Everybody in the Pot Chili

I am in the excruciating process of moving. I hate it. The packing, the de-cluttering, the cleaning and of course the actual moving part. It’s an exciting move because I am finally getting over to North Portland and I am pretty sure I got really lucky on my digs. It’s closer to work, closer to some good friends, a fun part of town and I get to garden in my new place. (YAY!) Those new digs come with a lot of work attached though, so on top of all the normal headaches that come with a move, I am also doing a baby re-model of my new place. The place I am moving into is in that…”a lot of potential” phase. Thankfully I have some amazing friends and family that are clever, talented and clearly crazy. They are all pitching in to help me make the place more livable. My first big work weekend on the new place is coming up and we will see what I am really in for.

Because of the move, I have been trying to clean out my pantry. I pulled out some frozen ground turkey and decided that with some of the cans I had in the pantry that it was time to make an interpretation of a veggie/turkey chili. This is the "throw everything into the pot chili". This is NOT your traditional "take it to the fair to win a blue ribbon chili". HOWEVER, this is delicious, very healthy and a great way to get those veggies out of the fridge that look like they are on the verge of being thrown out soon. The ingredients are not measured exactly. Just go with what you got. Season and taste everything. If you have an extra veggie you want to throw in (corn is yummy!)…do it. If you dont' have celery, don't worry about it. You don’t have turkey but you have beef or you don’t have ANY meat…no problem. If you don't have garlic...go out and buy some...everyone should have fresh garlic on hand. (I have to draw the line at some point) Just make sure that you let all the seasonings come together on the stove for a while and taste as you go so you can adjust your seasonings and acid levels (that’s where the sugar comes in).  Also… chili powder is mild, but please wait for it when tasting your soup. Chili powder hits just a few seconds after you first taste it. Let it hit your palate. I know a lot of people who taste quickly, spoon in one hand and seasoning in the other. They then immediately start to add more of an ingredient before they let it hit properly. That burn…can creep up slowly, so you have been warned.

Veggie/Turkey Chili

1lb of ground turkey meat

1 onion chopped

3 stalks of celery chopped

3-4 carrots chopped (peeled)

1 green bell pepper chopped (seeds removed)

3 cloves of garlic minced

Olive oil

1 14.5 oz can of chicken broth

2 15 oz cans of beans, rinsed (any kind will do)

1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes

1 tablespoon of tomato paste

Cumin (to taste, I recommend starting with at least 1 tablespoon)

Chili powder (to taste, I recommend starting with at least 3 tablespoons)

Red pepper flakes (if you want some heat)

Salt and Pepper (to taste)

Sugar (to taste, I recommend starting with at least 1 tablespoon)

Heat your pan on med-high. Coat the bottom of the pan with some olive oil. Put in your ground turkey. Season with salt and pepper. While your meat is cooking add all of your chopped veggies except for your garlic. Watch the heat on the stove and cook until the veggies become tender.  Add your garlic and spices and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes.

Add your chicken broth and can of diced tomatoes with the juice/water from the can. Rinse your beans and add them to the chili. Stir in your tomato paste. Add a little bit of sugar. (1 tablespoon to start) Bring the chili to a simmer and then lower the heat, simmering for about 45 minutes to an hour. Taste and season if needed.

Garnish with whatever makes you happy! Sour cream, cheese and onions are always a nice start.

Cook the ground meat and veggies

Add garlic and spice and cook for 1 to 2 minutes

Add chicken broth, tomatoes, and beans

Add tomato paste (LOVE THIS from TJs) and season

Done! (Wanna know a secret..I grabbed grass instead of chives. Yum.)

Wheat Berry Salad and a Big Thank You

It's been less than a month since I started this blog and honestly I am overwhelmed at the amount of people reading my tales of dating, recipes and the other bits and pieces of my life that I share. Thank you for the comments and feedback. I have enjoyed reading them and the feedback has at times been amusing, shocking and delightful. If I don't post your comment, don't take it personal (or do...whatever). It is MY blog after all. I mean, come on, my Mom and my Aunt Barb read this and although I know they can handle the occasional F-Bomb (maybe not Aunt Barb) or at least appreciate the warning to avoid it, I do have to consider the kind of things that end up in the comments section.

Either way...thank you for reading.

