Happy Halloween! Halloween is an exciting day because we get to eat so many sweet treats, but we rarely speak of Halloween "meals." I believe this day has the potential to be a wonderful family fun day because of the dressing up and trick-or-treating together. So, why not enjoy a great family meal together, too? This is one (of many) of my ideas on how to change the culture for this festive day. From this point forward, we're going to enjoy a great family meal together on Halloween.
I suspect these meals that I'll be making on Halloween each year will have a Halloween theme. They should. I associate pumpkins with Halloween more than anything else, so it's fitting that I would make something with pumpkin. Being that it's also Sunday Soup Day, how about pumpkin turkey chili?
I think chili is very straight forward and fairly easy to make. It's not sophisticated, that's for sure. Meat, tomatoes and beans is all that's required and people add seasoning to make it distinctive. I added onion, green pepper, red pepper, ground turkey (healthy alternative to ground beef) and threw in some white beans alongside the kidney beans. For this particular chili, the pumpkin was the special ingredient.
The taste was spectacular. I'll be honest, though, I didn't taste the pumpkin as much as I was hoping. It's probably better that way since that pumpkin flavor isn't for everyone. It had just a "hint" of pumpkin that gave it a very curious taste. I was very pleased with how it turned out. Try it.
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 chopped onion
1 chopped green bell pepper
1 chopped red bell pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 pound ground turkey
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 can pumpkin puree
1 can Cannelinni beans
1 can kidney beans
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 dash salt
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Pumpkin Pancakes
Ahh, the power of pumpkin. If you think pumpkins are just for carving, then you're missing out, and there's much more to pumpkin than pie. This year, there is shortage of canned pumpkin, so get it while you can (especially if you're planning on making a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving) and make these simple and sensationally seasonal pumpkins. Pumpkin is loaded with fiber and vitamin A (immunity-booster).
Combine all of the ingredients and below, cook on a griddle and enjoy with pure maple syrup. Everyone will love them.
Ingredients:
2 cups of dry pancake mix (I used Sturdiwheat original pancake mix)
3 Tbsp dark-brown sugar
2 1/2 tsp pumpkin-pie spice
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup canned pure pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 Tbsp vegetable oil, plus more for the griddle
Pure maple syrup
More pumpkin recipes to come in the next few weeks, especially soup!
Friday, October 22, 2010
Citrus sweet potato mash
Liz and I were watching Rachel Ray on Monday and she was making a very fun and unique sweet potato dish that I had to try. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out for us as well as it did for Rachel. If I make some adjustments in the future, I'm sure it will be great.
The idea was as simple as could be. Cook some sweet potatoes, add lemon zest and the juice of one lemon, add some honey and salt and mash it together. In fact, it was so simple, it took less time to make than traditional sweet potato mash with all of the milk and/or cream. However, I only used two sweet potatoes with one lemon and that was way too much citrus for our taste.
Lucky for me, the rack of ribs was done to perfection and melted off the bone and our steamed vegetables still had some crunch (I often over-steam them and they become too soft), so we still had some great food. I need to look at the Rachel Ray website so I have the right potato-to-citrus ratio. I know it will be wonderful if I get the ingredients right because even though the lemon took over this time, there was a hint of greatness with the honey.
The idea was as simple as could be. Cook some sweet potatoes, add lemon zest and the juice of one lemon, add some honey and salt and mash it together. In fact, it was so simple, it took less time to make than traditional sweet potato mash with all of the milk and/or cream. However, I only used two sweet potatoes with one lemon and that was way too much citrus for our taste.
Lucky for me, the rack of ribs was done to perfection and melted off the bone and our steamed vegetables still had some crunch (I often over-steam them and they become too soft), so we still had some great food. I need to look at the Rachel Ray website so I have the right potato-to-citrus ratio. I know it will be wonderful if I get the ingredients right because even though the lemon took over this time, there was a hint of greatness with the honey.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Sunday Soup Day: Peanut Chicken Stew
I think I decided that I'm most interested in creating soups with an ethnic flair. Don't get me wrong, the chicken noodle soup that I made last time was out of this world, but I'm most comfortable experimenting with new flavors.
This week I used an idea from allrecipes.com and made my own version of African chicken stew. It included a variety of African spices (cummin, coriander, etc.), chicken, sweet potatoes, beans, veggies and peanut butter. That's right, peanut butter.
Here's how it went: I cooked the chicken (breast and thigh meat) in my Dutch oven first then removed it and sauteed the vegetables with spices. Then I added chicken broth, garbanzo beans, diced tomatoes and more spices before finally putting the chicken back in the pot and adding the peanut butter.
There was so much flavor in this soup I still can't describe it accurately. The spices gave it a non-American taste with a little kick. I'm sure my dad wouldn't like it. The combination of breast and thigh meat made for a hint of a gamey taste, which I like because you can tell it's homemade. The peanut butter reminded me of a Thai dish, but combined with everything it made for a unique dish that I'm almost certain you'd find in a small village in West Africa.
I make enough soup each Sunday for 10+ people because we always have visitors, but this weekend it was just me. I'm not complaining because I've had a few extra bowls already this week and I'm still enjoying the superfluity of flavors.
If you're reading this blog, do yourself a favor and make this soup! I'd love to hear what you think about it.
