"Thai Turkey Bowl"

That's what Chad calls it, at least. It's not actually Thai, per se, but is composed of meat and veggies, then served over rice. That's enough for us. And Thai Turkey Bowl sounds way better than Ground Turkey and Peppers...

Ground turkey is way cheaper than ground beef. We've been buying the big roll of it at Winco for about nine bucks and it gives us four good dinners.

The best thing about this meal is that it can all be cooked in one big frying pan (minus the rice). That's my kind of meal, especially because we don't have a dishwasher. Doing dishes just gets old sometimes. All the time.

Okay. Here it is.

Olive oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion, including some chopped greens from scallions or green onions
1 bell pepper (red or yellow preferred), chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
Kosher salt
1 lb ground turkey, preferably ground turkey thighs
Chipotle powder or chili powder {I used some cajun seasoning and it was fantastic!)
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.

Serves 4.

Original Source: Simply Recipes

Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls

Okay. I know I'm going kind of health-nutty, but I'm trying to do this little-to-no-sugar thing right. I finally got sweet potatoes in my Bountiful Basket last week, so i gave this recipe a go.

Phenomenal.

I'm not kidding! The potatoes are beautifully sweet and you add just a little maple syrup into the dough for an extra somethin. The only downside to this recipe is that, as usual, it takes forever to make them from start to finish. However, it's way easier if you get to the point of cutting the rolls and placing them in their pan, but then put them in the freezer until the night before you want to bake them. Let them thaw and rise overnight, pop em in the oven, and you have homemade and hot scrumptious rolls for b-fast.

Love it.

1 cup almond milk, warmed {I used soy }

4 teaspoons yeast {I used fast-rising…less worry}

2 tablespoons maple syrup {could be substituted with agave nectar or honey}

2 cups sweet potatoes, mashed {peel, chop, then boil for a good 20 minutes to make sure they’re soft enough to mash}

1 egg

1 tablespoon olive oil 

4 1/2 - 5 cups spelt flour, depending on how much water content your potatoes have {I used whole wheat flour, and actually about 5 ½ cups of it}

1 teaspoons salt

3/4 cup brown sugar {again, could probably be substituted with another sweetener}

2 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon

6 tablespoons butter, softened

In a large bowl, sprinkle the yeast and maple syrup over the warmed almond milk. Mix together gently and let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.

Place the mashed sweet potatoes into a large bowl and whisk in the egg, oil, salt, and 1 cup of flour. Add the potato mixture to the yeast mixture and stir until thoroughly blended. Mix in the rest of the flour, 1 cup at a time, blending thoroughly after each addition. The dough should be slightly wet and sticky, but not so much that you can't form it into a ball, you may not need all 5 cups of flour. {I used more than 5, because it was so sticky. Just add flour until it holds together fairly nicely, but is still very soft.} Knead for 8-10 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic, and forms nicely into a ball.

Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, cover with a clean towel and let rise in a warm spot for about 1 hour or until doubled in size {quick-rising yeast cuts this in half}.

On a floured counter top, cut the dough in half and roll each into a ball. One at a time, roll each ball into a 16-inch by10-inch by 1/2-inch rectangle.

To make the filling, combine the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl. Spread half the softened butter evenly over the dough and sprinkle half the cinnamon sugar over. Tightly roll the dough, lengthwise and turn seam side down. Cut into 12 equal slices {mine turned into about 14 slices} and place cut-side up on a lined or buttered baking sheet. I used a glass pie dish and placed the rolls about a half inch apart. They will expand as they rise and fill in the space.

Cover, and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about an hour. 

Heat the oven to 400˚F. You can brush the tops with some  milk or an egg wash and sprinkle with {brown} sugar at this point. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until lightly golden. You don't want to over bake these or they will dry out. Serve warm from the oven.

Original source: So Good and Tasty

Easy Tomato Basil Soup (I swear by this!)

This soup is a crowd favorite and super quick to make. It's perfect for the life of a college student or when you need to feed a ton of people. I make a huge pot and just eat it the rest of the week with mozzarella cheese on top and some nice bread on the side (I think it yields about 9 servings).

*1 Medium size onion, chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 (28 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
18 fresh basil leaves, minced
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup butter or margarine

In large stovetop pan, sautee onions and garlic. Meanwhile, n a large saucepan, bring the tomatoes and broth to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add sauteed onions, garlic, basil and sugar. Reduce heat to low; stir in cream and butter. Cook until butter is melted.

*I added the onions and garlic to the original recipe. Also I add tons more spices, just whatever I have in my cupboard: Italian spices, oregano, rosemary, etc.

Parmesan Orzo Primavera

I'm a huge fan of Orzo and anything I can make in less than 20 minutes that is also healthy.

I will be making this one regularly.

Ingredients:
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) chicken broth
1 cup orzo pasta, uncooked
2 1/2 cups chopped fresh vegetables, such as broccoli, carrots, green onions, spinach
1/3 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

Combine chicken broth and pasta in medium saucepan. Stir in 1/3 cup water. Bring to boil. Add orzo pasta. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer 7 minutes. Add vegetables; mix well. Cook an additional 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in parmesan cheese.

Just so you know, I needed more water than was there to finish cooking the vegetables. I probably ended up adding an extra 1/2 c-- But I say just watch it and be aware of how it's cooking. Also, after I added the veggies I let it cook for longer than five minutes because I like my veggies a little softer.

Freezing Soup

I'm mostly posting this so I'll remember the link to it. I've had trouble freezing soups and this website seems helpful on determining which soups are okay to freeze, which ingredients you should undercook, etc.

http://www.favoritefreezerfoods.com/freezing-soup.html 

Homemade Hot Fudge

Dresses up your brownies and ice cream, making it "an occasion". This recipe makes a quart of fudge, and will keep in the fridge for several weeks. Also good eaten cold with a spoon when you just need "a little something chocolate"! :)

1 stick real butter
6 oz. chocolate chips
1 - 13oz. can evaporated milk
2 c. powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla

Melt butter and chocolate chips in medium saucepan. Stir until smooth. Add evaporated milk and powdered sugar. Bring to a rolling boil, and boil for two minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Makes one quart. (I keep mine in a glass quart canning jar) To reheat, microwave for 20 seconds, stir, and pour.

Easy Minestrone Soup

Turns out the Williams-Sonoma Kids' Cookbook has some of the easiest, most delicious recipes around. Like this one.

1 large carrot, peeled and diced
1 medium onion, diced
2 celery stalks, sliced
1/2 lb. sausage (I use Jimmy Dean Reduced Fat pork sausage in the soft tube)
1 T. butter
1 medium zucchini, diced with skin on
4 c. chicken broth
1/3 c. dry spaghetti, broken into short pieces
1/2 t. dried oregano
1 can (24 oz.) crushed tomatoes
Salt and pepper
Shredded Parmesan cheese

Melt butter in large pot. Add carrot, onion, celery, and sausage and saute over medium heat until sausage is cooked through (no pink left). Add chicken broth, tomatoes, zucchini, spaghetti, oregano, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a LOW BOIL and cook until spaghetti and vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Ladle into soup bowls and top with Parmesan cheese.