Tuscan Turkey Chili

Although a hearty bowl of chili is crowd favorite in colder months, once in a while I just get a craving that I can shack, regardless of the season. This week, I wanted something strong in protein with veggies but really wanted to avoid my normal go-to starch of choice: pasta a la meat sauce. After a few (or many) minutes surfing pinterest, chili came to mind. My mouth was immediately watering!

It's pretty much the perfect meal: heavy on meat and beans and has a great blend of veggies. Plus, you really don't need to have it with anything else. To lighten the dish a bit and keep bikini ready, I took a tuscan twist rather than your average beef and kidney bean flavor. It was delish!

Recipe:
1 tablespoon olive Oil
2 onion, chopped
2 bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground turkey
1 can tomato paste, 6 oz. 
1/4 cup chili powder 
2 teaspoon cumin 
2 15 oz cans white beans
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
2 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Directions:
1) Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook onions, peppers, and garlic and cook until soft.
2) Add turkey and cook until browned.  Add Tomato paste, chili powder, and cumin and cook, stirring for 2 min. Finally, add beans, tomatoes and their juices,  salt and pepper.  Simmer until thickened, 20 min.

Martha Stewart's One Pot Pasta!

If you've been on Pinterest anytime in the last few months you've probably seen this recipe. I mean, come on... A full homemade pasta dish in one pan? You can't be serious. I was dying to try it but had my concerns with how it would turn out with gluten free corn noodles. I figured "what's the worst that can happen?"  It's sad to say this but I was thoroughly disappointed. I completely forgot how starchy corn noodles are. Now that I'm always cooking g-free I rinse my noodles in scalding hot water after cooking. This recipe does not allow for that.

When I was finished, I ended up with a gel-like, starchy, tomato-y substance. Gross! I promise to try this again after doing some research on the best g-free option. In the meantime, I would encourage you to try with regular wheat noodles! I can't imagine Martha would steer general public wrong.

Recipe:
12 oz linguine pasta
1 15oz can of diced tomatoes with liquid
1 large sweet onion, cut in julienne strips
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 tsp dried oregano leaves
2 large sprigs basil, chopped
4 1/2 cups vegetable broth
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Parmesan cheese for garnish

Directions: 
1) Place pasta, tomatoes, onion, garlic, basil, in a large stock pot. Pour in vegetable broth. Sprinkle on top the pepper flakes and oregano. Drizzle top with oil.
2) Cover pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a low simmer and keep covered and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes or so. Cook until almost all liquid has evaporated.
3) Season to taste with salt and pepper , stirring pasta several times to distribute the liquid in the bottom of the pot. Serve garnished with parmesan cheese.

Despite my messy outcome, I loved putting this meal together. It came together so beautifully that took step-by-step pics. (Well, beautifully until the end.) 

 

The final product - a sad mess!

Ragu Bolognese

When I think of comfort food pasta is always the first thing that comes to mind. For the last several years I've always tossed together any ground meat I had with some store bought sauce and was happy. But last week, all of that changed! There is nothing better than a meaty, bacony, thick bolognese sauce to warm every inch of your stomach. I could shovel this sauce in my mouth, it's so good! I can honestly say, this recipe is 100% worth the 2 and 1/2 hours it takes to cook. Enough with the words... read this recipe and get in the kitchen!!

Recipe:
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup butter
1 cup minced onion
1/2 cup minced celery
1/4 cup minced carrot
1 pound ground veal
1 pound ground pork
1/2 pound ground beef
1/4 cup finely chopped pancetta bacon
1/2 cup milk
2 cups tomato sauce
2 cups beef broth, gluten free

Directions:
Heat olive oil and butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Saute onion, celery and carrots until soft. Add veal, pork, beef and pancetta, and cook until evenly brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Pour in milk, and cook until liquid has evaporated, about 15 minutes. If you'd prefer, you can use 2 and 1/2 pounds of meatloaf mix instead. Once all meat is added, stir in tomato sauce and beef broth. Cover, and simmer 2 1/2 hours.

