Ground Turkey Hash n' Fried Eggs

I bring you another great and satisfying weeknight meal. In this recipe I use ground turkey to make it lighter and healthier, but you can most definitely substitute the turkey with beef.
This is a great meal to experiment with using new or different spices, especially if you're planning on cleaning out your  spice pantry.

It's a great way to change the taste of the meal, while keeping it easy and fast to make.

Growing up my grandmother made a dish called Picadillo, which we have posted on the site in the past, that is a ground beef hash. This recipe reminds me of her. Although her recipe is completely different in seasonings and the beef is saucier, she would always accompany that hash with a fried egg.

I don't know what it is about the fried egg that adds a different touch to the meal; I think it adds a little fun too! You can leave the turkey mixture ready the night before so that when you get home from work all you need to do is saute everything up, eat and enjoy! It is ready in less than 20 minutes. I hope you enjoy this quick weeknight meal!

Serves 2 - 4

Today on Wednesdays with ErykaGround Turkey Hash n' Fried Eggs

1lb ground turkey
1 red bell pepper, chopped
4-5 fingerling potatoes, chopped
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
salt and pepper
fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 eggs

1. In a bowl, mix the ground turkey, bell pepper, potatoes, paprika, tumeric, ground coriander, salt and pepper and parsley.
2. In a nonstick pan, heat oil to about medium heat. Add the onion and cook until it is soft and fragrant. Add in the turkey mixture and spread around the pan; do not touch once it is spread out. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes.
3.  After 5 minutes, the underside should be crispy. Flip/stir to crisp the other side. Check to make sure turkey has been cooked through. Make two holes in the turkey to reveal the bottom of the pan to prepare to fry the eggs.
4. Crack eggs into the two holes created. Season eggs with salt and pepper. Cover for about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes to cook the egg. 
5. When the egg looks set in the middle it is ready to eat. Use a spatula to serve the turkey hash with the egg onto each plate. Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Turkey Meatball & Brown Rice Medley Soup

I am going on record by saying that I have never really liked soups with rice in it.  Until now that is.

I recently went to Trader Joe's to pick up a few things, but actually left with four bag fulls of groceries (tell me that happens to you too...  please!).

One of the items I picked up was Trader Joe's Brown Rice Medley. The medley consists of  long grain brown rice, black barley and daikon radish seeds. Here's a picture of the package ====>

Then the light-bulb in my head went off ... add it to the soup you are making tomorrow ... that light-bulb said. And I did, I didn't even hesitate, even knowing that I don't like rice in my soup and the soup turned out to be far more than delicious, it was extraordinary.

You see, I had made this soup before and yes, it was delicious but this addition took it to the next level.

The different rices and grains added that extra texture that this soup needed.

Now, I know not everyone has a Trader Joe nearby but you can make your own medley by adding a 1/4 cup of brown rice, 1/8 cup of wild or basmati rice, 1/8 cup of red quinoa and an 1/8 cup of white quinoa, barley or whatever other rice, seed or grain you may have. This is a great way to use up those small bits of rice or grain you have left that really won't amount to much if you cook it on its own.

Here's the best part, this recipe makes enough to freeze the leftovers (and it freezes well) for another day.  I love recipes like that ...

For the meatballs:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 shallots, finely chopped
• 1/2 bell pepper, finely chopped (use whatever color pepper you prefer or have on hand)
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 pound ground turkey 
• 1 egg beaten
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• Salt & pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven 375 degrees.
2. Heat a skillet over medium heat, add oil followed by shallots and green peppers.  Sprinkle lightly with salt to help release the juices.  Cook 5 minutes or until softened, add garlic, cook another minute. Set aside to cool.
3. Mix the remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Add in the cooked vegetables, mix well to incorporate.
4. Shape into 1" meatballs and place on foil or parchment lined lipped baking sheet.
5. Bake 15-20 minutes. Halfway through cooking time flip meatballs so that they brown on both sides.

For the soup:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4-6 medium carrots, peeled and sliced on the diagonal
• 1/2 head of green cabbage, cut into medium to large wedges
• 8oz frozen pearl onions
• 8 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 cup uncooked brown rice or Trader Joe's  
• Leftover Parmesan rind (optional)
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1 - 10oz package of frozen spinach, defrosted and squeeze out all the extra liquid over a bowl (throw that liquid into the soup). Keep spinach wrapped in paper towel in the fridge.

1. Heat a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add oil followed by the carrots and cabbage.  Cook until the cabbage is cooked down to half its volume and the carrots a just barely browned. 
2. Add pearl onions and cooked for 4 minutes. Lower heat if needed to avoid burning vegetables.
3. Transfer all the vegetables to the slow cooker.
4. Add the meatballs and the remaining ingredients, except for the spinach, to the slow cooker.
5. Set slow cooker to low for 8 hours.
6. Ten minutes before serving break up spinach and stir into soup to warm through.

