Category: Poultry

Quinoa with Turkey, Brussels Sprouts & Cranberries #CranberryWeek

Quinoa, leftover turkey (or chicken), fall Brussels sprouts, and dried cranberries are tossed in a fresh orange vinaigrette creating a dish to enjoy for lunch, a light dinner, or even a side dish. 

Quinoa with Turkey, Brussels Sprouts & Cranberries - Quinoa, leftover turkey (or chicken), fall Brussels sprouts, and dried cranberries are tossed in a fresh orange vinaigrette creating a dish to enjoy for lunch, a light dinner, or even a side dish. 

Today kicks off one of my favorite foodie weeks of fall – Cranberry Week! Hosted by Caroline from Caroline’s Cooking, it’s a week of recipes featuring fresh and dried cranberries, cranberry juice, and any other cranberry product you can think of. This week, I have two new recipes for you – a savory dish that you could enjoy for lunch, a light dinner, or bright side dish and a fall twist on a classic dessert.

Quinoa with Turkey, Brussels Sprouts & Cranberries - Quinoa, leftover turkey (or chicken), fall Brussels sprouts, and dried cranberries are tossed in a fresh orange vinaigrette creating a dish to enjoy for lunch, a light dinner, or even a side dish. 

What are you plans for Thanksgiving? Can you believe it’s less than a month away?

My husband and I usually crash a friend’s house for the holiday, but this year, we’re hosting. My parents will be in town helping with childcare that week (lots of days off and early dismissals!) so I expect my mom to be doing a lot of prep. Our current count is 16 for Thanksgiving dinner (with at least 8 house guests spending the night for a night or two), but I anticipate adding at least 4 more before the big day. Not going to lie, I’m a little tired just thinking about it!

But seriously, while it’s a bit overwhelming to think about with a bit of travel and a bit of single-momming it before then, I’m looking forward to it. No clue what I’m going to make yet, but that’s ok. It’ll work out.

Quinoa with Turkey, Brussels Sprouts & Cranberries - Quinoa, leftover turkey (or chicken), fall Brussels sprouts, and dried cranberries are tossed in a fresh orange vinaigrette creating a dish to enjoy for lunch, a light dinner, or even a side dish. 

Funny enough, even though I haven’t really done much planning for the big meal, I already know what I’m going to do with the leftover turkey. I’m going to have my mom make me Turkey Noodle Soup (it always tastes better when she makes it!) and then I’m going to steal a bit to make this Quinoa with Turkey, Brussels Sprouts & Cranberries. It just screams fall, or more specifically, Thanksgiving leftovers. Toss leftover turkey (or chicken) with fall Brussels sprouts, dried cranberries, and quinoa and then dress it with a light, citrus vinaigrette. Yum!

Recipe Notes:

  • While this recipe calls for turkey, you can totally use leftover grilled or rotisserie chicken. Or even buy turkey or chicken breast from from the deli counter at your local grocery store.
  • Feel free to up the protein in this recipe with up to 1 lb. of chicken or turkey or omit all together for a bright and flavorful side dish.

Quinoa with Turkey, Brussels Sprouts & Cranberries - Quinoa, leftover turkey (or chicken), fall Brussels sprouts, and dried cranberries are tossed in a fresh orange vinaigrette creating a dish to enjoy for lunch, a light dinner, or even a side dish. 

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Quinoa with Turkey, Brussels Sprouts & Cranberries - Quinoa, leftover turkey (or chicken), fall Brussels sprouts, and dried cranberries are tossed in a fresh orange vinaigrette creating a dish to enjoy for lunch, a light dinner, or even a side dish. 

Quinoa with Turkey, Brussels Sprouts & Cranberries

Quinoa, leftover turkey (or chicken), fall Brussels sprouts, and dried cranberries are tossed in a fresh orange vinaigrette creating a dish to enjoy for lunch, a light dinner, or even a side dish. 

Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 4
Author Liz

Ingredients

Ingredients for the Vinaigrette:

  • 1 Tbs. olive oil
  • 1 shallot minced
  • 1 tsp. orange zest
  • 1/4 c. fresh orange juice from about 1/2 a orange
  • 1 tsp. balsamic vinegar white balsamic vinegar, if you have it
  • 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Ingredients for the Quinoa:

  • 3 c. cooked quinoa
  • 1/2 lb. turkey breast diced
  • 1/2 lb. uncooked shredded Brussels sprouts
  • 1/2 c. coarsely chopped dried cranberries

Instructions

  1. Whisk together all ingredients for the vinaigrette and set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, toss together all ingredients for the quinoa.
  3. Top with vinaigrette and toss to coat.

