loved.  In fact, I just ate the sandwich pictured here, and I'm totally thinking about making another one.  It's just that good.

Kicked-Up Tuna Melt
makes 1 sandwich

Ingredients:
1 can chunk light tuna in water
1 egg white
2 tbsp chopped onion
1 tsp chopped jalapeno peppers
1 peperoncini, sliced (about 8 slices)
2 tbsp Trader Joe's enchilada sauce
1 oz shredded cheddar cheese
2 slices rye bread
spray butter
butter flavor Pam
TexJoy

Method:
Spray Pam in a non-stick skillet.  Add onion and jalapenos.  Cook until caramelized.  Meanwhile, drain the water from the can of tuna.  (I let my cats drink the tuna water...they love it!)  Add the tuna, and mix with the onions and jalapenos.  Add the egg white, and mix together until fully cooked.  Turn off the heat.  Add the enchilada sauce, a sprinkle of TexJoy (or salt and pepper) and stir to combine.

Spray both sides of bread with spray butter.  Spray Pam in another non-stick frying pan or on a griddle.  Put the bread inside-down on the griddle and cook until the bottom is toasted.

Remove the toast from the pan, and put one slice toasted-side up.  On top of that slice, add half the cheese, half the peperoncini slices, all of the tuna mixture, the other half of the peperoncini slices, the rest of the cheese, and the other piece of bread, toasted side down.

Spray the frying pan or griddle with Pam again.  Put the sandwich on the griddle and cook until the bottom piece of toast is toasted on the bottom.  Then carefully flip the sandwich over with a spatula and cook until the bottom piece of toast is toasted on the bottom.

Transfer the sandwich to a plate, and cut in half.

This sandwich would be great with Baked Sweet Potato Fries or my Everyday Salad, of course, I think any sandwich would be great with these sides!




An easy variation of this sandwich is to make it with canned salmon instead of canned tuna.  Salmon has so much flavor that it makes this sandwich even more delicious.

 You can also use a tortilla instead of 2 slices of bread and make the sandwich into a quesadilla.

However you choose to make it, Happy Eating!

Turkey & Roasted Veggie Frittata

'Tis the season to eat turkey and more turkey.  You've probably already seen my blog post "12 Recipe Ideas for Thanksgiving Leftovers," but I have one more recipe to add to the mix.

I've had a couple turkey sandwiches by now, and we had some eggs we needed to use up, so tonight, we made a Turkey & Roasted Veggie Frittata with a side of Baked Sweet Potato Fries and the Everyday Salad.  Lots of veggies.  Lots of festive Fall flavors.  Very cheesy.  Definitely delicious.  Only 200 calories per piece.  Enjoy!

Ready to Broil

Turkey & Roasted Veggie Frittata
Serves: 4 (8 pieces, 2 pieces each)

Ingredients:
2 bell peppers, chopped
1/2 large white onion, chopped
1/4 c chives, chopped
8 eggs
1/2 c water
6 oz shredded cheddar cheese
7 oz turkey, chopped
1 tsp chipotle Tabasco (if desired)
TexJoy or salt & pepper, to taste

Method:
Put the peppers, onions and chives in a cast iron skillet and cook over medium heat until caramelized.

Ready to Eat

Mix eggs, water and Tabasco.  Add turkey and cheese.  Pour over veggies.  Sprinkle generously with TexJoy or salt & pepper.

Cover the skillet and let the frittata cook until almost set.

Put the skillet under the broiler, uncovered, for 3-5 minutes or until completely set.

To serve, you can invert onto a serving plate or cut and serve directly from the pan.

Happy eating!

12 Recipes for Thanksgiving Leftovers

Black Friday isn't complete until you've had a turkey sandwich, but if you have a lot of Thanksgiving leftovers, you might want some more creative ways to eat them, like actual recipes that turn extra turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce into brand new meals.  Eat Drink and Be Me to the rescue!

Here are 12 recipe ideas that are specifically designed to use up Thanksgiving leftovers.  Treat your family to some or all of them this holiday season.

1. Turkey Omelet

This recipe is written for one omelet. Repeat steps to cook multiple omelets.

Ingredients:
2 eggs (or 1 egg + 2 whites)
2 tbsp water
3 oz turkey, chopped into small pieces
1 oz baby spinach
1/4 c sliced onion
1 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 tsp Chipotle Tabasco (if desired)
TexJoy or salt & pepper

Method:
Spray a frying pan with Pam butter flavor spray and heat over medium-high heat.  Add onion and cook until caramelized.  Add spinach and turkey.  Cook until turkey is warm and spinach is wilted.  Spread mixture evenly on the bottom of the pan.

Mix eggs, water and Chipotle Tabasco together until well blended.  Pour egg mixture into the pan on top of the turkey and veggies.  Cook until set.  You can lift up the edges of the egg and tilt the pan to allow uncooked egg to get to the bottom of the pan and cook faster.

Once set, sprinkle with TexJoy or salt and pepper.  Sprinkle with cheese.

