Chili

1.5 lbs. ground turkey

3/4 lbs. bulk pork sausage

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

1/2 red onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 red pepper, chopped

1/2 green pepper, chopped

1 jalapeño, chopped

1 large can diced tomatoes (796 ml.)

1 can kidney beans

1 can black beans

1 can pinto beans

1 tbsp. molasses

1 can tomato sauce

1 cup water

1/2 cup frozen corn

4 tbsp. chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

1 tbsp. paprika

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. pepper

1 tbsp. vinegar (cider or regular)

Saute meat onions and garlic, add remaining ingredients and simmer for 2 hours order low heat.

Creamy Pumpkin Penne

Creamy Pumpkin Penne

8 oz penne pasta

4 tsp olive oil

1 large onion, thinly sliced

4 cloves of garlic, minced

about 4T chopped fresh sage, or 1/2 to 1 T dried sage (to taste)

4 links cooked chicken sausage, sliced, or 1 turkey kielbasa, sliced

1 cup low fat cottage cheese (1% milk fat)

1 cup pumpkin puree

1 cup nonfat milk

pinch of nutmeg

10oz torn spinach, thick stems removed

grated parmesan or pecorino romano cheese, optional

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add onions and cook gently for about 10-15minutes, until softened and beginning to caramelize. Add garlic, sage, and chicken sausage; continue to saute.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions.

In a blender, combine combine pumpkin, cottage cheese, and milk. Blend until no lumps are present. Add to sausage mixture in skillet and continue to cook over low heat. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg.

Drain pasta and return to pot over low heat. Add sausage mixture and baby spinach, and toss together. Cover for a few minutes to let the spinach wilt. Serve with parmesan cheese, if desired.

Pumpkin Oats

I love the change of seasons from Summer into Fall. I love all of the fall foods, warm bowls of chili, roasted vegetables, soups, and in the mornings, a big bowl of oatmeal. I had a can of pumpkin that I've been looking forward to digging into, so I thought I'd make some Pumpkin Oats.

Pumpkin Oats
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1/4 cup steel cut oats
1/3 cup pure pumpkin, pureed
nutmeg
cinnamon
sliced almonds
unsweetened shaved coconut

Bring water and almond milk to a boil, stir in oats and cover, cooking for 7-10 minutes, until done. Remove from heat and stir in pumpkin. Pour into a bowl and top with nutmeg, cinnamon, almonds and coconut. Enjoy!

Turkey Taco Stuffed Shells

In the mood for Mexican, or maybe a little Italian? How about a little of both! I decided to try these shells I had heard about from a friend...however, I always have to do things my own way, so I started by making my own taco seasoning again. Here's what I used for the shells:

Taco Seasoning

1 Tbsp. Chili powder 
1 tsp. Garlic powder 
1/4 tsp. Onion powder 
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes 
1/4 tsp. Oregano, dried 
1/2 tsp. Paprika 
1 1/2 tsp. ground Cumin 
1 tsp. Salt 
1 tsp. black Pepper

Combine all spices together, use 1 tbsp. for each pound of meat.

Turkey Taco Stuffed Shells

1 lb. Extra Lean Ground Turkey 

19 Jumbo Pasta Shells

1 cup of water

1 (16oz. can) fat free Refried Beans 

3/4 cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded

1/4 cup Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded (I mixed them together)

1 tbsp. taco seasoning

1 16oz. jar of Salsa, divided

1 small green pepper, chopped 

1/4 cup green onions, sliced 

1/2 cup Sour Cream, reduced fat

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Stir in the shell pasta, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, until just slightly firm to the bite, about 13 minutes. Drain well.

Brown the ground turkey in a large skillet; drain fat. Mix all spices together and then stir in with water; cook over low heat until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir the pepper, refried beans and 3/4 cup cheese into the taco meat. 

Spoon meat mixture into prepared pasta shells. Spoon 1/4 cup salsa over the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange filled shells over salsa. Spoon remaining salsa over shells.

 

Bake in preheated 350 oven for 40 minutes. Remove from oven; sprinkle with sliced green onion and 1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese. Serve with sour cream.

Grilled Apricot Chicken

Summertime means grilling...I'm always on the lookout for great grilling recipes. Yesterday I tweaked an apricot chicken recipe I'd found online and really liked the outcome. I know using thighs isn't the healthiest option, but it's what we had in the freezer and you could just as easily do this with breasts, or any other parts of the chicken! The indirect grilling process keeps it nice and moist, if you haven't tried it before, do it, it takes more time, but is totally worth it.


