Turkey Sausage Patties From Scratch

Making your own turkey sausage patties from scratch is easy –  and bonus, no processed ingredients! I'm so honored to have my friend Jackie share this recipe here on Skinnytaste as a guest post. Jackie is an incredible chef with Celiac, and has a blog called CAFE, Celiac and Allergy Friendly Epicurian where she shares her gluten-free recipes. I made these for breakfast today with my Red Pepper Egg-In-A-Hole and it was delish! Jackie will be guest posting once a month here on Skinnytaste, please welcome her...

I am excited to be here on Skinnytaste again. A lot has happened since my last guest post. This past summer I was offered the opportunity of a lifetime (or at least my lifetime) to work as a test kitchen contributor at Bon Appétit Magazine. I interned there after completing culinary school last year but it was quite a different and incredible experience to actually contribute to the magazine and website.

After working at Bon Appétit for 8 months I am happy to be back home with the kids and focus on developing recipes on a freelance professional basis as well as for my website. In addition to gaining a ton of experience while working in the test kitchen, I gained a few pounds. Occupational hazard, I suppose. I decided to re-join weight watchers and work on creating and maintaining healthy eating habits once again.

I used weight watchers after the last 2 of my 3 sons were born and it is my favorite weight loss program. The balanced approach is not only physically healthy but I’ve found it to be the best for my long-term success. Once I started calculating points for all of my recipes, I immediately thought of Gina and of course all of you here at Skinnytaste. I am looking forward to visiting here from time to time and sharing my healthy recipes with you. I hope you will stop by my page to say hi to me there as well.

Today’s recipe is for Turkey Sausage Patties. They are extremely flavorful and savory. You could serve them for breakfast with eggs or even for lunch and dinner. I soften the onion and garlic and then toast some fennel with the mix to add a depth of flavor you wouldn’t get by just adding everything raw It’s a short extra step that is definitely worth taking.



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Pressure Cooker Smoked Turkey Black Bean Soup

It's snowing in New York – perfect soup day! And black bean soup is a hearty, filling, fiber-rich soup. The kind of soup that sticks to your bones on a cold day like today.

This is also inexpensive to make, I start with dried beans and I use my pressure cooker (my favorite pot to beans) because it cuts the cooking time in half and the flavors really get into the soup. The smoked turkey leg adds wonderful flavor to the soup. If you can't find smoked turkey legs, you can use smoked turkey sausage instead.

You can also do this in a large pot or dutch oven, but keep in mind it will take twice as long to cook and you'll have to add more liquid to the pot as it evaporates, where as in the pressure cooker you don't get much evaporation. This is also great to freeze for the month, it thaws and reheats perfectly so you can make your own healthy freezer meals. I freeze them in portions and use a sharpie to write the name, date, and calories or points.

And speaking of snowy cold weather, I've been cozying up with Andie Mitchell's new memoir, It Was Me All Along. I share this because I recently met her – and found her to be such an inspiring person, a really good soul. I know so many of you will really relate to her story, or at least get isnpired. In her memoir she writes about how she went from 268 lbs at age 20, and lost half her weight. But it's not just a story about her weight loss, it's about hope, finding peace, making changes, and finding her freedom. A perfect read for 2015.

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One Pot Cheesy Turkey Taco Chili Mac

Turkey chili with taco seasoning, beans, and pasta shells topped with cheese – this is pure comfort in a bowl and it's packed with protein and fiber so it fills you up. Bonus points for only dirtying one pot!

I wanted to make this a gluten free dish because my aunt who is gluten intolerant was eating with me. I've heard all good things about DeLallo Gluten Free Pasta from my friend who swears by it and I was honestly blown away.

It was by far the best GF pasta I've ever tried, in fact I even prefer it over whole wheat and I 'm thinking I might be using this pasta all the time. Great taste, firm texture with the perfect al dente bite. And I loved how it didn't get soggy after sitting in the chili hours later.

Although Madison wouldn't eat this because she won't eat beans, I gave some to my friend Tara to test out on her finicky 5 year old son and he LOVED it!

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Butternut Stuffed Turkey Tenderloin with Cranberries and Pecans

Turkey tenderloins stuffed with a sweet and savory filling of butternut squash, cranberries, sage and pecans – this tastes like Thanksgiving, all wrapped up in one dish!

