Stuffed Peppers

Bell Peppers are a versatile and tasty vegetable eaten raw or cooked no matter what color you choose. The green pepper has a little bite to it while the red, yellow, and orange pepper tend to be more on the sweet side. You can stuff them with all sorts of different things. Mine are stuffed with a combination of turkey, brown rice, corn, and herbs.

Ingredients:
6 - medium bell peppers or 4 large (color up to you)
1 lb - ground turkey
2 cups - cooked brown rice
1 cup - frozen corn
1 - medium onion, diced
3 - cloves garlic, diced
3/4 cup - shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup - chopped fresh parsley
1/8 cup - chopped fresh oregano
3/4 cup - tomato sauce (pick your favorite canned or homemade)
3 tsp - salt
3 tsp - black pepper
1 TBS - oil (canola, veg, olive, etc)
pinch of salt and pepper to season the inside of the peppers

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a saute pan heat 1-TBS of oil (I use a 50/50 blend of canola and olive) over medium heat. When hot, brown the turkey with a tsp each of salt and pepper. When done set aside.

Cut off and save the top of the bell peppers. Lightly oil the inside. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper. Set a side. Remove the stem from the top.

In a separate bowl combine the cooled turkey, rice, corn, onion, garlic, parsley, oregano, tomato sauce, cheese, 2 tsp salt and  2 tsp pepper.

Firmly pack the stuffing into each pepper and place in shallow baking dish. Bake for 50-60 minutes until the pepper is tender and browned.

Herb Crusted Turkey Cutlets with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce over Zucchini Potato Hash

This is a quick easy calorie friendly meal that is full of flavor.

Herb Crusted Turkey
2 - Turkey Cutlets
1/4 cup - AP flour
1 - Egg, beaten
1 TBS - Water
1/2 cup - Panko Bread Crumbs  
1 TBS- Dried Thyme
1 TBS- Dried Rosemary
1 Tsp - Sage powder
1 Tsp - Salt
1/2 Tsp - Black pepper

Place the flour, beaten egg with water, and panko with thyme, rosemary, sage, salt and pepper in 3 separate dredging bowls. Dredge each turkey cutlet on both sides in the flour. Ensure any excess falls off before next dredging in the egg water mixture. Remove from egg and place in the panko herb mixture. Coat both sides with panko and then set aside till ready to cook

Pre heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. When hot add 1-2 TBS of  your favorite cooking oil. I used a canola olive oil blend. When the oil is hot place each cutlet in the skillet and cook until brown on each side, 2-3 minutes. My cutlets were rather thin 1/8th to 1/4 inch. When done serve over top the zucchini potato hash and top with roasted red pepper sauce.

Zucchini Potato Hash
1 - medium sized zucchini
5 - small Yukon gold potatoes
1/2 - red onion
1/2 - red pepper
2 - cloves garlic, minced
1 Tsp - Dried Thyme
1/2 Tsp - Salt
1/4 Tsp - Pepper

Dice up and keep separate the zucchini, potatoes, onion, and red pepper. It is important that your dice size be uniform for all 4 vegetables. I used a small dice but you can make the hash any size you'd like. In a saute pan heat 1 TBS of your favorite cooking oil over medium heat. When hot add your onions and saute 2-3 minutes then add your potatoes, red pepper, thyme, salt and pepper. Saute for another 2-3 minutes then add your zucchini. Continue to cook till all vegetables are just cooked through. 

The roasted red pepper sauce recipe can be found in my pork loin with roasted butternut squash blog entry.

Ode to Thanksgiving: Cranberry Risotto with Turkey Stuffing Roulade

In the mood for a taste of Thanksgiving but don't want to make a whole turkey with all the fixings? My Cranberry Risotto with Turkey Stuffing Roulade will satisfy your craving till Turkey time rolls around. The risotto is creamy, sweet, tart, with an earthy finish. Couple it with a juicy turkey cutlet stuffed with your favorite stuffing and your Thanksgiving craving is squashed.

Cranberry Risotto

1/4 cup diced yellow onion
2 cloves garlic
1 cup Aborio Rice
1/4 cup chopped Craisins
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan
1 TBS butter
1 TBS Canola Oil
1 1/4 cup 100% Cranberry juice
2 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
5-6 sprigs of Thyme 

In a sauce pot bring the stock and cranberry juice up to a simmer. Keep simmering until you add it to the rice. I use a 2:1 mixture of vegetable/chicken stock to 100% cranberry juice. You can adjust this ratio based on how sweet and tart you want your risotto. The 2:1 ratio will make it on the sweet and tart side.

Preheat a saute' pan over medium heat. When hot add 1 TBS of oil and allow to come up to heat. When hot saute' the onions, garlic, 1 tsp of salt and pepper till the onions become translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and thyme sprigs and saute until the edges of the grains become translucent, 3-5 minutes. While the rice is sauteing warm the white wine in the microwave for about 45 seconds on high. Add it to the rice and stir until the majority is absorbed. Add a couple ladles of the stock/ cranberry juice mixture to the rice and stir till absorbed. Continue to add stock and stir until rice becomes al dente, 20-25 minutes. Halfway through the cooking process add the chopped Craisins. When the rice is done remove the thyme sprigs and stir in the butter and Parmesan cheese. The final consistency of the risotto should be such that when you put it on a plate it spreads out. If your risotto is too thick add a little more liquid to thin it out. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Serve immediately.

Turkey Roulade
1cup of your favorite stuffing recipe
4 turkey cutlets
Salt and pepper

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

With the palm of your hand pound out the cutlets till they are even and slightly wider. Be careful not to tear the meat. Sprinkle the inside with salt and pepper. Add 1-2 TBS of your stuffing to the cutlet. Fold in the sides and roll up the cutlet. Tie a couple strands of butcher's twine around the cutlet to secure it. In an oven-proof saute pan sear the cutlets over medium-high heat on each side till brown, 2-3 minutes. Place the pan in the oven and roast for 10 minutes. When done remove from the pan and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing in rounds and serving over top the risotto.