Baked Ground Turkey and Sweet Potato Empanadas with a Roasted Red Pepper Garlic Aioli

I have an obsession with ground turkey. I use it often in many recipes (skinny lasagna, meatballs, turkey picadillo, etc.) It's an easy substitution for ground beef, and is usually a leaner option. My latest creation made with ground turkey were ground turkey and sweet potato empanadas for Sunday football. I was watching my beloved Miami Dolphins play and enjoying some yummy food. I grew up eating empanadas filled with all sorts of meats and fruit. I knew I wanted empanadas for my football menu and knew that I didn't want anything fried. So, I decided to make these amazing baked empanadas:

Ingredients:

1 lb ground turkey

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 carrot, peeled and chopped

1 small sweet potato, peeled and cut into small pieces

salt and pepper

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground oregano

shredded Mexican cheese blend

1 egg for an egg wash

In a pot, over medium-high heat, add olive oil, onions and garlic. Cook for about 3 minutes and then add ground turkey. Cook until turkey has browned. Add carrots and continue cooking.

Cut sweet potato into small bite-sized pieces. Add sweet potato to turkey. Add salt, pepper, cumin and oregano and mix together. Cover and cook on medium heat for about 7-8 minutes. Remove turkey from heat.

When I make empanadas, I take a shortcut on the dough. Surely you can make your own dough, but I purchase packaged frozen dough at the grocery store. SOOO much easier. Make sure you defrost your dough by leaving it out for 1 hour prior to using.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lay out your empanada circles on a lightly floured surface. Add about 1 spoonful of the ground turkey and sweet potato mixture to one-half of the circle.

Top with shredded cheese. 

Now close your empanada by making sure the sides meet up. Then take a fork and press down all around the empanada to close it securely. 

Transfer empanadas to a lightly greased baking pan. Brush with an egg wash and transfer to oven. Bake empanadas until they turn golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Aren't they gorgeous?

I love ground turkey and sweet potatoes. I think they go amazing together!! I served my empanadas with a red pepper garlic aioli. The aioli is super easy to make. 

Roasted Red Pepper Garlic Aioli

Ingredients:

1 roasted red pepper

1 cup lite mayonnaise

3 garlic cloves

1 chipotle pepper with adobo

salt and pepper 

Add all ingredients into the blender or a food processor. Blend until smooth.

Easy, huh?

These empanadas were perfect game-day food. They are handheld, only require a napkin and can be made for a crowd! 

Skinny Lasagna

New year, new weight loss resolutions and new fitness goals. We've all been there and it's hard to keep up. Losing weight and getting fit takes effort and dedication. I'm terrible at both. I take it step by step, especially this year, I have a wedding to look amazing for. I've started with some walking and trying out skinnier versions of my favorite meals. I do not deprive myself of yummy foods. It doesn't work for me so I just come up with variations that still taste amazing, like this skinny lasagna. Skinny lasagna still has pasta, still has meat and still has cheese, just with some changes like ground turkey instead of ground beef, cottage cheese instead of ricotta cheese and 2% mozzarella instead of whole. I promise you it's delicious and your whole family will love it!

Skinny Lasagna

Serves 12

Ingredients:

1 box cooked lasagna noodles

1 1/2 lbs lean ground turkey

1 can diced tomatoes

1 small yellow onion, chopped

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp oregano

1 16oz tub of cottage cheese

2 cups of 2% reduced fat shredded mozzarella cheese

fresh basil leaves

salt and pepper

1 tbsp olive oil

2 cups of red pasta sauce

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a pot, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil over high heat. Add ground turkey and cook until brown. Once browned, add onions, garlic, tomatoes, cumin, oregano and tomatoes. Mix well, cover, lower heat to medium and simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

Lightly grease a 13 x 9 baking dish. Add red pasta sauce to the pan, covering the bottom, about 1 cup. Layer with lasagna noodles and then ground turkey mixture. Layer with noodles and then top with half the cottage cheese. 

Repeat the layering process. 

On your last layer of noodles, spread 1 cup of red pasta sauce, top with mozzarella cheese and basil leaves. Cover with aluminum foil and transfer to oven. 

Bake covered for 15 minutes and then uncover and bake for another 15 minutes. Once cheese is golden, remove from oven!

Let sit for about 15 minutes before cutting into the lasagna. It will be gooey and cheesy and amazing!!

This lasagna is a staple in our home (especially since Amberly and JC have both cut red meat out of their diets). Sometimes, I make two and freeze the second one. We love lasagna and this skinny lasagna is heaven-sent!!