Honestly, the photos don't do this justice. I was having one of those days that I couldn't take a decent photo, but the turkey – it's amazing! And the leftovers were just as good the next day for lunch.

Turkey tenderloins (the tender long strip of white meat hidden under the turkey breast) are very tender and excellent for weeknight cooking. Because it's so lean, you want to be sure you don't overcook it or the meat will be dry.

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Slow Cooker Moroccan Chickpea and Turkey Stew

Ground turkey and chickpeas are slow cooked with turmeric, paprika, coriander and lots of vegetables for a cozy dish that only gets better with time – so leftovers make a delicious lunch. This is also freezer friendly and naturally gluten-free.

It's so strange how addicted I am to chickpeas these days – a legume I once stayed far away from. Now I can' get enough of them, and since they are high in protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals, I'm glad I've learned to love them. One bowl is very satisfying, and it has a touch of spice. If you prefer to keep it mild, you can leave out the red pepper flakes.

And since so many are asking, I have the 6 Quart Hamilton Beach Set 'n Forget Programmable Slow Cooker. I love it because you can adjust the time you want it to cook, and it automatically turns to warm when it's done. It also has a probe for meat that automatically shuts off when done. I hated my old crock pot, it burnt everything and my food had a weird taste. This crock pot is so great, I actually own two!

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Mini Turkey Meatball Vegetable Soup

This family friendly soup is perfect to warm up to on a chilly autumn night. It's made with mini turkey meatballs, tomatoes, zucchini, carrots, spinach and my secret ingredient for the best tasting soup – a parmesan cheese rind. I always keep the rinds in my freezer just for making soup, so don't throw them out!

It also makes great leftovers and can be frozen if you want to make this ahead for the month. Enjoy!

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Stuffed Turkey Breasts with Butternut Squash and Figs

A wonderful Fall dish – turkey tenderloins are stuffed with sauteed butternut squash, spinach and figs, a meal in one with savory and sweet flavors. Figs are seasonal, so if you can't find them, you could use another fruit such as pears or even apples.

Covering the skillet while it roasts in the oven prevents the turkey from drying out, and also gives you some pan juices to spoon on top just before serving.

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Turkey Picadillo Stuffed Sweet Plantains

These sweet plantains are baked in the oven and then stuffed with a savory turkey picadillo filling and topped with cheese – pretty hard to resist! Similar to a Puerto Rican Pastelón which is really more of a plantain lasagna, instead these are made as individual boats which are easy to make, filling and perfect as a main dish.

If you're not very familiar with plantains, they are similar to bananas only they need to be cooked. Green plantains are usually meant for salty chips or tostones, but when the plantains are very ripe, almost black, that's when they are at their sweetest! That's what you want here, not yellow because they won't be sweet and soft enough. They should be soft and the skin almost black (see photo below in the directions).

The recipe calls for 6, but as you see here I made the full amount of picadillo and only baked two, and froze the meat for another day. So if you are worried this makes too much, you can easily make what you need and freeze the rest. Hope you enjoy!

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Broccoli Rabe Turkey Burgers

These turkey burgers are flavorful and delicious – the perfect quick, weeknight meal! I skipped the bun, served them over lettuce and topped them with sauteed broccoli rabe, but this would also be wonderful on a slice of focaccia.

I adore slightly bitter taste broccoli rabe. Sauteed with garlic and oil and a pinch of red pepper flakes, it's one of my favorite vegetables.

My local organic supermarket carries incredible chicken broccoli rabe sausage, which is where I got the inspiration for this burger. I tried making it with ground chicken and ground turkey, and preferred the taste and texture of the turkey. To make the patties, I simply chopped up some broccoli rabe and added it to the meat along with Pecorino Romano and garlic. My husband loved them too, enjoy!

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Naked Turkey Bruschetta Burger

Lean, delicious, juicy turkey burgers made with zucchini and topped with a summer garden tomato bruschetta topping over a bed of baby arugula – no bun required!

I thought I would share this fabulous turkey burger recipe from the archives for those of you who may not have tried this.

This dish was inspired by a meal my girlfriend ordered during a girl's night out. I always get inspired when I go out to eat, and created this lighter version which turned out delicious. For the turkey burger, I went with my skinny turkey burger recipe I posted a few years back, it's made with shredded zucchini which gives it lots of moisture and great flavor. They are delicate, so I prefer to make them on a skillet instead of the grill.

