Tag: ground turkey
Greek Meatballs- Revisited
My daughter loves meatballs. Whenever I ask her to guess what is for dinner- inevitably, she guesses spaghetti and meatballs.
We had family coming over and I asked my daughter for suggestions for a meal- of course she asked for meatballs. She requested the Greek ones I had made a while ago. I don’t like to repeat a recipe if I don’t have to .. so I started thinking about how to make these meatballs different from the ones I made before. While looking at the previous recipe, I realized I did not use any kalamata olives. That was it- I decided to add some into the meat mixture. The combination of the feta and olives made the dish deliciously salty and nutty.
It was a big hit. I served it with spaghetti, a big green salad and garlic bread. My daughter thought it was a perfect meal…
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Greek Style Spaghetti and Meatballs
My daughter claimed these were the best meatballs I have ever made. After a compliment like that- I had to share the recipe.
I started the meatballs with my usual ground turkey meat. Any meat can be used buy I prefer turkey as it is healthier with less calories.
I wanted to make Greek style meatballs so I thought of fresh oregano and feta cheese. Garlic, shallots and parsley made them even better.
I soaked some panko crumbs in milk and added the mixture to the meat. It makes the meatballs very soft and delicious. The last thing was crumbled feta- it has great a great salty flavor.
I think the key is the homemade tomato sauce. I cooked the meatballs in the delicious sauce and served them with some yummy flavored spaghetti.
All in all it was a great meal- with a green salad and red wine on the side. Try these Greek style meatballs soon….
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Mint and Ginger Burgers with Cilantro Mayonnaise
These burgers hold a special place in my heart- why you ask- well, because this was the first time my daughter started eating burgers! She does not like sandwiches- they only one she will eat is a jam sandwich. I don’t make it for her very often since it offers hardly any food value.
I made this for a barbecue and she had been outside playing all day and came in completely famished and ready to pounce on dinner. I had planned on giving her grilled sausages with corn since I knew she was not keen on the hamburgers- but surprise, surprise- she picked up a burger and started eating it.
I made these simply with ground turkey, ginger and some fresh mint and cilantro. I flavored them with salt and garam masala. I also whipped up a quick cilantro mayonnaise with lots of fresh cilantro, green onions and lemon juice. It is amazing how much different a few key ingredients can make a huge difference- the mayo was delicious.
My daughter had the burger with baby spinach but no mayo. She loved it and announced that she will be eating burgers from now on. I am thrilled- yet another food group had been added to her vast collection.
Try these burger this weekend- they are quick, easy and delicious…
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Ginger and Mint Seekh Kebab
I made these a few weeks ago for a barbecue we were having. I decided to make these seekh kebab to serve as appetizers with some shrimp. I love making seekh kebabs since they are so simple and full of flavor.
I kept it real simple for these particular ones. The two main ingredients I added were ginger and mint. I love the two aromatics together- they make anything taste delicious.
I of course started with ground turkey meat. You can use ground pork or lamb but since turkey meat is healthier- I always use that.
I simply marinated the meat with ginger, mint, cilantro, coriander powder and garam masala. I beat an egg for binding and some salt- thats it. It is great for this mixture to sit for a few hours if not over night (that would be ideal). It is amazing what a difference over night makes- the seekh kebab come out a lot more flavorful.
I have extra long metal skewers which I used to make the seekh kebabs on the grill outside. It doesn’t take very long for the meat to cook and so they were done in no time. I served them with some mint chutney and it was a wonderful appetizer.
You could serve in hot dog or any other kind of buns and make a meal out of them. Drizzle some mint chutney on top and maybe some onions and you have a fabulous sandwich.
Try the ginger and mint seekh kebab for your next barbecue….
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A Great Leftover Recipe: Ground Turkey (Dahi Keema) Pizza Quesadilla
This is a great snack or meal idea for when you have leftovers. In this case, I had keema or ground meat cooked in delicious spices. We had a great meal with fresh rotis and some lentils.
It was one of those crazy busy days and I didn’t have a lot of time to prepare a meal. I did have the leftover keema but not enough for another meal.
I decided to use it for another quick meal. Quesadillas and pizzas come to mind when I think of using up leftovers. I had a carton of tomatoes which I roasted simply with olive oil and salt. I put the tomatoes through a food mill (or a processor) and made a quick sauce. I used the sauce as the first layer on a whole wheat tortillas. I then topped it with the keema, cheese and some pickled jalapenos. I topped the ensemble with another tortilla and cooked it till the quesadilla was crisp on the outside and gooey on the inside.
I served it with a salad and some wine- perfect evening…
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Haryali Keema (Ground Turkey) with Green Beans
With all the abundant vegetables in the farmer’s market, it is hard not to pick up lots and lots of fresh produce with out thinking twice. I bought too many vegetables and didn’t know what I was going to do with them. I had not made keema in a while and already had some ground turkey in the fridge.
Keema is any kind of ground meat cooked with either potatoes or any other kind of vegetables.
I decided to use up my green beans, green onions, dill and cilantro by making a green sauce. I then used the sauce as the base for the keema. I cooked the ground turkey in it with cumin seeds. I then added the chopped green beans and cooked them till they were soft but not mushy. I made sure they retained their color.
As I was cooking, I realized I had a one pot meal in front of me- and how I love coming up with these beauties! I made fresh rotis and it was a perfectly balanced meal that the whole family enjoyed.
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Dal Keema (Ground Turkey with Yellow Gram Lentils)
This is a very simple and delicious dish to make. If you have never made an Indian dish before and are a little overwhelmed- this maybe the one to try. Don’t let the list of spices scare you- if you can’t find any one of them, just eliminate them.
Keema is essentially ground meat. Typically it is either goat or lamb keema cooked with a vegetable- either peas, cauliflower, potatoes or spinach. I use turkey to create a healthier dish for my family.
I made this dish a bit different and paired it with lentils. I cooked the lentils separately in a pressure cooker. You don’t need to have one- just follow the same instructions but cook the lentils on the stove. It will take longer and a bit more liquid but you will get the same results.
The rest is quite simple, I sauteed some spices, onions and garlic. I added the ground turkey meat and cooked it for a while and then added the meat. To make the dish creamy, I added some Greek yogurt.
It was a delicious dish I served with fresh rotis and a spinach salad.
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