Thursday, July 2, 2009

The Runner's Palate: July Recipe

This month's Runner's Palate recipe is a follow-up on The Power of Protein! post I did a few days ago. The featured recipe—Turkey Macaroni—packs a whopping 34g of protein per serving and it's low in fat (4.5g) and calories (300). This recipe is super-easy to make and it's from my favorite cook book—Fix-It and Forget-It Lightly. My kids gobble this up!

Turkey Macaroni
Ingredients:
1 tsp. vegetable oil (I use olive or canola)
1½ lbs. 99% fat-free ground turkey
2 10¾-oz. cans condensed low-sodium tomato soup, undiluted
16-oz. can corn, drained
½ cup onions, chopped
4-oz. can sliced mushrooms, drained
2 Tbsp. ketchup
1 Tbsp. prepared mustard
¼ tsp. black pepper
¼ tsp. garlic powder
2 cups dry macaroni, cooked and drained

Directions:
1. Heat oil in medium skillet. Brown turkey. Drain
2. Combine all ingredients except the macaroni in a 5-quart slow cooker. Stir to blend. Cover.
3. Cook on high 3-4 hours or on low 4-6 hours. Stir in cooked and drained macaroni 15 minutes before serving.

Variations:
1. Vegetarian? Substitute the ground turkey with vegetarian meat crumbles that are made from textured vegetable protein. There are several brands available such as Morningstar Farms® Meal Starters™ Grillers™ Recipe Crumbles™, Bocca Ground Burger, and Lightlife Smart Menu Crumbles.
2. To make this an even heartier meal, use whole-wheat or whole-grain pasta like Mueller's Whole-Grain Pasta. Barilla Plus is also a good choice. It has extra protein, ALA omega-3, and almost twice the fiber of traditional pasta.
3. Make it fun. You don't have to use macaroni pasta. Use rotini, penne, bowtie, shells, or what ever strikes your fancy or will entice your kids, if you have them.
4. On a gluten-free diet? Try using Barkat Macaroni Gluten-Free Pasta! You can find an entire array of gluten-free products at GlutenFreeMall.com.





14 comments:

Dena said...

Kudos to you for including a vegetarian option!

RunnerDude said...

Hey Dena! Thanks! Discovered there are quite a few readers of the blog that are vegetarian. I'm leaning more in that direction too. As a family we really don't eat a ton of meat and hardly any red meat. My kids love the Bocca Burgers. Baby steps. LOL!

Jo Lynn said...

You cook too? Ah, what a man!

That looks so good. I might have to try it out. ;)

Thomas Tan said...

Wow, Runner Dude, I'm so glad I found your information-loaded blog. It is absolutely the best blog about everything about running!

RunnerDude said...

Hey Jo Lynn! Yep, regular Wolfgang Puck here! LOL!! I try to post at least one Runner's Palate recipe each month. You can check them out in the archives if you'd like.

RunnerDude said...

Hey Thomas! Wow man! Thanks so much for the feedback! Greatly appreciated. I saw where you got accepted into the Brooks shoe testing program. Sounds really cool! I'm in the BrooksID program. Brooks is a great company!

JenZen said...

Ack - I pulled up your page right before lunch and now I'm craving turkey mac!! Looks and sounds delish.

RunnerDude said...

Hey JenZen! LOL! Well, make you some for dinner! LOL! Let me know if you do fix it sometime and tell me how you liked it.

KimsRunning said...

Sigh. Just when I get put on a gluten free diet.

Looks yummy though...lol

RunnerDude said...

Hey KimsRunning! Welcome to the blog! Thanks for the reminder! There is gluten-free pasta! Check it out at http://www.glutenfreemall.com/catalog/barkat-macaroni-glutenfree-pasta-p-1397.html?osCsid=ncskb23phn5hdaooa9b2b8b5r5

Regina said...

ok, yum! Looks like a recipe I will be trying out. I made something similar with beef (eek!) last night. tasty!

RunnerDude said...

Hey Regina! Just drain the fat and don't tell the kids and it doesn't matter which one you use. LOL!!

Gabby said...

Mmm, sounds very yummy! I have a great vegetarian chili-macaroni recipe that even non-vegetarians will absolutely love. It's packed full of protein (three beans!) and easy to make with a crock pot. I'll e-mail the recipe Monday evening after I make it. =D

RunnerDude said...

Hey Gabby! Just read your email and recipe! Looks great! I'd like to feature it in August! Let know what you think.