This is the perfect summer meal for under 300 calories, especially if you have lots of tomatoes in your garden. You can easily make these vegetarian by using a boca burger or veggie burger of your choice. By the way the lovely fork is by For Such A Time Designs. Hope you enjoy!

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Skillet Harissa Turkey Meatloaf

Making meatloaf in the skillet is perfect for busy weeknights – it's ready in less than 30 minutes!

I took my basic turkey meatloaf recipe, swapped the ketchup for jarred Mina Harrisa (or you can use homemade), added shredded zucchini and made them in the skillet. The results were juicy, quick, delicious round meatloaves with a little kick! I served it with a simple chopped cucumber and tomato salad which I tossed with a little olive oil, fresh lemon juice, salt and pepper.

You can purchase Mina Harissa on Amazon and I think Whole Foods carries it, it's a bright red Moroccan condiment that can be used with couscous, vegetables, meats or whatever you want. You can also make it from scratch which I often do, but for this recipe, Mina was perfect.

If you prefer to make this in the oven as a large loaf, you can! Bake it at 350°F for 1 hour.

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Asian Turkey Meatballs With Lime Sesame Dipping Sauce

These Asian inspired meatballs are out of this world! Made with ground turkey, ginger, scallions, cilantro and sesame oil with a wonderful tangy sesame-lime dipping sauce. You can make them for dinner or serve them as an appetizer by making them half their size and setting out toothpicks for dipping into that delicious sauce.

I first posted these meatballs back in 2010 and the quickly became a fan favorite! Often I served them with brown rice or Asian "fried" brown rice, but lately I've been on a zoodle (zucchini noodle) kick and made them for dinner this week served over these zucchini noodles for a low-carb meal and they were fantastic!

To make the zucchini noodles, you'll need a spiralizer (I love my Paderno Spiral Vegetable Slicer) or a mandolin fitted with a julienne blade. You can see my Italian Zoodles and Meatball recipe here for more detailed instructions if you wish to make this as a side, the only difference was here I used sesame oil to cook the zucchini.

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Easy Macaroni Casserole

This easy baked pasta dish is made with whole wheat elbows, ground turkey, veggies, marinara sauce and cheese. I can't say enough good things about this casserole! It's comforting, kid-friendly and so easy to make because there's no need to pre-cook the pasta!

I come from the school of having to cook your pasta in plenty of water, so when someone kindly shared this recipe with me, I won't lie, I was skeptical! But I loved the outcome, and since then I've made it a few times over tweaking it to my taste and we love it!

And the whole wheat elbows from DeLallo - I'm so impressed with their taste! In fact, I like their pasta so much that I am partnering up with them this year as a brand sponsor. If you've been following me for a while you'll know that my family and I don't like the taste of whole wheat pasta. But that completely changed when I tried DeLallo, and my kids and husband liked it too!

I used whole milk mozzarella on top because the points didn't change by using reduced fat, and I love my cheese melted and gooey, but you can use whichever you prefer.

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Turkey Santa Fe Lettuce Wraps

These Santa Fe turkey lettuce wraps are SO good, you'll WANT to save some leftover turkey just to make them (or leftover chicken breast would work too)!

Have you ever had the Spinach Santa Fe Egg Rolls with the Cilantro Ranch Dipping Sauce from Chili's? They're dangerously good – I don't even want to know how many calories they are. That's where the inspiration for these lighter lettuce wraps came from. The lighting in these photos don't even do them justice.

I actually made my turkey breast in the crock pot last week just so I could have leftovers to create this recipe. I had one for lunch (only 4 WW pp) but since they are so light I think two would be perfect for dinner. If you want to make them Paleo, leave out the beans and add more spinach. I used my Avocado Cilantro Ranch Dressing as my sauce and it was perfect. If you're lazy, you can mash 1/4 avocado into 1/2 cup light ranch dressing instead.

This time of the year is so challenging to eat good. Holiday parties, staying over at relatives, Christmas cookies – I really need will power. So I wanted to create a leftover recipe for turkey that's not just delicious, but also light after a day of indulging on mashed potatoes, gravy, and pumpkin pie.

