Turkey Dumplings with Sesame Dipping Sauce

I love making these turkey dumplings for a weekend meal, though I think they'd be great as a party appetizer as well. Making filling comes together quickly, as does cooking the dumplings, but filling and sealing the wonton wrappers takes awhile, so be sure to give yourself plenty of time.

This is a great recipe for a low-carb diet, which makes me love it even more! If you're vegetarian you can easily omit the turkey and add in 1 cup of spinach leaves, or shredded carrots and diced bell peppers.

Turkey Dumplings with Sesame Dipping Sauce
Source: Adapted from Reverse Diabetes-Holiday Issue
Printable Recipe

Dumpling Ingredients
1 pound ground turkey
6 green onions, thinly sliced (white and green portions)
one 8-ounce can water chestnuts, drained
8 teaspoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
48 wonton wrappers

Dipping Sauce Ingredients
1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 Tablespoons sesame oil
4 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup thinly slices green onions, plus additional for garnish

Dumpling Directions

Brown the ground turkey in a skillet until cooked through. Drain off any fat.

Combine the turkey, scallions, water chestnuts, cilantro, soy sauce, ginger and pepper in a medium bowl. Mix well to combine.

Bring a large pot of water to boil.

Working with several wonton wrappers at a time, while keeping the remainder loosly covered with a damp cloth, start filling the wontons. I find it easiest to hold the wrapper in one hand and add about a 1/2 teaspoon to a teaspoon of filling to the center of each wrapper. Dip your finger in water and moisten the edges of the wonton wrapper. Fold the wrapper in half, over the filling, and press the edges together to seal. Set aside and keep covered with a damp cloth. Repeat with the remaining wonton wrappers and filling.

Add the dumplings to the boiling water (it's best to work in batches) and cook until they float to the surface--about 3-4 minutes.

While the dumplings are cooking, make the dipping sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar, sugar, and scallions.

Remove the dumplings from the water with a slotted spoon, draining off excess water. Serve with dipping sauce and a sprinkle of chopped green onions.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

I recently tried a recipe for spaghetti and meatballs, where the meatballs were simmered in the sauce. It was from a source I normally trust, and it sounded good, but I thought the meatballs were horrible! They had a really mushy texture from simmering in the sauce, which I couldn't stomach.

I wanted to make spaghetti and meatballs again, as the husband has requested it several times recently, so I did some Internet digging and found a recipe from Alton Brown that incorporated spinach into the meatballs and then bakes them in the oven. I decided to riff off his recipe, switching out grated zucchini for the spinach and changing the seasonings to use what I had on hand.

These meatballs were infinitesimally better than the other recipe I tried! I simmered a semi-homemade tomato sauce to top the noodles and made some quick garlic bread to go with the meal and both the husband and I were happy.

Spaghetti and Meatballs
Source: meatballs inspired by Alton Brown
Printable Recipe

Meatball Ingredients
1 pound ground turkey
1/2 a zucchini, peeled and grated
2 tablespoons dried basil
1 tablespoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons garlic salt
1 Tablespoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 cup panko + 3/4 cup additional
1 egg

Tomato Sauce Ingredients
(double this if you like a lot of sauce or there are more than 2 people)
1 can stewed Italian tomatoes
1 small can tomato paste
1 Tablespoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
2 teaspoons pepper
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Put a pot of water on to boil for the noodles.

Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray and set aside.

Combine the turkey, zucchini, seasonings and egg in a medium bowl and mix to combine. Add the 1/4 cup panko and mix into the meat mixture.

Pour the 3/4 panko into a small bowl.

Form the meat into meatballs and roll each meatball into the panko. Set the meatballs on the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.

While the meatballs bake, combine the stewed tomatoes, the tomato paste, cheese, and seasonings in a small saucepan and simmer. You can add some water to make a thinner sauce if you like.

Cook the spaghetti noodles according to the directions on the package. Drain the water from the cooked noodles.

Layer the noodles, sauce and meatballs and enjoy!

