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!

{Cooking Seasonally} Kale Edition

I'm starting a new series to post our favorite recipes by season called Cooking Seasonally!

We're fighting for our best health by being proactive about our diets.  Gut health is a huge way to boost immunity, and to make eating our fruit and veg more fun, we focus on eating seasonally.  This gives our kids a wide variety of produce to try and makes it special since we look forward to what's in season. I love sharing this tradition around the table as we learn to try a wider variety of fresh produce.

November has some of our favorites (apples, broccoli, pears, cabbage, and kale to name a few) - want the whole list?  Sign up for my Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/6fa9c696734d/fasterwaywithrobin

Here are two of our favorite kale recipes:

Kale Salad from Urban Organic Gardener - we also add in other seasonal veg (here we have shredded carrots and broccoli)

Tuscan Bean Soup:

What you need:

2 lbs lean turkey breakfast sausage (mild Jennie-O)

1 c shredded carrots

6 stalks celery, chopped

1/2 c onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 cans of cannellini beans with liquid 

6 c chicken broth

2 c kale

Brown Rice Pasta Spirals (Tinkyada)

What you do:

1. Simultaneously brown meat in large pot (reserve on a plate) and in a separate pot, cook pasta according to directions.

2. Add veg to meat pot at med-hi heat, stir to saute and then lower heat and cover with lid for ~5 minutes or until veg starts to soften. Add in garlic and cook 1 minute more.

3. Add in meat, beans, stock and bring to a boil then simmer.  Add in pasta and kale a few minutes before you are ready to serve.

This is such a clean and cozy crowd pleaser and tastes amazing as leftovers.  You could sub leftover turkey for the sausage after Thanksgiving!

Want my whole seasonal produce list with more recipes? Don't forget to sign up for my newsletter!

Building a Summer Buddha Bowl + Summer Dip Guide

 I don't know about y'all but I'm happiest in the summer, when I can pull ready made sides out of the refrigerator and leave Taylor to man the grill.  Check out our favorite dips that are perfect accompaniments for building a summer buddha bowl.  I make up some quinoa and our favorite dips ahead of time ahead of time and everyone can build their bowls how they like. 

Add protein, quinoa, massaged kale (Mix 1 cup of kale  with 1/4 T olive oil and a dash of sea salt and massage it down), and your favorite dip from my Summer Dip guide. Top with salsa.

Here is our favorite salsa recipe:

2 roma tomatoes

1 can diced tomatoes, drained

1/2 of a small purple onion

1 jalapeno, seeded to desired hotness 

1/2 bunch of cilantro (pull off from the long stems but no need to pull off every leaf since it's going in the blender)

1 t cumin

1 t sea salt

1 dash garlic salt

1 or 2 shakes of Tabasco

Throw in the blender until combined but not soupy. Eat with good tortilla chips or top your taco salad or Mexican buddha bowl.

And click here to sign up for my FASTer Way Newsletter.  I'll be sending out My Summer Dip Guide later this week!

https://mailchi.mp/6fa9c696734d/fasterwaywithrobin