Turkey Vegetable Roast

Who doesn't like a good hearty roast dinner, especially in this cold weather?
I found some interesting turkey cuts at my local poultry shop, and decided to give cooking them a try. Turkey is a rich source of protien, and also of zinc, iron, potassium and phosphorus. It is also packed with vitamin B6 and niacin, which are both essential for the body energy production. Moreover, regular turkey cosumption can help lower cholestrol levels, and keep insulin levels stable. It is also rich in selenium which is essential for thyroid hormone metabolism. Finally, turkey meat boosts immunity and acts as an antioxidant.
But don't over stock on turkey just yet. Turkey meat can be high in sodium, so go easy with the salt on it. Its skin can be VERY high in fat, thus be sure to remove the skin and fat before cooking.

Source: www.bodyandsoul.com

Enough with the facts, now let's get cookin'.
This dish will blow your socks off with how easy and tasty it is. You should leave the turkey to marinade for at least 2 hours, but overnight would be perfect.

This's what you'll need:

• Around 500 g. of bone-in turkey thighs and/or breasts
• 8 broccoli florettes
• 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed

Marinade:
• 1 LF yogurt
• 1 tbs tomato concentrate
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 tbs garlic powder
• 2 tsp mustard
• 1/4 tsp each of ground pepper, paprika, all-spice, cinnamon, turmeric, rosemary, ginger and oregano
• 1/2 tsp salt (to taste)
• Juice of 1 small lemon
• 1 tsp honey

1. Rinse and dry turkey, then trim any excess skin. Give it a quick vinegar splash, then rinse with water.
2. In a deep bowl, mix all marinade ingredients very well, set 1/4 cup of that aside for the vegetables.
3. Using a knife, poke bone-deep "holes" in the turkey to help it absorb marinade faster
4. Put turkey in marinade and mix to coat every inch.
5. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for 2 hours at least.
6. After 1 and 1/2 hours, preheat oven to 200° c.
7. When time is up, get a non-stick baking dish (or a regular one covered with parchment paper) and put the turkey in the middle.
8. Mix the remaining marinade that was left aside with broccoli and veggies. Transfer to baking dish, spreading them around your turkey.
9. Cover with aluminium foil and bake in preheated oven for 50 min.
10. Serve with wholegrain rice, bread or just alone.

Skinny Chicken Shawerma Wraps

Most people love shawerma for its tasty convenience, but it's usually super greasy and heavy, with fat almost dripping off. Yuck!
Here's my healthy version of a family favorite.

You need:
• 4 Boneless, skinless, chicken breast fillets
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 2 bell peppers, chopped
• 1 small onion, roughly-chopped
• 1 spring onion, chopped
• 1 medium carrot, grated
• 1/4 cup LF buttermilk

• 1/2 tsp coconut/olive oil

• 1 and 1/2 tsp salt (to taste)
• 1/4 tsp each of ground pepper, cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, all-spice, sumac and shawerma seasoning.

P.S. I found the latter in the spice section of a local department store(Fathalla), but you can try any local spice shop/section. If unavailable, replace with 1/4 tsp each of turmeric, ground cumin & cayenne pepper.

Steps:

1. Slice chicken into thin strips, then cut the strips into small bits.

2. Brush a non-stick skillet with olive/coconut oil, then heat it over medium heat.

3. When oil is hot enough, put the chicken bits in, along with pepper, 1/2 tsp salt, cardamom, ginger and cinnamon.

4. Stir "fry" the chicken until cooked through, about 10 minutes.

5. Add onions, stir until translucent. Add carrots and spring onion. Cook vegetables till softened.
6. Add the rest of seasoning/spices; salt, all-spice, sumac and shawerma seasoning/ spice blend, and mix well.
7. Pour the buttermilk in, cover  and leave to simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes. 
8. Serve hot in wholegrain flat bread (Brown Lebanese bread), with tahini/yogurt sauce and your desired salad. I served mine with beetroot tahini sauce and carrot-cucumber salad.