Incredibly Simple Turkey Taco Meat

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Tomorrow is Taco Tuesday, so let's change it up and try something other than you basic ground beef tacos!

Let's make TURKEY tacos!  But not just any turkey taco.  This dish is really easy to make and will become your basic turkey taco meat go-to recipe!

INCREDIBLY SIMPLE TURKEY TACO MEAT

Everyone love tacos, but let's face it, during the week we want something quick and easy.  Grilling isn't always and option and takes a little more time.  Ground turkey is not only quick and easy to cook it place a healthy spin on dinner-in-a-hurry.  Oh, and it's delicious too!

You will have juicy tender turkey tacos spiced up with bold Mexican flavors on the table in less then 30 minutes.  Guaranteed!  This turkey taco meat is a great base to have in your recipe arsenal.  You can add lots of mix-ins to make it your own, but getting the basic recipe down is key.  

This is a saucy taco meat.  So let's ditch the taco seasoning packet and flavor this baby up with some of our spice cabinet favorites.  With the addition of tomato sauce the meat turns into a wonderful saucy mess, bursting with bold flavors.  The perfect taco meat!

Kitchen Note:  Make a big batch and freeze some for later.  It will keep up to 3 months in the freezer.

To serve we fried up some corn torillas to make crunchy taco shells.  You could go for soft tacos or just warmed corn torillas for a street taco experience.  It all works and the taste is outstanding!

Enjoy your Taco Tuesdays!

Incredibly Simple Turkey Taco Meat

1 pound ground turkey

1/2 cup yellow onion
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
8 oz can no-salt added tomato sauce
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

For Tacos:

Taco shells
Taco toppings of choice

In a large skillet over medium heat, add the ground turkey, onion.  Cook, 5-7 minutes, breaking the meat into small pieces as you go.  Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper, and cayenne if using.  Cook for about 30 seconds until the mixture is blended and the spice start to give off a fragrance.

Add the tomato sauce and turning the heat to medium-low, simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Serve, or portion into freezer safe containers and freeze once cooled, up to 3 months.

Easy Entertaining Chicken Souvlaki Platter

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Boy am I glad it's the weekend!

It was a long week at work and what better way to start the weekend than with a small gathering around the pool with good friends.

When you entertain, especially on a weeknight, you want to make something that is quick and easy.  This calls for some refreshing drinks, a nice fruit bowl, and some easy to eat appetizer finger food.

I'm finally revealing my famous recipe, Easy Entertaining Chicken Souvlaki Platter.  Imagine plump, juicy chicken breasts marinated with Greek flavors such as lemon, garlic, oregano, and wine. This easy summer dish turns finger food up to a new level.  Make sure to add Lavash strips as a vessel to hold the chicken, and a bowl filled with chilled, refreshing Tzatziki for dipping.  Oh man this is HEAVEN!

A quick 1 hour marinade is necessary to impact bold, bright flavors in the chicken.  Once that is done, it's easy sailing and 15 minutes to the best finger food dish around!  You can grill the chicken outside like we did, or you can use a good sturdy grill pan on the stove.  (Options, I love that!)

Keep the chicken whole to begin with so they remain moist inside.  Once you let them rest you can cut them into bite size pieces.  We served them with Lavash, a middle eastern unleavened bread that is perfect to use as a dipping devise for the chicken.  You could easily substitute pita wedges if you like.

All in all the weather was balmy last night, but the food was outstanding.  This dish is packed with flavor, and we enjoyed each and every bite.    

Don't miss out!  Summer is going by quickly and we should all take advantage of long evenings gathered with friends and of course, fabulous food like my Easy Entertaining Chicken Souvlaki Platter.

Enjoy!









Chicken Souvlaki Platter

serves 4-6

3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

2 Tbs. dry white wine

1 Tbs. lemon juice

1/4 cup minced yellow onion

1 garlic clove, minced

2 bay leaves, 

1 tsp. dried oregano

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Lemon wedges for garnish

Parsley, chopped for garnish

Lavash, cut into strips

Tzatziki, for dipping

In a bowl, stir together the olive oil, wine, lemon juice, onion, garlic, bay leaves, oregano, salt and pepper. Add the chicken and turn to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.  

Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal or gas grill or preheat a cast-iron grill pan over medium-high heat.

Remove the chicken from the marinade.  Place on the grill rack 4 to 5 inches from the fire or place in the hot pan and grill, turning once, until the chicken is opaque throughout, 4-5 minutes per side. Season with salt and pepper.

Remove to a cutting board and allow to rest 5 minutes.  Cut chicken into 1 inch bite size pieces.  Place on a platter along with the Lavash strips, and a bowl full of tzatziki for dipping.  Garnish with lemon wedges and parsley.  Serve immediately.

Presto Pesto Panko Chicken with a Green Salad and Roasted Potatoes and "Hello Fresh" Final Installment

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It's hump day, and I'm posting the last installment of my Hello Fresh food delivery service series.

Another weekday meal is on the agenda for today and I dare say this was the easiest one to make.  I previously shared the Pineapple Pork Chops with Snap Peas and Jasmine Rice and the Lean Green Steak Machine with a Mint Chive Dressing and Veggie Succotash.  Both meals were tasty and simple to make.

Today's recipe is Presto Pesto Panko Chicken with a Green Salad and Roasted Potatoes.  As I said this was the easiest of the three to make as both the chicken and potatoes are baked in the oven.  So I took the liberty and turned this in to a "sheet pan" dish!  That made it even easier!! Don't you love that?  Both the chicken and the potatoes bake in the oven at the same temperature and for the same length of time, so why not?  Less dishes to clean, and in my book that is a bonus!

The flavors of this were not quite as bold but this is a good solid dish to have in your repertoire when you need a quick meal that is quick and easy to put together.  The pesto gives the chicken flavor, while the panko crust creates a crunchy texture.  Paired with roasted potatoes (who doesn't love those?) and a simple salad and you have a weeknight wonder!

So let's talk about Hello Fresh food delivery subscription service. The Pros: The delivery service easy and convenient, and there is a variety of meal choices.  The produce was very fresh and I love that the meat is shrink wrapped.  

The cons:  The portion size seemed to be a little small for us.  MGG is tall and slim but has a big appetite and I found that the meat potions were leaving him wanting more.  So I would say that should be a consideration.  Remember when you choose a two person meal there are no leftovers!

Overall, being a blogger it's hard to stick to a pre-determined meal schedule.  Plus we blog about what we eat, so my blogging would mainly include their recipes instead of the ones I create or choose.  I think that a new cook would enjoy the ease and instructions.  I also think that you pay for the convenience of someone shopping for you. If you don't like to shop, it's perfect!  

Enjoy this most recent Hello Fresh recipe!    

Presto Pesto Panko Chicken with a Green Salad and Roasted Potatoes

12 oz Yukon potatoes
12 oz chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
1/2 cup panko
2 Tbls fresh pesto
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 oz arugula
1 lemon
5 Tbls olive oil
salt and pepper

Wash and dry all produce. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut potatoes into ½-inch cubes.

Toss potatoes on a baking sheet with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper.   In a small bowl, combine panko, mozzarella, a drizzle of olive oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper.

Place chicken breasts on the same baking sheet. Brush 2 TBSP pesto onto tops. Press crust mixture into pesto to adhere. Roast in oven until chicken is no longer pink in center, about 20-25 minutes, tossing the potatoes halfway through

Halve lemon. In a large bowl, toss together arugula, a squeeze of lemon, and a large drizzle of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Divide potatoes and chicken between plates. Serve with salad on the side.

source:  Hello Fresh food delivery subscription service