Extraordinary Entree: Sweet Turkey Shepard's Pie

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 sweet onion, peeled  and grated
2 cloves of garlic
2 pounds ground turkey
Salt and pepper
5 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 cup light brown sugar
2 celery stalks from the heart, diced
1 stick butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken stock
A few dashes of Worcestershire sauce
2 cup mixed vegetables, thawed
2 very ripe banana, mashed


Directions

Preheat the oven to 425°F.  Lightly grease a 13 X 9 glass baking dish with butter flavored nonstick cooking spray.

In a deep skillet, heat the olive oil over high heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until the onion becomes soft and translucent. Do not allow the garlic to burn.  Add the turkey and break it up with a wooden spoon; season with salt and pepper.

Place the peeled sweet potatoes in a pot with brown sugar and water to cover. Cover the pot, bring to a boil, then cook the potatoes for 15 minutes, or until fork tender.

Add the carrots and celery into the skillet with the turkey. Stir and cook until the vegetable have wilted into the meat.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of the butter in a small pot over medium heat. Add the flour to the melted butter and whisk for 1 minute, then whisk in the stock and season with salt, pepper, and 

Worcestershire. Cook for a few minutes, until thickened, then add to the turkey mixture. Stir in the thawed mixed vegetables into the turkey mixture and turn off the heat.

Drain the potatoes and return the hot pot to the heat turn down to low.  Add the remaining tablespoons of butter.  Add the 2 bananas to the pot of potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Using a potato masher, mash the potatoes and banana until they are well combined, and adjust the seasoning as necessary. You're looking for a good balance between the savory (from the salt and pepper) and the sweet (from the banana, sweet potato, and the syrup it was boiled in).

Spoon half of the the mashed potatoes onto the bottoms of the glass baking dish, spreading them evenly with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Then add the turkey filling, spreading that evenly over the mashed potatoes. Top the turkey filling with the remaining half of the the mashed potato.

Bake uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the mashed potato begins to slightly brown.  Let stand for about 10-15 minutes before serving to allow the dish to set.

LET'S GET COOKING!

Extraordinary Entree: Fettucine with Broccoli and Peas

*Serves 2
This is a quick and easy dinner for the week night or even the weekend when the kids are at a sleep over and it's just you and your honey.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 cup half and half, warmed and divided
3/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (about 3 oz)
3 ounces cream cheese
8 oz fettuccine
4 cup bite-size broccoli florets

1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed

1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions

In a saute pan melt the butter.  Add the flour, salt, and pepper. Slowly whisk in the warmed half and half.  Bring to a slow simmer, stirring, over medium heat. Stir in grated cheese and cream cheese, stirring until slightly thickened, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and cover to keep sauce warm.

Prepare pasta per package directions. Add broccoli to pasta water during last 5 to 7 minutes of cooking. Place the thawed peas in colander. Drain pasta and broccoli over peas.

Transfer pasta and vegetables to large serving bowl and toss with cheese sauce and parsley.

I Love Pasta!

I seriously think I eat too much pasta! Actually, is there such a thing? It's quick to make (so long as you're not making the pasta from scratch), comforting, and very versatile.  Even though no part of me is any part Italian, you'll find me fakin' the funk quite often while I share my lasagna, macaroni, ravioli, spaghetti, and all kinds of pasta recipes with you!

Today's featured recipe is my Turkey and Spinach Penne Pasta! I use the same meat sauce for my White Sauce Lasagna Muffins! Also check out my Alfredo Sauce, which I use in place of the jarred stuff.  Both dishes are super duper DEE-LISH!

LET'S GET COOKING!

Extraordinary Entree: Eggplant Lasagna

Ingredients

Mock Noodles
2 large eggplants, peeled, seeded, and sliced lengthwise into 1/4 inch noodle-like strips
2 tablespoons olive oil
cooking spray (olive oil spray is best)
salt, onion powder, garlic powder

Meat Sauce
1/2 lb Italian sausage or ground beef
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, chopped
3 cloves chopped garlic
1 red pepper, chopped
1 tablespoons oregano
1 tablespoon thyme
1 teaspoon fennel seed (optional)
salt
1 (28 ounce) can tomato sauce (or large jar sugar free sauce if you can find it)
1 (15 ounce) can diced tomato (for less sugar, 3 chopped roma tomatoes)

Cheese Mixture
2 cups low fat Riccotta cheese
2 eggs
3 green onions, chopped
3 cups shredded low fat Italian cheese blend, divided
1 cup Parmesan cheese, divided
2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon sugar

Directions

Arrange eggplant slices on an un-greased cookie sheet, season with salt, and let sit for 1 hour to draw out the moisture.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Spray cookie sheet, arrange eggplant slices. Brush with olive oil and season with onion powder and garlic powder.

