Buffalo Turkey Chili

A healthy, hearty delicious and cheap dish. What more can you want? I think there’s about 400 calories per serving (1 cup), if you omit the sour cream and cheese. Adapted from http://www.skinnytaste.com/2014/09/buffalo-chicken-and-bean-chili.html

Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Servings: 10

Ingredients:

2 lbs. ground turkey

1 large onion, chopped

1 cup chopped carrots

1 cup chopped celery

2 cloves garlic, diced

1 habanero, deseeded and minced

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon cumin

1 tablespoon paprika

1 15 oz. can pinto beans

1 15 oz. can navy beans

1 15 oz. can pink kidney beans

Salt and pepper

1 6 oz. can tomato paste

½ cup Frank’s hot sauce

3 cups chicken stock

2 cups corn

1.5 cups frozen peas

Garnishes:

Chedder cheese

Green Onions

Sour Cream

Heat a 6 quart dutch oven over medium high, add in a little oil and brown the turkey in two batches (about 5 minutes per batch), salting the turkey as it cooks then removing to a paper towel lined plate when finished.

Drop the heat to medium and add in the onion, carrots and celery, and cook for 7 to 8 minutes, until the vegetables start to soften.  Add in the garlic and habanero and cook for another minute. Add in the tomato paste, and cook for another additional minute.

Add all the stock and beans to the pot along with your seasonings – chili powder, cumin, paprika, Frank’s hot sauce (feel free to use less than ½ cup – start low and add as needed) salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, then cover the pot and cook for 10 minutes.

Add the turkey back to the pot, give it a stir, and bring it back up to a simmer. Cover and cook for 20 minutes. Add in the corn and frozen peas, give the pot a stir, then cover and cook for another 8 to 10 minutes.

Serve with sour cream, cheese and green onions.

Succotash Burgers

I’m more familiar with succotash as half of a Looney Toons catchphrase rather than a dish, but I saw a recipe for succotash burgers that seemed like a great summer meal. Being unfamiliar with succotash, much less making it into burgers, I didn’t deviate too far from the basic recipe although I did opt for a remoulade sauce that was an amalgamation of what I had around the kitchen.

It should be noted that shaping the patties – and keeping them from falling apart – is not the easiest task in the world. The original recipe called for 1 egg to help bind the mixture, but I ended up needing 2. Also, I had a few uncooked patties I left in the fridge overnight – these seemed to stay together a little better, so if you have some extra time consider extending the 30 minutes of refrigeration that the recipe calls for.

Burgers:

2/3 cup uncooked lima beans

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 ears corn (about 1.5 cups)

2 green onions, sliced thin

½ cup diced red pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped

1 cup panko bread crumbs (plus more for dredging)

1 cup Monterrey jack cheese, shredded

2 eggs

Salt

Pepper

Sliced Vidalia onion

Tomato slices

6 kaiser rolls

Remoulade (recipe follows)

Heat a pot of water and drop in the lima beans. Bring to a boil, boil for 2 minutes, then remove from heat and let stand, covered for 1 hour.

Place the beans in a food processor with 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and pulse until finely chopped (but not mush).

Meanwhile, shuck the corn and remove the kernels. Place in boiling water for 3 minutes, drain and rinse under cold water. Place in a large bowl along with the gren onions, red pepper, garlic, bread crumbs, cheese, eggs, lima beans, and some salt and pepper. Work the mixture with your hands, and make 6 patties. Cover and refrigerate the patties for half an hour.

Heat a skillet over medium, and add in a splash of olive oil. Cook for onion slices for a few minutes, until softened and they get a little color to them. Remove from the pan, add a little more oil if you think you need it and add the burgers (you’ll need to do this in two batches) and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes a side.

Toast the rolls/buns while the burgers cook. Top each burger with a slice of tomato, onions, and spread some remoulade on the bun.

Remoulade:

1 cup mayonnaise

½ teaspoon bbq seasoning

¼ teaspoon chili powder

1 tablespoon relish

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

½ tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 garlic clove, chopped

1 teaspoon deli style mustard

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cider vinegar

Combine all ingredients in small food processor. Pulse to combine. Refrigerate extra.

