Portabella and Leek Marinara

I love cooking. It calms me down somehow. I think it's the thought of eating that comforts me so much! Some people talk about the joy of seeing someone else enjoy what you've made. That's nice and all, but for me it's all about getting to sit down and eat it myself! Call me selfish, but I love food. What can I say. I make no excuses.

Every Valentine's Day Josh and I have spaghetti and watch a chick flick. We don't like crowds so we avoid restaurants on V-day at all costs. Josh usually cooks, but since he's working today and there's not much time between when he gets home and the boys' bed time, it's all me. I thought I would start early on the sauce. We've been trying to eat healthier and incorporate some good-for-you foods into our diet that we haven't always eaten, like mushrooms. Josh says he doesn't like fungus. I don't blame him. But since I've learned to eat avocados I think he can learn to eat fungus!

Hungry Girl taught me that portabellas make a good substitute for meat. So I decided to incorporate them into our spaghetti sauce. I forgot to buy onions and since I had leeks on hand, I thought what-the-heck, why not? I love marinara because, like salsa, it's kind of a free-for-all. You really can throw just about anything yummy and Italian in there and it comes out great.

So here is my newly discovered combination. Hope you like it!

Portabella and Leek Marinara
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Leek
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
4 oz Portabella Mushrooms, diced into small pieces
1 Tbsp Tomato Paste
2-28 oz cans Crushed Tomatoes
S & P
Italian seasonings - I used dried thyme, oregano, basil, and fresh rosemary.

In a large skillet or deep sauce pan heat the oil over medium high heat. When the oil is shimmering add the leek. If you've never cooked with leeks before, check out this video on how to prep them. Saute the leeks for a few minutes until they start to soften. Add minced garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, until garlic is fragrant.

Now add the mushrooms. I chopped mine up pretty good so they give the illusion of meat. Let everything continue to cook out for a few minutes till the mushrooms brown up, but don't burn. If you like mushroom flavor you can add up to 8 oz. They cook down pretty well.

Once everything is nice and brown and smells like Italian heaven, add the tomato paste, and stir it around to cook up for another 30 seconds. Once it's fragrant and cooked out a bit, add the crushed tomatoes. Stir it all together to incorporate everything. Season to taste. I start with a couple good pinches of salt and lots of black pepper, then add about a handful of each of the dried herbs. You can always add the "Italian Seasonings" blend. That's what I used to use when I first started cooking.

Let the sauce simmer for as long as you've got, but at least for a half hour. The longer it simmers the more the flavors come together. Add any fresh herbs at the end just before serving.

We'll eat this with whole wheat spaghetti and a sprinkling of parmesan, and sourdough bread, followed by homemade chocolate covered strawberries.  Mwah-ha-ha!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Slow Cooker Turkey Chili

Turkey-licious!

I'm not a big chili fan. I don't know why. It's really yummy and can be so good for you. The only time I used to eat chili was in a bread bowl at Boudin on Pier 39 in San Francisco. About a year-and-a-half ago we started working with Least of These Ministries, which is a local ministry to the needy here in Tracy. Once a month our church provides a hot meal for them to take to the homeless people they've developed relationships with. It's a really cool ministry and Brian and Lydia who run the ministry are great! Anyway, they asked us to try to provide healthy meals as the food available to most homeless people is totally unhealthy. So in my search for healthy meals that would be easy to make in large quantities I came across a Jaime Oliver chili recipe. It was choc full of healthy ingredients: beans, tomatoes, peppers and onions. It turned out it was also full of flavor! Everyone loved it. We even came home and made a batch for ourselves!

Since then I've not been able to find the recipe online again and only have the one I saved from somewhere in cyber space. I have made a few changes here and there, the main one being that I use ground turkey instead of beef and sausage. Gotta save the calories where we can, but there's no way I would do it at the expense of flavor!

