Thanksgiving Flavours in a chili.... yum yum

I didn't have turkey for Thanksgiving - I had Chinese because I spent the weekend at  The Salute to Supernatural convention, geeking out. Like my button says - "Fangirl - Has been known to squee without warning. Approach with caution!"

However, this meant I was craving my turkey and my pumpkin. Sadness :( 

But instead of making a full blown Thanksgiving dinner I decided to make chili instead!

Turkey Pumpkin Chili

Adapted from http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipe/turkey-pumpkin-chili

Serves 6

Besides adding a sweet nutty flavor to dishes, pumpkin is a ready source of vitamin A, which boosts the nutrition content of this offbeat chili.

Ingredients: 

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped,

2 sweet bell peppers, cored, seeded and chopped

1 carrot, diced small

2 celery ribs, diced small

2 jalapeños, seeded and finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 pound ground white or dark meat turkey

1 19 oz can diced tomatoes, with their liquid

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin purée

1 cup vegetable stock

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

Ground black pepper, to taste

1 can black turtle beans, rinsed and drained

Method: 

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large pot over medium high heat.  Add onion, sweet bell peppers, jalapeños and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 5 minutes and remove from pot.
2. Add 2^nd tablespoon of oil into pot and brown ground turkey.  
3. Add the onion bell pepper mixture back in along with tomatoes, pumpkin, water, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat to medium low and add beans.
5. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes more.
6. Ladle chili into bowls and serve. I like to serve mine over whole wheat macaroni.

(here’s a trick – if your chili is a little too runny for you add a couple of teaspoons of cornmeal to thicken it up!)

Garnishes you can add: a dollop of sour cream, pickled jalapeños, shredded cheese, hot sauce.

Nutritional Info: 

Per Serving:280 calories (110 from fat), 13g total fat, 2.5g saturated fat, 55mg cholesterol, 580mg sodium, 23g carbohydrate (8g dietary fiber, 7g sugar), 20g protein

Fall is here and crisp apples scent the air

It's a rainy fall day outside my window but nothing says comfort like the smell of baking apples. So here's an easy peasy recipe to make your kitchen smell like fall in the nicest kind of way.

Spiced Harvest Apple Chips

adapted from Leann Bakes

Ingredients:

Apples. Any number of any variety. (You can't really mess this part up.)

2 tsp of cinnamon

1 tsp of fresh grated nutmeg

1 tsp of cardamom

½ tsp of ground ginger

¼ tsp of allspice (optional)

2 tsp of fruit sugar (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 220F, and line two large baking pans with parchment paper.

Using a knife, or a mandolin if you have one, slice apples as thin as possible. Lay them side by side on a baking sheet, being careful not to overlap, lest you want conjoined chips.

Mix your spices together and pour into a clean spice jar and gently sprinkle a thin coating of the spice blend onto the apple slices.

Bake for one hour, flip the slices, and bake for one hour more. Place on a wire cooling rack. Chips will crisp up as they cool.

Eat!

Enjoy!!

Apples Apples Apples!

I have a confession - I had never been apple picking until yesterday. I LOVED it. Almost a bushel of apples later I was inspired by the orchard, the farm, the day, the season and the amazing fresh apples I got. So today was a definite play day in the kitchen.

First Up. 

Curried Autumn Apple Squash Soup

Ingredients:

1 large butternut squash
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced medium
2 celery ribs, diced small
1 large apple (Macs are a good apple to use); peeled, cored, and sliced thin
2 tablespoon chopped fresh sage (or 1 teaspoon dried sage)
1 can light coconut milk

1 cup apple cider

1 cup chicken or vegetable stock

1-2 tablespoons curry powder (start with 1 and add to your taste)
Freshly grated nutmeg, about 10 quick grates on a small grater (about 1/16 of a teaspoon)
3/4 teaspoon salt
4-8 grinds of fresh, finely ground black pepper
Roasted squash seeds or pepitas for serving

Directions:

1.       Wash a whole butternut squash and cut in half lengthwise with a large knife. Scoop out and save seeds. Place the two halves cut side down in a microwaveable dish large enough to fit the squash (you may have to do one half at a time). Add water and cover. Microwave on high for 10-15 minutes or until flesh is soft when pierced. Take the squash out to let cool. Remember to use oven mitts because the dish will be hot! Scoop out flesh and set aside.

