Spicy Chipotle Turkey Burgers

Spicy Chipotle Turkey Burgers

A tasty and healthy alternative to the traditional beef burger! Definitely the best turkey burger recipe we’ve tried yet. The peppers, cilantro and onions truly add a unique flavour. Juicy and flavourful, with half the calories and a fraction of the fat.





INGREDIENTS

Yield: 2-3 burgers



1 lb (450gm) ground turkey (Best patty size: 200g-225g or 150g -Small)

1/2 cup finely chopped red onion

For the full list of ingredients please click this link  Spicy Chipotle Turkey Burgers




Directions

1. Chop red onion, cilantro and chilli peppers (separately) and place on a plate or in small bowls. 
2. 
   
3. Place ground turkey in a large bowl.
4. 
   
5. add onions, cilantro, garlic powder, onion powder, seasoning salt and black pepper, a little at a time, mixing it all together (mix well).
6. 
   
7. For thick and juicy burgers make your patties 7 oz (200 gm). For thinner smaller burgers make your patties 5.3 oz (150 gm).
8. 
   
9. TIP: Keep a small bowl of water beside you to keep your hands wet, to prevent the meat from sticking to them. 
10. 
    
11. Preheat an outdoor grill to medium-high heat, and lightly oil grill. 
12. 
    
13. Cook the burgers until the turkey is no longer pink in the center, approx 5-10 minutes per side, depending on grill. 
14. 
    
15. If you’d like to kick it up a notch, add some cheese slices to it. Mozzarella and spicy Havarti slices are great choices.
16. 
    
17. Add the cheese two minutes before burgers are ready. 
18. 
    
19. Toast buns on the grill at same time you add the cheese.
20. 
    

Garnish with your favourite toppings. I dress these the same way I would a beef burger.

Enjoy!

Sausage Rolls

Turkey Sausage Rolls

These are one of our most favourite appetizers I make at our house. I came up with this idea as a way to have a snack that tastes like it is really bad for you (read: yummy) but is actually not too high in calories. The trick to is is make the pastry really thin, because that is where the majority of the calories lie. These sausage rolls are so easy to make and so delicious that you'll never want the store-bought frozen variety again!



INGREDIENTS

1 package frozen Puff pastry (2 blocks per package)

450g Ground turkey

For the full list of ingredients please click the link Turkey Sausage Rolls


Yields: approx 72 appetizer size sausage rolls


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F
2. Line baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
3. Remove sausage meat from their casings into a large bowl.
4. Add ground turkey to bowl.
5. Slowly add garlic, bread crumbs and Italian seasoning, mix it well by hand.
6. Note: It is extremely important to mix thoroughly!
7. Set aside and cover.
8. Roll out puff pastry blocks, I roll them really thin as to cut back on the pastry per sausage roll.
9. Cut pastry into approx 3”X12” strips. I get about 3 strips of 3”X14” per pastry block. 
10. Roll sausage filling into 1” round tubes, and the same length as the pastry.
11. Place onto pastry strips and roll into sausage rolls.
12. Cut to desired lengths.
13. Place on parchment lined cookie sheet.
14. In small bowl, whisk egg with 1 tbsp (15 mL) water; brush over rolls. (egg wash)
15. Place in oven and bake in 400°F (205°C) oven until puffed and golden, approx 20-22 minutes.

Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken Pot Pie

This is a yummy Chicken pot pie the whole family will love.


Makes about 3 9-inch pie


INGREDIENTS
2 lbs skinless, boneless chicken breast.
2 cup sliced carrots
2 cup frozen green peas
1 cup sliced celery
2/3 cup butter
2/3 cup chopped onion
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 1/3 cup milk
1 tsp Italian seasoning
3 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C.)
2. Cut chicken in to cubed.
3. In a saucepan, combine chicken, carrots, peas, and celery.
4. Add water to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside.
5. In the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent.
6. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk.
7. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick.
8. Remove from heat and set aside.
9. Place the chicken mixture in bottom pie crust. Pour hot liquid mixture over.
10. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough.
11. Make small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
12. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly.
13. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoys

Find more recipes at KieRee.com 

How to track leftovers in your fridge

How to track your leftovers in your fridge?

I’ve been doing my whole weeks cooking (M to F) on Sundays and keeping it in my tupperware containers for about 11 years now.

Besides stacking neatly in the fridge and cleaning up quickly, I love that they are clear, so I can see what’s in them.

Sometimes I cook various foods that looks similar to others, and my wife or kids may not be sure whats in it, or if it is spicy. My wife and I are the only ones that like really spice foods in our house, so it sometimes causes confusion.

Over the years, I’ve thought of labeling the containers, but couldn’t come up with an easy way. I didn’t enjoy peeling off sticky label residue each week.

Then one day I was talking to my wife about how I need to start labeling or writing on the containers as we were packing up the Sunday's cooking into containers. My youngest must of overheard us because she came to us in the kitchen and said why don’t you write on it with this? and what did she have in here hand?

A DRY ERASE CRAYON!!!!!!

My wife bought them for the kids' "responsibility chart", but who knew to try them on the containers? Well, my little girl did!

They do not smudge off, but also clean easily. We rubbed the letters several times and they didn’t fade at all.

The best part is they are easy to clean! Just used a kleenix, and it took it right off.

Cleaning up without a trace of the label!

The crayons come in different colours, so lids of all colours (including clear) can be labeled. I tested it on a Ziplock bag and it worked, too! Dry erase markers work well too.

