Skillet Enchilada Meatballs

 

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound lean ground turkey or chicken
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped green onion
• 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs (gluten-free if needed)
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce (optional)
• 1 1/4 teaspoons chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• Fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 15 ounce can red enchilada sauce (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese
• Chopped green onions and cilantro for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. In a large bowl whisk together the greeen onion, panko, egg, cilantro, hot sauce, spices, salt and pepper. Add in the ground chicken or turkey and use your hands to combine everything together. Use a cookie scoop or measuring spoon to form tablespoon sized meatballs and place them on a plate.
3. Add the olive oil to a large skillet and heat over medium to medium-high heat. Swirl the oil to coat the bottom of the pan and place the meatballs in a single layer in the skillet. Cook for approximately 3 minutes on one side or until they release and then flip them over and cook for another 2 minutes. The meatballs won't be cooked through at this point.
4. Remove the meatballs from the skillet and onto a plate. Pour the enchilada sauce along with 1/4 cup of water (I put the water in the enchilada sauce can and swirl it to get out any of the remaining sauce) into the skillet and stir it together scraping up any brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan.
5. Place the meatballs back into the skillet and spoon some of the sauce over the top of them. Sprinkle the cheese over the meatballs then place the skillet in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the meatballs are cooked through.
6. Remove from the oven and top with sliced green onions and cilantro if desired. Serve over cilantro lime rice, cauliflower rice or eat them as is.

(Source: https://reciperunner.com/skillet-enchilada-meatballs/)

Sheet Pan Sausage & Veggies

 

• 12-16 ounces Smoked Turkey or Chicken Sausage 
• 2 cups sweet potato, diced into 1/2" cubes 
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 1 cup bell pepper, chopped 
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning 
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper

• Pre-heat oven to 400F.
• Slice the sausage into 1'' rounds. Dice the sweet potatoes into small 1/2'' cubes.
• Add the sausage, veggies and minced garlic to a large baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with the Italian spices or your favorite spice blend. Seasoning with salt and pepper. Toss veggies with your hands until they are fully combined and coated with olive oil and spices.
• Bake for 20 minutes, flipping halfway. 

(Source: https://gimmedelicious.com/20-minute-sheet-pan-healthy-sausage-and-veggies/#recipe)

Thanksgiving Turkey

1 12-20 pound turkey
1 onion , peeled and quartered
1 lemon , quartered
1 apple , quartered
.75 ounce container fresh rosemary
.75 ounce container fresh thyme
.75 ounce container fresh sage

For the herb butter:
1 cup unsalted butter , softened
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6-8 cloves garlic , minced
fresh chopped herbs

If the turkey is frozen: Thaw in the fridge, 24 hours for every 5 pounds of Turkey. Remove the thawed turkey from the fridge 1 hour before roasting, to let it come to room temperature.

Adjust your oven rack so the turkey will sit in the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Make the herb butter by combining room temperature butter, minced garlic, salt, pepper, one tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary, one tablespoon fresh chopped thyme, and half a tablespoon of fresh chopped sage. (You’ll use the remaining fresh herbs for stuffing inside the cavity of the turkey)

Remove turkey from packaging and remove the neck and giblets from the inside the cavities of the bird. (Reserve them for gravy, if you want, or discard them). Pat the turkey very dry with paper towels.

Season the cavity of the turkey with salt and pepper. Stuff it with the quartered lemon, onion and apple and leftover herbs.
Use your fingers to loosen and lift the skin above the breasts (on the top of the turkey) and smooth a few tablespoons of the herb butter underneath.
Tuck the wings of the turkey underneath the turkey and set the turkey on a roasting rack inside a roasting pan*.

Microwave the remaining herb butter mixture for 30 seconds (it doesn’t need to be completely melted--just really softened). Use a basting brush to brush the remaining herb butter all over the outside of the turkey, legs and wings.

Roast at 325 degrees F for about 13-15 minutes per pound, or until internal temperature (inserted on middle of thigh and breast) reaches about 165 degrees.

(Remove the turkey from the oven once it reaches 160 degrees. Then tent it with foil, and let it rest on the counter. It will continue cooking under the foil, to reach 165 degrees F.)

***Check the turkey about halfway through cooking, and once the skin gets golden brown, cover the top of the turkey with tinfoil, to protect the breast meat from overcooking. Alternately, you could start cooking the turkey with it tented in foil, then during the last hour or so of cooking you can take the foil off to let the turkey brown.

Allow turkey to rest for 20-30 minutes before carving.
Reserve any drippings and juice remaining in your roasting pan to make turkey gravy.

(Source: https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/easy-no-fuss-thanksgiving-turkey/)

Skillet Meatballs with Lemon Rice

INGREDIENTS

Meatballs:
1 1/2 pounds ground turkey or beef
2 tablespoons milk
1/4 cup bread crumbs (panko or regular)
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon olive oil

Rice:
1 1/2 cups long grain white rice
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste if needed
3 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

For the meatballs, in a large bowl, combine the ground turkey, milk, bread crumbs, lemon zest, salt, pepper, and parsley until well-combined. Roll into about 16 meatballs (about 1-2 inches in diameter).

Heat the tablespoon olive oil in a large 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot and rippling. Add the meatballs in a single layer and brown on each side. No need to cook through here as they will finish cooking with the rice - just get them nice and golden.
Carefully scoop the meatballs out of the skillet onto a paper towel-lined plate and return the skillet to medium heat (wiping out any excess grease - leaving just a tiny bit for the rice).

Add the rice to the skillet and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the edges of the rice start to turn translucent. Add the garlic and salt and cook for another minute. Stir in the broth, lemon juice, and lemon zest and bring the mixture to a simmer.

Gently nestle the meatballs back into the rice mixture and cover the skillet. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the rice is tender and the meatballs are cooked through, about 18-20 minutes.

Remove the skillet from the heat and let it sit, covered, for 5 or so minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with Parmesan and additional fresh parsley, if desired. Serve immediately.

(Source: http://www.melskitchencafe.com/skillet-turkey-meatballs-with-lemon-rice/)

Ground Turkey & Peppers

Simple and easy, but flavorful. Dickson and the kids loved it.

• Olive oil
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion
• 1 bell pepper (red or yellow), chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Kosher salt
• 1 lb ground turkey (could also use lean ground beef)
• 1 teaspoon chipotle powder or chili powder (or to taste)
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley or cilantro

Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Add the chopped onions and bell pepper and cook until onions and peppers are softened, a couple minutes. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds more.

Push the vegetables to the edge of one side of the pan and position that side of the pan so that it is off the burner, away from the heat. The empty part of the pan should be right over the burner. Add one or two more tablespoons of oil to coat the empty part of the pan. Put crumpled chunks of ground turkey in the pan, sprinkle with salt and chipotle or chili powder.

Cook the turkey without stirring until it is browned on one side, then turn the pieces over to brown the other side. Once the turkey is just cooked through, stir in the onions and peppers, and sprinkle with more salt and chili powder to taste. Remove from heat. Stir in fresh chopped parsley or cilantro.
Serve alone, or with steamed rice or noodles.

(Source: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/moms_ground_turkey_and_peppers/)