(upbeat music)
- Hey guys, welcome back to my channel.
So today we are going to be making
a super easy 30-minute ground turkey stir fry
that is low carb and oh so delicious.
You can meal prep it and enjoy it for lunch,
and it makes the perfect last minute dinner
because you can just clear out your vegetable crisper,
whip up a simple sauce,
and know that dinner will be on the table in no time.
It's also a great way to use up ground turkey
if you're just not sure how to cook it
or if you don't know what to do with it.
And maybe there are some of you out there
who do know your way around a pound of ground turkey,
but you're just tired of cooking the same old, same old
and you wanna try something different.
Let me tell ya, this stir fry will not disappoint.
Okay, enough talk.
It's time for some action.
Let me show you how to make the darn thing.
So, first things first, you're going to add
one tablespoon of olive oil to a large skillet.
You can use any neutral cooking oil here,
such as sunflower, avocado, or grapeseed oil,
or you can use a more flavorful oil,
such sesame oil or coconut oil,
to add more flavor to the meal.
It's up to you.
I love adding sesame oil here
because it goes along with the flavors
of the simple stir fry sauce we're going to make,
but I know sesame oil is very strong
and some of you might not be into that,
so I like to provide alternatives.
Once you've got your oil in the pan,
you're going to saute a yellow onion for two minutes
until fragrant and softened.
Adding an onion or even a couple of shallots
will also work as a little pop of flavor,
and you want to get that flavor going
right in the beginning of cook time, so don't skip this.
From there, you'll be adding your ground turkey.
Really, this recipe works with any type of ground meat,
from ground turkey to ground chicken to ground pork.
I don't really recommend ground beef or lamb,
as those are fattier meats
and won't really be as complementary
with the flavors of the stir fry sauce,
but you could always just give it a try
if you're dying to make this recipe
and that's all you have on hand.
Now, a quick note on the ground turkey.
There are many different types out there
and I do not recommend that you choose the leanest type,
as it will cause the meat to dry out super easily.
I like to choose ground turkey
that still looks a bit reddish.
I know different labels say different things,
but you want to try and look for ground turkey
that has that pinkish, reddish hue
instead of more of a peachy, lighter color.
The lighter color usually indicates
that more breast meat has been used,
which is the leanest type of ground turkey,
so it may also taste a little bit more gamey and dry
by the time you cook it through.
It all depends on personal preference, of course,
but I just find the extra lean stuff to be almost inedible.
My personal opinion.
Some labels will tell you the fat percentages,
such as 93% lean and 7% fat.
I'd recommend that you try to find some
with at least 15% fat content,
and so you'll still be getting a lean protein source
that is low calorie while also ensuring
that the meat stays moist so you can cook it
and it will better absorb the flavors of the sauce
and taste just as good leftover.
Too lean, and you're looking
at a little bit of a funny aftertaste.
Okay, now that we've established
what a ground turkey snob I am, let's move on.
You're going to saute your ground turkey
for about five minutes until brown,
making sure to season with salt and pepper right away.
It's funny, I used to watch Gordon Ramsey
on the show "Kitchen Nightmares",
and I just remember him screaming at some chef
to season their meat right away,
and it's had me shook ever since.
Now I always make sure to season right away.
Once your ground turkey starts to brown,
you'll stir in one grated carrot,
one thinly-sliced red pepper,
and one cup of chopped red cabbage.
You can use any veggies you like here,
but make sure they are thinly sliced or finely chopped
so that they can cook in about a five-minute period.
Carrots typically take longer to cook
than cabbage or bell peppers,
but when grated they cook up super fast,
so just make sure all your veggies
are thinly-sliced, grated, or julienned.
It'll add to the texture of the dish, too,
so I don't just recommend doing it this way
to make your dinner come together faster.
It serves a purpose, okay?
Some other great options for this stir fry
would be cauliflower rice,
finely chopped broccoli or broccoli stems,
any type of greens, such as kale
or some spiralized zucchini.
The sky is the limit here.
Just go in and clear out that vegetable crisper.
Now, while everything is cooking up,
you're going to quickly make the stir fry sauce.
You can do this ahead of time, too,
so it's all ready to go.
I highly recommend this if you're like me
and tend to over cook the veggies in your stir fries.
Let me tell you, you do not want to do this to yourself.
Soggy veggies in a stir fry
just make you wanna throw the whole thing out.
Keep a close eye on them.
You can also make the sauce up to two weeks in advance
and store in a mason jar in the fridge
so all you have to do is pull it out and add it.
If I know I'm gonna go on a stir fry kick,
I'll usually make up a big batch of this sauce
and then just use it up as I go,
and this is a super easy way to do it
because you have all the ingredients on hand in your fridge,
as they're already pantry staples.
Fore the sauce, you're going to add
freshly minced ginger, garlic,
soy sauce, chili paste, and honey.
That's all there really is to it.
If you don't have fresh ginger,
you can use powdered ginger instead,
but there really is no excuse
for you to not have ginger root on hand
because you can freeze it
and it'll last in the freezer for months.
This is one of my favorite meal prep tricks.
If you don't want to use soy sauce,
you can also use tamari or coconut aminos
to make this recipe gluten free,
and honey can be replaced
by any type of sweetener you'd like.
The chili paste doesn't make the dish super spicy,
but if you are concerned about spice,
you can also just leave that out.
Once you've added all of your ingredients to a mason jar,
just place the lid on top and then shake to combine,
and you are set for stir fries
for at least a couple of weeks.
Once the sauce is made
and the veggies have cooked for a couple of minutes,
stir in the sauce and mix well to combine.
You'll then remove the pan from the heat,
stir in your green onions and garnish with sesame seeds
before serving and enjoying.
At the end, you can also add in greens like kale or spinach.
So if you want some extra veggies,
that's something to keep in mind.
Portion out your ground turkey stir fry
into individual glass meal prep bowls, and you are set
for out of this world lunches for the whole week.
And the best part is that this recipe,
delicious as it may be, is only 237 calories
with 30 grams of protein.
Is that not insane?
You could enjoy this meal every day,
be super full after eating it,
and know you are enjoying a filling, healthy meal
that'll help support whatever nutritional
and fitness goals you have.
Now, I recommend dividing it right away into portions
to have the option to reheat individual portion-sized bowls
right from the fridge, or you can freeze them if you find
you have too many leftovers by the end of the week.
To reheat, you can microwave for two to three minutes
or saute in a pan on the stove again
for another few minutes.
If you want to get the veggies tender crisp again,
I recommend reheating in a frying pan,
but the stir fry still does taste just as good
even once it's heated in the microwave.
I'm telling you, that's the magic of that stir fry sauce.
Now, if you don't care too much about a low carb diet
and feel like this recipe could use a little something more,
feel free to serve it with a side of jasmine rice
or over top of rice noodles.
This will give you some carbs
without upping the calorie count too much.
Who's ready to dive into this delicious turkey stir fry?
Let me know what you think
of this easy recipe in the comments,
and head on over to the blog for the full recipe,
with more tips and tricks.
You can also check out my stir fry archives
for more easy weeknight dinner ideas.
I hope you've enjoyed this video.
If you're looking to eat healthier this year
and enjoy more easy meal prep ideas,
then be sure to subscribe to my channel.
I've got lots more great videos coming for you this year,
and I'm so excited for you to see what I cook up.
Thanks for tuning in, and I'll see you in the next video.
(upbeat music)