Delicious Turkey Chili

It's very possible that a hot bowl of chili is among the very best ways to remedy a cold fall evening.  Don't you agree?  My mom-in-law, Carol, makes an out-of-this-world chili, which I've written about HERE.  It's amazing.  I'll forever compare any chili that I have from here on out to hers.  

This lightened up version, adapted from Guy Fieri, was actually pretty dadgum delicious.  Ground turkey is a much healthier alternative to the traditional ground beef.  I also used reduced sodium beans, so that I could be more in control of the salt content.  

Don't let the long ingredients list scare you away from this one.  All of the elements are common ingredients and are easy to prepare.  It all gets tossed into a large pot and simmered for an hour, which is super easy.  

The red & green bell peppers, garlic, red onions and turkey make a fabulous base and are perfectly seasoned with a variety of spices, like chili powder, paprika, and cumin.   Using three different kinds of beans also makes this chili extra special.  The tomato paste and tomato sauce just add to the deliciousness, and shredded cheddar is a classic garnish to finish it off.

And you know what?  This chili is even "Carol Approved!"  She loved it!  :)

Bon Appetit, my friends!

Delicious Turkey Chili
Adapted from:  Ryder's Turkey Chili by Guy Fieri

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons canola oil
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 1/2 jalapeno peppers, minced (remove seeds for less heat)
9 cloves garlic, minced
2 small red onions, diced
3 pounds coarsely ground turkey (thigh and breast meat)
1/3 cup tomato paste
3 cups tomato sauce
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon granulated onion
2 teaspoons granulated garlic
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon ground cumin
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 cups canned pinto beans with liquid
3 cups canned kidney beans with liquid
2 cups canned black beans with liquid
Shredded cheddar cheese, for garnish
Saltine crackers, for serving

Directions:

Warm the oil in a large pot over high heat. Add the bell peppers, jalapenos, garlic and red onions and cook until caramelized, about 8 minutes. Add the turkey and gently stir, trying not to break up the meat too much; cook until the meat is no longer pink, about 5 minutes.

Add the tomato paste and sauce, stir for 4 minutes, then add the chicken broth. Add the granulated onion and garlic, chili powder, paprika, cumin, 2 tablespoons salt and 2 teaspoons black pepper. Stir in the beans and their liquid, lower the heat and cook, uncovered, for at least 1 hour. Garnish with shredded cheddar and serve with saltines.

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Baked Ziti with Turkey, Mushrooms & Bell Pepper

 

Is a big plate of hearty, delicious pasta ever a bad thing?  

I think not! 

While shopping the aisles the other day at the grocery store, Brad said, "Baked Ziti sure would be good for dinner soon."  Baked Ziti?  That DID sound yummy.  And wouldn't you know it...We made our way to the pasta aisle and the boxes of Ziti Rigati were buy one get one free.  It was pasta-fate...If there is such a thing.

To make the dish a little healthier, we decided ground turkey would be a good substitute for ground beef.  I love cooking with ground turkey lately.  It tastes great and is indeed a much healthier option.  That's a no-brainer, if you ask me.

This dish comes together in no time.  I added bell pepper, onion and mushrooms to the turkey as it cooked.  These veggies added a nice, fresh flavor.  As for the marinara sauce, just use your favorite brand.  I happened to buy Barilla.  Or, if you're feeling extra ambitious, you can even make your own.

Baked Ziti is wonderful because it's great the next night for left-overs.  I simply add a few tablespoons of water to a large saucepan, add however much pasta I need, and slowly reheat, with the lid on and stirring often.  I hear it also freezes well, too.

Bon Appetit!

Before going into the oven...

Yum!

Baked Ziti with Turkey, Mushrooms & Bell Pepper

Source:  My original recipe

Ingredients:

1 lb. ziti rigati pasta

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 lb ground turkey

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 onion, diced

8 oz. white mushrooms, sliced

1 tsp. garlic powder

24 oz. jar marinara sauce

1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

Salt & Pepper, to taste

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. 

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt generously, and drizzle with 1 tbsp of the olive oil.  Add the pasta, reducing the heat to medium-high and cook until al dente, tender but still slightly firm. Drain.

Drizzle the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil into the bottom of a second large pot or dutch oven.  Add the turkey and cook for 5 minutes.  Next, add the bell pepper, onion, mushrooms and garlic powder.  Continue to cook, stirring often, until turkey is cooked through.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Add the marinara sauce to the turkey mixture and stir well.  Next, add the pasta to the sauce and stir once more until well combined.

Transfer the pasta to a greased 9- x 13-inch baking dish.  Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella over the top.  Cover and bake for 25 minutes.  Uncover and bake for another 5-10 minutes, or until lightly browned and hot.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

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Mexican Lasagne

How do mexican ingredients piled into tall layers in between soft flour tortillas sound?  Oh, yes...that is the deliciousness that is Mexican Lasagne!  

