Turkey

Turkey Sloppy Joes

June 6, 2012
Shannon
1 comment
barbecue, food, sandwiches, tomatoes, turkey

Were you one of those kids whose mom/dad opened up canned sloppy joe sauce and “made” sloppy joes for dinner? Well, I’m proud to say that I wasn’t. What I am not proud to admit is that I have absolutely no idea how my mom made sloppy joes from scratch or what she put in it. Or maybe it was my dad who made them. Anyway, I think maybe there was some ketchup and maybe there was some mustard. And maybe some brown sugar. Beyond that, I’m clueless. As easy of a recipe as it seems, I honestly didn’t have the first clue as to how to make sloppy joes from scratch. Now, I introduce you to Turkey Sloppy Joes. I think I’ve bought canned sloppy joe sauce once in my life, which shows how little I eat said sandwiches. Until now.

I’m assuming we used to enjoy sloppy joes in the summer because for no good reason, it seems like a summer food to me (even though there is nothing “warm weather” about standing over a stove stirring ground meat and sauce). I’m happy to say that after making these Turkey Sloppy Joes, I’m feeling confident about making them again in the future…and soon. Made with tomato sauce, brown sugar, barbecue sauce, and Worcestershire sauce, this was everything you want in a sloppy joe – sweet, tangy, sloppy, and finger-licking. Just for kicks and giggles, try this next time you are in the mood for a sloppy mess of a sandwich.

The ingredients:

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the turkey, onion, and garlic. Cook, breaking the meat up with a spoon, until browned and fully cooked.

In a medium bowl, combine the tomato sauce, brown sugar, barbecue sauce, and Worcestershire. Mix into the turkey mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened, 3 to 5 minutes.

Spoon into your favorite bun and keep some napkins nearby.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions: None

Source: Real Simple Magazine

Sausage-Spinach Quinoa Bowl

I admit that I’m late to the quinoa party. Quinoa recipes are everywhere now and I’d been so curious about this superfood for a while but had never tried it. My grocery store doesn’t carry it so I finally went to another grocery store slightly farther away that always seems to carry whatever it is that my grocery store doesn’t. When the check-out girl saw my bag of quinoa, she asked me if it was good, saying her mom wanted to try it for weight loss. I came home and made a batch just to keep on hand to eat as a side in place of my usual brown rice. Even though brown rice is good for your diet, quinoa is better because it’s a complete protein (meaning it has all of the essential amino acids we need). People say it has a nutty taste but I think it tastes more like corn which isn’t at all what I expected.

I wanted to try a recipe using quinoa in place of rice and since the spinach in my produce drawer was close to going bad and I needed to cook the leftover turkey sausage from the gratin I made earlier this week, the perfect dish to make was Sausage-Spinach Quinoa Bowl. With hot turkey sausage, spinach, and quinoa, this dish came together very quickly since I’d already cooked the quinoa. (Rinse the quinoa thoroughly. Bring one part quinoa, two parts water to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes until the liquid is absorbed.) The spiciness of the turkey sausage pairs terrifically with the bitter spinach and the red pepper flake gives it the slightest hint of kick. The quinoa made for a great substitute for the rice which is exactly what I was hoping it would do. I look forward to making this superfood more in the future!

The ingredients:

Heat olive oil in a large skillet and cook sausage and red pepper over medium-high heat until browned and crumbled.

Add in garlic and cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly.

Add in spinach and cook 30 seconds or until spinach begins to wilt.

Stir in prepared rice or quinoa; cook 1 minute or until heated.

Additions: None

Omissions:

Parmesan cheese

Substitutions:

Quinoa

Overall Rating: Like It

Source: Cooking Light Magazine

Turkey Sausage, Mushroom, and Potato Gratin

We’ve been so lucky in the Philadelphia area lately because the weather has been nice and warm, averaging in the 70s. But this past weekend, the temperate dropped to the 50s, the skies turned gray and down came the rain. Despite the fact that it brought a rainbow on Saturday afternoon and blue skies had returned by Sunday afternoon, it sent me right back into hybernation mode and all I wanted was comfort food. I initially thought that this recipe for Turkey Sausage, Mushroom, and Potato Gratin would be good for Easter but in my comfort food rage, I couldn’t stop myself from making it a little bit early.

I have to tell you that I looooooove turkey sausage. Pretty much any recipe I’ve made for this blog with turkey sausage has gotten my highest rating. I loved sausage as a kid, especially when smothered in maple syrup, and I regularly snacked on veggie sausage links when I was a vegetarian (and still do!). So, it shouldn’t surprise you when I tell you – I. Love. This. Dish! In fact, this is probably one of my favorite dishes I’ve made recently. Filled with creamy potatoes, spicy sausage, earthy mushrooms and topped with Swiss cheese and fresh thyme, this is a comforting dish that would be great for either brunch or dinner. I hunkered down with a bowl of this on Sunday afternoon while I watched The Shining for the 600th time. Comforting indeed!

The ingredients:

Heat sausage in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté for 5 minutes or until browned, breaking up the sausage into crumbles. Remove the sausage from pan and wipe the pan with paper towels.

Melt the butter in the pan and add onion, sautéing for 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms and sauté for 6 minutes. Add the potatoes and salt and sauté for 5 minutes or until browned.