I feel like we should still be in the mountains.
Why CAN’T we spend our days skiing?
Alas, we had to come back home. Silly real world.
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Simple, Healthy Turkey Sloppy Joes [Recipe]
This ground turkey-based Sloppy Joe recipe is a simple, healthy version of a childhood classic. Put it over zucchini noodles for a low-carb/gluten-free option!
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BBQ Quinoa Meatloaf [Recipe]
I have a thing against meatloaf.
Fun childhood trauma story for you today.
Once upon a time, there was a small girl. One night her mother made meatloaf for dinner. The girl wasn’t feeling well and didn’t want to eat the meatloaf. Despite her complaints, her mother made the girl finish her plate.
Then tragedy struck! The girl ran for the bathroom and was sick to her stomach. That was the last time the child ate meatloaf. Until today.
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Turkey Goat Cheese Lasagna [Recipe]
Tradition has never done it for me.
Shocking. I know.
I’ve mentioned before what a terrible Southerner I am. I don’t like fried okra, creamed corn, or cornbread (with the exception of this recipe)… I can leave 99% of the traditional Southern stuff behind. This includes traditional Thanksgiving food.
This year I fled to Arizona where these were the new classic appetizers:
Classic. And klassy.
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Dijon Thyme Turkey Meatballs + WIAW
Meatballs are the ultimate winter food.
Too bad it’s normally more like spring by now!
With the weather still cold, I prepped a big batch of balls this week. Rather than going the traditional route, I opted for a mustard-laced turkey version.
These Dijon and thyme balls were full of flavor. Because I baked them, they were light enough not to put me to sleep after lunch.
Thyme is a herb that I love but rarely think to use. It retains a fresh flavor even after cooking. It’s pungent but not offensively so. With the spiciness of Dijon, it made for the perfect turkey meatball mix.
Recipe at the bottom of this post….
Strange But Good Turkey Breakfast Sausage
Sausage doesn’t have to mean “bad.”
Neither does bacon, but that’s another post.
This sausage is 100% competition approved and 100% delicious. I actually like it better than “normal” sausage because it isn’t all processed and loaded with salt. And this strange spin still tastes good.
What I love about this dish is that it takes a fairly bland meat – ground turkey – and makes it full-flavored. It has all the spice of sausage, depth from the liquid smoke, and adds some extra with the fresh herbs. Note: You could always use dried herbs if you don’t have fresh on-hand.
I enjoyed this with a side of cinnamon oatmeal and a #strangebutgood salad – tomato, pear, raspberries, cilantro, and TVP Smoked Bacon Bits.
If you don’t eat meat, I’m thinking this would be a great place to use a bean-based patty!
Turkey Breakfast Sausage
- 1/2 lb ground turkey
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp fenugreek
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1 T fresh sage, finely cut
- 1 T fresh rosemary, finely cut
- 1/2 tsp maple extract
- 10-12 drops liquid smoke
- 5-6 drops lemon liquid stevia
- Red pepper flakes, to taste
Mix all ingredients together with your hands and form small patties.
Warm a pan over medium-high heat on the stove top. Spray with PAM (olive oil or coconut oil work too) and place patties into pan.
Saute patties until just cooked through, about 3 mins on each side (this will vary depending on thickness of your patties).
Makes 3-4 servings.
How have you enjoyed making co-workers, friends, or family stare with strange but good creations this week?
The link up rules can be found here or by clicking on “Strange But Good” in the menu bar above. In short, I want to see what concoctions have earned you weird looks from co-workers, family and friends!
Post your Strange But Good creations, grab the logo below for your blog, and link up here.
Remember to use #strangebutgood in any Tweets and Instagrams of your creations. 🙂
***
As of the time of publication, I am just 6 servings of asparagus away from my competition. Woo hooooo!!!
Do you like meat at breakfast? It’s grown on me!
Are you doing anything strange or exciting this weekend?
Strange But Good Fruit
How can you go wrong with fruit?
Unless it’s old and mealy…
I’ve been all about fruit this week. Mom and I went to the Buford Highway Farmer’s Market last weekend. This epic food market just keeps going – we spent nearly 4 hours there! It was filled with foods I’ve never even imagined before.
Like egg fruit (also known as canistel):
This delicious fruit has the consistency of a hard-boiled egg yolk… sounds strange but I SWEAR it’s fantastic. It’s taste is sweet with a vanilla-like.
The inside reminds me of an avocado with its large seed:
Source: informedfarmers.com
After some reasearch I learned that you can use it wherever you’d use a winter squash or pumpkin, and that it makes a tasty milkshake (no word on whether it brings all the boys to the yard).
Naturally, I created a protein-rich midnight snack. This was made much like my Blueberry Cheesecake Fluff. If you can’t find egg fruit, this would also be good with pumpkin or butternut squash. This is one thick, creamy vanilla pudding.
Egg Fruit Cheesecake Pudding
- 1/2 C egg fruit
- 1/2 C no salt cottage cheese
- 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp almond extract
- 1/4 tsp butter extract
- 1/4 C unsweetened almond milk
Put ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth.
Top with your favorites – I made a coconut fluff from equal parts coconut flour mixed with almond milk and sprinkled cacao nibs on top.
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No access to egg fruit? I have another fruity creation!
For lunch this week I took my no salt turkey deli meat and made a fruity salad with it. Mixing it up with Greek yogurt added a terrific tangy creaminess. This was strangely complimented by a “sweeter” combo of blueberries, cardamom, and nutmeg.
Nuts and Berries Turkey Salad
- 3 oz no-salt deli turkey, shredded
- 2 T Greek yogurt
- 1 T coconut vinegar (any white vinegar would work here)
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp cardamom
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 C berries
- Walnuts
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Noe for YOUR strange but good food!
The link up rules can be found here or by clicking on “Strange But Good” in the menu bar above.
In short, I want to see what concoctions have earned you weird looks from co-workers, family and friends! Post your Strange But Good creations, grab the logo below for your blog, and link up here.
Remember to use #strangebutgood in any Tweets and Instagrams of your creations. 🙂
***
I'm excited for more strangeness this weekend because one of my favorite weird-o foodies, Heather, is in town!!!
What's the strangest produce you've ever tried?
Have you eaten anything strange this week? Do share!
