Turkey Lettuce Wraps with Homemade Spicy Peanut Sauce

DSC_0957Standing in the fresh produce section and thinking to ourselves, what shall T.W.O. make for dinner tonight?!  Well, it’s November and the weather in Southern California is 85 degree so all these Fall recipes didn’t sound appetizing in this heat. We walked down the aisles and decided on lettuce wraps. Random? Maybe! It was a good choice though for this warm night. Below is a simple recipe for those “what to cook nights?” that will have your family wanting seconds.


Turkey Lettuce Wraps with Homemade Spicy Peanut Sauce

Ingredients:
– red leaf cabbage
– ground turkey
– crimini mushrooms
– 2 cups rice noodles
– white rice (cooked)
– 1 cup shredded carrots
– 3 cloves garlic
– 1/2 Maui sweet onion, chopped
– 2 Tablespoon cayenne pepper
– 1/4 cup green onions, diced

For the Spicy Peanut Sauce:
– 1/2 cup Justin’s Peanut Butter
– Juice from 1 lemon
– 1 clove garlic, minced
– 1 1/2 Tablespoons sriracha
– 2 Tablespoons almond or cocnut milk
– 1 Tablespoon reduced sodium soy sauce
– 1/4-1/2 cup hot water (depending on desired consistency)

Directions:
1. In a pan sauté the onions and garlic. Add the ground turkey. Cook until done.
2. While the ground turkey is cooking, prep the peanut sauce. Mix all the sauce ingredients together in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth.  Add more or less water depending n desired consistency.  Set aside.
3. Cook the rice noodles as directed. Set aside.
4. Chop the green onions and wash the cabbage.
5. Assemble the lettuce wraps with the noodles, turkey mixture and top with the peanut sauce and green onions. Add the white rice to the plate.


 

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Happy cooking!

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Three Bean Turkey Chili

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It’s getting chilly, so it’s time for some chili! T.W.O. loves making chili during the fall and winter months. One of our favorite variations is turkey chili with 3 types of beans. The recipe is very simple and quick, so it makes for a great weeknight meal. The leftovers are delicious “T.W.O.!”

 Ingredients

-Ground turkey, lean
-1/2 of white onion, chopped
-3 cloves of garlic, chopped
-2 cans (15 oz) of black beans
-1 can (15 oz) of kidney beans
-1 can (29 oz) of pinto beans
-1 can of stewed tomatoes
-2 cans (7 ounces) of diced, green chilies*
-1 package of chili seasoning
-1 package of crimini mushrooms, sliced
Crazy Salt
-Ground Pepper

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 *T.W.O. likes a little spice to their chili, so we use the “fire roasted” Ortega chilies

Begin by sautéing onions and garlic in a pan.

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After about 3-5 minutes, add in ground turkey. Cook for about 8 minutes or until meat is cooked thoroughly.

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Next, drain all the liquid from the canned beans into a bowl and set aside. Pour all the drained beans into a large pot and turn stove to high heat.

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Before adding in the stewed tomatoes, chop the tomatoes into quarters. Add tomatoes with their juice to the pot. Then add ground turkey mixture, green chilies, crimini mushrooms and chili seasoning and stir.

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Once the chili is boiling, turn heat down to low to let it simmer. The chili can simmer any where from 20 minutes to 1 hour. The longer the better!

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When you are ready to eat, turn off the heat and allow the chili to sit covered for 5 minutes. Ladle the chili into a bowl and garnish with your favorite toppings. T.W.O. likes to top their chili with sliced avocado, cheese, sour cream (or Greek yogurt), cilantro, and hot sauce. Now it’s time to warm up and enjoy a great bowl of chili!

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Enjoy!

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Spaghetti Squash with Ground Turkey, Swiss Chard, Cranberries & Spicy Dijon, Lemon Vinaigrette

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Spaghetti Squash with Ground Turkey, Swiss Chard, Cranberries & Spicy Dijon, Lemon Vinaigrette

Fall is in the air, and it’s also in T.W.O.’s cooking! Check out how to make this easy and tasty recipe the whole family will love. It’s great as an entrée, side dish or even lunch! T.W.O. doubled the recipe and was able to enjoy it throughout the week…leftovers are the best!

Ingredients

Spicy Dijon Dressing:

– 4-5 tablespoons spicy Dijon mustard
– 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
– ¼ cup rice vinegar
– ½ lemon, juiced
– Krazy Salt & Pepper to taste

For the Spaghetti Squash:

– 1 large spaghetti squash
– 1 pound lean ground turkey meat
– 1 bunch of Swiss chard leaves, removed from steam
– ½ – 1 cup dried cranberries
– Olive oil cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 375ᴼ F. Using a sharp knife, cut the spaghetti squash in half, lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and the “strings” just like you would when carving a pumpkin. Once clean, place the squash, face down in a sprayed Pyrex pan. Salt and Pepper to taste. Put the Pyrex in the oven and cook for about 40 minutes.

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While the spaghetti squash is cooking, sauté the ground turkey meat with pepper and Krazy Salt. Once thoroughly cooked, put aside.

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Next, sauté the chopped Swiss chard leaves in a lightly oiled pan. Sauté for about 3-4 minutes. Once complete, add the cranberries and ground turkey meat.

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To make the dressing, add all the ingredients in a cup and whisk for about 2 minutes.

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After 40 minutes, take the spaghetti squash out of the oven and let cool for 4 minutes. Once cooled, take a fork and “stroke” the squash from top to bottom to get the “spaghetti” noodles and put in a large mixing bowl. Continue to do this until you scrape to the skin.

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Once the spaghetti is ready, add the Swiss chard, cranberry, turkey mixture to the squash. Mix lightly. (You don’t want to break the spaghetti) Add the dressing and mix. T.W.O. highly suggests serving this dish warm, so you can immediately plate it!

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Happy Fall cooking!

T.W.O. signature