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June is National Turkey Month; the third Sunday is National Turkey Day—this year, June 20th.
This year it coincides with Father’s Day; and tonight, with the official beginning of summer (the exact time of the summer solstice this year is 11:32 p.m. Eastern Time).
We’ve been saving this Turkey Nachos recipe from Chef Ingrid Hoffmann for today: nachos made with ground turkey. (By the way, National Nachos Day is November 6th—another reason to make it.)
We’re showing Chef Ingrid’s complete from-scratch recipe, which increases the “better” factor with ground lean turkey, whole wheat nachos and low fat versions of the cheese and sour cream. (Truth to tell, we used the conventional versions.)
Chef Ingrid made her own tortilla chips from scratch, using whole-grain tortillas. We wimped out and bought them.
You can also save some time with a container of fresh pico de gallo from the market, instead of making your own.
But if you’re making pico de gallo from scratch, make a double or triple batch. It will keep for more than a week and it’s delicious on everything.
Speaking of pico de gallo, here are:
USES FOR PICO DE GALLO BEYOND TEX/MEX
As a topper for breakfast eggs (you can mix it into a scramble).
Mix into rice or grains.
Top a baked potato or grilled vegetables; mash it into mashed potatoes.
Garnish a turkey burger or a beef burger with avocado, lettuce, tomato onion, and/or cheese.
Serve as a condiment with grilled chicken, fish or steak.
Mix it into a vinaigrette or a dip.
For a low-calorie nibble, we even eat it from a spoon.
RECIPE: TURKEY NACHOS
Ingredients For 4 Servings
For The Pico De Gallo
4 small ripe tomatoes, diced
1 small white onion, diced
2 jalapeño chiles, seeded and finely chopped
½ cup packed cilantro leaves, chopped
¼ cup fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly-ground black pepper
For The Filling
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound ground lean turkey breast
1½ teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon sweet paprika
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon salt
¼ cup water
For The Tortilla Chips
4 8- to 10-inch whole-wheat or whole-grain tortillas, each cut into 6 wedges
Cooking spray
1 8-ounce bag shredded Mexican cheese blend (low-fat if you can find it)
1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
½ cup ripe black olives, sliced
1 Hass avocado, peeled, halved, pitted, and diced
Optional: low-fat sour cream or nonfat plain Greek yogurt (optional)
2 scallions, white and green parts, chopped (½ cup)
Preparation
1. MAKE the pico de gallo. Combine the tomatoes, onion, jalapeños, cilantro, lime juice and oil in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
2. MAKE the filling. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the turkey and the chili power, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, oregano and salt. Cook, stirring often, breaking up the turkey with the side of a spoon, until the turkey begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the water and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until the turkey is cooked through, about 5 minutes.
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[1] Replacing beef and pork with ground turkey (photo © Chef Ingrid Hoffmann);
[2] Pico de gallo, meaning “rooster’s beak.” The fresh (uncooked) salsa got its name because it once was eaten between the thumb and finger, in a way that resembled a pecking rooster (photo © Taste Of Home).
[3] Cilantro and fresh lime juice, great seasonings for many things, are used here in the pico de gallo (photo © Lindsay Moe | Unsplash).
[4] Ground turkey, popularly used for meatballs and burgers (photo © D’Artagnan).
[5] The tortilla chips are made from whole wheat tortillas (photo © Web Restaurant Store).
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3. PREHEAT the oven to 400°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with aluminum foil.
4. SPREAD the tortilla wedges on the baking sheets and spray with the nonstick spray. Bake until golden brown and crispy, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven.
5. SPRAY a large, shallow baking dish with nonstick spray. Spread half of the tortilla wedges in the baking dish, and top with half of the cheese, half of the turkey mixture, half of the beans, and half of the olives. Top with remaining tortilla wedges, and repeat with the remaining cheese, turkey mixture, beans and olives. Bake until the cheese melts, about 10 minutes.
6. REMOVE from oven and sprinkle with half of the pico de gallo and the avocado. Spoon a large dollop of the sour cream on top of the nachos. Sprinkle with the scallions. Serve immediately, with the remaining pico de gallo on the side.
> THE HISTORY OF NACHOS
> THE HISTORY OF SALSA
> THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF SALSA
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