Best Ever Homemade Pancakes

Is there anything better than light, fluffy homemade pancakes for breakfast? Nope!! Homemade pancakes are so heavenly. My kids are big pancake fans and I knew I had to come up with the perfect homemade recipe for them to enjoy. It took me a couple tries but I've done it!! Here is the best ever homemade pancakes recipe you will ever have!

Homemade is best. Even though it takes a little extra time and effort, I prefer making homemade food for my family. I like knowing what is in their food and I like knowing that the food is fresh. 

Homemade Pancakes

Makes about 8

Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour

2 tbsp granulated sugar

1 tbsp light brown sugar

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/4 cup whole milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 tbsp unsalted butter (melted)

1 large egg

maple syrup for serving

Heat electric griddle to 350 degrees. 

In a bowl, with a wire whisk, stir flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add milk, vanilla, butter and egg. Stir until flour is moistened. Do not over mix as this will toughen pancakes. 

On a hot griddle, pour about 1/4 cup of batter per pancake. Cook until bubbly and then flip pancakes.

Flip pancake. Cook another 3 minutes and then remove from griddle.

Serve with warm maple syrup.

Honestly, these pancakes are amazing. Make them for your family for breakfast and you will be a star!!!

Homemade Turkey Meatballs

I love meatballs. If we go out to eat and there is a meatball dish on the menu, you can be 100% sure that I will choose it. To me, meatballs are little balls of deliciousness. Adrian also shares  my love of meatballs so I make them often for dinner. Last night, I made homemade turkey meatballs and Adrian gobbled them up! Homemade meatballs are so easy to make and can be frozen for a later date! So perfect for busy families like mine!

Homemade Turkey Meatballs

(makes about 25)

Ingredients:

2 lbs ground turkey

1/4 cup chopped onions

4 garlic cloves, diced

1 egg

1 bunch chopped fresh sage or 1 tbsp dried sage

3 tbsp mesquite smoked barbeque sauce

1/4 cup bread crumbs

splash of milk

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium sized bowl, combine the turkey, onions, garlic, egg, sage, barbeque sauce, bread crumbs, milk, salt and pepper. Make sure to use your hands, they are going to get dirty shaping meatballs anyway. 

With a small scoop, scoop up about 1 tbsp of meat mixture and roll into a meatball with your hands. Place on a ungreased baking sheet. 

Transfer baking sheet to oven and bake for 35-40 minutes. 

Remove from oven and serve with pasta or mashed potatoes!

Sweet & Spicy Barbecue Chicken

Grilling season is upon us and one of my favorite things to grill is chicken. You can make it so many ways and my family loves it. We grill at least twice a week and with all this grilling I have perfected our favorite: Sweet & Spicy Barbecue Chicken!!

Ingredients:

Bone-in chicken pieces (I use breast, thighs and drumsticks)

For Marinade:

2 cloves of garlic, diced

salt and pepper to taste

a dash of paprika

Italian dressing to coat.

After Grilling:

1 bottle of sweet & spice BBQ sauce

Grilling Time; 1 hour

At least 4 hours before grilling, add chicken to a bowl. Add garlic and season with salt and pepper,t o taste. Add a dash of paprika and enough Italian dressing to coat the chicken. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours.

Light up your grill. I have a gas grill so I just turn it on medium heat and close the cover. I wait about 10 minutes before I add the chicken. I like my grill to be nice and hot. I place the chicken on the bottom part of the grill, closest to the flame for about 5-6 minutes per side. Then, SUPER IMPORTANT: I move the chicken to the top shelf, lower the heat to medium and close the cover! Moving the chicken to the top does not let the chicken get charred. I do not like eating burned chicken and this has become the fool-proof method to perfectly grilled chicken!

You are going to cook the chicken on the top shelf for about 45 minutes. It is very important to cook bone-in chicken thoroughly. While it's on the top shelf, I turn it twice so I make sure its evenly cooked. The second time I go to turn it, I brush the chicken with the barbecue sauce. 

Once I check that the chicken is done, I brush the chicken with the barbecue sauce again, cover and turn off the grill. I leave the chicken in there for about another 5 minutes. Then I just remove the chicken from the grill and serve! Sometimes I will accompany this chicken with baked potatoes and grilled asparagus but most of the time, I just set it out on a dish and people just grab-n-go!!

Do you like to grill? Do you use my same top-shelf grilling method?

