Monday, September 16, 2013

Turkey Schnitzel Oktoberfest Feast

Saturday was the perfect Fall day - it was beautiful and sunny outside, with a nice cool breeze, and Ted cooked an amazing Oktoberfest meal!  As I have mentioned before, Ted is a really good cook, and this meal is definitely up there as one of the best that he makes. He only makes it once or twice a year in the Fall because it is very rich, and I always look forward to it! This is a mostly dairy free meal. The turkey and potatoes contain no dairy, but the dill sauce is not dairy free (but thankfully Charlie doesn't seem to mind not eating any since he has never really liked creamy things anyway). The cabbage can be made dairy free with dairy free margarine in place of butter.  This is the first time Ted has made this red cabbage, and it was by far the best red cabbage I have ever had! To complete our German meal, we paired it with an Amber Marzen, the traditional beer of Oktoberfest - delicious!


Oktoberfest Feast

Serves 6



Turkey Schnitzel



Ingredients

1 pound extra lean turkey breast cutlets
3 organic free range eggs, beaten
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dried thyme
Dash of celery salt
1 1/2 cup canola oil

Directions

1. Wash and pat dry turkey cutlets and season with half of salt and pepper. 

2. Mix flour, bread crumbs and remaining seasonings in a shallow dish. 

3. Place beaten eggs in a separate shallow dish.

4. Wash turkey cutlets in egg, and then dredge in flour mixture; repeat egg wash and dredging in flour a second time (so each cutlet should have 2 layers of the egg wash and flour mixture)

5. Heat oil in large pan or pot over medium high heat. Place turkey cutlets in hot oil and cook for 3 minutes per side. You will know they are done when they float on top of the oil and are golden brown. Place finished cutlets on a wire rack while cooking remaining cutlets.

6. Serve with green dill sauce (recipe below)

Green Dill Sauce



Ingredients

3 hard boiled egg yolks
Juice of half of a lemon
1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup sour cream
6 oz fresh organic dill
2 oz fresh organic thyme
2 oz fresh organic parsley
2 oz fresh organic chives
Black pepper to taste

*You can use any fresh herbs that you like. The traditional German herbs that are used to make green sauce are difficult to find in the U.S. so we used the herbs that we like.

Directions

1. Place all ingredients in large food processor and process until smooth

2. Serve cold


Roasted Potatoes



Ingredients

2 1/2 pounds organic yukon gold potatoes
1 yellow onion
1 Tbsp garlic powder
2 tsp dried thyme
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 Tbsp canola oil

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. Wash and pat dry potatoes and cut into 1-inch pieces. Rough-chop onion and combine with potatoes. Add remaining ingredients and toss until evenly combined and coated with oil.

3. Spread potato mixture on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour (stir after 30 minutes), or until golden brown

Red Cabbage



Ingredients

2 Tbsp butter or dairy free margarine
5 cups red cabbage
1 cup organic apples, sliced
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
3 Tbsp water
1/4 granulated sugar
2 1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp allspice

Directions

1. Place all ingredients in a large pot and stir to combine. Bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to low heat and simmer for 1 1/2-2 hours, or until cabbage is tender.

2. Serve warm



(Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com)


What are the nutritional benefits of this meal?  This dinner would probably considered more of a "splurge" for us - but there are still a lot of great things in this meal! For starters, using extra lean turkey for the schnitzel instead of pork cuts down on the fat and calories. Additionally, using canola oil instead of butter for frying the turkey greatly reduces the amount of saturated fat (and makes it dairy free). Canola oil is the lowest in saturated fat of any oil, and is rich in healthy unsaturated fats. Dill activates antioxidants in the body and is a good source of calcium, manganese, iron, magnesium, and fiber. Thyme is rich in antioxidants, vitamin K and iron, and is a good source of calcium, manganese, fiber. Parsley is packed with vitamin K, and is a great source of vitamins C and A. Chives supply antioxidants, potassium, calcium, beta carotene, folic acid, and vitamin K. Yukon gold potatoes are an excellent source of vitamin C and a good source of potassium. Red cabbage is packed with antioxidants and vitamins K and C, and is a good source of folate, fiber, manganese, molybdenum, and vitamin B6. Apples provide even more vitamin C and fiber.

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