Serve with your favorite thick and dense bread of choice.  Enjoy!

Recipe Notes: 

For the meatballs you can either set them aside to use immediately or let them cool to room temperature, bag in zip bag and store in fridge (no more than 3 days) or freeze until you are ready to make the soup.

You can skip steps 1 and 2 of the soup preparation and just dump the carrots, cabbage and onions into the cooker.  I prefer making it as described because I feel it adds a layer of depth of flavor to the vegetables and the soup.
Why the Parmesan rind?  Extra flavor and body to the soup. It's optional but if you have one throw it in.  Don't go out and buy a hunk of Parmesan just for this. And if you don't save the rinds (put 'em in the freezer in a zip bag) ... start doing so! Do you eat it? Some don't ... I do. It's the chef's treat, just for me.

Lentils with Turkey Kielbasa

Lentils and kielbasa are two things I completely enjoy, so for this recipe I am combining both! Lentils are very filling, hearty and comfort food to me. I enjoy making recipes with lentils or split pea because it makes all my senses happy and after a long day at work on my feet I want comfort food, plus leftovers! Lentils is great for a filling dinner paired with rice or keeping it lighter by eating it simply as a soup with your favorite bread. It makes plenty for dinner and then my favorite: leftovers! The Goya Azafran seasoning packet is completely optional. If it is not available in your grocery store you can omit it or add your own spices. If you do omit the packet make sure to add salt; I always add salt at the end of these kind of soups since I add the seasoning packet and it tends to be salty on its own. I hope you enjoy another one of my comfort go to foods!

Recipe

A Wednesdays with Eryka
Recipe

• 1lb turkey kielbasa, sliced into coins
• Olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 packet Goya Azafran seasoning
• 1-16 ounce bag lentils
• 1 cup white wine
• 5 cups water
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 sweet potato, chopped in chunks
• 3 russet potato, chopped in chunks
• salt and pepper, to taste

1. In a large stock pot, heat olive oil on medium heat and add the turkey kielbasa. Cook until slightly browned on both sides. Remove from pot.

2. In the same pot, add a little bit more olive oil plus the onion, pepper and garlic. Cook for about 4 minutes until fragrant and slightly soft. Add the kielbasa back into the pot with the vegetable mix. Stir together and cook for about 1 minute.

3. Add in the cumin, lentils and Azafran seasoning packet. Stir to combine all the ingredients for about 1 minute. Add in the liquids (the amount varies, just make sure it is about 2 inches above the lentils) and bay leaf. Stir it all together then bring to a boil. Simmer on low-medium heat for about 45 minutes.

4. In the last 15 minutes of cooking, bring soup back up to a boil and add the potatoes. Lower to simmer over low heat and in the mean time, if you are accompanying with rice, make it at this time.

5. Once 15 minutes have passed check to see if the potatoes are soft with a knife or fork. If it is then it is ready to eat. Add salt and pepper to taste if needed. Serve and enjoy!

Spicy Turkey Kielbasa Alfredo Pasta

Pasta, how I love thee. It is safe to say I'm a big pasta lover so I present to you another delicious pasta dish! This is a great dish for the weekend; it is also great for a get together since there is enough to go around. I do recommend to make this during the weekend rather than during the week because even though it is an easy recipe there are a lot of steps. Make it on a Sunday night to have left overs for 2 days! Now when a recipe calls for cheese I always believe more is... more! I like adding a lot more cheese than I ever read in recipes or even in my own recipes. The texture cheese leaves plus the taste you just can't go wrong. My boyfriend gave me the biggest compliment with this dish, the night I made it he told me this is a definite repeat recipe! It is important to cook the sauce in the same pan the kielbasa was cooked for depth of flavor. The pasta shape is up to you but I do recommend a pasta that has ridges such as penne, corkscrew or rotini so that the sauce and all that lovely cheese adheres to every bite. I hope you enjoy this recipe for it has become a new staple in my home!

Recipe:

A Wednesdays with Eryka Recipe

1lb Turkey Kielbasa, 1 inch slices
Olive oil
1 box corkscrew pasta
3 tablespoons butter
3 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tablespoon flour
1 cup chicken broth
2 cups half and half
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
2 cups Mozzarella cheese

1. In a sauté pan, heat olive oil to a medium heat then add the kielbasa. Cook until browned on both sides. Set aside once browned.

2. Cook pasta according to package directions.

3. While pasta is cooking, in the same sauté pan the kielbasa was in, melt the butter then the flour. Add the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes or until fragrant.

