Brown Rice ‘n’ Apple Stuffed Turkey

We made this smaller turkey for Super Bowl Sunday. None of us like eating stuffing after it was in a bird, but we made it and put it in to help flavor the turkey. The turkey came out nice and tender and very flavorful.

Cost: About $15.50 ($1.54 per serving) - Chicken broth ($0.85), apple juice ($1.69), raisins ($1.99), celery ($1.49), apple ($1.00), 12-pound turkey ($8.40)

Prep: 1 hour

Bake: 3 hours + 20 minutes standing

Yield: 6 servings with leftovers

• 1 can (14 1/2 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1 cup uncooked long grain brown rice
• 1/3 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 cup chopped tart apple
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 turkey (10 to 12 pounds)

1. In a saucepan, combine the broth, 1/3 cup apple juice and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil. Stir in the rice and raisins. Return to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 40-50 minutes or until rice is tender.
2. Meanwhile, in a nonstick skillet, cook celery and onion in butter for 2 minutes. Add apple; cook and stir for 3 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Combine the rice mixture, apple mixture, poultry seasoning, pepper and remaining apple juice and salt.
3. Just before baking, loosely stuff turkey. Skewer turkey openings; tie drumsticks together. Place breast side up on a rack in a roasting pan. Bake, uncovered, at 325 for 2 3/4 to 3 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 180 for the turkey and 165 for the stuffing. (Cover loosely with foil if turkey browns too quickly.)
4. Cover turkey and let stand for 20 minutes. Remove stuffing and carve turkey, discarding skin. If desired, thicken pan drippings for gravy.

Stuffing may be prepared as directed and baked separately in a 1 1/2 quart baking dish coated with cooking spray. Cover and bake at 325 for 25 minutes. Uncover, bake 10-15 minutes longer or until heated through.

Nutrition: (3 ounces cooked turkey with 3/4 cup stuffing) 286 calories, 8 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 51 mg cholesterol, 443 mg sodium, 37 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 17 g protein.

Turkey Sloppy Joes

I made these sloppy joes on a Saturday and cooked them the slow way in the slow cooker. The taste blended together quite well. I found the turkey to be a good alternative to beef sloppy joes.

Cost: About $7.00 (about $0.88 per serving) - Turkey ($2.39), celery ($1.49), green pepper ($0.50), tomato soup ($1.49), hamburger buns ($0.88).

Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 4 hours

Yield: 8 servings

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped celery (about 4 stalks)
• 1/4 cup chopped green pepper
• 1 can (10 3/4 ounces) reduced-fat reduced-sodium condensed tomato soup, undiluted
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons prepared mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 8 hamburger buns, split

1. In a large saucepan coated with cooking spray, cook the turkey, onion, celery and green pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain if necessary.
2. Stir in the soup, ketchup, brown sugar, mustard and pepper.
3. Transfer to a 3-qt. slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours. Serve on buns.

Note: If you don't have 4 hours to wait, you can make it on the stove top. Follow all the directions in step 1. Then, bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes to heat through and allow the flavors to blend.

Nutrition: (1 sandwich) 352 calories, 15.9 g fat, 3.8 g saturated fat, 42.5 mg cholesterol, 725.1 mg sodium, 37.8 g carbohydrate, 2.9 g fiber, 10.0 g sugars, 14.5 g protein.

Barbecued Turkey Pizza

Prep/Total Time: 20 minutes + standing prep, 25 minutes bake

Yield: 8 servings

• 1 cup water (70 to 80 degrees)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 3/4 cup barbecue sauce
• 1 1/2 cups cubed cooked turkey breast
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn, thawed
• 1 small red onion, julienned
• 1 small green pepper, julienned
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded park-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. In a bread machine pan, place the first six ingredients in order suggested by manufacturer. Select dough setting (check dough after 5 minutes of mixing; add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water or flour if needed).
2. When cycle is complete, turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Punch down; cover and let stand for 10 minutes. Roll dough into a 14-in. circle. Transfer to a 14-in. pizza pan coated with cooking spray; build up edges slightly.
3. Spread barbecue sauce over crust. Layer with half of the turkey, corn, onion, green pepper, garlic and cheese. Repeat layers. Bake at 400 for 25-30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.

Nutrition: (1 slice) 366 calories, 9 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 38 mg cholesterol, 663 mg sodium, 52 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 20 g protein.

Comments: This is the first time I’ve tried making pizza and it turned out great. The dough was perfect, and we’ll use that recipe to make other kinds of pizza. We didn’t have cubed turkey breast so I used about 5 chicken tenders that I grilled and chopped up.

Smoked Sausage with Pasta

Prep/Total Time: 25 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

• 4 ounces uncooked angel hair pasta
• 1/2 pound reduced-fat smoked turkey sausage, cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh basil or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups julienned seeded plum tomatoes
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper

1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, sauté the sausage, mushrooms, garlic and basil in oil until the mushrooms are tender.
2. Drain the pasta; add to the sausage mixture. Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper; toss gently. Heat through.