Cheesy, Meaty Penne Pasta

I had an insane weekend and am working on a recap so today I want to share with you one of our favorite meals: cheesy, meaty penne pasta!! This dish is super simple to make and gets devoured each and every time. It's definitely kid-friendly and can be made quickly!

Ingredients: (serves 6)

1 1/2 lbs ground turkey or beef

1 box penne pasta, cooked according to package instructions

1/2 chopped yellow onions

4 garlic cloves, diced

1 jar pasta sauce

1 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Shredded Mozzarella and Parmesan

Directions:

Heat olive oil in saute pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and cook until softened. Add ground beef/turkey and brown. Season with salt and pepper.

While meat is browning, cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain.

Once meat has browned, add the pasta sauce, cover and leave on low heat.  

Serve pasta in a bowl, Add meaty sauce and top with shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. Enjoy with a nice spinach salad and garlic bread!

I love penne pasta because it is so simple to make and really feeds a crowd. Try this tonight in your home and let me know what your family thinks!

Easy Appetizer: Baked Brie

Today I want to share with you a super easy appetizer that I love to make during football season. This is my one piece of fancy during the season. My brother and JC love it and I love that I can make it and just set it out and watch the games. This is an easy game time recipe, nothing crazy and actually a very popular appetizer at parties. I'm sure you have had baked brie at one party or another and it's really super delicious and versatile. You can add anything you want to it but I make mine with orange marmalade and honey!

BAKED BRIE

INGREDIENTS:

1 wheel brie cheese (8oz)

1 pkg refrigerated crescent rolls

2 tbsp orange marmalade

1 tbsp honey

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Unroll pkg of crescent rolls on parchment paper until flat. Remove 4 triangles and set aside. Place brie roll in center of dough. Top brie with marmalade and drizzle honey. Wrap brie cheese with crescent rolls until fully covered. It takes about 4 triangles to cover but I always use a 5th one to top the cheese and make sure it's all held together. 

Place in oven and cook for about 15-18 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Remove from oven. Let sit for about 5 minutes and then transfer to serving plate.

Serve with pita chips, club crackers, fruit, etc. I like to serve the brie with pita chips to give it a sweet and salty effect. 

See? It doesn't really get much easier than that. I love everything about this appetizer, especially the flaky crust and ooey gooey cheese!! YUM!!!

Have you ever made baked brie? Do you use marmalades, fresh fruit or just honey? 

Major Savings With Kraft Printable Coupons & A Recipe!

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias Inc., and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #PackedWithSavings #CollectiveBias

As I was doing my weekly coupon search, I saw a lot of printable coupons available, especially Kraft coupons. I noticed that there were coupons available for one of our favorite meals: Bacon and Three Cheese Hot dogs, so you know I rushed to print them out. I love a good deal!

I always use my coupons at Walmart because I know I am going to get a good deal. I just go online, check the ones I want and print. Super easy!

The following printable coupons are available for a limited time:

SAVE 75¢ on ONE (1) JELL-O University Mold Kit (Walmart)

SAVE 75¢ on ONE (1) KRAFT Natural Shredded or Chunk Cheese (16 oz) (Walmart)

SAVE $1.00 on TWO (2) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese Spreads (8 oz) (Walmart)

SAVE 50¢ on ONE (1) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese (8 oz) (Walmart)

SAVE 75¢ on ONE (1) KRAFT Salad Dressing (24 oz) (Walmart)

SAVE $1.00 on ONE (1) TACO BELL® Sour Cream Dip (Walmart)

SAVE 50¢ on ONE (1) KOOL-AID Ready-To-Serve (96 oz) (Walmart)

SAVE $1.00 on ONE (1) OSCAR MAYER Butcher Cut Bacon (Walmart)

SAVE $1.00 on TWO (2) LUNCHABLES UPLOADED Lunch Combinations (Walmart)

SAVE $1.00 on ONE (1) VELVEETA Shells & Cheese Dinners (3-pack) (Walmart)

SAVE $1.00 on ONE (1) KRAFT Macaroni & Cheese Dinner (5 pack) (Walmart)

SAVE 75¢ on ONE (1) PLANTERS Peanuts (16 oz) (Walmart)

SAVE $1.00 on ONE (1) MAXWELL HOUSE Coffee (3 lb) (Walmart)

SAVE 50¢ on ONE (1) KRAFT Mayonnaise (30 oz) (Walmart)

SAVE 50¢ on ONE (1) MIRACLE WHIP Dressing (30 oz) (Walmart)

SAVE 75¢ on ONE (1) KRAFT Singles (16 oz) (Walmart)

SAVE 50¢ on ONE (1) KOOL-AID Jammers Juice Drink (10-pack) (Walmart)

SAVE $1.00 on ONE (1) CAPRI SUN Juice Drinks (30-pack) (Walmart)

SAVE $1.00 on TWO (2) OSCAR MAYER Beef Hot Dogs (16 oz) (Walmart)

SAVE $1.00 on ONE (1) VELVEETA® (32 oz) (Walmart)

$1.00 off JET-PUFFED, HONEY MAID, and HERSHEY's

$0.75 off 2 bags JET-PUFFED Marshmallows

Printable coupons available here! Hurry and print these coupons as prints are limited.

