Three Bean Turkey Chili

Anyone who has eaten something I have cooked has probably had this 3 bean chili. It is mine and Melissa's staple that we go to when we know we have to feed a crowd or if we don't feel like cooking anything high maintenance. This is literally the easiest dish to make.. If you know how to open a can, rinse, and dump, you are good to go!This recipe serves 4-6 people, but double the beans if you have a crowd. 

Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey
1/2 packet of taco seasoning
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 jar thick and chunky salsa
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can great northern beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 tsp chili powder (optional)
1/2 tsp cumin powder (optional)
1 package (8oz) shredded cheddar cheese
Fritos scoops

Heat dutch oven or large pot to medium heat and cook turkey with the taco seasoning until no longer pink. Drain if needed (Turkey meat is so lean that you might not have any fat to drain off). Add turkey back to pot and add tomatoes, salsa and all the beans. I like to drain and rinse the beans to get the excess sodium out of the beans that comes from them being canned. If you like your chili more spicy, add the chili and cumin powder for a great spicy taste. Turn heat to high until chili comes to a boil. After chili is brought to a boil, cover the pot and turn to a low simmer. Cook on simmer for  10-20 minutes or until everything is heated through. Serve with cheese on top and Fritos to scoop with!

Oxo Good Grips Smooth Edge Can Opener

BBQ Nachos

Ingredients:
1 Boston butt pork roast
Pork dry rub seasoning
2 bottles of BBQ sauce (Sweet Baby Rays recommended)
Blue and Yellow Corn Tortilla chips
Queso cheese sauce

Start by rubbing the dry rub seasoning on the pork roast. Place the roast in the crockpot and pour 1 bottle of BBQ sauce in as well. Fill the rest of the crockpot up with water about 3/4 of the way and cover with the lid. Turn the crockpot onto high and cook for 6-8 hours. Arrange the chips on a platter. When roast is ready, pull apart with a fork and place on top of the chips. Add the other bottle of BBQ sauce and queso cheese sauce on top. Mix in with the chips if desired. Serve your nachos hot!!


***You can add jalapenos on top for a spicier bite!! (Recommended for you, Lenor)
Pfaltzgraff Country Cupboard 18-Inch Oval Platter

Lemony Chickpea Stir-Fry

**Daniel Fast Worthy
Tonight I had a sous chef who's name is Lenor! She was such a great help in chopping veggies and tasting for seasonings to add. Hope you enjoy our creation!

Ingredients:
4 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 cans chickpeas, drained
1/2 cup vegetable broth
2 cups kale, chopped
4 small zucchini, chopped
juice or zest of 1/2 a lemon
1/2 tsp minced garlic
pinch of red pepper (cayenne)

Heat olive oil and garlic in a large skillet to medium heat. Add chickpeas and cook for about 2 minutes. Add to skillet, the zucchini, kale, and sea salt. Cook for about 1-2 minutes or until zucchini is tender. Add the broth and a pinch of red pepper. Cook on medium for 3 minutes longer or until broth is reduced down. Add a splash of lemon and serve.


***Taste as you go along and season to your taste!
Amco Enameled Aluminum Lemon Squeezer

Ginger Broccoli Bowl

**Daniel Fast Worthy
Before I went to the grocery store, I discovered this recipe and wanted to try it. I didn't have any whole wheat pasta so I googled a recipe for it without yeast or egg and made it! It was actually very simple to make and encourage you to make your own whole wheat pasta if you like. All you need is water and whole wheat flour. Here is the link for those who want to be ambitious: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/mario-batali/eggless-pasta-recipe/index.html.

Ingredients:
4 cups vegetable broth (no yeast or sugar) or water
1 tsp ground ginger, or thin slices of fresh ginger
1-2 cups broccoli trees, trimmed
4 oz dried whole wheat pasta, or less if using fresh pasta
1-2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp dried basil
1 tbsp dried mint
a squeeze of lime juice
a dash crushed red pepper flakes
toasted sesame oil (opt)

Place the broth and ginger in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Add pasta and cook for about 8 minutes or until almost tender. Bring broth and pasta to a simmer. Add broccoli and cook until bright green. Stir in the soy sauce, basil, mint, lime juice, and red pepper flakes. Take of heat and serve. Top with a slight dash of sesame oil if desire.