Tomorrow I head up to Seattle for a couple of days with my cousin Jessica. We are going to see our friend, Dallas Brooks at the opening of an art show she is in. I am so proud of Dallas and can't wait to see her and her amazing pieces on display. It will make for a really lovely start to what has turned into a bit of a birthday weekend for me. Saturday and Sunday will be spent with friends doing two things I love...eating and bowling under black light (you didn't know that?! yeah...bowling AND black light.)

It also looks like I finally got assigned a new cooking class. My last one got cancelled so I have been itching to get back in the kitchen classroom. I will keep you posted, but rumor has it...I will be teaching kids. (holy moly!) I am a bit nervous but know it will be really fun if I get the assignment, so fingers crossed. It will start in March.

I am leaving you with a salad recipe that is inspired by a salad that I get EVERYTIME I am at New Seasons. (Yes...by now you have figured out that I shop there a lot.) It is a wheat berry salad with a citrus vinaigrette, almonds, spinach and ricotta salata cheese. It is so yummy.

Wheat berries are the grain that they actually grind to make flour. For those of you with food storage you will recognize these lovely little grains. For the salad (and a lot of other great recipes) you boil them in water and salt for about an hour, drain them and they become chewy and soft. You can buy it from the bulk bins in many stores or the brand Bob's Red Mill also sells them in the same section you get flour. They are very affordable with a bag of Bob's Red Mill running about $2.50.

I did some hunting on the Internet and discovered that New Season's is basically using the exact same recipe as Heidi Swanson's recipe in her cookbook Super Natural Cooking. The only difference is the nut (she uses pine nuts) and the cheese (she uses feta).

I think either nut or cheese would be great, although if you can get your hands on some ricotta salata, do. It is pretty fantastic. Ricotta salata is a pressed, salted and drier version of the creamy ricotta you are probably used to. It's one of my favorite cheeses (okay they all are) and is kind of reminiscent of Mizithra. (Oh and sorry for the terrible picture...only had the camera phone this time.)

Wheat Berry Salad with Spinach and Ricotta Salta
adapted from New Season's and Heidi Swanson

2 cups of soft wheat berries
6 cups of water
2 tsp of salt
One bunch of baby spinach rinsed, stemmed
1 cup of toasted almonds
1/2 cup of crumbled Ricotta Salata

Citrus Dressing

Grated zest and juice of 1 orange
1 TB freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 TB of minced shallot
1/2 cup of olive oil
Salt and Pepper
Combine the wheat berries, water and 2 tsp of salt in a large saucepan over med-high heat. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, covered...until plump and chewy, about an hour or so. The berries will be al dente, (aka not mushy), so you have to taste them for doneness. Drain them and season them with more salt if needed.

To make the dressing, combine the zest, citrus juices, shallots, salt and pepper and whisk in the olive oil until combined.
Toss the hot wheat berries with the dressing, then add the spinach, almonds and cheese. You can serve the salad right away, eat it at room temperature or chilled.

Pasta Caprese

One of my favorite, quick pastas to throw together is Pasta Caprese. Normally I make this pasta sauce with fresh tomatoes, but it's not the season for that. Canned diced tomatoes can be just as flavorful in this pasta and perfect for the winter months when you are craving a bit of summer. This dish is light and healthy, but also filling with the bits of oozy fresh mozzarella and fresh egg pasta.

A couple tips and tricks about this recipe.

The key to cooking anything is to have your mise en place all ready to go. That's just a fancy French cooking term meaning, have everything in place. That is the first thing I teach my students. Get all your prep done before you start cooking. That way when you turn the pan on, you have everything at your fingertips, ready to be thrown in the pan. All you have to worry about is stirring, tasting and seasoning. It's such a simple thing but really is one of the biggest keys to successful cooking.

If you have a few tomatoes lying about, dice them up and throw them in the pan. You will want to cook them first with the olive oil and garlic for a couple minutes before you add the can of diced tomatoes. If it is the summer and you have in-season tomatoes, you will cook them all first in the olive oil with the garlic and won't add any canned tomatoes. This particular time around, I had a fresh Roma tomato, so I threw it in the pan for a bit before I added the canned tomatoes.

I like to build as much flavor as I can and if you want to get the diced tomatoes with seasoning already in them, great. I usually always have a can or two in my pantry, so if I am lucky and one is garlic and basil seasoned then all the more happiness in the pan.

