Tried this yummy turkey chili tonight, recipe courtesy of Food Network. It was incredibly flavorful, probably because of the chipotle chile and adobo sauce, and the level of spice can be modified if you don't want it to be too spicy (I'd cut back slightly on the chili powder or only use half a chipotle chile). Plus, the recipe can be done in under 40 minutes, so no need to turn on the crock pot and wait!
Ingredients
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1.5 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 chipotle chile en adobo, coarsely chopped, with 1 tablespoon sauce
1 pound ground turkey
1 (12-ounce) Mexican lager-style beer
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, with their juice
1 (15 1/2-ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
Sliced scallions, cilantro sprigs, avocado, sour cream, grated Monterey jack cheese, and/or tortilla chips, for garnish, optional
Directions
Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, salt, chili powder, and oregano and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and the chipotle chile and sauce; cook 1 minute more. Add the turkey, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, and cook until the meat loses its raw color, about 3 minutes. Add the beer and simmer until reduced by about half, about 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes--crushing them through your fingers into the skillet--along with their juices and the beans; bring to a boil. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thick, about 15-20 minutes.
Ladle the chili into bowls and serve with the garnishes of your choice.
Cook's Note: A skillet's larger surface area reduces sauces faster than simmering in a saucepan.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Monday, October 6, 2008
Cheesy Crab Dip
I modified an old Pampered Chef recipe for this hot and tasty crab dip that we tried at wine club. Try this appetizer with a nice, buttery chardonnay!
ingredients
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/2-cup mayonnaise
2 garlic cloves, grated
1 6 oz. can of crab meat, chopped
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Swiss and/or Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions with tops
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
1 lemon
1 teaspoon Tabasco hot pepper sauce
directions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine cream cheese and mayonnaise in bowl. Grate garlic into bowl using Microplane grater/zester; mix well.
2. Juice lemon to measure 1-tablespoon juice. Add crabmeat, cheese, green onions, bell pepper, lemon juice and hot pepper sauce to bowl; mix well.
3. Spoon crabmeat mixture into oven safe dish. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown around edges.
Yield: 3 cups (12 servings or 24 sample servings)
notes
The original recipe called for 8 oz. of imitation crab meat, but I think it's tastier with the canned crab meat that I found at Trader Joe's.
Also, I didn't have any Tabasco sauce, so I used a few drops of Sriracha sauce. Next time I would add even more because I didn't think there was enough of a kick.
ingredients
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/2-cup mayonnaise
2 garlic cloves, grated
1 6 oz. can of crab meat, chopped
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Swiss and/or Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions with tops
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
1 lemon
1 teaspoon Tabasco hot pepper sauce
directions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine cream cheese and mayonnaise in bowl. Grate garlic into bowl using Microplane grater/zester; mix well.
2. Juice lemon to measure 1-tablespoon juice. Add crabmeat, cheese, green onions, bell pepper, lemon juice and hot pepper sauce to bowl; mix well.
3. Spoon crabmeat mixture into oven safe dish. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown around edges.
Yield: 3 cups (12 servings or 24 sample servings)
notes
The original recipe called for 8 oz. of imitation crab meat, but I think it's tastier with the canned crab meat that I found at Trader Joe's.
Also, I didn't have any Tabasco sauce, so I used a few drops of Sriracha sauce. Next time I would add even more because I didn't think there was enough of a kick.
Honey Tomato Bruschetta
At wine club last weekend, we had this delicious honey tomato bruschetta. It's really nice with a crisp sauvignon blanc.
The recipe is from Food and Wine magazine and you may recognize it from the cover of the magazine a couple months ago.
If you have trouble finding the clover and buckwheat honeys, try a local farmers market (I found mine at the St. Paul Farmers Market).