2.       Next, sauté the onion and celery in olive oil in a soup pot on a medium-low to medium for about 15 minutes, or until tender.  Stir periodically.  Add the apple and sauté for about 5 minutes more. Then add the sage and sauté for an additional 5 minutes. Turn off  when the apple is soft and the onions and celery are lightly caramelized and add in squash and coconut milk, apple cider and chicken stock.

3.       Using a stick blender mix until soup is smooth and well blended. Add the nutmeg, salt, and pepper and combine. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking.

Warm and serve or refrigerate to serve later. Flavors meld and intensify when served the next day. Serve with a sprinkle of roasted squash seeds or pepitas and a sprinkle of parmesan for added zip.

Improvising in the Kitchen

You can't improvise if you are tense. Or thinking too much. You have to really let it go. Joy Bryant 

I have a feeling that the author was talking about acting but the same sentiment is true in the kitchen.

 I have a friend (and friend you know I really am very proud of you but I’m writing a blog here) who tends to follow the recipe to the letter and is not the greatest fan of cooking so they get tense and upset when things go wrong. Actually I know a few people like this. To me, baking is the one science I can actually _get_ (don’t ask me what I scored on my one and only chemistry test – Epic Fail doesn’t begin to cover it). But cooking is like expressionist painting. You add a splash of red, a dash of green until it looks – or in the case of cooking tastes right.

Why am I writing about this today? Well I was chatting with my BFF Rina through email while watching The Pioneer Woman – my new favorite cooking show. I like that she uses things like bouillon and store bought cheats… but I digress. So there I was, watching Ree and chatting to my BFF. Rina said she was making chili for dinner and lo and behold, the Pioneer Woman talked about chili and I suddenly had a craving. I’ve been under the weather this weekend and it’s been cold and rainy – a true fall weekend – and chili suddenly sounded just perfect.

I did a mental tally of what I had on hand. Celery –check; onions and a pepper – check; ground beef, tomato paste, pickled jalapeños, kidney beans - check and… oh crap, I only had crushed tomatoes on hand, no diced!

Ahhh… but I had a huge tomato in the fridge and a bunch of cherry tomatoes. So I didn’t panic or decide no I can’t make my chili without diced tomatoes. I improvised. I chopped up fresh tomatoes and Eureka! The chili was saved.

So in my short and sweet blog today my suggesting is to let go in the kitchen. Improvise, think outside the lines – or along parallel planes of existence. Just because you don’t have a can of diced tomatoes doesn’t mean you can’t have chili, just add some diced fresh tomatoes in with the crushed and Bob’s your Uncle.

I’ll let you know how my Improv Chili comes out!

Temptingly yours,

Tracey

And if you want to know who the Pioneer woman is – she blogs too! Go here:  http://thepioneerwoman.com/

Or here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/the-pioneer-woman/index.html?vty=pioneerwoman  to learn more.

I'mmmmmm Baaaack - with a fall dessert recipe: Raspberry Peach Crisp

Did you miss me??

It’s been a fair few months since I posted anything. I’d like to say it’s because I’ve been so swamped with real life that I just didn’t have time… well that’s partly true at least.

The truth is, as amazing as the events of last year were – monumental doesn’t begin to cover it – between the tv show and real life trials, tribulations and tragedies I was left burnt out. So I took a few months to recharge and rediscover my love of cooking. A trip to the Floridian beach thanks to my bff didn’t hurt either ;-) I got to try conch – yummy! And learn about Guava Duff. My friend is of Bahamian descent on one side of her family and Nordic descent on the other. Pretty cool hunh?

Summer has also been a busy, outdoorsy time. I’ve taken up Zumba and yoga – love them both – started to really try and eat healthy and work out and trim down, and I’ve taken time to take stock of my loves.

But the nights have grown longer, the temperature has dropped and the bite of fall is in the air and it’s turned my mind to the wonders of the season – the bite of a crisp Ontario apple fresh off the tree, the crunch of leaves, the uber cool boots and jackets to keep me both warm and fashionable…. Hey, I’m all about boots, ask any of my friends. I have like 6 pairs of boots! But I digress.  The other day I had my first cup of Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season from the mermaid place and it put me in the mood for fall baking.

