All in Good Food

Here is a quick and easy turkey chili that I came up with one day. I had never made chili from scratch before so I didn’t have a recipe to go by. I always loved my dad’s chili but like me he always cooked by taste so he did not have a recipe written down so I was all on my own. This turkey chili has very few ingredients and despite using the slow cooker does not take a long time to make. If you don’t want to use a slow cooker or don’t have one just let the chili simmer in a pot on the stove for about 1 hour. The flavor of this chili gets better the longer it cooks.


Ingredients

1 lbs ground turkey
6 oz chunky salsa
1 packet chili seasoning mix (I use Hot Chili Seasoning for a spicier taste.)
1/2 packet taco seasoning mix
1/2 to1 cup water or chicken broth

Seasoning

Salt
Pepper
Seasoning Salt

Extra – If you like it extra spicy – add to taste
Cumin
Cayenne

1. Preheat slow cooker on high.
2. Brown ground turkey in a skillet and season with salt, pepper and seasoning salt.

3. Once the turkey is browned pour in 1 package of chili seasoning and 1/2 package of taco seasonings then mix thoroughly.

4. Add 1/2 to1cup of water or chicken broth and bring to a boil. Note: If you prefer a denser chili leave out the water. For a less dense chili add water to the desired thickness.

5. Turn heat to low, cover and let the mix simmer for 5 minutes.

6. Pour chili mix a long with 6 oz of salsa into the slow cooker.

7. Leave slow cooker on high for 1 hour then turn down to low for 2 hours.

The chili can be made the night before and left to simmer in the slow cooker on low overnight. This will intensify the flavors in the chili.

This chili is very versatile. It can be added to pasta or rice and can be used with nachos. It also freezes well.

Serve it with your favorite topping along with some garlic bread, cornbread muffins or crackers.

I served mine with corn muffins, half and half (Iced Tea and Lemonade) and chocolate chip cookies. The chili was topped with shredded cheese and a dollop of sour cream.

Itadaki masu!

The other day I was feeling a little inspired and wanted to try out some new recipes. I have to admit I’m not good at recipe writing because I cook from feel most of the time. Yeah I know that is not good if the dish comes out tasty because how can I duplicate it if I don’t have it written down. Well most of the time I do take pictures of every step and try to write everything down immediately after. Well for this recipe I forgot to write everything down and I did not take a photo of every step. So here is my attempt at remembering what I did.

When I do cook by recipe I like recipes that have very few ingredients because I believe there is less chance for mistakes then. I believe it is important for someone who is cooking a recipe for the first time to get it as accurate as possible to have a baseline to go from when you attempt to tweak it to suit your own tastes. So when I create something I usually keep the original recipe down to only a few ingredients with room for expansion.

The other day I was looking for something different. Recently I have been trying to stay away from a lot of fried foods in an attempt to take off a few pounds but I began craving something fried. However instead of going out to a fast food place I decided to make something at home. That way I can control the ingredients that will go into it.

I went into my pantry and found that I had some zucchini that I bought for another project. I didn’t want it to go bad so I decided to experiment with some dishes. The first one I made I won’t mention now because it came out less than stellar. Then I decided to add some to some ground turkey along with some shredded cheese I had and it was on. Here is the result of my labor.

Ingredients
1 lb ground turkey
1/2 cup finely shredded zucchini
1/2 cup shredded cheese
1 1/2 cup of panko breadcrumbs
1 1/2 cups of vegetable oil

Seasonings
Salt
Pepper
1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)

Batter
1 Egg
8 teaspoons cold water
4 tablspoons of flour

Note that all of the seasoning is approximated because I very rarely measure except when I am baking. I will update this post the next time I make this dish with true measurements (I hope ;~)).

Directions

1. Combine ground turkey, shredded zucchini and shredded cheese then season to taste. Mix well

2. Take about 1 teaspoon full of the mix and create small patties. Place them on a plate and cover them with wax paper and place in the refrigerator to chill and firm up for about 30 minutes. The firming not absolutely necessary but I find it makes the patties easier to handle when putting into the batter and panko bread crumbs.

Note I used the following method to create my patties for this recipe. (see photo below)

Wax paper roll method:

· Tear off a piece of wax paper about 12 inches long.
· Take mixture from the bowl and form it into a rough sausage shape.
· Place on the wax paper about 5 inches from the end.
· Place the end of the wax paper over the turkey roll leaving a short edge you will use to hold on to.
· With a cutting board place it against the roll on top of the wax paper and pull to form a tight even roll.
· Then roll up in the remainder of the wax paper, twist the ends closed and stick it in your freezer to chill and firm up for about 20 minutes.
· Once chilled remove wax paper and place on a cutting board. With a very sharp knife cut off even slices about 1/2 inch thick.

