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.