All-American Chili

I made a big old pot of chili over the weekend and have been having it for lunch this week. Love it! I love it with cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips, crescent rolls, etc. I love chili! Any-who, no pic for this one, I mean chili is chili, but I wanted to share the recipe anyway. I changed a few minor things, so below is my version of the recipe from Cooking Light. This didn't have quite enough heat for us, so another jalapeño or some other sort of heat will be added the next time I make this.

6 oz. pork sausage

2 cups chopped onion

1 cup chopped red/orange/yellow bell pepper

8 garlic cloves, minced

1 lb. ground sirloin

1 jalapeño pepper, chopped

2 tbsp. chili powder

2 tbsp. brown sugar

1 tbsp. ground cumin

3 tbsp. tomato paste (or 1.5 tbsp of the double concentrated stuff in a tube)

1 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/4 tsp. salt

2 bay leaves

1-1/4 cups beer

2 (28-oz.) cans whole tomatoes, undrained and coarsely chopped

1 (15-oz.) can kidney beans, drained

1 (15-oz.) can black beans, drained

1/2 cup shredded cheese

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the sausage, onion and the next 4 ingredients (onion through jalapeño) to pan; cook 8 minutes or until sausage and beef are browned, stirring to crumble.

Add chili powder and the next 7 ingredients (chili powder through bay leaves), and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in beer, tomatoes and beans; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Uncover and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Discard the bay leaves. Sprinkle each serving with cheese (and your other favorite toppings) and enjoy!

Turkey Taco Salad

Yesterday I had the day off work. It wasn't as joyful as it sounds as I had a dentist appointment in the morning, but I digress.

I took some ground turkey out for dinner but had no idea what to do with it. So as usual, I took to the Internet to help me with my dinner challenge. I came across this easy salad recipe and decided it was the one. It made quite the tasty lunch the next day too!

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 lb. ground turkey

kosher salt and pepper

1 16-oz. container store-bought refrigerated fresh salsa

2 tbsp. sour cream

1 head romaine lettuce, cut into pieces (about 8 cups)

tortilla chips

1 15.5-oz. can pinto beans, rinsed

1 avocado, diced

1 cup grated Cheddar

1 6-oz. can sliced black olives (optional)

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the turkey with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Cook, breaking up with a spoon, until no longer pink, 5-6 minutes. Pour off any excess liquid. Stir in half the salsa and cook until heat through, about 1 minute.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the remaining salsa and sour cream.

Divide the lettuce, chips, turkey mixture, beans, avocado, Cheddar, and olives (if using) among bowls. Serve with the salsa-and-sour-cream dressing.

Crispy Breaded Shrimp With Garlicky Beans

This was a pretty easy recipe. The original recipe called for rosemary, but I'm not a HUGE fan of rosemary so I used thyme instead...plus that's what I had on hand anyway. I also didn't have any arugula either, so I just made a salad to go with it.

1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary (thyme)
kosher salt and pepper
5 tbsp. olive oil
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 clove garlic, chopped
1, 19-oz. can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 bunches arugula, trimmed

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Mix the breadcrumbs, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large bowl. Add the shrimp and toss to coat. Transfer shrimp and any excess crumbs to a baking sheet. Bake until the shrimp are cooked through and the breadcrumbs are crispy, 10-12 minutes.

Heat the remaining oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the beans, 1/4 cup water, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, add the arugula, and toss to combine. Divide the beans among individual plates and serve with the shrimp. Sprinkle any extra breadcrumbs from the pan over the top.

Sweet and Spicy Green Beans

We needed a side dish and had some fresh green beans, but I wanted to add a little something to them. I just get sick of the same old steamed green beans after awhile. I found this recipe and it was so good! Definitely a keeper!

3/4 pound fresh green beans, trimmed
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. garlic chili sauce
1 tsp. honey
2 tsp. canola oil - I used olive oil

Arrange a steamer basket in a pot over boiling water, and steam the green beans 3 to 4 minutes.
In a bowl, mix the soy sauce, garlic, garlic chili sauce, and honey. Heat the canola oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the green beans, and fry for 3 to 5 minutes. Pour in the soy sauce mixture. Continue cooking and stirring 2 minutes, or until the liquid is nearly evaporated. Serve immediately.

