White Chicken / Turkey Chili

What to do with leftover turkey

Let's make chili! Or Soup! Or Stew! After all, how many turkey sandwiches can you eat? Now, this chili is not a low cal dish, but it's worth the splurge for this smoky bowl of deliciousness. Besides, aren't diets supposed to start on January first?

 This recipe is a great use for leftover turkey, rotisserie chicken, or any other leftover fowl you have hanging around your fridge.  It's just darn delicious. Lots of fresh vegetables add crunch, peppers add a nice smoky flavor. And cheese, well need I say more?  This recipe makes a big pot of chili. Share with a neighbor or stash some in your freezer for later.

Ingredients:

4 cups Cooked chicken or turkey, Dice. Remove skin, bones, and cartilage.

3 large Carrots, Peeled and diced,

2 Onions , Diced

6 inner stalks Celery, Diced. Include leaves.

6 Pasilla Peppers, Charred, seeded, and peeled

2 Red Bell pepper, Charred, seeded, & peeled

4 Garlic cloves, minced

1 stick Butter

1/4 cup Flour

3 cups Chicken stock (Home made is best)

2 Cups Half & Half

1 Cup Frozen Corn Kernels

4 Cups White Beans ( dry, cooked or canned)

1-2 Chipotle Peppers, Seed and mince

1 Tbls Chili Powder

1 Tbls Cumin

1 tsp Cinnamon

1 tsp Hot Sauce, To taste

1 Cup Sour Cream, Stir in just prior to serving

1 1/2 Cup Jack Cheese, Stir in prior to serving

2 Tbls Cilantro sprigs, Chopped

Kosher Salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Dice carrots, celery, onions. Set aside.                       

2. Char Pasilla peppers. Place directly on a gas flame until black all over. May also char under a broiler, or on a grill.  Place charred peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap to steam.    Peel, seed and chop when cool enough to handle. The peels will come right off.                   

3. Melt butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Saute carrots, celery, and onion until slightly soft. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Stir flour into vegetable mixture until fully incorporated. Mixture will be dry.

5. Pour chicken stock into pot. Scrape up all the brown bits on the bottom of the pot. Add garlic. Stir until smooth.

6. Peel, seed, and chop all peppers. Add to the pot.

7. Add half and half, Chipotle chili(s), and seasonings. If you don't like much spice / heat, add only 1 chipolte pepper and go light on the hot sauce. Taste and adjust seasonings as you go along.

8. Simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes to let flavors blend.

Do not boil. If the chili isn't thick enough, as mine wasn't, make a "buerre mane". Pronounced, "Burr Manyay", french for  "butter and flour mixed into a paste".

Put 2 Tbls soft butter into a dish.

Add 2 Tbls flour. Mix it up with a fork.

Stir until it's a very smooth paste.

Stir it into the chili.

9. Add beans. If using canned beans, drain and rinse prior to adding. If using dry beans, ensure they are  fully cooked prior to adding them to your chili.

10. Add cooked chicken or turkey to heat through.

11. Finish by stirring in  sour cream, cheese, and chopped cilantro. Serve with hot cornbread.

Crab, Avocado, Mango lettuce wraps

So, here we have salad on the go. Meals on wheels, so to speak.

We're taking some wonderfully succulent crab meat (from King crab legs), and mixing it with sweet mango, creamy avocado, a little celery for crunch, a bit of Garlic Chili sauce for heat, a little orange zest and juice for sweet; lime juice for tart. For green, I'm going with Butter lettuce for wraps. If you don't want to make wraps, sub in some spinach or Arugula, or butter lettuce, chopped. For the dressing, We'll make a simple mayo and citrus combo, with a little heat. 

Let's go:

Take about 3 TBLS prepared mayonnaise

Add 1 thinly sliced shallot

Juice and zest of one orange

Spoon in 1 TBLS Chili Garlic sauce

Juice and zest of 1 lime

1 - 2 TBLS Agave Nectar
2 Tbls chopped fresh cilantro

Kosher (or Sea salt) and pepper to taste.

Whisk all the ingredients together in a bowl. Taste. Adjust seasonings to your taste.

Now for the salad:
1 pound diced crab meat ( I had some in the freezer from crab leg night)
1 ripe mango, peeled and diced
1 avocado, pitted, peeled, and diced
2 ribs celery, from the inner part of the stalk, chopped
1/2 red onion, diced very finely
2 green onions, chopped
1 head butter lettuce; leaves whole

Put your crab in a big bowl.

 Add the diced mango.

Toss in the avocado.

You could add the avocado and then the mango if you're feeling a bit rebellious.
Go ahead and add the celery, onion, and green onion. Sprinkle the salad with a good pinch of Kosher or sea salt and some fresh ground pepper.

