Ground Turkey

One of the keys to making great extra-lean turkey burgers is to add moisture. Here, I quickly throw some egg substitute and bread crumbs into the turkey. Another key is the extra kick of flavor from the fresh jalapeños.

Sure, if you pull into the drive-thru, chili burgers can be deadly. But here, using the leanest ground turkey with canned turkey chili, you can have a decadently drippy yet sensible meal that satisfies. For another 60 calories and 2.5 grams of fat, you can even add an ounce of 75% light finely shredded Cheddar cheese.

Pat: You know I like my burgers, but who ever thought that a burger could taste this good and be so healthy? My turkey-burger recipe (a favorite with the ladies) is a mixture of ground turkey, fresh marjoram, crushed red-pepper flakes, and garlic. The key to making these burgers taste as good as the old reliable is to use ground turkey that is 85 percent lean. This will yield an incredibly satisfying (and still virtuous) patty. Grilled tomatoes, silky avocado, and a sunny lemon condiment help keep the burger moist.

Gina: This recipe came from my fabulous “girlfriend” D’Won (every girl needs a D’Won in her circle). D’Won is a huge turkey-lover, an amateur chef, and the best personal shopper around. When I was visiting him in Atlanta, we cooked up this recipe and it was spot-on. It’s essentially a red dress for the meatloaf (and y’all know everything looks and tastes better in a red dress!). Pat: This is one of those dishes where we splash on barbecue sauce without firing up the grill. During the early days of our post-reunion courtship, Gina would prepare this delicious meatloaf for me. She replaced ketchup, traditionally used in meatloaf recipes, with Neely’s Barbecue Sauce and Seasoning. Looking back on it, I think that just might have sealed the deal. I remember thinking at the time that any woman who can light a fire under a red-meat man with a turkey loaf—well, that woman is special. Gina: This meatloaf is so full of flavor that I promise it will knock the socks off a 300-pound, steak-loving football player. What’s more, you can prepare this after work and have it ready by suppertime. For the best results, don’t use extra-lean ground turkey, or the meatloaf will be dry.

Classic Salisbury steak is a patty made of ground beef and seasonings that is fried in butter or oil and smothered in a brown sauce. Although it was once considered health food by its inventor—a 19th-century English-American physician named James Salisbury—it’s really not. This grilled version, made with ground turkey breast and fresh vegetables and smothered in a low-fat cheese sauce, makes the grade.

In Mexico, tacos are small, fresh, and simply prepared. I once had a taco al pastor there that was mind-bendingly good, and it had all of three ingredients! Somehow, when the taco got to the United States, it morphed into double-crust, Taco Bell Beef Supreme Chalupa with sour-cream-out-of-a-caulking-gun madness. Here I do my best to honor the Americanized taco everyone seems to love, while bringing some traditional flavors into the picture.

There is much debate over whether chili should have beans in it. Some folks think beans make chili cheap—in the same way, they say, that breadcrumbs do to meatloaf. Actually, in both cases, those interloping ingredients contribute substantially to the dish. Breadcrumbs make meatloaf tender, while beans add texture and additional meatiness to chili—and lots of fiber and antioxidants, too.

In this country, dishes of Mexican origin have a reputation for being fat-laden and bad for you. At the same time, we can’t seem to get enough of them! The funny thing is that in Mexico, the traditional food is generally fresh, healthy, and wholesome—lots of grilled fish and meats, intensely flavored (and cream-free) sauces, fresh vegetables and fruits, and herbs. The problem is the blanket of full-fat cheese and sour cream under which most Mexican-American dishes are served. The Mexican flavors we love come from healthy foods like bright-tasting tomatillos and cilantro, so I banked on them in this new version of enchiladas.

“Loaded” doesn’t have to mean loaded with calories. The combination of black beans, salsa, and nonfat Greek yogurt makes this version of nachos a multicultural feast without the fat. Be sure to buy ground turkey made just from turkey breast—not regular ground turkey, which is made from white and dark meat and skin. The fat and caloric content of the two is significantly different.

Choose any or all of the toppers for your chili.

This one is for Howard Stern. Howard loves the ground turkey. Here ya go, baby!

This one is fun for kids, like me. Serve as is, or accompany with black beans or refried beans and plain or flavored rice, prepared according to the package directions.

Serve with barbecue chips and oil-and-vinegar dressed slaw. So much better for you than wings, you could eat two!

Serve with a green salad.