Shepherd's Pie a la Moussaka

I while back I was in the mood for some moussaka. Then I thought to myself, why not make the meat mixture for moussaka but make it into a shepherd's pie instead. I started googling and came upon another foodie who had the same idea! I was psyched to discover that this foodie was a chef... did this mean that I thought like a Fusion chef?
Probably not, but I like to think so, so don't burst my bubble!

Seeing as I had never made moussaka, I based my recipe on his, altering it to make it more 'hips & thighs' friendly , or 'gut' friendly or 'heart' friendly... or whatever part of your body you are trying to make peace with!

Here is my version of Chef John's Shepherd's Pie "Moussaka".

We all enjoyed this recipe, I toned my down when it came to spices so that my little critics would eat it... and yeah, mama is a sissy who can't handle the heat! You can handle the heat, then go check out Chef John's spice mix and use it instead of mine. (keep in mind that I halved the recipe).
Ingredients
(4 servings)

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion
1 lb ground turkey

SPICE MIX
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp greek seasoning

2 garlic cloves
1/3 cup tomato paste
1 eggplant (350 gr), peeled and diced

1 1/2 lb potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 tbsp light margarine
1/4 cup fat free milk
1/4 cup fresh parmesan, shredded

Directions
1- In a large pan, heat olive oil.
2- Saute onions until soft.
3 - Add turkey, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks.
4 - Add spice mix and garlic.
5- Turn heat to medium low.
6 - Add tomato paste and diced eggplant, and mix.
7 - Cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
8- In a pot, boil some water and add potatoes.
9- drain potatoes and mash with milk, margarine and parmesan cheese.
8- Remove cover from meat near the end to let liquid evaporate a little.
9- Fill a casserole with meat mixture and top with mashed potatoes.
10- Bake in a preheated oven (medium-high heat) for approx. 20 minutes or until top is golden.

Nutritional Data
1 serving
9 WW points
413 calories
15.8 g fat
83.9 mg chol
40 g carbs
6.6 g fiber
4.3 g sugars
29.8 g protein

Kid-Proof Asian Turkey Noodles

My husband and I often like to eat late, once the kids have gone to bed. We enjoy the quiet, relax environment that allows us to have an uninterrupted conversation. On night's like that, I often whip out some quick child favorites for the kids. My little critics love this concoction! It might not look so appealing to adults, it looks kind of "blah" an colorless... but I've learned that with my kids the less different colors the better. They seem to prefer a uniform dish (like mac n cheese). Might not be the case with you children, but this sweet dish should please them either way!


Ingredients
(3 servings)
350 g ground turkey
100 g dry wok noodles (straight to wok noodles) *
1 onion, diced
2 tsp hoisin sauce
2 tsp garlic-ginger paste
salt to taste
Pam spray
water

Directions
1- Spray deep pan, or wok with Pam and heat.
2- Add onions and cook on medium heat until soft.
3- Add ground turkey, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks.
4 - When turkey is cooked, add hoisin sauce, ginger-garlic paste and fast cooking wok noodles.
5 - Add a few tablespoons of water, not too much, just enough so that the pasta gets cooked and that it evaporates when pasta is ready (about 2-3 tbsp, and 4-5 minutes of cooking)

* Wok noodles; I use noodles that are to be added directly to the wok unboiled. You can also use ramen noodles, they cook quickly. Or if you don't have straight to wok noodles, then some precooked egg noodles should please the little critics ;)

Nutritional Data
1 serving
6 WW points
278 cal
14.1 g fat
37.4 g chol
22.8 g carbs
2.2 g fiber
0.3 g sugars
13.4 g protein

Turkey Bolognese Sauce

I love Spaghetti Bolognese, and to make it worse, I like mine "gratinée" or "au gratin" as some others may say, which is topped with cheese then melted under the broiler! I'm salivating just thinking about my Spaghetti Gratinée! However, it can pack a good amount of calories and fat, so I made some changes to my regular beef sauce. Turkey doesn't quite have the same texture as beef, but once the sauce is mix with the pasta and topped with cheese, I am satisfied. I usually melt mozzarella on top, but to cut back on calories, I am opting for Parmesan, which I love just as much!


Ingredients
(makes 7 cups of sauce)

1 tbsp olive oil
2 cups diced onion
1 1/2 cup bell pepper (color of your choice, I prefer sweet)
1 cup diced celery
4 garlic cloes, minced

1 lb ground turkey (white meat)
salt & pepper to taste

2 cans (14 oz/400g each) of chopped tomatoes
1 jar (14 oz/400g) Passata (tomato puree)
1 cup water
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp sun-dried tomato pesto
2 tbsp fresh chopped basil
2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp sugar *

Directions
-Heat oil in a large pot.
- Add diced vegetables and garlic.
- Cook covered, stirring occasionally for 5-10 minutes, until vegetables are soft.
- Add groudn turkey and season with salt and pepper. Mix and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to break up the turkey.
- Once Turkey is no longer pink, add the remaining ingreditents and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes on low or until the water has absorbed and the sauce is thick. If you wish to have a less thick sauce, you can add 1 cup of tomato sauce instead of water and don't simmer it as long... although, it won't be as flavourful if it simmers for less time.

* The sugar is there to break down the acidity from the chopped tomatoes and passata.

Nutritional Data
1 cup serving
6 WW points
280.1 cal
12.9 g fat
65.6 mg cholesterol
14.7 g carbs
3.4 g fiber
4.8 g sugars
21.2 g protein

Turkey Muffinloafs

I made some miniature meatloaves today and they were a huge hit with one little critic. The other critic only ate half, which is usual for her. These were fun for the critics since they could eat them with their hands once they had cooled a little. We devoured ours with some BBQ sauce.... mmmmm.
I did put fresh veggies in it, and assumed they would have time to be fully cooked, but I was wrong. I enjoyed the crunch they gave, but I'm guessing that is why one little critic didn't finish her plate... Therefore, next time I will saute the onions and peppers and let them cool before adding them to the mix.
I am going to freeze the leftovers for a quick and healthy lunch later on. We had this with some sweet & sour coleslaw; the flavors mixed perfectly!
Ingredients

1/2 onion, finely diced (1/2 cup)*
1 small red pepper, finely diced (1 cup)*
1/2 cup shredded carrot (1 small carrot)
3/4 cup shredded zucchini (1 small zucchini)
1 egg
1 tbsp Dijon a l'ancienne (old-fashioned)
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
100 ml uncooked whole wheat couscous
1 lb lean ground turkey (white meat)
Pam

Directions
- Preheat oven to 200 C
- *If you do not want crunchy onions and peppers, saute them in a little olive oil for 5 minutes. If you don't mind, skip this step.
- Mix all ingredients well with your hands.
- Spray 8 wholes of a muffin tin.
- Pack with meat mixture.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until meat thermometer reads 75 C.

Note
Seeing as all muffin tins vary in size keep in mind that the nutritional values are based on my muffin tin (12 holes, only 8 used).

Nutritional Data
1 muffin was perfect for the little critics and 2 muffins were good for mama ;)
1 muffinloaf =
3 WW points
154 cal
4.8 g fat
66 g cholesterol
13.6 g carbs
1.6 g fiber
13.8 g protein