Fold egg in half.  Let cook for another minute.

Slide the omelet onto a plate.

2. Cranberry Sauce for Breakfast

Leftover Cranberry Sauce is delicious as a pancake or waffle topping, or you can spread it on toast.  Basically, use it in place of strawberry jam.

This morning, I had a Multi-Grain Waffle quarter topped with an ounce of Sweet Cranberry Sauce. The whole thing has less than 90 calories!  It's a great breakfast for the morning after a Turkey Day feast when you don't feel like eating a lot but still want great flavor!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3.  Stuffing Cakes

Easily give leftover stuffing a crispy twist!  This makes a great side dish.  I used leftover Buttermilk Cornbread Stuffing, but you can use whatever stuffing you have leftover.






Ingredients:
Leftover stuffing! (1/4 c per stuffing cake)

Method:
Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat and spray with Pam butter flavor spray.

Form 1/4 c stuffing into a ball and place it in the pan.  Smash it down with a spatula.  Cook for 3-5 minutes, or until the bottom of the stuffing cake starts to brown.  Flip stuffing cake over and repeat.

4. Stuffing Stew

This is an easy and delicious warm meal after a long day searching for Black Friday deals!  This recipe serves 2 people as an entree or 4 as a side dish.  You can always multiply the ingredients to whip up a bigger batch.

Ingredients:
2 c leftover stuffing
1 can (10 3/4 oz) low-sodium cream of mushroom soup
1/2 c buttermilk
1/2 ounce cheddar cheese, shredded

Method:
Add all ingredients except cheese to a small pot and cook over medium heat until the stew thickens.  Transfer to a serving bowl and top with cheese.

5. BBQ Turkey Pizza

Chicken shouldn't have all the fun!  Turkey is just as delicious on a BBQ pizza.  

Ingredients:
1 whole wheat pizza crust (get my recipe)
1/2 c BBQ sauce
12 oz turkey, chopped
1/2 large onion, chopped
8 oz mushrooms, chopped
6 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 oz Gouda, shredded
2 tbsp Parmesan, grated




Method:
Preheat your oven to 425.

Heat frying pan over medium-high heat and spray with Pam butter flavor spray.  Add onions and mushrooms and cook until the onions are caramelized and all the water has cooked out of the mushrooms.

Mix turkey with 2 tbsp BBQ sauce.

Roll out the pizza crust and put it on a pizza pan.  Top it with the remaining BBQ sauce and then add the turkey.  Sprinkle the mozzarella and Gouda evenly over the turkey.  Add the onions and mushrooms.  Sprinkle Parmesan on top.

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and golden brown.

6. Buffalo Turkey Pizza

If you like your pizza spicy, this easy variation is for you! Follow the directions exactly as for BBQ Turkey Pizza but use Wing Sauce instead of BBQ sauce.  You may want to use a little bit less sauce (like 1/4 or 1/3 c) depending on how much heat you can handle!

If you're like me and can't decide which sounds better, BBQ or Wing Sauce, you can easily make a half and half pizza like you see in this picture.  Just divide the turkey in half and mix half with BBQ sauce and half with wing sauce.  Put BBQ sauce on half of the pizza and top with the turkey that was mixed with the BBQ sauce.  Put wing sauce on the other half of the pizza and top with the turkey that was mixed with wing sauce.  Otherwise, follow the directions as described for the BBQ Turkey Pizza.  Yum!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. Turkey & Rice Casserole

If you saved the broth from your turkey, you're in for a real treat!  If you didn't, no worries.  You can use chicken broth instead.

Ingredients:
3 c turkey broth
1.5 c dry rice
12 oz turkey, chopped

Method:
Follow the directions on your bag of rice, but use turkey broth instead of water.  When the rice has finished cooking, add turkey, stir and cook until turkey is hot.

This recipe serves about 4 people and would be delicious accompanied by my Everyday Salad and/or Baked Sweet Potato Fries.

Or, use this casserole as an ingredient in the next two recipes!

 

 

8. Turkey Burrito

This recipe is the first of three Mexican-inspired recipes.  It makes one burrito which has about 500 calories and serves one person.  You can easily multiply the ingredients to make multiple burritos for your family.

Ingredients:
1 flour torilla
1/2 c Turkey & Rice Casserole (see #7)
1/2 bell pepper, sliced (I prefer the red, yellow and orange peppers)
1/8 large onion, sliced
1 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
1 tbsp sour cream (if desired)
TexJoy or salt & pepper



Method:
Heat a griddle (or frying pan) over medium-high heat and spray with Pam butter flavor spray.  Add bell pepper and onion and cook until caramelized.  Sprinkle with TexJoy or salt and pepper.

If your Turkey & Rice Casserole is cold, heat it up in the microwave for about 30 seconds or until warm.

Sprinkle 1/3 of the cheese onto the center of the tortilla.  Top with Turkey & Rice Casserole.  Top with another third of the cheese.  Top with peppers and onions.  Top with remaining cheese.

