Turkey Chili, 21 Day Fix Approved!

For years and years and yeeeears, I've just used a bagged mix to start my chili.  I know. I should know better.  I do/did.  BUT the problem was that I just loved this mix so much that I couldn't pull myself to try another.  Well, in comes Autumn Calabrese and her 21 Day Fix program along with her FIXATE cookbook and BAM!!!  I'm hooked on a new chili! This version is a twist on Autumn's and I {HEART} it!!!!  It's ridiculously fast and easy and DELICIOUS! And the feta cheese and cilantro...well, don't knock it 'till you've tried it! I'm completely SOLD!!!

{turkey chili}
    Modified from FIXATE by Autumn Calabrese
        Makes 6 servings, approx. 1 1/2 c. each

Coconut oil spray
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 lb lean ground beef or lean ground turkey
1 can kidney beans, drained & rinsed
1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
1 15oz can  diced tomatoes, no salt added, WITH juice
2 1/2 tsp. Chili powder (may use full Tbsp if you like more heat)
1/2 tsp sea salt
4 c. Low sodium Beef Broth
Cilantro
Feta Cheese

Coat large dutch oven with coconut oil spray.  Cook ground beef or turkey.  Drain and rinse off excess grease.  Set aside.  Coat dutch oven with coconut oil spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add onion & bell peppers; cook, stirring occasionally for 5-6 minutes or until onion is translucent.  Add garlic; cook, stirring frequently for 1 minute.  Add, beef/turkey, beans, tomatoes, chili powder, salt, and broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; gently boil, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes, or until slightly thickened.  Divide evenly between six serving bowls; top with cilantro and cheese.

Container Equivalents: 1/2 Green, 1 yellow, 1 Red, 1/2 tsp.

Sausage, Lentil & Kale Soup

• Did you know that In Italy, lentils are a traditional accompaniment for pork sausages, and are also a required item on New Year's Eve (or day) menus; their shape brings to mind tiny coins and people eat them in the hope that they won't want for cash during the rest of the year!

I don't know about you, but I could really use this good luck, so I plan on eating my way into the New Year with a diet full of lentils! This soup is the perfect way to start it, too!  Not only does it have lentils, but spicy sausage and the amazingly delicious and nutritious kale!  One of my all-time favorite leafy veggies!  Enjoy and have a Happy coin-filled New Year!

• {sausage, lentil & kale soup}
•      Serves 4.
• 1 T. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• 1 lb. bulk hot Italian sausage
• 1 C. lentils
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 to 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 8oz. mushrooms, wiped clean and thinly sliced (I used 2oz. shitake I re-hydrated in the soup this time & love the meatiness they provide!)
• 1 large baking potato, peeled and diced
• 2 sprigs rosemary, leaves removed and chopped
• 3 to 4 sprigs thyme, leaves removed
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 1/4 C. tomato paste
• 4 C. chicken stock (use 5 if you prefer a little more soupy, like me)
• 3 C. water
• 1 bunch kale, thick stems removed and discarded, leaves shredded

Place a large soup pot over medium-high heat. add olive oil. Once hot, add the sausage and sauté for 3-4 minutes, breaking it up into small pieces with the back of a spoon or a potato masher as it cooks and browns.

While the sausage is browning, pour the lentils out onto a light-colored plate and sift through them. Discard any small stones -- sometimes you find them sometimes you don't, but better safe than sorry.

To the browned sausage, add the onion, garlic, mushrooms, potato, rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper and the tomato paste. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3-4 minutes.

Add the stock and 3 cups of water, turn the heat up to high and bring up to a bubble. Add the lentils and the kale, stir until the kale wilts in then turn the heat down to medium and simmer 40-50 minutes, until the lentils are tender. Serve warm.

