Turkey Veggie Chili

Sorry there aren't many pictures... forgot to take them while I was making the chili.  

Anthony and I use double the amount of red pepper flakes and throw in some cayenne pepper because we like things spicy.  If you use canned beans, I would suggest not adding any salt until you're ready to eat because we use dried beans in our recipe and don't need any salt.

We usually top off our chili with a little bit of cheese and greek yogurt... totally taste like sour cream and adds a super nice creamy taste to the chili. 

Ingredients:
(this recipe makes about 8 servings)

• 1 tabelspoon olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1.5 lbs. ground turkey
• 1 can (15 ounce) no salt added diced tomatoes with chilies
• 2 cups water
• 3/4 cup dry kidney beans (or 1 15-ounce can kidney beans)
• 3/4 cup dry black beans (or 1 15-ounce can black beans)
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tabelspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1/2 tablespoon ground pepper
• salt to taste, but I skipped on the salt and you can't tell the difference
• whatever veggies you have lying around that need to be used like TODAY (I rolled with half a zucchini, a hand-full of mushrooms, half a red bell pepper, and about 5 cups of baby spinach all chopped)

1.) If using dried beans, rinse well and soak kidney and black beans overnight.

2.)  In a medium pot, boil enough water  to cook your ground turkey (this is not the 2 cups of water called for in the ingredient list.  After draining out the water you used to boil the ground turkey, you still need to add 2 cups when you combine all ingredients).  Yup, boil it. 

I learned that this is the best way to get ground meat to cook in the smallest pieces as possible... so you have more meat pieces in your chili.   Thank you, Food Network!

3.)  Drain out the water and throw ALL ingredients into a slow cooker (don't forget your 2 cups of water).  Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or cook on high for 4-5 hours.

4.)  That's it!!

Before cooking...

... after cooking.

Nutrition info (will be different if you use canned beans and different veggies) for one serving: 269 cals, 9g fat, 2g saturated fat, 56mg cholesterol, 352mg sodium, 21g carbs, 9g fiber, 22g protein.

Stuffed cabbage

I've had stuffed cabbage once in my life and actually really liked it! So when I found a recipe for it, I tweaked it a little and made it healthier. This recipe is pretty simple, but requires a lot more time in preparation and cooking than most of my other 'easy' recipes. Save this one for the weekend.

So why cabbage? Besides the fact that I've never cooked with it before, the cabbage family such, as head cabbage, kale, and collard greens, contain phytonutrients known as glucosinolates that help increase the production of detoxifying enzymes in your body. More information can be found here, here, and here.

Ingredients for filling:
(makes 6 servings; 1 serving = 2 stuffed cabbages)

• 1c cooked brown rice
• 10 cabbage leaves
• 1 lb. ground turkey
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 ripe Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
• garlic to taste
• 1tsp. dried oregano
• 1tsp. cinnamon
• a dash of cayenne pepper
• 0.5c bread crumbs
• 2 large eggs
• 10 toothpicks, pre-soaked in water

Ingredients for sauce:

• olive oil cooking spray
• 6oz. unsalted tomato paste
• 10 white mushrooms, diced
• 0.5c water
• 0.25c apple cider vinegar
• garlic to taste
• 1tsp. oregano
• 1tsp. cinnamon
• a dash of cayenne pepper
• 0.5tbsp. dried thyme
• salt and pepper to taste

1.) Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Turn off heat and blanch each cabbage leaf for a few seconds, until leaf is pliable and won't tear when folded.

2.) Set a large pan over medium heat and cook turkey until no longer pink. About 5 minutes. Add all except about two tbs. of the chopped onions and cook till onions are clean. Set aside the two tbs. of onions for the sauce.

3.) Add diced tomatoes, cinnamon, oregano, and cayenne and cook till fragrant. About another 3 more minutes.

4.) In a separate bowl, mixed together the bread crumbs and cooled brown rice. When thoroughly mixed, add the rice mixture to the turkey mixture. Take off heat and mix well.

5.) To stuff cabbage, place about 0.25c worth of filling in the middle of a cabbage leaf. Roll like a burrito, starting with the two side edges, then the bottom edge. Continue to fold away from you until cabbage leaf is completely sealed. Secure with wet toothpick. When all cabbage leaves are filled, preheat oven to 375 degrees.

7.) To make sauce: Using same pan as filling, set over medium heat. Mist with olive oil cooking spray and add reserved two tbs. of onions, garlic and mushrooms. Cook until onions are translucent, about 3 minutes.

8.) Add in tomato paste, water, apple cider vinegar, oregano, cinnamon, cayenne and thyme. Cook until fragrant, about 2 more minutes.

9.) Remove from heat and put about two spoonfuls of sauce on the bottom of a casserole dish (or cake pan if you have no dish, like me). Lay stuffed cabbages in dish and pour remaining sauce over cabbage.
10.) Cover dish with foil and bake for 45 minutes. ENJOY!

Mini-Review
Okay... this recipe has major potential to be good and the only thing I would change: the sauce. The apple cider vinegar was WAY too strong and both Anthony and I didn't like it. The only time I had stuffed cabbage it was more of a marinara sauce so that's kinda what I was expecting. I think toning down on the vinegar and adding in more tomato flavor will totally make this recipe good.

Other than that, adding in a couple of egg whites to the filling mixture for more 'binding' power would totally make this recipe work better. Actually, eggs where called for in the recipe - there in my ingredient picture! - but I totally forgot to use them.