Cooking Corner: Healthy Ground Turkey Recipes

As the price of ground beef has been getting higher and higher, it is a good idea to look for some hearty alternatives to the well-loved beef. Ground turkey is currently about half the price of ground beef per pound and is both a healthy and delicious alternative. Here are two recipes with ground turkey that will fill the hungry student’s stomach and your wallet.

Ground Turkey Meatloaf
This simple, 5 ingredient meatloaf takes minimal time, money, and energy to make and is a hearty and tasty dinnertime meal. Breadcrumbs can be found in the baking aisle in either a seasoned or unseasoned form and, for just a few dollars, work as the perfect binder for the meat. If barbecue sauce is not on hand, ketchup can be used as a substitute.

Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey
¾ cup seasoned breadcrumbs
1 egg
½ cup barbecue sauce
1 medium onion, finely diced
3 (or more) strips of bacon (optional)

Directions
1. If the turkey is frozen, thaw thoroughly for a few hours beforehand.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
3. In a medium bowl, combine ground turkey, bread crumbs, egg, onion, and barbecue sauce.
4. Mix well with hands. Imagine that they are the brains of your enemies and squish with vengeance.
5. Grease the inside of a loaf pan (or any other kind of pan) and place mixture inside and form into a relatively loaf shape. Put a light to medium coating of barbecue sauce and lay optional bacon strips across the top.
6. Bake for 45 minutes and serve.

Turkey and Peanut Butter Fried Rice
It might sound a little nutty (no pun intended) but soy sauce and peanuts have always been great together as a savory and salty compliment. The flavor combinations taste complex and deep but the preparation and cooking are easy. This recipe uses leftover rice, perfect for the day after Chinese takeout or dinner after stir fry lunch.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 eggs, beaten
¼ cup sliced onions
3 cups cooked, cold rice
¼ cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons peanut butter
Assorted vegetables (frozen peas, spinach, peppers etc.)
1 teaspoon sugar*
½ teaspoon garlic powder*
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper*
¼ teaspoon ground ginger*

*Note: most of the extra spices are optional and will be mostly drowned out by the peanut butter and soy sauce so if these are not available, do not sweat it. The cayenne pepper or anything other spicy component (chili powder, red pepper flakes) is nice to add a bit of a kick to the sauce

Directions
1. Thaw ground turkey fully.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet on medium high heat
3. Pour scrambled eggs into the skillet and leave until fully cooked, stirring occasionally. Remove eggs and set them on a plate aside.
4. Break up turkey and add to skillet. Add sliced onions. Cook until meat is no longer pink.
5. While the turkey is cooking, in a small bowl whisk the soy sauce, peanut butter and any spices you want to add until creamy.
6. Add rice and any vegetables and cook until heated through
7. Add sauce and eggs, stir and serve!



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