Teriyaki Turkey Burgers

"I paid the bank note, the car note, an' yes, I paid the 'phone bill too.
An' then I turned around an' I found that the house note's due.
Well, I'd love to take you out like I said I would, honey,
But there's too much month at the end of the money."

If you listen to country music, like I do, you might be familiar with that song by Marty Stuart. I used to feel like there was "too much month at the end of the money" pretty frequently, but now that the husband and I have been paying off our debt and working with a monthly budget, I no longer worry about stretching our pay checks to the end of the month. I know we will have enough to pay all the bills, save, and have some fun money, no problem.

Except this month we didn't do such a great job sticking to the budget. And now we're about a week away from the end of the month and the bank account is running on empty. So if I want to put gas in my car in order to commute to work, I can't spend any money on groceries. Time to be creative! I consider my kitchen to be "empty" if I can't get to the grocery store twice a month, and while we may be severely lacking fresh vegetables, we are far from without food. I knew we had a half-full jar of pineapple teriyaki sauce in the fridge, a can of pineapple rings in the pantry, and lots of ground turkey in the freezer, so threw these ingredients together and created a teriyaki burger. The husband and I both love burgers, and he loves pineapple--in fact, he always orders the teriyaki burger when we go to Islands--so I knew this would be a hit. And I was right!

We used whole wheat buns, but we also like sandwich thins when we want to save some calories. I served these burgers with homemade fries.


Teriyaki Turkey Burgers
Source: A Cooking in Cucamonga Original
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
1 pound ground turkey
1 20 ounce can pineapple rings
3 Tablespoons pineapple teriyaki, plus more for dressing your burger
hamburger buns
sharp cheddar cheese, if desired

Directions

Prepare a charcoal grill, or heat a grill pan.

Dice two pineapple rings and mix into the ground turkey, along with the pineapple teriyaki sauce.

Form the meat into even-sized patties (I made 6 small patties), making sure the middles are not much thicker than the edges.

Grill the patties on each side about 4 minutes, or until cooked all the way through. Grill the remaining pineapple rings for about 2-3 minutes per side.

Toast the buns while the meat is cooking. Top each bun with a patty, a thin slice of cheese, a pineapple ring, and a drizzle of pineapple teriyaki.

Enjoy!

Salsa Burgers

I wanted tacos for dinner, but the husband requested burgers, so I defrosted a package of ground turkey in the fridge. Turkey burgers are a quick, standby recipe in this house, but sometimes I get bored with them. While the meat was thawing in the microwave, I scoured the fridge, looking for flavor inspirations.

I usually add plain yogurt to ground turkey to increase the moisture (I find ground turkey to be really dry otherwise), but we were out, so I settled on light sour cream. That, combine with my craving for Mexican food, pushed me towards the salsa jar. Slowly, I began pulling out ingredients for a spicy, Mexican-flavored burger.

The husband doesn't like spicy food as much as I do...in fact, he even commented that I put salsa on all my food and wondered when I will create a salsa cake! So I divided the meat in half and only added the salsa to my half of the ground turkey (the recipe below calls for the salsa to be added to the entire pound of meat). If you are like the husband, use a mild salsa and omit the cayenne. You'll still have a flavorful burger, but without all the heat I like. If you like a lot of heat, use a hot salsa and up the cayenne and chili powder. That is the great thing about this recipe, it is easily adaptable to your tastes.

Salsa Burgers
Source: me
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
1 pound ground turkey
2 Tablespoons chunky salsa
2 Tablespoons light sour cream
1-2 teaspoons cayenne
2 teaspoons pepper
sprinkle garlic salt
heavy dash chili powder
4 small cubes pepper jack cheese

Directions
Light a charcoal grill or plug in your George Foreman grill (my method of choice here).

Mix all ingredients, except the cheese, together until fully incorporated.

Form the meat into four patties. Push a cube of cheese into the center of each patty and seal.

Cook the meat until your desired level of doneness. Serve on your favorite bun (we used toasted sandwich thins) with additional salsa.

