Jack Quesadillas with Cranberry Salsa

OK, these were surprisingly delicious. I wasn't so sure about the salsa with the cumin in it when I taste tested it by itself. But it is the flavor combination of the quesadilla and salsa together that truly is award winning. We cannot wait to make this again! We substitute leftover chicken for turkey.

Jack Quesadillas with Cranberry Salsa


This salsa is also great on turkey sandwiches. To make meatless quesadillas, use sautéed vegetables in place of the turkey.


Salsa:
1 cup whole-berry cranberry sauce
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped green onions
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 Anjou pear, cored and finely diced
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced

Quesadillas:
Cooking spray
1/4 cup (2-inch-thick) slices green onions
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeño peppers
8 (8-inch) flour tortillas
2 cups chopped cooked turkey
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream

To prepare salsa, combine first 7 ingredients. Cover and chill.

To prepare quesadillas, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add 1/4 cup sliced onions to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until tender. Remove onions from pan; reduce heat to medium. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons cheese over each of 4 tortillas. Top each cheese-covered tortilla with one-fourth of onions, 1/2 cup turkey, 2 tablespoons cheese, and 1 tortilla.

Recoat pan with cooking spray. Add 1 quesadilla to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until lightly browned and cheese melts. Repeat with remaining quesadillas. Cut each quesadilla into 6 wedges. Serve with cranberry salsa and sour cream.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 3 wedges, about 1/4 cup salsa, and 1 tablespoon sour cream)

CALORIES 356 (25% from fat); FAT 9.7g (sat 4.2g,mono 3.5g,poly 1.2g); IRON 2.7mg; CHOLESTEROL 42mg; CALCIUM 218mg; CARBOHYDRATE 47.8g; SODIUM 372mg; PROTEIN 19.4g; FIBER 3g

Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2004

Turkey and Cranberry Port Wine Sauce

The sauce was pretty good but the turkey did get a little dried out. Not sure how you could correct that.

Turkey and Cranberry Port Wine Sauce


Use cranberry sauce left over from your holiday meal to make this easy supper. The recipe calls for shallots, which have a milder, sweeter flavor than onions. A sweet onion will work, as well.


1 tablespoon canola oil
4 (4-ounce) turkey breast cutlets
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup chopped shallots
2/3 cup whole-berry cranberry sauce
1/4 cup port wine
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Whole sage leaves (optional)

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle turkey with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add turkey to pan; cook 5 minutes on each side or until done. Transfer turkey to a plate.

Melt butter in pan. Add shallots; sauté for 30 seconds. Reduce heat to medium; stir in cranberry sauce, wine, chopped sage, vinegar, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook 2 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally.

Return turkey to pan. Cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Serve with sauce. Garnish with sage leaves, if desired.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cutlet and 1/4 cup sauce)

CALORIES 276 (23% from fat); FAT 6.9g (sat 1.7g,mono 3.2g,poly 1.1g); IRON 1.7mg; CHOLESTEROL 53mg; CALCIUM 16mg; CARBOHYDRATE 21.5g; SODIUM 428mg; PROTEIN 28.4g; FIBER 0.8g

Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2005

Gnocchi anyone?

I have been meaning to try this recipe for awhile and the ingredients have been sitting in our fridge for almost a week. Since we are moving in 3 weeks from tomorrow, it's time to clean out the fridge and the pantry, and cook up what we've got.

Gnocchi is one of my favorite "pastas" if you will. There is something so very comforting about those little potato dumplings. Trader Joe's has an excellent pesto version, but the ones Matt picked up at the store were parmasean/potato. And they were delicious. I wasn't too sure how this recipe would turn out, especially when I realized that I forgot to reserve 1/4 cup of the cooking water! But it was delicious, or so Matt said. For whatever reason I wasn't hungry last night. It was a very hearty meal and I'm sure I'll make it again soon.

CKS Note: I only used about 1/4 to 1/2 cup cheese and 1/2 onion to save calories and my sensitive stomach.

Gnocchi with Sausage and Spinach

from Real Simple

Tip: Gnocchi are small, quick-cooking dumplings, usually made from potatoes. You'll find them with the fresh or dried pasta in supermarkets, or you can substitute a short pasta, such as rigatoni, penne, or farfalle.

