Chili with turkey and beans

Everyone loves a good chili. Although Cooking Light's beef and beer chili is one of our go-to favorites, this Power Foods chicken chili is a contender. However, I make it with ground turkey instead of chicken pieces, just because I often have ground turkey on hand in the freezer. I also feel like the ground turkey adds some really great flavor.

Also. Be warned. This chili will make your kitchen smell like a fiesta. I take that back - it will make your whole house smell like a fiesta. Especially if you live in a small house or an apartment, for that matter. I mean, Zack walked in after work and was overcome by this simmering goodness coming from our stove. Furthermore, when I got to work the next morning, I realized that I smelled like chili because I had thrown on the same sweatshirt that I had worn while I was cooking the night before. That went in the wash pretty quick. It did smell good, but it kind of reeked of onion and the smells of cumin and chiles. You get the picture: delicious, but very fragrant.

Chili with turkey and beans

As adapted from Power Foods - 150 Delicious Recipes with the 38 Healthiest Ingredients

Serves 6.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

2 onions, finely chopped (about 3 cups)

5 garlic cloves, coarsely minced

1 green (or red, orange, yellow, etc.) bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, finely chopped

1 3/4 pounds ground turkey

2 teaspoons chili powder

A heaping pinch of cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 dried bay leaf

1 can (28 ounces) chopped tomatoes

1 can (4 ounces) green chiles, drained and finely chopped

2 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken stock

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 cans (15 ounces each) kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt, for garnish (optional)

Fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish (optional)

In a Dutch oven or large soup pot, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and cumin seeds over medium, stirring, until cumin is lightly toasted and aromatic, about 1 minute. Add onions, garlic, and bell pepper; cook, stirring occasionally until vegetables are soft and lightly golden, about 15 minutes. Push onion mixture to edges of pot, add remaining 1 teaspoon oil, and increase heat to medium-high. Add ground turkey, chili powder, cayenne, and oregano; cook until turkey is browned and cooked through, breaking into chunks and stirring until spices are evenly spread throughout. Add bay leaf to pot, then add tomatoes and their juice and green chiles; stir to combine. Bring to simmer. Add stock, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and beans; season with pepper, and stir to combine. Bring to simmer again. Stir, reduce heat to medium-low, and gently simmer, uncovered, until bean mixture thickens, about 45-50 minutes. Serve immediately, garnished with yogurt and/or cilantro leaves, as desired.

Evidently, this chili has a lot of ingredients, many of which could be played around with. You could switch out the turkey for chicken or ground beef, and you could also try different varieties of beans. I would normally use green bell pepper for this recipe, but they were out at the grocery store, so I threw in a combination of orange and yellow. The options are endless!

If you need a good, but healthful chili, this one is great. Here's to good and wholesome comfort food. Cheers.

Split Pea Soup with Cilantro

When I think of split pea, I think of the classic American soup: green pea soup with ham. When I saw this recipe, I was intrigued by its unique twist. A pretty darn good twist too.

This split pea soup has great flavor, and finely diced vegetables along with some cilantro and soy sauce add something special. The texture really was perfect and it just tasted so light and delicious. Surprisingly, I didn't miss the ham at all. Which is unusual for me...

This recipe actually comes from Nordstrom Flavors: An Artful Celebration of Food, which is the same cookbook that my Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos came from. I don't think I would have ever picked up this cookbook had it not been given to me. Nordstrom's? As in the department store Nordstrom's? They have a restaurant and a cookbook? This can't be true. But it is! And I can't even begin to tell you how incredible those tacos were, so I had to try another recipe from it.

Combine dried split peas with quite a bit of water, bringing to a boil in a large saucepan. Take care that they do not boil over. Reduce heat to medium-low, simmering until most of liquid is absorbed (about 20 minutes). Remove from heat, letting stand for 1 hour.

Heat extra-virgin olive oil in a soup pot (I used my new Dutch oven of course...thank you, Zack) over medium-high heat. Add finely diced carrot, yellow onion, celery, red bell pepper, and jalapeno (again, all finely diced). Cook, stirring constantly until vegetables soften. Add ground coriander, dry mustard (I just used Chinese mustard because that's what I had on hand), salt, and pepper. Stir in chicken broth, bring to a boil, then stir in peas. Return to a boil, adding diced potato and a bay leaf. Simmer until potatoes and peas are tender (about 1 hour).

Remove bay leaf, then add a little whole milk, soy sauce, and chopped fresh cilantro, heating until hot. Ladle into bowls and garnish with diagonally-cut green onions. And serve with a yummy, crusty (as I call it) bread; we love to pick up something fresh from Trader Joe's.

Tell me this does not sound wonderful...? I love the not-so-American influences in this recipe. It just adds a much needed kick to an otherwise basic soup. And if you're not a big "pea" fan, this just might make one out of you. It's really more like a vegetable soup. A really good vegetable soup. Cheers.