Sage Butter-Roasted Turkey with Cider Gravy

My husband and I bought a new condo with a kitchen built for entertaining and dinner parties in late October/early November 2008, but I felt like we moved in too close to Thanksgiving to host, so we traveled to both sets of families for the holiday. I was exhausted and overly full by the time we got home and told my husband I was never doing that again.

Flash forward to this year; we've been in our condo for over a year, and I have a brand new kitchen table that seats 8, so we decided this would be the year to host. Being the big show-off that I am, I bought Bon Appetite's Thanksgiving issue and began ear-marking various recipes I wanted to serve. Having never made a whole turkey before I wanted something easy to prepare, but impressive to serve. This sage butter turkey was just the right combination of both! I omitted the original dry-rub and brined my turkey instead. However, I've linked to Bon Appetite's recipe in case you're interested in their method.

Now the recipes all say to roast the turkey breast side up, but having never cooked a turkey before, I had no idea which side was the breast. It looked pretty much the same to me! They really should come labeled. So once my turkey was out of the brine, I threw it into the roasting pan, only to have my wise mother tell me I'd cooked the bird upside down! Oh well. This was the juiciest, moistest turkey I'd ever eaten...and I will forever cook turkeys upside down from now on!

The cider gravy was slightly sweet, but was a tasty pairing to the sage turkey. I omitted the apple jack as I didn't want to spend the money on it, and it still turned out fabulous!

This bird was heavy!

Sage Butter-Roasted Turkey with Cider Gravy

Adapted from Bon Appetite

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Brine
4 gallons water

2 cups of table salt (1/2 cup per gallon of water...see this site for some good tips on brining)

1 handful fresh sage leaves, torn

Turkey
1 20-pound turkey, rinsed, patted dry; neck, heart, and gizzard removed

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup chopped fresh sage
3/4 cup fresh refrigerated apple cider or fresh refrigerated apple juice
gravy
2 cups (or more) Turkey Stock or low-salt chicken broth

2 tablespoons dried sage

several springs of fresh rosemary or tyme

Gravy
3/4 cup fresh refrigerated apple cider or fresh refrigerated apple juice
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 to 3 tablespoons Calvados (apple brandy) or applejack brandy (I omitted this)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage

Directions
Place the turkey in a large brine bag and fill with 4 gallons of water (16 cups = 1 gallon). Stir in the salt and sage. Brine in the refrigerator overnight.

Set rack at lowest position in oven and preheat to 375°F. Remove the turkey from the brine, rinse throughouly and pat dry. Tuck wing tips under; tie legs together loosely. Set in a roasting pan. (Bon Appetite, and most other recipes really, call for the turkey to be cooked breast side up. I inadvertenly cooked mine breast side down, but loved the results. You do what you want.)

Stir butter and chopped sage in small saucepan over low heat until butter melts. Brush all over turkey; sprinkle liberaly with pepper.

Roast turkey 1 hour; baste with any pan juices. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Pour 3/4 cup apple cider over; turn pan around. Continue to roast turkey until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 165°F, basting and turning pan occasionally for even cooking, about 1 1/4 hours longer. (I cooked my turkey until it reached 185 degrees. Since I cooked it upside down, it was still underdone at 165. The brining process and the juices running into the upside down breast kept the meat incredibly moist.)

Transfer turkey to platter; tent loosely with foil and let rest 30 to 45 minutes. If you cook yours breast side down, as I did, flip it over just before you are ready to carve.

Gravy Directions
Pour all pan juices into large measuring cup. Spoon off fat that rises to surface.

Transfer 2 tablespoons fat to heavy large saucepan; discard remaining fat.

Place turkey roasting pan over 2 burners. Add 2 cups stock or broth and 3/4 cup cider. Bring to boil over high heat, scraping up browned bits. Boil liquid until reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 6 minutes. Add mixture from roasting pan to degreased pan juices. If necessary, add enough stock to measure 3 1/2 cups stock mixture.

