Award Winning Chili

It's been an interesting summer and things are feeling like back to school time. We've had lots of time at the cottage and my foot has recovered from surgery. Last weekend we attended the Winnipeg 2nd annual Blues and Barbecue festival where I was selected to compete in the Turkey Chili Throwdown. Out of all the entries, 3 were selected. The chilies were prepared by chefs from Granny's Turkey and we're tasted and voted on by attendees of the festival. After 2 hours of tasting the votes were tallied; the winners were announced and my chili came in second place! I was (and am) very excited.

So not only is this recipe easy and delicious but it follows the principles of "Clean Eating". It has three superfoods (sweet potato, kale and flax seeds), uses a small amount of healthy oil and no added salt. This can also be made in a slow cooker.

So, as I promised to my Facebook friends, here is the recipe.

 Chipotle Sweet Potato Turkey Chili


1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 small onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb ground turkey breast
1/4 cup ground flaxseeds
1 12oz can crushed tomatoes
3 - 4 cups chicken broth, low sodium
1 12oz jar roasted red peppers
1 cup cooked & pureed sweet potato
1 16 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 - 2 tbsp Chipotle in adobo sauce, pureed
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 poblano pepper, diced
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 cup kale, chiffoned

Directions:
In a large pot, heat the oil and add onion and garlic. When the onions are sweating, add the ground turkey. Allow to brown breaking apart with the spatula and add flax seeds.

Add remaining ingredients and allow to simmer at least 30 minutes.

Top with sour cream and fresh cilantro if desired.

Eat and Enjoy

Early Snow Brings Soup for Dinner

It's been an odd week for weather here on the prairie. Last week, it was 26C and sunny with no end in sight, today cold and wet; dare I say SNOW. Yes, there IS snow falling today. Needless to say the Family BBQ that was planning with the Boy Scout Group was cancelled due to the impending winter storm so I needed to come up with something using what I had on hand. We've had ground beef a couple times already this week, and I used up my leftover chicken.

This blustery day called out soup to me, which in my house means "slow cooker". But what kind of soup to make? Googled a couple things, and flipped through a couple slow cooker magazines until I came across "Sante Fe Sweet Potato Soup". I didn't have sweet potato, but I had an acorn squash. This could be good.

So, at 7:30 this morning, I'm sauteing onions and garlic, roasting peppers and peeling squash, trying to get everything in the slow cooker before getting to school as today was the day I was volunteering in Jack's kindergarten class.  Well, it seemed to have worked out, for when we came home at lunchtime, the house smelled great! I pureed and added my last few ingredients and there's nothing left to do until dinnertime, except maybe make some biscuits... and apple crisp. (I love the fall)

In the midst of this, I also made the mash potatoes for Thanksgiving dinner. Don't worry. It's the "Make Ahead" Mashed Potatoes. Not only do you make them ahead of time, but you heat them up in the slow cooker. Ingenious! The last time I made them the recipe said to heat them in the oven in a casserole dish, but who has the room in the oven when making a turkey? This will save some much work and mess.

So, what's for dinner tonight?

Sante Fe Acorn Squash Chowder

It's probably worth a note, that this would work with almost any winter squash.

Ingredients:

1 T vegetable oil
1 onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 stalk celery, finely diced
4 C chicken or vegetable broth
1 acorn squash, peeled and diced

1 jalapeno, seeded and diced

1 T New Mexico chili powder

1 potato, peeled and diced

1/2 t ground cumin

1/2 t smoked paprika

salt and pepper to taste.

1 roasted red pepper

1/2 C pumpkin puree

1 can (approx. 10oz) evapourated milk

Directions:

In a pan, saute onion, garlic and celery in oil until softened. Transfer to a slow cooker. Place acorn squash, potato, broth, jalapeno, chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high 2-3 hours, until squash and potatoes are soft.  Add the red pepper. Using an hand held (stick) blender, puree the entire mixture. Mix int the pumpkin and milk.

Cook on low 2 -3 hours. Mix in lime juice and garnish with cilantro and sour cream.

As a note, do not use the slow cooker liners for this recipe if you are blending in the slow cooker. It WILL get chewed up. Remove the contents to blend in a traditional blender or food processor, or opt not to use the liner for this recipe.

Stepping Out of the Weekly Rut

Last spring, when my boys had swimming lessons at 5:00, we had a pretty good routine. I would pick up my son from school and we would go right to the pool. The pool had a little sitting area where we would could have a snack (I usually packed something) and do homework. We finished up around 4:30, which gave us enough time to change without rushing and maybe watch the diving team. When we got home, we would have a quick dinner, which on most nights was scrambled eggs and toast. If you ask my kids, they'll tell you that this is their favourite dinner. So, eggs for dinner became synonymous with swimming night.

This year, the lessons start a little later which allowed us to eat a light dinner (eggs, toast and raw veggies) before we left, then a piece of fruit and glass of milk when we got home. This week, I had another idea. Something I thought the kids would like, that would give them enough protein and vegetables to make it through swimming, and not be starving by breakfast. I made Sloppy Joes. Too make it even easier, I used the slow cooker but in a short time you could also make it in a skillet. Or as a faster alternative, make the meat with sauce the night before. Place in some Tupperware in the fridge. Simply toast the buns and heat up the meat mixture in the microwave. (Nice lunch idea too)

To my surprise, I only found a couple cookbooks with recipes for Sloppy Joes, none of which jumped out at me so I came up with this one. But if you have a favourite recipe, call your mom or dig it out, and reintroduce your family to a busy-night, quick dinner solution that will have them coming back for more.

So, what's for dinner tonight?