*Remember, I'm happy to share actual recipes with measurements and the sort. Just comment on my post or get a hold of me otherwise, and I'll get it to you.*

Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos

Okay, it's been awhile. I guess I've taken a hiatus of sorts from blog writing. We've been cooking, but after work, you don't always feel like taking the time to snap photos as you cook or take pictures of your plate, when all you want to do is sit down and chow down. And what's a blog without photos?! We've been busy to say the least, but I'm enjoying my new job and all that has come with it.

So. Cilantro lime chicken tacos. We made these a week or so ago, but they are so worthy of a blog post, even if it is a little late. This is our favorite kind of Mexican: fresh. And these were so flavorful and full of many different textures. The vinaigrette is incredible; it could really be used for a lot of things...burritos, tostadas, salads, etc. And as you cook the ground chicken (instructions to follow), flecks of cilantro kind of get embedded in it and add great flavor. So meaty, but fresh and light at the same time. Top with a bunch of fresh, crunchy veggies, and you have a winner.

Zack made the cilantro lime vinaigrette (I recruited him to speed up preparations for this weeknight meal). To make the vinaigrette, combine rice vinegar, fresh lime juice, honey, minced garlic, and a pinch of kosher salt in a blender. Add canola oil to the blender in a thin, steady stream to form an emulsion. Add fresh cilantro and process until vinaigrette is deep green with green flecks of cilantro.

To make the chicken filling, add ground chicken, chopped fresh cilantro, minced garlic, and salt and pepper to a large skillet with canola oil over medium-high heat. Cook completely, breaking up any chunks. Then, reduce heat, stir in fresh lime juice and soy sauce, and cook for 1-2 minutes.

Divide the chicken mixture amongst corn tortillas, top with shredded romaine lettuce, and drizzle with the vinaigrette. Add fresh pico de gallo, chopped yellow bell pepper, and crumbled queso fresco. Enjoy.

Chicken and Vegetable Stir-Fry with Sprouted Rice and Quinoa Blend

Well, my latest culinary tendency is to browse through recipes, pick one for it's framework, and then put my own twist on the ingredients. This spicy stir-fry was originally supposed to contain soba noodles and tofu (which would have been equally as lovely), but we had a rice and quinoa blend on hand, and I decided to throw in chicken for some meatiness.

This is all about the vegetables: bell pepper, broccoli, and bok choy. And an incredible sauce, which has the texture and feel of a peanut sauce, but actually calls for almond butter (which I love) instead.

Just heat a bit of grapeseed oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add bell peppers, broccoli, bok choy, garlic, red pepper flakes, and salt. Cover and cook, tossing occasionally, until vegetables are crisp-tender (about 8-10 minutes). Meanwhile, whisk together almond butter and a little bit of water, then whisk in rice vinegar and soy sauce. Add cooked chicken and toss until it is heated through, 2-3 minutes.

This was a really excellent stir-fry creation. And the nice thing about a stir-fry is that you can make it in many variations. I would definitely like to try this with noodles and maybe even some other vegetables. Here's to stir-fry heaven. Cheers.

Lemony Lentil Salad

Another packable lunch item: lemony lentil salad. Brown lentils, orange and red bell pepper, scallions, and a dressing made of extra-virgin olive oil, whole-grain Dijon mustard, fresh squeezed lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and fresh ground black pepper.

Yes, I know whole-grain Dijon mustard has been making a lot of appearances on this blog lately. But it is so delicious. It has a really great rich, wintery flavor.

I've been really into lentils lately because I've learned that they are a great source of protein, folate, and iron. The bell peppers add vitamin C and carotenoids, making this a really nutritious salad. Eat with a sandwich or pita, and you have a great lunch! Cheers.

Wild and Brown Rice Salad

Well, I definitely have some blog writing catch-up to do. I guess we've been busy. But still cooking never the less!

This last week, Zack and I set a goal: eat no restaurant food for one week. I usually meet Zack for lunch and we've sort of grown accustomed to getting food nearby his work. We try to be healthy (Subway, Asian food, etc.). But lately, I've gotten weirdly into personal finance and budgeting since I'm starting to work again. I'm all about saving money. And eating out does not equal "saving money."

It really is amazing how much less money buying a few lunch items from the grocery store is compared to eating out. I know this is all kind of obvious, but hey, I guess I got lazy about packing lunches and sort of forgot.

So, the rice salad. It's a great healthy alternative to pasta salad, and goes great with a turkey and ham sandwich on seedy, multigrain bread. This recipe has brown and wild rice in it, along with yellow bell pepper, celery, cucumber, tomatoes and cilantro. The dressing is a combination of extra-virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, stoneground mustard, salt, and freshly ground pepper. This rice salad just tastes so healthy and the crunch of the fresh vegetables provides for great texture. Plus, it saved really well in the refrigerator for a few days.

I guess this last week taught me that there is no substitute for fresh, homemade food. You feel better, you look better, and you save money! Perfect timing for this revelation considering the holidays are coming up. Wouldn't you agree?