Fold your tortilla.  I find that this is fairly easy to do by folding one end up, then one side across and the other side across until they meet.

(I like my burritos crispy, but if you don't like a crispy tortilla, you can skip the following step.) Hold the burrito closed and transfer it to the griddle.  Cook until the bottom of the tortilla is golden brown.  Flip the burrito over and cook until that side is golden brown as well.

Transfer to a plate and top with sour cream if desired.

 

 

9. Turkey Fajitas 

Fajitas are fun, and turkey makes them festive!  This recipe probably serves 2 people (or just my husband if he's really hungry!).  It'd be great with my Everday Salad on the side.

Ingredients:
4 flour tortillas (more or less depending on how big they are and how much you fill them)
2 c Turkey & Rice Casserole (see #7)
1/4 large onion, sliced
1 bell pepper, sliced (I prefer the red, yellow and orange peppers)
2 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
4 tbsp sour cream
TexJoy or salt & pepper

Method:
Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat and spray with Pam butter flavor spray.  Add bell pepper and onion and cook until caramelized.  Sprinkle with TexJoy or salt and pepper.  Add the Turkey & Rice Casserole and cook until warm.

Heat the tortillas up in the microwave for 15 seconds; flip them over and heat another 15 seconds.

The fun part is assembling everything at the table!  Put the frying pan on a pot holder in the center of the table and dig in!

Everyone has their own preference for how to assemble fajitas, but my suggestion is to spread one tbsp of sour cream on the inside of the tortilla, sprinkle with 1/2 oz cheese and add a quarter of the mixture from the pan.  Roll up and enjoy!

 

 

 

10. Turkey Quesadillas

This recipe has about 500 calories and serves 1 hungry person for an entree or 2-4 people for an appetizer.  It would be great accompanied by my Everyday Salad.

Ingredients:
2 flour tortillas
3 oz turkey, chopped
1/2 bell pepper, sliced (I prefer the red, yellow and orange peppers)
1/8 large onion, sliced
2 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
2 tbsp sour cream (if desired)
TexJoy or salt & pepper




Method:
Heat a griddle (or frying pan) over medium-high heat and spray with Pam butter flavor spray.  Put one tortilla on the griddle and cook until the bottom is crispy.  Transfer to a plate, crispy side up.  Put the other tortilla on the griddle and cook until the bottom is crispy.  Set aside.

Put the bell pepper and onion on the griddle and cook until caramelized.  Sprinkle with TexJoy or salt and pepper.  Add the turkey and cook until warm.

Sprinkle half of the cheese on top of the crisp side of the tortilla on the plate.  Add peppers, onions, and turkey.  Top with remaining cheese.  Put the other tortilla crisp side down on top of the cheese.

Put the quesadilla on the griddle and cook until the bottom tortilla is crispy on the bottom and the cheese is melty.

Flip the quesadilla over.  An easy way to do this is to pick the quesadilla up with a large spatula and hold a plate upside down on top of the quesadilla.  Flip the plate over.  Voila!

Place the quesadilla back on the griddle and cook until the bottom of the bottom tortilla is crispy.

Transfer to a serving plate and cut into 4 pieces.  Top each piece with 1/2 tbsp sour cream, if desired.

 

 

11. Turkey & Buttermilk Dumplings

If you have leftover turkey broth, you'll want to use it!  If not, you can substitute chicken broth.

This recipe serves 2 people for an entree or 4 people for a side dish.  I recommend serving it with my Everyday Salad or Baked Peppers & Mushrooms.

Ingredients:
3 c turkey broth
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp pepper
1 lb turkey, chopped

For the dumplings:
1 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
2/3 c buttermilk

Method:
Combine the flour, salt and baking powder for the dumplings.  Add buttermilk and stir until smooth.  Let rest for 5 minutes.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured cutting board to about 1/2-inch thickness and cut into 1/2-inch squares.  I find that a pizza cutter works well.

Put the broth, lemon juice  and pepper in a pot and simmer over medium heat.  Drop the dumplings into the pot.  It's okay if a little extra flour gets in the pot; it'll just make the broth thicker.

The dumplings will swell and puff up.  Cook for about 20 minutes or until the dumplings are no longer doughy.  Add the turkey and cook for another 5-10 minutes.

If the broth gets too thick, add a little more broth or water.  If the broth is too thin, add a little flour.

 

12. If you have to have a turkey sandwich...

Why not make it extra amazing by adding triple cream brie!

Ingredients:
2 slices whole wheat bread
3 oz sliced turkey
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 oz triple cream brie, cut into small pieces
I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray
TexJoy or salt & pepper

Method:
Put the bread in the toaster. 

Heat the turkey in the microwave for 30 seconds or until warm.

Spray the insides of the bread with butter spray.  Spread mustard on one side.   Top with turkey.  Sprinkle with TexJoy or salt and pepper.  Top with brie.  Top with toast, butter side down.

Put the plate in the microwave for 30 seconds or until cheese is melted.

Happy Holidays and Happy Eating!