Weekly Menu

Thanksgiving weekend is officially over.  So is November.  Can't believe it will be December in a few hours... my Facebook newsfeed is filled with pictures of Christmas trees already!

So before we move on to Christmas, just a moment to recap Thanksgiving.  We had several of them, with the last one ending just a few hours ago at our house.  The house is filled with aromas of roasted turkey, butternut squash, and sage!  Mmm  :)  So full though!  We passed on a couple classics, but had a traditional roasted turkey, crispy roast potatoes, butternut leek soup, brussel sprout gratin, and caesar salad.  I couldn't decide on a dessert to make, so I got some cookies from our neighborhood bakery and some Jeni's ice cream... I think everyone was satisfied.  ;)

Now we have tons of leftover turkey to move through and turkey stock simmering on the stovetop.  So this week's menu has a couple leftover recipes and some beef/lamb recipes that rarely make the list just to change things up enough from the back-to-back turkey nights.

turkey, apple, and cheddar paninis
thanksgiving enchiladas
thanksgiving loaded nachos
steak tacos
lamb kabobs

Seems like tex mex has a takeover on the menu this week, but it is just too easy to turn leftovers into non-traditional tacos!  Some kind of soup will make it on to the menu next week to utilize this yummy smelling turkey stock.

Turkey Tacos - total time 20 minutes

I can't believe it is already the end of June!  Where did the month go?!?  I need to get out of the office earlier so I can really enjoy the summer.  Whether it's late nights at the office or you just want to get dinner on the table quickly, taco night is always a great solution.

What's funny is as often as we have taco night around these parts... I've never made ground beef (or ground turkey) tacos.  I have made chicken (of course), fish, veggie, fajita, and shrimp tacos... probably even some more that I can't think of off the top of my head.  But the default taco at every Mexican or Tex-Mex restaurant is always ground beef.  Likely because it is the less expensive meat (but not always).  Maybe it's because the original Mexican taco was made with beef.  Who really knows!

So... I thought I would give these tacos a try.  The thing about tacos is really getting the spices right.  You don't need a prepackaged mix... you don't know what is in that thing and you can't customize it either.  I always keep a few spices on hand; chili powder and red pepper flakes.  Those two combined give anything the right amount of flavor and spice to make taco night a success!  And don't worry, for those of you adverse to spicy foods... regular chili pepper isn't really spicy (though chipotle chili pepper is, I breathed in steamy chipotle air by accident and my lung felt like they were on fire!).  The recipe below is spicy enough to keep you reaching for your water but not make you sweat.  And of course you can adjust how much you add depending on how you like your tacos (the beauty of not using a mix)!

Not So Sloppy Joes - total time 40 minutes

Oh boy, I am such a messy eater.  My husband can always tell when I've been getting into something sweet because I somehow end up with chocolate on my face.  I really have no idea how it happens, but he always notices!  I swear it's happened when I haven't had anything with chocolate...

So if it happens with a bit of chocolate, you can imagine what happens with something like wings or... heaven help me... sloppy joes.  You don't even want to see the damage afterward.

As a result, I have steered clear of the sloppy joe sandwiches.  The occasional exception needs to be open-faced with fork and 10 napkins in hand.

But what if you could make it less messy?  Why not make it encompass all of the sloppiness?  My husband called these sloppy joe hot pockets... but I would like to think these are of higher quality than a microwaved, processed, pocket of heat.  It really is just sloppy joe made from scratch (although I just ran out of my own canned tomatoes) and just like you would eat a normal sloppy joe, just all wrapped up!  Perfect for lunches and days your short on napkins.  :)

Lasagna Rollups Recipe Reboot - total time 1 hour

Just like the Dark Knight movies, sometimes classics need a reboot to make them cool again.  Lasagna is a classic dinner in my family for sure.  We have even had lasagna for Thanksgiving meals... you know... with ground turkey for Turkey Day.  And it never fails, when my husband is at an Italian restaurant, he orders the lasagna.  You might call him a lasagna aficionado. 

I've tried making lasagna a lot of different ways (with butternut squash, spinach & artichoke, pesto chicken, broccoli chicken, and the classic rollup that we're improving upon today)... this recipe is the best.  You don't have to make it all rolled up either if you prefer regular pan style.  I like the rollups because they make the perfect serving size and you don't have to worry about cutting it up and layers sliding around... plus they look cute!  And if you wanted to make extra, the rollups freeze well... perfect for individual servings to heat up in the microwave or freeze a tray of them for a weeknight dinner or busy friend.

So what makes this recipe so cool now after it has been rebooted?  I think it is the sun-dried tomatoes.  A little bit goes a long way for flavor with these babies!  Also, adding some of the sauce to the rollup filling just makes sense when you look at regular pan-style lasagna.  

