French fries and meatloaf may sound like a calorie laden catastrophe but this dish is anything but!  We took out most of the fat, calories and cholesterol (we don’t need no stinkin’ egg!) but piled on the flavor!

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 pear 1/2 finely chopped, 1/2 sliced thin
• 1/2 c breadcrumbs
• 2 tbs ketchup
• 1 tbs yellow mustard
• 1 tsp minced onion
• salt and pepper
• 1 tbs Worcestershire
• 1/2 tsp mustard seed
• 3 slices reduced fat Gouda cheese

Preheat oven to 375.

In a large bowl, combine turkey, chopped pear, breadcrumbs, ketchup, mustard, minced onion, Worcestershire, salt and pepper and mix to combine.  Don’t over mix though, or you’ll end up with tough meatloaf!

Spray a loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray or just spray a baking sheet with non stick spray and form mixture into a loaf.

Bake about 45 minutes.  Top with Gouda, pear slices and mustard seeds and broil for 3 -5 minutes or until cheese is melted and slightly browned.

Sweet Potato “Fries”

• 1 large sweet potato, halved and quartered, then sliced into matchsticks
• 1 cup Fiber One Cereal
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup egg substitute
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning

Combine Fiber One, panko and Italian seasoning in food processor and pulse until you reach a crumb like consistency.  Empty contents onto large plate.  First dip fries in egg, then breading.  Place fries on a rack on top of a baking sheet.  If you don’t have a rack, you can line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with non stick cooking spray.

Bake fries on 375 vwhile your meatloaf cooks.  They take about 20 – 25 minutes to get nice and crispy so put them in about mid way through your loaf.

This dish is simple in preparation yet complex in flavor.  The smokiness from the cinnamon, combined with the saltiness of the bacon and the sweetness of the honey balance each other out well.

• 1 package of turkey scallopini style cutlets, (or you can buy regular turkey breasts and pound them yourself)
• 6 slices bacon
• 2 cups puffed wheat cereal
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• salt and pepper
• honey for drizzling

Cook bacon, drain, crumble and set aside.

Wipe most of the fat out of the pan but reserve about 1 tbs of the drippings to cook the turkey in.

Place puffed wheat, cinnamon, salt and pepper in a baggie and pound with a meat mallet until it resembles a course meal.

Empty contents of baggie onto a large plate, bread cutlets in mixture and set aside for a few minutes to set up.

Cook cutlets over medium – high heat about 3 minutes per side.

To serve, drizzle with honey and top with crumbled bacon.

The addition of Fiber One and oats really ‘beefs’ these up resulting in a heartier burger,  while the apple slaw and spicy mayo add a little something unexpected.

Burgers

• ¼ cup fiber one
• ¼ cup oats (we used quick cooking oats)
• 1 lb ground turkey
• Salt and pepper

Toppings

• lettuce
• tomato slices
• 4 slices of cheese

Spicy mayo

• ½ cup fat free sour cream
• 1 tbs ff mayo
• 1 tsp fresh mint, finely chopped
• ¼ tsp lemon zest
• Salt and pepper
• 1/8 tsp crpf

Apple slaw

• 1 tbs apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbs whole grain mustard
• 1 granny smith apple, grated
• 1 braeburn apple, grated
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper

To make spicy mayo, combine sour cream, mayo, mint, lemon zest, crushed red pepper flake, salt and pepper in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

To make slaw, combine cider vinegar, mustard, grated apple, olive oil, salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate about 30 minutes, allowing flavors to marry.

Place fiber one and oats in food processor and blend until finely crushed. Add along with turkey, salt and pepper to a large bowl, mix to combine and form into 4 patties.

We cooked ours on the Forman grill but you could grill outside or, pan fry. Just cook about 5 minutes per side or until no longer pink and internal temperature reaches 165.

To serve, top burgers with a slice of american cheese (or whatever kind you like best),  lettuce, tomato and a dollop of apple slaw.  Spread your bun with a generous schmear of spicy mayo and go to town!

Trade in the beef for turkey, add in some goat cheese and portabello mushrooms and this certainly ain’t your Mama’s meatloaf!

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1/4 cup goat cheese crumbles
• 1 container of baby bellas, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup oats
• 1 small white onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup ketchup (1/4 for mix and reserve 1/4 to top loaf before baking)
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 2 tbs worcestershire
• 1 tbs dijon mustard
• 1 tbs yellow mustard
• 2 tbs flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 2 tbs olive oil
• salt and pepper

Preheat your oven to 375.

Get a skillet going over medium heat and add olive oil.  Once the oil is heated, add in mushrooms, onion, garlic, salt and pepper and cook down for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Set aside and allow to cool.

In a large bowl, add turkey, oats, goat cheese, parsley, worcestershire, yellow mustard, dijon, half of your ketchup, mushroom mixture, salt and pepper.  Mix to combine with your hands but be careful not to over mix as this will result in a tough, rubbery texture.

If you have a loaf pan, spray it with non stick cooking spray and add in your meat mixture.  Shape to form your loaf.  If you don’t have a loaf pan, just use a cookie sheet.   Top with reserved ketchup and mustard seeds.

Bake at 375 for about 50 minutes or until internal temperature reads 155.  (The turkey police say optimum temp is 160 but it will carry over a bit!)

So thanks to Hungry Girl, I’ve been informed that May is National Hamburger Month.  In honor of this, we will be posting a different burger recipe every day this week.  With Memorial Day just around the corner, I’m sure a lot of you will be hosting and/or attending cook outs.  Hopefully these recipes will be helpful!  Enjoy!

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 apple, 1/2 grated for the burger, 1/2 sliced to top (I used a Braeburn apple)
• 1 tbs dijon mustard
• salt and pepper
• 1 tsp minced onion
• 6 slices of turkey bacon
• A few slices of fancy cheddar cheese
• 1 toasted kaiser roll

Place turkey bacon under broiler and let it go about 5 minutes.  Flip and cook an additional 5 minutes.  I did this in my little toaster oven but if don’t have one, and your broiler gets screaming hot, you may want to cook the bacon on 450 instead of broil.  Set the bacon aside to cool.

Combine all the burger ingredients in a medium bowl and separate into 4 patties.

Heat a skillet on medium and spray with non stick cooking spray.

Cook patties about 4 minutes each side.

Top each patty with cheese and cover with an aluminum foil tent.  Allow about two minutes for the cheese to melt.

To serve, top with apple slices and turkey bacon.  We put mayo on our buns but I think this would be awesome with a shmear of apple butter!