Quick Sausage, Bean and Spinach Stew

stock photo courtesy of Women's Day Magazine

I don't often cook on Sundays, opting instead for sammies (sandwiches) or leftovers.  Today was another story.  Not only did I get TONS of extra produce in my Bountiful Baskets selection this week, I also got the hostess pack which in itself seemed like a full second basket!  So, this family of five that usually goes thru a basket a week, now has a TON more!  I'm excited for the challenge to make even more fresh family friendly meals ... all before anything goes bad!  Bring it on!  

I found this recipe when I was trying to kill time at one of my many doctor visits.  I liked a lot of the recipes in there, so took a snapshot of the magazine front and just recently remembered to pick it up at my local library.  Boy am I glad I remembered. 

Not only was this recipe FAST and EASY, it's delicious, too!   Perfect!  I worried that my kids wouldn't like the spinach in the stew, but my drama-filled 7 year-old happily ate the spinach singing "I'm Popeye the Sailor Girl! Toot Toot!".  No lie! My 4 year-old gobbled up the sausage.  All in all, it was a smashing hit!  Everyone gave two thumbs up. Mom and Dad had seconds and there were ZERO leftovers! Success!!!

You can definitely change this up easily adding a twist of variety using different sausage varieties as I did, or by using a different shaped pasta.  Use what you have on hand...that's the beauty of this recipe!  It's incredibly VERSATILE! 

{sausage, bean and spinach stew}

1 Tbsp olive oil
12 oz ground sausage
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 32-oz container low-sodium chicken broth (A MUST! otherwise too salty with the sausage)
Water-amount depends on how soupy you want it
4 oz ditalini pasta or other soup pasta (about 1 cup)
1 15.5-oz can cannellini or other white beans, rinsed
Black pepper
1 10-oz bag spinach, thick stems removed (I used one bunch and would have preferred two)
1 oz Parmesan, grated (about 1/4 cup)

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain and rinse fat off and return to pan.
2. Add the garlic to the pan and cook, stirring, for 1 minute (do not let it brown). Add the 1/2 c. broth and simmer, scraping up any brown bits, for 1 minute.
3. Add the 32oz. broth and pasta and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the pasta is just tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
4. Add the beans and 1/4 tsp pepper and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add extra water and the spinach, stirring gently until it begins to wilt. Serve with the Parmesan.

{link to recipe on Women's Day website}

Zuppa Toscana

I know.  I know.  It's getting warmer outside, turning into Spring even, but I still {HEART} soups.  I'm a year-round soup eater.  This soup.  It has to be one of my all-time favorites, too.  I first fell in love with it at Olive Garden.  Then a couple of years ago my Sister-in-Law introduced me to kale.  It's been love ever since.  I {HEART} kale!  What's so awesome about this soup is how incredibly easy it is and how amazing the flavors are!  It tastes EXACTLY the same as Olive Garden's version.  Normally it wouldn't be purple, either.  I substituted Salad Savoy I got one week from my Bountiful Baskets Co-op Produce basket since they're basically in the same family...and it just brightened my soup up, too!


{zuppa toscana}
1 lb ground Italian sausage
1½ tsp crushed red peppers
1 large diced white onion
4 Tbsp bacon pieces
2 tsp garlic puree
10 cups water
5 cubes of chicken bouillon
1 cup heavy cream
1 lb sliced Russet potatoes, or about 3 large potatoes
¼ of a bunch of kale

1. Sauté Italian sausage and crushed red pepper in a large pot. Drain excess fat, refrigerate while you prepare other ingredients.
2. In the same pan, sauté bacon, onions and garlic over low-medium heat for approximately 15 mins. or until the onions are soft.
3. Add chicken bouillon and water to the pot and heat until it starts to boil.
4. Add the sliced potatoes and cook until soft, about half an hour.
5. Add the heavy cream and just cook until thoroughly heated.
6. Stir in the sausage and the kale, let all heat through and serve. Delicious!

Serves 6-8.

