Turkey Chili

 

It's February so apparently winter has decided to arrive and stick around here in Houston.  After being out of town for my birthday trip, I've been out of the groove of meal planning and grocery shopping which made dinner this week look like:

Monday - pizza

Tuesday - rotisserie chicken, steam in the bag broccoli, and baked sweet potatoes

Wednesday - salmon, rice, and steam in the bag green beans

So Thursday I actually did a real grocery haul incase we got iced in and I made White Chicken Chili and bought ingredients for classic chili (recipes in my newest newsletter; subscribe here.)

So I thought I'd share our favorite turkey chili.  It's adapted from the Mom-a-licious cookbook and my kids prefer this to classic chili hands down; plus it's leaner.

What you need:

1 lb turkey

1/4 c onion, diced

2 T cumin

2 cloves garlic minced

1 T tamari

1 can fire roasted tomatoes

1 can black beans

1 can kidney beans

1 can chopped green chilis

chicken broth

2 t chili powder (or more or less to taste)

1 t onion powder (or more or less to taste)

garlic salt to taste

What you do:

1. In a saute pan, saute onion in olive oil until translucent ~4 minutes (add garlic for the last minute of cooking time so you don't burn it).

2. Add in cumin and combine.

3. In a big pot, brown turkey and tamari browning turkey until no pink remains. Drain fat and then add the onion mixture to it.

4. Add in beans, tomatoes, chiles and broth (eyeball this until desired consistency.

5. Add in the rest of your spices adjusting to taste.

We like ours over rice and served with fritos.

Cooking Seasonally: December

Lots of produce goodness in season this December and Brussels Sprouts are at the top of my list. They are my favorite vegetable hands down.

 Fun fact: Brussels sprouts are the only craving I had during any of my pregnancies.  

For the whole December guide join my email list: https://mailchi.mp/6fa9c696734d/fasterwaywithrobin 

Here are 3 of my favorite ways to serve them:

Easy: Carrabbas Style

What you need:

4 pieces of sugar free bacon

Brussels sprouts

Lemon

What you do:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

2. Cook your bacon in a dutch oven and reserve

3. Wash and halve your Brussels sprouts

4. Crank up the heat and stir fry your Brussels Sprouts in the bacon grease until they get a little char 

5. Put the lid on and pop in the oven for 5-10 minutes or until they are as soft as you prefer.

6. In a separate bowl, toss Brussels sprouts and crunched up the bacon; squeeze a lemon over them, stir and serve immediately.

Easier: Stir Fried

What you need:

Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

Brussels Sprouts

Minced garlic

Garlic salt

What you do:

1. Heat the pan on high heat, add the EVOO and let it get shimmery.

2. Wash and halve your Brussels sprouts

3. Add your Brussels sprouts being careful of splattering oil and sprinkle with garlic salt.  Adjust the temp as necessary to get a good char but not burn.  Cook until desired softness stirring constantly. Add in the garlic for the last minute being careful not to burn it.

Easiest: Roasted and tossed with balsamic reduction

What you need:

Brussels Sprouts

Balsamic Vinegar

What you do:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Wash and halve your Brussels sprouts

3. Roast until desired doneness and make reduction while roasting ( bring 1 cup of balsamic vinegar to a gentle boil, reduce heat to simmer. Stir frequently - it's done when it's reduced and coats your spoon.)

4. Toss roasted Brussels sprouts in sauce and serve

What's your favorite Brussels sprouts recipe?  I'm looking for a good one with pomegranate seeds!

Savory Pumpkin Chili

I've been working on developing a yummy pumpkin chili, and this one is a winner!  I don't prefer sweet chili and this recipe, despite its sweet ingredients, comes out rich and savory.  It's got a little kick but can be easily adjusted by decreasing the cayenne so that it's not too hot for the kiddos.

What you need:

1 lb grass fed ground beef

1/2 c onion, diced

4 large cloves of garlic, minced

1 - 15 oz can pumpkin 

1 - 15 oz can red kidney beans

1 - 29 oz can petite diced tomatoes

1 c chicken broth (I use Central Market's brand because it's gluten free)

2 T chili powder

1 T Cocoa + Espresso powder (I used CocoaX brand)

1 1/2 t cinnamon

3 t ground cumin

2 t kosher salt

1/2 t black pepper

1/2 or 1/4 t cayenne depending on preference

Garnish: diced red onion, avocado and cilantro

What to do:

1. In a large pot, add 1-2 T olive oil and saute your onions for about 4 minutes and then add minced garlic for the last minute.  