Ingredients:
2 pounds of chicken, cut into 1" cubes (breast and thigh meat)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 onion
1 sweet potato
2 stalks celery
5 ounces carrots
2 cloves garlic
1 carton low sodium chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can garbanzo beans
2 ounces chopped spinach
1 small bunch green onions
3/4 cup natural chunky peanut butter (I used Smucker's)
1 teaspoon ground cummin
1 teaspoon ground corriander
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon African seasoning (I bought it at TJ Maxx...)
This week I used an idea from allrecipes.com and made my own version of African chicken stew. It included a variety of African spices (cummin, coriander, etc.), chicken, sweet potatoes, beans, veggies and peanut butter. That's right, peanut butter.
Here's how it went: I cooked the chicken (breast and thigh meat) in my Dutch oven first then removed it and sauteed the vegetables with spices. Then I added chicken broth, garbanzo beans, diced tomatoes and more spices before finally putting the chicken back in the pot and adding the peanut butter.
There was so much flavor in this soup I still can't describe it accurately. The spices gave it a non-American taste with a little kick. I'm sure my dad wouldn't like it. The combination of breast and thigh meat made for a hint of a gamey taste, which I like because you can tell it's homemade. The peanut butter reminded me of a Thai dish, but combined with everything it made for a unique dish that I'm almost certain you'd find in a small village in West Africa.
I make enough soup each Sunday for 10+ people because we always have visitors, but this weekend it was just me. I'm not complaining because I've had a few extra bowls already this week and I'm still enjoying the superfluity of flavors.
If you're reading this blog, do yourself a favor and make this soup! I'd love to hear what you think about it.
Ingredients:
2 pounds of chicken, cut into 1" cubes (breast and thigh meat)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 onion
1 sweet potato
2 stalks celery
5 ounces carrots
2 cloves garlic
1 carton low sodium chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can garbanzo beans
2 ounces chopped spinach
1 small bunch green onions
3/4 cup natural chunky peanut butter (I used Smucker's)
1 teaspoon ground cummin
1 teaspoon ground corriander
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon African seasoning (I bought it at TJ Maxx...)
Friday, October 8, 2010
Sunday Soup Day: Chicken Noodle
Last weekend I went the easy route - chicken noodle soup. I've had my fair share of chicken noodle soup in my life. I remember my first experience was when I was very young and my mom made condensed off-brand chicken noodle soup with the tiny chicken chunks and thin, rubbery noodles. It was basically a bowl of msg. When I was in college, I graduated to the Campbell's Chunky Chicken Noodle which had "real" vegetables. Then, after meeting Liz, she told me that the Progresso Chicken Noodle soup was actually better for me. Not only was it better for me, it tasted better, too. My taste for chicken noodle soup has evolved since I was young, so it probably comes as no surprise that I would put some thought and effort into making a chicken noodle soup that went to a whole new level.
Through my obsession with making soup over the past two years, I haven't made chicken noodle all too often. To be honest, I've always thought it was "too simple" for what I have aimed for. Plus, I have difficulty finding noodles that work the way I want them to without becoming soggy and over cooked. I had a couple of ideas that I knew would make it worth my time now, though.
I sauteed onion, carrots, celery, green pepper and garlic in extra virgin olive oil until the onions were translucent. The carrots, celery and pepper still had some crunch to them. I cut the vegetables into large pieces because I wanted it to be very "hearty." After about 10-15 minutes of cooking the veggies, I added a store-bought container of chicken stock and a carton of chicken broth (I buy the Trader Joe's chicken broth because it is msg-free) and let the soup cook on low for a while. I once read that you shouldn't let your soup boil because it loses a lot of the nutrients.
The two most important ingredients were next. The noodles that I chose were Kluski Home Style Noodles (made by an Amish family). I was determined not to overcook them. The idea that I had for the chicken was to purchase a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, take off the skin and put all of the meat in the soup. It was the best idea.
The chicken had it's own salty flavor to it while the soup had a peppery taste (from the fresh ground pepper). The vegetables still had crunch to them and tasted like real vegetables. The noodles were done to perfection and somehow tied all the flavors together. I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't tell you that this was the best chicken noodle soup that I ever had. It was so easy to prepare and the end result was outstanding. I'm definitely not above making chicken noodle soup in the future.
Through my obsession with making soup over the past two years, I haven't made chicken noodle all too often. To be honest, I've always thought it was "too simple" for what I have aimed for. Plus, I have difficulty finding noodles that work the way I want them to without becoming soggy and over cooked. I had a couple of ideas that I knew would make it worth my time now, though.
I sauteed onion, carrots, celery, green pepper and garlic in extra virgin olive oil until the onions were translucent. The carrots, celery and pepper still had some crunch to them. I cut the vegetables into large pieces because I wanted it to be very "hearty." After about 10-15 minutes of cooking the veggies, I added a store-bought container of chicken stock and a carton of chicken broth (I buy the Trader Joe's chicken broth because it is msg-free) and let the soup cook on low for a while. I once read that you shouldn't let your soup boil because it loses a lot of the nutrients.
The two most important ingredients were next. The noodles that I chose were Kluski Home Style Noodles (made by an Amish family). I was determined not to overcook them. The idea that I had for the chicken was to purchase a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, take off the skin and put all of the meat in the soup. It was the best idea.
The chicken had it's own salty flavor to it while the soup had a peppery taste (from the fresh ground pepper). The vegetables still had crunch to them and tasted like real vegetables. The noodles were done to perfection and somehow tied all the flavors together. I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't tell you that this was the best chicken noodle soup that I ever had. It was so easy to prepare and the end result was outstanding. I'm definitely not above making chicken noodle soup in the future.
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