Taste, taste, taste. Always taste your food. Tomatoes, especially canned ones can have a high acid content. I always add a bit of sugar to most of my homemade tomato sauces to cut the acid. Also, taste before you add any more salt once you have added the canned tomatoes. You are safe with fresh tomatoes, because you know that they don't have any added ingredients but some canned tomatoes have salt already added. The key is always to taste, then add just a little salt and sugar to start, then add a little more if you need it. If it gets too salty, throw a splash of your boiling pasta water in and continue tasting.
Don't add the cheese or the fresh basil to the pasta and sauce until you have put it in the serving bowl. The fresh basil will turn brown and lose some of it's punch if you cook it for too long.
Oh and fresh pasta in my opinion is key to this recipe. I also don't drain the cooked pasta...I just grab my tongs and pull out the cooked pasta straight from the water and put it right into the saucepan. That little bit of water that makes it into the pan feels like good luck to me. (Oh and you know...it's one less pan to clean and it breaks up the sauce a bit.)
Also, this sauce is great for bruchetta. Just grill up some bread. Take the cooked tomatoes off the heat, toss in the basil and mozzarella and top your grilled bread pieces.

Pasta Caprese
serves 3-4 (or just two...depending on that second person)

1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes (don't drain)
1 fresh Roma tomato diced (optional)
1 ball of fresh mozzarella cut up into cubes
3 cloves of fresh garlic, minced
3 Tbsp of sliced fresh basil
1 Tbsp of olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Sugar to taste
1 10 oz. package of fresh pasta cooked according to directions

Salt your water and put the pan on the heat to get your water boiling for your pasta.

While you are waiting for your water to boil. Heat a large saucepan with 1 Tbsp of olive oil. Add the diced fresh tomato and cook on medium-high with salt and pepper for a couple minutes, until it begins to get soft. Add the minced garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, stirring the entire time. Add the can of diced tomatoes, including the liquid. Add a bit of sugar, about 1/2 teaspoon, to cut the acid. Taste to determine if the sauce needs more salt, pepper or more sugar. By this time your pasta water should have been boiling. Put your pasta in the water. Cook the sauce for a few minutes while you are waiting for the pasta to be done. By then the sauce will have reduced a bit. Take the cooked pasta out of the water with tongs and add it directly to the saucepan.Stir the pasta until it is fully covered in the sauce and then move the pasta and sauce to a serving bowl. Stir in the fresh basil and diced mozzarella. Garnish with some parmesan and serve immediately.

Fig Spread? Yes...Please.

There is no doubt that if I had to live on figs, cheese and bread I would be a happy person. I actually don't cook very much during the week. The bulk of my cooking happens on weekends, when I am testing recipes or cooking for friends or family.

I once was talking to a woman, giving her some meal ideas and cooking tips. She was really excited and seemed pretty inspired when we were done chatting. At the end of the conversation she asked me what I normally have for dinner each night. I replied, "Toast". She looked so deflated when I told her that. I think she pictured me having these big meals each evening. In reality, it's just me and the pup. I am pretty selfish with my time when I get home from work and usually after I am done running I don't want much more to eat then a little toast and jam with some yogurt or a couple slices of cheese, salami, and some fruit. Heck, even a bowl of cereal tastes pretty good me on a Tuesday night and is a common dinner for me.

One of my favorite treats, whether I am just spreading it on bread and cheese or using it to help cook a meal is Dalmatia Fig Spread. This stuff is HEAVENLY. There is a reason why they refer to figs as the fruit of the gods. Dalmatia is in Croatia where they grow and dry the figs. They then put those figs into this fantastic spread. At New Season's they will actually sell it by the pound for you, although the jars are not too pricey and only run about $7.00 bucks. You can also get the spread at Whole Foods and online.

This stuff is amazing. It's very sweet, so a little a goes a long way. I have used it to spread on pannis with arugula, rare roast beef, and a little creamy horseradish mayo. I have glazed pork tenderloins with it and I use it in salad dressings. My favorite and most common way to consume this heavenly figgy spread is just on some tangy cheese. It goes great with goat cheese. I used it today on a bit of Spanish Miticrema, which is a spreadable sheep's cheese. Yum!

I included an easy dressing recipe for you, using the spread. I love to pour this on spinach, red onions, strawberries, goat cheese and pecans.

Dalmatia Fig Spread Dressing

1 Tbsp fig spread
1 Tbsp of fresh lemon juice
little lemon zest
1 tsp of finely minced shallot
1/4 cup of oil (olive or canola)
Salt and Pepper to taste

It IS easy being green...