Chipotle Ranch Sloppy Joes

Ingredients:

1 T vegetable or canola oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb ground beef (pref. extra lean)

1/4 C ground flaxseeds

1 pobano pepper, finely chopped

1 small can chopped green chilies

1 T chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, pureed (or more to taste)

1 C chili sauce

1 t cumin

1 T red wine vinegar

1 C coleslaw mix

1-2 T ranch dressing

butter

4 burger buns

Directions:

In a skillet, heat the oil. Add the onions and garlic. Once the onions have cooked a couple minutes, add the meat; breaking it up with a spoon or spatula. When the meat is almost completely cooked, add the flaxseeds. Mix well.

Transfer mixture to a slow cooker. Add the pepper, chilies, chipotles, chili sauce, cumin and vinegar. Mix well. Set to low, and let cook 6 - 8 hours.

In a small bowl, mix together coleslaw mix and ranch dressing.

When you are ready to serve, butter the buns and toast in a skillet. Place 1/4 of the meat mixture on the bun. Top with 1/4 of the coleslaw mixture.

As a note, if you have never bought chipotle peppers before, they are smoked jalapeno peppers in a tomato/ vinegar sauce and are usually found in the Mexican food aisle in a can. When I bring them home, I place the entire jar in the food processor and puree it, then place it in a freezer bag or container and use it as I need it. You can also substitute it for Chipotle Chili Powder.

Sunday Dinner

It's another Sunday night. My husband just informed me that he will not be home for dinner tonight. As usual, I will save him a plate for when he does get home. That doesn't however, change what the rest of us will have for dinner.

I decided to do my grocery shopping today will Jack, my youngest was at a birthday party. That way I could also take advantage of the bonus points offered for the weekend only. I prefer not to shop on the weekend, as I do have an option. It's alot busier Sunday afternoon that it is Monday morning. So, last night I took my calendar and store flyers to decide on my week of dinners. Football season is now over that's two nights a week that have temporarily freed up.

Another thing to account for when making a mealplan division of labour. What time do you and your partner get home. Can someone start dinner before the other gets home? If one person cooks, does the other clean up? Are their older children that can participate? All of this is more specific to each family. In my case, my children are too small to cook, but will help set the table and will usually clear their plates. My husband's schedule is variable. He will usually tell me on a day-to-day basis whether or not he will be home. Sometimes that changes what's for dinner, sometimes it doesn't. He will always have a plate to heat up when he gets home, and leftovers make it into his lunch for the next day. If I have more leftovers than that, I will freeze them in lunch size portions and label them. I pull them out of the freezer the night before he needs them for lunch.

So, what's for dinner tonight?

Slow cooker roast chicken, rice and salad.

I wanted to make another whole chicken for two reasons. One: I like the idea of having a Sunday Dinner. A roast or whole chicken where the leftovers can be used for sandwiches and such. And two: I'm planning a homemade soup later in the week, and I wanted the leftover chicken. Hmmm, maybe that's the same reason.

Regardless, I place the chicken in the slow cooker and turned it on high. I added a little water, lemon juice and Greek seasoning. I let it go for 4-6 hours. I'll them put it in the oven for 20 minutes or so to crisp the skin. I used the same Ginseng fed chicken I did last week. Ginseng is an antioxidant believed to help metabolize carbohydrates.

http://www.grannys.ca/new-ginseng-fed-chicken

Now that shoulf get us on the right foot for another busy week.

Waste Not Want Not

Yesterday was Halloween and as a mother of 2 youngsters prepared to walk the neighbourhood streets to collect candy from strangers. Quite an odd tradition if you ask me. Nonetheless, we survived the October prairie evening which was unseasonably warm. A far cry from the snow and sleet we usually get on Halloween.

For dinner, I planned something I could make earlier in the day (or could be night before, for those working folks). I made something I call "Taco Pie". Which is a baked crescent roll crust with seasoned ground chicken and cheese, baked and topped with lettuce, tomatoes and hot sauce. A favourite in our house.

Now, if you're like me, you hate to waste things. So what to do with that Jack-o-lantern? If it hasn't been carved for too long, it is perfectly edible! Don't waste it. Use it for your pies, cakes and breads. Ther is lots of fibre and antioxidants in pumpkin.

Pumpkin Puree

1. Cut the pumkpin into big chunks. Trim any part that was exposed to air for a long period of time. (like where the scary face was)

2. Line a baking sheet with foil. Place pumkpin on the baking sheet and place another sheet of foil on top.

3. Bake at 325 for 45 - 60 minutes, until fresh of the pumpkin in soft.

4. Remove the fresh from the skin of the pumpkin and mash with a fork, or place in a food processor.

5. Drain excess liquid. Keep in the fridge (in a resealable container) or in the freezer.

I've tried a few different ways in the past, but this was the easiest and least messy.

Of course, you can roast the pumpkin seeds as well. Rinse them first and let them dry for at least 24 hours. Drizzle with a little oil and whatever seasoning you like. (We like chipotle) Bake at 350F until done (maybe 20 minutes or so)

The lesson in this week's mealplan is about cost. This is the next consideration when making a mealplan, at least for me. Look at the store flyers to check out any sales and match with any coupons I may have. I go to the freezer to see what I already have.

So this week, we have Halloween, football practice, football games and swimming lessons. I have the turkey meatballs in the freezer I made last week, and I have a fresh batch of pumpkin puree.

So, what's for dinner tonight?

Slow Cooker turkey meatballs

This is like Thanksgiving dinner with out the fuss, and the good china. I made the meatballs last week when the ground turkey was on sale and place them in the slow cooker with carrots, onion, and potatoes. Add a packet of turkey gravy and some chicken broth and let it go. Half an hour before serving add some green peas. That's it.