Spicy Black Bean Hummus

I found this recipe in my Cooking Light magazine and it was the perfect afternoon snack today, along with some guacamole.

1 garlic clove, peeled
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp. tahini (roasted sesame seed paste)
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. salt
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 small jalapeño pepper, chopped (about 2 tablespoons)
Dash of crushed red pepper
2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Dash of ground red pepper

Place garlic in a food processor; process until finely chopped. Add lemon juice, tahini, cumin, salt, black beans, jalapeño pepper, and crushed red pepper; process until smooth. Spoon bean mixture into a medium bowl, and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with ground red pepper.

Chicken Couscous Pita

This meal was quick and easy and utilized some leftover couscous we had in the fridge. I didn't really follow any recipe, but this is what I threw together.

First we marinated some boneless, skinless chicken breasts in Newman's Own Lighten Up Light Lime Vinaigrette and cooked them in the oven. Then I took the leftover plain couscous, heated it up in a pan with some chili powder, cumin and black beans.

I took a pita, cut it in half and split it open. I smeared a little sour cream in there, added the couscous mixture, some sliced chicken, avocado, spinach and cheese. Quick, easy and tasty!

Lemony Shrimp With White Beans and Couscous

This one is definitely a keeper! So quick to put together and so good!

1 10-ounce box couscous (1 1/2 cups)
kosher salt and black pepper
3 tbsp. unsalted butter - I used olive oil instead
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 scallions, chopped
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 15.5-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

In a saucepan, bring 2 cups water to a boil. Stir in the couscous and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cover and let sit off heat for 5 minutes; fluff with a fork before serving. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of the butter (olive oil) in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and scallions and cook for 30 seconds. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring, until they begin to turn pink, about 3 minutes. Stir in the beans, parsley, lemon juice, the remaining butter, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve with the couscous.

Springfield Chili

I love chili! I could seriously eat it everyday! Well today seemed like the perfect day for a nice, cozy bowl of chili. I adapted this recipe from Cooking Light. I added a dried chipotle pepper for a little smokiness and some heat and a little cayenne pepper for some more heat. Oh, and I got to use my dutch oven again! Score!

1 bacon slice, finely chopped - I used ham instead
2 1/4 cups finely chopped onion, divided (about 2 medium)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound ground beef
1 (12-ounce) can beer (such as Budweiser)
3 tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1 dried chipotle pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (8-ounce) can no-salt-added tomato sauce
1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

Cook ham in a large Dutch oven over medium heat 5 minutes or until browned. Stir in 2 cups onion; cover and cook until onion is tender (about 5 minutes). Uncover and stir in garlic; cook for 1 minute.

Increase heat to medium-high; add ground beef to pan. Cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Add beer; cook until liquid is reduced to 1/3 cup (about 7 minutes). Stir in chili powder and next 7 ingredients (through tomato sauce). Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes or until mixture thickens. Stir in beans; cook 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

We topped our chili with some shredded mozzarella cheese (normally I like to use cheddar, but this was all we had, and hey...cheese is cheese) and sour cream. We like to eat our chili with some tortilla chips too.

One Pan Chili Chicken

It was basically another night where it was, okay, what do we have on hand? Chicken? Check. Rice? Check. Potatoes? Check. So what can we make? I came across this recipe on the Food Network and decided to give it a shot. The only thing we didn't have was carrots, but I added a can of kidney beans instead. Not exactly the same, but beans just seemed like a good fit.