Some of you were asking me on Instagram how I stay motivated and I thought I would share what I am doing this year to avoid the Holiday weight gain.

1) I just started tracking everything I eat on my Weight Watchers app to help keep me accountable for everything I eat, plus it reminds me to exercise more (such a great app). Some of you may be using My Fitness Pal, that would work too!

2) Yesterday while at the gym, I paid for 10 sessions of personal training. This was my Christmas present to myself, and it was not cheap. I know it will give me that extra push to make the most out of my workouts, especially since I am paying for them.

3) On days I'm too busy to head out to the gym, I started doing the Shrink Session Workout at home. I love Erin Stutland, I met her a few years ago at Fit Bloggin and instantly felt connected to her. She's a coach, fitness expert, former dancer and feels like your BEST friend all wrapped into one. It's different from your average workout (yes you'll tone your body and burn fat) but what it really does, is help you step into a more a confident, powerful, rock star part of yourself that you may not be in touch with on a daily basis. She's doing a free week long challenge called the Say it, Sweat it, Get it FREE Challenge. If it looks like something you could use, sign up and join me (it's free!)

If you have any tips to share on how you stay motivated, I would love to hear it!
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Turkey Pastelón (Sweet Plantain Lasagna)

Sweet strips of plantains are layered with savory picadillo and cheese. It's that sweet salty thing that makes this taste SOOOO good!

It's Hispanic heritage month and in it's honor I thought this delicious Puerto Rican comfort dish (made light of course) would be an excellent recipe to honor it. My Mom is from Colombia, so we grew up eating plantains a lot in my home.

Plantains are like a cousin to the banana, and depending on the ripeness you'll cook them in different ways. For this recipe, you'll want them pretty ripe (they should be browned and soft). My plantains could have used a few more days to ripen, but I couldn't wait, I needed to make this.

I spent many summers as a kid with Aunt and cousin who moved to paradise (Puerto Rico). Those were some of my best childhood memories and the food I ate their were some of my favorite meals. Pasteles, empanadillas, pernil – their food is like no other, and they cook with so much flavor, only sometimes they tend to be a little on the not-so-light side. But with a few tweaks I was able to make this dish lighter, I just used a little less oil to cook the plantain, and to further lighten it, I made the picadillo with turkey instead of beef, and part skim cheese and I think it's just as good as the real deal – without the extra fat. To serve this, I sliced it into 9 slices and served it with a big salad on the side and my husband and I felt totally satisfied.

This is delicious (and gluten-free!), and now that it's gone, I'm craving some more! I just bought more plantains and this time I'm letting them get really ripe. Enjoy!

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Loaded Turkey Chili Baked Potato

This loaded baked potato is stuffed with lean turkey chili, reduced fat shredded cheese and topped with some fresh chives – a quick, easy weeknight meal.

I love a dish that can be served many ways. Last night I asked my husband Tommy how he wanted his chili (yesterday's crock pot kid-friendly turkey chili) and he told me on a baked potato. Of coarse he would. So I popped a few russet potatoes in the microwave (sure, you can do this in the oven too) topped it with shredded cheese, turkey chili and some chopped chives from my garden and dinner was ready in less than 10 minutes – and my husband was a very happy man.

Can you do this with sweet potato? Sure you can! But just to clear up the confusion, white potatoes aren't all that bad for you. Potatoes are have gotten a bad rap as a white starchy food, but when they're not drowning in butter or deep fried as french fries, they are actually a healthy, low calorie, high fiber food and a good source of vitamin B6, vitamin C, copper, potassium and manganese. They also contain a variety of phytonutrients that have antioxidant activity so if you want to stick with a traditional baked potato, go ahead... enjoy!

Tip: If you buy bag of russet potatoes, the potatoes are much smaller than the ones they sell individually, they average about 5 to 6 oz each.

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Crock Pot Kid-Friendly Turkey Chili

This one's just for the kiddos (or picky family members)! A mild, kid-friendly chili is made with ground turkey, corn, bell pepper, tomatoes and spices. Top it with your favorite toppings, and serve it with some chips on the side for the perfect, back to school lunch.

My youngest daughter is heading to school next week (Pre-K) and this year she'll be bringing lunch to class for the first time. She doesn't eat sandwiches (neither did my oldest), so I'm going to have to get pretty creative to make sure she's still eating healthy balanced meals. I just ordered this Foogo Stainless steal leak-proof thermos from Amazon, which I also did with my oldest daughter and I'll be filling it with some of her favorite warm meals.

