Super Speedy Thai Green Turkey Stir Fry

I love speedy recipes, especially ones that are also extremely quick to prepare. I don't really do long recipes with lots of prep time, as time is often short, so stir fries are a big favourite of mine - especially the recipes like this one that don't call for lots of chopping!

I used ready cooked Bernard Matthews turkey breast pieces in this recipe, which are a great convenience food to keep in the fridge when I'm trying to create healthy lunches and dinners, as they're low in fat and high in protein. 

If you don't have much time then this recipe is definitely for you - it takes less than 15 minutes to make, and I swear that the husband thought I'd served him up a ready meal when I presented him with his dinner last Saturday night after spending only a short time in the kitchen!

This recipe serves two people but can easily be doubled up to feed a family of four.

   

Super Speedy Thai Green Turkey Stir Fry - serves 2

1 tbsp Sesame oil

2 tbsp Thai green curry paste

140g pack of Bernard Matthews Roast Turkey Breast pieces

300g ready cooked noodles

75g sugar snap peas

75g mangetout

zest & juice of 1/2 a lime

2 tbsp water

small handful of salted peanuts, chopped

fresh coriander & lime wedges to serve

• heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan
• add the curry paste & stir
• add the turkey pieces, noodles, vegetables, lime zest and juice and water to the pan
• fry over a medium/high heat until everything is heated through
• serve topped with the peanuts, lime wedges and coriander

As you can see from the above picture, the new look Bernard Matthews roast turkey breast pieces are only £1 per pack in Asda, so they're great value for money, as well as being convenient (and healthy).

this post has been commissioned by Bernard Matthews

Warming Butternut Squash & Turkey Stew

We've been eating quite a lot of bolognaise and chilli recently, mainly because I've been spending a lot of time making marshmallows, and it's easy to grab a pack of turkey mince and rustle something up quickly for dinner.

I decided to make something a little different with the latest pack of turkey mince, which required only very little prep and cooking, before popping in the oven to finish off.

Warming Butternut Squash & Turkey Stew - serves 4/5

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1/2 tsp allspice

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground coriander

pinch of chilli flakes (optional)

800g turkey mince

400g tin of chopped tomatoes

400ml chicken or beef stock

500g butternut squash, peeled & diced

• heat the oil in a large lidded (ovenproof) frying pan/casserole
• add the onion and spices and fry for 1 minute
• add the turkey mince and fry until it turns brown
• add the tomatoes, stock and butternut squash
• increase the heat and bring to a simmer
• remove from heat, place the lid on and pop into a preheated 180C oven for 50 minutes
• remove the lid and continue cooking for an additional 10 minutes

serve with rice and a spoonful of Greek yogurt and a scattering of chopped coriander 

Mexican Jam Jar Salad

As anyone that reads this blog (or indeed knows me) knows that I'm always up for a challenge, especially when it comes to food. Bernard Matthews set me a challenge of creating a lunch recipe for their new campaign, but this wouldn't be just a regular sandwich, wrap or pitta, as it was to be a 'Breadless Lunch Challenge', without any kind of bread at all.

I don't often eat bread for lunch so I'm used to making something other than a sandwich, which is easy enough when working from home, but can be more of a challenge when going out for the day and taking a packed lunch or picnic.

Using a pack of Bernard Matthews sweet chilli turkey breast chunks I put together some layered salads in jam jars, which are then easily transported for eating out.

The kids loved these and ate one each as an after school snack - Hanna ate hers straight from the jar but the boys requested that theirs were warmed up and served in a bowl (obviously I didn't warm the lettuce up, and this was served alongside the warm salad). I haven't listed quantities here as it would depend on the size of your jar, so just layer up each ingredient to fill the jar.

Mexican Jam Jar Salad

cooked & cooled long grain rice

mixed beans in chilli sauce

Bernard Matthews sweet chilli turkey breast chunks

sweetcorn

grated cheese

shredded lettuce

• layer the ingredients in the jar in the order above
• place a lid on and keep in the fridge until needed

IT'S SURPRISING HOW MUCH YOU CAN FIT IN A JAR

this recipe has been commissioned by Bernard Matthews

Using up the Christmas leftovers - Turkey Cottage Pie

Forgive me for talking about 'after Christmas' when we are barely into December, but I'm going to anyway, because we all need ideas for using up the leftover turkey.

