Thanksgiving Burgers

A lot of people in my blog circles have been posting about such burgers recently, but I swear that I was thinking about doing this before I saw these other recipes. I had an unusual abundance of dried cranberries and fresh sage for some reason, and all I can think of when I think of those 2 ingredients is Thanksgiving.

The one ingredient I was hesitant to use was the store-bought gravy. As far as I'm concerned, its sacrilegious. Its faux gravy. But it did smell and taste like real gravy. Not my gravy, but like gravy. I would never use it on real turkey meat as gravy should be used, but I'd recommend it for adding flavor when flavor is needed.

This burger is different. Its definitely not your typical "summer BBQ" burger. It is savory, juicy, and everything else a burger should be. Its the new and updated Thanksgiving sandwich. Its the new "IT" burger. I've decided.


1 tsp olive oil
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1 egg white
1/4 cup Heinz Fat-Free Turkey gravy
1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs*
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup dried cranberries**
1 tsp dried thyme
2 Tbsp fresh sage, finely chopped and loosely packed
1 tsp onion powder
20 ounces lean ground turkey

*To make a core, recipe substitute with ground oatmeal.
** Dried cranberries are not a Core item, but once mixed through all the meat, the amount of cranberries per serving is negligible.

Heat oil in a small saute pan. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.

Mix all ingredients including the sauteed onions (except the ground turkey) in a large bowl until well blended. Add the meat and fold in with a wooden spoon until blended. Be careful to not overmix the meat or else you will end up with tough burgers.

Form into 6 patties. Grill or broil until coked through.

Serve on wheat bun with a drizzle of turkey gravy and 2 tablespoons of cranberry sauce (jellied, homemade, whatever!)

Yields 6 burgers.

WW info:
core - included
flex - 3 point each (not including bun or cranberry sauce)

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Confession: I thought I hated stuffed peppers and I had never even tried them. But I was inspired by a recent online posting of peppers stuffed with quinoa. Coincidentally I had a bag of this ancient grain in my pantry that I had purchased, but never used. The only reason I had bought it was because I found out it was legal WW core food. But I had no idea how to incorporate it into my cooking. This recipe is fantastic. The flavor really comes from the meat, which is AWESOME.

1/2 cup quinoa
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup reduced sodium, fat-free chicken broth
4 bell peppers (any color)
2 cups Sloppy Joe mixture
1 cup fat-free shredded cheddar cheese
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Mix quinoa, water, and broth in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Once mixture comes to a boil, turn down to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes (until all liquid is absorbed). Remove from heat and cover to keep moist.

Cut tops of peppers and remove seeds and ribs. (When choosing peppers, be sure to pick peppers that have 3-4 bumps on the bottom to help them stand up). Place hollowed peppers on foil-covered baking sheet. Place 2 heaping spoonfuls of quinoa in the bottom of each pepper. Then place about 2 spoonfuls of sloppy joe mixture in each pepper. Add another layer of quinoa and sloppy joe to each pepper for a total of 4 layers each. Bake for 15 minutes.

Remove peppers from the oven and sprinkle cheese on top of each pepper and spray tops lightly with cooking spray. Return sheet to oven and bake until cheese is melted.

Yields 4 servings.

WW info:
core-included
flex-5.5 points

Thanksgiving Leftovers: Shepard's Pie

Attractive, no? Tasty? YES!

This dinner officially marks the end of Thanksgiving 2007. All the leftover turkey went in here (except for a little breast meat for my salad tomorrow). It was pretty tasty. Not so much attractive, but tasty.

1/2 cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 1/4 cup leftover turkey breast, chopped
1 cup reduced sodium, fat free chicken broth
1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
1 tsp fresh sage, chopped
1 1/2 cups leftover mashed potatoes
1 cup leftover green beans

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Add carrots, onion, celery, turkey and broth to a suace pan. Stir in herbs and bring to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer for 10 minutes, allowing the liquid to reduce. Remove from heat.

