Turkey White Bean Pumpkin Chili

 

Even without kids, it's good to find ways to sneak in a healthy food like pumpkin!

 

 

TURKEY WHITE BEAN PUMPKIN CHILI (crock pot)

 

cooking spray

2  pound lean ground turkey

1/2 teaspoon olive oil

1 cup diced onion

3  garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons cumin

2  (15 ounce) cans of great northern beans, drained and rinsed

1 (150 ounce) can pumpkin puree

1 (4.5 ounce) can chopped green chiles

2 cups chicken broth

1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder  

1 teaspoon oregano

2 bay leaves

salt and pepper to taste

fat free sour cream for topping (optional)

chopped cilantro and chives for topping (optional)

Heat a large heavy sauté pan over high heat and lightly spray with oil. Add meat and cook, breaking it up until white, about 5 minutes. Add to crock pot.

Add olive oil to the sauté pan, then onions and garlic, sauté about 3 - 4 minutes; add cumin and sauté another minute. Add to crock pot.

Add beans, pumpkin puree, green chiles, broth, chili powder, oregano, bay leaves, salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.

 

Remove bay leaves and adjust seasoning to taste before serving.

Add optional toppings to each serving.

SuperFood Salad

 

 

This is my version of a salad that they sell in the Deli department at Kroger.

 

The main ingredients are mixed in a proportion that you like, it was pretty random on my part.

 

chopped raw kale

quartered cherry tomatoes

dried cranberries

cashews, halves and pieces

shelled edamame, thawed from frozen

 

I made up a dressing of light mayo, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper (very little mayo) and stirred that in.  

 

The Kroger version also has fresh blueberries and sunflower seeds.

 

It makes me feel good to eat something that seems so healthy and it tastes good too!

Thai Chicken Noodle Soup

 

 

 

Wow, it's been a while since I had time or felt like trying something new. My new job is wearing me out! Cooking has been feeling like a chore lately rather than the fun hobby that it can be. But anyway, I finally made the time this weekend.

 

This soup was sooooooo good. I felt like I was in a gourmet Thai restaurant eating it.

 

 

THAI CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

adapted from Fitness Magazine via Pinterest

 

1 tablespoon sesame oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons minced ginger

2 large skinlees, boneless chicken breasts, diced into 1-inch pieces

1/2 cup chunky peanut butter

1 cup crushed tomatoes

6 cups chicken broth

1 tablespoon fish sauce

6 ounces rice noodles

2 cups shredded cabbage (I used the pr-shredded coleslaw mix)

1 cup canned bean sprouts, drained

1/4 cup chopped green onions

 

In a soup pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, ginger and chicken. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring often, until chicken is no longer pink.

 

Dissolve/stir the peanut butter in the crushed tomatoes; add the mixture to the soup pot along with the broth and fish sauce. Bring to a boil. Add the noodles; reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cook 5 minutes. Stir in the cabbage and cook another 5 minutes. Stir in the bean sprouts and green onions; turn off the heat.

 

Garnish with cilantro and chopped peanuts if desired.

 

Yield: 5 or 6 servings

 

 

I garnished with cashews since that's what I had on hand and served with some spring rolls (from the freezer department of the grocery store).

 

 

Chicken Enchilada Pasta

CHICKEN ENCHILADA PASTA

recipe adapted from the following:

Mel's Kitchen Cafe

and

Pearls, Handcuffs, & Happy Hour

1 (12 ounce) box penne pasta

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup diced onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 red pepper, diced

3 chicken breasts, cooked & shredded

1 (4 ounce) can diced green chiles

1 teaspoon cumin

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 (10 ounce) can green chili enchilada sauce (La Preferida)

1 (10 ounce) can red enchilada sauce (La Preferida)

2 small cans sliced black olives

1 cup shredded cheese (I used a Mexican variety)

1 cup sour cream

Optional toppings:

Avocado

Black Olives

Tomatoes

Sour Cream

Boil pasta according to package directions.

Heat the olive oil in a deep skillet and cook onions for about 3-5 minutes. Add garlic & red pepper and cook for another 3-5 minutes.

Add cooked chicken, green chiles, cumin, chili powder, enchilada sauces and black olives. Let sauce simmer for about 8-10 minutes.

Add cheese and stir until the cheese is melted and heated through. Remove from heat and add the sour cream. Stir until sour cream is well mixed and heated through.

Drain pasta, add it to the sauce mixture and mix well.

Serve and garnish with optional toppings.

Weekly Menu Board

So, I am trying to plan meals on a weekly basis and stop making several grocery trips a week. That will just not be convenient when I have a job again. I'm trying to train myself now!

Having this little menu board posted in the kitchen is actually working so far. I've kept to the plans for two weeks. I did my grocery shopping on Sunday or Monday, but, I did make an extra trip each week to buy an item or two that needed to be fresh at the end of the week. Some things just don't keep well Sunday to Friday.

This was a totally free project for me since I had the picture frame on hand, stored in the basement. You could easily create your own document with the days of the week, but I downloaded this one from Delighted Momma.

Also, dry erase markers work great on glass! The glass actually cleans up better than the dry erase board that I have on my refrigerator.

Loaded Cauliflower Casserole

I'm calling this 'loaded' because it reminds me of all the ingredients in a loaded baked potato.

LOADED CAULIFLOWER CASSEROLE

recipe adapted from Kalyn's Kitchen

1 large head cauliflower

4 ounces low fat cream cheese

1/2 cup low fat sour cream

1/4 cup minced chives or green onions

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/3 cup crispy, crumbled bacon

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese (can use reduced fat)

Cut out stem and core from cauliflower, and cut into small pieces. Cook in large pot of boiling salted water until cauliflower is tender, but not overly soft. Drain well and mash with potato masher, leaving some chunks.

Mix in cream cheese, sour cream, most of the chives, Parmesan, and most of the crumbled bacon.

Spread evenly in a small glass casserole dish. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Top with remaining chives and bacon.


Notes:
I use Oscar Mayer bacon pieces that come in a little pouch. I microwaved them for about 30 seconds to get them crispy.

And those lovely chives, they're from my garden!

Traditional Hummus

TRADITIONAL HUMMUS
recipe from Cooking Light

2 (15.5-ounce) cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)

3 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oilo see savings

salt and pepper (to taste)

Place beans and garlic in a food processor; pulse 5 times or until chopped. Add 1/2 cup water and remaining ingredients; pulse until as smooth as desired, scraping down sides as needed.


Notes:
I have a small food processor, so I did 2 separate batches to use all of the ingredients. That turned out to be a good thing - I added a Sicilian spice mixture to one batch as an experiment, now I have one that's a little spicy.

This is so delicious and I like the fact that I could leave a little texture so it's not perfectly smooth like the store-bought kind. Much less expensive to make at home, too. The tahini may seem pricey, but you only use a small amount, so it will last for many batches.