On Sunday I made my Spiced Pumpkin scones and tonight I made an easy breezy Raspberry Peach Crisp with 9% plain Greek yogurt for a creamy, dreamy topping with much less calories than heavy cream. The most time this desert took was in the pitting and chopping of the peaches. I kid you not! And crisps are so versatile. Any combination of fall fruits will do. There’s the traditional apple but you could also mix it up – bumbleberry, pear and fig (or quince), and plum crisps would all be delish too! The fruit is bountiful in the fall – mix it up and see what you come up with.

And here’s the segway to my recipe for Raspberry Peach crisp:

 (yup still a geek) but seriously here’s the recipe

Raspberry Peach Crisp

Ingredients for filling

6 ripe peaches, cut into slices

1 cup frozen raspberries

2 tbsp maple syrup

3 tbsp whole wheat flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp fresh grated nutmeg

½ tsp ground ginger

Ingredients for Topping

½ cup cold butter

3-4 tbsp canola oil

2 tbsp whole wheat flour

2 cups large flaked oats

¼ cup brown sugar substitute

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp fresh grated nutmeg

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

1.       Remove the pits from the peaches and slice into segments;

2.       Pour in frozen raspberries

3.       Add maple syrup

4.       Sprinkle with the flour and spices and combine, fill bottom of 8 inch casserole dish, sprayed with cooking spray to prevent a mess

Topping Directions

1.       In a food processor combine butter and flour until a crumbly sand like consistency

2.       Pour into bowl and add oats, spices, sugar and oil

3.       Combine until lumpy

4.       Pour topping on top of fruit mixture and bake at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.

Serve warm with Greek yogurt, crème fresh, heavy cream or ice cream.

(hot out of the oven crisp with some 9% fat plain greek yogurt.

Eat. Enjoy.

Delish!

It's a lazy Sunday and I felt like being indulgent so I came up with a new recipe to indulge myself <G>

They're perfect with a cafe latte ;-)

Chocolate Mess Scones

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

¾ cup of good dark cocoa powder

½ tsp salt

1 ½ cups of mixed chocolate chips (in this recipe I used white, dark, semi-sweet and fudge morsels)

1 egg

¼ cup grated cold/frozen unsalted butter

2 tblspns baking powder

1/3  cup of sugar substitute

¾ cup + 1tbspn milk, cream or milk substitute (I use soy milk)

Directions:

Heat oven to 375°F. Combine cocoa powder, flour, brown sugar substitute, salt and baking powder in medium bowl; use a box grater and work quickly to grate butter into mixture and mix until just incorporated. Stir in 1/2 cup coconut and macadamia nuts.

Beat milk and egg in small bowl until well mixed and add to dry ingredients

Fold in chocolate morsels

Knead about 10 times or until mixture forms a dough, adding small amount of flour, if necessary.

Divide dough in half. Pat each half into 6-inch circle. Place onto large ungreased baking sheet. Cut each circle into 6 wedges. Do Not Separate. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with some finishing sugar if you’d like.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. To serve, separate into individual scones. 

Eat!

Enjoy!!

And another post - It's Smoothie time!!!

This is my current weekday breakfast/before zumba breakfast drink. It's chock full of protein and energy and deliciousness!!!

Next stop... spirulina!

Powered up Protein shake for Zumba mornings

Ingredients

• ½ a block of silken tofu (I also use 1 of the dessert tofus like coconut or banana from time to time to add more flavour)
• ½ cup unsweetened soy milk
• ½ cup 0% yogurt (vanilla or plain)
• 1 cup cherry boost or anti oxidant blend frozen berries
• Splash of your favourite extract (I like vanilla or almond)

Directions

1. Add all to blender
2. Wazz up
3. Pour

Drink!

Enjoy!!

It's a Bleurghy Thursday so it's time for some COOKIES!!!

Low fat, low sugar, positively scrummy chocochunk cookies!

Ingredients

• ¼ cup unsalted butter or margarine if making it dairy free
• 1 tbsp brown sugar substitute or fruit sugar
• 1 egg
• 3 tbsp water or you could substitute soy milk for creaminess
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ¾ cup of your favourite gluten free baking flour mix
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ cup semi sweet chocolate chunks or carob chunks

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. In a bowl with a mixer or in a stand mixer beat together the butter/margarine and sugar / sugar substitute
3. Turn mixer to low and add the water, egg and vanilla, blend well and scrape down sides if needed
4. In a separate bowl sift together the flour, baking soda and salt
5. Add to the wet mixture and beat until just incorporated
6. Last, add your chocolate/carob chunks and give a final mix
7. Drop teaspoon sized portions onto parchment paper and bake for 8 to 10 minutes.
8. This recipe will make a fairly stiff dough so if you want flatter cookies press the cookie dough down before baking.

