A quick, easy and low calorie dinner!

Servings: 6 – 8

Olive oil non-stick cooking spray
24 oz. lean ground turkey
1 med. onion, peeled and diced
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1-1/2 tsp. table salt
1-1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 med. zucchini, quartered and sliced
1 med. squash, quartered and sliced
1 14 -15 oz. can diced tomatoes
2 tsp. dried basil
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. dried, ground oregano
3 heaping Tbsp. or 3 oz. tomato paste
1/2 cup Italian red wine*
1/2 cup tap water
1 pkg. whole wheat pasta (linguine or spaghetti) cooked according to package directions and kept warm.

Spray olive oil non-stick cooking spray in a very large skillet.

Add ground turkey, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. black pepper, diced onions and minced garlic. Stir continually, over medium heat, until turkey is browned and cooked thoroughly, for about 10 -12 minutes. Drain meat mixture in colander and set aside.

Spray olive oil non-stick cooking spray again in used skillet. Add zucchini, squash, 1 tsp. each of dried basil, garlic powder and oregano and cook, while stirring, for 5 minutes.

Next, stir in the entire contents of the canned diced tomatoes, 3 oz. tomato paste, 1/2 cup each of red wine and tap water, the remainder of dried seasonings and 1 tsp. each of salt and pepper. Simmer over medium/low heat for 10 minutes.

Serve while hot over cooked whole wheat pasta.

Karen’s Note:  *I used Reunite Lambrusco red wine to add to the rich sweetness of this dish. Any favorite red wine can be used and also be chilled and served along with this Italian Turkey and Vegetable Skillet recipe. A great “filling food” by itself! Serve tonight as a healthy meal idea for your family and friends. To up the protein and lower the fiber just toss in can of drained chickpeas at the last 10 minutes of cooking time, instead of serving over cooked whole wheat pasta. Also, the red wine and seasonings can be adjusted to desired taste as well as cut in half to make 2-3 servings.

​Sometimes less is always more!

Makes 12 servings

You’ll need:
1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated reduced fat crescent dinner rolls
6 Tbsp. left-over jellied cranberry sauce
1/2 cup left-over turkey breast, skinless, thinly sliced into tiny pieces
1/3 cup fat free or 2% milk mozzarella cheese, shredded
Non-stick cooking spray (optional)

Heat oven to 400°F.

Use a non-stick baking pan or spray a large cookie sheet with cooking spray.

Unroll crescent roll dough; press into a 8 inch by 12 inch long rectangle, firmly pressing perforations to seal dough.

Using a spatula, spread the 6 Tbsp. of cranberry sauce dollops evenly on top of rectangle. Sprinkle shredded cheese over cranberry sauce. Then arrange left-over thinly sliced turkey evenly over top.

Starting with longest side, roll up; pinch long side to seal. With serrated, or very sharp knife, cut into 24 -1/2 inch slices.

Place cut side down on cookie sheet. The top side will be slightly risen.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Using a spatula, remove baked pinwheels from cookie sheets. Serve baked turkey cranberry pinwheels, while still warm.

​Karen’s Note: If there ever was a recipe that made me hungry while blogging…these Turkey Cranberry Pinwheels are surely one of these recipes. After completely devouring these wonderful appetizers during the first quarter of a recent football game, namely the Kansas City Chiefs, my husband asked me if he could have more and I said, “We both ate at least 12 servings just now.” I then said, “Do you want me to make these again for dinner?” He didn’t reply…after all I served these Turkey Cranberry Pinwheels with my homemade guacamole too!

Servings: 4-5

You’ll need:
1 – 1-1/2 lbs. lean ground turkey
Non-stick cooking spray
1 small onion, diced
1 Tbsp. garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. ground cumin
1-1/2 Tbsp. chili powder
1-1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 cup tap water
1/2 cup light Colby cheese, shredded
2 Tbsp. jalapenos, sliced
1/4 cup chunky salsa
1 Tbsp. fat-free sour cream
1 – 1-1/2 cups. guacamole
4-5 servings “restaurant style” tortilla chips

Spray the inside of a medium pan with non-stick cooking spray.  Add ground turkey and stir over medium-high heat,to begin browning.  Add diced onion, minced garlic, cumin, chili powder, salt, black pepper and water. Continually stir, until meat is completely browned. Set heat to low.

In a large serving platter with a slight ridge set up tortilla chips into a single layer. Drain meat completely and top chips with the cooked turkey taco meat. Next, sprinkle evenly with cheese and add the jalapeno slices. Put into the microwave oven with a vented cover and cook, on high heat, for about 1-1/2 – 2 minutes, until cheese is completely melted.

Carefully remove hot serving platter from oven with a heat resistant oven mitt and top evenly with guacamole, salsa and a dollop of sour cream.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

Karen’s Note:  This is a recipe that you can make during a sporting event or game, but you may want to have all the ingredients fully prepared ahead of time, so this will only take about 10-15 minutes to assemble and heat. The meat can be reheated by microwave, but remember to drain the meat, prior to adding to the nachos. That way your nachos don’t become “soggy”!