BLENDITARIAN CHALLENGE SERIES

Blenditarian.Com has initiated a monthly challenge that incorporates their Blenditarian approach into interesting and fun dishes.  To clarify for my readers, a Blenditarian is “one who believes the mighty, meaty mushroom makes meals more delicious, nutritious and sustainable.”  This approach stretches ground meat by adding finely chopped mushrooms to create a flavourful and more nutritious dish. The theme for the April Blenditarian Challenge is “Go Green for Earth Month.” The challenge is to create an earth-‘friendlier’ dish by incorporating The Blend (mushrooms + ground meat) into “power greens.” For this reason, I have developed a recipe called Turkey, Mushroom and Power Greens Pasta. It is a recipe that can be adapted for many dietary needs, such as dairy-free, gluten-free, heart-healthy, and is also Weight Watchers friendly.

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When you use chicken or turkey in a ‘Blend’, it is called a ‘blond blend’. Lean ground turkey is an excellent choice, not only because it is a low-fat protein option, but also because it readily assimilates the flavours of the ingredients. In this recipe, spices such as cumin and chilli powder lend a subtle earthy spiciness, and using paprika helps to create an appealing golden colour to the meat mixture. The use of fresh herbs (parsley and basil) adds brightness to the dish.

Let’s talk about power greens. Power greens can be described as a nutrient-dense superfood of leafy greens contributing an energy boost with high amounts of Vitamins A and C, iron and calcium, dietary fibre and potassium. The greens can be used individually or can be found in a mix often comprised of baby spinach, Swiss chard (both red and green), and kale. For this recipe, I utilized Dinosaur Kale (also known as Tuscan kale, or black kale). I love the look of the curled dark glossy leaves. It is a sturdy green with a tough stalk.  I removed the stalk by slicing along each side. Once all of the stalks have been removed, I gathered the leafy ‘strips’ and sliced them thinly (a chiffonade cut). I added the prepared kale to the pasta water during the last few minutes of cooking.

Turkey, Mushroom and Power Greens Pasta

CHEF TALK: This is a versatile pasta dish that can be easily altered to suit everyone’s taste.  If you prefer spicy dishes, ramp up the chilli peppers; for more savoury tastes, add sage and poultry seasoning.  Substitute the lean ground turkey for beef or pork, or ground chicken, or even ground lamb for a change.  

CHEF TIP: For additional nutrition, place a large handful of fresh baby spinach or a mixture of power greens into the bottom of each serving bowl before adding a portion of pasta and sauce.

Yield: 4 – 6 servings

WW points per serving: 4 (1 cup whole wheat pasta = 4 pts; 3 oz. ground turkey breast = 0 points; tomatoes = 0 points, 1/4 teaspoon olive oil = 0 points; spices = 0 points; onion = 0 points; parsley, basil, kale = 0 points; Parmesan, (if using) 1/4 oz per serving = 1 point)

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) olive oil
• 1 lb. (454 g) ground turkey
• 2 teaspoons (10 ml.) ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) paprika
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) kosher salt
• ½ – 1 teaspoon (2.5 – 5 ml) freshly ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) onion powder
• ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) garlic powder
• 1 medium onion, diced finely
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 oz. (226 ml) Cremini mushrooms, minced
• 1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (14 oz.) can tomato sauce
• 1 small bunch fresh Italian parsley, chopped
• 1 small bunch fresh basil, chopped (chiffonade), optional (or 1 teaspoon dried)
• 1 bunch (5 oz./140 g) Dino kale or regular kale or another favourite power green, trimmed and sliced (chiffonade)
• 10 oz. package whole wheat dry penne pasta or gluten-free penne pasta
• 1 oz. Parmesan Cheese, for garnish

METHOD:

1. Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ground turkey, breaking it up with a spatula or wooden spoon into small pieces. Cook until browned, about 5 – 8 minutes.
2. Stir the spices and dried herbs into the ground turkey and cook, continue stirring for one minute to cook out the spices. Remove the turkey from the pan and place in a bowl and set aside. CHEF TIP: Removing the cooked ground turkey from the pan prevents it from overcooking and drying out.
3. In the same frying pan, add the onion, garlic and mushrooms, adding one additional teaspoon of olive oil, if necessary. Sauté the vegetables until translucent.
4. Return the turkey mixture to the frying pan. Add the diced tomatoes (undrained), tomato sauce, chopped parsley and basil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.
5. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the penne pasta according to directions (approximately 7 – 9 minutes). During the last five minutes of cooking, add the shredded kale to the boiling water. When the pasta is al dente, drain both the pasta and kale, reserving some of the pasta water in case you need to thin out the sauce. Pour the hot pasta and kale onto a large serving platter.
6. Serve the sauce on top of the pasta and kale mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese and enjoy! Serve with a glass of red wine.

Here is your visual step-by-step in photographs:

What Else Can I Do With This Recipe?

LEARNING TIPS:  

Please CLICK the link above to access my UrbnSpice LEARNING TIPS, which are listed alphabetically on the Learning Tips blog post under the following subheadings:

• Tweaking – Flavour Amendment
• Basic Tools – The Simple Spatula
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You Might Also Enjoy These Recipes:

Date Night Spaghetti Sauce

Blenditarian Hamburger Soup

My Mom’s French Canadian Tourtiere

How to Chiffonade

Sources:

Blenditarian

All About Dinosaur Kale

Power Greens

This recipe is adapted from Turkey and Greens Skillet Pasta by The Kitchn