Easy Slow Cooker Turkey Chili

I unfortunately don't have a picture of the recent batch I made but I got this recipe from good ol' allrecipes.com


(picture credited to allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 pound ground turkey

2 (10.75 ounce) cans low sodium tomato soup (I use a box of the Smoked Roasted Tomato soup from TJ's)

2 (15 ounce) cans kidney beans, drained

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained

1/2 medium onion, chopped

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 tablespoon garlic powder

1/2 tablespoon ground cumin

1 pinch ground black pepper

1 pinch ground allspice (never have this onhand, so I just throw in some cinnamon as a sub)

salt to taste

Instructions:

1.	Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Place turkey in the skillet, and cook until evenly brown; drain.
2.	Coat the inside of a slow cooker with cooking spray, and mix in turkey, tomato soup, kidney beans, black beans and onion. Season with chili powder, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, cumin, black pepper, allspice and salt.
3.	Cover, and cook 8 hours on Low or 4 hours on High. OPTIONAL: Near the end, I sometimes will cut up some fresh veggies and add it in (like zucchini, or peppers. I've also added canned corn in before with the beans to add some other veggies).

Other Cooking Blogs

It's been awhile since anyone has posted, so to re-break the ice, I just thought I'd share this cool site that I found which lists the best 100 cooking blogs.

http://www.guidetoculinaryschools.com/tips-and-tools/best-culinary-blogs

I've checked out a few of them and bookmarked some for future browsing. In the past, I've used/looked at Smitten Kitchen, 101 Cookbooks, TasteSpotting, Homesick Texan, and Orangette. Are there any on or off this list that you'd recommend?

Happy cooking!

P.S. I'll post a recipe soon, promise!

Red Velvet Cake Balls

After Song-My shared the link for Cake Balls, I knew I had to try it. I love cute, bite-sized versions of anything, especially red velvet cake! These looked so fun to make and yummy to eat. I brought them to a birthday party and they were devoured immediately...it was a hit!

I used the recipe from here: http://www.bakerella.com/red-velvet-cake-balls/

• 1 box red velvet cake mix
  
• 1 can frosting (16 oz.)
• 1 package chocolate bark (regular or white chocolate)
• wax paper

Forming the balls:
After baking the red velvet cake mix (I bought mine at Safeway) in a 13x9 cake pan as directed on the box, let the cake cool before using a fork to crumble the entire cake. Place the crumbled cake and frosting (I used vanilla) into a large bowl, and mix. Form balls with the mixture (about the size of golf balls) on a cookie sheet, making them compact so they don't fall apart. This makes about 24 balls. Place them in the freezer for about 30 minutes.

Dipping the balls:

Break apart and melt half a bar of chocolate with a few drops of cooking oil in a small bowl in the microwave for 20 seconds and stir. Reheat if necessary to get a smooth consistency.


Using two forks, roll a cake ball into the chocolate and coat evenly. Place on a cookie sheet with wax paper. Refrigerate or freeze until chocolate hardens.

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Comments & Tips:

• After trying three types of chocolate, I decided Hershey's Creamy Symphony Milk Chocolate was the best in terms of smoothness/consistency
• Melting half a bar of chocolate at a time allowed for better handling because the chocolate tends to be more difficult to work with as it cools
• Making compact balls, as well as refrigerating/freezing, is important because the balls may crumble slightly into the chocolate mixture which would be difficult to reform
• Although the Cake Balls turned out delicious, they were too sweet for me to eat any more than 2. The plan for next time is to use semi-sweet chocolate and/or less frosting (or homemade frosting made with less sugar).

Enjoy!

White Wine Pasta

Recipe based off: http://dailyunadventures.com/2009/08/shrimp-and-white-wine-pasta-sauce-with.html (photo also credited to that site)

I had some white wine left over from the cioppino, so I wanted to use it to make a white wine pasta sauce. I used the recipe above as an outline, but I didn't follow it that closely, so the end product didn't look exactly like the photo. I used onions instead of leeks because I already had an onion at home, and I didn't feel like stopping at the store to pick up parsley, so I used dried basil and oregano instead.

I had rushed home after a long day at work, later than expected, and rushed to finish the sauce, making a ton of mistakes in the process. First of all, I used more white wine than I probably should have (and thus had to simmer it for longer than I wanted to), and secondly, I put in WAY too much dried basil because the cap had fallen off as I was pouring! However, in the end, the sauce was actually really yummy with the extra herbs and wine, so the mistakes really didn't matter.

