Sick of ground turkey? Go tenderloin!

We just need a break!

We're big fans of ground turkey in our house. We eat it at least one time per week! Sadly, we've hit the wall with ground turkey, folks-its time to switch things up and pull out other lean meat alternatives.

Tonight, we are still working with the turkey family-but this time, it's turkey tenderloin.

Purchase tenderloin either fresh or pre-packaged. If you purchase fresh, it may be a bit more expensive, but it won't have any of the "preservatives" you'll find in pre-packaged tenderloins. I'm using a pre-packaged loin tonight, which means whatever I use to marinade, rub or season with, I'll make sure it's naturally low in salt as there will already be plenty in the package.

My friend and colleague Wendy Jo Peterson is working on a cookbook. She sent me a quick and easy marinade for the turkey that consisted of Greek yogurt, cumin, paprika, mint and lemon. I know you are going to ask me amounts here--but WJP and I cook the same way--mostly by feel, not my amounts. Here's a guestimate:

Hello, Tenderloin!

Mediterranean Turkey Tenderloins
1 pre-packaged turkey tenderloin (mine had 2 loins per 1 bag)
3-4 cups Greek yogurt
3 T cumin ( I love cumin)
2 T paprika
juice of 1 lemon
handful of coarsely chopped mint leaves
Lemon yogurt sauce

Place turkey and all ingredients into a gallon sized plastic baggie. Roll turkey around in the marinade to make sure it's well coated. Refrigerate for 4-6 hours.  Pre-heat oven to 350. Remove turkey from baggie and discard.  Place turkey flat on a baking sheet or pan.  Cook until internal temperature registers 160 degrees. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes.  Be careful NOT to overcook.  Serves 6.

For sauce: 1 small container of Chobani lemon yogurt, 2 t.cumin and 1t. paprika.  Stir well and serve w/turkey.

Tips:

• Turkey is very lean which means it will dry out quickly due to lack of fat. DO NOT overcook the meat!
• The above measurements are estimates-feel free to use your best judgement.
• If you want a more basic turkey, just season with salt, pepper and olive oil and follow baking directions. This turkey can be used for salads, soups, in wraps, sandwiches, nachos or anything you use chicken for in your usual meal rotation.
• We added sauteed green beans with almonds, salad with strawberries and sauteed potatoes & onions for a tasty dinner-with plenty of leftovers!

Check out the Eatturkey.com for more turkey recipes and Chobani.com for more yogurt recipes.

Jessica Seinfeld I am Not! Or am I? Blending Veggies into your Diet

You all know the Jessica Seinfeld book Deceptively Delicious, right? It's where she suggests "sneaking" fruits and vegetables into children's diets. I am strongly opposed to this tactic as I feel that kids need to be told the truth and accept the consequences-whatever their parents feel is appropriate. When we "sneak" in fruits and veggies, we are telling our children that they are "bad" foods and that we have to be deceptive (as the title states) in order for our kids to eat them. Would you like be given food thinking it's one thing only to be told later that you ate a cup of brussel sprouts unknowingly? So yes, I, and a number of my colleagues are against it. However, many are for it and have found success. Feel free to pick your side. I do not judge.


So, yesterday was a hectic day and I was nowhere close to the amount of fruits and veggies I needed for my daily consumption. And honestly, without even asking him, I knew my husband was nowhere close, either.

I knew I was going to make something with ground turkey and had decided on turkey burgers. Fast forward about 10 minutes and there was ground turkey cooking on the stove top, jarred spaghetti sauce in a pot and thawed whole wheat pasta on the counter (That's right, you can cook and freeze pasta if you'd like). I grabbed 2 big handfuls of broccoli and 2 handfuls of carrots. Put them in a freezer bag with about an inch of water and microwaved them until soft. Popped them in the blender, along with 2 handfuls of spinach and boom! I had several servings of veggies right there! Put the blended mixture into the spaghetti sauce (more veggies!) and stirred well. Served with the turkey meat and the pasta with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

My husband LOVED it and ate every bit. Oh, did I tell you that my husband eats lettuce, green beans and asparagus--that's it. Those are his top (and only) 3 vegetables that he likes. When I asked him if he wanted to know what he just ate, his response was "something with a lot of fiber in it? " (He knows me and my love of fiber so well). I told him what was in it and he said "just keep doing this and I'll eat it".

How I HATE, HATE, HATE to agree with Jessica Seinfeld, I'm afraid I must with regard to this. It's good to be proven wrong sometimes. But don't tell her, okay?