Ingredients

2 9-ounce packages refrigerated gnocchi or one 17.5-ounce package shelf-stable gnocchi

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed

1 clove garlic, finely chopped1

5-ounce bag baby spinach

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

3/4 cup (3 ounces) grated Parmesan, plus more for garnishing

Directions:

Cook the gnocchi according to the package directions, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the sausage and cook, crumbling it with a spoon, until browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic, spinach, salt, and pepper and cook, tossing frequently, until the spinach wilts, about 3 minutes. Add the drained gnocchi, the reserved cooking liquid, and the Parmesan and toss. Divide among individual bowls and sprinkle with additional Parmesan.

Yield: Makes 4 servings

CALORIES 815 (53% from fat); FAT 48g (sat 14g); CHOLESTEROL 96mg; CARBOHYDRATE 58g; SODIUM 1,886mg; PROTEIN 36g; FIBER 4g; SUGAR 11g

Real Simple, MARCH 2007

'Tis the season for hearty soups.

I'll be posting a few more soup recipes this month. With the cold weather, especially up in Washington, I had forgotten how warm and soothing a bowl of soup can be.

I made this dish on Christmas Day, and it was gobbled up in no time. I made it again last night and Matt was quite excited! I love the heartiness of the soup, and putting 2 cups through the blender really helps thicken it up. I would certainly reccomend using the whole kielbasa and a whole bag of spinach. It really adds to the flavor and texture of the soup. You can add extra seasoning if you like, but I love it just on its own.

CKS Note - I am not the biggest fan of beans in soup, so I just used 1 can instead of 2 - hence using the entire Kielbasa.

North Woods Bean Soup

Adding turkey kielbasa lends this soup a rich, slow-simmered flavor even though it takes less than 30 minutes to make. Puree a portion of the recipe for a velvety consistency, and stir in fresh spinach after the soup is removed from the heat so it retains its bright color.

Ingredients:
Cooking spray
1 cup baby carrots, halved
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
7 ounces turkey kielbasa, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 (15.8-ounce) cans Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 (6-ounce) bag fresh baby spinach leaves

Directions:
Heat a large saucepan coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add carrots, onion, garlic, and kielbasa; sauté 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium; cook 5 minutes. Add the broth, Italian seasoning, pepper, and beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes.

Place 2 cups of the soup in a food processor or blender, and process until smooth. Return the pureed mixture to pan. Simmer an additional 5 minutes. Remove soup from heat. Add the spinach, stirring until spinach wilts.

Yield: 5 servings (serving size: about 1 1/2 cups)CALORIES 227 (15% from fat); FAT 3.9g (sat 1.2g,mono 1.3g,poly 1.2g); IRON 3.5mg; CHOLESTEROL 26mg; CALCIUM 112mg; CARBOHYDRATE 30.8g; SODIUM 750mg; PROTEIN 18.1g; FIBER 6.7g

Cooking Light, JANUARY 2002

Cooking Light Night #3

So....effin.....good! I can get used to this new healthy eating. Made this for gaming group tonight. Excellent reviews all the way around. We made a couple of substitutions: multigrain seeded baguette for the french bread, dijon mustard for the regular mustard, Arugula for the watercress, and fresh fuji apples from the Farmer's Market for the Granny Smith. There are countless possible variations for this recipe but the base idea of it is phenomal.

Smoked Turkey, Brie, Green Apple, and Watercress Sandwich


This baguette sandwich is a meal in itself. Serve it with a glass of crisp Chardonnay.


1 1/2 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 tablespoons mustard
1 (8-ounce) French bread baguette
6 ounces thinly sliced smoked turkey breast
1/4 pound Brie cheese, thinly sliced
1 cup trimmed watercress
1 cup thinly sliced peeled Granny Smith apple
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine honey and mustard in a small bowl. Cut bread in half lengthwise; place on a baking sheet. Spread honey mixture on bottom half of loaf; top with turkey and cheese. Bake at 350° for 5 minutes or until cheese begins to melt.