Turkey Chili
1 pound ground Turkey - I use the dark/white meat mix because it has a little more flavor and breaks apart more like ground beef. You can feel free to use all white meat.
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 green bell pepper diced
2  stalks chopped celery
2 (28-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1 (28-ounce) can whole, peeled tomatoes
Ground cumin
Chili powder
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 package chili seasoning mix*
S & P
Shredded cheddar, sour cream, chopped green onions, for garnish

*Chili seasoning recipe follows

In a large skillet heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and celery. I use a chopper to make sure my veggies are diced small. If you have a picky eater you're trying to fool you can put them in the food processor and chop away. They'll still cook up the same and add the same flavor, they just won't be discernible to those little eyes!

Saute for a couple minutes till the onions become translucent. Push the veggies to the side and add the meat in the middle. You may need more oil at this point, but give it a try without at first. Add cumin and chili powder, salt and pepper. I don't measure at this point, just a nice sprinkling over everything. You've got to season turkey a little more heavily than you would beef or sausage.

Break up the meat and let it all cook out till the meat is browned. While it cooks up, get your slow cooker heating up. Drain and rinse all the beans.

Add the beans and all the tomatoes to the crock pot. I always use the diced tomatoes, but I've been know to substitute whatever I have in the pantry for the whole peeled tomatoes. If you don't have time to let it cook all day crushed tomatoes or even tomato sauce works as a substitute. You could even just leave out the extra if you want it chunkier. I promise the end result is not "tomato-y" as it might seem like it could be, so please don't leave out the tomatoes for that reason. I have also discovered petite diced tomatoes which would help with cooking time as well. Anyway, at this point it may seem that it's not all going to fit in the crock pot, but trust me it will! 

Once the meat is browned add the meat and veggies to the pot.

Now comes the fun part: make the chili seasoning! You can find the original recipe here. I made some changes based on my taste and what I had on hand the first time so this is how I make it:

Chili Seasoning

1 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried leaf oregano
1 Tbsp seasoned salt
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp instant minced onion
1 tsp garlic powder (NOT garlic salt!)

Combine ingredients and add it all to the chili! Mix it in and add S & P to taste. Let the chili cook all day on low. My crock pot is crazy hot so I can hardly ever leave anything all day. The general rule is 5 hours on high and 8 on low. Mine is about 5 hours on low. It won't hurt the chili to cook longer than these guidelines. It's really hearty. Taste it and add salt and pepper to your liking. I like to under season just in case the cheese is salty. Everyone can add a little extra salt or pepper if they need it. Serve with your favorite chili toppings or try cheddar cheese, sour cream/greek yogurt, or green onions.

Feel free to drool. I think the bowl is!

Tomato Sauce Chicken Tacos

 

One night we had some left over shredded chicken and nothing planned for dinner. Josh is big on making sure the chicken isn't dry so I was wracking my brain trying to figure out how to re-cook the chicken without over cooking the chicken. Then it hit me: A little chicken stock and tomato sauce would perk that chicken right up. Season it and slap it in a tortilla. Tomato Sauce Chicken Tacos! Yum!

Tacos are great because they're quick and easy. Plus you can put just about anything in them. They are also a simple way to incorporate veggies, like peppers and onions.

Tomato Sauce Tacos
1 lb left over Chicken - If making fresh I usually boil or poach it. You could also buy a roasted whole chicken.
2 tsp Olive Oil
1/2 cup Tomato Sauce
1/4 cup Chicken Stock
Goya Adobo Seasoning with Cumin - You can find this in the Hispanic Foods aisle at your grocery store or your local Mexican market.
S & P
Yellow onion, sliced thin
1 each Red & Green Bell Peppers - or whatever color you have. This is really dependent on your preference. Slice 'em thin!
Corn Tortillas

Begin by shredding the chicken. I like to use two forks. This helps if the chicken is hot, but it is also much quicker than by hand, I think. Use one fork to hold the chicken and the other to tear it up.