Place saucepan with turkey fat over medium-high heat. Add flour and whisk 2 minutes. Whisk in stock mixture. Boil until gravy thickens enough to coat spoon thinly, about 6 minutes. Whisk in 2 tablespoons Calvados, or more to taste, and sage. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve turkey with gravy.

I swear it's not burnt; the sage got a bit crispy and dark, but the skin and meat were perfect!

Ground Turkey Stuffed Acorn Squash

This is a quick (30 minutes...45 including prep) and healthy that's great for a weeknight dinner. I can be pretty picky about veggies, but I've found that I really enjoy winter squash, including acorn squash and this is a fun way to serve the veg.

PS. I don't know why my pictures are coming out so yellowy lately. Ugh!

Turkey Stuffed Acorn Squash
Printable Recipe
Source: Me

Ingredients
1 acorn squash
1 pound ground turkey
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 onion, minced
5 large baby bella mushrooms (or whatever you like/have on hand), diced
1 tablespoon dried sage
2 teaspoons pepper (we like a lot of pepper. adjust to suit your tastes)
1 teaspoon garlic salt
dash chili powder
dash cayenne pepper
a sprinkle of salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Directions
Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Cut the acorn squash in half and scoop out the seeds and goopy flesh.

Fill a shallow pie pan with a few inches of water. Place the acorn squash in the water, flesh-side down. Bake for 30 minutes, or until fork tender.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large non-stick pan. Sautee the garlic, onions, and mushrooms until fragrant.

Season the raw turkey with the sage, pepper, salt, garlic salt, chili powder, and cayenne. Using your hands, or a large spoon, mix the seasonings into the raw meat.

Add the seasoned ground turkey to the pan and cook, breaking into small pieces as it cooks. Drain the fat from the meat and return to the pan to keep warm.

Once the acorn squash is cooked, remove from the pan of water and lightly season with salt and pepper. Add a bit of butter if desired. Fill the cavity of the squash with the turkey mixture and serve.

Turkey Veggie Burgers

My husband and I love to eat homemade turkey burgers. Whenever there is a sale on ground turkey at the grocery store, I stock up and buy several packages to throw in the freezer. We buy the packaged Jennie-O brand of turkey, which is usually on sale for about $2.50-$3.50 (they are 1.25 pound packages). In an effort to be healthier, we stopped buying red meat about a year ago and now eat mainly turkey and chicken at home...eating out is a whole 'nother story. I love me some In-N-Out burger!!

Turkey can be pretty dry, so I usually up the moisture by mixing tons of fresh veggies and herbs into the mixture. (This is also a great way to up your veggie intake!!) I also will add about a tablespoon of plain yogurt into the meat as well; this keeps the meat really moist, but you can't taste the yogurt. Just make sure you use plain...unless you want a fruity tasting burger. :) We didn't have any yogurt on hand the last time I made these burgers though, so I didn't include it, but it is listed in the ingredients list.

Most of the veggies we put in our burgers come straight from our garden, lending these burgers a really fresh, healthy taste. :) You can mix up the veggies to incorporate whatever you have and like; we've used zucchini, mushrooms, garlic, white onions, and other produce before with great results.

Turkey Veggie Burgers


1.25 pounds ground turkey
grape tomatos, smashed (smash them into the meat so the juice is incorporated as well)
fresh oregano, diced
fresh basil, diced
green onions, diced
dried oregano
garlic salt
pepper
a few red pepper flakes
a dash of cayanne pepper
1 tablespoon PLAIN yogurt (optional)

Toppings:
Lettuce
Tomatos (I used a tomato picked fresh from our garden....SOOO good!!)
Low-fat cheddar cheese

Mix all burger ingredients together in a large bowl until well combined. Form into patties by hand (I like to make thick patties if I am using my Foreman grill since it smashes them).
Grill on your charcoal grill until cooked most of the way through (about 5-7 )min. and then flip over to finish. **Leave the lid ON throughout cooking to help cook the meat all the way through.
If using a Foreman, place on the grill, put the cover down, and cook for about 7-8 minutes.

Top with your desired toppings. I served these with steamed green beans from our weekly CSA basket.