Authors: Dana Carpender
Tags: #General, #Cooking, #Diets, #Health & Fitness, #Weight Control, #Recipes, #Low Carbohydrate, #Low-carbohydrate diet, #Health & Healing
Divide into three equal portions and form into burgers about ¾ inch (2 cm) thick.
Spray a skillet with nonstick cooking spray and place over medium-high heat. Cook the burgers for about 5 minutes per side until cooked through.
Yield:
3 servings
Each with 5 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fiber, for a total of 4 grams of usable carbs and 27 grams of protein.
Here’s how to turn a pound of ground turkey into a quick-and-easy Mexican dinner!
1 pound (455 g) ground turkey
2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons dried oregano
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons (30 ml) dry sherry
1 teaspoon Splenda
1 teaspoon salt or Vege-Sal
8 eggs
1 cup (240 g) canned diced tomatoes, drained
¼ cup (40 g) minced onion
Start the turkey browning in the olive oil, crumbling it as you go. When it’s mostly browned, add the garlic, oregano, cinnamon, cloves, and pepper. Cook it for 2 or 3 more minutes and then stir in the sherry, Splenda, and salt or Vege-Sal. Remove from the heat.
Now scramble the eggs and stir in the tomatoes and onion. Put the skillet back on the heat, pour the eggs over the turkey, and scramble until the eggs are set.
Yield:
4 servings
Each with 32 g protein; 8 g carbohydrate; 1 g dietary fiber; 7 g usable
This is an easy way to add interest to a pound of plain old ground turkey. You can serve this on low-carb rolls, if you can get them locally. I prefer to serve it over cauli-rice or in omelets—even better!
1 pound (455 g) ground turkey
1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
cup (55 g) chopped onion
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 Anaheim chili pepper, diced
½ cup (120 ml) Dana’s No-Sugar Ketchup (page 463)
1 tablespoon (15 ml) yellow mustard
2 tablespoons (30 ml) cider vinegar
1 tablespoon (1.5 g) Splenda
1 tablespoon (15 ml) Worcestershire sauce
In a big, heavy skillet, start browning and breaking up the ground turkey in the olive oil. Throw in the onion, garlic, and diced pepper.
When all the pink is gone from the turkey, stir in the ketchup, mustard, vinegar, Splenda, and Worcestershire sauce. Simmer the whole thing for 5 minutes before serving.
Yield:
4 to 5 servings
Assuming 5, each will have 17 g protein; 10 g carbohydrate; 2 g dietary fiber; 8 g usable carbs. Analysis does not include cauli-rice or low-carb rolls.
Turkey wings are my favorite cut of turkey for the slow cooker. They fit in easily, they come in good individual serving sizes, and they taste great.
3¼ pounds (1.5 kg) turkey wings
¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil
½ cup (120 ml) chicken broth
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon concentrate
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 tablespoon (16.5 g) tomato paste
1 cup (70 g) sliced mushrooms
½ medium onion, sliced
½ cup (115 g) sour cream
In a big, heavy skillet, brown the turkey all over in the oil over medium-high heat. Transfer the turkey to a slow cooker.
In a bowl, stir together the broth, bouillon, poultry seasoning, and tomato paste. Pour the mixture over the turkey. Add the mushrooms and onion. Cover the slow cooker, set it to low, and let it cook for 6 to 7 hours.
When the time’s up, remove the turkey from the slow cooker with tongs. Whisk the sour cream into the sauce and serve the sauce over the turkey.
Yield:
3 servings
Each with 41 g protein, 6 g carbohydrate, 1 g dietary fiber, 5 g usable
Turkey cutlets—slices of turkey breast less than ¼ inch (6 mm) thick—are good for cooks in a hurry because they take almost no time to cook through. They’re pretty bland by themselves, however, and can easily turn dry and tough. But they take beautifully to this tart-sweet lemon glaze.
3 turkey cutlets, about 4 ounces (115 g) each
1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
1 tablespoon (15 ml) lemon juice
1 tablespoon (15 ml) dry sherry
2 teaspoons Splenda
½ teaspoon soy sauce
Guar or xanthan
3 scallions, finely sliced
In a large, heavy skillet over medium heat, brown the cutlets in the oil. While that’s happening, mix together the lemon juice, sherry, Splenda, soy sauce, and just a sprinkle of guar or xanthan to thicken the mixture. When the cutlets have just a touch of golden color on each side, pour the lemon juice mixture into the skillet and turn the cutlets over once to coat both sides. Turn the heat to medium-low, cover, and let the cutlets simmer for just a few more minutes until the sauce reduces a little.
Serve with any glaze left in the pan scraped over the cutlets and a sliced scallion scattered over each.
Yield:
2 or 3 servings
Assuming 2 servings, each will have 4 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fiber, for a total of 3 grams of usable carbs and 37 grams of protein.