Recipe Notes

May be served hot, warm/room temperature or cold.

Quinoa with Turkey, Brussels Sprouts & Cranberries - Quinoa, leftover turkey (or chicken), fall Brussels sprouts, and dried cranberries are tossed in a fresh orange vinaigrette creating a dish to enjoy for lunch, a light dinner, or even a side dish. 

Today’s #CranberryWeek Recipes

I’m excited to be sharing this recipe as part of Cranberry Week – now in it’s third year! See all the tasty cranberry recipes being shared today below and follow #cranberryweek on social media for more ideas all week long.

Turkey Breast Roulade with Apple, Cornbread & Sausage Stuffing

Tender turkey breast is stuffed with a sweet apple, cornbread and sausage stuffing for a satisfying, filling fall Sunday night dinner.

This post is sponsored on behalf of #AppleWeek. Our generous sponsors, Swiss Diamond, Envy Apples, Imperial Sugar, Nordic Ware, Rodelle Vanilla, Flahavan’s Irish Oatmeal, Nairn’s and The Spice House have provided us with products for recipe creation and a giveaway for our readers. As always, all opinions are my own.

Tender turkey breast is stuffed with a sweet apple, cornbread and sausage stuffing for a satisfying, filling fall Sunday night dinner.

I have a confession to make. I’m not a huge fan of turkey. With almost 10 years of blogging, this is the first turkey recipe on my blog. No traditional Thanksgiving turkey recipes here – not just because I’m not a huge fan but also because we tend to crash a friend’s house for the holiday. Much less work for me that way. 😉

Today’s recipe is much more my speed. If I could choose, I’d skip the big Thanksgiving dinner and go for something like the dish I am sharing with you today. Boneless, skinless turkey breast stuffed with deliciousness. This dish is wonderful for a small Thanksgiving meal or for a cozy fall Sunday night dinner at home. It takes a little time to prep, but then it gets thrown in the oven to bake, leaving you with almost an hour to watch Sunday football (if you’re into that sort of thing), play with the kiddos, or perhaps indulge in a pre-dinner glass of wine.

Tender turkey breast is stuffed with a sweet apple, cornbread and sausage stuffing for a satisfying, filling fall Sunday night dinner.

This turkey breast is stuffed with fall flavors – apples, rosemary, sausage and cornbread. It’s surprisingly sweet… the stuffing actually tastes a little bit like candy. My husband pretty quickly declared that this recipe needed to be added into the regular dinner rotation.

I think the sweet Envy apples really make this dish – so I’m incredibly lucky they sponsored this post, as well as #AppleWeek. For those that don’t know, Envy apples are grown in New Zealand (as well as in Washington state) and are a cross between a Braeburn and Royal Gala apple. They’re absolutely delicious. (I had to put my box of apples on lock-down, to prevent my husband and daughter devouring them before I had a chance to get cooking!).

Tips:

  • Whether you bought rosemary just for this recipe or picked it fresh from your garden, remember that fresh rosemary can be minced and frozen to use later. Mince, spread in a single layer on a baking sheet, and freeze for at least 1 hour. Once frozen, transfer to an airtight container for long-term storage. I use this freshly frozen rosemary in place of fresh rosemary all of the time, to reduce waste and get the most out of my summer crop.
  • I found my boneless, skinless turkey breast at Wegman’s grocery store – in case you have trouble finding it outside of Thanksgiving. I don’t think I’ve seen it sold anywhere else. I’ve also used boneless skinless turkey breasts (4 for this serving size). 

Tender turkey breast is stuffed with a sweet apple, cornbread and sausage stuffing for a satisfying, filling fall Sunday night dinner.

Don’t Forget!

  1. Be sure to scroll down and take a look under the recipe and check out the other #AppleWeek recipes that went live today. You can also search #AppleWeek on social media or follow the #AppleWeek Pinterest board to see all of the great recipes going live this week.
  2. Check our Envy Apples on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest). They have some recipes that look simply wonderful. It’ll give you the motivation you need to go apple picking this year, as well as some great inspiration for fall baking (and cooking!).
  3. Update: The Rafflecopter for the #AppleWeek giveaway was removed in November 2020, as the giveaway had long since closed! 
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Tender turkey breast is stuffed with a sweet apple, cornbread and sausage stuffing for a satisfying, filling fall Sunday night dinner.

Turkey Breast Roulade with Apple, Cornbread & Sausage Stuffing

Tender turkey breast is stuffed with a sweet apple, cornbread and sausage stuffing for a satisfying, filling fall Sunday night dinner.

Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Resting Time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 8
Author Liz

Ingredients

  • 1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium apple (I used Envy) finely chopped
  • 1 rib of celery finely chopped
  • 1/2 c. finely chopped yellow onions
  • kosher salt divided
  • 5 oz. mild Italian sausage casings removed (1-2 links)
  • 1 c. crumbled cornbread
  • 1 Tbs. finely chopped fresh rosemary
  • 2 Tbs. finely chopped fresh parsley
  • 2 Tbs. pure maple syrup
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 lbs. boneless skinless turkey breast

Instructions

Prep the Stuffing:

  1. In a medium nonstick skillet, heat 1 tsp. olive oil over medium heat. Saute chopped apple, celery, onion, and a large pinch of kosher salt until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add sausage (casings removed) and rosemary. Continue to cook until sausage is browned, breaking it up into little pieces as it cooks. 

  2. Remove apple-sausage mixture from heat. Transfer to a large bowl and mix with cornbread, parsley and maple syrup. Set aside to cool.

Stuff and Roast the Turkey:

  1. Ensure that a rack is positioned in the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 400F.

  2. While the stuffing is cooling, butterfly turkey breast and flatten to 1/2-inch thickness by placing the butterflied breast between two slices of plastic wrap and pounding with a meat mallet (or if you're like me and don't own one, a rolling pin).

  3. When stuffing has cooled enough to handle, spread on top of turkey breast, leaving a 1/2-inch area around the edges. Start at one side and roll tightly, tying with kitchen twine every 2 inches.

  4. Rub 2 tsp. olive all over turkey. Transfer to a baking sheet or a large roasting pan.

  5. Roast in preheated oven until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 165F, 40-45 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes.

  6. Slice and serve.

This recipe was adapted from Weight Watchers.

Thursday #AppleWeek Recipes:

Tender turkey breast is stuffed with a sweet apple, cornbread and sausage stuffing for a satisfying, filling fall Sunday night dinner.

Disclaimer: Thank you AppleWeek Sponsors: Swiss Diamond, Nordic Ware, Envy Apples, Imperial Sugar, The Spice House, Rodelle Vanilla, Flahavan’s Irish Oats and Nairn’s  for providing the prizes free of charge. These companies also provided the bloggers with samples and product to use for AppleWeek recipes. All opinions are my own. The AppleWeek giveaway is open to U.S. residents, age 18 & up. All entries for the winner will be checked and verified. By entering you give the right to use your name and likeness. The number of entries received determines the odds of winning. Seven (7) winners will be selected. The prize packages will be sent directly from the giveaway sponsors. The AppleWeek Bloggers are not responsible for the fulfillment or delivery of the prize packages. Bloggers hosting this giveaway and their immediate family members in their household cannot enter or win the giveaway. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter or any other social channel mentioned in the AppleWeek posts or entry.

 

Turkey Burgers

Highly adaptable, these lean Turkey Burgers take minutes to make, only 15 minutes to cook and make enough to stock your freezer.

Highly adaptable, these lean Turkey Burgers take minutes to make, only 15 minutes to cook and make enough to stock your freezer.

There’s nothing better than an easy recipe that comes together quickly and makes enough to stock the freezer. (Can you tell that I’m doing everything possible to make busy weeknights easier for myself this school year?) This recipe is it.

My mom and I have been eating these Turkey Burgers for years. The recipe can certainly be halved, but honestly, the ease of scaling it is one of the best parts. In just 15 minutes, you can have the turkey burgers made and assembled – enough for a meal to serve immediately with at least a meal leftover to stock in the freezer. Mom used to store them in individual baggies, so that she could pull one out whenever she wanted and cook to order. I freeze in baggies of 3-4, enough for my husband and I for a meal, with a little leftover.

Highly adaptable, these lean Turkey Burgers take minutes to make, only 15 minutes to cook and make enough to stock your freezer.

Serving Suggestions & Deviations:

  • Serve on a toasted English muffin as a sandwich, or on top of a salad for a low-carb lunch.
  • Mom likes to top hers with a little honey mustard salad dressing. I like a little sliced or smashed avocado.
  • Like spicy? I’ve been known to add a hefty pinch of Emeril’s Creole Seasoning to the mixture or on top of the burger patty before cooking for a little extra kick.
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Highly adaptable, these lean Turkey Burgers take minutes to make, only 15 minutes to cook and make enough to stock your freezer.

Turkey Burgers

Highly adaptable, these lean Turkey Burgers take minutes to make, only 15 minutes to cook and make enough to stock your freezer.

Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 15 4-oz. burgers
Author Liz

Ingredients

  • 1/2 red onion finely chopped
  • 1 bell pepper any color, finely chopped
  • 4 Tbs. minced fresh parsley
  • 2 Tbs. minced fresh thyme
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 3 Tbs. low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 1/4 c. plain breadcrumbs
  • 40 oz. ground turkey
  • cooking spray

Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, using clean hands to gently mix until ingredients are evenly combined.
  2. Shape into 4-oz. patties, indenting the center with your thumb just slightly.
  3. Spray a skillet (preferably non-stick) with cooking spray. When hot, add turkey burgers so that there's an inch or so in between each (you'll probably need to cook in batches). Cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Flip. Cover skillet and cook for another 5-10 minutes, until cooked throughout.
  4. Serve immediately.

Recipe Notes

Freezing Instructions: Uncooked turkey burgers may be frozen in an airtight container of freezer bag to be used later. Simply add a piece of parchment or wax paper in between layers before freezing.

Cooking from Freezer: Turkey burgers can be defrosted and cooked as directed or cooked straight from freezer. To cook frozen burgers, cover immediately. Allow to cook for 10 minutes before flipping, recovering, and cooking until cooked throughout, another 10-15 minutes.

This recipe was adapted from a super old issue of Prevention magazine.

Highly adaptable, these lean Turkey Burgers take minutes to make, only 15 minutes to cook and make enough to stock your freezer.

Taco Soup

Full of good-for-you veggies, beans and lean ground turkey, this Taco Soup is both healthy and full of flavor!

Full of good-for-you veggies, beans and lean ground turkey, this Taco Soup is both healthy and full of flavor!

This year, my oldest started kindergarten. Oh, how the time has flown by. It’s still hard for me to believe that my sweet and sassy little girl is getting on a school bus each and every morning.

We’re a week in and so far, so good. We’ve more or less seamlessly transitioned from one daycare stop to two different stops each morning and afternoon. I’m dropping a few hours at work which is helping me find time to keep up with two different school schedules plus evening swim lessons, as well as housework and feeding the family.

For me, the start of the school year was also the start of refocusing on ME. Like so many working parents out there, I’ve been struggling to keep up with everything and focusing on myself has not been the priority. Well, no more. New school year, new routine. With some adjustments to mealtime and a little extra prep before school started (big thanks to my mom who helped with this!), I’ve managed to have a healthy meal prepared for my husband and I for both lunch and dinner for the past week. I’ve even managed to get in a few workouts – go me!

Full of good-for-you veggies, beans and lean ground turkey, this Taco Soup is both healthy and full of flavor!

While it feels strange to be posting a soup in September, when it’s still 90F almost every day…. this Taco Soup is healthy and fairly quick to whip up (30-minute meal!), making it a fairly frequent star of our dinner table. Or my lunchbox. (Gotta love leftovers. 🙂 ) This soup is highly customizable, as you’ll see below in the Recipe Notes below, and full of flavor. Try it now to help you get through busy weeknights or save it off for later, when the weather finally cools off but either way, this is a recipe to remember.

Recipe Notes, Tips, & Serving Suggestions

  • I use homemade taco seasoning in this recipe. It’s easy to make (takes just a few minutes), keeps well, and I know exactly what is in it. However, you can totally buy a packet of taco seasoning at the grocery store – one packet is about 3 Tbs., the quantity you need for this recipe.
  • I’ve made this recipe with both lean ground beef as well as lean ground turkey. Feel free to use whichever you prefer.
  • Likewise, feel free to adjust the veggies and beans to your preferences. If you increase the quantities of everything, you’ll need more chicken broth and probably a bit more taco seasoning, but the soup is highly customizable so play around and taste as you go!
  • Toppings: Top with your favorite taco toppings – shredded Mexican or cheddar cheese, sour cream, chives, jalapenos… even fresh avocado.
  • Serving Suggestions: I find the soup is hearty on its own, but if you’d like, serve it with tortilla chips or corn bread.
  • This recipe freezes well, if you’re looking to stock your freezer with healthy meals for busy weeknights.

Full of good-for-you veggies, beans and lean ground turkey, this Taco Soup is both healthy and full of flavor!

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Full of good-for-you veggies, beans and lean ground turkey, this Taco Soup is both healthy and full of flavor!

Taco Soup

Full of good-for-you veggies, beans and lean ground turkey, this Taco Soup is both healthy and full of flavor!