I was provided with a Bernard Matthews Golden Norfolk turkey to cook and make a dish with the leftovers.

In the past I've made turkey spring rolls, curry, soup and lots of lots of sandwiches to use up the leftovers, but in the new year when I can't look at another buffet I crave a good home cooked comfort meal. This turkey cottage pie is exactly that; a warming, satisfying dish topped with buttery mash.

Turkey Cottage Pie

tbsp olive oil
large onion, chopped
clove of garlic, crushed
2 carrots, peeled & diced
400ml turkey stock (reserved from roasting the turkey)
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
tbsp dried rosemary
1 courgette, diced
leftover turkey
tbsp cornflour
approx 1kg mashed potato

• Heat the oil in a pan & fry the onion until starting to brown
• Add the garlic & carrots & fry for a minute longer
• Add the stock, worcestershire sauce and rosemary
• Stir well & place the lid on and simmer for 10 minutes
• Add the courgette & turkey and simmer for a few minutes longer
• Mix the cornflour with a little water and add to the pan, stirring well
• Transfer to an ovenproof dish and top with mash
• Place in a preheated 180C oven until the mash is golden brown

It definitely made a nice change to the usual turkey curry.

I was recently invited to a 'Bootiful Ideas' event hosted by Bernard Matthews at the fab Horniman Museum in Forest Hill, London. During the event we were given some food styling tips by stylist Olia Hercules, had chance to meet other bloggers and sample some existing products as well as give our views on some potential new ones - fingers crossed that my favourite makes it to the shelves!

It's always nice to attend blogger events and meet new bloggers, especially when the kids are invited too, and this time I got to spend a day with my budding food stylist Hanna.

We even got to take a few samples home and Jack was treated to a 'Turkey Munchkin'.

Fast Family Fakeaway - Sweet & Sour Turkey Drummers

I cook the majority of our family meals from scratch and we rarely eat takeaways, but from time to time it's nice to have a night away from cooking, especially if I've been baking all day.  On these occasions the kids might have fishfingers or something equally as easy to throw in the oven.

This recipe is for one of those quick and easy meals for evenings when there isn't a lot of time between school runs and swimming or football, and it's just as quick to prepare as fishfingers, chips and beans, yet it's just as good as a Chinese takeaway. 

The main ingredient is Bernard Matthews Golden Turkey Drummers, which are made from turkey raised on British farms, and don't contain any artificial colours, flavours or preservatives.

The Golden Drummers are just £2 for a 500g bag (approx 10 pieces), and available in Asda, Tesco, Sainsburys, Morrisons, Iceland and Farmfoods.

You can add pineapple to the dish along with the baby corn, but as my kids aren't that keen on pineapple I left it out. The dish takes just 20 minutes to cook, which is the length of time it takes to cook the drummers.

Sweet & Sour Turkey Drummers - serves 4

1 packet Bernard Matthews Turkey Drummers
oil
1 yellow pepper, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
baby corn, chopped
1 jar sweet & sour sauce
chopped pineapple (optional)

• Place the turkey drummers on a baking tray and bake in a preheated 200C oven for 20 minutes
• Whilst they're cooking prepare the sauce
• Heat a little oil in a pan
• Add the peppers and fry for a couple of minutes until starting to soften
• Add the baby corn and fry for a little longer
• Pour in the sauce and mix well, and heat through
• Once the turkey is cooked cut each in half
• Stir the turkey pieces into the sauce to coat fully
• Serve with egg fried rice

I'm working with BritMums and Bernard Matthews on this project and have been compensated for my time. Check out more quick and easy meals using frozen breaded turkey by following the hashtag #BootifulMeals

Turkey Spring Rolls with Cranberry Dipping Sauce

Visting Marco Pierre White a few weeks ago and watching him cook The Perfect Christmas Turkey started to get me in the festive spirit. The trouble is that it was only September so I've had to contain my spirit for a few weeks, but now that we've reached November I think it's save to unleash it and start preparing for the big day.

I've been asked by Lean On Turkey to share a recipe that uses up some of the leftover turkey. I always buy too much and there is usually enough for a curry and a soup and plenty of sandwiches (one of my favourite parts of Christmas) but this recipe is for something a little bit different.