 OXO Good Grips 1158600 Ginger Peeler

Black Bean Tacos

**Daniel Fast Worthy
Ingredients:
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed (no sugar added)
1/2 can corn, drained and rinsed (no sugar added)
1/2 can mild or medium salsa (publix brand has no sugar added), or green salsa (salsa verde)
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 tsp dried cilantro
1/2 tsp paprika
dash of sea salt
6 100% corn tortillas
Olive oil

Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in skillet to medium heat. Cook corn tortillas on both sides till slightly golden brown, not too crispy, so you are still able to fold them like a taco. Set aside on a paper towel lined plate and sprinkle each with a dash of sea salt. In the same skillet, add the black beans, corn, salsa, and already cooked rice on medium heat for about 2-3 minutes or until heated through. Mix in the cilantro and paprika and any other seasonings to your taste. Assemble your taco!

Stuffed Acron Squash

**Daniel Fast Worthy
This is literally the easiest dish ever. It may sound difficult because of the unfamiliar acorn squash we are using, but just follow along and it will be a cinch! I'm sure you will enjoy the squash natural sweet flavor as if you have cooked it in butter.

Ingredients:
2 Acorn Squash (they are in produce section next to summer squash and zucchini. it is green and resembles an acorn)
Olive oil
1/2 tsp Sea salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed (no sugar added)
1 can corn, drained and rinsed (no sugar added)

Preheat the oven to 350. Cut both acorn squash in half, horizontal, as to serve two people with it. Scoop out seeds and discard. Drizzle olive oil on a baking sheet and place all four pieces of the squash, inside of squash facing down and green side up. Bake for about 30-45 minutes depending on size of your squash or until it is fork tender inside. In a skillet add sea salt, black beans, corn with a splash of olive oil on medium heat. Cook for about 2-3 minutes or until heated through. Spoon black bean mixture into the cooked squash pouch. Put back into oven to heat through for about 10 more minutes. Drizzle more olive oil on top if you wish and serve.

Wintery Minestrone

**Daniel Fast Worthy

Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 onion, chopped
1/4 cup diced soft sun-dried tomatoes, find in jar of oil (no sugar added)
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp basil
Salt and Pepper
3 cups vegetable broth
1-2 cups water
2 handfuls of washed kale
1 can white bean, such as northern or navy (no sugar added)
1 cup small whole wheat pasta, ditalini

In a large dutch oven or pot, heat olive oil to medium heat. Add to pot carrots, garlic, onion, sun dried tomatoes. Cook for about 3 minutes and add bay leaves, broth, basil, and water depending on how much soup and broth you want to make. Bring broth mixture to a boil, add kale, pasta, and beans. Cook until pasta is done, about 10 minutes and kale is tender. Make sure you find the bay leaves and remove them before serving.

Tangy Bell Pepper Spaghetti

**Daniel Fast Worthy
Ingredients:
1 lb whole wheat spaghetti noodles
1 tbsp olive oil
3 red, green and yellow bell peppers, cut in strips
Salt and Pepper to taste
Jar tomato sauce (homemade or store bought) *see note below

Cook spaghetti noodles as directed and drain. In large skillet heat olive oil to medium heat, add bell peppers, salt and pepper to taste. Cook for about 5-7 minutes or until peppers tender. Add the tomato sauce to the skillet and season to taste, if needed. Heat through for about 3 more minutes. Add sauce to spaghetti noodles or serve it up!

*Note: There are a few options in the grocery store to choose from with no sugar added.
Hint: Look at top shelf in the sauce isle to find the healthiest choices

Classico tomato and basil

Francesco Rinaldi To Be Healthy tomato and basil, or garlic and onion

L.E. Roselli's Marinara or Spaghetti sauce

New Years Dish

This recipe is a combination of two different recipes I found. I liked something about each of them so I decided to just use both! It is a must have for cold nights or when you are just in need of a little comfort food!! Enjoy :)

Smoked Sausage and Black Eyed Peas

Ingredients:
1 lb smoked sausage or kielbasa
1 cup chopped yellow onions
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne or less if you prefer
1 tsp minced garlic
5 sprigs fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
4 bay leaves
3 tsp fresh chopped parsley or 2 tsp dried
8 cups chicken stock (I've used half water before)
1 lb black eyed peas *following package directions for soaking and rinsing

In a large pot, over medium heat, cook sausage for 5 mins. Stir in onions, salt, cayenne, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, and parsley. Saute for 5 minutes. Stir in chicken stock, cook and rinsed peas. Bring to simmer and cook covered for about an 1 1/2 hours or until peas are tender. Discard bay leaves and springs stems if used. Serve with corn muffins of course :)

*Dried black eyed peas should be covered and soaked in water for about an hour, then drain and rinse peas before use.

