This Roasted Rosemary Turkey Roll is really easy to make in just under 60 minutes. Makes for great leftovers too!
I love rosemary, and it’s so aromatic and pares nicely with turkey.
Also, turkey makes a good protein choice if you choose to eat animal protein. It’s high in protein, yet lean, and a good source of b vitamins and selenium.
My factory farming rant ( sorry, I can’t help myself!)
Preferably sourcing a turkey that was humanely raised when possible. By doing this you make a conscious decision that not only is better for your health, but better for our planet too. I know for many it’s a difficult choice because buying as nature intended today comes with a heftier price tag. So please, if there is no wriggle room in your budget, then make whatever decision is best for you and your family and don’t feel guilty about it.
Instead make peace with your choice, feel gratitude for your life, your health, and bless your food. Stressing over feelings of guilt can equally be detrimental for your health.
I totally understand what it’s like being on a tight budget and striving to maintain better choices for my health and the health of the planet. And it pains me so knowing that we have to pay more for food raised and grown the way nature intended (and the way how our ancestors did it before factory farming)! How backward is that!!
Breaking the wheel
Love this term from my favourite all time series The Game Of Thrones, and it applies nicely towards breaking the wheel of factory farming.
How you say?
The prices, hopefully, will come down as more and more people move to reject conventionally factory farmed animals (and eat less animal protein) and choose more traditional methods that rely on rejuvenating agriculture and raising animals humanely. We as consumers carry a lot of weight on our plate than we realize. Not to mention the positive impact this would have on our planet too.
Wouldn’t that be nice to see farmers farming one way mainly, with the only certification needed being a stamp that warns us it’s “factory farmed”. And not the crazy amount of labels we have to navigate in the grocery story.
Consumers today need a crash course on understanding the differences between “organic” “free range” “cage free” “pasture raised” “hormone and antibiotic free” “natural” and so on. Having those certifications come with a big cost to the farmer too which also drives up our cost.
Just like in my favourite series The Game Of Thrones, “breaking the wheel”.
Ranted ended….
Ways to buy humanely raised animals on a budget
Until then, take a really good look at your pantry, cupboards and fridge. Get reacquainted with what foods you are buying that can be swapped out for foods that better serve your health, and have less portions of animal meat. Even better, don’t eat it every day.
Try for a meatless Monday and wild sourced Fish on Fridays to start. Eventually aim for 3-4 days with out meat and load your plate with lots of whole food plant based foods. Explore cooking with legumes and swapping them out for meal in some of your favourite recipes (burgers, chilis, sheppard’s pie, pasta dishes etc…). Think Mediterranean.
A Cool Foodie Fact
When refrigerators were not an appliance you just conveniently opened in your kitchen to keep your foods fresh, our ancestors used rosemary to preserve meat. They discovered by wrapping the meat in rosemary it didn’t spoil, and when cooked, it tasted great too!
Amazing Plant Power
Meats spoil in part due to their fats oxidizing and going rancid. Rosemary and it’s oil, contains phytochemicals (chemicals naturally occurring in plants) that are powerful antioxidants. In fact, studies have shown that Rosemary’s oil has more antioxidant protection then the synthetic preservatives commonly used in foods like BHT and BHA.
And that antioxidant protection doesn’t just stop there, it keeps on working in our body to help protect our cells from stressors too. I love learning the power of plants and how they protect, nourish and rejuvenate at the cellular level….sooooo awesome!!
Another health benefit for those who experience spastic bowels (IBS) is Rosemary may help with relaxing the smooth muscle lining of the digestive tract— making it an antispasmodic.
Slice and serve with….
A little brown rice, quinoa, or mashed sweet potatoes and lots of your favourite non-starchy veggies to round out your personal plate. Great served cold with a salad too!
Nutrition Note:
The nutrition analysis is not base on using a low sodium vegetarian broth!! So the sodium content can be reduced pending on the brand or amount of sodium you add.
Tip!
I like to keep the skin on when roasting turkey breast to keep it moist since the breast is naturally lower in fat and tends to dry out easier than thighs. And then you have the option to remove the skin after roasting if you like.
And here’s another simple and yummy turkey recipe for you to try….
Turkey Veggie Meatloaf Muffins with Marinara sauce
ROASTED TURKEY ROLL
Equipment
- Medium Stainless Steel pan
- Baking dish
- Meat mallet
- Parchment paper
- cutting board
- Measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- Chef knife
Ingredients
- 1 Turkey breast 7 oz whole boneless with skin
- 1 clove Garlic whole crushed
- 2 tbsps Fresh rosemary 2 fresh sprigs, stems removed and leaves cut
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp Black pepper freshly ground
- 1 tbsp Avocado oil
- 1/2 cup Low-Sodium Vegetable broth low sodium
Instructions
- Wash and pat dry the turkey breast.
- Take the whole boneless turkey breast and place it between 2 pieces of parchment paper on a cutting board. Pound it to about 2 inches thick or less using a meat mallet.
- Spread roasted garlic or fresh crushed garlic on the inside of the breast.
- Add rosemary, salt and pepper.
- Roll up the turkey breast using the narrowest width and tie with string.
- Pan sear in a stainless steel or cast iron pan with a small amount of avocado oil.
- Place in a baking dish with 1/2 cup vegetable broth and bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes or until done.