Black Bean Ragout

This is my lightly adapted version of a recipe in the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook. What’s great about this recipe is that you can use the beans for any meal of the day. That, and it’s dead simple to make. The chilis, cumin and oregano give these beans a great depth of flavor with a definite nod to Mexican cuisine.

Note that you do not have to soak the beans beforehand, but you can if you want to (it should knock some of the cooking time off. Also, according to a slow-cooker cookbook I have, if you presoak the beans before cooking them in a crockpot, you get more consistent cooking times.  I haven’t tried testing this out to see if it’s true).

For the beans:

1 lb. dried black beans

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, finely diced

1 tbsp cumin

1 teaspoon Mexican oregano

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 teaspoons salt

1 guajillo chili

1 dried chipotle chili

9 cups water, divided

Lime juice

In a dry skillet over medium heat, heat the chilis for about 30 seconds per side, until they are fragrant. Remove the seeds from both and the stem from the guajillo, and break into pieces. Place in a blender along with 1 cup of water and puree. Add the puree to your slow cooker.

Rinse the beans and add to the slow cooker, along with all the other ingredients beside the lime juice. Cook for 3 to 6 hours on high, until tender. Mine took 4 hours to get to the correct amount of tenderness. Stir in the lime juice when the beans are finished cooking.

For the pickled shallots:

2 shallots, chopped

2 tbsp lime juice

Salt

Mix the lime juice, shallots and salt in a small bowl for 15 minutes.

To finish:

Rustic Bread

Garlic Clove

Olive Oil

Egg

Cilantro

Brush a piece of bread with olive oil and rub with a garlic clove. Toast the bread as you see fit.

Meanwhile, poach the egg: heat some water in a medium sauce pot, along with a splash of vinegar. Heat to a simmer, just before the water boils. Create a whirlpool with the water. Crack your egg into a small dish/ramekin, and slide the egg into the middle of the whirlpool. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes and remove with a slotted spoon.

Spoon the beans on your toast, top with the egg, pickled shallots, and cilantro.

Falafels with Quinoa Tabbouleh and Tahini Dressing

I haven’t always had successes with unfamiliar foreign cuisine, but this meal turned out pretty good. The falafels were moister on the inside than the falafels I’ve had from the halal truck I go to for lunch. I would assume they use a mix? I’m not enough of an expert on the subject, so maybe I’m wrong.

Falafel (adapted from: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/My-Favorite-Falafel-231755)

1 cup dried chickpeas

½ large white onion, chopped (1 cup)

4 tablespoons chopped parsley

1 teaspoon salt

1 thai chili, diced

3 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon coriander

1 teaspoon baking powder

4-6 tablespoons flour (I ended up using 6)

Directions:

Soak chickpeas in cold water overnight. Drain, and add to a food processor along with the onion, parsley, salt, pepper, garlic, cumin, and coriander. Pulse until blended but not pureed. Sprinkle the baking powder and 4 tablespoons of flour on top and pulse. You should be able to grab a piece of dough, form it into a ball, and not have it stick to your hand. Add another tablespoon or two of flour if need be. 

Form the dough into 12 golf-ball sized balls. Refrigerate for several hours, or overnight. Or, if you don’t have several hours, place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, freeze for one hour, than place in a bowl in the fridge for another hour.

Heat 3 inches of canola oil to 375°F. Add half the falafels and fry until golden brown, turning halfway. It should only take a few minutes. Remove and place on a baking tray lined with paper towels to sop up the excess oil.

Tahini Dressing:

¼ cup tahini paste

¼ cup greek yogurt

2 tablespoons water

1 clove garlic

Pinch salt

Pinch paprika

Directions:

Place everything in a small food processor and give it a whirl. Add a little more water if the consistency isn’t creamy enough.

