Dinner in Minutes: Turkey gets flavor from apple sauté

The colorful display of crisp, juicy apples in the stores inspired me to create this autumn dinner.

Apples add flavor and texture to this recipe for Harvest Turkey Sauté. Granny Smith – a green, tart crisp apple – makes a pleasing contrast to the turkey.

An apple is a virtual fiber factory; one apple has as much fiber as a whole bowl of most cereals. Apples should be kept in the refrigerator and, if washed, dried thoroughly before replacing in the refrigerator.

This recipe uses turkey tenderloins, the heart of the breast meat. If you use a thinner cut such as turkey steak or cutlet, cut the cooking time by half. Boneless, skinless chicken breast may also be used.

The turkey sauté is served over Autumn Sweet Potatoes, made with boiled sweet potatoes tossed with raisins. Complete the meal with a green salad or a steamed green vegetable.

This meal contains 551 calories per serving with 10 percent of calories from fat.

Harvest Turkey Sauté

Vegetable oil spray

3/4 pound turkey tenderloins

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 Granny Smith apple, cored and sliced (about 1 cup)

1 small leek, washed and sliced (about 1 cup)

1 cup apple juice

1 teaspoon cornstarch

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and coat with vegetable oil spray. Add the turkey and brown 3 minutes per side. Season with salt and pepper.

Lower heat to medium and add apple and leek. Cover with a lid and sauté for 5 minutes, turning once with a fork to prevent breaking the apples.

Mix 1 tablespoon of the apple juice with the cornstarch until smooth and set aside. Add the remaining apple juice to the pan, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the skillet. Cover with a lid and simmer 5 minutes.

Test the turkey to see that it is cooked through; a meat thermometer should read 165 degrees. Remove the tenderloin, slice and divide between two dinner plates.

Remove apple and leeks with a slotted spoon and place over turkey. Stir the cornstarch mixture into the skillet and cook until sauce thickens, about 1 minute. Serve sauce over turkey.

Yield: 2 servings

Nutrition per serving: 310 calories (4 percent from fat), 1.5 grams fat (0.4 gram saturated, 0.3 grams monounsaturated), 108 milligrams cholesterol, 42.8 grams protein, 30.7 grams carbohydrates, 2.4 grams fiber, 97 milligrams sodium.

Autumn Sweet Potatoes

3/4 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/4 cup raisins

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place potatoes in a medium-size saucepan. Add enough cold water to cover them. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil. Cook 15 minutes or until soft.

Drain and toss with oil. Add raisins and salt and pepper to taste. Divide into 2 portions and place on dinner plates.

Yield: 2 servings.

Nutrition per serving: 241 calories (17 percent from fat), 4.7 grams fat (0.7 gram saturated, 3.3 grams monounsaturated), no cholesterol, 3.2 grams protein, 48.7 grams carbohydrates, 5.8 grams fiber, 96 milligrams sodium.