Spread half the mashed potatoes at the bottom of a 2 quart casserole dish. Reserve 1/4 cup broth from turkey mixture. Add turkey mixture to casserole dish over potatoes. Layer green beans over turkey mixture. Layer remaining potatoes over green beans, smoothing the top out with the back of a spoon. Pout reserved broth over top layer of potatoes.

Bake for 15 minutes.

Yields 2-3 servings.

WW info:
core-included (if potatoes are made with core ingredients)
flex- 5 points

Thanksgiving Leftovers: The Wrap

Today's leftovers: the wrap.

Stuffing, turkey and cranberry sauce in a whole wheat wrap. And some leftover green beans on the side.

Thanksgiving Turkey

My first turkey! I swear, my mom was tearing up. To quote her: She didn't pass the torch...I stole it.

1 hen turkey (12-14) pounds
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh sage
1 packet of Good Seasons Italian dressing mix
2 Tbsp light olive oil
1 Tbsp cider vinegar
1 cup turkey or chicken stock
1 onion
4 cloves garlic

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove neck and giblets from inside turkey. Rinse turkey with cold water and pat dry. Finely chop the leaves off one sprig of each fresh herb. Place chopped herbs in a small bowl and add Good Seasons mix, olive oil, and vinegar. Blend into a paste. Massage paste onto turkey, making sure to get it into all cervices. Slice onion in half and palce inside the turkey cavity with garlic cloves and remaining sprigs of herbs. Tie legs together with kitchen twine. Place turkey, breast side down, in a roasting pan. Pour broth in the bottom of the pan. Roast for one hour. After one hour, turn the oven down to 325 degrees and rotate turkey to turn the breast side up. Place back in the oven and baste every 20 minutes. Yield 10-12 servings.

Sloppy Joe

This is actually a Weight Watchers recipe that someone had emailed me a looong time ago....way before I even considered Weight Watchers. Its way better than Crapwich, I mean Manwich.

2 tsp olive oil
1 small onion(s), chopped
2 medium celery, stalks, chopped
1 medium bell pepper(s), chopped
1 pound lean ground beef or turkey
1 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
20 oz canned crushed tomatoes in tomato puree
1/4 cup ketchup
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
8 light hamburger roll(s)

Heat oil in a large nonstick saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery and bell pepper and sauté until tender, 3 minutes. Add turkey and sauté until browned, breaking up the meat as it cooks, 5 minutes. Add chili powder, basil, salt, black pepper and cayenne; stir to coat. Add crushed tomatoes, ketchup and mustard; mix well.

Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat, partially cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes.

Stir in corn and simmer 2 minutes to heat through. Spoon mixture onto rolls and serve hot.

Yields 8 servings.

WW info:
flex: 4 points per serving
core: 1 point (for the bun)

Meatloaf

I will fight you for the end piece of the meatloaf. It's my favorite part!

OK...this was a magical rising meatloaf. Seriously though...it rose (and stayed risen) like a loaf of bread (see picture below). That's never happened to me before. Perhaps it knew that it would be photographed and wanted to look its best....

non stick cooking spray
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 small onion. diced
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup egg substitute (or one egg)
1/2 cup ketchup, divided
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup fat-free, reduced sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup homemade breadcrumbs (or ground oatmeal if following core)
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried basil
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
20 oz 93% lean ground beef
20 oz 93% lean ground turkey

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a skillet generously with non-stick cooking spray and add oil. Heat over medium heat and add onions and garlic. Cover and let onions sweat and cook until translucent (about 7-10 minutes).

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine egg, broth, 1/4 cup ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, breadcrumbs, seasonings, and about until 3/4 of the sauteed onions and garlic (reserve about 1/4 of the onions and garlic for later). Separate the ground turkey into 4 equal portions, and do the same for the beef. Add 1 portion of each to the bowl at a time. Be careful to combine the meats well (to avoid a whole bite of beef or a whole bite or turkey later on) but at the same time be careful not to overknead the meat (which will result in a tough loaf).

Spray a loaf pan with non stick cooking spray and fill pan with meat, making sure it is spread evenly. Spread remaining ketchup across the top and sprinkle remaining sauteed onions and garlic over the ketchup.