2 tsp. olive oil
3/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken cut into cubes
1 small sweet onion, thinly sliced
1/2 pound small red potatoes cut into quarters, about 8 potatoes
Coarse salt
Cracked pepper
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. sweet paprika
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 (15 ounce) can whole plum tomatoes
3/4 cups long grain rice
1 1/2 cups low sodium, fat free chicken broth - we used beef broth
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen peas

Heat the oil in a non-stick paella pan, wok pan or 12-inch skillet. Add the chicken, and cook until golden brown on all sides, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside. Add the onions and potatoes and cook, stirring often, until onions have softened and are lightly golden, about 10 to 12 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add garlic, paprika, cumin, oregano, tomatoes, rice, broth, beans and the cooked chicken. If it appears too dry, add more liquid. Bring to a boil and immediately reduce to a simmer. Cook, covered, for 20 minutes. Remove cover, add the peas to the top without stirring in. Cover and cook 5 minutes more or until rice is cooked through and soft.

We added some hot sauce for a little kick and sour cream on top. Enjoy!

Cool Southwestern Salad with Corn and Avocado

I found this recipe in my Real Simple magazine. I made a few slight variations, but for the most part, left it the same. All I had were northern beans which probably weren't the best choice to use since they tend to mush up more easily than pinto beans, but oh well...it's all I had on hand. My picture doesn't look as tasty as the picture from the magazine, but I'm sure the taste was the same :o)

2 small heads romaine lettuce, cut into bite-size pieces (about 12 cups)

1 15-ounce can northern beans, drained and rinsed

2 ears corn, kernels cut off the cob (about 1 cup)

2 avocados, chopped

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

1/2 cup fresh parsley chopped

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

Kosher salt and pepper

1/2 9-ounce bag tortilla chips

In a large bowl, combine the lettuce, beans, corn, avocados, onion, and parsley. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, lime juice, cumin, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Drizzle over the salad and toss. Serve with the tortilla chips.

Here's what mine looked like...

...and the picture from the magazine

Chicken, Cheese and Bean Quesadillas

Since I had some leftover cooked chicken, I decided to whip up this quick and tasty meal. They were so good! And leftovers for lunch were just as delicious.

1-2 tbsp. olive oil

1 medium onion, sliced

2 cups cooked chicken, chopped/shredded

1/2 cup water

1 tbsp. chili powder

1/2 tbsp. cumin

1 tbsp. Red Hot sauce

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

4, 10-inch flour tortillas

shredded cheese of your choice

Heat oil over medium heat in large skillet. Add the sliced onion and cook for a few minutes until just soft. Add the chicken, water, chili powder, cumin, Red Hot sauce, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Add in the beans and cook for 2-3 more minutes to heat through.

Take a tortilla, sprinkle some cheese on it, layer on the chicken-cheese-bean mixture, sprinkle on another layer of cheese and place the other tortilla on top.

Place in 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes. You might want to cover it with foil to make sure they don't burn, or just keep a good eye on it. This made two quesadillas and we served it with sour cream, homemade guacamole and fresh salsa. Mmmm, mmmm good!

Beef Enchiladas

I could seriously make some type of Mexican meal every night of the week. I had some ground beef in the freezer and decided to make some beef enchiladas. I found this recipe online and while it's not authentic by any means, it's quite yummy!! I added a little bit of garlic and onion to the ground beef while it was cooking, and I used fresh salsa instead of salsa in the jar. I would definitely make these again!

1 pound ground beef
1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning
1 cup water
2 cups cooked rice
1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
10 (8 inch) flour tortillas
1 (16 ounce) jar salsa
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted

In a large skillet, cook beef (and onion and garlic) over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in taco seasoning and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Stir in rice. Cook and stir until liquid is evaporated. Spread about 2 tablespoons of refried beans, 1/4 cup beef mixture and 1 tablespoon cheese down the center of each tortilla; roll up. Place seam side down in two greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dishes. Combine salsa and soup; pour down the center of enchiladas. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake uncovered, at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20-25 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.

Turkey sausage, red beans and rice

I had some of the sweet Italian turkey sausage and needed to find a way to use it. Plus we were limited on what we had at home, but I knew we had beans and rice. So I decided to find a red beans and rice recipe. I was almost positive I had a can of diced tomatoes at home, but of course once I got home, I found out I didn't. So I used tomato sauce instead. I would make this again, but definitely use diced tomatoes next time. I used this recipe and made some variations.