My cooking classes that I teach are focused on nutrition and budgeting. It's been a learning process for me in both areas. Certainly I am aware of fruits and veggies being good for you but I have had to learn about the actual nutrition facts about things. Not calories or fat but why something is good for you...that kind of stuff. I have taught classes focused on the health needs of pregnancy, growing kids, and all the while attempt to make the recipes appealing (aka...yummy) and budget friendly. The people in my classes have all different kinds of skill levels and backgrounds but most of them are there to learn how to cook real food vs. pre-packaged, shelf food or just picking up fast food. In other words...unlike people who are willing to give up a bit of taste if they are dieting, my students are not looking for an "almost version" of the foods they normally eat but expect the food to taste good, healthy or not. That's a tough challenge when working with some people who can't recall the last time they ate a fresh vegetable or piece of fruit. In addition I have to find delicious, healthy food on the cheap.

One of my big challenges was greens. They are affordable and the super veggie of all super veggies. I taught braised greens in my first class. It seemed so natural. Oh my goodness, I braised them in chicken stock with a tons of garlic, and some red pepper. Yes, I was braising them with some of the major flavor players. I put them on the plate and my face matched the looks of my students. Eeeww. The plopped, soggy mess of muddy looking greens sat there on our plates. I forced a smile and explained...these are so, sooo good for you. Reeeeally good for you. Then one of my favorite students looked at me and goes...then you eat them. Okay...he was right. I hate them. They taste like dirt, they are mushy and I had to force them down just like most of my other students. NOW...I know some of you are going ...Oh my gosh I love braised green...Mmmmm. GOOD for you. You should try brasing them in chicken stock, garlic and red pepper flakes. But I don't and I am guessing it's hard to convince your kids to eat them. I will tell you I certainly wasn't inspiring my students, a group of teenagers, that they should give up McDonalds for that stuff.

BUT...here are the hard facts. Kale, THE green, is a super-power food. It packs quite the resume. It is an awesome source of fiber, 1 cup gives you 20% of your daily requirements. It also has this amazing micro-nutrient called isothiocyanate that prevents a bacteria that grows on your stomach lining that can cause gastric cancer. It has AMAZING antioxidants including, carotenoids and flavonoids. (They protect your cells.) Amongst the flavonoids are the super hero two called kaempferol and quercitin which specifically fight against the formation of cancer. That same cup of Kale gives you 10% of your daily allowance of omega-3 fatty acids which help by being anti-inflammatories. Kale contains glucosinolates, which has been shown to also prevent certain cancers, including breast, colon, prostate, gastric and bladder cancer. Those same glucosinolates help detox your body of all the nasty stuff hanging around in your body that you get from eating unhealthy stuff and being around pollutants. Kale's fibers aid in lowering cholesterol. Then there are the vitamins. Oh the MASSIVE amounts of vitamins in 1 cup. Vitamin K, vitaman C and vitamin A. Those vitamins pack a dose of protecting bones, preventing heart disease, strokes, protecting your nervous system, your eyes, boosting immunity and lowering blood pressure.

PHEW. If you skipped that paragraph...just know, Kale = SUPERAMAZING AWESOMENESS

It's almost like...you HAVE to eat it. So I had to figure out some other ways to consume Kale, other than steamy plop of greens on the plate.

With the help of my friend Jessica, who is a huge Kale advocate, I discovered some. Jessica likes to juice kale. She throws together, kale, apples, cucumbers and a few other veggies and fruits. That is my number one favorite way to consume kale. It's really yummy and not at all what you would expect, it's sweet and refreshing when combined with the other veggies and fruit. I had a Powell's mug of it waiting for me at work the other day. She's pretty awesome. (More on Jess later...wait until you taste her banana muffins and see her art work)

New Season's has a delicious raw kale salad that is super easy and very tasty. A third way is the amazing baked kale chips. Oh man. I am not kidding. They are great. Not, oh it's okay for diet food great, but actually really yummy. There are a ton of versions of kale chips floating around on the Internet, but it's easy, you just cut up the kale, toss them in olive oil and salt and bake them. A couple of friends have done the recipe and are now believers. You can sprinkle some parmesan on them. I like a dash of malt vinegar. Either way...they are far from those mushy, soggy greens in my first class.

Go get some greens, your body is begging you.

