No Bean Turkey Chili

What?! Why would you want chili without beans?? It's lighter and in my opinion, a bit more flavorful because you can really taste the vegetables.  With just a little bit of tomato base and lots of veggies, this is a good variation to throw into the mix.  I have made it three weeks in a row and this week, I doubled it because Hassan was eating it all when I went to bed.  I'd wake up, excited to pack up the leftovers (since it's the kind of thing that gets better each day) and find the pot in the sink and an empty bowl and spoon on the coffee table.  There are so many annoying things about this situation...

ANYWAY :):) Below is the regular recipe.  Double it if you live with a beast.

Tip: While the sweet potato bakes, chop the other veggies.

Ingredients are approximate.  I made up this recipe as I went along, so have fun with it and change it any way you want!  Sometimes I add corn, zucchini or carrots.  The seasoning is spicy so if you don't like a good kick, add a little at a time to taste.

Main Ingredients
Olive oil
1 pound lean ground turkey
1 large vidalia onion, chopped
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 green pepper, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 yellow squash, diced
1 sweet potato, diced
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes with green chilies
1.5 TBS tomato paste
1 cup chicken broth
2/3 cup water

Seasoning mix
1 TBS chili powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Sea salt, pepper and Adobo seasoning to taste

Optional garnishes: Cilantro, sliced avocado, sour cream, Cholula hot sauce, melted cheese. mmmm!!!!

1. Pour yourself a nice sized glass of Cabernet.  Do not miss this step!

2. Bake sweet potato until its about 3/4 cooked.  Set aside to cool and when it's okay to handle, peel, dice and set aside again.

3. Heat olive oil in a large skillet.  Add onions and cook for a few minutes.  Add peppers and yellow squash.  Sauté for a few minutes until all vegetables are cooked but not mushy.  Add garlic and stir frequently for 2 minutes.  Season with salt, pepper and Adobo.  Pour mixture into a large soup pot and stir in sweet potatoes.

4. Mix up the seasoning mix.

5. Place the same skillet on medium heat.  Add ground turkey and cook until no longer pink.  Drain any fat.  Add seasoning mixture and 2/3 cups of water.  Stir and continue to cook until most of the liquid and seasoning is absorbed into the meat.  Pour meat into the soup pot.

6. Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and chicken broth into the pot.  Stir it all together and bring to a boil.  Lower heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes until thickened.  Taste and add any seasonings as desired.  At this point, I usually add a few shakes of Adobo and maybe a splash of chicken broth because I like to create a spicy broth in there.

7. Add any garnishes that you're in the mood for.  My favorite is lots of Cholula and some sour cream.  For a treat, I add a big layer of melted white cheddar.  For days that I want to keep it light, I thinly sliced half an avocado across the top and squeeze on a little lime juice.  The possibilities are endless!!

I hope you enjoy!  I've been in the mood for this over and over since the colder weather has arrived.  I'd love to hear any variations you make to the recipe.

Soy-Ginger Flank Steak

Serves 5-6

Time:  35-40 Minutes Total 

·         1 tbsp. vegetable or canola oil

·         1 1/2 tbsp. finely grated peeled fresh ginger

·         1 tbsp. minced garlic

·         2/3 c. low-sodium soy sauce, or 1/2 c. regular soy sauce and 3 tbsp. water

·         1/2 c. lightly packed light or dark brown sugar

·         1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes, optional

·         1 (2 1/2 to 3 lb.) flank steak

·         Freshly ground black pepper

·         Thinly sliced green onions, both white and light green parts, optional for serving

·         Lime wedges, for serving

·         Hot cooked rice, for serving

Directions:

1.     Preheat the broiler and, if you have an adjustable rack, make sure it is as close to the heat source as it can get.

2.     Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the ginger and garlic and cook, stirring, until you can really smell everything and the garlic turns golden, about 3 minutes. Add the soy sauce, brown sugar and red pepper flakes, if using. Increase the heat to medium-high and let the soy glaze simmer until slightly reduced and syrupy, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Set the glaze aside to cool for about 5 minutes.

3.     Season the flank steak lightly with black pepper. Brush the top side of the steak with some of the soy glaze, then broil it for 4 minutes. Using tongs, turn the steak, then brush the second side with the glaze. Broil the flank steak until it is done to your liking, about 4 minutes longer for medium-rare. Transfer the steak to a cutting board and let it sit for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, bring the remaining soy glaze to a simmer over low heat.

4.     Thinly slice the flank steak across the grain and brush the slices with some of the reheated soy glaze. Transfer the sliced steak to a platter and scatter the green onions, if using, on top. Arrange the lime wedges on the edge of the platter for people to squeeze over their steak if they like. Put the rest of the soy glaze in a small pitcher or bowl to serve at the table for drizzling over rice.

Comments from the Chef: Serve with a generous scoop of rice and a green veggie!  Also – if you like a spicy kick feel free to add more red pepper flakes!