To finish it off, spoon some of the dressing over the salad. It doesn't need much, as the ingredients themselves are pretty flavorful. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking.

Now, if you're making lettuce wraps, take 1 or 2 Butter lettuce (also called "Bib")
leaves and fill one side with the crab mixture.

Then, just roll it up! Place it seam side down in your container.

Place it seam side down in your container. And there you have salad you can eat with your hands.

Alternative ingredients: Grilled or roasted shrimp or lobster tails can be used instead of crab. No chili garlic sauce? Throw in some crushed red pepper flakes or a squirt of your favorite hot sauce or Sriracha. Make the salad and place in baked won ton wrappers for an easy appetizer. No mayo? Mix the orange and lime juice with olive oil for a simple vinaigrette.  Don't want to make lettuce wraps? Chop up some Arugula, Butter lettuce, spinach or just add a bag of Spring mix.
Bon Appetit!

Ingredients:

Dressing

3 TBLS prepared mayonnaise

 1 thinly sliced shallot

Juice and zest of one orange

Juice and zest of 1 lime

 1 TBLS Chili Garlic sauce

1 - 2 TBLS Agave Nectar

2 Tbls chopped fresh cilantro

Kosher (or Sea salt) and pepper to taste.

Salad

1 pound cooked diced crab meat 

1 ripe mango, peeled and diced

1 avocado, pitted, peeled, and diced

2 ribs celery, from the inner part of the stalk, chopped

1/2 red onion, diced very finely

2 green onions, chopped

1 head butter lettuce; leaves whole

Method:

Dressing: Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl.

Salad: Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Pour just enough dressing over to lightly coat. Stir gently.

Place 2 Tbls salad on each lettuce leaf. Roll up.

Mint Fruit Salad with Toasted Pecans

Summer is  here, and fruit and berries are cheap and plentiful. This super easy salad is perfect for a picnic on the patio, a pot luck, or to bring to that bridal shower. I don't know why it is, but too many fruit salads are kind of dull, bland, mushy, and just not that tasty. This one is a show stopper, and delish to boot. 

Start with whatever looks GREAT in your grocery store or Farmer's market. Use any types of fruit, berries, and melons that look and smell great.

Here's a sample of what we need:

1 individual size watermelon

1 pint fresh blueberries

1 pint fresh strawberries

1 tangelo

1 red pear

1 banana

1 vanilla bean

1/2 cup fresh mint

1/2 cup pecans, toasted

1 cup white sugar

1 cup water

2 Meyer lemons (optional)

Let's start with a simple syrup. Simply put, that means equal parts sugar and water, brought to a boil, then cooled. We're taking ours over the top with the addition of a vanilla bean and some fresh mint.

Vanilla beans are found in the spice section of the store. I got mine at Costco.

Lay the vanilla bean flat on a cutting board. Split it right down the middle with a very sharp knife.

Take the blade of the knife and scrape out the seeds, (they're pretty sticky), and put them, and the rest of the bean, into your water and sugar mixture.

Put some heat under this and bring it to a boil. While it's heating, cut the Meyer lemons in half, and squeeze the juice right into the water.

When the water starts to boil, turn off the heat. Let the mixture hang out and get cool while you prep the fruit. Wash and dry the berries. Then remove the vanilla bean from the syrup.

Core and stem the strawberries. Cut out the top and slice in half.

Cut out anything that's white. When it comes to fruit, white means bitter. Get rid of it.

Peel and core the Tangelo. Peel it into sections.

Again, get the white stuff out. Then cut it into bite size pieces.

Toss all the prepped fruit into a big bowl.

Now, take a wedge of the Tangelo and squeeze it over the berries. This creates another layer of flavor, and flavor's where it's at, baby!

Cut the watermelon in half, then scoop out rounds with a melon baller. Or, peel the melon and cut it up. Just make sure to get all the seeds out. That's why a seedless melon works best. Because it's easy for me.

If you're adding bananas and pears or apples, or anything that will turn brown when cut, add them last, and give them a spritz of citrus juice. (The tangelo juice works just fine).

Now get a handful of fresh mint from the garden, or from the produce section, strip the leaves off the stems and chop them up finely.

Toss the mint into the COOLED simple syrup. If you add them to warm liquid, you'll end up with mint slime. Not delish.

O.K. Let's add a little crunch. I used pecans because I like them, but you can use some almonds, walnuts, whatever floats your boat. Get a handful of pecans, probably about 1/2 to 3/4 cup, and chop them up. Put them in a skillet on low heat until you can smell them. Warning!! Do not turn your back on the nuts. Do not go to the bathroom, answer the phone, or your doorbell. The nuts will burn, and you will curse and cry and throw them in the trash. (Or is it just me?)