I ate the sauce with a whole wheat fettuccine, which was really yummy.

Ingredients:

• 4 tomatoes, cut into small-ish pieces (I chopped each into about 6 pieces)
• 1 big chopped onion
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• Olive oil
• about 1 cup of white wine (I used a sauvignon blanc)
• Herbs: Basil & oregano (chopped if it's fresh, but I actually used dry herbs)
• De-veined shrimp
• Salt, pepper, and sugar to taste

1. Sautee the chopped onions and minced garlic with the olive oil.

2. When the onions are cooked and soft, add the tomatoes and sautee until soft.

3. Pour in the white wine, herbs, and simmer until the mixture has reduced to a sauce. Put in salt, pepper, and sugar to taste. (The sugar brings out the tanginess of the tomatoes.)

4. Mix in the shrimp until they are cooked (about 2 mins, or until the shrimp is curled and firm).

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Enchiladas

I began with a search for filling vegetarian recipes, and what did I find? AMAZING DELICIOUSNESS in these Sweet potato & black bean enchiladas.

These are a surprising flavor mix, but the sweet-and-spicy flavor combination with a sprinkling of cheese made this a lunch-and-dinner winner. (HAH. I rhymed.)

I found this recipe on the Whole Foods website (under the "Budget Recipes" section-- I only wish I could shop at Whole Paycheck), where it was submitted by Karina Allrich, who writes the Gluten Free Goddess cooking blog. (sidenote: I'm not following a gluten-free diet, but yikes, she's got some good-looking recipes on her site!) I made a few edits to Karina's recipe to make it simpler by swapping in a pre-made salsa for her homemade sauce.

I think the salsa I used was a bit too sweet, so when I make this next time, I'll try to choose a chipotle salsa.

Oh, and don't be afraid of these little guys: they're delicious, easy to handle and not too spicy (I have a low tolerance for spicy foods). :)



Until this recipe, I'd never made rolled enchiladas before, but it was surprisingly easy-- just make sure that the tortilla has a bit of sauce on it so that it doesn't tear when you roll it up. That said, next time I will probably make this "lasagna style" for ease of serving. I struggled with getting my rolled enchiladas out of the pan intact. I'll also probably omit the cilantro, as I didn't think it added enough flavor for the $2 price.

Those edits aside, I will DEFINITELY make this again. Just thinking about it makes me want to eat leftovers! Thankfully, the recipe below was enough for about 4 hearty meals.

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas

Ingredients:
Sauce: I used Trader Joe's Roasted Tomato Salsa ($2.29)
Tortillas: I used 8 Trader Joe's whole grain tortillas w/ flax seed ($2.49)
Shredded cheese for topping: I used monterey jack ($0.75)

Enchilada filling:
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed, drained ($0.89)
4 cloves garlic, minced (I used 2 cloves garlic + garlic powder) ($0.25)
Fresh lime juice from 1 big juicy lime ($0.39)
2 heaping cups of cooked diced sweet potatoes (You can buy the $2.50 bag of pre-cut sweet potatoes at TJ's and then microwave; however, I just bought a few sweet potatoes, cubed them, and steamed them) ($1.00)
1 can roasted mild green chiles ($0.79)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (pantry)
1/2 teaspoon chili powder mild or spicy (pantry)
Sea salt and black pepper to taste (pantry)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro ($2.00)

Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with oil. Then, create the two parts of your enchilada filling.

Enchilada Filling, Part 1: Drain the black beans. Mix the beans, minced garlic and lemon juice in a bowl.
Enchilada Filling, Part 2: In a separate bowl, mix the cooked sweet potato, can of roasted green chiles (undrained), 1/2 tsp of cumin, 1/2 tsp of chili powder and cilantro. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Next, pour about 1/4 of your salsa into the bottom of your baking dish. Take your first tortilla and dip it in the sauce so that it's generally wet/slick with salsa. This helps prevent the tortilla from tearing. Add about 1/8 of your sweet potato filling to the middle of the tortilla, then top with about 1/8 of the beans. Roll it up across the bottom of the dish. Push the enchilada to the far side of the pan and repeat for the remaining 7 tortillas. Cover with the remaining 3/4 jar of salsa and sprinkle with cheese.

Bake at 350* for 20-25 minutes, or until the ends of the tortilla are brown. YUM!

The Occasional Chef: Sam

Hi everyone!