Apricot Chicken

• 4 Tbsp. lower sugar Apricot preserves

• 3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil

• 1 garlic cloved, minced

8 boneless chicken thighs

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper
cooking spray


1. Combine first 4 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring well.
2. Prepare grill for indirect grilling (heat one side to medium-high and leave one side with no heat.)
3. Let chicken stand at room temperature for 30 min. Sprinkle chicken evenly with salt and pepper. Place chicken, meaty sides down, on grill rack coated with cooking spray over direct heat; grill 5 minutes or until browned.
4. Turn chicken over; baste with apricot mixture. Grill 5 minutes over direct heat or until browned. Turn chicken over, moving it over indirect heat; baste with apricot mixture.Cover and cook 15 minutes. Turn chicken over; baste with apricot mixture. Cook 20 minutes or until done.

Kale and Apple Sausage Pizza

This is one of those recipes passed on by a friend who got it from a friend's blog, etc. It was tasty and would be super easy to "improvise" depending on what ingredients you had in the fridge.


Kale and Apple Sausage Pizza


1 bunch kale, cleaned, coarsely chopped, and sauteed in olive oil
2 chicken and apple sausages, cut into thin rings

1/4 C chopped walnuts (or pecans...that's what I used, because that's what I had!)

2 C grated gouda

1 package pizza crust (I just use Trader Joe's, it's so convenient, and good...)

Preheat oven to 425. Roll out dough as thin as possible. Top with all other ingredients, and bake for 18 minutes.

Asian Beef Kabobs

When trying to figure out what to do with a tri-tip roast for our Memorial Day BBQ yesterday, I found this random recipe on the back of the label of the roast. It turned out great and it's ridiculously easy.

Asian Beef Kabobs

2 lbs. beef roast, cut into cubes

1/2 cup hoisin sauce

1/4 cup dry sherry

2 tsp. sesame oil

4 tsp. brown sugar

green onions

Mix everything together in a bowl and let sit for at least 4 hours. Slid onto skewers, interspersing green onion between the beef cubes. Grill 4 minutes on each side.

Chocolate Avocado Pudding

I know, it sounds weird...but I was pleasantly surprised at the outcome, so go ahead and give it a try!

Chocolate Avocado Pudding

1 avocado

1/2 banana

4 Tbsp. cocoa powder

1-2 Tbsp. agave nectar (or liquid sweetener of choice)

1/4 cup milk (originally recipe called for coconut milk, which I'd like to try, but didn't have any at the time...)

Plop all of the ingredients in a food processor, whiz away...you'll know when it's done by the consistency. I put mine in the refrigerator for a while to chill, but you could enjoy right out of the processor bowl if you'd like!

Latin Style Falafel with Avocado Spread

One of my New Years resolutions is to try to incorporate at least 1-2 vegetarian meals per week into my diet, so I was browsing recipes and came across this one. I've never made falafel, and frankly I'm not sure how much I've actually eaten in the past, but thought I'd give it a try. I liked it, especially the avocado spread I made along with it, but the actual falafel was a bit bland. I will try it again, but will definitely add more of the cumin.

Latin Style Falafel with Avocado Spread

Patties:

• 1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/4 cup finely crushed baked tortilla chips (about 3/4 ounce)
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped green onions
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 large egg white
• 1 1/2 teaspoons canola oil

To prepare patties, place pinto beans in a medium bowl; partially mash with a fork. Add cheese and next 5 ingredients (through egg white); stir until well combined. Shape bean mixture into 4 (1/2-inch-thick) oval patties.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add patties to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until patties are browned and thoroughly heated.

Spread:

• 1/4 cup mashed peeled avocado
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped tomato
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped red onion
• 2 tablespoons fat-free sour cream
• 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

To prepare spread, combine avocado and next 5 ingredients (through salt), stirring well.

I served them by placing one patty in a pita half. Spread about 2 tablespoons avocado spread over patty in each pita half; top with some thinly sliced red onions and some sort of greens (I used lettuce, but you could use spinach, or micro-greens).

Thai Shrimp Soup

This is a recipe that my old roommate actually used to cook, and when she moved out, I became the new "owner". I love the slightly spicy flavor of the broth, and I usually end up adding some rice noodles to it to make it a little more substantial. This particular night I had a mixture of shrimp and scallops, but to be honest, the scallops did not add anything to this soup, I'll just stick with shrimp next time.

Thai Shrimp Soup

• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 3 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 5-6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (depending on your spice level desire!)
• 1 head napa cabbage, thinly sliced (about 3 cups)
• 1 1/2 lbs shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 tablespoons asian fish sauce
• 2 teaspoons lime zest
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped or chopped scallion
• 
  
• Heat oil in a large pot. Add ginger and onion. Cook, stirring frequently for about 3 minutes. Add broth and red pepper flakes and bring to a low boil. Add cabbage and cook for approximately 2 to 3 minutes. Add shrimp, lime zest and lime juice. If you're adding noodles, this is probably the time you would add those to the broth as well. Cook just until shrimp turns pink. Serve hot sprinkled with cilantro or scallions.