This recipe will be in heavy rotation at our house, especially while it is cold out... it's the perfect Italian comfort food.  Hope you enjoy it too!

Turkey, Cheddar, and Apple Panini - total time 15 minutes

We haven't had deli meat in our house for a while.  When I realized how much was added to make deli meat what it is, it made my stomach hurt.  I have always wondered why we eat things that doctors recommend pregnant women to avoid.

No deli meat certainly does not mean that we don't eat sandwiches at home!  We frequently have shredded chicken leftovers in our fridge.  This time we had some turkey leftover from a turkey tenderloin I made earlier in the week (so this would make a great sandwich for you leftover Thanksgiving turkey).  

In the past I have been wary about adding fruit to savory meals.  I never really understood adding fruit to salad (except tomatoes).  But now I rarely make a salad without some kind of fruit, whether its is dried cranberries, fresh strawberries, or sliced apples.  I felt the same way about sandwiches... I mean adding cheese to an apple didn't seem like a flavor combination I would enjoy.  But I wanted to try it, and this sandwich changed my mind!

The crispness of the apple, the creamy, sharp cheese, and the savory, tender turkey makes this sandwich the trifecta of textures and flavors!

Zucchini Recipes & Stuffed Zucchini - total time 1 hour

Right now is about that time of year when everyone is looking for zucchini recipes.  Whether your garden is full of them, you couldn't pass them up at the farmers market, or you're preparing for sneak some zucchini on your neighbor's porch day, you may be a little overwhelmed.  A couple of my friends have already been offering up their zucchinis!

I can't believe that only a 10 years ago I had never even heard of zucchini, much less ever ate it.  Which is why I try to make it a priority to try new foods and cook new things nearly every week.  It is easy to get into a routine of the same ten or so meals... but just think of all the things you might be missing out on... like me and zucchini!  

Zucchini is such a versatile vegetable.  When I first started cooking it, it was usually just a quick saute as a side dish or baked into bread.  As I try new recipes, there are many entrees that include zucchini...

A couple recipes where zucchini is the star of the entree...
zucchini enchiladas (my favorite)
stuffed squash blossoms (well, this is before the zucchini is a zucchini)
zucchini fritters
creamy squash casserole   

A couple recipes where zucchini is the supporting role...
veggie sushi rolls
beer braised sausage & veggies
vegetarian stuffed peppers
veggie jambalaya

Asian Meatballs - total time 40 minutes

After I read Food Matters a couple summers ago, this was one of the first recipes I made from scratch.  Previously, every dinner I made came from a box or bag.  Velveeta shells and cheese, Bertolli frozen pasta meals, Tyson chicken patty sandwiches, french bread pizzas... they were really no-fail dinners for someone who never cooked before, but they were not even close to following Michael Pollen's Food Rules.  It's kind of crazy to think of how many new things we have tried since then.

Any way, for those nights that you really want some Chinese flavors, this is a great choice.  You can really taste the soy sauce throughout the meatball and the sesame oil is very fragrant while cooking.  The rice I used is called 'bamboo rice' (from the Whole Foods bulk section) and was kind of a sticky rice with a green tint.  I think it would make a good sushi rice if I decide to make sushi again (but we live so close to an excellent sushi place).

1 lb ground turkey
1 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 egg
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
.25 panko
1.5 cups rice
salt and pepper 2 green onions

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cook rice according to packaging (usually two parts water to every one part rice).
2.  Combine ground turkey, chopped onion, minced garlic, egg, soy sauce, and sesame oil together in mixing bowl.  Add panko until mixture can form meatballs.
3.  Brown all sides of the meatballs in a pan over medium heat (about 1 minutes per side). Once all sides are browned, put pan into oven and bake for ten minutes.  Serve on top of rice with green onions and any additonal soy sauce.

Creamy Baked Spaghetti - total time 45 minutes

My husband was actually the one that first attempted this recipe here.  He doesn't really know his way around the kitchen and he would be the first to admit it.  So I thought I would try it again and see if I could get a better result.  It really is just your basic spaghetti kicked up a couple notches, really easy and mostly ingredients you should have on hand at all times.

1 lb ground turkey

4 oz. cream cheese

1 onion, chopped

.5 cup mozzarella, shredded

.5 cup parm, divided

1 egg

12 oz. spaghetti noodles

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups marinara sauce

.25 cup bread crumbs

salt and pepper

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Start by browning the turkey meat.  Drain excess grease and add in onion, garlic, salt, and pepper.  

