Scrumptious!

In a previous role I provided support to my organization on a national level. This meant quite a bit of travel helping to support new software versions and while many times those installations were successful, there was one time it wasn’t.

The installation had some issues and during the next several months I spent all but a few days on location helping to recover the location back to some sense of normalcy. During the first few weeks the team I led worked 16 hour shifts with rotations that went around the clock. Lucky for the crew that was working overnight, the location had a cafeteria that opened for the night shift workers. The selection, while decent during the daylight, was much more limited at night. Sandwiches or grilled items. Better than the vending machine selections, but for weeks on end it got a tiresome.

One night, tired of cold cuts and hamburgers, I noticed they had a steam pan full of what looked like mini-calzones. I decided to order one and found it was an empanada. It was warm, delicious and a great change of pace from the norm. Over the following several weeks it became my “goto” dish.

A great dish that can be used as a side or main dish.

With pre-made pie crusts, this is a pretty easy dish. I am not an olive fan, so I used currants in their place. Yes, I know currants are jut another form of raisin, but do have a different taste.

Fry up the turkey.

Adding the raisins.

Filling the empanadas.

Scrumptious!

Turkey Empanadas With Salad

Prep Time: 15m | Cook Time: 40m | Makes: 4

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 3/4 pound ground turkey

• 1 onion, chopped

• 1 clove garlic, chopped

• 1 teaspoon cumin

• 1/3 cup raisins

• 1/2 cup pitted olives

• kosher salt and black pepper

• 2 refrigerated rolled piecrusts, halved

• 4 cups mixed greens

• 1/2 small English cucumber, halved lengthwise and sliced

• 4 radishes, thinly sliced

• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the turkey, onion, garlic, and cumin and cook, breaking the meat up with a spoon, until browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the raisins and olives; season with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.

2. Top the 4 piecrust halves with the turkey mixture; fold in half and seal the edges. Place on the prepared baking sheet and bake until golden, 20 to 25 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss the greens, cucumber, and radishes with the vinegar and the remaining 3 tablespoons oil. Serve with the empanadas.

Nutritional Info:

Calories 768 Fat 45g Sat Fat 15g Cholesterol 69mg Sodium 873mg Protein 23g Carbohydrate 69g Sugar 14g Fiber 3g Iron 3mg Calcium 42mg

Source:http://www.realsimple.com/m/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/turkey-empanadas-00100000074828/index.html?xid=dailyrecnews-11-07-2012