Course Soup
Cuisine Tex-Mex
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4
Author Liz

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. lean ground turkey
  • 3 Tbs. (one store-bought packet) taco seasoning divided
  • 1 14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes & green chiles
  • 1 15-oz. can corn drained
  • 1 15-oz. can black beans drained and rinsed
  • 32 oz. low-sodium chicken broth

Instructions

  1. In a medium pot set over medium heat, brown ground turkey, breaking into little pieces as it cooks, about 10 minutes.
  2. Drain any fat in the pot and return to stove. Sprinkle with 1 1/2 Tbs. of taco seasoning. Stir to coat ground turkey evenly.
  3. To pot, add diced tomatoes, corn, beans, chicken broth, and remaining 1 1/2 Tbs. taco seasoning. Stir to combine.

  4. Allow to cook for at least 15 minutes to allow flavors to meld, lowering heat if the soup starts to simmer or boil.

  5. Serve hot with choice of toppings and sides.

A Books n’ Cooks original.

Full of good-for-you veggies, beans and lean ground turkey, this Taco Soup is both healthy and full of flavor!

Chicken Fried Quinoa

Packed with shredded chicken and veggies, this protein-rich quinoa dish is a satisfying yet healthy lunch (or dinner!). 

Chicken Fried Quinoa - Packed with shredded chicken and veggies, this protein-rich quinoa dish is a satisfying yet healthy lunch (or dinner!). 

Last year, a reader requested some ideas for shaking up her lunch routine. Well, it’s taken me a year, but every Wednesday during the month of August, I’ll be posting a recipe that I like to serve or take for lunch. Whether you’re getting ready to get back into a routine with school starting or just looking to shake things up, I hope this is a series that you’ll enjoy.

And if 5 new lunch recipes isn’t enough, I’ll be sharing some fun and unique lunch recipes from my blogging friends DAILY, over on Facebook. Be sure to hop over and and follow Books n’ Cooks on Facebook for even more ways to get out of your lunchtime rut. As a bonus, there will also be a smattering of extras – including quick weekday breakfasts, lunchbox sweets and after school snacks – so that you can kick off the new school year with some great new recipes.

Chicken Fried Quinoa - Packed with shredded chicken and veggies, this protein-rich quinoa dish is a satisfying yet healthy lunch (or dinner!). 

To kick off this month’s lunch series, I’ve got a longtime favorite of ours – Chicken Fried Quinoa. Thanks to store-bought rotisserie chicken (or shredded chicken pulled from the freezer) and diced frozen veggies, this dish comes together relatively quickly and makes a portion large enough to feed you throughout the week. The dish takes tweaks well – increase the eggs, veggies or chicken according to preference or omit chicken to make it vegetarian. This dish is great for dinner, but a personal favorite for lunch – we make a batch (or two) on a Sunday and eat it for lunch for the week.

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Chicken Fried Quinoa

Packed with shredded chicken and veggies, this protein-rich quinoa dish is a satisfying yet healthy lunch (or dinner!).

Course Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine Asian-Inspired
Author Liz

Ingredients

  • cooking spray
  • ½ c. chopped onion
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 Tbs. + 1/4 tsp. sesame oil divided
  • 6 Tbs. + 1/4 tsp. low sodium soy sauce divided
  • 12 oz shredded cooked chicken breast
  • 5 oz. mixed frozen peas and carrots about half a bag
  • 3 c. cooked quinoa
  • 3 scallions green parts, diced OR 1-2 Tbs. minced chives

Instructions

  1. Before starting, set a large bowl near the stove. The dish comes together in pieces, so after each piece is cooked, you'll transfer the cooked ingredients to the bowl.
  2. Spray a large saute pan (or wok) with cooking spray. Set over medium heat. When warmed, add onion and saute until onions are translucent and starting to brown. Transfer to bowl and set aside.
  3. Spray skillet again with cooking spray. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs with 1/4 tsp. each sesame oil and soy sauce. Add to skillet. Cook, stirring constantly, to scramble eggs. When fully cooked, transfer to bowl with onions.
  4. Add remaining 2 Tbs. sesame oil to skillet. Add chicken, peas and carrots, cooking until mixture is warm. Then add onions, eggs, cooked quinoa. Stir to mix well. Drizzle with soy sauce, stirring to mix for a few minutes, until entire mixture is heated evenly throughout.
  5. Transfer to a serving dish and top with diced scallions or minced chives.
  6. Serve warm (room temperature) or hot.

This recipe was adapted from Emily Bites.

Chicken Fried Quinoa - Packed with shredded chicken and veggies, this protein-rich quinoa dish is a satisfying yet healthy lunch (or dinner!).