Now I love me some chili, and I'm super excited for the colder weather to make some of my faves like Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili, Turkey White Bean Pumpkin Chili, and Turkey Chili Taco Soup, but for my little one who doesn't like beans... or spicy food, this recipe is perfect (it's also gluten-free). It's super easy to make, I did it in the crock pot, but you can also simmer it on the stove. It makes 5 adult size servings, and you can easily double the recipes and freeze it for future freezer-friendly meals.

And since so many are asking, I have the 6 Quart Hamilton Beach Set 'n Forget Programmable Slow Cooker. I love it because you can adjust the time you want it to cook, and it automatically turns to warm when it's done. It also has a probe for meat that automatically shuts off when done. I hated my old crock pot, it burnt everything and my food had a weird taste. This crock pot is so great, I actually own two!
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Zoodles and Meatballs (zucchini noodles)

 

The weather is changing, and I kind of like it. I'm looking forward cooler weather, but I'm not quite ready for zucchini season to end – we've been eating "zoodles" all summer long!

This is sorta a two part recipe, I made a pot of my Crock Pot Italian Turkey Meatballs at my toddler's request but rather than eating mine with pasta, I served it over zoodles (zucchini noodles) for a lighter low-carb alternative (perfect for using up zucchini from your garden).

A good rule of thumb is one medium zucchini per person, since you lose some when you cut them and the shrink a bit when they cook. To cut them I used my OXO mandolin with my julienne blade and I stop right about when I get to the seeds, then I rotate and slice. A word of advice, please be careful when using a mandolin, the blades are VERY sharp.

You can also use a spiralizer instead to make them more spaghetti-like. I'm going to be making these as much as I can as long as I can find zucchini at my local farmer's market!


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Buffalo Turkey Burgers with Blue Cheese Broccoli Slaw

It's 80° today, perfect day for grilling so I thought I would highlight this recipe from the archives. Turkey burgers with a cayenne pepper kick! Here's a fun way to turn boring turkey burgers into something with a little more exciting. If you're a buffalo wing fan, you'll love the flavors in this turkey burger topped with a broccoli slaw tossed with my very own homemade blue cheese dressing.

Someone recently emailed me and gave me this idea, she took my zucchini turkey burger recipe and dipped it in hot sauce after. I decided to add it to the turkey meat instead, and figured you can always serve more on the side if you wish!

And by the way, there's carrots in these burgers but I promise, you can't even tell. It's a great way to add more fiber and vegetables into your diet whether it's for yourself or your family.

I'm a bit of a wimp when it comes to spicy food, so Frank's hot sauce is perfect for my taste, but if you really like it hot you could use Tabasco or your favorite cayenne hot sauce.

To make these burgers gluten free, you can sub the breadcrumbs for gluten-free oats.


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Crock Pot Turkey Breast with Gravy

Juicy slow cooked turkey breast with rich turkey gravy, all in your crock pot. This was my first time making a turkey breast in the crock pot, but it won't be my last!

What an easy way to prepare turkey breast that doesn't require too much attention. The vegetables are first browned with a roux on the stove to ensure the gravy has a rich flavor base, then it's all slow cooked in the crock pot. At the end, I simmered the braising liquid on the stove until it reduced and thickened into a delicious, easy gravy.

I modified this recipe from the Slow Cooker Revolution cookbook. It's a great base, and I can see playing around with the ingredients in this recipe.

Madison, my toddler said yummy juicy meat (that meant she liked it) and my husband was thrilled there were mashed potatoes AND gravy on his plate. This was like a mini Thanksgiving feast, I made some skinny mashed potatoes on the side, (you could also make cauliflower mash if you want to go low carb) and I also served this with some sauteed broccolini which is not pictured.

Today, I guess I'll be making some turkey noodle soup with the leftovers! And since so many are asking, I have the 6 Quart Hamilton Beach Set 'n Forget Programmable Slow Cooker. I love it because you can adjust the time you want it to cook, and it automatically turns to warm when it's done. It also has a probe for meat that automatically shuts off when done. I hated my old crock pot, it burnt everything and my food had a weird taste. This crock pot is so great, I actually own two!

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