Turkey Schnitzel and Roasted Tomato Coulis for CBC's Weekend Morning Show

This morning I am featuring a simple dish to prepare that is full of great summer flavour CBC's Weekend Morning Show with host Nadia Kidwai.

The basil and tomatoes are from Almost Urban Farm, and available today at the St. Norbert's Farmer's Market. The roasted tomato coulis is very easy to prepare and can be used in many ways.

Enjoy!

For the Schnitzel:
1 Turkey Breast (I used a local free range turkey that I cut into parts and the breast was large enough for more than 5 portions)
1 egg
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup Panko bread crumbs *
1/2 tbs butter (I used Notre Dame butter, local)

* Panko bread crumbs available at many Asian groceries


For the Charred Tomato Coulis:

2-3 medium tomatoes (available at St. Norbert's Farmer's Market)
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs fresh basil, chopped (available at Almost Urban Farms at St. Norbert's Farmer's Market)
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbs olive oil

Charred Tomato Coulis: In a baking dish, bake whole tomatoes (without stems) at 350�F until tomatoes begin to darken (up to one hour). Let cool. In a food processor or blender mix all ingredients until well blended into a loose paste. Set aside and chill.

Turkey Schnitzel: Cut Turkey breast into small fist size pieces (maybe a child�s fist size). On a cutting board, place turkey breast piece and cover with plastic wrap. With a food hammer or pounder, flatten Turkey breast piece until quite thin. Set each piece aside and then soak in the beaten eggs. On a plate mix Panko bread crumbs, nutmeg, paprika and salt and pepper. Bread each Turkey piece well and place in a medium high heat pan with butter. Saut� Turkey schnitzel pieces until brown on both sides. Place on plate to rest and DRIZZLE the charred tomato coulis on plate to bring out the natural sweetness of the flavours. A variety of mustards also accent the turkey schnitzel nicely.

Enjoy!

Cheddar Cheese Turkey Meatloaf Bites

In my never-ending quest to try and sneak vegetables into my children, I recently tried these bite-sized, delicious, flavorful, cheesy, tiny meatloafs that are prepared in a mini muffin tin.  They are so good that we (Carson and I) ate half of them, and I froze the rest.  The 7 year-old shrugged and said, "yeah, they're ok" and the 19 month-old liked them (but she only eats if she's running in circles these days, forget about a chair!).  The 3 year-old is trying to send me to the looney bin, but that's a story for another day (someone remind me she won't be wearing diapers when she's 10).  Ok but honestly, these are so good and they are packed with vegetables that you pulse into teeny, tiny pieces (see below) so if you also have picky eaters, try them!  If they won't eat them, you will.

Recipe here.  

Tune into the Today Show tomorrow to watch me make something much, less, healthier :)

Ina's Italian Wedding Soup

I did it!  I made it through the week without eating a cheeseburger!  Or a bagel every morning!  There was some cookie dough last night... but remember how we talked about balance?  Also, you guys, I have had this blog for a very long time.  That was a weird transition, but just hear me out.  Carson and I were watching the Food Network the other night - "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" if you must know (cause it's either that or HGTV in this house) - and he saw some soup and said, you should make that.  And I was all, I have made that, don't you remember?  And he's like, nope.  And I was like, ugh, what is WRONG with you (we're in the honeymoon phase).  Then I searched my blog and realized I made it SIX YEARS AGO.  Check it out here, along with my teeny, tiny photos.

So I made it again!  The dish is Italian Wedding Soup, and it's delicious.  A healthy blend of veggies, greens (I used escarole) and turkey meatballs (I skipped the sausage as well as the pasta in Ina's recipe).  We ate it along with grilled cheeses (balance) and it was a wonderful dinner!        

Butternut Squash Meatloaf

I've made many a meatloaf in my day, but I had never thought of putting squash in it before.  However I swear, you can google any two ingredients and a recipe will pop up, which is exactly what I did last night.  By adding butternut squash (cooked in bacon, onion and sage) to this meatloaf, the flavors are off the chart.  And now I talk like Guy Fieri from Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.  

I used this recipe and made some minor changes.  Instead of pork, I used ground turkey, I skipped the red pepper flakes (in case my kids wanted to try it, hahahaha, they did not), I didn't use an egg because I didn't have one (it turned out just fine), and before cooking it I topped it with a balsamic/ketchup combo (which I highly recommend doing).  By the way, I like to use my hands to form the loaf and cook it on a baking sheet vs. a bread pan.  I think it makes the exterior nice and crispy, which I love.  I plan on turning it into a sandwich for lunch.  Is it lunchtime yet??  

Taco Pie with Winter Squash

After making this insanely delicious Spaghetti Pie the other day (as seen on my Instagram page), I started imagining what other dinners I could make in a pie pan, and because it was Tuesday my mind instantly went to tacos!  Taco Pie!  But not just any taco pie, no, no... this particular dish is only disguising as comfort food (which is what it tasted like, oh man).  This hearty but healthy casserole has lean meat, the protein and fiber from beans and the nutrients from a whole lot of squash you won't even know you're eating.  By the way do beans have fiber?  I don't know, it just sounded right to say.

At the last minute I decided to add a frozen package of cooked squash into the meat (the pureed kind).  It melted beautifully, and balanced out the spice of the meat in a sweet and subtle way.  My kids loved it (well, two of them did, not the middle one who would live off of Skittles if she could), and had NO idea I had tricked them into eating something healthy.  And by the way, I ate two slices topped with avocado.  IT WAS SO GOOD.  