Kudos to: what2cook.net

Low Country Boil

Serving Size: 6

Cook Time: prep 20, cook 35. allow about an hour for the water to boil

Any Special Tools Needed?: a big as pot, preferably with a strainer built in. 

Ingredients:

Old Bay (your desired amount for flavor) 2 Tablesoons per quart of water, roughly
12 red new potatoes
6 (4") smoked sausage links (basically any kind of sausage you prefer)
6 ears of corn, halved
3 Lbs of fresh, unpeeled shrimp

Steps:

• Fill a large pot with enough water to cover all of the ingredients (with strainer in).
• Add the Old Bay and bring to a boil. This takes at least an hour so plan ahead. Adjust the Old Bay to your taste.
• When the water boils, pull up the strainer and place potatoes and sausage so the boiling water doesn't splash everywhere (this mistake has been made before). Cook on medium for 20 minutes

• Add corn (same method as before) and cook for 10 more minutes.

• Add shrimp til pink and no more than 3 minutes. 
• Drain and serve on either in a gigantic bowl or directly on a kraft paper covered table with bread and bowls of extra Old Bay.

Commentary from the Cook:
Super duper fun for summer or early fall eating at picnic tables outside. Makes it super easy to rinse off with a hose. Or serve in the bowl if you wanna eat inside at a table like a sophisticated person. Maybe have some discard bowls around for shrimp skins. If you don't have a pot with a strainer use a small strainer with handle to lower into boiling water. Would be super easy to add some crabs too if you wanted.

Gnocci alla Sorrentina

Serving Size: 4-6

Cook Time: Some serious time, a couple hours

Any Special Tools Needed?: a potato ricer. We tried to do without (since they cost $30+) but it was really hard to get the potato super smooth with a masher.

Gnocchi Ingredients:

3-4 Russett potatoes

About 1 1/3 cups of flour

1 Tablespoon of kosher salt

1 egg

• 
  

Sauce Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon olive oil 

3 garlic cloves, peeled and halved 

3 lbs fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped (can also use two 28 ounce canned and peeled tomatoes) 

2 teaspoons salt

4 basil leaves

Extras (a must):

Fresh mini motz balls

Fresh grated Parmigiano cheese

Gnocchi Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350
• Bake the potatoes whole and in their skin for 70 mins
• As soon as the potatoes come out of the oven, halve them, scoop out the center, and put through a food ricer.

• Spread the riced potatoes in a single layer onto a working surface and let cool completely, about 25 minutes. 

• Once the potatoes have cooled, sprinkle 1 cup of the flour and the salt over the potatoes. 

• Gather the mixture together to form a well. Add the egg into the middle of the well, and lightly knead the mixture together just until all ingredients are combined and it forms a ball. (This should take no more than 2-3 minutes.)

• Divide the dough into six pieces.
• Roll each piece out into a rope about 1/2-inch in diameter. Cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Give each piece a quick roll into a ball. 
• Create ridges in the gnocchi by rolling them onto a fork (If you have a wooden “gnocchi board,” use this instead.) 
• Cook them right away or freeze them. (If you’re freezing them, place them in a single layer on a baking sheet into the freezer. Once they are individually frozen, you can place them together or on top of each other in a bag or container.) 

Sauce Steps:

• Over medium heat, heat the olive oil and gently sweat the garlic in a saucepot, 3-4 minutes. 
• Add the tomatoes, salt and sugar and increase the heat to medium-high. 
• Bring the mixture to a boil and cook off the liquid for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently to make sure it doesn’t scorch. 
• Place the tomatoes in a colander to drain, reserving the tomato liquid. Run the tomatoes through a food mill. (The larger the holes in the disk, the chunkier your sauce will be.) If you prefer a sauce with a fine texture, you can process the tomatoes in a food processor. 
• Return the sauce to the pot, add the basil leaves, and cook on medium-low heat for 30 minutes, until it reaches the desired consistency. If the sauce is too thick, add some of the reserved tomato juice to it. Remove the garlic and basil before using.

Throw it all together:

• Bring about 8 cups of well-salted water to a boil. 
• Heat the tomato sauce. 
• Place the gnocchi in the boiling water a few at a time. (You want to always keep the water at a boiling temperature.) 
• In a sauté pan, heat 1 cup of the tomato sauce. 
• As soon as the gnocchi rise to the top of the water, drain off the water and place them into the sauté pan with the tomato sauce. Mix together. 
• The gnocchi should be only lightly coated with tomato sauce. Place half the gnocchi in a shallow ovenproof casserole dish. Top with mozzarella cheese.
• Sprinkle with the Parmigiano cheese. 
• Place under a broiler until the mozzarella is melted and slightly golden, about 7 minutes. 