4. Wisk in chicken broth until smooth followed by the half and half one cup at a time. Add the salt, pepper, cayenne and red pepper flakes. Simmer until sauce is thickened.

5. Add the parmesan cheese with 1 cup of mozzarella into the sauce and stir until smooth.

6. Preheat broiler. Add the kielbasa into the sauce followed by the cooked pasta. Stir until combined. Pour pasta mixture into a 9x13 baking dish. Top with remaining mozzarella.

7. Broil until cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve and enjoy!

Weekly Recipe Round-Up December 30, 2013 - January 3, 2014

It's time for the Weekly Recipe Round-Up at the Fork Ran Away with the Spoon!
This was an odd week, with a break right smack in the middle for New Years, and then back to work for the rest of the week.  It really threw me off, I couldn't seem to get into the swing of things. The first official full week of the new year, will see me back to running 3 - 4 times a week (I miss my running) and lot more meal planning.  The holidays just ran right over me and at one point I just gave up on everything! It's time to get back on track.

This week's Recipe of the Week was Creamy Turkey & Spinach Stuffed Crepes.  It had the most shares and likes by our awesome followers and for that we Thank You!  Here's what was cooking in the kitchens of The Fork Ran Away with the Spoon this past week.

Featured on Monday:

Creamy Turkey & Spinach Stuffed Crepes

The ingredients for the stuffing, turkey, cream cheese greens, are fairly straightforward but when put together they create a creamy, luscious meal that your family will want often. The use of ground turkey really lightens up the crepes and keeps the meal feeling light. Pair it with a light salad, a glass of white wine and you have a well-rounded and satisfying meal.

Featured on Tuesday:

Top 7 Most Viewed, Liked and Shared Recipes of 2013

The Fork Ran Away with the Spoon's "Top 7 Most Viewed, Liked and Shared Recipes of 2013". Why seven? Simple it's my favorite number and let's face it everyone else will be doing top 10 or 13. Click to see which recipe got over 5,000 pageviews in one day!

Featured on Friday:

Monteria Cubana - Roast Pork in Cuban
Criollo Sauce

This classic Cuban recipe, Monteria, uses left over Cuban roast pork, and is cooked in onion, peppers, garlic, seasoned with oregano and cumin. It is then simmered with raisin, olives, capers and a tomato-y "vino seco" sauce. It's absolutely delicious and the aroma will having you wanting to dig in ASAP!

Creamy Turkey & Spinach Stuffed Crepes

The first time I made crepe was in November of  1987.  I can remember the date because I made 200 hundred chicken crepes for my own baby shower. Why did I decided to make my own food? Simple, I didn't really care for the alternative ... a catering company, of which there weren't that many decent affordable ones at the time.  I had an assembly line at my mom's house the night before the shower.  In attendance were my mom, my sister-in-law Sandra, my niece Aylin and of course ... me. We worked for several hours, talking, laughing, talking some more about ... what else, the baby.
It's an evening I will never forget and from then on crepes became a frequent meal at my home. That's how good those very first crepes were. Several years later, as the baby grew into a little girl, I use to make orange crepes for breakfast. To this day my daughter, Eryka, still remembers those breakfasts.
I use a basic crepe recipe for the crepe, which you can find at the end of the recipe.  The ingredients for the stuffing are fairly straightforward but when put together they create a creamy, luscious meal that your family will want often. The use of ground turkey really lightens up the crepes and keeps the meal feeling light. Pair it with a light salad, a glass of white wine and you have a well-rounded and satisfying meal.

Serves 4

1 lb ground turkey
2 tablespoons of butter
1 large frond of fresh dill,
2 large handfuls of spinach, kale, or whatever greens you have on hand.
1 tablespoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste
1/2 cup of room temperature cream cheese
1/4 of half & half
2-4 grates of fresh nutmeg
8 crepes (basic recipe below)

Weekly Recipe Round-Up Week of December 2 - 7

Another week closer to the holidays! Is it me or is December just flying by at break neck speed?  I've done absolutely no shopping and I am not quite sure how I am going to get it done. The next few weeks are just packed with things to do, and places to go!  This week we had some really great recipes starting with a yummy soup, to a delicious dessert and ending with a fabulous bacon-wrapped roasted and stuffed Pork Tenderloin.

This week's Recipe of the Week was featured on Wednesdays with Eryka,

Individual Apple Pie Stuffed Pastry Shells .  It had the most shares and likes by our awesome followers and for that we Thank You!  Here's what was cooking in the kitchens of The Fork Ran Away with the Spoon this past week.

Featured on Monday:

White Bean & Spanish Chorizo Soup

Perfect for the cooling temperatures we are all experiencing no. Great Northern White Beans! I am completely enamored of these dusty white little gems.  When cooked they are soft and creamy, and have a rich buttery flavor. The addition of the Spanish chorizo adds an extra depth of flavor.