Butternut Squash Chili

In case you have never cooked with butternut squash before, here are some facts to know its nutritional benefits. Butternut squash is low in fat and delivers an ample dose of dietary fiber, making it an exceptionally heart-friendly choice. It provides significant amounts of potassium, important for bone health, and vitamin B6, essential for the proper functioning of both the nervous and immune system. The folate content adds yet another boost to its heart-healthy reputation and helps guard against brain and spinal-cord-related birth defects such as spina bifida. Like the hue of a carrot, butternut squash has and orange tent. This indicates high levels of carotenoids, shown to protect against heart disease. It boast very high levels of beta-carotene which your body automatically converts into Vitamin A. And if that weren't enough, butternut squash is high in antioxidant- rich Vitamin C and acts as an anti-inflammatory agent to reduce the risk of inflammatory related diseases, such as asthma and rheumatoid arthritis.

Beef and Butternut Squash Chili

Ingredients:

1 pound extra-lean ground beef

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 (14.5-ounce) cans Mexican-style stewed tomatoes, chopped

1 (16-ounce) can chili beans

1/2 small butternut squash, peeled and cubed (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 cup low-sodium beef broth

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder

1 cup frozen or 1 can corn kernels


Cook ground beef with bell pepper, onion, and garlic in dutch oven (large pot). Drain cooked beef mixture (If there is alot of fat to drain after cooking) and set aside for later. Add the rest of ingredients to dutch oven and bring to a boil. Cover and cook on simmer for 15 minutes. Uncover and add cooked beef mixture to the pot. Cook uncovered for another 15 minutes or until butternut squash is tender and sauce is thick. Serve with jiffy corn muffins!

Tortilla Soup

I was actually searching for something to go with the leftover goat cheese we had in our fridge when I came upon this recipe from a blog 101cookbooks.com that I follow. It was wonderful! I did, however, make my own changes to it. This is an easy recipe that you can switch up ingredients to your liking. Hope you enjoy this delicious soup!

Ingredients:
10 red cherry tomatoes
olive oil
2 tbsp minced garlic
1 large sweet onion, chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp cayenne
1 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, minced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 lb cooked chicken, shredded
2 tsp lime juice
6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
**1 avocado (or goat cheese for topping)
*Corn Tortillas
more olive oil


Start by halving the cherry tomatoes. Toss them in a large Dutch oven or pot with a splash of olive oil. Add the garlic, onion, and bell pepper and cook on medium heat until tomatoes are soft and onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Take end of spoon and crush tomatoes to break apart as they cook. Add the cumin, coriander, cayenne, sun-dried tomatoes, cooked chicken, lime juice and broth. Cook on medium heat for another 5 minutes, and then turn to simmer.

*Cut corn tortillas into strips. Place the strips into heated cast iron skillet with about 2 tbsp of olive oil. Toss periodically until completely Crunchy (carefully watch so not to burn) and remove from skillet onto plate lined with paper towel.  Peel and chop the avocado. Top with tortilla strips, avocado and a sprinkle of cilantro on each serving.

**Substitute the avocado for crumbled goat cheese for a delicious topping as well

Ahhh Cabbage Soup.. What could be better?

Ingredients:

½ lb cooked chicken

½ head shredded cabbage, rinsed

½ of onion, chopped

1 cup of chopped or shredded carrots

1 cup peeled, chopped or diced potatoes (the smaller, the faster they cook)

1 cup diced celery

1 bay leaf

½ cup apple cider vinegar

¼ cup honey

1 can white beans, drained

32 oz chicken broth *

Salt and pepper

Olive oil for drizzling

Chives and sour cream for topping

In a large pot, add cabbage, onion, carrots, potatoes, celery, bay leaf, apple cider vinegar, honey, beans, and broth. Salt and pepper as you like. Cover and bring to a boil. Once pot comes to a boil, uncover and simmer until potatoes are tender. Add the cooked chicken in the last 5 mins of cooking just to heat through. Drizzle olive oil on each serving and top with fresh chives and sour cream if you desire!

*If you prefer to cook your own chicken, use the broth from your pot used. You may also desire to cook the carrots, potatoes and celery at the same time as the chicken. Once the chicken is done, turn off the heat; remove chicken from pot, and shred chicken once cooled. Add the rest of the ingredients: bay leaf cider vinegar, honey, beans, cabbage and simmer for 5 mins. Add chicken back to pot as above.