Quinoa Tabbouleh (from: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Quinoa-Tabbouleh-395939)

1 cup quinoa

2 cups chicken stock (sub with vegetable stock if you prefer)

½ large cucumber

1 thai chili, minced

2 small tomatoes (or 1 large)

2/3 cup chopped parsley

2 scallions, sliced thin

Juice of 1 lemon

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic

Salt and pepper

Directions:

Rinse the quinoa well. Even if the package says its no-rinse quinoa, rinse it anyway. Bring stock up to a boil, add salt and dump in your quinoa. Quinoa doesn’t have much flavor on its own, so it’s always a good idea to cook it in some sort of flavorful liquid, or at least toss in a bouillon cube. Anyway, let the quinoa simmer for 15 minutes, until spiral thingies have formed around the grains. Drain and fluff. Let cool. This step can be done well in advance.

With the quinoa cooled, add the Thai chili, tomatoes, cucumber, parsley, and scallions. Season with some salt and pepper.

In a small bowl, squeeze out the lemon juice and add the garlic. Allow it to sit for about 10 minutes. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, whisking to emulsify. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the quinoa.

Black Bean and Quinoa Burgers with Chipotle "Aioli"

There’s a plotline in Parks and Recreation where health-nut Chris Traeger challenges meat-enthusiast Ron Swanson to a burger cook-off. Chris makes this whole elaborate portabello mushroom burger, with various gourmet accompaniments. All the judges gush over how great it is, while Ron looks on with a bemused look on his face. When it’s Ron’s turn, he puts a plain beef patty on a bun and serves it. The judges (and Chris) unanimously agree that Ron wins.

This is my usual take on vegetarian versions of meat dishes, so when I do cook something vegetarian, it’s purely coincidence (ie, gazpacho). Well this week’s theme is vegetarian, so I thought I’d give meatlessness a fair shake. The burgers had a tendency to fall apart (I didn’t refrigerate them  before cooking; maybe I should have), but tasted absolutely great. Like, ‘who needs meat?’ level of great.

I didn’t have any eggs, so instead of making an actual aioli, I made a facsimile with yogurt. I was all proud of myself, thinking that I managed to make this meal completely vegan, all the way until halfway through eating when I remembered where yogurt comes from. Seriously, how do vegans do it? Seems like a royal PITA to have to cook with those restrictions. Anyway, I adapted this recipe: http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/black-bean-quinoa-burgers/

Burgers:

½ cup uncooked quinoa

1 cup vegetable stock

½ medium onion, roughly diced (about 1 cup)

2 cloves garlic, diced

1 fifteen ounce can black beans (1.5 cups)

1.5 cups water

¾ tsp smoked paprika

½ teaspoon oregano

½ teaspoon cumin

Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Tomato slices

Cilantor

Avocado Slices

4 kaiser rolls

Chipotle “Aioli”:

2 tbsp crema

½ cup greek yogurt

1 chipotle pepper in adobo, chopped

2 teaspoons lime juice

1 teaspoon garlic, diced

Salt

For the burgers:

Rinse the quinoa under cold water, and bring the vegetable stock to a boil in a pot. Add the quinoa, season with salt, and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes, until the grains have little spirals on them. You should have 1.5 cups cooked quinoa. Set aside.

In a pan, add some olive oil and sweat the onions for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook for another minute. Add ¾ cup black beans (half the can), the water, and the paprika/oregano/cumin/salt and pepper. Simmer for about 10 minutes, until most of the water is evaporated. Pour the mixture into a blender or food processor.

Add ¾ cup of the cooked quinoa (half) to the blender. Process until smooth. Place the puree, the remaining quinoa, and black beans to a bowl along with the mustard and Worcestershire. Mix, and form into 4 to 6 patties, depending on how large you want them. At this point it couldn’t hurt to toss them in the fridge (covered with plastic wrap) to let them firm up a bit.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Put a sheet of parchment on a baking sheet, and place the patties on top. Bake for 20 minutes, flip, then cook for 10 minutes more. Toast your buns (to the buns!), and serve with tomato and avocado slices, chipotle aioli, and cilantro.

Chiptole “Aioli”:

Chop garlic and chipotle, add to a small food processor and pulse a few times. Add the yogurt, crema, and lime juice, and process until smooth. Taste, and season with salt if you think you need it. Refrigerate until ready to serve.