Taco Turkey Burgers

Growing up I thought I hated tacos. I know, I can't even believe it myself. It's actually worse than that. I thought I hated Mexican food period. I remember being forced to eat ground beef tacos in hard shells with all of the fixings (i.e. tomatoes) that I hated as a 4 or 5 year old (P.S. I thoroughly enjoy tomatoes today). That was the first and last time I remember trying anything Mexican related for 10 years. I literally avoided Mexican food like the plague for the first 15 years of my life.

Fast forward 10 years, and I agreed to go out to dinner with a friend's family. And where did we show up to but at a dreaded Mexican restaurant. I didn't know what anything was, but I was pretty sure I hated it all. I think I just ordered whatever my friend got because that was the easy way out, and I tried to smile through a bite. I can picture 15 year old me nervously moving the fork towards my mouth. Wait, this is freaking delicious! And that was that, folks. Mind instantly changed. Mexican food is easily one of favorite cuisines today. I've literally been hooked ever since.

So taco Tuesday rolled around this week, and I obviously had to celebrate. I didn't have any tortillas, and I wasn't initially feeling a taco salad. So I decided to mix it up a bit and try out some taco turkey burgers, and boy were they delicious! I whipped up a cilantro lime Greek yogurt sauce and topped the burger with it and some of my other favorite goodies, and Taco Tuesday was a huge success!

Here's What You'll Need:

-1 lb ground turkey
-1/2 large white onion, chopped
-2 green onions, chopped
-1/2 bell pepper, chopped
-2 tsp Just Spices Flavors of Mexico Seasoning (the code juststacy15 will get you 15% off on their website)
-1 clove garlic, minced
-1/8 tsp sea salt
-1/8 tsp black pepper

Makes 6 burgers

Optional Cilantro Lime Greek Yogurt Sauce:
-6 oz Wallaby Plain Greek Yogurt
-1 tsp dried cilantro
-1 tsp lime juice

Instructions:

1) In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly mix together all of the burger ingredients with your hands.
2) Form the mixture into 6 balls, and flatten into burger patties.
3) On a grill or in a pan on a stove top over medium high heat, add the patties, cover, and cook for 4-5 minutes. 
4) Flip the burgers, and cook covered for an additional 4-5 minutes until cooked through.
5) Serve, top with the sauce, salsa, and/or any other fixings you like, and enjoy!

They're great on a bun, on their own, or even to top off a delicious taco salad. Let me know how you used yours and what you think in the comments below!

Green Chile & Aged Cheddar Turkey Meatball Skewers

Blue Moose of Boulder products have easily become some of my favorites. They make so many delicious goodies - hummus, cheese dips, salsas, and pesto, and they really are all SO good! As we're getting further into football season, it really hit me - they have the BEST game days eats! Veggies or chips with any of their dips or some pesto skewers would make for a huge hit during any entertaining you're doing this football season.

That being said, I decided I wanted to kick it up another notch and create even more options with these already delicious products. So over the next few weeks I'll be playing around with some fun football-ready recipes that are perfect to serve when you're watching the big game.

I decided to kick it off with some turkey meatballs. I thought the Green Chile & Aged Cheddar Cheese Spread would be the perfect way to pack that extra flavor into some mini meatballs. The idea was to make little appetizer-sized cheeseburger bites. I added some fresh burger toppings to the skewers, and they made for the perfect football snack!  

Here's What You'll Need:

-1 lb ground turkey
-1 egg
-1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
-1/2 tsp sea salt
-1/4 tsp black pepper
-2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
-3 tbsp Blue Moose of Boulder Green Chile & Aged Cheddar Cheese Spread
-2 large tomatoes, chopped
-About 30 (spicy) dill pickle slices
-About 30 toothpicks

Makes 25-30 mini meatballs

Instructions:

1) Preheat your oven to 400 degrees, and spray a pan with (olive oil) cooking spray.
2) Mix together the ground turkey, egg, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, garlic, and cheese spread in a bowl using your hands.
3) Scoop out tablespoon amounts of the mixture and form into small balls with your hands, spreading out evenly on the pan.
4) Cook the meatballs for about 15 minutes until they are fully cooked through. Remove from the oven.
5) Fold a pickle slice in half and push it to the top of the toothpick with about a finger's amount of room. Add a tomato chunk, and finish the skewer off with a turkey meatball.
6) Continue until all the meatballs are used.
7) Serve, and enjoy!

You can also serve them with the dipping sauce of your choosing, but I honesty loved them as is. Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Ginger Soy Turkey Stuffed Peppers Over Zoodles with a Rice Wine Vinaigrette

I had ground turkey sitting in my fridge that I needed to use, but I didn't want to do the standard tacos. I feel like this happens to me more often than it should. I'll buy it thinking oh this will be easy, and then I don't want tacos.

So it was brainstorming time, and stuffed peppers popped into my mind. But, like I said, I just wasn't in the mood for Mexican. So why not go more of an Asian route? My Sriracha Ginger Turkey Meatballs are one of my favorite recipes, so I knew that I could definitely come up with something delicious. And what better way to pair it than with a fresh, raw zucchini salad.