These turkey spring rolls not only use up some of the leftover turkey but also the vegetables too. Just make sure you have a pack of filo pastry in your fridge and these would make a great snack for boxing day. 

I served these for dinner along with turkey and vegetable risotto.

Turkey Spring Rolls - makes 8

Preparation time : 30 minutes
Cooking time : 20 minutes

100g cooked turkey breast
75g cooked carrots
75g cooked cabbage
100g cooked roast potatoes
1/4 tsp Chinese five spice
2 tbsp Dark soy sauce
4 sheets of filo pastry, cut in half
1 egg, beaten

• Chop the turkey, carrots, cabbage & potatoes into small pieces and place into a bowl
• Add the spice and soy sauce and mix well
• Take one half piece of filo pastry at a time & leave the rest covered over to prevent them drying out
• Place it on a board and spoon some mixture onto one corner as shown below
• Brush the pastry with beaten egg around the edges
• Fold over the bottom corner and fold each edge of the pastry in, to make an envelope
• Roll up carefully and set aside
• Repeat with the remaining filo sheets and filling
• Place all the rolls onto a greased & lined baking sheet and brush with beaten egg
• Bake in a 180C oven for approx 20 minutes, until golden brown

Cranberry Dipping Sauce

3 tbsp Cranberry sauce
2 tbsp Dark soy sauce
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp water

• Mix all the ingredients together well and serve with the spring rolls

This is a sponsored post, however the recipe is my own

The Perfect Christmas Turkey

Last year I attended a cooking masterclass hosted by the legendary chef Marco Pierre White and Lean on Turkey (Bernard Matthews). There was only around 6 of us there and we sat around an island watching the master at work, asking questions and picking up tips on how to cook with turkey.

I was thrilled to be asked to attend another masterclass with the great man, this time at one of his restaurants within Stamford Bridge, the home if Chelsea Football Club. This time the masterclass was based around cooking the Christmas turkey, with Marco sharing some of his tips and tricks of the trade.

After a brief introduction and glass of wine we went into the kitchen to watch the preparation of turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and gravy, the essentials to a great Christmas dinner. Here are a few of the tips and advice I picked up along the way.

• Marco advised getting a turkey crown or a whole turkey and cutting the wings, legs & carcass into small pieces to use for the gravy. If you don't fancy preparing the turkey yourself you could buy a crown and then ask the butcher for a carcass and offcuts or buy some drumsticks and wings.
• Remove the wishbone for easier carving

• To stuff the crown he used Paxo stuffing (we were all a little surprised by that revelation) along with sausagemeat and softened onions. The stuffing mix was made up with a third less water than the instructions on the pack to allow for the extra juices from the bird.

• Stuff the neck end of the bird and under the skin of the turkey thighs and brush well with melted butter and season lightly.

• Roast the turkey in a preheated 180 C oven. The crown will take around 1.5 hours and the thighs around 55 minutes (depending on the size) and it was suggested that a meat probe is used to check the temperature of the meat by inserting into the thickest part. Once the temperature reaches 66 C for the breast & 72 C for the thighs the turkey will be cooked to perfection and be lovely and juicy and not at all dry.

• To carve the turkey crown firstly remove the stuffing and then slice the turkey with long strokes of a very sharp, good quality carving knife.

To make the gravy

• Add the chopped turkey carcass, legs & wings to a large roasting pan along with butter, onion & garlic and roast for around an hour to an hour and a half. 
• Add water and some bouillon and bring to the boil & cook to release all the flavours.
• Strain through a sieve to catch all the tasty juices. Allow to rest slightly and remove some of the fast that has come to the surface.
• Add the juices to a saucepan and bring to the boil, thickening as required with a little cornflour mixed with water.

Cranberry Sauce

• Homemade cranberry sauce is so easy to make and so much nicer than store bought. My Mum always makes her own and Marco showed us how easy it is.

• Use 500g fresh or frozen cranberries, 250g sugar, 100ml of Port and 100ml of orange juice. Bring to the boil and simmer until the juices have evaporated and you are left with a slightly watery jam consistency.

Most of all be confident and don't be afraid of the turkey - a dry turkey is not the fault of the bird but due to being over cooked so if you invest in a meat probe it will result in a much tastier bird and no complaints on Christmas Day!




