Curried Turkey Wraps

    Are you in a brown bag rut?  I admit that I am. Peanut butter and jelly is always a quick and easy option for a workday lunch, but it does get tiresome after a while. I'm always on the lookout for tasty alternatives that are quick and easy to put together, and also satisfying enough to keep hunger pangs away all afternoon.

     I found the recipe for these wraps in an old Cuisine at Home magazine as I was browsing at my favorite thrift store. Thankfully, it turned out to be a delightful change from my usual lunchtime fare.  The curried cranberry-apricot cream cheese spread paired with thinly sliced turkey made the perfect sweet-savory combination, while the cucumber and lettuce gave it just the right toothsome crunch. Paired with an apple, it was just enough to keep me on my toes until the three o'clock bell.
 
      Wraps are definitely one lunchtime option worth further investigation. They're easy to customize according to your tastes, and also to what's in your refrigerator. What's your favorite brown bag lunch?  I'm always open to suggestions!

Curried Turkey Wraps
recipe from Cuisine at Home, June 2004
4 oz. cream cheese, softened (I used Neufchatel)
1/4 cup dried cranberries, chopped
1/2 tsp. curry powder
2 Tablespoons apricot jam (I used my habanero gold jam.)
Juice of 1/2 lime
4 (12 inch) flour tortillas
6-8 leaves red lettuce
8 oz. deli-style roast turkey, thinly sliced
1 cup cucumber: seeded and thinly sliced (I used an English hothouse cucumber.)
1/2 cup cilantro leaves (optional)
 
Directions:

• Combine cream cheese, chopped cranberries, apricot jam and lime juice.
• Warm tortillas gently in a dry skillet until soft and pliable.
• Spread 1/4 of the cream cheese mixture on one tortilla. 
• Layer lettuce, turkey, cucumber and cilantro on top of lettuce. (To keep fillings from squeezing out, leave the top edge of the tortilla filling-free, then roll it up from the bottom.)
• Roll up tightly, and then cut in half at an angle.
• Repeat with remaining tortillas.

Sweet Barbecue Meat Loaf

 Hubs came home the other night with a pound of extra lean ground beef. Do you think maybe it was his way of hinting that he needed a break from the mainly vegetarian fare I've been dishing up lately? While red meat isn't exactly the first thing I think of as being on a heart healthy diet, hubby's cardiologist actually gave it his blessing. Who knew? I found this recipe for meatloaf  (in the American Heart Association Cookbook) that I spiced up just a bit to incorporate ingredients I had on hand.

 The original recipe makes a meatloaf glazed with barbecue sauce, raspberry spread and crushed red pepper flakes. I substituted my Habañero Gold Jelly for the raspberry spread and pepper flakes, and ended up with a sweet spicy glaze that gave the red pepper and onion studded ground beef just enough zip to make it a treat. It was great hot for dinner, but what I'm looking forward to are the meatloaf sandwiches I can make with the leftovers!

Sweet Barbecue Meat Loaf
adapted from The New American Heart Association Cookbook, 8th edition
1/2 cup barbecue sauce (lowest sodium available)
1/4 cup habanero gold jelly* slightly melted
1 pound extra lean ground beef
1/2 medium red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 medium sweet onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup uncooked quick-cooking oatmeal
2 egg whites
*the original recipe calls for 1/4 cup all-fruit raspberry spread plus 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375°F. 
• Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Lightly spray with cooking spray.
• In a small bowl, stir together the barbecue sauce and jelly.
• In a medium bowl, combine 1/4 cup barbecue sauce mixture and the remaining ingredients. Shape the mixture into an oval and place on baking sheet.
• Spoon the remaining barbecue sauce mixture on the top and sides of the meat loaf.
• Bake for 50 minutes, or until the meat loaf registers 160°F on an instant-read thermometer. Let the meat loaf stand for 5-10 minutes before serving.

This post has been submitted to the Hearth-n-Soul blog hop at Girlichef.

Some Like it Hot!

                                                                   Habanero Gold Jelly
Jelly, that is. I meant to make this in August, when the habanero peppers were at their sizzling peak at my brother's produce stand. But I didn't. I meant to make it again in November, right after I used my very last jar. But the peppers I bought for it slowly disintegrated in my vegetable bin, forgotten behind a head of cabbage. This time however, I was determined to follow through...those neglected peppers were calling me, and I'm so glad I listened this time!
Since I made it last weekend, I've eaten it almost every day. (Trying to make up for lost time?) This jelly (more of a jam, really) is superb over cream cheese on toasts or crackers. Its sweet/savory combination of apricots, peppers, and red onions also makes an unforgettable glaze for pork or chicken. It's a great jelly to make in the winter...the habaneros will warm you right up!

Habanero Gold Jelly
(printable recipe)

1/3 cup finely sliced dried apricots
3/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup finely diced red onion
1/4 cup finely diced sweet red pepper
1/4 cup finely diced habanero peppers, including seeds (omit the seeds and membranes if you're a wimp you prefer a milder heat)
3 cups granulated sugar
1 pouch Certo liquid pectin

• Cut apricots into 1/8 inch slices. (I dice these slices as well.) Measure into a large deep stainless steel saucepan with vinegar; let stand 4 hours.
• Individually, cut onion and peppers into 1/8 inch slices; cut slices into 1/4 inch dice. Measure each ingredient; add to apricots.
• Stir in sugar.
• Over high heat, bring to full rolling boil. Stirring constantly, boil hard for 1 minute.
• Remove from heat.
• Immediately stir in pectin, mixing well.
• Pour jelly into hot jars, dividing solids equally among jars and filling each jar to within 1/4 inch of top rim. Wipe rims. Apply lids.
• Process 10 minutes in boiling water bath. Cool upright, until lids pop down, about 30 minutes.
• When lids are concave, but the jelly is still hot, carefully grasp jar without disturbing lid and invert, twist, or rotate each jar to distribute solids throughout the jelly. The jar can be inverted temporarily but do not allow it to stand upside-down for prolonged periods. Repeat as necessary during the cooling/setting time, until solids remain suspended in the jelly.