Turkey Bolognese

Until recently my lazy recipe for bolognese involved opening a jar of Dolmio sauce...I thought the ingredients looked ok....until I realised how much sugar there is in there!  No wonder I felt overloaded and 'tetchy' an hour after eating.

This healthy take on a family favourite is a lighter way to enjoy bolognese.

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cooking Time: 30 mins
Serves 4

Ingredients

400-500gg turkey breast mince
390g carton chopped tomatoes
1 medium carrot fimnely chopped*

1 stick celery finely chopped*

1 med onion finely chopped*

2 tsp tomato purée

2 tsp sundried tomato puree

1 tsp dried mixed herbs
1 beef stock cube dissolved in 100ml of boiling water
50ml red wine (optional)
salt and freshly ground black pepper

*(or 1 pack of Waitrose Soffritto and avoid all that chopping!)

Method

1. Heat oil in a frying pan and soften the onion, celery and carrot for 5-10 mins until translucent.
2. Add the Turkey, fry for 5 mins until browned.
3. Add the remaining ingredients, bring back to boil then simmer for 25-30 mins.
4.  Season to taste and serve with wholemeal spaghetti.

Why is it Good Mood Food?
Same as my two burger recipes - provides high quality protein and carbohydrate and is low in fat.  It is also low GI if wholemeal spaghetti is used.

Turkey is a great source of Tryptophan - an amino acid used in our bodies to make the brain chemical Serotonin. Low levels of Serotonin can be associated with feelings of depression and poor sleep. In fact most anti-depressant medications act to alter how our brains produce and use Seratonin.

Our bodies do not make Tryptophan - an important building block for Serotonin so we must meet all of our requirements by eating tryptophan rich foods such as Turkey.  Also it is recommended we eat this as part of a carbohydrate rich meal to aid absorption to the brain.

Turkey Burgers - With Apple and Sage

Another of my 'fave' Turkey Burger recipes - My kids love this one so there's always some in the freezer.

 
Prep Time: 10 mins

Cooking Time: 15 mins
Makes 4 - 6 burgers

Ingredients

400g turkey mince
50g white breadcrumbs
2 tbsp olive oil

2 medium onions finely chopped
1 small apple, peeled and grated
1 tsp fresh sage leaves
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Heat oil in a frying pan and soften the chopped onion for 5-10 mins until translucent then cool.
2. Place all of the ingredients including the oinions in a large bowl and combine thoroughly.
3. Form into burger shapes using your hands (dusted with a little flour). Freeze at this stage if desired.

4. Heat oil in a large pan and fry burgers for 5-7 mins on each side until cooked through (12-15 mins from frozen).

4. Serve in wholemeal or seeded rolls with salad and tomatoes.

Time Saver Tip

Chopping the onions can take a bit of time.  Waitrose do a great bag of frozen onions that works well and they do fresh breadcrumbs.  Keep some in the freezer if you want to make life really easy.

Why is it Good Mood Food?
These burgers provide high quality protein and carbohydrate, are low fat and low GI.  It is important to eat them with carbohydrate to maximise their contribution to mood.

Turkey is a great source of Tryptophan - an amino acid used in our bodies to make the brain chemical Serotonin. Low levels of Serotonin can be associated with feelings of depression and poor sleep. In fact most anti-depressant medications act to alter how our brains produce and use Seratonin.

Our bodies do not make Tryptophan - an important building block for Serotonin so we must meet all of our requirements by eating tryptophan rich foods such as Turkey.  It is also important to eat with carbohydrate to maximise the Tryptophan available to the brain.

See also Turkey Burgers - Thai Style

Turkey Burgers - Thai-Style

Turkey is a super food.  It's low in fat, a rich source of protein and contains the amino acid Tryptophan which is essential for brain health.

This is one of my two favourite turkey burger recipes.
They freeze well - so make a double batch and cook from frozen.

Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 15 mins
Makes 4 - 6 burgers

Ingredients
400g Turkey mince (thigh mince or a mixture of breast mince and thigh mince)
4 spring onions finely chopped

1 red chilli de-seeded and finely chopped
2 cm cube fresh ginger finely chopped

1 small bunch coriander finely chopped

1 egg

50g breadcrumbs

1tbsp oil

Method
1. Combine all of the ingredients thoroughly in a bowl - use your hands!
2. Form into burgers (freeze at this stage if desired).
3. Heat oil in a large pan and fry burgers for 5-7 mins on each side until cooked through (12-15 mins from frozen).

4. Serve in wholemeal or seeded rolls with salad and sweet chilli sauce.

Time Saver Tip

Chopping the flavouring for these burgers can take a bit of time.  Waitrose do a great frozen thai spice mix in that works well and they do fresh breadcrumbs.  Keep some in the freezer if you want to make life really easy.

Why is it Good Mood Food?
These burgers provide high quality protein and carbohydrate, are low in fat and low GI.  It is important to eat them with carbohydrate to maximise their contribution to mood.

Turkey is a great source of Tryptophan - an amino acid used in our bodies to make the brain chemical Serotonin. Low levels of Serotonin can be associated with feelings of depression and poor sleep. In fact most anti-depressant medications act to alter how our brains produce and use Seratonin.

Our bodies do not make Tryptophan - an important building block for Serotonin so we must meet all of our requirements by eating tryptophan rich foods such as Turkey.

Very Quick Turkey Korma

A delicious way to spice up Turkey.  

Prep Time: 5 mins
Cooking Time: 25 mins
Serves 4

Ingredients
1tbsp oil
500g diced turkey breast
3 tbsp Korma paste eg Pataks
1 medium onion finely chopped 
4 tbsp low fat greek yoghurt
150ml boiling water

In Waitrose this week I found really useful frozen diced onion - it reduced prep time to the time it took to open the packet!  And its frozen so you can use as little or as much as you need.  

Method
1. Heat oil in a large heavy based pan.
2. Sauté the onions on low heat until translucent and golden but not browned 4-5mins.
3. Add the Korma paste and fry for a further minute.
4. Add the turkey pieces and fry in the spice mix until the meat is sealed.
5. Add boiling water and bring to boil. 
6. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until turkey is tender.
7. Remove from the heat and stir in yoghurt.

Serve with Basmati rice.

Why is it Good Mood Food?
Turkey is a great source of Tryptophan - an amino acid used in our bodies to make the brain chemical Serotonin.  Low levels of Serotonin can be associated with feelings of depression and poor sleep.  In fact most anti-depressant medications act to alter how our brains produce and use Serotonin.

Our bodies do not make Tryptophan - an important building block for Serotonin so we must meet all of our requirements by eating tryptophan rich foods such as Turkey. 

Eating them with carbohydrates such as rice, pasta or bread is important to maximise the amount of Tryptophan available to the brain.