Minestrone with Turkey

I just made a pot of this for the weekend and it is yummy, if I do say so myself. It's also very healthy, nutritious and oh my gosh, DELICIOUS!

1 pound ground turkey
1 lg. onion, chopped
1 large carrots, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (I don't think you can have enough zucchini, so I used 2)
1/4 pound fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
6 cups beef broth (I used low sodium)
2 cans (15 oz.) diced tomatoes with basil, oregano and garlic
2 cups shredded cabbage
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 can (15 oz.) garbanzo beans
(I also added a large handful of small red beans, soaked overnight and microwaved for 5 minutes on high~GREAT ANTIOXIDANTS)
1/2 cup uncooked small pasta shells
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

In a soup kettle, cook turkey and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the carrots, celery and garlic; cook for 3 minutes. Add zucchini and green beans; cook 2 minutes longer.

Stir in broth, red beans, tomatoes, cabbage, basil, oregano and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Cover; Simmer for 45 minutes. Return to a boil. Stir in garbanzo beans, pasta and parsley. Cook for 6-9 minutes or until the pasta is tender. Serve with parmesan cheese. Makes about 3 quarts.

Low-Fat Garlic Turkey Burgers & Crispy Oven Fries

I love this dinner and it's so simple, as a matter of fact, we just had this for dinner two nights ago and I'm craving it again :) The pictures below are of our actual dinner.
Low-Fat Garlic Turkey Burgers

1 pound lean ground turkey
1 clove garlic
1 small onion
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoon olive oil
Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns (Sara Lee makes great whole wheat buns)

Chop onion and garlic, saute in 1 tablespoon olive oil until onions are translucent. (set aside two tablespoons onion and garlic) Mix with ground turkey. Patty out 3 or 4 burgers and add to a medium hot skillet with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Season with salt and pepper on both sides. Cook for about 5 minutes on each side. In the last minute of cooking, melt fat free cheese on top. add a small amount of the sauted onion and garlic to the top of burger if desired.
Serve on a toasted whole wheat bun with tomatoe.



Crispy Oven Fries

Slice Russet potatoes into strips
Lay in single layer on baking sheet
drizzle with Olive Oil then season with coarse salt and pepper.
Bake @ 425 degrees for approx. 15-20 minutes on one side then turn and bake 10-15 more minutes.

low-fat veggie lasagna

This meatless, low-fat lasagna is chock full of colorful vegetables, making this a healthy and nutritious supper dish. You can even prepare this vegetable lasagna ahead of time and refrigerate it until you're ready to cook. If you do, let the lasagna stand at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before placing it in the oven.

INGREDIENTS:
2 tsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 medium carrot, diced
1 medium zucchini, chopped
1 yellow squash, chopped
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp oregano or mixed Italian herbs
Freshly ground black pepper
2 handfuls baby spinach salad leaves, roughly chopped
1 15-ounce tub fat-free or low fat ricotta
8-ounces no-cook lasagna noodles
3/4 cup reduced fat shredded mozzarella cheese

PREPARATION:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees, and coat an 11 X 7-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Heat oil in a large saucepan. Sauté garlic for 1 minute, followed by onion, mushrooms, celery, carrots, zucchini and squash.

Gently sauté for 10 minutes until vegetables are softened. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, herbs and some black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in spinach.
Spread a cup of sauce on the bottom of the baking dish. Top with noodles, followed by half the ricotta cheese; add another layer of sauce, followed by noodles and remaining ricotta cheese. Continue with remaining noodles and sauce, ending with sauce. Top with mozzarella and bake for 30 minutes. Serves 8.

Per Serving: Calories 303, Calories from Fat 37, Total Fat 4.1g (sat 1.5g), Cholesterol 42mg, Sodium 461mg, Carbohydrate 50.6g, Fiber 4.6g, Protein 15.8g

Zesty Citrus Vinaigrette (vinegarette)

2 Tbsp powdered fruit pectin
1 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley or 2 tsp dried
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp chopped fresh oregano or 1/4 tsp dried oregano
Dash ground red pepper (cayenne)
1/2 cup water
1 Tbsp frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar or cider vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
This dressing lends zesty flavor with no fat. Serve it on a salad of spinach leaves, mandarin orange segments, sliced celery and croutons.

Combine all ingredients in small jar with tight- fitting lid; shake to blend well.

Makes 2/3 cup, 1 Tbsp per serving (8 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g chol, 50 mg sodium)

Recipe is from the July/August 1994 issue of Pillsbury Fast & Healthy.