I used my new handy dandy cookie scooper (aka mini ice cream scoop) so this recipe made 1 ½ doz cookies for me.

Eat!

Enjoy!!!

Chinese 5-Spice Chicken & Kimchee Pizza, news and inspiration!

Well hello out there in blog world. I've been kind of absent for a while - life has sort of steamed rolled over me.  But I'm back and I have new recipes, a new mission and a new culinary blog so I now have 2 places to blog!!

You can find me here or on Culinote, here, http://culinote.com/TraceysTweetz/Caveat-Temptor-let-the-tempted-beware

The mission is this - My friend K2 and I are on a 'Mission from the Culinary Gods'. We've decided that we live in Toronto - a melting pot city with phenomenal culture and food - and both have cars so we are going to explore as many tasty restaurant offerings as we can. I have been making a list and checking it twice - thank you John Catucci because we are gonna eat there!

First adventure is done - Dr. Laffa in North York - Iraqi-Israeli food that was _to die for_.

Now to decide where to go next.  The issue is being healthy and eating in moderation but oh the possibilities are endless!


And now the recipe

Chinese 5-Spice Chicken & Kimchee Pizza

Ingredients

· 1 lb ground chicken
· 1 tablespoon Chinese Five-Spice
· 1 piece Pita Bread or readymade naan bread
· 1/2 cup Kim Chee
· sliced red onion to taste
· sliced red peppers to taste
· 2 tablespoons Korean Barbecue Sauce

Marinade for chicken

· 1 tablespoon Mirin
· 2 tablespoons Soy Sauce
· 1 teaspoon Sesame Oil
· 1/2 teaspoon Fish Sauce
· 1/2 teaspoon Minced Garlic
· 1 tablespoon Sambal or Sriracha Sauce


Directions

1. Spray pan with cooking spray and brown chicken over medium high.
2. While chicken is browning combine mirin, soy sauce, sesame oil, fish sauce garlic and sambal in a jar with a lid and shake to emulsify.
3. Add Chinese 5-Spice to browned chicken and stir until well coated. 
4. Pour in marina and simmer until absorbed. Remove from heat.

Assembling the Pizza

1. Place pita or naan on pizza stone or baking tray.
2. Use 1 tablespoon of Korean BBQ sauce on base
3. Add about 1/4 cup of the ground chicken
4. Add whatever veggies that you like - I used onion, cherry tomatoes and red pepper
5. Add a smear of sriracha if you like it spicy
6. Layer on kim chee to taste
7. Add shredded cheese of your choice
8. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes and then broil for 5 minutes to get the cheese just right.

Eat.

Enjoy!!

Auntie June's Hamburger Soup

This has been my go-to soup for over two decades. It’s my hearty winter lunch soup and my ‘I feel like crap and want something warm and comforting in my tummy’ soup.

I remember the first time I had it in my Auntie June’s kitchen – it was the best soup I’d ever had. I _needed_ that recipe; well my dad needed it so he could make it for me.

I still have the recipe he wrote out in my Auntie June’s kitchen – it’s on a small piece of pink notebook paper that was torn from my super sparkly unicorn note book (good God I was a girlie girl growing up!)

This recipe is a little bit changed from my aunt’s original because it’s me and that’s just how I roll but the basic ingredients still remain the same.

Aunt June’s Hamburger Soup

Ingredients

2 lb. hamburger

1 20 oz. can diced tomatoes

2 medium onions – chopped

3 carrots diced

3 ribs of celery diced

1/3 cup of pearl barley

¼ cup of ketchup or Heinz chili sauce

2 tbsp. beef bouillon (low sodium)

2-3 thai bird chilies, thinly sliced

A handful of chopped fresh cilantro

2 tsp. homemade seasoned salt

1 tsp. dried basil

1-2 bay leaves

6 cups of hot water

Directions

1.       In a dutch oven, sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, brown the ground beef and drain off excess fat.

2.       Stir in the rest of the ingredients and add in the 6 cups of water

3.       Bring to a boil and reduce to medium low and simmer for an hour

4.       Season to taste with salt and pepper, remove the bay leaves.

5.       Serve in individual bowls and top with shredded cheddar cheese and a dollop of no fat sour cream (both are optional)

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Eat!

Enjoy!!