Mom's Chili

Of the recipes my mom used regularly when we were growing up, chili "con carne" is probably her most prolific. I, in fact, have made it so many times that I don't need the recipe anymore. Over the years, I have tweaked the dish to make it a little healthier, but the flavors remain the same. It is the chili against which I judge all other chili.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.0

Mom's Chili:

One pound ground beef (I use ground turkey/chicken or small diced turkey breast.)
One large can crushed tomatoes (I used tomato puree and usually prefer crushed.)
One regular can red kidney beans (B&M are, by far, the best.)
One regular can diced tomatoes (You want the texture.)
One small can tomato paste
One cup beef stock/bouillon (I omit the paste and stock)
Two tablespoons red chili powder
Two tablespoons garlic powder
Salt and black pepper to taste
Two tablespoons oregano
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (I use very little. Add more if you want.)
Diced onion (medium or large)
Diced green pepper (I omit because I do not like cooked green peppers.)

Mom's chili starts with onion and green peppers sauteed in a bit of oil. When they become translucent, add the meat. The original recipe calls for ground beef, but since Ram doesn't eat beef, this is not an option for us. For years, though, I've substituted ground turkey. It tastes fantastic either way. The picture above, though, features a finely diced turkey breast (because we recently saw a program on the additives and unwanted parts that can be ground into the ground turkey/chicken). It worked out fine in every case.

When the meat is cooked through, add a little bit of the stock (or just water, in my case) and the spices. Let the flavors cook together for a while. I actually like to let the base catch on a bit. At any rate, letting it work for awhile allows the meat and the veggies to absorb the rich spices. When you're ready, add all of the other ingredients. Let it cook for at least twenty minutes (the longer, the better), stirring occasionally.

I serve Mom's chili with bread of some kind: warmed up Italian bread or corn bread (seen in the background of the photo above). Frankly, it's delicious with or without the side of bread. And this time of year, when the leaves are changing color and the air is biting at our skin, this dish is the perfect, spicy comfort food. I hope you'll enjoy it with fork (and spoon!) in hand.

Stuffed Turkey Loaf

Today I bring you a special-edition meatloaf: stuffed with delicious green herbs and spinach. It is simple and delicious. It is also healthy.

I saw a picture of a stuffed turkey meatloaf in a "Cooking Light" cookbook my mom purchased for us. I decided to give it a try, then proceeded to close the book. You know I'm not much for recipes.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.5.5.2

I mixed some ground turkey meat with half a cup of whole wheat bread crumbs, a tablespoon of garlic powder, and a small amount of tomato sauce. I kneaded it just long enough to incorporate the ingredients, then I patted it out on a piece of plastic wrap, making a rectangle about six inches by eight inches. When I had the desired shape, I covered the entire thing with chopped fresh spinach and basil. I then used the plastic wrap to roll the meat, keeping the greens tucked inside. If you've seen someone roll sushi, you know the technique. I was able to keep a tight hold (and a tight roll) in the meat by sort of sealing it with the plastic wrap. When I was finished, I turned the meatloaf into a bread pan (sprayed liberally with cooking spray) and brushed a little tomato sauce on top. I baked it for about 30 minutes at 375 degrees.

I served this delicious and juicy meatloaf with mashed carrots and russet potato, mixed with a little garlic and tiny bit of tomato sauce. It was simple and hit all the right flavor notes. It was a simple way to incorporate a little more fiber (and a ton of flavor) into an otherwise typical dish. I hope you will enjoy it with fork in hand.

Turkey Meatloaf

When I made my weekly grocery list on Sunday afternoon, I asked Ram if there was anything special he wanted me to add to the list. "Green stuff," he said. By that he didn't mean mint chocolate chip ice cream, unfortunately. He meant vegetation: peas, broccoli, lettuce, etc. He wanted some fiber.

As I designed my meals for the week, I made a conscious effort to devise ways to include more fiber in our diet. Not only is fiber the "stuff" that keeps our bowels regular, it's also responsible for helping our bodies process carbohydrates. So, for example, if a slice of bread has 9 carbohydrates and 5 grams of fiber, you can subtract the fiber from the carbs for your net carbohydrate intake. We all know that balance is the tricky and essential goal of eating healthfully, and this little mathematical trick is something I like to keep in the back of my mind.