8. Fry to a golden brown. Let cool and serve.

These patties can be cooked in advance then reheated. I use a toaster oven set at 380° for 10-15 minutes. These patties are also the perfect size for bento so they will be included into my bento stash in the freezer.

I will be experimenting with other vegetables and seasonings and will keep you updated.

So until next time.

Itadaki masu!

Today’s recipe is a mini pot pie I came up with. Today’s pot pies are made with my basic ground turkey mix. For me this mix is one of my staple mixes that I can go to for many different dishes. It mixes well for pasta and rice as well as a base for my chili and spaghetti. The dishes are endless.

As with many of my dishes this one is very simple to make and put together. I like to keep pre-made pie dough in the freezer as a got to. I use my Wilton mini muffin pans to make the pies because they are the perfect size for my bentos also they make the perfect bite size meal.



Basic Turkey Mix

Ingredients

1 lb Ground Turkey
6 oz French Cut Green Beans
1/4 cup Chicken Gravy [est.] (I usually use brown gravy for more flavor but I changed it for this recipe)
Salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)
Seasoning Salt (to taste)
3 tsp Vegetable Oil (or any oil you like to cook with)

Added for this recipe: (optional)

Cayenne Pepper (to taste)
Sesame Oil (to taste)

I cooked up the turkey as usual (see this post) the only difference is I used chicken gravy instead of brown gravy. I also decided I wanted a little kick to it so I added cayenne pepper (about a 1/2 teaspoon) to the mix. I then wanted to add some cumin but realized I didn’t have any. I forgot to replace it the last time I went to the grocery store. So it’s substitution time. After the mix was cooked I add some sesame oil. Yeah I know not exactly like cumin but it gave the mix a smoky and nutty taste so it worked for me. Once the mix was done I let it sit and cool for about 30 to 45 minutes stirring the mix occasionally to help it cool. I know it was going to be heated up when I put in the oven but for some reason I didn’t want to put the hot mix right into the uncooked pie crust. I thought it would make it get soggy and not bake right. I’ve never baked a pie from scratch so this was a gut instinct I don’t know if there is anything to it.

Then I added the lid sealing it as you do with any pastry by wetting the edges with water. Because of the size of the pot pies and how close they sat to each other, instead of using a fork to crimp the edges I used the blunt end of a knife. This kind of made them look like the crimping you see on the store bought ones.

I then cut slits in the top for ventilation in a star shape. Then I baked them in my toaster oven for 10 to 15 minutes at 425° or until they were lightly golden brown. I have to be very careful with my toaster oven because the heating element is only in the center and it can burn while cooking very easily.

Once they come out and have been cooked to a tasty golden crispiness I let them sit for about 5 minutes and then it’s time to eat or pack in my bento. The good thing about these mini pot pies is that they are good at room temperature so great for a bento or lunch box. However they can be reheated easily in the microwave for 30 to 45 seconds. Try not to over heat them or they will get a little soft and not have the crispiness of a pie (unless you like them like that).

I also made some mini apples pies but I will leave them for another post.

Itadaki masu!

This was a real simple bento I made from left over ground turkey pasta mix. I added wheat crackers and Mini Babybel© cheese (original) cut in half. I love this pasta mix because it tastes good whether hot or at room temperature so it works well for a lunch on the go.

Itadaki masu!

Here is one of my simple “go to” meals that I can whip up very quickly. When I was in school recently working on my bachelor’s degree I didn’t have a lot of time on my hands to cook sometimes, so I developed some go to meals that I could fix quickly with a small number of prepackaged ingredients.

Ingredients

1 lb Ground Turkey
14.5 oz French cut Green Beans
1 pkt Brown Gravy mix
1 cup pasta (your choice)
1/2 cup Shredded Carrots
1/14 cup Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese

For Flavor (to taste)
Salt
Pepper
Seasoning Salt
Cilantro

I take a pound of ground turkey and brown it in a skillet adding seasoning to taste. I keep it simple and use salt, pepper, cilantro and Lawry’s Seasoning Salt. The seasoning may see a bit heavy but I noticed that turkey is very bland if not sufficiently seasoned. While the turkey was cooking I mixed one packet of brown gravy mix with 1/4 cup of water. This is less than the mount listed on the package. I wanted the gravy to coat the turkey but not be watery.

Once the turkey is browned I add in a 14.5oz can of french cut green beans and let them heat up in the skillet with the turkey.

Now here is where I vary sometimes. The type of pasta I add depends on what I have on hand or what I have a taste for. I have used egg noodles, elbow macaroni, bow tie or other pasta in the mix. This time I cooked 1 cup (measured before cooking) of spiral pasta according to the instructions on the box.

Then I added the pasta, shredded carrots and shredded sharp cheddar cheese to the turkey and green bean mix.

And there you go ground turkey pasta mix.

I know it’s simple but sometimes simple is the way to go.

Itadaki masu!