I had to make something up in a hurry to add a little protein, fiber, and vitamins to some leftover spaghetti noodles and rice. I usually have frozen turkey burgers on hand for just such emergencies; they're lean, easy to cook, and taste just fine since I'm not one to be hard-core about my burger meats.
I intended to just whip this up under cover of darkness, so to speak, but Mom came downstairs and wanted to know who was cooking Indian food. Truthfully, nobody was, but it did kind of smell like it. She stole a spoonful of it out of one of my Tupperwares and insisted that I write it down for her, which was flattering but also awkward since it meant I actually had to remember what I'd put in it.
I suppose this is a form of hash, since everything is chopped up and mixed together. Apparently I like hash a whole lot, because chopping stuff up and mixing it over heat is a form of cooking that I use on a regular basis. It's a good way to get some mileage out of something when you don't actually have a full serving of it on hand.
1 medium carrot, peeled and coarsely grated (30 calories)
1/2 medium white onion, chopped (15 calories)
1 large rib of celery, quartered lengthwise and chopped (10 calories) (I just used my leftover celery leaves and bits)
1/3 pound lean ground turkey, crumbled (160 calories)
seasonings: Fennel seeds, basil, sage, black pepper, a little salt
Cooking spray or olive oil (40 calories for 1 teaspoon of oil)
Spray a little PAM, or use a very small amount of oil in your frying pan to get things started. Put the carrots and onions in, stir them around, and cover them with a snug-fitting lid so they steam a little. Check them and stir periodically for a few minutes. Add the celery and keep steaming and stirring.
Add the seasonings. You can crush the fennel seeds a bit if you like. I used five or six, I think, a pinch of sage, and several good shakes of basil and pepper. Only a quick shake of salt; you don't need much. I was actually going for a sausage-type flavor but the carrot took us on a detour into sweet-and-exotic land.
Add the turkey burger and cook, stirring to break it up. When the turkey is cooked and everything is a little brown, it's done. I mixed some of mine in with leftover spaghetti--which I'm sure will technically taste vile, but I'm not a picky eater--for lunch, and the rest with leftover rice, to be reheated for breakfast tomorrow morning.
Total calories: 255
1/31/2011: I borrowed a curry cookbook from a friend and it includes a recipe for a carrot dish that also involves rice and cashews. The seasonings are more exotic, but it's pretty similar. Now I'm totally encouraged! I need to try this again.
I intended to just whip this up under cover of darkness, so to speak, but Mom came downstairs and wanted to know who was cooking Indian food. Truthfully, nobody was, but it did kind of smell like it. She stole a spoonful of it out of one of my Tupperwares and insisted that I write it down for her, which was flattering but also awkward since it meant I actually had to remember what I'd put in it.
I suppose this is a form of hash, since everything is chopped up and mixed together. Apparently I like hash a whole lot, because chopping stuff up and mixing it over heat is a form of cooking that I use on a regular basis. It's a good way to get some mileage out of something when you don't actually have a full serving of it on hand.
1 medium carrot, peeled and coarsely grated (30 calories)
1/2 medium white onion, chopped (15 calories)
1 large rib of celery, quartered lengthwise and chopped (10 calories) (I just used my leftover celery leaves and bits)
1/3 pound lean ground turkey, crumbled (160 calories)
seasonings: Fennel seeds, basil, sage, black pepper, a little salt
Cooking spray or olive oil (40 calories for 1 teaspoon of oil)
Spray a little PAM, or use a very small amount of oil in your frying pan to get things started. Put the carrots and onions in, stir them around, and cover them with a snug-fitting lid so they steam a little. Check them and stir periodically for a few minutes. Add the celery and keep steaming and stirring.
Add the seasonings. You can crush the fennel seeds a bit if you like. I used five or six, I think, a pinch of sage, and several good shakes of basil and pepper. Only a quick shake of salt; you don't need much. I was actually going for a sausage-type flavor but the carrot took us on a detour into sweet-and-exotic land.
Add the turkey burger and cook, stirring to break it up. When the turkey is cooked and everything is a little brown, it's done. I mixed some of mine in with leftover spaghetti--which I'm sure will technically taste vile, but I'm not a picky eater--for lunch, and the rest with leftover rice, to be reheated for breakfast tomorrow morning.
Total calories: 255
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1/31/2011: I borrowed a curry cookbook from a friend and it includes a recipe for a carrot dish that also involves rice and cashews. The seasonings are more exotic, but it's pretty similar. Now I'm totally encouraged! I need to try this again.
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