Tag: tomatoes

Turkey and 3 Bean Chili

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This was a perfect meal for the weekend considering it was damp and “chilly” outside. Even if you don’t like my jokes I guarantee you’ll like my recipe. I always say to feel free and make it your own how you choose! 

My goal is to stop eating canned goods. So, I use dried beans and a mix of fresh and jarred tomatoes for this recipe. 


The only thing missing from the pic is my husbands homemade crusty bread. Yum…


My very special spicy sauce is the white sauce you see here. It’s Greek yogurt based but feel free to use what you like i.e. Sour cream. The red is a Mexican hot chili sauce…wowza its spicy! I can’t even tell you how to make it; it’s my momma’s. 

Here’s what you’ll need:

  • 2 1/2 cups dry black beans
  • 2 cups dry kidney beans
  • 1 1/2 cups dry great northern beans
  • 1/2 cup dry green lentils
  • 2 lbs ground turkey
  • 2 tbls olive oil
  • 2 1/2 sweet bell peppers, coarsley chopped
  • 1 red onion, chopped, plus more for topping
  • 1 carrot, chopped
  • 8-10 garlic cloves, minced
  • 24 oz Campari tomatoes, quartered
  • 24 oz strained tomatoes 
  • 4 tbls nutritional yeast 
  • 4 tbls cumin
  • 4 tbls coriander
  • 5 tbls chili powder
  • 4 dashes of franks hot sauce
  • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, reserve some for topping
  • S & P

Here’s what to do:

  1. Hydrate the beans and lentils according to their instructions. If you’re not using dried, canned are fine too just skip this step and rinse them all clean. 
  2. Heat the Dutch oven on medium heat with some olive oil and, once hot, brown the turkey. Season it with S & P and some cumin. 
  3. Set aside and add some more oil to the Dutch oven. 
  4. Add the onions and sautée for 2 minutes. Add the peppers and carrots, more S & P and sautée another 5 minutes stirring occasionally until soft. 
  5. Add the garlic and stir continuously for 1 minute. Add the Campari tomatoes and stir to combine. 
  6. Add the strained toms plus a little water that I used to rinse out the jar. 
  7. Add all the spices, nutritional yeast, cilantro, S &P and stir to combine. 
  8. Let the pot reduce a bit and then add in the browned turkey and beans. 
  9. Summer on low for an hour stirring occasionally. 
  10. Top with fresh cilantro, red onion, and/or any of your favorite toppings. 

Enjoy!!

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Cast Iron Vegan Chili

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I made this for all my vegan and vegetarian friends and family. Not all meals have to have meat and some taste even better without it. If you are a carnivore, just give this a try and you’ll realize what I mean.  Look at the vibrant colors! You see onions and red, yellow and purple bell peppers. 

Add the carrots for some orange…

Put everything together…

I’m really enjoying a local farm stand this summer that’s right down the road from me. All ingredients came from there and I believe one of the reasons this dish tasted so delicious. The fresher the better! 

Serves 8

What you’ll need:

  • 1 cup each dry black and pinto beans, rehydrated according to the instructions (or use canned beans and will equal about 3 cups total after draining)
  • 2 ears corn (or 1 can of corn)
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 3 large garlic cloves, chopped small
  • 3 bell peppers, largely diced 
  • 3 fresh tomatoes, diced
  • 13 oz can of diced tomatoes
  • 3 oz Tom paste
  • 28oz can tomato sauce
  • 1 tsp coriander
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tsp ground mustard
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 2 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
  • 2 Tbls olive oil
  • Pink Himalayan Salt
  • Fresh ground black pepper
  • 2 jalapeños, roasted and diced small for garnish
  • red onion, diced small for garnish
  • cilantro or parsley, for garnish

What to do:

  1. If you’re using the dried beans like I did, you’ll need to start this the night before or follow the instructions for the quick cook. 
  2. In a large cast iron Dutch oven, heat the olive oil on medium. 
  3. Sautée the onions and bell peppers with some salt and pepper about 5 minutes until slightly soft. 
  4. Reduce the heat to medium low and add the the carrots and garlic. Sautée another 5 minutes stirring frequently. 
  5. Add the fresh tomatoes, a little more salt and pepper, stir and simmer until you see the liquid expel from the tomatoes. 
  6. Boil the corn, let cool, slice off with a knife and add to the pot. 
  7. Add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and paste, stir until combined and add all the spices and nutritional yeast. Reduce the heat to low and stir again. 
  8. Simmer on the lowest heat for an hour to hour and a half stirring occasionally. 
  9. Serve in a bowl with the garnishes listed or whatever you choose. Feel free to add some hot sauce for some heat if you don’t do the jalapeños 😉

Side note: You can roast your own jalapeños directly on your stove top. Be sure to char all sides, let cool, peel the char and diced away. Very simple and can be done with any kind of peppers. 

Enjoy!

    Prosciutto, Avocado, Spinach, & Heirloom Tomato Egg Scramble | Start The Day Off Right

    WhyILoveFood1 Comment

    Did you ever wake up on the weekend or your day off and think, “I’m going to make a killer breakfast”? However, you don’t have a clue what that killer breakfast will be or what you can throw together that’s in your fridge to make it “killer”. Well…here it is. 