You can find lots more turkey tips and info on the lean on turkey website.

My expenses were paid to enable me to attend the masterclass & I received a giftcard towards the cost of my turkey along with a meat probe

Turkey Pinwheel Pops & Nutella Jar Salad

I've been challenged once again by Lean on Turkey to show how versatile turkey can be, and this time the theme is Kids & Picnics. It's just typical that when I decide to take the kids for a picnic it absolutely pours down, all day. Picnics can be just as fun indoors though and looking on the bright side it's less distance to carry the heavy picnic basket.

I decided to go for a couple of novelty recipes that are very simple to prepare and can be packed up easily to take in a picnic basket or eaten at home. Wherever you decide to eat your picnic the kids will love these fun foods. 

I have a stack of Nutella jars in the cupboard, complete with lids, and apart from having a matching set of tumblers I wasn't sure what else to do with them (apart from storing salad dressing). I didn't know if they would be large enough for this salad but they actually hold more than it looks - this salad fills a child's bowl, which is a perfect size for small appetites when accompanied by a couple of turkey pinwheel pops.

I shopped at my usual Asda branch and bought a pack of turkey breast fillets which I used in both recipes, making them very economical. Both recipes would feed 8 small appetites or 4-6 larger ones. Each recipe takes around 30 minutes to prepare and cook and comes in at only £8 for both recipes - just £1 per head, for a nutritious balanced picnic meal for a child.

Turkey Pinwheel Pops - makes 16

200g self raising flour

1 tbsp olive oil

100ml milk (approx)

250g turkey breast fillet

50g sun dried tomato pesto

80g grated mozzarella

16 wooden lollipop sticks (I used coffee stirrers)

• Mix together the flour, oil & milk until it forms a dough - get your hands stuck in & add more milk if it is too dry
• Knead for a couple of minutes and roll out on a floured surface into a rectangle approx 35cm x 25cm
• Lay the turkey between sheets of clingfilm and flatten with a rolling pin
• Spread the pesto evenly over the rolled out dough
• Lay the thin slices of turkey over the pesto
• Roll up tightly along the longest length towards you
• Using a sharp knife slice into 16 equal pieces (approx 2cm each) - you may need to cut the ends off first
• Push a stick through the pinwheel & lay on a greased/lined baking sheet
• Cover each pinwheel with mozzarella
• Bake in a preheated 200 C oven for approx 15-18 minutes

Nutella Jar Turkey Pesto Salad - serves 8

350g turkey breast fillets

olive oil

salt & pepper

375g cooked & cooled pasta

12 cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 red pepper, thinly sliced

handful of rocket

dressing

1 tbsp sun dried tomato pesto

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

juice of 1/2 

• Rub the turkey with olive oil & season with salt & pepper
• Cook on a griddle, under a grill or in a frying pan for approx 8 minutes each side, until cooked through
• Mix together the dressing ingredients
• Slice the cooked turkey into bite sized pieces
• Using an empty Nutella jar (or similar) layer up the salad equally in each jar - pasta, turkey, peppers, tomatoes, dressing & then rocket
• Put the lid on & store in the fridge until picnic time

This is a sponsored post, however the recipes are my own

Turkey Bolognaise with Herby Tortilla Chips

Sometimes (well actually almost all of the time) midweek dinner has to be quick as Jack starts asking for something to eat as soon as we get back from school. If he has a snack he won't eat his dinner, so I try and distract him as much as possible until it's cooked. It usually works and his plate is almost always  clean, and when I cooked this dinner it was no exception, and as a bonus it was on the table in only around 20 minutes.

It was made using one of the packs of the new Schwartz 2in1 recipe mixes that I had been sent. The mixes are in two parts, one that is used to flavour the main dish and the other the side or topping. They come in 5 flavours and you can find out more about them here.

I wanted to try something a little bit different and so didn't follow the recipe on the pack for Garlic and Thyme Roast Chicken and Crispy Roast Potatoes and instead went for Turkey Bolognaise with Herby Tortilla Chips.