Broil slices 5 minutes on each side.

Lower oven temp to 375.

Brown meat, onion and garlic in olive oil for 5 minutes.

Add tomatoes and spices and simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Blend Parmesan cheese, Ricotta cheese, Italian cheese blend, egg, onion, parsley, and sugar.

In large lasagna pan place 1/3 of sauce to coat bottom of pan. Layer eggplant slices on top of sauce to cover pan. Cover with 1/2 ricotta cheese mixture, mozzarella cheese, and cover with more sauce.

Repeat eggplant, ricotta cheese mixture, mozzarella cheese, sauce.

Top with more eggplant slices and cover top with more sauce. Lay slices of mozzarella on top and sprinkle additional grated Parmesan cheese on top.

Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour.

Remove foil and bake or broil another 5-10 minutes until cheese is browned.

Let it rest 10 minutes before slicing, if you can wait that long!

Adapted from this recipe from Food.com. 

Extraordinary Entree: Smoked Salmon Quiche

* This recipe makes 2 pies

Ingredients

Caramelized Onion

2 cloves of garlic, mined and divided

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

6 medium eggs

2 cups half and half

1 teaspoon salt, divided

1/2 teaspoon onion powder, divided

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, divided

3 sprigs of thyme, chopped

12 ounces smoked salmon, flaked

2 deep dish pastry shells

Directions

Caramelize the onions. Add clove of garlic during last 10 minutes of cooking. Remove from heat and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the cream cheese in a large bowl and using a wooden spoon, stir until creamed and loosened.  

Add the eggs, 1 at a time, stirring just until combined. Add the cream, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and thyme, and mix well.

Layer the filling in the following order: 1) caramelized onion-garlic mix; 2) 6 ounces of smoked salmon; and 3)  Pour the custard over the layers.  

Bake for about 30-40 minutes, until golden and the custard is set. 

Cool quiche for 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm or chilled.

Makes 2 pies

Spreads and Toppings: Caramelized Onions

Ingredients

Caramelized Onion
1 sweet onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 tablespoon brown sugar (optional)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Directions

1.  Thinly slice the onion. 

2.  Add butter and 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil to a saute pan. Just before the oil begins crackling lower the heat to medium low and add sliced onion to the oil. Toss until all of the onions are coated.

3.  Leave uncovered for the 1st 20 minutes. Stir onions every 10 minutes to prevent burning.

4.  Now cover the saute pan after 20 minutes.  Keep heat on medium low.

5.  At minute 30 add more oil if needed to prevent the onions from frying. We want the onions to simmer, almost stew in their own juices.

6.  At minute 40 lowers the heat to the lowest temperature on your stove.  Add the optional 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and stir, then cover.

7.  At minute 50 de-glaze the pan with balsamic vinegar and stir. Cover and cook for another 10 minutes, 60 minutes in total.

Do not clean the pan if you're going to cook something like meat, sauteed vegetables, or a sauce after.  There is so much flavor left behind in that pan from the onions!

Extraordinary Entree: Cod Fish and Cabbage

Ingredients

4 quarts of water
3 packages salted cod fish

1 green pepper
1 sweet onion
1 stalk celery
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup green grind seasoning
1/2 cabbage, grated
2 cups tomato sauce
2 tablespoon onion powder
2 tablespoon garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

24 hours before beginning the cooking process begin desalinating the cod fish by emptying the three bags into a pot filled with cold water. Immediately rinse and change the water.  Then change the water about every 4-6 hours thereafter. Keep refrigerated while soaking. When ready to begin cooking drain the water one last time, fill the pot again, and boil the fish on medium heat. Get the fish boiling before doing anything else.

Rough chop all of the vegetables.

In a food process combine all of the rough chopped vegetables and puree into a paste.

In a wok or large saute pan heat olive oil on medium heat.

Carefully add the puree and the green grind seasoning into the saute pan.  Saute the combination in the oil for approximately 5 minutes. 

Remove fish from heat and the drain water. Add the fish to the saute pan whole.

Saute the fish in the sauteed paste until fish is cooked through. Fish will shred during the saute process.

Add 1 cup of tomato sauce, 1/2 of the onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. 

The fish will break up further, and stir to combine.  Taste the fish for seasoning.

Add the cabbage to the saute pan. 

Stir to completely incorporate cabbage into the saute.

Cover saute pan, and turn down heat to medium low.

Allow the cabbage to wilt. 

Add remaining remaining tomato sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.  Allow sauce and seasoning to cook into the saute.  Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.

Serve hot over a bed of white rice or with boiled plantain.

NOW LET'S GET COOKING!