Four Foods For Friday #112

We have another One Question Quiz, and interesting one.

What can you make with meat or poultry, rice, cheese and a vegetable?

Hmmmm. I’m not very fond of rice or chicken. And while I like cheese, I am fussy about my cheese (only Mozzarella, Swiss, and American). So this one has me as stumped as if making photo birth announcements or something. Uhhhh….

Well, I guess I like Turkey Divan. Boring, I know. Turkey is poultry! It’s a pretty bland dish, though (which is why I dislike casseroles and why I dislike rice and chicken). Last time i made Turkey Divan, I made it this way:

Turkey Divan

4 cups diced leftover turkey
6 slices Swiss cheese
1 bag frozen broccoli florets
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup canned roasted red peppers, drained and diced
4 leaves kale, washed and sliced into strips
4 cups rice, cooked

Throw broccoli in the microwave to thaw.

In a large casserole dish, place the turkey on the bottom. Add the kale and peppers, then the broccoli. Add the broth. Layer with the cheese.

Pop in the oven until heated through (about 30-35 minutes).

Serve with rice.

The kale and peppers spruce up the blandness of the turkey and rice, and help to sneak in a few added vegetables.

Easy-on-the Cream Broccoli Soup

I’m not very fond of cream and milk dishes, but one of my daughters requested Cream of Broccoli Soup. And what good mother would refuse her child broccoli when she asks?? So I made some, but went easy on the cream. This recipe turned out SO good. The entire family ate it up. This recipe really goes all out with the broccoli, too. We love it, so I really let myself go hog wild. Using the blender to puree half of the soup made it very rich.

Easy-On-the-Cream Broccoli Soup
serves 6-8

Two large bunches of broccoli, washed and cut (about 7-8 cups)
1 white onion, diced
6 cups chicken stock (or 3 cups stock, 3 cups water and 2 bouillon cubes)
2 red potatoes, skinned and diced
2 Tablespoons butter
1/4 cup Half-n-Half creamer

In a large stockpot, melt the butter and quickly saute the potatoes and onion. Add the stock. Allow to heat up. Add the broccoli all at once. Allow to cook (stir frequently) for about 15-20 minutes.

Ladle out some of the soup (about half) into a blender, and quickly puree. Return to the stockpot. Add the creamer and stir until heated.

Serve with fresh crusty bread, fresh carrots, and a nice spinach salad. It’s GREAT! You won’t be needing those home security systems after eating this, believe me– you will feel like Superman! I just love green food.

Curried Turkey Dinner

This recipe makes a nice, light meal for those end-of-summer-but-still-hot summer days. It’s also a good one to have on hand after Thanksgiving, when you are burdened with a superfluity of turkey leftovers! It has curry, one of those rare spices that has a name that has actually been converted into a verb. (Think about it, do we say “Cinnamoned Bread” or “Adoboed Chicken”?!). Curry is rather strong– I used to live in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, nicknamed Little India. Every morning, right around 7am, the pungent odor of curry would rise from the restaurants below up to my 7th floor flat. :-p I guess living there was better than living next to a bunch of San Jose motorcycle accident attorneys in their condos… but it took me a looooong time before I could make myself cook with (and endure) curry. So adjust the curry to your liking. I will say that curry IS good for you, so maybe that will help you persist!

Curried Turkey Dinner
Serves 4-6

2-3 pounds of fresh broccoli florets, washed and cut into chunks and cooked until tender (you can use frozen broccoli if you want)
3 cups cooked, diced turkey
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup low-calorie mayonnaise
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder (to your taste)
1 1/2 cup seasoned croutons

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

In a bowl, combine and mix the mayo, soup, lemon juice, and curry powder. Let sit for a moment.

Place your cooked broccoli into a medium-sized casserole dish. Add the turkey on top.

Pour your mayo/soup mix on top of the broccoli/turkey, making sure that you cover the broccoli (so it doesn’t get crispy or burn in the oven). Sprinkle the croutons over the top of everything.

Place the casserole in the oven, and bake for about 25 minutes. Serve immediately, with Basmati rice and a fresh-green salad with carrots. Yum!