On to the recipe:

Using my coupons, I purchased everything I needed for my recipe: Oscar Mayer Beef Hot Dogs, Oscar Mayer Thick Cut Bacon and Kraft Three Cheese shredded cheese. 

Bacon and Three Cheese Hot Dogs:

Ingredients:

1 pkg Oscar Mayer hot dogs

1 slice of Thick Cut Bacon per hot dog being made

6 oz Kraft Three Cheese shredded cheese

Hot dog buns

toppings, as desired

Directions:

Cover 10 x 15 sheet/pan with aluminum foil. Place bacon on pan. Put in a cold oven. After bacon is in oven, heat oven to 425 degrees. Cook for about 15 minutes, turning each slice once during cooking. Once cooked, remove form oven and transfer to a plate to drain. Once cooled, chop into bite-sized pieces.

Meanwhile, heat grill to about 300 degrees. Add hot dogs and grill until well cooked.

Arrange your hot dogs in the buns and place on another 10 x 15 sheet/pan. Add shredded cheese to the top of each hot dog. Place in oven and turn on your broiler to HI. Cook about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. 

Remove hot dogs from oven and top with bacon. VOILA!! Delicious, cheesy, meaty hot dogs!!

If you like hot dogs, then this is definitely a recipe for you! Make sure to print out the online coupons available so you can save money and have a yummy meal!!

Easy 3-Ingredient Habanero Black Bean Dip!

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc., and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. ##SauceOn #CollectiveBias


My favorite time of the year is coming up: football season!! I love watching as many college and professional games as I can. This is the one time a year I do not make any weekend plans other than watching games or tailgating! Now with game watching comes eating and lots of it, so I am already working on new recipes this year that I can enjoy while tailgating or watching the games at home. Some of my favorite game time foods are foods that involve Habanero peppers or hot sauce. Since I am trying out new things, I decided I wanted to kick my normally plain black bean dip up a notch but still keep it easy. I wanted to make an Habanero Black Bean Dip!!!

While picking up some groceries at Publix a couple days ago, I decided to stroll down the International Foods aisle and see what I could use to add more flavor to my dip. Now, I grew up in a Cuban household and we do not add spicy peppers or hot sauce to our dishes so I never know which one to get. I'm a little scared of using the actual habanero peppers. I might use too much and ruin my meal so I prefer to use a bottled hot sauce. 

I picked up the most authentic hot sauce I found: El Yucateco. I purchased one of each flavor available since I wasn't sure exactly how hot they actually were. 

El Yucateco Hot Sauce comes in:

Red Habanero Sauce

Green Habanero Sauce

XXXtra Hot Kutbil-ik Sauce

When I got home, I tried each one out and decided to use the one with the hottest flavor (XXXtraHotKutbil-ik Sauce) to make my new and improved Habanero Black Bean Dip! I love black bean dip. I eat it with pita chips, veggies or regular chips. All you need for this dip is a blender and three ingredients. Couldn't be any simpler!!

3-Ingredient Habanero Black Bean Dip

Ingredients:

1 15 oz. can black beans

4 oz sour cream

1 tbsp El Yucateco XXXtra Hot Kutbil-ik sauce

Directions:

In a blender, add one can of black beans. You can drain out all the water if you want a really thick dip or leave some in for a thinner dip. Don't use all the water in the can!

Add 4 oz of sour cream

Add hot sauce. I added about a tbsp, you can use more or less depending on your tolerance of hot sauce. I'm a rookie, only a little for me!

Blend for about 30 seconds and pour into a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Serve and enjoy! If you like cilantro, you can serve with a little diced or dried cilantro.

Seriously, it was that easy!! This dip is perfect for those last minute get-togethers, football season, parties or just an evening at home! You can also add it to wraps such as a chicken wrap or a black bean and sweet potato wrap. The possibilities are endless!!

For more recipes using El Yucateco Hot Sauce, click here.

Do you like black bean dip? What's your favorite football season food?