Breakfast Quinoa

Over the last few years, I have fallen in love with quinoa. It's my go to side dish, or base for quick shrimp or ground turkey dishes. When saw a recipe for apples and cinnamon breakfast quiona I was beyond excited! I made a few tweaks to better fit my tastes and I am not even embarrassed to say that I eat this dish EVERY single work-day. Literally, every week I make a batch on Sunday and eat off it all week.

 Recipe:
1 cup dry quinoa, rinsed well
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon + more for sprinkling
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup  milk, per serving

Directions:
 Combine quinoa, water, cinnamon and vanilla in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and let cook for 15 minutes until quinoa can be fluffed with a fork.
*If eating immediately, divide cooked quinoa between four bowls then stir in apple sauce, raisins, and milk.
**If saving for work, I scoop out what looks to be one fifth of the quinoa, pour in the milk and microwave for one minute. Once heated, stir in apple sauce and raisins. Top with a sprinkle of cinnamon if desired. This time around I topped with a few apple chunks, but it's equally great with just raisins and apple sauce.

The Cake Boss!

 Working at the American Cancer Society has provided me many opportunities to get involved in some great charity work through fundraisers and events. Being the foodie that I am, I jumped on the opportunity to become a committee member at the American Cancer Society's Taste of Hope tasting event. On May 2nd, 82 Mercer was packed with amazing restaurants from all over NYC and surrounding areas.

My favorite, of course, was the 100th birthday cake from Carlos Bake Shop in Hoboken, NJ.... you know THE cake boss, as in Buddy Valastro from TLC. Yes, that guy!! His team created an amazing four tier cake to commemorate the American Cancer Society's 100th birthday. It was absolutely beautiful.

Ashley and I after a successful haul into our office.

While I wasn't able to enjoy a slice, I did pick off a few pieces of the fondant confetti as my co-worker and I transported it back to our office after the event. And by transport, I mean we hauled the 75 pound cake into the back seat of someones car. I held onto that cake for dear life as we turned corners and hit every pothole NYC has to offer. I can happily say we made it safely back to the office and were able to share it with our residents at Hope Lodge. What a treat!

G-Free Chicken, Asparagus and Mushroom Risotto

Once in a while I find myself craving rice. It doesn't happen often, but when it does my go to meal is some form of risotto. Now don't get me wrong, I could devour a huge bowl of coconut white rice any day, but I haven't attempted to make that at home just yet. As it relates to risotto, there is just something about the taste of the rice cooked in wine and broth that I absolutely love.

Last night was one of those nights. I had my risotto rice on hand, some chicken in the freezer and a few veggies in the fridge - practically fate! With no real recipe in mind, I whipped up this savory dish and was satisfied in no time!

 Recipe:
1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups gluten free chicken broth
1/2 cup dry white wine, I use sauvignon blanc
1 cup uncooked regular long grain rice 
1/2 pound asparagus, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces 
1 1/2 cups fresh mushrooms, chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning 
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese 

Directions:
1) Spray 12-inch nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. Cook chicken in skillet 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until light brown.
2) Stir in broth and wine; heat to boiling. Stir in rice; reduce heat. Cover and simmer without stirring 10 minutes.
3) Stir in asparagus, mushrooms and Italian seasoning. Cover and simmer without stirring 8 to 10 minutes or until rice is tender and chicken is no longer pink in center; remove from heat. Stir in cheese.

Voila! A tasty meal with minimal effort. Enjoy!

What I've Been Using...

Over the last few months I've been doing my best to get comfortable with my gluten free lifestyle. It sure hasn't been easy but I've been fortunate enough to come across several gluten free products to make the transition a little less challenging.

I'll let you all in on a little secret... I haven't yet mastered the art of baking with the g-free all purpose flour. I've done some research and read that typically, a little bit of xanthan gum needs to be added to get the same consistency as regular flour. Rather than spending hours in my hot kitchen getting this science down, I stick with pre-made baked goods, like the Emmy's Lemon Ginger Macaroons below. They were so delicious!

Check out some of the goods here! And in case you're wondering, Red Bridge beer is my favorite of all of these products. ;)