{Photos of step-by-step directions}

Market Street Clam Chowder

With the temperatures dropping again this week, my thoughts turn to soup.  I {HEART} soups!  Clam Chowder being one of my all-time favorites!  BUT I like my clam chowder to taste like clams...NOT like a glorified potato soup.  SO, if you like a hint of clam, this is not the chowder for you.  If you're like me and LOVE the taste of clams then you're going to LOVE this one!  It actually comes from a restaurant I love to go to but don't often get the opportunity. I even took this to my company party in December and it was a BIG hit!  A double-batch will NOT fit in your largest crockpot for warming or my huge stock pot while cooking...just FYI.  I learned that the hard way.  I suggest you make a single batch.  You will really be surprised at how much it makes!  Oh, and don't worry about the calories and fat.  They're totally worth it in this one.  REALLY!!!

{market street clam chowder} (Serves 12)

1 cup potatoes, diced ½ inch 1 cup celery, diced ½ inch 1 cup onion, diced ½ inch 1 cup green pepper, diced ½ inch 1 cup leeks, diced ½ inch ¾ cup chopped clams (canned or fresh) (3-4 cans) ¾ tablespoon coarse ground black pepper 1 ½ tablespoon salt ¾ tablespoon whole thyme 6 bay leaves 1 teaspoon Tabasco ¾ cup sherry wine (optional) (I used cooking sherry wine) 2 cups water ¾ cup clam juice (drained from canned clams or purchased separately in can) ¾ cup butter, melted 1 cup flour 2 quarts half-and-half Combine melted butter and flour in oven-proof container and bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes. In large saucepan, combine remaining ingredients except half-and-half. Simmer until potatoes are thoroughly cooked. Stir butter-flour mixture into chowder and stir until thick. Mixture will be slightly less thick than cookie dough. Remove chowder from heat. Stir in half-and-half until blended. Heat to serving temperature, stirring occasionally. Serve immediately.

Garden Vegetable Soup

This is one of my all-time favorite soups.  Not because it's delicious, because it totally IS, but because it's all vegetables!  I can snack on this soup and feel completely guilt-free while filling my tummy!  I {HEART} it!  For those of you that are Weight Watchers groupies, this soup will definitely look familiar.  Though, I've switched up the ingredients a bit and added my own personal flair, I think you'll like it even better than the original.  I know I do!

I mean, really, doesn't that soup scream DELICIOUS!!!!????

All my measurements are a ballpark of what I use.  Usually I just eyeball it and use the whole item, i.e. whole onion, whole zucchini, whole cabbage, etc.  I don't like leaving 1/2 of anything in my fridge to spoil that much faster.  No matter how you cook this soup, it's going to taste fantastic!!!  Just remember to use as many low-sodium and salt-free canned foods as possible!  You really don't need all that added sodium!

{garden vegetable soup}
Modified from Weight Watchers

1 1/2 c. sliced carrot
1 c. diced onion
4-5garlic cloves, minced
5 c. low-sodium broth (my favorite in this one is beef, but if you must you can also use chicken or vegetable)
6 c. (or one whole head) diced green cabbage (I {HEART} Cabbage so the more the merrier)
1 14oz. can salt-free green beans
2 14oz. cans salt-free diced tomatoes, WITH juice
2 Tbsp. salt-free Tomato paste
1 1/2 tsp. salt-free Italian Seasoning
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 c. diced zucchini
2 tsp. Olive Oil
Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese, if desired

Coat an extra large dutch oven with olive oil (of course you can use cooking spray, too but the olive oil lends such a delicious flavor and is good for you), heat.  Saute the carrot, onion, and garlic over low heat until softened, about 5 min.

Add broth, cabbage, beans, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, and salt; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer, covered, about 15 min or until beans are tender.  Stir in the zucchini and heat for 3-4 min.  Serve HOT. (with a sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan cheese if desired.)

Serves 12.

Coming Next:

Sloppy Janes

Rustic Italian Tortellini Soup

I think I'm in the mood for soups lately.  They all look and taste so delicious!  I file recipes away once I like them and forget to pull them back out until I've stuck myself in a rut like I was in last week.  Well, this one is a BIG winner!  A touch spicy, full of robust flavor and definitely qualifies for comfort food.  The best part is how fast and EASY it is to make and how incredible the flavor is in comparison.  You're going to love it!