Commentary from the Cook:
We did this for a date night and it was great because it was relaxing since the gnocchi process is tedious so we were able to listen to some tunes, drink some wine and have a lot of fun doing it. We made the sauce first and set aside, then quickly heated it along side the gnocchi when they were ready to boil. To make for less mess, do the sauce in an oven-safe pan so cut down on the dishes. They came out amazing, we froze half and ate half. I'll let you know how the frozen batch tastes.

http://www.napoliunplugged.com/gnocchi-alla-sorrentina-a-taste-of-sorrento.html

Spicy Fish Tacos with Avocado-Yogurt Sauce and Pickled Onions

Author: Isabelle Boucher

Prep time:  30 mins

Cook time:  10 mins

Total time:  40 mins

Serves: 4

These lightened-up fish tacos trade in battered fish and full-fat sour cream for pan-fried spicy fish filets and a flavourful avocado and yogurt sauce

Ingredients

Spicy Lime-Chipotle Fish:

·         2 tbsp fresh lime juice

·         2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

·         2 tsp chipotle powder (or chili powder, if you prefer)

·         1 tsp ground cumin

·         1 tsp sweet paprika

·         ½ tsp salt

·         1 lb fresh haddock fillets (or any other firm white fish - I use Tilapia)

Avocado-Yogurt Sauce:

·         1 large ripe avocado, pitted and roughly chopped

·         ¼ cup plain yogurt

·         1 tbsp fresh lime juice

·         ½ cup roughly chopped cilantro

·         ¼ tsp salt

·         ¼ cup water

Tacos and Garnishes:

·         12 small corn tortillas

·         Shredded cabbage

·         Pickled red onions

·         Cilantro sprigs

·         Finely julienned radishes

·         Lime wedges

    Instructions:

          Marinate the Fish:
1. In a small bowl - Combine lime juice, olive oil, chipotle powder, cumin, paprika and salt.  Stir until smooth.
2. Pat the fish dry and rub both sides with marinade.  Transfer to bowl/plate with remainder of marinade and refrigerate.

     Prepare the Avocado-Yogurt Sauce:
1. In food processor or blender combine the avocado, yogurt, lime juice, cilantro, salt and water.  Process until smooth and creamy.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

    Cook the fish:
1.  In a large skillet cook the fish in olive oil.  Cook until opaque and flaky (4-5 minutes per side).  Use a fork to break the filets into large chunks. 

     Prepare the tacos 
1.  I like to put all the ingredients out and let everyone make their own.  Plus the chicken gets chilly quickly to this seems to be the best way.  

I also added pickled onions using the recipe below - they are a MUST!

Mexican-Style Pickled Onions

Adapted from Epicurious

1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup cider vinegar
1 tsp salt
1 clove garlic
1 tsp Mexican oregano

Blanch the onion slices in a large saucepan full of boiling water for 1 minute, then drain.
Return the onions to the pan, along with cider vinegar, salt and as much cold water as needed to barely cover. Bring to a simmer and cook for 1 minute.
Pour onions and brine into a clean glass jar. Smash the garlic clove with the side of a knife, and add to the jar, along with the oregano. Chill in the refrigerator for at least a couple of hours before serving.
Pickled onions will keep for several weeks in the refrigerator – aside from posole, they make a great condiment for a simple cheese plate, and can also be used to perk up your favourite sandwich (try them with roast lamb or chicken).
(This recipe is really best when made with red onions, which will take on a gorgeous magenta pink colour as they sit in the brine. That said, regular white onions will taste just as good, despite the fact that they won’t be as pretty.)

Commentary from the cook:  I made these once and then made them twice more in the same week... win!

Pad Kee Mao

Serving Size: 4-6
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Any Special Tools Needed?: nope - I just used all the same kind of soy sauce instead of wasting money buying two different kinds.

Ingredients:

• 1 packages 1/2-inch-wide flat rice noodles (14 ounces)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
• 1 tablespoon smashed small Thai chilies
• 1/2 pound chicken breast, thinly sliced
• half large onion, thinly sliced
• 4 large plum tomatoes, each cut into thin wedges
• 1 large green pepper, sliced into strips
• about 4 tablespoons water
• 1 1/2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1 teaspoon black soy sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons golden mountain soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 2 teaspoons white sugar
• 1/2 cup packed holy basil leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon vinegar

Steps:

• Soak the rice noodles according to the package. Hint: you should fill a bowl of very hot water (from the faucet, not boiling) and soak the noodles until they are soft. If you use boiling water, the noodles will get too soft. Keep the noodles in the hot water until you are ready to start making the dish. You may also want to cut the noodles as sometimes they become too long.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add the minced/chopped garlic and chilies until it becomes fragrant. Constantly stir the mixture to ensure that it doesn’t burn. This should take 30 seconds. Add the chicken, green peppers and onion. You may need to add a few tablespoons of water to help things not stick.
• When the meat has browned and is more than halfway cooked, add the noodles and tomatoes. Add the soy sauces, sugar and oyster sauce. Stir well to mix. The noodles will take about 3-4 minutes to soften.
• Add the basil & vinegar. Stir to mix. When the basil is wilted, the noodles are ready to serve.

Commentary from the Cook:
This was one of the best, most spot on recipes I've ever cooked. It was super-duper easy and was as good/if not better than take out thai.