My name is Sam, and I'm going to come right out and say it: I probably cook less than most people. Although I enjoy eating good food and care about what I eat, I tend to only cook for myself, and I'm often content eating what can be best described as "picnic food" -- cheese, sandwiches, fruit, etc.

However!

I do genuinely enjoy eating good food and am embarking on a new effort to eat less meat, so I'm excited to try out new recipes and expand upon my picnic food recipes. I like to think of good cooking as a tasty solution to a logistical problem, so I tend towards strong flavors and practicality. In my posts, you'll probably find:
- tasty dinner recipes that can be easily packed for lunch tomorrow
- recipes with minimal prep work (aka: "easy" recipes!)
- vegetarian options

I'm excited by all the fabulous recipes that everyone is posting. Hope you enjoy!

Chum Cioppino & Friend Fondue

This past weekend nothing really went as planned. It was the weekend epitome of "life is what happens when you are making plans." Planned to go to Tahoe...bowed out of that. Planned to go to the MOMA and get Irish Coffee in SF...weather ruined that. Overall, though, the weekend turned out quite nice, even though nothing was according to plan. Sometimes the best things happen when being spontaneous, which was exactly this meal. Again, I "planned" to have a girls sleepover, but friends ended up being sick or just being able to make dinner. So I decided to invite a few girlfriends over for a bit o'chatting (aka gossiping) and sharing a wonderful meal.

I've never had cioppino but I've seen friends order it at restaurants and it looked quite scrumptious. Plus, the appeal of a one-pot meal with minimal preparation was quite enticing. Ok, I take that back, the minimal preparation is ONLY true if you buy peeled and deveined shrimp (which I HIGHLY recommend). Too bad I didn't. I admit, at first it was pretty gross

to literally extract the poop from shrimp, but you get the hang of it after while or an hour...agh.

This dish was really yummy and even more so the next day after the flavors married. It makes a TON, so definitely use it for a multi-person meal.

Comrade Cioppino

Recipe adapted from Allrecipes.com

• 3/4 cup butter (next time I would use EVOO just to a little healthier)
• 2 onions, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 1/2 cups white wine (I used Vermouth - do not use a sweet white wine).

1/4 cup of fish stock or a bottle of clam juice

• 1 pounds large shrimp - peeled and deveined
• 18 small clams
• 18 mussels, cleaned and debearded
• 1 pounds cod fillets, cubed
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1) Over medium-low heat melt butter or heat EVOO in a large stockpot. Add onion, garlic and parsley and cook, stirring occasionally until onion is soft and translucent.

2) Add tomatoes and break down with spoon. Add chicken broth, bay leaves, basil, thyme, oregano and wine and fish stock or clam juice. Mix well. Cover and simmer for an hour.

3) Stir in clams, cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until clams open.

4) Stir in mussels, shrimp and cod and simmer for another 5 minutes until shrimp are cooked through and the mussels open. The shrimp are cooked when their color turns pink and they curl.

5) Ladle into bowls and serve immediately. Discard any clams and mussels that did not open.

For dessert I stuck with the "one-pot" theme and made a simple, yet delicious chocolate fondue. You do not need a fondue pot in order to make fondue or a mini-burner to keep it warm. The great thing about this recipe is that it makes SO much that the fondue stays warm and liquidy long after taking it off the stove-top.

I ended up with about 4 cups of leftover fondue and this is AFTER four girls made a huge dent in the fondue. So I recommend either cutting the recipe in half or using the leftovers to make

chocolate truffles, which I ended up doing.

Friend Fondue

Recipe adapted from AllRecipes.com

32 ounces of semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet)

• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
• 1/3 cup of brewed coffee
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I didn't have any on hand so I substituted a little less than 1 tsp of almond extract).
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1/3 cup hot water

1) In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the chocolate with the heavy cream. Mix in the coffee, vanilla extract, sugar, and hot water. Continue to heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture is smooth.

2) We used the following goodies to dip in the fondue: strawberries, bananas, apples, pound cake

and pretzels

Chocolate Truffles from Fondue Leftovers:

If like me, you have a ton of fondue left over, then refrigerate overnight.

1) Take cold leftovers and form into truffle balls using a teaspoon. I recommend lightly flowering your hands and working quickly with the truffles so there isn't a sticky and chocolaty mess.

2) After forming your truffles, place back into refrigerator for another hour. Because the fondue had a lot of cream, the truffles will always be a bit soft. I coated my truffles in cocoa powder and toasted coconut. I stored them in a large tupperware, separating each layer with wax paper.