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.

Oppressive Heat and An Abundance of Tomatoes

After tending to my precious patio tomato plants all summer, I harvested my one and only ripe tomato today. I came in from the sweltering heat completely deflated. At first glance, it looked deformed, malnourished and far from beautiful. At second glance, it looked exactly the same. I hesitated to take a bite, and much to my chagrin, it was sweet, juicy and delicious! So came my inspiration for today's post-a recipe for gazpacho. Inspiration comes from many places and for this recipe, it actually came from more than my one little tomato. Actually, I have my colleagues Wendy Jo Peterson, Penny Wilson and Ellie Krieger to thank today. Wendy sent this pictures of her recent harvest which nearly brought me to tears. (I was so jealous) Penny then posted on her Facebook status that in honor of the 100 degree heat (she's in Houston), she made Ellie's recipe for Gazpacho with Shrimp from her book, So Easy. With it being a steamy sweat box here in airless Dallas, this was a perfect combination for my own concoction for my Oppressive Heat Gazpacho recipe. Yes, yes, I had to go to the grocery store to get more tomatoes...but it was no bother, believe me. They blast the AC in the grocery store to the point it feels like the arctic. Nice and refreshing.

Oppressive Heat Gazpacho

1 quart Mr. and Mrs. T's Bold and Spicy Bloody Mary Mix (can use any brand of tomato juice or Bloody Mary mix-low sodium version is best)
1/2 white onion, rough chop
1 1/2 English cucumber, peeled and rough chop
1 large red bell pepper, seeded, cored and roughly chopped
1 large yellow or orange pepper, seeded, cored and roughly chopped
1 pound tomatoes, rough chop
2 Tablespoons olive oil
3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar (or to taste)
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Salt (if using low sodium version of Bloody Mary Mix or Tomato Juice), to taste
1/2 pound cooked shrimp
1/2 avocado for garnish

In a heavy duty blender or food processor, combine 1/2 of the onion, 1/2 of the cucumber, 1/2 of each of the peppers, 1/2 of the tomatoes and 1/2 of the Bloody Mary Mix. Blend until well blended and there are no chunks of vegetables in the soup. Pour into stock pot or very large container for storage. Repeat. Once all vegetables have been blended, add olive oil, red wine vinegar, pepper and salt (if using). Stir very well until combined. For service, pour into bowls and garnish with chopped or whole shrimp and slices or chunks of avocado.

If you want it spicier, add a few drops of hot sauce!

Makes 4 servings.

You are invited to a Roast! No, not that kind of Roast!

So it started with a simple question on my Facebook page from my friend and colleague, Carol Plotkin, RD. (no relation) Her status stated:" I'm looking for creative and yummy ways to increase vegggie consumption daily." Carol even posted the first suggestion by saying something to the effect of taking larger helpings.

Enter Wendy Jo Peterson, RD, another foodie buddy of mine who posts: "Toss a handful of spinach or carrot juice to your smoothie." Both good ideas. But, I had to throw in my 2 cents-not surprising-which was, of course, to ROAST veggies. Odds are that you eat veggies the same way you grew up eating them-boiled, microwaved, baked perhaps or even grilled at times. I'm telling you that the sweet flavor, aroma and taste that comes from a roasted veggie is like no other. Let me just tell you of the onslaught of comments Carol got on her FB post after my roast suggestions.

How does one roast veggies? Simple.

1. Heat oven to 450.
2. Chunk your favorite veggies-whatever you have (potatoes, carrots, sweet potatoes, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, squashes, onions, tomatoes, eggplant, turnips, rutabaga, garlic, peppers, etc. It's a great way to clean out the produce box in the fridge). Try to make them about the same size and thickness
3. Toss with a few teaspoons of olive oil-nice to do in a plastic baggie, or just toss with your hands
4. Season generously with salt and pepper OR add a favorite herb such as rosemary.
5. Place on baking tray and roast for 20-30 minutes depending on the thickness of the vegetable. (i.e. root veggies will take longer than non root veggies). Give it a stir once in a while and be sure to check on the doneness--if you like it more al dente, take it out earlier.

Now, there are a million and one websites out there that will teach you, encourage you, provide recipes for you and basically do everything but make the veggies and toss them down your throat. We all know that more veggies are better for us-its the old adage of having to either create a new habit or breaking an old one. Take a look at some of these sites below for recipe ideas, growing ideas, storage and seasonality, kids games and more. One last thing to remember, many of these sites offer competitions for recipes-cash prizes and more! So if you've got a winning recipe, check out the potential for the prize.

If you find more websites, please let me know. I'm always looking for more.

www.greengiant.com
www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org
www.dole.com
www.fortheloveoffood.org
www.freshcaliforniagrapes.com
www.loveyourraisins.com
www.mango.org
www.potatogoodness.com
www.freidas.com
www.ncsweetpotato.com
www.craveatwork.com
www.calsprouts.com
www.eurofresh.com
www.365daysofkale