Tag Archives: turkey

Turkey Sloppy Joes

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

Spicy Turkey Meat Loaf with Ketchup Topping

A few months ago, I made a meat loaf recipe that I enjoyed so much, I decided right then and there that it would be my go-to meat loaf recipe from here on out.  But, I had this Spicy Turkey Meat Loaf with Ketchup Topping tucked away in my recipe binder so I had to try it out also.  I almost didn’t want to like it because I loved the other recipe so much but oh boy, now I’m torn!

The “spicy” in this meat loaf is from Sriracha, hot chile sauce, which is a staple in my refrigerator.  It’s spiciness creeps up on you but is tamed slightly by the sweetness in the ketchup topping.  Since I’m in love with spicy food lately, I think I uttered “Yum” after every single bite.  The other special ingredient in this meat loaf is mushrooms.  Not only to do they add a low-calorie flavor boost but they also help keep the meat loaf incredibly moist.  I guess it’s better to have two winning meat loaf recipes than to have none at all, right?

Also check out Cheesy Turkey Meat Loaf.

The ingredients:

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat and cook onion, mushrooms, and garlic to pan for 8 minutes.  Remove from heat, place in a large bowl and allow to cool.

Add panko, broth, parsley, soy sauce, Sriracha, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, ground turkey, and egg to the mushroom mixture and mix until just combined.

In a small bowl, combine ketchup, brown sugar, dry mustard, and nutmeg.

Pat turkey mixture into a loaf pan and top with ketchup mixture.  Bake at 350°F for 40 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 165°F.

Additions:  None

Omissions:

  • Worcestershire sauce

Substitutions:  None

Overall Rating:  Love It

Source:  Cooking Light Magazine

 

Asian Lettuce Cups

Have you ever eaten lettuce wraps at an Asian restaurant and thought, “I want to make these”? Or at least, “I wish someone would make these for me”? Well, here you go. These Asian Lettuce Cups turned out exactly how I wanted them to and didn’t disappoint at all. For some reason, I expected lettuce cups to be difficult, or at least annoying, to make but they were so easy!

You brown mushrooms and ground turkey with garlic and ginger over the stove and move it to a bowl. In another bowl is mixed a simple sauce of hoisin, soy, vinegar, and hot chile sauce. These tasty cups have a slight sweetness from the hoisin, a subtle saltiness from the soy, a real kick of spice from the chile sauce and a delicious crunch from the butter lettuce and celery. The recipe calls for water chestnuts which I don’t really care for so I used celery instead but I think carrots would be great too. I think you could use ground beef or chicken here too so use whatever you like! One serving is two lettuce cups but trust me, it’s difficult to stop at just two!

The ingredients:

Heat oil in a non-stick skillet and cook mushrooms until soft. I chopped mine up a bit because I don’t like big chunks of mushrooms but feel free to leave the caps whole if you prefer.

Once mushrooms are soft, move them to a large bowl to cool. In the same skillet, add the remaining oil, turkey, garlic, and ginger. Cook until turkey is fully browned.

Move turkey mixture to the bowl with the mushrooms and add scallions and celery (or water chestnuts). Mix well.

In a small bowl, combine hoisin sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and hot chile sauce.

Spoon two tablespoons of turkey mixture into one lettuce cup and top with a tablespoon of sauce. Enjoy!

Additions:

  • Celery

Omissions:

  • Water chestnuts

Substitutions:

  • Dried ginger for fresh ginger

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Cooking Light Magazine