2.  Prepare noodles according to package.

3.  Spoon out cream cheese over the cooked turkey, let soften for a minute or two.  Stir in cream cheese, mozzarella, half of the parm, and sauce.  Add cooked and drained noodles as well as the egg.  Transfer to a casserole dish.

4.  Top with bread crumbs and remaining parm.  Bake for 30 minutes.

Stuffed Turkey Tenderloin - total time 1 hour

Apparently we didn't get enough turkey after Thanksgiving!  Turkey tenderloin is so much easier to cook than a full turkey though.  I need to remember this for next Thanksgiving...

1 turkey tenderloin (or two breasts)

.5 cup sliced gruyere

2 cups spinach

4 garlic cloves

1 small onion

2 tbsp butter, divided

salt and pepper

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Saute onion and garlic in pan with one tablespoon of butter.  Add ripped spinach and cook until wilted down.  Cut a deep slice into the tenderloin to create a pocket to stuff.

2.  Stuff the tenderloins with the slices of cheese and hot spinach mixture.  Hold together with toothpicks or wrap with baking twine.  Melt another tablespoon of butter in pan and turn up heat to medium-high, season with salt and pepper, and sear turkey on both sides.  Transfer seared turkey into a casserole dish and bake for 30 minutes.

Cranberry-Orange Glazed Turkey - total time 2.5 hours

A holiday based on people coming together to cook and enjoy the harvest, being thankful for life's blessings while spending time with friends and family... what a great holiday!  Too bad the day is often defined by the usual centerpiece when there are plenty of vegetarian options that could celebrate the harvest even better.  With that being said, I ended up going the traditional route for 'Turkey Day' with a cranberry and orange glazed free range turkey (which was the only leftovers, everything else was gobbled up, ha).  So now I need to think of some recipes to use this turkey in...

1 turkey, separated

6 ounces whole cranberries

1 cup orange juice

1 tbsp brown sugar

4 tbsp butter

4 sprigs rosemary

thyme

salt and pepper

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Chop turkey into pieces (legs, breasts, wings) because it will cook in less time without drying out.  Place breasts and legs in a casserole dish and rub with butter, rosemary, salt, and pepper.  Roast in oven for one hour.

2.  In a small pot, pour cranberries into pot and cover barely cover berries with water.  Sprinkle a little brown sugar which will help thicken it up.  Heat to a simmer and cranberries will start bursting.  Smash berries, then strain to remove berry skins.  Pour cranberry sauce back into pot and add orange juice, rosemary, and thyme.  Simmer for 10 minutes or until preferred thickness.

3.  Coat turkey with half of the glaze and place back in oven for another hour.  After the second hour, coat turkey with remaining glaze and allow turkey to rest for 25 minutes.

Cook the wings separately and reserve remaining turkey to make stock for soups and stews!

Mini Taco Pies - total time 40 minutes

Another mini, individual serving meal... this may become one of our go-to, easy meals.  Taco/fajita night used to be a staple in our house... at least every other week.  But because of Pinterest, I have been trying new and different things most nights.  We haven't had a taco night at home in a while.  Well, it's back!  These little guys would be cute as an appetizer too.

1 pound ground turkey

3 torillas

1 cup tomatoes, chopped

1 cup bell peppers, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1.5 cup shredded cheese

chili powder

red pepper flakes

salt & pepper

dollops of sour cream

green onions

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cook ground turkey.  Add onion, tomato, pepper, chili powder, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper and cook for seven minutes.  Add in half the shredded cheese; melt and incoorporate. 

2.  Cut tortillas into smaller circles using a jar or container as a guide.  Spray muffin tin with oil and then tuck each tortilla into each cup.  Scoop meat/veggie mixture into each up.  Top with remaining cheese.  Bake for 15 minutes.

3.  Top with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of green onions.  Eat with your hands!  They are tacos afterall!

Spaghetti Squash & Meatballs - total time 1 hour

It is squash season!  Put a twist on the classic spaghetti and meatballs by using spaghetti squash instead of noodles.  It is so simple, I wish I would have tried this earlier!

1 spaghetti squash

1 lb ground turkey

1 egg

1 cup bread crumbs

.25 cup parm, grated

herbs, salt & pepper

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cut squash in half and bake for 45 minutes.

2.  Combine meat, egg, half of the breadcrumbs, cheese, herbs, and spices and mix together.  Form balls slightly bigger than ping pong balls.  Roll meatballs in remaining bread crumbs.

3.  Sear meatballs in a hot pan.  Turn every few minutes.  After all sides are seared, put pan in oven for 20 minutes to finish cooking meatballs all the way through.

4.  Run a fork through the cooked squash to make 'spaghetti' and scoop onto plate.  Add your meatballs and some sauce and enjoy!