turkey pot pie

In the midst of 16 degree weather and post-Thanksgiving leftovers, I scrounged up the perfect dish: Turkey Pot Pie! It's rich and warm and comforting and is packed full of nourishing vegetables and lean protein. 

I made mine in mini casserole dishes which turned out to be perfect serving sizes. Forgive my lack of exact measurements but I made this one up as I went so I'll be estimating how much of everything went into it! 

What You'll Need:
for the crust:
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup shortening 
dash of salt 
3-5 tbsp ice water 
for the filling:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup turkey, diced
1/2 onion, diced
1 small potato, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 stalk celery, diced
2 tbsp flour
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup milk (plus more as needed)
salt and pepper 

What To Do:
Preheat oven to 350

In a food processor, combine four, shortening and salt. Pulse until the mixture forms a coarse crumbly texture. Then add 1 tbsp of water at a time, mixing just until it comes together. Form dough into a ball and refrigerate for at least thirty minutes. 

Heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent. Add turkey, potato, carrot and celery and stir well. Continue cooking for 8-10 minutes or until vegetables are softened, adding more oil as necessary. Sprinkle flour over and stir to coat. Slowly add in broth and milk, scraping the bottom of the pan. Allow mixture to come to a boil and thicken. 

Meanwhile, divide dough among four mini casserole dishes or roll out for your pie pan. Spray dish with cooking spray and press dough into shape. Fill each with turkey filling and top with more pie dough. 

Bake for about 20 minutes or until the filling is bubbly and the crust is browned. 

pie crust recipe adapted from here

Turkey, Pumpkin, and Black Bean Chili

With crisp cold weather blowing in, I crave warm, hearty meals like this chili! I love that this recipe lightens up traditional chili and is packed with important nutrients. So even though it might feel like a yummy fall splurge, it is quite healthy. I thought that pumpkin sounded like a weird addition, but it adds a wonderful depth of flavor and thickens the texture. Plus pumpkin adds Vitamin A, potassium and fiber! 

This is a pretty mild chili on the spicy scale but you can always kick your heat up with a little cayenne pepper.

I used ground turkey in my recipe but this would be fantastic with Thanksgiving leftovers! Just cube up that leftover turkey and you've got a great second (or third or fourth) meal. 

What You'll Need:
(serves 10)

2 tablespoons olive oil 

1 medium onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 15 oz cans of black beans, rinsed and drained

1 15 oz can solid-pack pumpkin

1 14.5 oz can  diced tomatoes, undrained

3 cups chicken broth

1 lb ground turkey 

2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes

3 teaspoons chili powder

1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon salt

Cubed avocado and sour cream or Greek yogurt for topping 

What To Do:

• In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and
• pepper; cook and stir until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute
• longer. Crumble in ground turkey, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and continue cooking until no longer pink. 
• Transfer to a 5-qt. slow cooker; stir in the remaining ingredients.
• Cook, covered, on low 4-5 hours. Serve warm with avocado and
• sour cream. 

• 
  

Recipe adapted from Taste of Home

Mini Turkey Bacon Meatloaf with Bacon Gravy

Meatloaf was one of those meals that my mom made maybe once a year, 

because my dad couldn't handle it more often than that. 

And that one time a year it was the typical beef in a loaf-pan, slathered in ketchup variety.

Well I got urge to attempt to make foods that don't sound appealing 

into a really delicious and appealing meal.

So when I found this recipe from Feeding My Temple,

I knew it was the perfect thing to pair with crispy roasted Brussels sprouts

The ground turkey cuts down on the heaviness of ground beef while still being completely filling and the muffin tin helps you control portion very simply!

But I wanted some added flavor

and have never been a fan of the ketchup topping

So we added bacon crumbles to the mixture and the top for added crunch and flavor. 

And then used the bacon drippings to make a pan gravy!

These guys almost resemble meatballs more than meatloaf and I think would also be complemented well with a marinara or vodka sauce. 

We served ours along with bacon gravy, creamy mashed potatoes and roasted Brussels sprouts... and it was a big hit. I couldn't even finish three little loaves. 

What You'll Need:

1 large egg

3/4 cup milk

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup quick cooking oats

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp all purpose seasoning

1 lb ground turkey

6 slices bacon

2 tbsp flour

3/4 to 1 1/2 cup milk 

What To Do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a muffin tin with non stick cooking spray.

Prepare bacon either in the oven or stovetop, until crispy. Reserve 2 tbsp of bacon drippings. Let cool on paper towels, then crumble 4 of the pieces. 

In a large bowl, combine egg, milk, cheese, oats, bacon crumbles and seasoning. Add the ground turkey, mixing well.

Fill each muffin cup with a large scoop of meat mixture, and top with remaining 2 pieces of bacon crumbled. 

Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat bacon drippings. Mix in flour, creating a roux. Cook for 1-2 minutes over medium heat. Gradually add in milk, mixing well, to desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Serve meatloaves immediately smothered with gravy!

Recipe adapted from Feeding My Temple