Heat 2 tsp olive oil in a 10 in. sautee pan over medium high heat. Add the onions and peppers and cook until they start to brown and begin to soften. Season with Goya seasoning. If you've never cooked with it take it easy but don't under-season. A nice even sprinkling over the pan should do it. Seasoning each step along the way will build layers of flavor, but it can also lead to over seasoning, so watch it! (If you want extra garlic flavor this would be a good time to add a couple cloves minced garlic and let it cook out for about 30 seconds. Mmmm garlic!) Once the peppers and onions have cooked out add the chicken and season with Goya again. Then toss together to coat the chicken with olive oil. Now you can add the tomato sauce and chicken stock. Mix it all up and bring to a simmer. Cover and allow the chicken to heat through. This last step shouldn't take long, a few minutes maybe. Here's what it should look like:

Make sure to taste your chicken, then add S & P as necessary. You may find you need nothing extra or you need a lot more seasoning. I like a little extra kick of pepper at the end.

Leave the meat mixture covered on low heat while you heat your tortillas. You can do this over an open flame on a gas stove or on a comal, which is a cast iron griddle. If you have neither of those just use a large flat pan and make sure it's nice and hot. Either way they'll turn out delish! Once mine have heated through I fold them in half and put them on a plate, then cover with a dish towel to keep warm. If they break apart when you fold them they're not hot enough.

Once your tortillas are ready fill 'em up! I only made five tacos this night but I think you could probably get about 12 tacos out of this much meat. Then top with your favorite toppings. We used cheese, salsa, and guacamole. Well, Josh used guacamole. I still can't stand it!

I heart Tacos!

Hummus and Veggies Pita Lunch

Hummus+Cucumbers+Feta+Tomatoes = Delish!

One stop along my journey was a year's subscription to Clean Eating Magazine. I really enjoyed it but at that point wasn't fully ready to commit to anything so natural. I've got to admit I love my processed foods! There were quite a few recipes I tried that I really liked and that's where this originated. It is really one of my favorite lunches, especially when I am wanting to feel particularly healthy. It's also super easy, which makes it perfect for days I've failed to plan my meals.

For the record I hate tomatoes. I like pretty much anything you can make from tomatoes, fresh or cooked, but I don't like raw tomatoes. I know it's weird, it's just the way it is. Salsa is one of my favorite ways to eat tomatoes...and if you've come looking to find my recipe for it here NO SUCH LUCK! Tomatoes are super healthy so I have tried and tried to like them. One way I make them edible raw is by removing the seeds and the (yucky!) gel-like stuff in the middle. Now I'm sure that's probably where all the good-for-you stuff lives, but it's the only way! It is definitely where all the tomato-eyness lives so if you hate tomatoes like me try it and see.

Here's the recipe:
1 pita, toasted - I like the whole wheat sesame pita from Trader Joe's. Yum!
Cucumber diced - I prefer cucumbers to tomatoes so I use more cucumber than tomato.
As much tomato as you can stomach, diced - for me it's about 1/4 cup.
Feta
Hummus - I really like Sabra roasted garlic hummus. My 3-year-old eats it off the spoon!

Assmble: After you've toasted your pita, start with the hummus. Spread it evenly over the pita. Use as much or as little as you like. I usually use about 1 Tbsp. Now sprinkle cucumbers and tomatoes over the hummus. I believe the original recipe called for 1/2 to 1 cup of veggies. I sometimes add chopped baby spinach. (You can't taste it I promise!) Then sprinkle feta, again as much as you want, over the veggies. And voila!

I usually cut it in half to make it easier to eat and scoop up all the veggies and cheese that fall off the pita onto the plate. As you add your feta remember to check out the serving sizes. The goal is health not just hiding the veggies with the cheese! I would start with a tablespoon and see if that agrees with your taste buds, then work your way down to a sprinkle from there. Also, I a whole wheat sandwich thin this time around because that's what I had in the fridge, but the pita really tastes best!

As a side note I made a kiddo version of this for Jeremiah, my 3-year-old. He had a sandwich thin, one side spread with hummus, one side with cream cheese, in the middle: thin slices of cucumber. He gobbled it up!