Of all the things I’ve tried with turkey cutlets, this is my husband’s favorite. The mustard-mayo coating keeps these from getting dry.
3 turkey breast cutlets, about 4 ounces (115 g) each
½ cup (60 g) shelled pecans
1 tablespoon (15 ml) spicy brown or Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons (45 g) mayonnaise
1½ tablespoons (21 g) butter
Place the pecans in a food processor with the S-blade in place and pulse until they’re ground medium-fine. (Alternately, you could buy the pecans already ground.)
Mix together the mustard and mayonnaise, blending well.
Lay the turkey cutlets on a plate and spread half of the mustard and mayonnaise mixture on one side. Sprinkle half of the ground pecans over the mustard and mayonnaise and press lightly with the back of a spoon to help them stick.
Spray a large, heavy skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Place over medium-high heat. Melt the butter and add the cutlets, pecan side down. Sauté for about 4 minutes. With the cutlets still in the pan, spread the remaining mustard-mayo
mixture on the uncoated sides and sprinkle the rest of the pecans over that, once again pressing them in a bit with the back of a spoon. Flip the cutlets carefully, doing your best not to dislodge the crust. Sauté for another 5 minutes and serve. Scrape any yummy toasted pecans that are stuck to the skillet over the cutlets before serving.
Yield:
2 or 3 servings
Assuming 2 servings, each will have 4 grams of carbohydrates and 2 grams of fiber, for a total of 2 grams of usable carbs and 39 grams of protein.
3 pounds (1.4 kg) boneless, skinless turkey breast (in one big hunk, not thin cutlets)
2 tablespoons (28 g) butter
¼ cup (15.2 g) chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons dried tarragon
½ teaspoon salt or Vege-Sal
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 cup (70 grams) sliced mushrooms
½ cup (120 ml) dry white wine
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon concentrate
Guar or xanthan (optional)
In a big, heavy skillet, sauté the turkey in the butter until it’s golden all over. Transfer the turkey to a slow cooker.
Sprinkle the parsley, tarragon, salt or Vege-Sal, and pepper over the turkey. Place the mushrooms on top.
In a bowl, mix the wine and bouillon together until the bouillon dissolves. Pour it over the turkey. Cover the slow cooker, set it to low, and let it cook for 7 to 8 hours.
When the time’s up, remove the turkey and put it on a platter. Transfer about half of the mushrooms to a blender and add the liquid from the slow cooker. Blend until the mushrooms are puréed. Scoop the rest of the mushrooms into the dish you plan to use to serve the sauce, add the liquid, and thicken further with guar or xanthan, if needed.
Yield:
8 servings
Each with 34 g protein, 1 g carbohydrate, trace dietary fiber, 1 g usable carbs.
This is very moist and tasty! It’s wonderful left over too, especially made into turkey salad.
1 turkey breast, bone in, about 5 pounds (2.3 kg)
½ cup (120 ml) white wine vinegar
½ teaspoon orange extract
¼ cup (60 ml) sugar-free imitation honey
¼ cup (6 g) Splenda
¼ cup (60 ml) yellow mustard
2 tablespoons (30 ml) soy sauce
3 cloves garlic
Wood chips or chunks, soaked for at least 30 minutes
For this recipe, it’s really nice to have a meat injector—basically a big hypodermic syringe used for injecting meat with various flavors. They’re pretty easy to find and even easier to use! If you don’t have one, this is still a great marinade, but it won’t penetrate the meat quite so much.
Mix together everything but the turkey breast. Put the breast in a nonreactive bowl that’s fairly deep and narrow. Reserve some marinade for basting and pour the rest the marinade over the turkey. Stick the whole thing in the fridge and let the breast marinate all day or even overnight, turning it now and then. If you have a meat injector, suck up some marinade with it and inject the breast all over with the marinade.
When the time comes to cook, set up a grill for indirect cooking—pile the charcoal to the side, or light only one gas burner. Have plenty of wood chips or chunks soaking! Place a drip pan under the grill under where you’re placing the turkey, add the wood chips or chunks, and put the turkey on the grill. Smoke the turkey for about 1¾ to 2 hours, replacing the wood chips or chunks whenever the smoke stops and maintaining the grill temperature at about 225°F (110°C). Baste the turkey now and then with the reserved marinade, using a clean utensil each time you baste. The turkey is done when a meat thermometer stuck in the thickest part of the breast (but not touching the bone) registers 170°F (80°C). Remove from the grill and let the breast sit for 10 minutes before carving.
Yield:
8 to 10 servings
Assuming 8 servings, each would have 9 grams of carbohydrate (not counting the polyols in the imitation honey) if you consumed all of the marinade. Since you won’t, figure closer to 4 or 5 grams per serving; 57 grams of protein.