Five spice turkey noodle bowl

As part of my plan to see and do as much as I can while I am in Seattle, I checked out the Seattle Art Museum's website to see what they had to offer.  As it turns out, they have a lot of fun events during the summer including a farmers market with cooking demonstrations from local chefs, free admission to the museum on the first Thursday of every month, and free outdoor yoga on Saturday mornings.  I'm hoping I'll have a chance to do all of those things, and I started this weekend with the free yoga.  


The setting for the yoga was beautiful, as it was right by the Olympic Sculpture Park on a grass lawn, and the weather was surprisingly perfect.  This would have made for great conditions for quiet, peaceful yoga but there just so happened to be another event taking place at the same time: Hempfest 2010.  I'm not sure exactly what Hempfest is (I can only imagine) but what I do know is that the "wake and bake" crowd didn't exactly complement the "zen" of the yoga setting.  One moment I'd be all focused in my warrior pose, only to be brought back to reality from someone shouting "You guys are hot!" or "Yeah yoga rocks!"  Instead of being annoyed, I found the whole situation pretty humorous.  It was a fun experience and the Hempfest characters just added to its uniqueness.  


Later that day after yoga, I was in the mood for something light and healthy (which may or may not have been after inhaling a plate of pancakes at my new favorite spot for brunch) for dinner.  That's where this noodle bowl comes in.  Whole wheat spaghetti noodles combined with ground turkey, sliced mushrooms, and broccolini, all in a light vegetable broth spiced with Chinese Five Spice powder and sweet chili sauce.  


I've never even heard of Chinese Five Spice powder, but the recipe from Jennie-O Turkey's cookbook intrigued me so I decided to give it a shot.  I'm still not sure what the deal is with Chinese Five Spice but the noodle bowl turned out delicious!  I think it would also be great with tofu substituted for the turkey if you're looking for a vegetarian meal, because the stars of the dish are the spices.  The Five Spice combined with the sweet chili sauce transformed the broth into a flavorful medium of serving the noodles, vegetables, and ground turkey.  It was also quick to make...bonus!  


So when the noodle bowl was finished and I sat down to eat, I was presented with a minor problem: do I use a spoon or a fork?  I mean, it's a broth-based bowl of noodles so I would think a spoon would be appropriate.  However, it's not the easiest task to eat spaghetti noodles with a spoon.  It's pretty much impossible, actually.  So I used both.  I sat there with my noodle bowl and alternated between fork and spoon.  Problem solved.  


Five Spice Turkey Noodle Bowl
adapted from Jennie-O Turkey Cookbook
Serves 6


2 tsp olive oil
1 (20 oz) package ground turkey breast
2 tsp Chinese Five Spice powder, divided
8 oz fresh button mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 tsp fresh minced garlic
1 (32 oz) package vegetable broth
2 tbsp sweet chili sauce
1 tsp kosher salt (optional)
2-3 cups broccolini, rinsed and chopped (I used 3 stalks)
8 oz whole wheat spaghetti noodles (approximately)
1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh green onion


Directions:


In large skillet, heat 1 tsp of olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add ground turkey and cook and break apart until lightly browned and cook through.  Stir 1 tsp of Chinese Five Spice powder into the turkey.  Remove turkey from pan and set aside.  


In the same saucepan, add remaining 1 tsp of olive oil, and cook the mushrooms until they are softened and the liquid has evaporated.  Add the minced garlic and remaining 1 tsp of Chinese Five Spice powder.  Cook and stir for an additional 1-2 minutes.  Add vegetable broth, turkey, sweet chili sauce, salt, and broccolini.  Cook over medium heat until warmed through, about 10 minutes.  


Meanwhile, prepare spaghetti as package directs.  Add cooked spaghetti to turkey broth mixture.  Serve in bowls and sprinkle with green onions to garnish.