Baked Turkey Tacos

When I’m on track with my diet, I prefer to eat raw in the mornings and evenings and eat a healthy, cooked meal for lunch. When I’m craving something a bit more naughty, I make these guiltless, turkey tacos.

They are comprised of extra lean ground turkey with a blend of seasonings, pico de gallo, a bit of cheese, and corn tortillas. To make the taco shells, I heat up the tortillas in the microwave to soften them up, then I spray the grates in the oven, and lay them there to form the shell. They come out crunchy and oh so flavorful that I sometimes feel like I’m eating something full of calories and fat.

The cheese is the only true guilty ingredient, so control how much you put on your tacos.

When I made the tacos this time around, I baked the finished tacos in the oven for a few minutes in my oval French oven to allow the cheese to melt and to become one with the rest of the ingredients. Because this extra step was impromptu, the pico de gallo was warm so I had to add a bit more at the end. If you decide to make a baked version of these tacos, add the cold pico de gallo after they’ve baked. I enjoyed the contrast of flavors and temperatures of the cold salsa and hot, meat filling.

When I made the tacos this time around, I baked the finished tacos in the oven for a few minutes in my oval French oven to allow the cheese to melt and to become one with the rest of the ingredients. Because this extra step was impromptu, the pico de gallo was warm so I had to add a bit more at the end. If you decide to make a baked version of these tacos, add the pico de gallo after they’ve baked. I enjoyed the contrast of flavors and temperatures of the cold salsa and hot, meat filling.

Baked Turkey Tacos

[For the PICO DE GALLO, I chopped up and mixed together 2-3 roma tomatoes, a handful of green onions and cilantro, and one partly deseeded jalapeño. I seasoned the mixture with 1/4-1/2 tsp of salt (to taste) and the juice of 2 limes. Store the pico de gallo in the refrigerator before making the tacos.]

Make the taco seasoning:
(go to allrecipe for a smaller version of this recipe; however, I suggest making a large portion of the seasoning to keep on hand. Below is the recipe based on a serving size of 50, which still isn’t much since you’ll be using 3 Tbsp of the mixture for the taco filling.)

1/4 cup & 1 Tbsp chili powder
1 1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 1/4 tsp onion powder
1 14 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/4 tsp dried oregano or “Italian seasoning” mix
2 1/2 tsp paprika
2 Tbsp & 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp & 2 tsp sea salt (or Kosher or table salt)
1 Tbsp & 2 tsp black pepper (freshly ground or powder)

Mix all ingredients in an airtight container. You will need only 3 Tbsp of this mixture for this recipe.

Ground turkey filling

1 lb of extra lean ground turkey (around 3 grams of fat/serving), regular ground turkey, chicken, beef, or minced mushrooms or other veggies
3 Tbsp of taco seasoning (see recipe above)
1-2 Tbsp water (optional; use only to make the seasoning less intense for children or sensitive folks)

Taco preparation
Meat or veggie filling
Block of your favorite cheese(s), grated (not the pre-grated stuff, please!)
6-8 corn tortillas
Olive oil, oil spray, or Pam
Salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F/190 degrees C. For two people, microwave 6-8 tortillas in a wet paper towel for about 45 seconds. Separate the tortillas carefully (I use a brush dipped in oil to separate and coat them). Brush or spray the tortillas with oil on both sides and sprinkle salt, if using, on both sides as well.

Spay the oven grates with Pam really well! Place the oil- and salt-coated tortillas on the grates of the oven. For wider tacos as the ones shown in this post, place the tortillas over two rows. Baked the tortillas for 7-10 minutes or until the taco is crunchy throughout. Take out the shells CAREFULLY by pushing them up from underneath the grates. They should pop right up if you sprayed the grates well enough.

Now fill the taco shells with your meat/veggie mixture, cheese, pico de gallo or salsa, and any other fixings you prefer. ENJOY!

Copyright – Memoria James – http://www.mangiodasola.com

Slow-Cooker Turkey Chili

More than two posts ago, I promised you all that I would write about a healthy recipe I made for my dieting mother when she came to visit me. Years ago, when I was on my diet, I made a turkey chili for her in my slow cooker that was so good that I didn’t miss the fatty food! Somehow, I’d lost that recipe and tried many times to recreate the recipe but to no avail.

So, before my mother came to visit this time around, I asked her what she wanted me to cook for her. She immediately replied, “I want that turkey chili you made for me a long time ago.” (Yes, it was that good.) I told her for the umpteenth time that I had lost that recipe, and she told me that I needed to try to find it again before she came to visit. She is demanding! haha
So, I turned to one of my favorite sites for recipes, allrecipes.com. I found a recipe called “Laura’s Quick Slow Cooker Turkey Chili“. It is considered to be quick because of the use of canned beans as opposed to soaking dry beans and slow because of the use of the slow cooker (duh). I added a few extra spices to ensure success because I didn’t want my mother to complain. I now think the chili was the real reason she came to visit me hmmm.

