Turkey and spinach meatloaf

January 20, 2023 by Rebecca Davis in Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Kid eats, Quick meals, Recipes, Toddler eats

This turkey meatloaf is quick, nutritious, gluten free, and delicious!

So, meatloaf. A bad one is dense, bland, kind of pasty, and just all around gross. This version is different! One of my secrets is adding in other stuff like onions and spinach to increase the water content, which adds steam while it cooks, which makes for a lighter and fluffier loaf.

The almond meal makes this gluten free, but I also find that it makes the loaf a little lighter because the traditional breadcrumbs and milk can add to the pastiness.

Basically, this meatloaf is a lighter meat and lots of veggies and aromatics held together with just enough egg and almond meal to make it a “loaf.”

I top mine with ketchup, but if you’re watching your sugar, tomato paste or sugar-free ketchup also work really well. My kids love BBQ sauce, so I’ll top one or two of the mini loaves with that instead of ketchup to suit their tastes.

One note about how I make these loaves: I make them as mini loaves because they cook so much faster individually. If you like a traditional meatloaf made in an actual loaf pan, this recipe also cooks well in a pan, but it takes quite a bit longer. Still delicious either way!

Turkey and spinach meatloaf

Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 4 mini loaves

1 lb ground turkey
1.5-2 cups spinach or greens, roughly chopped
1/2 large onion, minced
1 egg
1/2 cup almond meal or almond flour
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp kosher salt
pepper, to taste
Ketchup, tomato paste, or BBQ sauce, for topping

Preheat the oven to 400.

Roughly chop the greens. Mince the onion. Add these chopped veggies to a large bowl and add the rest of the ingredients, except for the ketchup, tomato paste, or BBQ sauce.

Using your hands or a spatula, mix the ingredients until just combined and distributed.

With a large spoon, plop four equal portions onto a sheet pan and smooth each into a rough loaf shape.

Top with ketchup or sauce of choice.

Bake for 15 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 165.

lEFTOVER TURKEY, CRANBERRY SAUCE, GREENS, MASHED POTATOES, AND STUFFING GET A NEW LIFE WHEN SANDwiched between two layers of buttery, crispy puff pastry. Thanksgiving leftovers hot pocket | Me & The Moose #thanksgiving #leftovers #hotpocket #turkey #stuffing #mashedpotatoes #cranberrysauce

Thanksgiving leftovers hot pocket

November 21, 2022 by Rebecca Davis

Toss some turkey between two sheets of puff pastry for a post-Thanksgiving (or any time!) treat that gives new life to those leftovers.

Take me to the recipe!

Is it slightly excessive to sandwich what is arguably the best and richest meal of the year between two sheets of puff pastry? Probably. But it’s worth it!

I initially called this a pithivier, which is a French dish with either a sweet or savory filling between two sheets of puff pastry. You then egg wash and score (make light cuts on) the top pastry sheet so that a pattern emerges while the pastry puffs during baking.

I, a semi-lazy American cook, take some liberties with my dish that make it more of a giant hot pocket or savory pop tart than the delicate French version. I don’t have time to refrigerate things, so my puff pastry doesn’t puff quite as much during baking. And I can’t seem to get the right scoring depth no matter how I try. I either cut too lightly and the pattern disappears or I go too deep and it makes actual cuts in the pastry. Either way, it tastes delicious, so I figured that calling it a hot pocket took the pressure off when scoring.

One note: It is imperative that you egg wash first, then score. Otherwise the pattern doesn’t emerge.

Thanksgiving leftovers hot pocket

Time: 50 minutes, mostly hands off
Yield: 6 large servings

2 sheets of puff pastry (mine were store-bought and pretty small, about 10x12, so if yours are larger, scale up the filling accordingly)
1 cup cranberry sauce
1 cup green veggies (whatever you had on your table is great- green beans, kale, spinach, Brussels sprouts, etc. Just don’t use lettuce or salad greens.)
1 cup shredded turkey meat (dark and/or light)
1 cup mashed potatoes (toss in any sweet potatoes or squash here)
1 cup stuffing
1 egg
1 Tbsp water

Preheat the oven to 425.

Lay out one sheet of puff pastry on a parchment-line baking sheet.

Leaving a 1-inch border around all of the edges, spread the cranberry sauce in an even layer. Then add the greens in an even layer, maintaining that plain border.

In a large bowl, combine the turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing and mix well. Spread this mixture in an even layer over the top of the cranberry sauce and greens and smooth it out as much as possible.

Top with the second layer of puff pastry and crimp the edges with a fork.

In a small bowl, whisk the egg and water until well combined. Brush lightly over the top of the pastry. You will have a lot of egg leftover.

Using a sharp knife, lightly score whatever pattern you like into the top of the pastry. If you go too deep, that’s fine! It will still taste amazing. And since we didn’t add a lot of liquid to the filling, you shouldn’t have anything leaking through the cuts.

Bake for 20 minutes. Rotate the pan in the oven to ensure even browning. Bake for 10-15 minutes more, or until the pastry is a deep, golden brown.

BBQ chicken

May 25, 2022 by Rebecca Davis in Cooking, Gluten-free, Recipes, Summer, Toddler eats

A short marinade in olive oil, apple cider vinegar, mustard, and soy sauce followed by the best ever spice rub (seriously, triple the recipe and use it on everything), makes this a BBQ chicken worthy of your most discerning guests.

Take me to the recipe!

We’ve used this marinade and rub on all kinds of chicken: breasts, thighs, bone-in, skin-on, boneless, skinless, and an entire chicken. It has worked with every iteration! I was really tired one day and put the sugar in the marinade instead of the rub—still great. My husband likes to put the rub on WITH the marinade and let the whole thing sit for 30 minutes—also great. So if, like me, your attention is divided while trying to make dinner, this is the recipe for you.

A note on cooking chicken:

Roast the chicken between 425 and 450. I use the lower temperature for skinless and boneless varieties to avoid drying out the meat. The higher temperature works with the bones and skin, but keep an eye out to ensure that the skin doesn’t burn. A loose piece of foil over top usually does the trick.
Grill the chicken by heating up the grill on the highest temperature and then turn it down to medium just before putting the chicken on the grill. Cook until the internal temperature is 165 in the fattest part.

BBQ Chicken

Yield: 3 lbs chicken
Time: 60-90 minutes, depending on how long you cook your chicken

3 lbs chicken (any type, but I prefer boneless, skinless thighs or a whole spatchcocked chicken)
1/3 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp yellow mustard
1 Tbsp kosher salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp thyme
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp onion powder

Combine the olive oil, apple cider, soy sauce, and yellow mustard. Place chicken in a large container (plastic bag, glass container, mixing bowl, or whatever will hold all of the chicken) and cover with the marinade. Let sit for at least 30 minutes, but up to an hour.

Combine the dry rub ingredients.

Heat the oven to 425-450 (see note above).

Take the chicken out of the marinade, but DO NOT pat dry- we want a little extra liquid. Cover with the spice rub on all sides and massage it into the chicken.

Place on a sheet pan or in a large cooking dish and cook, uncovered, for about 15 minutes (a whole chicken or very large chicken parts will take longer to cook, usually about 45-50 minutes). Check for doneness and cook until the internal temperature reaches 165 in the thickest part of the chicken.

If any sauce remains in the pan, save it for pouring onto the chicken before serving.