Taco Pie with Winter Squash

(Serves 8)

Printable Recipe

1 T olive oil

1 small onion, diced

1 lb. ground turkey

1 pkg. taco seasoning

1/2 cup water

1 12 oz. pkg cooked squash, thawed

1 8oz. bottle taco sauce

3 flour tortillas

1 can refried beans (you probably won't use it all)

2-3 cups Mexican blend grated cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add onions and saut� for a few minutes, until onions begin to soften.  Add ground turkey and saut� until no longer pink.  Add taco seasoning and water and stir to combine.  Bring to a boil, and then lower heat and simmer until sauce begins to thicken.  Add thawed squash, and stir to make sure everything is well incorporated.  Remove from heat.  Spray a 10-inch cake or pie pan with cooking spray.  Add a small amount of the taco sauce and spread with a spatula.  Place a tortilla in the pan, and then spread a layer of refried beans on top with a spatula.  Top with a third of the meat, then a third of the cheese and finally a third of the taco sauce.  Place another tortilla down, and repeat with the beans, meat, cheese and sauce.  Place your last tortilla down, top with beans, the rest of the meat, the rest of the sauce and ending with the rest of your cheese.  Bake for 30-35 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and golden.    

The squash disappears!

Ginger Lime Turkey Sliders with Peanut Slaw

Last weekend was my SEVENTH year running Ragnar Relay Northwest Passage, and I have a serious case of the post-Ragnar blues.
I ran around 15.5 miles! My final leg was just under 7 miles, all hills, and I almost stepped on a snake! We jammed out hard to some 2AM Celine Dion, had a few epic dance parties and costume changes, mastered the art of glow-stick dancing (ahem, raving?), and wondered how that one team next to us at the brewery managed to run after consuming so many burgers and beers. And extra sides of ranch. Also, this year, a few other teams copied our name! We�ve been Chafin� the Dream since 2009, so it was annoying to see other folks stealing our swagger. Imitation�something to do flattery�blah blah� Nope, get outta here with that. #theoriginalchafers

Anyway. I feel like I've been super MIA on the blog this summer, but I just haven't been cooking much. Instead I've been running, swimming, gardening, eating popsicles, seeing Dashboard Confessional and Third Eye Blind (!!!) with my girlfriends, and binge watching Sopranos. These sliders are maybe the only dinner I've actually cooked in the month of July!

Turkey sliders! The patties are Asian-inspired with fun flavors like ginger and lime, which goes great with the sesame-peanut slaw! I actually liked them wrapped in lettuce even more than with a bun, and that's surprising, because this girl loves big buns, hun. 

Ginger Lime Turkey Sliders with Peanut Slaw 
Makes 10-12 small sliders

Peanut Slaw

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon peanut butter

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

1 squirt of Sriracha

Half a head green cabbage, sliced thin (and diced, if desired)

2 green onions, sliced thin

2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

1 handful peanuts, chopped

1/2 teaspoon black sesame seeds

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl, Whisk together mayo, lime juice, peanut butter, sesame oil, and sriracha. Add cabbage, green onions, and cilantro. Toss until coated. Add salt and pepper to taste, and toss in peanuts and sesame seeds just before serving. 

Sliders

1 pound ground turkey

1 inch chunk of ginger, grated

1 clove garlic, grated or minced

1 Green onion, sliced thin

Zest from 1 small lime + splash of lime juice

1/2 teaspoon soy sauce

Panko bread crumbs

Salt & pepper

Mix turkey, ginger, garlic, onion, lime zest and juice, and soy sauce together (with your hands), until combined. If the mixture seems too wet and loose, add a bit of panko to bind it. Separate into about 10-12 small slider-sized patties, and salt & pepper both sides of each patty. Chill for at least 30 minutes so they firm up a bit. 

Heat grill, brush with oil, and grill patties until charred on the outside and cooked through. 

Serve on slider buns or in lettuce cups, with peanut slaw and extra sriracha! Also, not pictured but a great addition: avocado!

Turkey Schnitzel and Tomato Coulis for CBC's Weekend Morning Show!

This morning I had the pleasure of presenting the following dishes for CBC's Weekend Morning Show with host Terry MacLeod.  

Make Thanksgiving easy but full of flavour!  

(from top:  Turkey schnitzel, garlic roasted potatoes with yoghurt tahini, squash and pear with Frangelico, Carrot Thoren, tomato coulis and centre cranberry relish)

Turkey Schnitzel

1 turkey breast (for 3-4 servings) (available at Millad�s)

~1 cup Corn Flakes crumbs or Panko or combination

� tsp grated nutmeg

smoked paprika (optional) (available at Millad�s)

salt and pepper

1-2 eggs

� cup milk

2-3 tbs butter

drizzle olive oil

Cut the turkey breast into even slices across the grain, cover with wax paper or plastic wrap and pound flat without shredding the meat.

Mix egg and milk in one bowl and crumbs and seasonings in another bowl. 

Dip pounded meat into egg/milk wash and then cover in crumbs.  Saut� in medium-high heat pan with butter and olive oil. 

Serve immediately with your favourite toppings, cranberry sauce, chutney or try a tomato coulis.

Enjoy!

Tomato Coulis

4 medium tomatoes

4+ oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained

1 clove garlic,

2-3 tbs. olive oil

small bunch basil

dash of crushed red chilies

salt and pepper

Blend all ingredients and chill.

Enjoy!

Cranberry Relish

 In a food processor or blender, combine the following ingredients until a fine relish consistency.

1 pkg cranberries

1/2 cup orange juice or 1-2 chopped peel-on oranges

2-4oz Frangelico or Disorrono liquor

scant cup sugar

Chill and serve with Turkey, sandwiches, curries, etc.