Featured on Wednesdays with Eryka:

Individual Apple Pie Stuffed Pastry Shells 

These are the perfect individual serving sized dessert. Sweet and savory apples with warm cinnamon and sweet brown sugar melt together and offer up the perfect little dessert. Great for the holidays.

Featured on Friday: 

Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin Stuffed with Onion and Apricot

In my Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin Stuffed with Onion and Apricot the stuffing consists of apricots soaked in orange liqueur, caramelized onion that are cooked down in brown sugar, balsamic vinegar and orange liqueur and juice. Drooling yet? Then the pork tenderloin is wrapped in bacon and roasted off to tender perfection. I am pretty sure you are drooling now!

Weekly Recipe Round-Up November 18th-23rd

In less than a week most of us will be sitting down to a great Thanksgiving dinner with family and friends, and this year I am really behind on everything. I have a lot of catching up to do this coming week, just not sure how I am going to get it all done, but I will.
This week's Recipe of the Week was Slow Cooker Mustard & Beer-Braised Turkey Thighs, and it was our Friday featured recipe.  It had the most shares and likes by our awesome followers and for that we Thank You!  Here's what was cooking in the kitchens of The Fork Ran Away with the Spoon this past week.

Featured on Monday:

Brine, Brine, Brine That Turkey!

Since we are less than a week away from Thanksgiving, I thought I'd post my brine chart and my Turkey Brine Solution with a Hispanic Twist so you can start planning ahead, and brine, brine, brine that turkey!

Featured on Wednesdays with Eryka:

Easy Chicken & Vegetable Lo Mein

Why order take-out, when in the time it takes to deliver, you can be eating this delicious, easy, Weeknight Chicken and Vegetable Lo Mein. Its the perfect weeknight meal!

Featured on Friday:

Slow Cooker Mustard &
Beer-Braised Turkey Thighs

In  this recipe I use juicy, tender turkey thighs, that are smothered in mustard, then braised in beer with fresh thyme and caramelized onions. And what you get is the nothing short of spectacular, deep flavor. Even people who say they don't like turkey, like this turkey. It's simply that good. Adapts to slow cooker or stove top cooking, easy to make and budget friendly.

Slow Cooker Mustard and Beer-Braised Turkey Thighs

I know what you're thinking ... another turkey recipe during Thanksgiving. But this turkey recipe is as far from being your standard Thanksgiving Day turkey.  In this recipe I use juicy, tender turkey thighs, that are smothered in mustard, then braised
in beer with fresh thyme and caramelized onions. And what you get is the nothing short of spectacular, deep flavor.  Even people who say they don't like turkey, like this turkey. It's simply that good. And, if that isn't enough, the cost to make this entire meal for 4 is under $5. I get turkey thighs at BJ's Wholesale, and they are roughly under $4 for about 2 pounds, which is 2 thighs. When I originally made this recipe I started with plain old yellow mustard and a bottle of Heineken, because it's what I had on hand. Each time I've made it since, I use a different mustard and change-up the beer. I've used all types of mustards, from champagne mustard to cardamon mustard, and I've had fun changing up the beers, from pale lagers to rich, deep dark stouts, each one adding its own unique flavor profile to the overall recipe.  I hope you get around to trying this recipe because I know you'll have fun changing it up each time you make it.

2 Turkey thighs, (1 lbs., ea.) skins removed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon light butter
2 large onions, sliced in half moons
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard or yellow mustard +  2 extra to cover turkey sides
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons flour
1 bottle beer
Salt & pepper

Turkey, Quinoa & Goat Cheese Stuffed Peppers

A Two for Tuesday Recipe 

I haven't made stuffed pepper in ages, but last week I was inspired by a recipe post on stuffed peppers and tomatoes by the wonderful folks at +Little CookingTips. I was inspired to revive and update an old recipe I developed a few years back. I use to make this recipe with ground beef, orzo and mozzarella, now I've switched over to ground turkey, quinoa and goat cheese.

The turkey lightens the heaviness that can come from beef, but because of the seasonings, it packs one heck of a flavor punch. The sauteed onions and sun-dried tomatoes added to the turkey, deepen and enhance the flavor, as well as, adding moisture. The soft creaminess of the goat cheese compliment the turkey and the simple, yet rich, tomato-based sauce the stuffed peppers are cooked in. The Hub, who is my culinary gauge as to whether a recipe is a success or not, had seconds and happily took the leftovers to have at lunch the next day. All in all, I can confidently say this revision was a smash hit. I hope you enjoy it too!

Serves 4 - 6

1 pound ground turkey*
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or to taste)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 cup water
1 cup cooked quinoa*
pepper to taste