Here's What You'll Need:

-3 bell peppers, cut in half and seeded
-1 lb lean ground turkey
-2 green onions, chopped
-1/4 cup Tamari (or low sodium soy sauce)
-2 tbsp sriracha (if you don't like the heat just use one)
-1 tsp ginger, shaved
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-2 zucchinis, spiralized
-1 tsp olive oil

For the dressing:

-3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
-2 tbsp Tamari (or low sodium soy sauce)
-1 tbsp olive oil
-1/2 tsp sesame oil
-1 tsp spicy brown mustard
-1 1/2 tsp hoisin sauce
-1/4 tsp pure cane sugar

Instructions:

1) Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
2) Heat up the tsp olive oil in a large pan on the stove top, and add in the garlic. Cook for about a minute.
3) Add in the ground turkey and cook fully until it is no longer pink.
4) Add in the scallions, soy sauce, sriracha, and ginger, and continue to cook for another minute or so.
5) Place the bell pepper halves on a baking sheet, and fill each with the turkey mixture, using it all.
6) Pop the peppers into the oven, and cook for 30 minutes.
7) Mix together the dressing ingredients, and toss the zoodles in it. Split the zoodles between 3 plates, and top each with 2 bell pepper halves.
8) Enjoy!

You can easily use this dressing on any salad. I used on spiralized cucumber with some raw bell pepper and shrimp. I also want to try the peppers using lentils or faux meat, so let me know if you give it a try! I'd love to hear what you think in the comments below!

Mom's Turkey Meatballs

So I am a wee bit behind on posting this recipe (SORRY), but it has been a little hectic the past week or two. I'm finally getting a chance to breathe, so get ready for some recipes coming your way!

Growing up, my mom made the best meatballs in my opinion. We aren't Italian. In fact, my mom is German and Irish, so literally nowhere near Italian. So I'm not going to pretend these are super authentic Italian meatballs. But I grew up eating them, and they will forever hold a special place in my heart.

Back when I was a kid, mom would make these using ground beef. If you haven't seen me mention it in previous posts, she is now a vegan. So clearly she isn't enjoying these anymore (sorry mom), but I still am. I have adapted them to use ground turkey instead because I just don't eat red meat all that often. But if you're into beef, go for it! Other than the turkey and a couple of other minor changes, these are exactly my mom's recipe. So I can't take too much credit for them, but I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Here's What You'll Need:

-1 lb of ground turkey (Anywhere between 1 and 1.25 lbs will work just fine with these exact measurements)
-1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
-2 eggs
-1 tbsp dried parsley
-1/2 tsp dried onion
-1/4 tsp sea salt
-1/8 tsp black pepper
-2 tbsp unsweetened almond milk (or any milk of your choice)
-1 clove garlic
-1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
 

Instructions:

1) Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
2) Mix all ingredients together in a bowl using your hands. Mix thoroughly to try to get everything as evenly spread as possible.
3) Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to measure out the meatballs, and form into balls with your hands. Place the meatballs evenly on a greased baking sheet.
4) Once the oven is preheated, place the meatballs into the oven and cook 12 minutes per side (flipping half way through)
5) Remove the meatballs from the oven, and enjoy!

There are so many ways to eat these meatballs. Throw them in with some pasta or zoodles, add them to a nice veggie bowl, or even have one in the place of a breakfast meat. The options are endless! I'd love to hear how you ate them and what you think in the comments below!

Sriracha Ginger Turkey Meatballs

I'm basically a sriracha fiend by nature, and recently I was introduced to Fix Hot Sauce which has put my sriracha game on an entire new level. It's literally the perfect hot sauce, and I basically want to pour it all over everything.

So Monday nights are The Bachelor nights for my friend Emily and I and have been for literally years at this point. We get together, cook dinner, and watch the show. Sometimes we plan exactly what we are going to make, and sometimes it's a look in the fridge and see what can be put together kind of deal. This week was one of the latter. I knew I had ground turkey, but I really wasn't feeling the standard tacos or burgers. So I thought why not meatballs...and sriracha? And really the rest is history.

I felt like this one was a bit of a gamble, but Emily's first bite was followed by, "These have to go on the blog!" So I knew we had a winner. They have a nice little kick but nothing too overwhelming for those of you non-spicy fans. Seriously, these guys are a must try. I know you might be a little hesitant, but do it! You won't regret these, I promise.

Here's what you'll need:

-1 lb ground turkey
-1/2 cup panko or whole wheat bread crumbs
-1 egg
-1/4 white onion, chopped
-1 clove garlic, minced
-1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
-1 tsp sesame oil
-1 tbsp tamari or low sodium soy sauce
-1 tbsp sriracha
-1 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped (or 1 tsp dried)

Instructions:

1) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2) Mix together all of the ingredients in a bowl. Mix it really well, spreading out everything as evenly as possible.
3) Using 1/4 cup measuring cup, form the meatballs and place evenly on a baking sheet (I sprayed mine with coconut oil). This should make about 8 meatballs.
4) Put the meatballs into the oven and cook for 12 minutes. Take them out, flip them, and place them back in the oven. Cook for another 12 minutes.
5) Remove the meatballs, serve, and enjoy!

I served mine over some some sauteed veggies and topped it all with a quick, throw together sauce made with more sriracha, tamari, garlic, and ginger. It was perfect! Let me know what you think below.