    All you need is a somewhat salty meat (ham, bacon or in my case a slice of prosciutto that I had left over), a variety of veggies, eggs and a spicy sauce if you’re into that kinda thing. In my opinion, the spicy sauce is the killer part. It brings it all together. 

    Serves 2 people

    What you’ll need:

    • 4 eggs, whisked
    • 1 Tbls milk
    • 3/4 avocado, cubed
    • 1 slice prosciutto, finely chopped 
    • 5 grape size heirloom tomatoes, sliced in halve lengthwise 
    • 1 cup raw spinach, chopped 
    • 1/2 Tbls butter
    • Fresh ground black pepper 
    • Garlic powder
    • All season salt
    • 2 sprigs of parsley for garnish

    The spicy sauce:

    • 2 Tbls plain Greek yogurt
    • A few dashes of your favorite hot sauce, depending on how spicy you like it
    • Garlic powder
    • S&P

    I also served breakfast with a lightly toasted bagel, cherries & mini yellow plums that I got from a local farm. They were delicious!

    What to do:

    1. Prep your ingredients and put a large sautée pan on medium heat. 
    2. Sautée the prosciutto for 2 minutes, add the avocado and tomatoes and sautée for another 2 minutes. 
    3. In the meantime wisk the eggs, milk, garlic powder, all season salt and pepper in a small bowl. 
    4. Clear a space in the center of the pan and melt the butter, mix everything together and add the eggs. Top with the spinach, cover and turn the heat down. Make sure the eggs evenly dispurse in the pan. 
    5. Cook on low for 3-4 minutes and gently take large sections of the egg and flip them. It’ll break apart don’t worry it’s ok. Just try to flip as big of a piece as possible. I did it in 4’s. 
    6. Fold over one large piece on top of another for one serving. Do the same for the second serving. Top with the sauce, parsley for presentation and serve with you favorite sides. 

    Enjoy!!

    Trottole Pasta Salad

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    I’m all about pasta this weekend! I used  Simply Balanced Organic Trottole Pasta for this recipe. It’s a fun shape and all the good stuff you add to a pasta salad incorporates well into it. You can pretty much use any type of pasta for this dish if you can’t find this type. Some good alternatives would be farfalle, penne or even multi colored radiatore! Remember to always salt your water when boiling pasta!!

    If you want to make this a vegan dish, use a vegan friendly pasta. 


    What you’ll need:

    • 16 oz Trottole pasta
    • 1 medium Eggplant, roasted and diced
    • 2 Carrots, chopped small (I used my Kitchen Aid Spiralizer if you have one)
    • 5 Kale leaves, chopped fine
    • 2 Green Onions, chopped into thin rings
    • 4 oz Tomatoes, grape or cherry, halved (optional)
    • Juice of 1 Lemon
    • 1 Tbls dried Thyme
    • 2 Tbls Garlic Powder
    • 1 small can of sliced black olives 
    • Extra Virgin Olive Oil
    • S & P

    What to do: 

    1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 
    2. Begin to boil the water for the pasta. 
    3. Remove some of the skin on the eggplant with a peeler, dice and place on a sheet tray with olive oil and S & P. 
    4. Bake for 15-20 minutes until completely soft, remove and let cool. 
    5. Boil the pasta according to the instructions, drain and let cool. 
    6. Meanwhile, prepare the carrots, kale, onions, tomatoes and lemon juice and add all into a large bowl. 
    7. Add the eggplant, thyme, garlic powder, S & P to the mixture. Combine thoroughly. 
    8. Once the pasta has cooled, add it into the mixture with more olive oil and toss. Put in more or less oil and S & P to your taste. 

    Enjoy!!

        Bread Pizza topped with Meatballs and Sausage

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        What do you do with day old Italian bread, left over sauce, sausage and meatballs?? Make a pizza out of it!! It’s so easy.   

        Here’s what you’ll need:

        • Italian bread, sliced lengthwise 
        • Olive oil
        • garlic powder
        • dried oregano
        • S & P
        • Homemade tomato sauce
        • Italian sausage, precooked (preferably in the sauce) and sliced thin
        • Meatballs, precooked (again in the sauce) and sliced
        • Parmesan cheese, grated
        • Mozzarella cheese, shredded

          
         What to do:

        1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
        2. spread olive oil over the bread along with garlic powder, oregano, S & P, and parm cheese. 
        3. Place on a sheet tray and toast in the oven for 5 minutes. 
        4. Remove and top with tomato sauce, sausage, and meatballs. Then top with more Parmesan and Mozzarella cheese.  
        5. Bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and slightly browned. 

        I have to admit, I’m not ready to give up my family recipe for traditional Italian sauce (aka gravy). It is the first thing I learned to cook on my own and is close to my heart. So, I’ve found a great comp that you can use as a guide so that you can make your own! Click the link to find that along with a meatball recipe. You should know by now that I never buy pre-made 🤓

        Enjoy!