This is still a recipe in progress, but good nonetheless. I’m thinking of making the following changes:

• Replace the kidney beans with corn, because we have picky eaters in my family that don’t like kidney beans.
• Increase the amount of chili powder and cumin. Spices quickly loose flavour in a slow-cooker meal.
• Put the tomatoes in undrained. I found the recipe a bit dry for my liking.

This was a nice hearty meal.

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 lb ground turkey
1 can (14oz) diced tomatoes
1 can (15oz) kidney beans
1-2 tsp chili powder
a pinch of cumin
a pinch of dried marjoram
2 cups dry macaroni
3/4 cup Cheddar cheese
3/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese
4 oz goat cheese

Heat the oil in a frypan over medium heat. Fry the onion and garlic a few minutes until soft. Add the turkey and cook until no longer pink.

Spray the inside of a slow cooker with cooking spray. Transfer the turkey mixture into the slow cooker. Stir in tomatoes, beans, and spices. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.

Cook macaroni in a pot of boiling water for five minutes, just until noodles are flexible. Drain and add to the slow cooker. Cook on low another hour.

Stir in the Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses just before serving. Sprinkle crumbled goat cheese on top.

Makes 6 Servings

Leftover Turkey, Mushroom, and Wild Rice Soup
6 servings

2-3 cups diced leftover turkey
6 cups chicken stock (or 4 cans chicken broth)
1 tsp. dried thyme or 2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
1 onion, diced small
1/2 cup diced celery
2 T butter, divided
Vege-Sal or salt to taste
fresh ground black pepper to taste
8 oz. sliced white or brown mushrooms
8 oz. sliced Baby Bella or shitake mushrooms (not dried shitakes)
2 cups water
1 T Better Than Bouillon Mushroom Base (optional but recommended)
1 T soy sauce (or more if you do not have the mushroom base)
3 T flour
1 cup cooked wild rice or wild/brown rice mix
1 cup half and half or cream

Put stock or broth in soup pot with turkey and thyme and heat to low simmer. Melt 1/2 T butter in small frying pan and saute onion and celery 3-5 minutes. Add to soup pot with water, mushroom base, and soy sauce and simmer 15 minutes.

While soup simmers, saute mushrooms about 5 minutes in 1/2 T of butter. Add mushrooms to soup and simmer 15-20 minutes more. In same pan that mushrooms and veggies were cooked in, melt remaining 1 T butter. Wisk in flour and cook 2 minutes. One cup at a time, wisk 2 cups of soup liquid into the flour mixture and heat until mixture starts to thicken. Pour thickened mixture back into soup pot and stir to distribute.

Taste for seasoning, add salt and pepper to taste. If mixture seems too thin, cook down for a few minutes. When soup has reached desired thickness, add wild rice and cook 2-3 minutes. Add half and half or cream, stir in and heat thoroughly but do not boil. Serve hot.

1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 Egg
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup bottled chili sauce, DIVIDED
1 cup fresh salsa
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup finely chopped onions
1 cup finely chopped celery
1 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
2 cloves minced garlic
2 pounds Ground Skinless Turkey Breast

Preheat oven to 350?. Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet and add celery, onion, red bell pepper and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat until tender, about 5 minutes. In a large bowl, combine ground turkey, bread crumbs, parsley, egg, thyme, salt, pepper, cooked vegetables and 1/4 cup chili sauce, and mix well.
Shape mixture into a loaf and place in a 13 x 9 inch baking pan. Brush top of loaf with remaining 1/4 cup chili sauce. Bake 1 hour 15 minutes, or until firm. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing. Garnish slices with salsa

Per Serving: 193 Cals, 4g Fat, 10g Carbs, 29g Protein