Mushroom and Turkey Casserole

As I have mentioned in past posts I'm always looking for new casserole or one pot dinners. Denis and I just bought our first house so we have been really busy going back and forth trying to get painting done and other little odds and ends before we move. So meals that I can make ahead of time are really necessary. I found this one on CookingLight.com. It tasted like all the flavors of Thanksgiving mixed together, super delish! I was able to make it in the morning and keep it covered in the fridge all day, without the breadcrumbs. Since I didn't want the breadcrumbs to get soggy I added them right before I put it in the oven. I served it with a little cranberry sauce on the side to finish it off.

Note: One short cut I took to make this even easier was buying Butterball pre-cooked Turkey. They are usually 2-3 servings so it was the perfect amount of Turkey. They usually have them near the pre-packaged salads.

Ingredients

1 (6-ounce) package long-grain and wild rice (such as Uncle Ben's )

1 ounce French bread or other firm white bread, cubed

1 tablespoon butter, melted and divided

3/4 cup (3 ounces) created fresh Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 (8-ounce) packaged pre-sliced mushrooms

1 1/2 cups chopped cooked turkey

1 cup turkey gravy

1/2 cup 2% low-fat milk

1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

3/4 teaspoon minced fresh or 1/4 teaspoon dried sage

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Cooking spray

3/4 cup cranberry sauce

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Prepare rice according to package directions, omitting fat and seasoning packet. Set aside.

While rice cooks, place bread in a food processor; pulse 15 times or until fine crumbs measure 1/2 cup. Add 1 teaspoon butter to processor; pulse until combined. Add cheese to processor, and pulse until combined.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 teaspoons of butter, onion, garlic, and mushrooms; sauté 7 minutes or until onion is tender. Stir in turkey and next 7 ingredients (through pepper). Add cooked rice; stir.

Spoon rice mixture into a 1 1/2 quart casserole coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs mixture.

Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with cranberry sauce.

Turkey Mini-Meatloaves

So meatloaf wasn't something I grew up eating a lot of, and honestly it kind of freaks me out. I mean its a "loaf of meat", how is that normal? But I have been trying to be a little more adventurous, and try new things lately. I know meatloaf really isn't something crazy, but I am known to be a little picky about certain foods. I am getting better and I am starting to enjoy new things more and more. So I found this recipe and knowing meatloaf is one of Denis's favorite meals, I decided to make it for us for dinner. It was so good!! It was moist and really flavorful and the best part - low fat. Delicious and low cal, what can be better than that!? I served it with a side of roasted carrots and potatoes tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper, chives and parsley. Very simple meal with tons of flavor.

Finished product

Turkey Mini-Meatloaves

Cook Yourself Thin

Serves 4

Meatloaves pre-glaze and cooking.

Ingredients

For the meatloaf:

1 slice whole wheat bread

1/2 cup skim milk

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, diced

5-ounce bag baby spinach leaves

1 1/4 pounds ground turkey

2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

For the glaze:

3 tablespoons ketchup

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon hot sauce

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Grind the bread in a food processor until fine crumbs form. Transfer to a large bowl, and pour milk over crumbs.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet, preferably nonstick, over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden, about 5 minutes. Add spinach, and stir until just wilted, about 30 seconds. Transfer to the bowl with soaked crumbs. Add the turkey, cheese, egg, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Combine the mixture with your hands until well mixed; it will be quite wet.

4. Pack 1 cup of mixture into a 1-cup dry measuring cup. Invert the cup onto a rimmed baking sheet, gently shaking the cup to release the mixture. Gently pat the mound to smooth its shape. Repeat with remaining mixture. Bake mini meatloaves until cooked through and golden, about 40 minutes.

5. While the meatloaves are cooking make the glaze: in a small bowl combine the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. Brush over meatloaves.

Roasted carrots and potatoes.

Grilled Turkey or Chicken Parm Burgers

Last week I was watching Rachael Ray and she made these great Chicken Parm inspired burgers. So I decided to make a more low cal version of my own. It is really easy and especially delish because tomatoes are almost in season!

Grilled Turkey or Chicken Parm Burgers

Serves 4

By: Me

1 pound Turkey or Chicken Meat, Lean (I used Turkey)

3 tablespoons Parmesan Cheese, grated

1 cup packed fresh basil, chopped

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 medium vine ripe tomatoes, halved

1 teaspoon olive oil

8-10 ounces block of reduced calorie Mozzarella cheese, sliced for 4 burgers

Mixed Greens

4 English Muffins

1. In a medium non-stick fry pan, heat oil on medium-high heat. Once the oil is heated place tomatoes in the pan, be careful of splattering. Reduce heat to medium-low and let sit for 20- 25 minutes (or until tender), covered.

2. While grill is heating and tomatoes are cooking, combine the turkey or chicken meat, Parmesan Cheese, chopped basil, salt and pepper.

3. Put the meat in a mound and score to form 4 sections. Then form into patties. Place on the grill until cooked through, or the thermometer reads about 160 degrees.

4. Meanwhile, toast English muffins.

5. Remove the tomatoes from the stove. Place tomatoes and a slice of mozzarella cheese on each burger on the grill, cover until melted.

6. Place some mixed greens on the English muffins and serve.

Cheesy Turkey Enchiladas with Tomatillo Salsa with Cilantro with Spanish Rice

I recently bought Rocco Dispirito's new cookbook Now Eat This! 150 of America's favorite comfort foods: All under 350 calories. We absolutely love it! I have made this recipe for Enchiladas twice and it is so yummy. I did leave off the cilantro garnish because I am not a fan. I have found that people either love it or hate it and I don't think it takes away much of the flavor for this great dish. As a side I made a really easy spanish rice from Cooking Light.

Cheesy Turkey Enchiladas with Tomatillo Salsa and Cilantro

Rocco Dispirito: Now Eat This!

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 12 oz ground turkey
• Four 9-inch low carb tortillas, such as La Tortilla Factory
• 2/3 cup fat-free spicy bean dip such as Desert Pepper Trading Company
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• One 12 ounce jar tomatillo salsa, such as Ortega
• 1 cup reduced fat Mexican cheese blend, such as Weight Watchers
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees
2. Heat a large nonstick saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the ground turkey and cook, stirring to break it up a little, until it is just cooked through, about 4 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, using flameproof tongs, char the tortillas lightly on each side over an open flame, or toast them under preheated broiler. (I toasted ours in the toaster oven broiler) Keep the tortillas warm by covering them with a clean kitchen towel as you go.
4. Stir the black bean dip into the turkey. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Lay the tortillas on a work surface, and divide the turkey mixture among them. Fold the sides of the tortillas in over the filling and roll the tortillas up tightly to encase the filling. Lay them side-by-side in a 9x13-inch baking dish.
6. Spoon the salsa over the tortillas, and sprinkle with the cheese. Bake until the cheese is bubbly and the enchiladas are hot throughout, 10 to 12 minutes
7. Sprinkle the cilantro over the enchiladas, and serve.

Low Fat Spanish Rice

Cooking Light

Serves 3

Ingredients

• Vegetable Cooking Spray
• 1 cup uncooked instant rice
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2/3 cup green bell pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon prepared mustard
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can of whole tomatoes, undrained and chopped. (If you use a pair of kitchen scissors to chop the tomatoes in the can it makes the process easier with half the mess.)
• 1 (5.5 ounce) can of tomato juice

Preparation

Coat a large non-stick skillet with cooking spray; place over medium-high heat until hot. Add rice, onion and bell pepper; saute 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients; simmer, for 5 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

Note: I used brown rice for some extra fiber and it takes about 10 minutes to absorb all the liquid.