A yummy sauce packed with onion, red bell pepper and tomatoes is used, along with a filling of black beans, sweet corn, and cheddar cheese to make the lasagne-like layers.  And what to use instead of pasta...?  Well, soft flour tortillas are just perfect.  They dissolve just enough to almost taste like soft cheese in between the layers.  Who knew??

Nigella tops hers off with a fresh Avocado Salsa that sounds divine.  Unfortunately, I didn't have the needed ingredients for the salsa, so I couldn't make it.  However, I served mine with a fresh salad of chopped lettuce, tomatoes, and a dollop of sour cream...just like they do at my favorite Mexican restaurant.  It was perfection on a plate!

And leftovers?  Yep...this lasagne is even better the next day, after all those flavors have had time to meld together.

One addition I did make was ground turkey.  I simply added it as part of the sauce and cooked it along with the onions and red bell pepper in step 1.  I also had to drain a little of the water out of the sauce, to avoid it being too runny.

Bon Appetit, my friends!  :)

I tore the tortillas into pieces so that there were no gaps.

A layer of filling...

Then a layer of sauce...

Top it all off with shredded cheddar cheese...

 

And voila!

Mexican Lasagne

Source:  Nigella Kitchen by Nigella Lawson

Ingredients:

Sauce:

• 1 tablespoon garlic flavoured oil
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 green chiles, chopped, with seeds
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt or 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro stalks
• 2 (14-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, plus 1   2/3 cups water to rinse out empty cans
• 1 tablespoon ketchup 
• I added 1 lb. of cooked, ground turkey

Filling:

• 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 3 1/4 cups drained canned corn, from about 1   1/2 (15-ounce cans)
• 2 1/2 cups grated mature goats Cheddar, or cheese of your choice
• 8 soft flour tortillas (approximately 10-inch diameter)
• 1 round ovenproof dish, approximately 10 inches diameter and 2   1/4 inches deep
• Avocado Salsa, for serving, recipe follows

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F, slipping in a cookie sheet at the same time. 

For the sauce: Heat the oil in a saucepan on the stove and fry the onion, bell pepper and chiles (along with ground beef or turkey like I did...until meat is cooked through). Add the salt and cook gently for 15 minutes, and once soft, add the chopped cilantro stalks. 

Add the canned tomatoes then rinse the cans out with water and add this too. Spoon in the ketchup and let things come to a simmer, leaving the sauce (or salsa in keeping with the Mexican mojo) to cook while you get on with preparing the filling- about 10 minutes. 

For the filling: 

Mix the drained beans and canned corn in a bowl. Add most of the grated cheese, reserving some to sprinkle on the top at the end, and mix together. 

Start to assemble the lasagne by spooning about a third of the salsa into the bottom of your ovenproof dish and smear it about, then layer on 2 tortillas so that they cover the sauce overlapping slightly, like a Venn diagram. 

Add a third of the beans and cheese mixture covering the tortillas, and then about a quarter of the remaining salsa and another 2 tortillas. 

Repeat with another third of beans and cheese, and more salsa before layering on another 2 tortillas. 

Finally, add the last layer of beans and cheese, nearly all of the remaining salsa and cover with the last 2 tortillas. Spread the very last bit of salsa over the tortillas and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. 

Place on top of the cookie sheet in the oven (to catch any over-flow from the lasagne) and bake for 30 minutes, and let it rest for a good 10 to 15 minutes before slicing like a pizza, and eat with the avocado salsa. 

Make Ahead Note: The lasagne can be assembled 1 day ahead. Cool the tomato salsa before assembling. Cover dish tightly with plastic and refrigerate until needed. Bake as directed in recipe, allowing an extra 5 to 10 minutes baking time and checking the lasagne is piping hot in centre before removing from oven. 

Freeze Note: The assembled but uncooked lasagne can be frozen for up to 3 months. Wrap dish tightly in double layer of plastic and a layer of aluminium foil. Thaw overnight in fridge and cook as above. 

Further Note: Leftovers should be covered and refrigerated as soon as possible. To reheat, put individual slices in ovenproof dish, cover with foil and reheat in oven preheated to 350 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes. Check the lasagne is piping hot before serving. Wedges of leftover lasagne can be frozen for up to 2 months, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and then either in foil or in resealable bag. Thaw overnight in refrigerator and reheat as above. 

Avocado Salsa

• 2 avocados
• 1 scallion, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons chopped green jalepenos from a jar or can
• Salt
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro

Halve the avocados, remove the pits, and then, using the tip of a sharp knife, cut lines down the flesh of each half, about a 1/4-inch apart and then the same across. Turn the avocado halves inside out, or otherwise release the pale green cubes into a bowl, then tumble in the scallion, chopped jalepenos, salt to taste, lime juice and most of the cilantro and toss gently to mix. Taste to see if any more salt is needed before scattering with the remaining cilantro and taking to the table.

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