In this amazing appetizer, two types of honey serve two distinct purposes: Mellow, slightly spicy clover honey intensifies the sweetness of the tangy tomatoes as they slowly roast. After the bruschetta is assembled, a drizzle of robust buckwheat honey balances the creamy ricotta cheese.
ingredients
2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons clover honey
2 teaspoons thyme leaves
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
12 baguette slices, cut 1/2 inch thick on the bias
1 cup fresh ricotta (8 ounces)
1 tablespoon buckwheat or chestnut honey
6 basil leaves, thinly sliced or torn
directions
Preheat the oven to 300°. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, toss the tomatoes with the olive oil, honey, thyme leaves, salt and pepper. Scrape the tomatoes onto the prepared baking sheet and turn them cut side up. Bake the tomatoes for about 1 hour and 25 minutes, until they begin to shrivel and brown. Let cool.
Preheat the broiler. Spread out the baguette slices on a baking sheet. Broil for about 30 seconds on each side, until the edges are golden brown.
Spread the ricotta over the baguette slices and top with the slow-roasted tomatoes. Lightly drizzle the tomatoes with the buckwheat honey, sprinkle with the sliced basil and serve with additional buckwheat honey on the side.
The recipe is from Food and Wine magazine and you may recognize it from the cover of the magazine a couple months ago.
If you have trouble finding the clover and buckwheat honeys, try a local farmers market (I found mine at the St. Paul Farmers Market).
In this amazing appetizer, two types of honey serve two distinct purposes: Mellow, slightly spicy clover honey intensifies the sweetness of the tangy tomatoes as they slowly roast. After the bruschetta is assembled, a drizzle of robust buckwheat honey balances the creamy ricotta cheese.
ingredients
2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons clover honey
2 teaspoons thyme leaves
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
12 baguette slices, cut 1/2 inch thick on the bias
1 cup fresh ricotta (8 ounces)
1 tablespoon buckwheat or chestnut honey
6 basil leaves, thinly sliced or torn
directions
Preheat the oven to 300°. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, toss the tomatoes with the olive oil, honey, thyme leaves, salt and pepper. Scrape the tomatoes onto the prepared baking sheet and turn them cut side up. Bake the tomatoes for about 1 hour and 25 minutes, until they begin to shrivel and brown. Let cool.
Preheat the broiler. Spread out the baguette slices on a baking sheet. Broil for about 30 seconds on each side, until the edges are golden brown.
Spread the ricotta over the baguette slices and top with the slow-roasted tomatoes. Lightly drizzle the tomatoes with the buckwheat honey, sprinkle with the sliced basil and serve with additional buckwheat honey on the side.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Pasta and a pan sauce....
Tonight I was all about a quick, easy, healthy meal - but I was craving carbs. My favorite thing to do when I need a combination like this is to whip up a pasta dish. Two pieces of equipment that you need: a pot to boil the noodles and a frying pan to make a quick sauce. For two people, I use two cups of pasta (whatever kind you prefer). Then, go crazy with whatever you have in the fridge to make your pan sauce! This is how I made tonight's pan sauce:- Bake two chicken breasts for 15 minutes at 375 degrees
- Bring noodles to a boil
- 2 tbsp. oil and 1 tbsp. butter
- Add a handful of thinly sliced red onion to the pan, pinch of salt and pepper, cook until softened
- Add 1/4 cup chopped roasted red pepper and 1 tbsp. garlic, and 1 tbsp. capers saute for about 1 minute
- Add sliced, cooked chicken to the pan
- Add 1/4 cup of white wine (whatever you are drinking!), bring to a simmer and reduce for 1-2 minutes
- Add 1/2 bag of fresh spinach to the top of the pan, let sit 2 minutes or until wilted
- Add noodles right from boiling water to the pan (the starch from the wet noodles will thicken the sauce), toss
- Toss with fresh basil and serve
Again, this is what I had readily available to me - the onion was already sliced from a previous dinner, and I always keep jarred roasted red peppers, garlic and capers around to whip up quick pasta dishes like these. It's a gourmet dish with little fuss. Serve with some pinot grigio or your favorite white wine and you are good to go!
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