That said, I decided to sneak some extra fiber into one of my favorite meals, made even more my favorite by the fact that it's my grandmother's piece de resistence: meatloaf. It's a super-simple recipe that allows the meat and the sauce to be the stars, and I doctored it up to increase the healthiness. Start with a pound (enough for three to four servings, depending on the size of your slices) of ground meat. In my gram's case, ground beef. In my case, ground turkey. I truthfully do not notice a difference, except, of course, that I know ground turkey is healthier, and I really prefer the flavor of turkey to that of beef. At any rate, the choice is yours.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.4.1

In a large bowl, plop down the meat. Add a small handful of diced onions, some garlic powder, black pepper, and a quarter cup of tomato sauce. My gram swears by Prego pasta sauce. Me? I'm frugal, so I use Hunt's. At $.89 for a can, you can not go wrong. It's looser than Prego, but that also means it stretches a little further, too. With your hands (c'mon! Roll up your sleeves!), squish it all together until the sauce and onions are distributed. Form it into the ubiquitous meatloaf shape (rectangular-ish with rounded corners), and place it on a baking rack in a casserole dish. Be sure to spray all the surfaces with cooking spray, because the fat and sauce tend to bake onto the dish's surface. Place casserole in a 400-degree oven for about 1.25 hours.

For my fiber-rich meatloaf, I added half a can of spinach to the meat mixture, which I first drained thoroughly in a strainer. You don't want to add the liquid from the spinach, so take a little time to squeeze all of it out. I also added a little tomato sauce to the top of the loaf before baking it; Gram adds, like, a whole jar of sauce, but since I don't want to reuse the sauce that contains fat drippings, I just opt for the top.

For sides, I again wanted to increase our fiber content. I boiled three Yukon gold potatoes (chopped them a bit first the speed up the cooking time) and mashed them with the other half of the spinach and a few tablespoons of margarine. I could've done with a bit more margarine, but for the sake of health-- and to preserve the great flavor of potato and spinach-- I used a light hand. The other side is simply quickly-boiled carrots and one small head of broccoli, drained, then heated with a tiny bit of margarine and tons of garlic salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

For what it's worth, I didn't peel the potatoes or the carrots. I like to think the peels add a bit more nutritional value, but they're a matter of preference. Some people hate peels and crave a nice, smooth mashed potato, and I think that's perfectly reasonable. Use a handmixer to get the job done if you're one of those types. As far as mix-ins are concerned, mashed potatoes can be delicious with just about any soft vegetable. I've boiled carrots and mashed them along with the potatoes, and I have regularly had boiled cabbage mixed in too. For some, this might be a good way to sneak in the veggies that people tend not to love (spinach, for example). And cooking is nothing if not an art, right? What's a little craftiness between friends with fork in hand?

Taco Deconstructed w/Paratha

Last week, Ram went into an Indian grocers for candies and came out with paratha. Paratha is an Indian flatbread, perfect for dining with your hands because it serves as a vessel for getting food from the plate to your mouth. With a package of paratha in the fridge, it became my mission to design a meal around it. Only, I lack any real ability to cook Indian food. So I made it Mexican instead.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.4.1

Indian meals usually consist of several dishes (a smorgasbord of sides, basically) from which each diner scoops or selects what they like. Flatbreads of some kind (chapati, roti, naan, paratha) are almost always served, and they often function as a utensil, not just an addition to the meal. The flatbreads themselves usually don't have a ton of flavor, though I have had some roti that tasted fantastic and garlic naan. In a typical meal, it's all about the dishes.

In my Indian-style eating Mexican meal (did you follow that?), I chose to arrange the components of tacos and let Ram and I build our own meals. The meat, of course, is the foundation. I took ground turkey (which I mistakenly did not take out of the freezer in time to thaw, which resulted in me steaming it before frying it) and added about two tablespoons of chili powder, two tablespoons of oregano, a quarter teaspoon (because I'm a wimp) of crushed red pepper, and some salt and black pepper to taste (light on the salt, of course!). If I had had garlic powder, I would have added that too. These are the spices I use in my family-famous chili, so I knew the flavor profile would be spot on. I wasn't wrong. I also sauteed some carrots and onions to add a little fiber and a little flavor to the meat. When the meat was browned (sort of blacked, actually), I added about a half cup of chicken stock (low sodium), covered it, and let simmer for about twenty minutes.

The sides were ridiculously simple. I can't call myself a chef based on these, that's for sure. I made wild rice out of a packet, I chopped some green pepper, and I sauteed some frozen corn with a little chili power and black pepper. The salsa I made myself. I enjoy making salsa because, with just a couple of ingredients, you can make a fresh, special topping for just about anything. The basic components of any of my salsas are some finely chopped onions, a little salt and pepper, and lime juice. This time, I used tomato, because we had some in the fridge. I have also made mango salsa and orange salsa, both of which were totally delicious. If I have cilantro in the fridge, I use that too. Cilantro immediately elevates any dish it's in with its distinctive freshness. I always chop and toss my salsa ingredients ahead of time (maybe an hour or two) so they can settle in together in the fridge. It does take a little time for the acid of the lime juice to break down the other components, so resting is fairly important. But if you've got a time-crunch, go ahead and eat it right away.

That's it. My Indian-style dining with Mexican foods. It makes little sense, but it tastes delicious. And, if you've got picky eaters in your family, tacos remain one thing that can not go wrong. So, bon appetite-- with (or without) a fork in hand.