Rustic Italian Tortellini Soup

3 Italian Turkey Sausage Links (4 oz. each), casings removed (I used the roasted red pepper chicken sausage links from Costco-1lb.)

1 medium onion, chopped

6 garlic cloves, minced

2 -14 1/2 oz cans chicken broth
1 3/4 c. water
1 can great northern beans, drained
1 -14 1/2 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 package (9oz.) refrigerated cheese tortellini
1 -6oz. package fresh baby spinach, coarsely chopped

2 1/4 tsp. minced fresh basil or 3/4 tsp dried.

1/4 tsp. pepper
Dash Crushed red pepper flakes
Shredded parmesan cheese, optional

Crumble (or thinly slice) sausage into a Dutch oven; add onion. Cook and stir over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Add the broth, water and tomatoes and bean. Bring to a boil.

Stir in tortellini; return to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 5-8 minutes or until tortellini are tender, stirring occasionally. Add spinach, basil, pepper and pepper flakes; cook 2-3 min longer or until spinach is wilted. Serve with cheese if desired.

Serves 7.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

I found this recipe a few years ago in one of my cooking magazines and it's been a famly favorite ever since. I've tried using my own cooked, shredded chicken instead of a rotisserie chicken and it doesn't taste nearly as good. I hope you enjoy all the yumminess as much as we do.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

INGREDIENTS
· 1 cup each chopped carrot, celery, green pepper and onion
· 1 cup chopped peeled parsnip (I often substitute cubed potato)
· 1 Tablepoon canola oil
· 4 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) chicken broth
· 1 Roaster Chicken, all meat removed and torn into bite-sized pieces
· 1 teaspoon dried marjoram (be sure to rub the spice between fingers or hand to release smell)
· 3 garlic cloves, minced
· 1/2 teaspoon salt
· 1/2 teaspoon pepper
· 3 cups cooked long grain and wild rice

DIRECTIONS
In a large saucepan, saute carrot, celery, green pepper, onion and parsnip(Potato) in oil for 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add the broth, marjoram, garlic, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Add chicken and rice to soup; heat through.

Yield: about 8 cups.

Nutrition Facts: 1 cup equals 130 calories, 5 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 23 mg cholesterol, 890 mg sodium, 12 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 9 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2 vegetable, 1 lean meat, 1/2 fat.

Stuffed Pepper, What?

I don't know about you, but I sure do {HEART} stuffed peppers. 

Green bell peppers were on sale this past week,
so I decided that this is what we would have for dinner at my house. YUM-O! 

My kids won't eat the outside pepper, so I just put theirs into a big casserole dish, bake it then top it with cheese at the very end.

BUT, as I'm eating my delicious stuffed pepper dinner, all I could think about was how much I can't wait to make soups again!  If I lived in an air conditioned home, I could eat soups year-round.  Alas, I have a swamp cooler.  Blasted things and my multiple layers of insulation!  So, since I'm sure you have a recipe that's a family favorite for stuffed peppers, I decided that what I'd rather share with you is one of my many favorite soup recipes for STUFFED PEPPER SOUP.  It may sound weird, but I would almost rather have this soup instead of the old family favorite version.  It's lighter by A LOT and it is so incredibly tasty and you won't believe how much it tastes like the original without all the extra calories and fat!!!!

STUFFED PEPPER SOUP

1lb. extra lean ground beef

1c. diced onion, fresh or frozen
1/2 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp oregano
1-14oz. can diced tomatoes
2 c. chopped green peppers
1-15oz. can tomato sauce
3 c. water
1 Tbsp. Beef Boullion
1 c. cooked brown rice

Brown beef with onion, drain any fats. Place in slow cooker with the remaining ingredients on low for 6-9 hours...OR place in large dutch oven on stove and simmer for 1 hour.

Makes 12-1 c. servings (1.5 Weight Watchers points/cup)