Pull out your tenderizer!

We give you another episode of Cooking with Sarah. Tonight I gave a new recipe a try. And let me tell you, no Friday night should be complete without pulling out the meat tenderizer!

I tried a recipe out of February's Rachel Ray Mag (Thanks Matt! Loving it already).


Turkey Turnovers
Ingredients
4 turkey cutlets (~1 lb total)
4 tbl soft herb cheese (i.e. Boursin)
2 cups loosly packed spinach leaves
1 1/2 tbl extra virgin olive oil
1 14.5 oz cn diced tomatoes
1 tsp fennel seeds chopped
Directions
1. Pound the turkey cutlets to 1/4 in. thick and season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon 1 tbl of cheese into the center of each cutlet and top with 1/2 cup spinach. Fold cutlets in half and secure closed with a toothpick

2. In a large skillet, heat olie oil over medium heat. dd cutlets and brown, approx 2 min per side. Add tomatoes an chopped fennel. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, for about 10 minutes until the turkey is cooked through.


So that was the original recipe. I used 2 cans of tomatoes because I like tomatoes. It turned out pretty well. The extra tomatoes were good, but it didn't need two cans worth of juice. Also, I'm still undeciced on the fennel. However, it was really really easy, and quick too - and yummy! Plus, when you serve something stuffed, everyone thinks it is harder than it actually was. I think I'll be adding this to the rotation.

Butter Bean Soup with Smoked Turkey

This evening I made a really easy and yummy soup. Yup, soup again. It has been cold out. I almost lit a fire. It was a good night for soup, tea, and a fire while sitting under a fleece blanket on the couch with my two exciteable footwarmers.

Ingredients

1 tbl olive oil

1 yellow onion coarsely chopped

3 cloves carlic, chopped

1 tsp fresh thyme, or 1/2 tsp dried thyme

3 cups chicken or vegetable broth (or more as needed)

1 carrot, peeled and diced

3 cups frozen lima beans, thawed

1/2 lb smoked turkey breast, cut into 1/4 in. dice

chopped green onion

1. Heat oil over medium-high. Add onion and sautee until soft. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for about 1 minute ensuring that the garlic doesn't brown.

2. Add broth and carrots and bring to a boil. Add beans and turkey and simmer uncovered until the beans and turkey are warm, about 5 minutes. Stir occaisionally.

3. Add hot water or broth if the soup is too thick. Garnish with green onions.

I made some changes and substitutions. Most importantly, there wasn't any smoked turkey at the store. I was going to get some rom the deli but decided to just use turkey smoked sausage. Obviously I used 5 garlic cloves because you must automatically increase garlic consumption. I just used 4 cups of broth off of the bat.

Overall, VERY easy and quick, and yummy! I have a couple of servings for leftovers later in the week and I actually plan to eat them. I will definitely eat this one again. I'm sure using sausage instead of actual turkey breast is part of why it is so wickedly delish! Maybe I'll try it with the regular turkey next time. Plus, the ingredients cost less than $10 for 4 servings of soup. :-) Add in some bread and you are all good!

I've got another turkey and bean soup to try out sometime soon. Mmmm.

Turkey-Cranberry Strudel

So I tried a new, YUMMY recipe tonight. It wasn't exactly healthy... but very yummy! Turkey -Cranberry Streudel. It was based on a recipe in this month's Rachel Ray Magazine! (Thanks Matt - it is a gift that keeps on giving)

7 tbl butter (5 melted)
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 tbl thyme leaves
1/2 cup sliced almonds plus more for sprinkly
1/2 lb ground turkey
salt and pepper
1 tbl breadcrumbs
6 sheets phyllo dough, thawed

Note: I used canola oil instead of butter, and i didn't have any thyme leaves so I used rosemary. Still worked though! I also used the 1.2 lbs of turkey from my package. I don't think I used a whole 7 tbl of oil either - but it turned out well. In fact, I didn't measure a lot of stuff - so just use this as a guide and go with it.

1. In a large skillet heat up the onion with a tbl of oil. Cook until soft, about 8 minutes. Stir in the cranberries, thyme leaves, and almonds. Cook for 2 minutes and transfer to a bowl.

2. In said skillet, heat turkey with a tbl of oil. Season with salt and pepper. After fully cooked add to the same bowl as onion mixutre, Add breadcrumbs and mix.

3. Meanwhile heat oven to 350 degrees. On a work surface lay out 1 sheet of phyllo dough and brush with butter/oil. Place another sheet on top and brush with butter/oil. Repeat until completed.

4. Mound the turkey mixture on the dough. Wrap up the exterior ends and roll in the sides to make strudel. Transfer and plac seem side down on a parchment paper lined baking dish. Bush top with butter, sprinkle with almonds, and bake for about 30 minutes, until top is browned.

Don't forget to come back tomorrow for another update from the kitchen - I'm already planning it!