Christmas Lima + White Bean Turkey Southwest Chili (Vegetarian Option as Well)

This is one of those "get rid of everything in your fridge and pantry" meals, don't you love those? Never has freeing up some space in your home been so deliciously rewarding.

It all started with the Christmas Lima. Lewis and I have been eyeing these for years now, with their bright red and white appearance we thought it would be the perfect dish to make Christmas day - yeahhhh with a four hour drive and family craziness beans were the last think on our minds come Christmas so there they sat, alone and unused.

We finally used half and made some traditional southern style beans n' greens, these beautiful beans are slightly nutty in flavor with a firm texture, and although their color isn't nearly as vibrant when cooked, they still brought something unique to the table.
This time around, I wanted to try and incorporate them into a different dish (plus we had left over navy beans from this dish) . If you don't have the time to use dried beans you can always sub out the traditional red kidney beans for this recipe - just reduce the cooking time.

I did my best to record measurements whilst making this chili but because I used dried beans it required a little more liquid, I added about 1 cup of chicken stock - if you're using canned beans instead I would start off omitting the chicken stock and then if it's too thick for your liking you can always add the stock later on.

Christmas Lima + White Bean Turkey Southwest Chili

serves 3-4

1 (28oz) cans of crushed tomatoes
1 (14.75oz) can of whole yellow corn, drained
1 medium sized onion, diced small
1 TBS olive oil
1/2 tsp minced garlic
16oz of ground turkey (for the meat eaters - I used 85/15 and drained most of the fat)
1 cup dried Christmas limas (that have been soaked overnight)
1 cup dried white navy beans (that have been soaked overnight)
2-3 TBS red chili powder
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
salt and black pepper to taste
splash of hot sauce (optional)
1 cup chicken broth (or vegetable broth - if needed)
Shredded cheese, sour cream, and chopped green onions for garnish

Directions:
1. In a sauce pan, cook the turkey until no pink is showing (because I made 2 kinds of chili I kept my meat separate) season with salt and pepper. In a large stock pot, heat olive oil on medium heat. Add onions and cook until translucent. Add garlic and cook for about 2 min. (I added some fat from the turkey for extra flavor). Add spices and mix on heat for about a minutes (this toasts the spices and enhances flavor).

2.To the onion garlic spice mix, add tomatoes, corn, beans, and 1 cup chicken stock. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Lower heat, cover and cook for about 35-50 min. stirring every 10 minutes or so.

3.Serve hot, garnish with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, and green onions.

Dried Christmas Limas

*Christmas lima picture from Zursun Idaho Beans

Turkey Chili with Skillet Cornbread

I know I usually dedicate Fridays to fashion, but since I worked today and didn't necessarily feel photogenic, I thought I'd feature this tasty bowl of chili instead...

I can't believe October is going by this fast. Ever since summer I have been having visions of fall recipes dancing around in my head and now, suddenly, it's mid October! I noticed my soup section is looking pretty scarce so I think I will focus on more savory soups and stews this coming fall/winter, especially since the weather is finally starting to cool down. I have to say I've made quite a few chili's in my day but this one is on of my faves. I like corn in my chili because to me it breaks up the monotonous textures of meat and beans, this was also my first time using fresh tomatoes and while they added many prep steps, the end result was super delicious (as you can tell from the half devoured pictures).


For the Chili...

serves 3-4

1 medium sized onion, diced small
1 TBS olive oil (I used garlic infused oil)
1 lb. ground turkey ( I used 93% lean)
2 TBS tomato paste
2 TBS red chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1 cup yellow corn
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
4-5 steamed, skinned, seeded, and diced plum tomatoes (or you could use canned)
2 cups chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste
sour cream, shredded cheese, and fresh herbs for garnish

Directions:

1. In a large sauce pan, heat oil on medium high heat. Add onions and cook until translucent. Add ground meat and cook until pink color disappears. Add spices and tomato paste and cook for 1-2 minutes.

2.Add beans, tomatoes, and corn and combine. Gradually add chicken stock and simmer for 10-20 minutes, you may need to add more stock if you prefer a more loose chili, keep in mind it will become thicker as it cools.

For the Cornbread...

recipe adapted from Alton Brown

2 cups yellow cornmeal (I used yellow grits because I didn't have cornmeal, hence the course looking texture)
1 tsp salt
1 TBS sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup heavy cream OR half and half
2 eggs
1 cup creamed corn
2 tablespoons canola oil (for the skillet)

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place a 10-inch cast iron skillet into the oven.

2.In a bowl, combine the cornmeal, salt, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk together to combine well.In a large bowl, combine the cream, eggs, and creamed corn, whisking together to combine thoroughly. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir to combine. If the batter will not pour, add more milk to the batter.

3.Swirl the canola oil in the hot cast iron skillet. Pour the batter into the skillet. Bake until the cornbread is golden brown and springs back upon the touch, about 20 minutes.

Asian Lettuce Wraps with Traditional Fried Rice

I recently discovered the deliciousness of lettuce wraps when we ate at Hawker's some time ago. I always was familiar with their existence and I might have tried one or two in passing but for some reason these particular ones struck a chord with me and I challenged myself to recreate them...or at least attempt to do so.

When you think about it, the invention of the lettuce wrap is pure genius, it's lighter than a sandwich but more satisfying than a salad and the cool crisp texture of the butter lettuce acts as a perfect vessel from which to carry delicious stir fried goodies. I really wanted to add bean sprouts to this mix but I couldn't find any at my local store so I subbed out shredded carrots instead. you could always add mushrooms or some water chestnuts for added texture if ya please. I also opted to use ground turkey (because it was on sale) but ground beef or chicken would also work very nicely and vegan/vegetarians are welcome to use tofu or seitan.

Asian Lettuce Wraps

serves 4-5

1 TBS butter
1 pound ground turkey (or chicken, or beef)
2 cloves garlic, minced ( I used garlic infused olive oil)
1 onion, sliced thin
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
2 TBS soy sauce
1 TBS rice wine vinegar
1 TBS freshly grated ginger (or 1 tsp ginger powder)
1 tsp Sriracha (optional)
2 green onions, thinly sliced for garnish
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 head butter lettuce

for fried rice...

3 cups day old cooked white rice
1 TBS vegetable oil
1 cup cooked and chopped broccoli florets
1 egg
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil

recipe adapted from Damn Delicious

Directions:

1.In a mixing bowl, Stir garlic, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ginger and Sriracha, mix well then set aside.

2.Melt butter in a saucepan over medium high heat. Add sliced onions and cook until caramelized, about 10 min. Add carrots and cook for an additional 3-4 min. Add ground meat and cook until no red is showing, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the meat as it cooks, if you need to, drain the excess fat from the meat and discard. Add sauce and coat meat mixture.

To serve, spoon several tablespoons of the meat mixture into the center of a lettuce leaf, taco-style, top with sliced green onions.

For the rice, heat oil in a saute pan on medium heat, add rice and veggies of choice and stir fry for about 3 min. Add soy sauce and sesame oil, mix well. When rice is almost done, make an opening in the middle, crack the egg and mix quickly, when the egg is almost done cooking, mix it in with the rest of the rice.