Arrange watercress and apple slices onto melted cheese; sprinkle with pepper. Cover with top half of loaf, and cut into 4 portions.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 portion)

CALORIES 337 (29% from fat); FAT 10.7g (sat 5.3g,mono 3.1g,poly 0.7g); IRON 3.5mg; CHOLESTEROL 45mg; CALCIUM 114mg; CARBOHYDRATE 40.8g; SODIUM 926mg; PROTEIN 19.4g; FIBER 2.5g

Cooking Light, AUGUST 2003

Strawberry-Kiwi Salad with Basil


Here we provide the exception to our picnic rule #1--the soupy sauce on this salad is irresistible, especially with angel-food cake "dunkers."


1/4 cup half-and-half
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 peeled kiwifruit, each cut into 6 wedges
2 cups quartered strawberries (about 1 pint)
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil

Combine first 4 ingredients in a bowl. Add kiwifruit and strawberries; toss well. Cover and chill for 1 hour. Stir in basil just before serving.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 3/4 cup)

CALORIES 90 (23% from fat); FAT 2.3g (sat 1.1g,mono 0.6g,poly 0.4g); IRON 0.7mg; CHOLESTEROL 6mg; CALCIUM 46mg; CARBOHYDRATE 17.8g; SODIUM 157mg; PROTEIN 1.6g; FIBER 3.8g

Cooking Light, APRIL 2001

Gourmet Done Family Style

Unique. Delicious. Comforting.

What a fun twist on your ordinary meatloaf. I have to say, what first attracted me to this recipe was not the meatloaf itself, but the red wine currant sauce drizzle over the top of it. If that doesn't scream fancy restaurant I don't know what does. But if sweet dark glazes are not to your liking, this turkey meatloaf stands well on it's own. There wasn't a person at gaming group last night who didn't express overwhelming satisfaction with the meal.

This recipe is super simple to assemble and makes ample proportions. The recipe even includes instructions for freezing half and baking again at a later date if 10 servings is too much all at once. I used a good quality free range ground turkey for the meat. If you cannot find sun-dried tomato sprinkles, just dice up some sun-dried tomato halves found in the dried fruit section of your grocery store. Do not use sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil or it will make your meatloaf too greasy. Also, be sure to use a meat thermometer to make sure that the ground turkey gets cooked all the way through. We enjoyed this with a nice green salad on the side and french baguette slices dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Sun-Dried Tomato Meat Loaf with Red Currant-Wine Sauce


Red currant jelly and wine make a quick, rich sauce that is a nice change from the typical ketchup topping. Serve with mashed potatoes. If you decide to freeze one of the meat loaves for later, make half the amount of red currant-wine sauce now and half when you bake the frozen meat loaf.


Meat loaf:
Cooking spray
3 (1-ounce) slices white bread
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup (4 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
1/3 cup sun-dried tomato sprinkles
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 1/2 pounds ground turkey breast
2 large eggs

Sauce:
1/2 cup red currant jelly
1/4 cup dry red wine
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 400°.

Coat 2 (8 x 4-inch) loaf pans with cooking spray; set aside.

To prepare meat loaves, place bread in food processor; pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs form. Combine breadcrumbs, onion, and next 7 ingredients (onion through eggs). Divide meat mixture in half. Press each portion into prepared pans.

Bake at 400° for 55 minutes or until a meat thermometer registers 180°.

To prepare sauce, combine jelly, wine, and flour in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil; cook 5 minutes or until jelly melts.

To freeze unbaked meat loaf: Prepare through Step 3. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing to remove as much air as possible. Wrap with heavy-duty foil. Store in freezer for up to 2 months.

To prepare frozen unbaked meat loaf: Thaw completely in refrigerator (about 24 hours). Preheat oven to 400º. Remove foil; reserve foil. Remove plastic wrap; discard wrap. Cover meat loaf with reserved foil; bake at 400º for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 45 minutes or until a meat thermometer registers 180º. Prepare half of red currant-wine sauce; serve over meat loaf.

Yield: 10 servings, 5 per pan (serving size: 5 ounces meat loaf and about 1 tablespoon sauce)

CALORIES 271 (19% from fat); FAT 5.6g (sat 2.8g,mono 1.6g,poly 0.5g); PROTEIN 35.2g; CHOLESTEROL 122mg; CALCIUM 193mg; SODIUM 435mg; FIBER 0.8g; IRON 2.3mg; CARBOHYDRATE 18.4g

Cooking Light, MARCH 2003