Place in the center of the oven and bake for 75 minutes.

**Note: As my loaf cooked and shrunk away from the edges of the pan, I noticed ALOT of fat and grease accumulating at the bottom the loaf pan. At about the 40, 60 and 75 minute marks, I siphoned out as much grease and fat as possible with a turkey baster. This did not lend to any dryness or adversely affect the meatloaf at all. Who needs all that grease anyway? Although, I'm sure with some beef broth, ketchup, and cornstarch it might make a decent gravy.

Yields 8 servings.

WW info:
flex:4 points per serving.
core: included

Turkey Burgers and Sweet Potato Chips

I love turkey burgers. And the best ones are homemade. And in my opinion (and a few other that have also told me so), I make the best turkey burger out there. The secret? Add enough stuff to the meat until it just doesn't smell like meat. Ha. I usually have at least a half dozen or so in the freezer ready to go when I just don't feel like cooking.

And my sweet potato chips.... I'm finally learning to eat hot orange food. I know that sounds wierd, but I've never been able to stomach things like pumpkin related items, anything sweet potato, cooked carrots, etc. But a coworker ordered some sweet potato fries from a take out place that we frequent, dn you know what? They weren't so bad. So I decided to try it out. I made chips, instead of fries, but its all the same in the end.

The Best Turkey Burger
1 egg white or 1/4 cup egg substitute
1/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs*
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp Teriyaki sauce
2 Tbsp fresh parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced
20 ounces 93% lean ground turkey

*If you want to keep the burgers "core", then sub the breadcrumbs for oatmeal and add a dash of a few seasonings like onion powder and dried parsley.

Mix first 6 ingredients in a bowl until well blended. Mix ground meat into egg mixture, just until mixed being careful not to overmix (or else you'll wind up with tough burgers).

Shape into 6 patties. Grill or freeze promptly.

WW info: 3 points per burger (does not include bun)

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Sweet Potato Chips
1 large sweet potato
olive oil non stick cooking spray
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp dried rosemary

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Peel potato and slice thin (a mandolin is recommended). Toss in a bowl with seasonings and a few sprays of cooking spray. Lay flat on a baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes. Flip chips and continue to bake until crispy (about 10 minutes). Length of time for baking will vary depending on how thin your potato is sliced.

Yields 2 servings.

WW info:
1 point per serving (based on 4 oz of potato)

Turkey Meatballs & Sauce

I like to make meatball subs with these. Use a light multi-grain hamburger bun to keep it light. Also great over pasta. (Obviously! They are meatballs!)

Sauce
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 (6 oz) can of tomato paste
1/3 cup fat-free, low sodium chicken broth
1 (28 oz) can of crushed tomatoes
pinch of sugar
garlic powder, dried pregano, dried basil, salt, ground pepper (to taste)

Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook for 5 minutes. Add garlic until soft, but be careful not to brown onions and garlic. Add paste and broth and mix well. Add crushed tomatoes and pinch of sugar. Stir well. Season to taste and bring to boil. Allow to simmer for at least one hour.

Meatballs
1 egg
1 clove of garlic, chopped
1/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs (If following Weight Watchers Core plan, substitute with 1/4 cup oatmeal, ground in food processor)
garlic powder, dried pregano, dried basil, salt, ground pepper (to taste)
1 pound 93% lean ground turkey
non-stick cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Beat egg in a large bowl. Add in breadcrumbs, garlic, and seasonings and mix. Add ground turkey and fold into seasoned egg mixture. Don't over mix or meatballs will be tough.

Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Form balls about 1" in diameter and place on the cookie sheet. You should be able to get 20-25 meatballs out of this batch. Bake for about 15 minutes, until outside surface of meatballs is firm.

Add to sauce and bring to boil. Turn heat down to low and simmer for one hour.

Yields 5 servings of 4-5 meatballs with sauce. Serve over pasta or on a bun for meatball sub.
WW info (without pasta or bun):
FLEX: 5 points per serving
CORE: all included (no extra points need to be taken)