Turkey Tetrazzini and Garlic Carrots

This recipe is an excellent way to use leftover turkey or chicken. After making a couple turkey sandwiches I still had leftover thanksgiving turkey so this recipe was perfect and my turkey didn't have to go to waste. I found this recipe on the Cooking Light website and I made it my own by using Trader Joe's Whole Wheat Rotini pasta. This recipe will make enough for 2 casseroles and included directions for freezing them if you would like. The garlic carrots were a fantastic fresh side dish! Easy to make and adds beautiful color to your dinner plate!

Turkey Tetrazzini Recipe:

1 tablespoon butter

Cooking Spray

1 cup finely chopped onion

2/3 cup finely chopped celery

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¾ teaspoon salt

3 (8 ounce) packages presliced mushrooms

½ cup sherry

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

3 (14.5 ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

2 ¼ cups (9 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided

½ cup (4 ounces) 1/3 less fat cream cheese

7 cups hot cooked vermicelli (about 1 pound uncooked pasta)

4 cups chopped cooked turkey (about 1 ½ pounds)

1 (1 ounce) slice white bread

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Melt butter in large stockpot coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, pepper, salt and mushrooms; saute 4 minutes or until mushrooms are tender. Add sherry, cook 1 minute.
3. Lightly spoon flour into a measuring cup; level with a knife. Gradually add flour to pan, cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly (mixture will be thick) with a whisk. Gradually add broth, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.
4. Add 1 ¾ cups Parmesan cheese and cream cheese, stirring with a whisk until cream cheese melts. Add the pasta and turkey, and stir until blended. Divide the pasta mixture between 2 (8 inch square) baking dishes coated with cooking spray.
5. Place bread in food processor; pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs form. Combine breadcrumbs and ½ cup Parmesan cheese; sprinkle evenly over pasta mixture.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove casserole from oven; let stand 15 minutes.

If you would like to freeze this casserole:

1. To freeze unbaked casserole: prepare through Step 5. Cool completely in refrigerator. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing to remove as much air as possible. Wrap with heavy-duty foil. Store in freezer for up to 2 months.
2. To prepare frozen unbaked casserole: Thaw casserole complete in refrigerator (about 24 hours). Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove foil; reserve foil. Remove plastic wrap; discard wrap. Cover casserole with reserved foil; bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake at additional 1 hour or until golden and bubble. Let stand 15 minutes.

A couple notes:

This recipe will provide 2 casseroles. I only used half of the pasta the recipe calls for because I didn't feel a whole pound of pasta was necessary.

I used a 10 ounce package of mushrooms instead of 3 (8 ounce) packages. I reduced the amount of mushrooms because I reduced the amount of pasta in the recipe.

I substituted vegetable broth for chicken broth.

I also added slightly less cream cheese and Parmesan cheese because of the reduction in other ingredients.

Garlic Carrot Recipe:

1 pound baby carrots

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil

¼ cup hot water

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon dried thyme

dash pepper

1. In a skillet, saute carrots and garlic in oil for 5 minutes. Add water, salt, thyme and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 8-12 minutes or until carrots are tender.

A couple notes:

I prefer to use whole carrots opposed to baby carrots. I find their flavor to much sweeter and fresh!

If you prefer your carrots to be slightly crunchy, be sure to remove from heat after about 7-8 minutes.

Enjoy!

Thanksgiving Dinner

This year was the first year I was really involved with cooking Thanksgiving dinner. I searched for delicious healthy recipes that the whole family could enjoy. We were lucky to have gorgeous weather this year. 72 degrees outside provided the perfect environment to grill our Thanksgiving turkey. My dad and I grilled a turkey a couple of weeks ago as a test run for the big day. You can read about our method in my post titled “Grilled Turkey”. We used the same process except we used fresh herbs instead of dried. Paired with my homemade cranberry sauce it was spectacular! Our side dishes included Green Bean Casserole, Sweet Potato Casserole, Sage Stuffing and homemade Cranberry Sauce. Recipes for each dish are posted here on my blog.

 

I paired this years Thanksgiving dinner with a bottle of Tablas Creek Vineyard 2006 Espirit De Beaucastel. The wine is based on the dark red fruit, earth, spice and mid-palate richness of Mourvedre, with additions of Grenache for forward fruit, approachability and lushness, Syrah for mineral, aromatics, and back-palate tannins, and Counoise for brambly spice and acidity. I purchased this wine from their winery in Paso Robles almost a year ago during a wine tasting trip. This is without a doubt one of the best wineries in the Paso Robles region!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Grilled Turkey

This was my dad's idea. He wanted to grill a turkey as a test run for Thanksgiving dinner. I didn't even know that it was possible to grill a whole turkey! I am a huge fan of barbequing but the thought never crossed my mind to barbeque a Thanksgiving turkey.

The turkey has been in the refrigerator for 3 days thawing so today was the day to grill! After we trimmed and cleaned it was time to add the seasonings. I kept it pretty simple. Inside the turkey cavity I used 3 sliced lemons, Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano, Sage and Salt & Pepper. I would have loved to use fresh herbs but in a pinch dried herbs worked very well. I used a generous amount of each in order to really bring out a delicious flavor.

I seasoned the outside of the turkey with Susie Q Original Santa Maria Valley Style Seasoning. This seasoning is incredible! I discovered it while I was living in San Luis Obispo and I've kept it in my cupboard ever since. It is a uniquely versatile blend of California garlic, premium salt and cracked black pepper with a whisper of parsley freshness. I've used this seasoning on almost everything and it has added amazing flavor every single time. Meat, seafood and vegetables this is by far my favorite seasoning!

My dad wanted to use the charcoal barbeque with indirect heat to really cook in as much flavor as possible. When the coals were ready we put the turkey on the grill! We added mesquite wood chips to add even more flavor. We rotated the turkey every 30 minutes. When the meat thermometer reached 165 degrees the turkey was ready! We took it off the grill and let it sit for 15 minutes. Next, it was time to carve and serve!

This grilled turkey was juicy and delicious! Weather-permitting, we will be barbequing our Thanksgiving turkey without a doubt. Every ingredient and element of this grilling adventure worked perfectly! The lemons and herbs added great flavor and the barbeque added a light smokey flavor to the skin. The meat, both white and dark, was beyond juicy. I highly recommend this cooking technique! 

Enjoy!