My tupperware have clear lids, so I used the black crayon and it showed up perfectly.

The crayons work best on lids at room temperature. I found that they didn’t write as smoothly or as dark on lids that came right out of the fridge.

Now, everyone in the family can easily read what the food is in the container and whether it is spicy or not too.

This has also eliminated consideraable waste because I started putting the dates on them too. I don’t throw food away as much as I used to.

We label every leftover container this way even if it’s not holding Sunday's cooked meals. It helps me keep track of miscellaneous things in the fridge as well.

We hope this helps you keep track of your leftovers as well as it has helped us.

Ideas for using leftovers

Ideas for using leftovers

Tired of eating the same meal twice? Get creative with these tips to transform leftovers into a whole new meal.

Salmon: 

• Add salmon to a salad or sandwich for a quick lunch. 
• Add chunks of salmon to homemade macaroni and cheese. 
• Mash to make salmon cakes. 

Roast chicken: 

• Shred chicken for quick quesadillas. 
• Make your own chicken noodle soup with whole grain noodles, lower-sodium broth, and frozen peas and carrots. 
• Add chicken to a wholesome white bean chili. 
• Make a chicken pot pie. 

Chili: 

• Stuff peppers with chilli and bake. 
• Use as a topping for baked sweet potatoes. 
• Toss with whole grain pasta for a super speedy meal. 
• Pork tenderloin: 
• Use in tacos or grilled sandwiches. 
• Cook with lower sodium tomato sauce and frozen vegetables and serve over rice. 

Cooked vegetables: 

• Whip up leftover vegetables in an omelette. 
• Add to a pasta dish. 
• Top a whole-grain pizza. 

Chickpeas: 

• Stuff a whole wheat pita pocket. 
• Serve over baby spinach. 
• Mix with whole grain couscous. 

Cooked brown rice: 

• Make a quick stir-fry with frozen vegetables. 
• Add to soups and stews. 
• Toss together a rice and lentil salad. 

Stir-fry: 

• Roll up leftover stir-fry in a whole wheat wrap. 
• Add stir-fry vegetables and tofu to soup. 

For more great ideas go to KieRee.com

Save time in the kitchen

Easy tips to save time in the kitchen

Follow these simple tips to help save time preparing and cooking meals:

1. Chop extra fruit and vegetables when preparing meals so you have extra for lunches, snacks, and meals the next day.
2. Buy pre-cut vegetables such as broccoli, squash, and mushrooms.
3. Choose lower-sodium convenience foods to help speed up prep time. Try canned or bottled tomato-based pasta sauces, frozen or canned vegetables and fruit, canned tuna or salmon, and canned beans or lentils.
4. Cook on the weekend. Make-then freeze-meals for the upcoming week like soups, stews, casseroles, pasta dishes, and chili. These will come in handy on busy weeknights.
5. Cook twice the chicken or ground beef you need and keep extras in the fridge to make chicken salad, enchiladas, chili, or spaghetti sauce the next day.
6. Ask the kids to help. By involving children in preparing food, they'll appreciate meals more and learn important life skills. Depending on their age, kids can wash and peel vegetables, tear up lettuce, mash potatoes, wash and cut fruit, drain and rinse canned beans or lentils, and stir a pot.
7. Invest in time-saving appliances.A slow cooker is a great way to come home to a warm meal. A hand blender can help you make quick and easy soups, sauces, and smoothies. Use a mini-chopper to dice up garlic and onions.

For more great ideas go to KieRee.com 

Cooking with your kids.

Did you know?

Cooking with kids is a great way to connect and spend quality time together as a family while teaching little ones important healthy eating habits. Try making your recipe with your little chef!

National Food Day April

National Food Day April

Here is a list of some of the days people celebrate certain foods on in April.

Did you know that there’s an abundance of food celebration days here in North America?

April

National Fresh Celery Month

National Pecan Month

National Soft Pretzel Month

National Soy Month.

1st Wednesday of April: National Whole Grain Day.

• April 12-18: National Egg Salad Week.
• April 1: National Sourdough Bread Day
• April 2: National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day
• April 3: National Chocolate Mousse Day
• April 4: National Cordon Bleu Day
• April 5: National Raisin & Spice Bar Day
• April 6: National Caramel Popcorn Day
• April 7: National Coffee Cake Day
• April 8: National Empanada Day
• April 9: National Chinese Almond Cookie Day
• April 10: National Cinnamon Crescent Day
• April 11: National Cheese Fondue Day
• April 12: National Licorice Day
• April 13: National Peach Cobbler Day
• April 14: National Pecan Day
• April 14: National Hot Cross Bun Day
• April 15: National Glazed Ham Day
• April 16: National Eggs Benedict Day
• April 16: National Baked Ham with Pineapple Day
• April 17: National Cheeseball Day
• April 18: National Animal Crackers Day
• April 20: National Pineapple Upside-down Cake Day
• April 21: National Chocolate-Covered Cashews Day
• April 22: National Jelly Bean Day 
• April 23: National Cherry Cheesecake Day
• April 24: National Pigs-in-a-Blanket Day
• April 25: National Zucchini Bread Day
• April 26: National Pretzel Day
• April 27: National Prime Rib Day
• April 28: National Blueberry Pie Day
• April 29: National Shrimp Scampi Day
• April 30: National Oatmeal Cookie Day

See the full year at KieRee.com