Weekly Recipes: Italian and Ground Turkey Hobo Dinners

Italian Hobo Dinner
Yield: 6 servings

2 packages turkey smoked sausage
1 sweet onion, sliced thin
1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into cubes
2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
4 sundried tomatoes in oil, sliced into strips
1 14 ounce can cannellini (white kidney) beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 recipe zesty italian dressing (recipe below)
3 T tomato paste
1/2 to 1 t sea salt (to taste)
1/2 t black pepper
1/2 t dried ground rosemary
1 t dried basil
1 t dried parsley
dash crushed red pepper
freshly grated parmesan cheese for topping (optional)
garlic bread for serving (optional) (recipe below)

Zesty Italian Salad Dressing
Yield: 1 cup

1/4 C red wine vinegar
1/3 C water
1 t lemon juice
1/4 C sugar
1 T red bell pepper, finely minced
1 T sweet onion, finely minced
1 t fresh garlic, finely minced
1 t ground oregano
1 t dried basil
sea salt and pepper
about 1/3 C olive oil

Garlic Bread
Yield: enough for 8 servings

1 baguette, homemade or otherwise
about 1/3 C olive oil
sea salt and freshly cracked pepper
1 garlic clove, split

Instructions:
Dressing-
In a blender, add a piece of red bell pepper, onion, and garlic, then stop with everything else but the olive oil. Let the blender run, finely chopping the peppers and onions. At the end, open the pour spout and drizzle in the olive oil while the motor runs. Remove and store half in a container for up to 2 weeks in the fridge.

Assembly & Baking-
Preheat the oven to 375. In a mixing bowl, combine everything but the parmesan cheese and garlic bread and mix thoroughly. Spill out onto a baking sheet (you can place foil down, if you like) and then wrap foil to around the top, crimping the edges to seal. Bake sealed in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove the pan, carefully remove the foil, and let cool slightly. Serve with a spoon, including some of the tasty liquid into each portion, and top with parmesan cheese, if desired, and garlic bread to help mop-up the liquid.

Ground Turkey Hobo Dinner
Yield: 6 servings

Turkey Patty-
1 pound ground turkey
1/4 t sea salt
1/4 t fresh ground pepper
1/4 t garlic powder
2 T lemon juice (this helps the ground turkey stay moist)
1/4 t ground porcini mushroom powder (to add the savory umami flavor of beef)
1 T worcestershire sauce

Vegetables-
1 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
1 russet potato, peeled and cut into cubes
1 sweet onion, thinly sliced
2 carrots, peeled and cut into cubes
1/2 C green onions, chopped
1 T dried parsley
1/2 to 1 t sea salt (to taste)
1/2 t fresh ground pepper
1/4 t ground white pepper
2 T olive oil
2 T butter, cut into cubes for dotting over the top

Instructions:
Vegetables-
Assemble everything in a mixing bowl up to the butter, and mix until thoroughly combined. Spill out onto a baking sheet (you can place foil underneath to form a packet, if you like).

Ground Turkey Patty-
Combine everything in a separate mixing bowl until well mixed. Use palm-sized amounts to form into a ball, then slap between your palms to form flat patties. You should get about 6.

Assembly & Baking-
Place the formed patties onto the prepared vegetables on the baking sheet. Dot the top lightly with small pats of butter all over. Season one last time lightly with sea salt and pepper, and then seal the foil over everything. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and carefully remove foil. Serve with buttered rolls or bread.