Cool them down, then add them to the fruit. Now, pour the minted simple syrup over the the fruit salad. Don't drown it, just add enough to give it a sweet, minty flavor. Gently stir.

Serve chilled in Martini glasses, puff pastry cups, or with a big spoon and paper bowls, or just dig on in with a fork. I like whipped cream on mine, but hey, we'll leave this as is for a figure friendly bowl of delicious, fruity, goodness.

Bon Appetit!

Ingredients:

1 individual size watermelon

1 pint fresh blueberries

1 pint fresh strawberries

1 tangelo

1 red pear

1 banana

1 vanilla bean

1/2 cup fresh mint

1/2 cup pecans, toasted

1 cup white sugar

1 cup water

2 Meyer lemons (optional)

Method:

1. Make simple syrup. Add 1 cup sugar to 1 cup water.  Add 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped, and the juice of 2 Meyer lemons. Bring to a boil, then cool.

2. 

Wash and dry all berries and fruit.

3. Cut fruit into bite size pieces.

4. Chop fresh mint finely. Add to cooled simple syrup.

5.  Toast pecans. Cool.

6. Put fruit and nuts into a big bowl. Pour enough simple syrup over the top to coat.

7. Stir gently. Garnish with fresh mint leaves.

Insalata Caprese

Insalata Caprese

Here's another super easy summer salad that doesn't have a lot of ingredients, but has lots of great flavor. And, since it's summertime,  and we finally have wonderful, fresh tomatoes straight from the Farmer's market, now's the time to make this salad.

Traditionally, Insalata Caprese has only tomatoes, Mozzarella cheese, fresh basil, and olive oil. I kick it up a bit with the addition of fresh greens and an easy Balsamic vinaigrette. First of all, I think it looks pretty with the extra green addition. Secondly, I don't think a handful of basil counts towards my daily vegetable intake recommended by the U.S. F. D. A. (But, hey, Ketchup counted for a veg serving in the 80's, right?)

What you need: The best ingredients you can find! These are lovely heirloom tomatoes, sweet basil and spicy basil from my herb garden, fresh Mozzarella cheese, ( this probably wasn't the best quality cheese, but it was BOGO, and that makes it good in my book).

Let's start with the base. Lay down some really fresh Spring mix. Give it a little sprinkle of Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.

Slice up the tomatoes. I like half rounds, but you can do whatever floats your boat. Lay them out in an orderly fashion. Yes. Orderly. It looks neat and pretty that way. Now tuck one whole basil leaf in front of each tomato slice.

And tuck one Mozzarella slice in front of each basil slice.

Sprinkle with a bit more Kosher (or sea) salt and fresh ground pepper.

To give your salad an added bit of color and flavor, chiffonnade some basil, and sprinkle it over the top. (Fancy term for rolling up a stack of basil leaves like a cigar and slicing thinly).

O.K. Let's make a simple Balsamic Vinaigrette.

Start by finely mincing up a shallot or two and a clove of garlic.

Add about 1 tsp Dijon mustard.

Shake in about 3 Tbls good Balsamic vinegar.

Add about 1/4 cup good Extra Virgin Olive oil. Whisk it up, or do what my SIL does and shake it up in a jar with a lid on.

Add a pinch of Kosher salt and some fresh ground pepper and sprinkle in a pinch of fresh chopped herbs Basil, parsley, and thyme all would work well. Taste the dressing. Adjust it to your taste. If you like a touch of sweetness, add a Tbls Agave Nectar or honey. More  acidic? Add more Balsamic. Too much acid for you? Add a little more olive oil.

Spoon  over your salad and serve immediately. Only dress what will be eaten immediately, as leftover salad will be one soggy inedible mess.

Bon Appetit! 

Ingredients:

1 lb mixed salad greens

2-3 Garden tomatoes, sliced

6 oz fresh Mozzarella cheese, sliced

1 bunch fresh basil leaves, whole

6 basil leaves in chiffonnade

Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

Dressing:

2 shallots, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp Dijon mustard

3 Tbls Balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup Extra Virgin olive oil

2 tsp fresh chopped herbs, such as basil, thyme, or flat leaf parsley

Kosher salt and pepper

Method:

1. Lay salad greens on a platter. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
2. Slice tomatoes into half moon shapes, and place one whole basil leaf in front of each tomato slice.
3. Slice Mozzarella into half moon shapes, about the same size as tomato slices. Place one slice cheese in font of each basil leaf.
4. Sprinkle tomatoes with salt and pepper.
5. Roll 6 stacked basil leaves into a bundle and slice thinly. Sprinkle over salad.
6. Whisk dressing ingredients together and spoon over salad.