Soup to Nuts - The Money Saver's Guide to Ad Hoc Cooking
Lately, I've been splitting my grocery shopping between Fred Meyer and Trader Joe's, both of which are within a couple miles of my place. There is now a gas station at Freddy's, which means that it's good value to buy household items like shower curtains, toasters, light bulbs, etc. there since it will translate to discounts on my gas purchases. On the other hand, Trader Joe's offers great deals on staples, exotic items and interesting finds, so I do a circular loop whenever it's time to stock up.
I had recently purchased two packs of TJ's 99% fat free ground turkey, which is one of the best things about them next to their Box of Wine. I usually buy their chopped veggie bowl (jicama, cabbage, carrot, etc.), mix a pile of it with the meat, onions and olive oil to make veggie burgers, then "grill" them on a cookie sheet lined in tin foil with a cookie cooling rack on top in the oven. (I don't have a barbecue on my deck...not even sure I'm allowed to have one...and so just resort to a workaround.)
Two days ago, I made taco meat with the ground turkey, using my staple McCormick's low sodium taco seasoning, and thought I'd do that again tonight. It's Sunday, football day, I have some pico de gallo in the fridge...why not, right? But as I browned the turkey and onions, I wasn't feeling tacos. I knew that I had some chicken broth in the cupboard, and decided that the earlier binge on TJ's "reduced guilt white corn chips" warranted a more ascetic dinner, so I went, "Soup!"
I checked pantry and fridge, and finally decided on the following. I can't tell you how much I appreciate the efficiency of pre-chopped veg, pre-mixed seasonings and the gluten-free, dairy-free and low-sodium options these places provide. Yes, it might be slightly less expensive to get all the pieces myself, but this method also reduces mistakes by someone who isn't fully versed in the nuances of herbs, spices and culinary whatnot.
What came out of my fridge, and actually turned out to be crazy tasty, was the following:
Ingredients:
1 pack - 99% fat free ground turkey breast (TJ's)
1/2 sweet onion, chopped (both)
1 tbsp. olive oil (both)
1 - 32 fl. oz. reduced-sodium organic chicken broth (TJ's)
1/2 bag - Fresh Selections Asian Chopped Salad Kit (FM)
1/4 c. crushed almonds, dry roasted/unsalted (TJ's)
1/2 tbsp minced garlic (FM)
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
21 Seasoning Salute to taste (TJ's)
Preparation:
I had recently purchased two packs of TJ's 99% fat free ground turkey, which is one of the best things about them next to their Box of Wine. I usually buy their chopped veggie bowl (jicama, cabbage, carrot, etc.), mix a pile of it with the meat, onions and olive oil to make veggie burgers, then "grill" them on a cookie sheet lined in tin foil with a cookie cooling rack on top in the oven. (I don't have a barbecue on my deck...not even sure I'm allowed to have one...and so just resort to a workaround.)
Two days ago, I made taco meat with the ground turkey, using my staple McCormick's low sodium taco seasoning, and thought I'd do that again tonight. It's Sunday, football day, I have some pico de gallo in the fridge...why not, right? But as I browned the turkey and onions, I wasn't feeling tacos. I knew that I had some chicken broth in the cupboard, and decided that the earlier binge on TJ's "reduced guilt white corn chips" warranted a more ascetic dinner, so I went, "Soup!"
I checked pantry and fridge, and finally decided on the following. I can't tell you how much I appreciate the efficiency of pre-chopped veg, pre-mixed seasonings and the gluten-free, dairy-free and low-sodium options these places provide. Yes, it might be slightly less expensive to get all the pieces myself, but this method also reduces mistakes by someone who isn't fully versed in the nuances of herbs, spices and culinary whatnot.
What came out of my fridge, and actually turned out to be crazy tasty, was the following:
Ingredients:
1 pack - 99% fat free ground turkey breast (TJ's)
1/2 sweet onion, chopped (both)
1 tbsp. olive oil (both)
1 - 32 fl. oz. reduced-sodium organic chicken broth (TJ's)
1/2 bag - Fresh Selections Asian Chopped Salad Kit (FM)
1/4 c. crushed almonds, dry roasted/unsalted (TJ's)
1/2 tbsp minced garlic (FM)
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
21 Seasoning Salute to taste (TJ's)
Preparation:
- Preheat olive oil to medium heat in a large flat pan.
- Add chopped sweet onion and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.
- Add ground turkey to onions/oil and stir-fry until white (no pink showing). Remove from heat.
- Turn the burner up to max heat and place a saucepan on it.
- Pour the chicken broth into the saucepan.
- Add Asian Chopped Salad and turkey/onion mix to the saucepan. (Throw away the salad dressing pack unless you desire to use it later.)
- Add minced garlic, salt, pepper, almonds and 21 Seasoning Salute to saucepan.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
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