Since I knew she was leaving Sunday afternoon, I started preparing the chili Saturday night so that she could have something to eat at home (my mom doesn’t like to and doesn’t know how to cook very well. Sorry, mom!) Anyway, I asked her to chop the veggies for the chili. Then, I put together everything else while I made her flour tortillas and the cheesecake for my Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake. I was busy in the kitchen, and this was all happening late at night! I set the slow cooker to low for 8 hours, and at 10am the next morning, the chili was ready.
I prepared a bowl of chili for my mom and sat across the table opposite her all while waiting intently for her response. She loved it! She absolutely loved it! I asked her if it was comparable to the other chili I’d made for her many years ago, and she said that it was very close. She also said that I was missing her favorite cornbread (because I didn’t make enough for her already haha).

This chili is very good; it really is. Also, if you add enough cheese to it, it could be a good dip for nacho chips. You can make this dish extremely healthy and flavorful or very unhealthy and flavorful. What a win-win situation that is! Don’t forget to make the cornbread!

Laura’s Quick Slow-Cooker Turkey Chili
very loosely adapted from allrecipes

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2-3 stalks of celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped

2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
1 pinch ground black pepper
1 pinch ground allspice
salt to taste

1 pound ground turkey
cumin to taste
Lawry’s Seasoning Salt to taste
pepper to taste

2 (10.75 ounce) cans low-sodium tomato soup (I used one can low-sodium tomato soup and one box of Pomì chopped tomatoes)
2 (15 ounce) cans kidney beans, drained
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained
Worcestershire Sauce (optional)
Hot sauce (optional)
Small block of favorite type of cheese, grated (optional) (I used cheddar and monterey jack)

Heat the oil in a skillet or dutch oven over medium heat. Season ground turkey with cumin, Lawry’s Seasoning Salt and pepper (all to taste). Place the veggies in the skillet, and add all the seasonings (from the chili powder to the salt to taste). Next, place the seasoned, ground turkey in the skillet over the veggies, and cook until evenly brown; drain.

Coat the inside of a slow cooker with cooking spray, and mix in turkey, cooked veggies, tomato soup, kidney beans, and black beans. Season with additional chili powder, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, cumin, black pepper, allspice and salt ONLY if you feel something’s missing. You could also add Worcestershire or hot sauce for an added boost of flavor and heat.

Cover, and cook 8 hours on Low or 4 hours on High.

Copyright – Memoria James – http://www.mangiodasola.com

Thanksgiving Meal/Recipe List

I want to apologize now because this post will be devoid of yummy photos; however, I hope to be successful in creating yummy visions of Thanksgiving dishes in your head.

I’m getting excited (which is a rare emotion for me) about Thanksgiving just because I get to cook and bake as much as I want for a bunch of people I love – my family.

As a single, graduate student, cooking for one can be a lonely, bittersweet activity. While I enjoy baking and cooking, I don’t enjoy having all of that food in my kitchen just for me. I would love to have others around with whom I can share my goodies!

So, since I’m so excited, I thought I’d share my list of dishes I plan to prepare for my loved ones this year. I made almost all of these dishes at least once last Thanksgiving and/or Christmas, and everyone loved everything. They were also shocked since almost all of our family members are quite inept in the kitchen, excluding one of my aunts who brings the veggie dishes (which explains why I have to make so much in order for us to have something to eat on holidays. LOL). So, without further ado, here is my tentative list for this Thanksgiving:

  • Wolfgang Puck’s Turkey with Turkey Stock and Cream Gravy (involves brining the turkey the night before, which yields a shorter cooking time and a moister turkey without basting!)
  • Southern Plate’s Dixie Cornbread and Crockpot cornbread dressing (OMG! You have to make this if you love good, southern dressing. Also, you can free up space on the stovetop and in the oven and leave the dressing in the Crockpot to warm until dinner is ready. You can even place the Crockpot in the living room or a clean garage as it cooks for more space. My mother adds that the intoxicating, comforting smell of this dressing will waft all through your house!)
  • Pioneer Woman’s Mashed Potatoes (I add shredded, sharp cheddar cheese on top on special occasions. This dish could also be made in a Crockpot. In fact, that is how I prepared it the first time I made it. Just boil the potatoes in a pot, then transfer the mashed taters (hehe) to the Crockpot and add the other ingredients.)
  • Croissants (I haven’t picked out a recipe yet (maybe Pierre Hermé’s?), but I’m going to make a laminated dough well ahead of time, shape the croissants, and place them in the freezer. Then a few days before I leave for Thanksgiving, I’ll just need to bake them at my grandmother’s house.)
  • Sweet Potato Pie from Allrecipes (This dessert is not for me; I don’t like sweet potatoes, but my mom loves the stuff. So, because I love her so much, I’m going to make this for her instead of another variety of carrot cake. Anyway, I’m going to make the same revisions the second commenter (“SL”) made on Allrecipes.)
  • Hershey’s Chocolate Cake (my go-to chocolate cake. I haven’t decided which type of frosting I’m going to put on it. Chocolate, vanilla, or my leftover coffee buttercream?)
  • Paula Deen’s (White) Hot Chocolate (I’ll be blogging about this later. It is a rich, rich, fattening, hot chocolate especially made for special occasions. It’s so quick to make, too. I will be making it with Guittard milk chocolate chips instead of white chocolate or a mixture of the two.)

Now, I’ll open the floor, because I’m curious and excited. For those who will be celebrating Turkey Day soon, what is on your list? What dishes are you going to make? If you already celebrated Thanksgiving this year, what did you make? Add links to the recipes or your blog entries, if there are any.

I’ll be back with another food post very, very soon.

Copyright – Memoria James – http://www.mangiodasola.com