Thai Turkey with Basil

I found this in a recipe book that had Chinese, Japanese and Thai recipes in it. I forgot I even had the book so I marked what I wanted to try and I'll add it to my recipe collection on my computer. This recipe stuck out and I knew I would try it soon. I made it this morning and yes I know it was only 10am but I didn't care. It was sooooo good! I've never fried basil before so that was new to me. You are supposed to serve it on a piece of lettuce, which I did but I also put some additional lettuce leaves on the side to wrap it up in. I also drizzled some hoisin sauce over the top. The recipe calls for Boston or Bibb lettuce but I couldn't find any at two grocery stores so I just used iceberg lettuce, which worked fine.



Thai Turkey with Basil (4 servings)

1 small bunch fresh basil, divided
2 c veggie oil
6 large shallots, coarsely chopped (I used the other half of a white onion, diced)
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 piece fresh ginger, cut into thin strips
1 lg ground turkey
2 fresh Thai chili peppers, cut into thin slices
2 tsp packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
Lettuce leaves

Set aside 8 small basil sprigs. Slice remaining basil into strips; set aside.

Heat oil in wok over med-high until oil registers 375. Add 1 or 2 basil sprigs at a time and deep-fry about 15 seconds or until basil is glossy and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon to paper towels; drain. Repeat with remaining sprigs, reheating oil between batches. Reserved fried basil.

Let oil cool slightly. Pour off most of oil, leaving 1/4 c in skillet or wok. Heat over med-high 30 seconds. Add shallots, garlic and ginger; cook and stir 1 min. Add turkey and stir-fry about 4 min or until lightly browned. Push turkey up side of work or skillet, letting juices remain in bottom.

Continue to cook 5-7 min or until all liquid evaporates. Stir in chili slices, brown sugar and salt; cook 1 min. Stir in reserved basil strips. Remove from heat.

Line serving plate with lettuce. Spoon turkey mixture on top. Top with reserved fried basil.



The ingredients...

Fried basil...

Enjoy!

Ham & Lentil Soup

Between my mom and I we made up this recipe. I've decided I wanted to start eating more fiber-based foods and last night I was in the mood for some soup. I stopped at a Whole Foods store on the way home to get some basil for another recipe and decided to try some lentils for the first time. I also picked up some veggies and ham and went home to experiment. It turned out pretty good. I'm not sure if i like the lentils but I'm willing to try it again..and I have leftovers so I'll eat the soup again. The broth itself turned out awesome with all the veggies I added. When I went to put the leftovers into another container, I noticed all the broth had evaporated. So when I reheat the soup, I'll add another 2 cups of broth and simmer it in it..maybe the lentils will soften up some more. The measurements listed below are just an estimate of what I used. For the carrots, onion & celery, I used a pre-cut pkg of the trio and only used half of the pkg.


Ham & Lentil Soup

1-2 tbsp butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1-in piece ginger, minced
1 c sliced yellow squash
1/4 c diced carrot
1/4 c diced celery
1/4 c diced onion
2 c ham, cut into cubes
4 c chicken broth
1 c dried brown lentils
1 bay leaf
1 tsp basil
1 tsp thyme

Melt butter in Dutch oven. Add veggies and cook until squash is tender but not translucent, about 3-4 min. Add broth and bring to boil. Once broth is boiling, add lentils, bay leaf, basil and thyme.

Simmer, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes or until lentils are cooked to your desired consistency.

Remove bay leaf and serve.


All the ingredients chopped up and ready to go...

Veggies...

Enjoy!

**On A Side Note: I remade this soup a couple weeks ago with much better results!I used up all my leftover veggies in the fridge; half of a bell pepper, zucchini, yellow squash, red onion, a bay leaf, garlic and ginger, along with cubed ham and the lentils. Instead of using chicken bouillon cubes, which was a huge mistake when I first made this soup, I used 6 cups of veggie (you can also use chicken) broth and the soup tasted so much better! It wasn't as salty and the broth didn't evaporate like it did when I first made it. I also added some oregano, thyme and basil to the soup after it was done. Although it did turn green in the fridge from all the spices, it tasted even better the next day. I will definitely be making this soup on a regular basis, especially since you can basically put in any veggie you desire. Yum!


All the veggies..






Broth added...






Enjoy!