Nutrition: (1 1/4 cups) 258 calories, 9 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 611 mg sodium, 30 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 16 g protein.

Comments: We used dried basil rather than fresh for the meal. It tasted alright. I like turkey, but I’m not a big fan of turkey sausage over pork sausage. It tasted a lot like having cut up pieces of hot dog. Was a really quick meal to prepare.

Horseradish-Crusted Turkey Tenderloins

Prep/Total Time: 10 minutes prep/25 minutes bake

Yield: 4 servings

• 2 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
• 1 pound turkey tenderloins
• 1/2 cup soft bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons chopped green onion

Sauce

• 1/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup fat-free plain yogurt
• 2 tablespoons fat-free milk
• 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika

1. Combine mayonnaise and horseradish; spread over turkey. In a shallow dish, combine the bread crumbs, parsley and onion. Roll turkey in crumb mixture to coat.
2. Place in an 11-in. x 7-in. x 2-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake, uncovered, at 425 for 25-30 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 170.
3. In a small bowl, combine the sauce ingredients. Slice turkey; serve with sauce.

Crumb Clue: To make fresh bread crumbs, tear slices of fresh white, French or whole wheat bread into 2-in. pieces. Place in a food processor or blender; cover and pulse several times to make coarse crumbs. One slice of bread yields about 1/2 cup crumbs.

Nutrition: (3 ounces cooked turkey with 3 tablespoons sauce: 237 calories, 9 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 85 mg cholesterol, 404 mg sodium, 8 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 29 g protein.

Comments: We doubled the recipe since the tenderloin we got was nearly two pounds. However, we found out you don’t need to double the sauce even if you double the recipe. We had way too much left over. The only turkey tenderloin that I could find at the grocery store was one of those packaged and flavored kind. But, after using it, next time I would just try to find a boneless turkey breast. I tried to rinse of the seasoning on the packaged tenderloin, but there was still some left on it. The meal tasted good and everybody ate it. The kids like to eat every meat lately with barbecue sauce, and that’s what they did with this.

Seasoned Turkey Burgers

Prep/Total Time: 20 minutes prep/20 minutes cook

Yield: 5 servings

• 1/2 cup herb-seasoned stuffing croutons
• 1 pound ground turkey breast
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 5 hamburger buns, split
• Lettuce leaves, onion, tomato slices and fat-free mayonnaise, optional

1. Crush or process stuffing croutons into fine crumbs. In a bowl, combine crumbs, turkey and onion. Shape into five patties.
2. Broil or grill over medium-hot heat for 8-10 minutes, turning once. Serve on buns with lettuce, onion, tomato and mayonnaise if desired.

Nutrition: (1 burger calculated without bun, lettuce, onion, tomato and mayonnaise) 124 calories, 1 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 45 mg cholesterol, 163 mg sodium, 5 g carbohydrate, 0 g fiber, 23 g protein.

Comments: I really like this. I grilled them and added lettuce, tomato, onion, horseradish sauce, ketchup and Dijon mustard. It satisfied my craving for a burger and was a lot more healthy. However, the rest of the family has a hard time eating regular homemade hamburgers and so I am the pretty much the only one who will eat them.

Perfect Turkey

Prep/Cook Time: 30 minutes prep, 4 hours cook

Yield: 24 servings

• 1 (18 pound) whole turkey, neck and giblets removed
• 2 cups kosher salt
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 2 large onions, peeled and chopped
• 4 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 4 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup dry white wine

1. Rub the turkey inside and out with the kosher salt. Place the bird in a large stock pot and cover with cold water. Place in refrigerator, and allow the turkey to soak in the salt and water mixture 12 hours, or overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 35o degrees F. Thoroughly rinse the turkey, and discard the brine mixture.
3. Brush the turkey with 1/2 the melted butter. Place breast side down on a roasting rack in a shallow roasting pan. Stuff the turkey cavity with 1 onion, 1/2 the carrots, 1/2 the celery, 1 sprig of thyme, and the bay leaf. Scatter the remaining vegetables and thyme around the bottom of the roasting pan, and cover with the white wine.
4. Roast uncovered 3 1/2 to 4 hours in the preheated oven, until the internal temperature of the thigh reaches 180 degrees F. Carefully turn the turkey breast side up about 2/3 through the roasting time, and brush with the remaining butter. Allow the bird to stand about 30 minutes before carving.

Comments: Turkey breast with bone were on sale at the grocery store and we found this recipe as we were looking for a way to cook it. I didn’t use as much salt for it and I used dried thyme instead of the fresh sprigs. The turkey came out nice and moist with the outside layer a golden brown.