2. Add beef to the pot and brown, breaking it up as you cook.  Drain the fat once no pink remains in the beef.

3. Add all other ingredients and stir until smooth.  Simmer for 30 minutes (stir occasionally).

4. Garnish and enjoy!

Friday Favorites: Christmas Dinner Menu

 

One year when we lived in Edinburgh, I hosted Christmas at our flat, and it was EXHAUSTING.  So much respect for my mom and mother-in-law for hosting all these years with grace and cheer all the while making it look effortless! So if you're hosting, you want to make sure your Christmas Dinner Menu is delicious but LOW MAINTENANCE so you can enter into the festivities without being too preoccupied.

When I got married, I was shocked to find out that it was traditional to basically serve Thanksgiving for Christmas dinner.  Not to knock Thanksgiving because I do like it, but it's more special to have it once a year, and it's too much work to make this for Christmas in my opinion.  In case you fall in this camp, I'm giving you permission to adopt my family's Christmas menu this year.  My mom (actually her mom) is a genius for going against the grain on it because it is better than Thanksgiving! It's clean (if you skip the dessert and cocktail), and it's simple to throw together, but it looks fancy!  My goal on Christmas Day is to be present with my family NOT a slave to my kitchen.

Kellam Christmas  Dinner Menu:

1. Standing Rib Roast

Disclaimer: make sure the bottom of your oven is clean so you don't set your house on fire.  Preheat oven to 500 degrees (you read that right).  Rub roast with olive oil and salt and pepper or butter instead of olive oil if you're not dairy free.  Place roast in 500 degree oven for 5 minutes per pound (keep close watch and make sure you have a fire extinguisher handy...kidding, kind of), then turn the oven off and leave roast in there for 2 hours and DON'T OPEN THE DOOR for the entire time it's in the oven (this is a very important step because if you open it early, you could cause your entire apartment complex to have to evacuate on Christmas Day because you set off the smoke alarm...not that I know this from personal experience, ahem). In all seriousness, pay attention to it while the oven just in case ;) (we've never started a fire, but if the bottom of your oven is dirty, all bets are off at that temp).  The high heat for the first part will give you a delicious crust on the outside and then leaving it after you turn it off makes it perfect on the inside.

2. Rosemary Garlic Smashed Potatoes*

(photo from foodiecrush.com)

Click above link for recipe. *I sub olive oil to keep them dairy free!

3. The BEST Green Beans

Buy the prewashed, steam in the bag green beans (don't buy a huge bag if cooking for a crowd because cooking time can be tricky and they don't steam as well.  Buy multiple normal sized bags and steam in batches.  I under cook them a tad so they are al dente (~2 minutes) and throw in an ice bath to preserve their bright green color.  Then saute minced garlic in olive oil or butter for 30 seconds, drain green beans and add to pan sauteing on med high heat. Sprinkle with salt and stir often.  Add in a heavy pour of dry white wine like sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio, turn up heat and reduce by half.  Squeeze a lemon over it and serve immediately.

4. Cherry Pie 

This is the easiest pie ever but for some reason is my kids' favorite.  We literally follow the cherry pie filling can directions and use a  frozen Pillsbury Pets Ritz Pie Crust and make a latticed top with Pillsbury rolled dough (refrigerated section by the biscuits). Pillsbury is the best so don't sub for a different store bought version! To make lattice, slice rolled dough into ~1 inch strips.  Line top quarter of your pie with strips pressed into the crust but folded outward on the counter.  Do this on left side quarter as well.  Weave strips together. Cover edges in foil for first part of baking time to keep it from burning and then uncover so it turns golden.

Bonus: Festive Cranberry Champagne Cocktail

Line rim with raw sugar, add 1/2 a shot of chilled rum to the glass and fill the rest with champagne and add a cranberry juice floater on top.  Add fresh cranberry and mint for garnish.

Tag me on instagram if you make any of this! @fasterwaywithrobin

Cozy Stovetop Beef Stew

What's On My Table:

Cozy Stovetop Beef Stew

 I adapted this recipe from Mix and Match Mama and swapped out some ingredients to make it cleaner.  I love this type of meal on a cold winter's night.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Olive oil for coating your pan (~ 2 T)

1 lb stew meat (should already be cut into cubes for you

1 qt beef broth

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 chopped onion, chopped

2 minced garlic cloves

2 bay leaves 

1 cup baby carrots (or 2 large carrots chopped)

2 Yukon gold potatoes (though any will work), cubed

1 1/2 tablespoon arrowroot starch

1 1/2 tablespoon water

Method:

1. In a Dutch oven, heat up oil and then brown meat (doesn't have to be cooked through just brown each side).  

3. Stir in the next 7 ingredients and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook covered for about 2 hours.  For the last 1/2 hour of cooking, add in your carrots and potatoes and cover.

4. 10 min before serving, combine your arrowroot starch with water and add to pot. Cook uncovered on the stovetop at medium high heat for about 10 minutes being sure to stir occasionally.

5. Serve in bowls with a side salad and dinner is done!

XO,

Robin