Turkey Bolognaise with Herby Tortilla Chips - serves 4

Bolognaise
1 tbsp Olive oil
1 onion, chopped
225g Turkey thigh mince
Schwartz 2in1 Garlic & Thyme (Roast chicken sachet)
400g tin of chopped tomatoes

Tortilla Chips
4 Flour tortillas
Olive oil
Schwartz 2in1 Garlic & Thyme (crispy potatoes sachet)

• Heat the olive oil in a pan
• Add the onion and fry gently for 2 minutes
• Add the turkey mince and fry for 5 minutes, stirring regularly
• Add the roast chicken sachet and tomatoes
• Stir well, place the lid on and simmer for 15 minutes
• Meanwhile preheat the oven to 180 C
• Brush one side of the tortillas with olive oil
• Sprinkle the crispy roast potatoes sachet over the tortillas
• Cut each tortilla into 8 wedges (I use scissors for this)
• Place the tortillas onto baking sheets
• Bake for 8-10 minutes until crispy
• Allow to cool

Serve the bolognaise with pasta, cous cous or rice, salad and the tortilla chips

This post is an entry for BritMums 'What's for Dinner Tonight?' sponsored by Schwartz. find out more about the mixes here.

Turkey & Pesto French Bread Pizza

One of the easiest ways to make pizza is by using a ready made base, but you don't need to just use a pizza base and to be honest many supermarket ready made bases are not particularly tasty. A popular ready made bread product to use as a pizza base in this house is naan bread, especially the garlic and coriander ones as they have so much flavour. Another great alternative is French bread as it's a good way to use up your day old french bread.

This recipe uses very few ingredients and makes a very tasty pizza in around only 30 minutes. Great for  a Saturday night TV dinner or taking on a picnic

Turkey & Pesto French Bread Pizza - serves 4

75g Red pesto

225g Fresh Turkey thigh mince

2 x 6" pieces of French bread

125g Mozzarella, sliced

Fresh Basil & Ground black pepper

• Heat the pesto in a small frying pan
• Add the mince & fry for 8-10 muntes until cooked
• Slice the pieces of French stick lengthways to make 4 pieces
• Divide the turkey between the 4 pieces of French bread & spread over the cut sides
• Add the sliced mozzarella on top of the turkey
• Add a twist of black pepper to each pizza
• Bake in a preheated 180 C oven for approx 20 minutes until the cheese is golden
• Remove from the oven, scatter with fresh basil and serve hot or wrap individually to take on a picnic

This post is an entry for BritMums’ Summer Turkey Recipe Challenge with Lean on Turkey

Chilli Turkey Ciabatta

We've had a few nice days recently so I hope I'm not tempting fate here by saying 'I wonder if Summer is finally on the way'....

I'm hoping that this year we manage a bit more Al Fresco dining that we did last year, although to be honest I think we've managed that already. We have new garden furniture and a parasol that I hope will get plenty of use keeping the sun off us rather than the rain.

I also hope (I'm doing a lot of hoping here) that we get to have some days out with a picnic. We may be just about the furthest from the beach that you can possibly be in this country but at least that means we won't be eating sand sandwiches. Picnics don't have to be boring and this turkey ciabatta sandwich was rustled up in 20 minutes and can be eaten hot or cold.

Chilli Turkey Ciabatta - serves 4

4 Turkey breast steaks
Olive oil
4 tsp Hot Sweet Chilli Sauce
2 tbsp Mayonnaise
squeeze of lemon juice
4 Ciabatta rolls
handful of rocket

• Lay the turkey steaks between 2 layers of clingfilm and bash with a rolling pin to flatten



• Rub both sides od the flattened turkey with olive oil and chilli sauce - use approx 1 tsp of chilli sauce per steak

• Heat a griddle pan (or you can use a bbq) and cook the steaks for approx 2-3 minutes on each side, until cooked completely through
• In the meantime mix the mayonnaise and lemon juice together & set aside
• Halve the ciabattas and once the turkey is cooked lay the bread cut side down on the griddle pan to toast for a minute
• Spread the toasted sides of the ciabatta with the lemon mayonnaise
• PIle some rocket onto one half of the ciabatta and lay the turkey steak on top and then place the other half of the roll on top

This post is an entry for BritMums’ Summer Turkey Recipe Challenge with Lean on Turkey

I have also entered this into a new challenge on Délicieux and Chez Foti which for June is Picnic Food & Outdoor Nibbles 

Four Seasons Food hosted by Delicieux and Chezfoti