(Clearly the recipe is thanks to New Season's)

Baked Kale Chips

1 bunch of kale, ribs removed, cut into chip like pieces
Olive Oil
Salt

Toss the kale in the salt and olive oil, you only need about 1 tablespoon. Line flat on a baking sheet. Bake at 300 degrees for about 20 minutes or until crispy. Remove from the oven and let cool.

Salt Cured Roast Chicken

I can cook a lot of things...pretty well actually. Even some fairly complicated things. However...for some reason I could never roast a chicken. It was always either underdone, lacked flavor, the skin was chewy, etc. I stuffed them with lemons, rubbed them with oil, basted, brined them, talked to it. Nothing worked. I finally gave up. Heck...I could pop over to Costco and get a roast chicken for five bucks, so why bother. Of course the roast chicken at the grocery store isn't the same thing. I wanted THE roast chicken. You know the one I am talking about. The juicy, beautiful, crispy-skinned, delightful, king of humble foods. The kind I imagined I would get in a bistro in Paris. Heavenly...roast chicken.

So fast forward to... recently. I don't have cable, which means I am missing out on all the cool new cable food shows. However, I stumbled across a show with Chef Michael Simon on it while browsing Hulu. He was talking about salt curing his roast chicken and cooking it at a high heat. DING! (or whatever sound a light bulb makes) Of COURSE! A salt cure vs. a brine...will essentially dry out the skin, making it crispy. Throw some butter UNDER the skin and you get juicy meat. So I tried it out. There it was...heavenly roast chicken. Crispy, juicy, flavorful and easy. It was cooking triumph for me.

The main tricks are these (I know it seems like a lot...but you know...they are short)

1. Make sure your chicken is fully defrosted...or use a fresh one
2. Rinse your chicken with cold water, then pat it dry with paper towels.
3. Liberally sprinkle kosher salt all over the chicken, including in the inside cavity. Don't pour it directly from the spout liberal, just grab a tablespoon and sprinkle salt all over.
4. Put your chicken in a big enough pot that it can be covered with a lid but dry out. If you don't have a pot big enough, find a safe spot in your fridge and leave the chicken un-covered. The key is it needs to dry out. Just remember though, chicken germs are mega beastly bad and don't let anything co-mingle with that uncovered bird.
5. Let it dry out aka cure...overnight.
6. Bring the bird out of the fridge about an HOUR before you are ready to roast her. She needs to come to temp before you put her in the hot oven.
7. DO NOT RINSE THE SALT OFF. I know...just don't okay. Thanks.
8. Create an amazing butter rub. Grab some soft, unsalted butter, crank in some pepper, zest some lemon if you want, throw in all the fresh herbs you can find...or keep it simple...butter, pepper...just use what you have. This is where you will be flavoring the bird, so get creative or keep it simple.
9. Spread the butter UNDER the skin. Don't be tempted to slather it all over the skin. Just stick to under the skin. I like to use a chopstick to loosen the skin up and my hands to get it up and under. Get personal with that bird.
10. Chop up some root veggies to use as a roasting rack. I use potatoes, carrots, onions and turnips. Toss them in salt, pepper and olive oil. Put them in the bottom of the pan and that is what your bird sits on to roast. Oh and take a couple of those onions and shove them in the bird's cavity.
11. Roast it at a high heat for 1 hour. 425 to be exact. Then let it rest for 20 minutes. Don't touch it. You know the rule. It needs the carryover cooking and you all watch the foodnetwork now...you know the rules about the juices and stuff.

Salt-Cured Roast Chicken
adapted from Michael Simon aka the Iron Chef guy

3 to 4 lb chicken

Kosher Salt

Fresh herbs

Softened Butter

Pepper

Root veggies

Onion

Olive oil

A day before cooking, rinse your chicken inside and out under cold water and pat dry. Salt it liberally and refrigerate it.

Take the chicken out about hour before you plan on roasting it. Preheat the oven to 425. Combine the butter and fresh herbs. Put the butter mix under the skin of the chicken.

Cut up the root veggies and the onion. Put an onion in the cavity of the chicken. Toss the rest of the veggies in some olive oil, salt and pepper and put them in the bottom of the roasting pan. Place the chicken, breast side up, on top of the veggies.

Roast the chicken for about an hour or until the juices run clear. (The thigh should register 160 degrees) Let the bird rest for 20 minutes.