1 package Jennie-O turkey sausage, cut into 1/2 inch slices

1 boil-in-bag brown rice*

2 tbsp. olive oil

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, chopped

1 (15 oz) can kidney beans

1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

1/2 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. chili powder

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

salt and pepper to taste

Cook rice according to type you choose. In a skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic and cook until almost tender. Stir in the sausage and cook thoroughly until there is no more pink. Mix in the beans, tomato sauce, cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper and salt and pepper. Continue cooking until heated through. Serve mixture over rice.

*I used a 10-minute boil in bag brown rice, but you could use any rice you like. The recipe calls for 1 cup of uncooked long-grain white rice and 2 cups of water to cook the rice in.

Catalina Taco Salad

A friend of mine recently found out she has Celiac Disease which means she can't have anything with gluten in it. It was a huge diet change, but there's actually quite a bit she can still eat. Yay for still being able to eat ice cream!! Well anyway, we were all going up to our cottage so we wanted to try and do a gluten-free meal. I found a salad in this blog and figured we'd give it a try. It was really yummy! I couldn't however find a gluten-free Catalina dressing (maybe they all are, I don't know) but I decided to go with a Lime Vinaigrette from Newman's Own since I knew she mention they were usually gluten free.

4 cups spinach
1 can kidney beans drained and rinsed
1/2 cup frozen corn
2 small tomatoes, chopped
1 avocado seeded and cubed
1/2 cup grated cheese
2 green onions sliced thinly
1 cup Frito's
1/2 cup dressing

Toss everything together in a large bowl and serve immediately. If you think there will be leftovers, add the Frito's to each individual serving instead of mixing them with the salad. Otherwise they will get soggy.

As you can see this pic is without the Frito's, but make sure you add them! It's even better with the Frito's.

Zucchini Turkey Chili

Well, it's summertime which means my parents' garden is overflowing with zucchini and I'm left to figure out what to do with the many I receive every time I stop by their house. Even though it was particularly hot this one day, I was craving chili, so I decided to throw some zucchini in the mix. I didn't really use a recipe, but below is pretty much the gist of what I did. Enjoy!

2-4 tbsp. olive oil, some for veggies and some for turkey
1 pound ground turkey
1 medium to large zucchini cut into chunks
1 medium onion, diced
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 can of bean of your choice, kidney beans were used here
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2-3 tbsp. chili powder*
2-3 tbsp. cumin*
salt and pepper to taste
Tabasco or RedHot to taste

*I really didn't measure these at all, so you might want to do these to taste

Heat ~2 tbsp. olive oil in a pan and saute the zucchini and onion until soft. In the meantime, heat another 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Place the turkey in the pot and cook thoroughly. Once the zucchini and onion are soft, add the garlic and cook for another minute or so. Add this veggie mix to the turkey along with the beans, crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, crushed red pepper flakes, chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper and hot sauce. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 30 minutes. I served it with a little shredded cheese, sour cream and some tortilla chips.

Another thing to add since it's summer is some fresh corn on the cob. Just slice it off the cob and add it to the pot. It will cook in the 30 minute simmer time.

Black Bean Salad

I found this recipe on the Food Network website, but I didn't have all the ingredients I needed. I made do of course, and it turned out quite delicious.

1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups of frozen corn
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper chopped
1 1/2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. hot sauce
1 lime, juiced
2 tbsp. vegetable or olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Mix everything together in a bowl. If making this right before dinner, let it sit out on the counter for about 15 minutes as to let the corn defrost. The frozen corn will keep a chill on the salad. I made it a few hours in advance so I just popped it in the fridge and the corn defrosted in there.

The two ingredients I didn't have were the bell pepper and the red onion. I left the bell pepper out completely, but used a vidalia onion instead of the red. The sweet vidalia worked just fine. Enjoy!