Posted in Cooking, Food Pics, Ingredients, tagged Bacon, beans, Chili, Chipolte Peppers, Ground Beef, Ground Turkey, Ingredients, Tomatoes on October 30, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Mr. Food Groove made an exceptionally delicious chili last week. It was perfectly hearty and warm for the cooler weather that is now upon us. It also had a perfect amount of spice to it… I, myself, tend to be a non-spicy type of person. Oftentimes, dishes such as chili have just too much heat for my tastes, but this one had a wonderful combination of tangy heat and hearty beans. Here are the ingredients that he used… Believe it or not, and it may not be too hard to believe, but the bacon added a nice additional smoky flavor to it too. Shredded cheese on top, of course… We also added some scrambled eggs to the leftover chili during the week… yum!
- 1-lb. Ground Beef
- 1-lb. Ground Turkey
- 3/4-lb. Bacon
- 2 cans Diced Tomatoes with Garlic
- 3 cans Bush’s Mild Chili Beans
- Green Chilies, diced
- Yellow Onion, diced
- 6-oz. Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce
Normally, I wouldn’t even entertain the idea of adding chipotle peppers to anything, but in the past few years, I’ve come to appreciate the smoky flavors that they can add to a dish. Never would I have imagined…
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I found an ingredient list for a bean spread that looked, well, interesting. Something to try and play around with… And that’s pretty much how it turned out. I was curious to use the white beans as a base. My only other experience with pureed beans would be hummus, and that has a very distinct chickpea flavor (which I adore, mind you). So for the cannellini beans, I was curious.
It came out okay. I’ve used the spread on a sandwich and as a topping for crackers (see above). I can’t say it’s something that I would crave, but then again, I like knowing it’s a good-for-you type of spread. As opposed to, say, a cheese spread or dip (which I also adore, mind you). I liked using fresh herbs from the balcony, and I will definitely be playing with them quite a bit this season. The red onions in this spread were too strong right away… But after it had some time to meld in the fridge, it did, well, mellow out. So, here’s the ingredient list, take it or leave it. I’m of mixed reviews on it right now…
- Cannellini Beans, one can, thoroughly rinsed and drained
- Drizzling of Olive Oil
- Sea Salt
- Red Onion, half of a medium-sized – not sure I’d even add this next time, particularly if I’m adding chives
- Fresh Chives – I think I used 6 stalks, and I’d use more next time, while omitting the red onions
- Fresh Thyme – handful of sprigs
I’d probably add a dash or two of lemon juice next time also. Basically, I put everything in the food processor and whirled away. Definitely put in fridge to let flavors mix…
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This is a new salad, in that I used several ingredients that I didn’t usually use with last season’s salads. I’m very much liking that fresh salad time is here again. I’m going to try and grow a salad greens mix in one of my balcony containers this year… I thought of that last night, and honestly, I don’t know why I didn’t think of that before. I’ve already got basil, chives, oregano, tomatoes, and thyme out there for this year. They’re not planted yet, but I do hope to do that this weekend…
Anyway, for the salad above, I tried a few new ingredients. And let me just add, that getting my ingredients from the local farm for the first time this season made it taste all that much better! We really don’t do salads in the winter, because I simply don’t like the taste of store-bought produce bought in the off-season. It’s okay for some things when I’m cooking, but when it’s going into a bowl of greenery, I really do prefer it to be fresh!
- Bit of Romaine Lettuce
- Salad Greens Mix (New – romaine was the typical for last year)
- Tomatoes (Fresh!)
- Green Onions (Fresh!)
- Avocado (New-ish – I only add this on occasion)
- Cucumber (Fresh!)
- Blue Cheese Crumbles (New!)
- Walnuts (New-ish – I can’t wait to try cashews next time)
And that was it… It was deliciously green and, well, fresh. 
The avocado and blue cheese added a bit of creamy texture to this salad, enough so that I didn’t use any dressing. Anyway, it just tasted so darn green and fresh to me. I think I need to find a synonym here, but it was just so newly-grown good!
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It’s another rice dish for our dinner. I usually cook some brown rice over the weekend and have it waiting in the fridge. I also blanched some asparagus for this one and had that ready to go also. Then, when it’s Rice Dish Night, I cook up the remaining veggies, cook up some eggs, and warm everything through. It’s a pretty easy meal, though I tend to use several pots and pans for it. But, it’s a feel-good type of meal for me, meaning it feels healthy and welcome to my body. Except for my lunch of leftovers the next day… I usually add some blue cheese dressing to the dish and make it a bit creamier. So be it. It still tastes very good. 
Here’s the ingredients for this dish:
- Brown Rice
- Garlic, minced
- Ginger, minced
- Green and Yellow Zucchini
- Broccoli (I can never spell that right the first time)
- Mushrooms
- Asparagus
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Sesame Oil
- Olive Oil
- Eggs (Omelette-style and then sliced)
- Mine: Just a bit of shredded Parmesan
- D’s: Onion and Pepper Relish
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Here are my ingredients for a pasta dinner the other evening. Look at that asparagus! I was so excited to see the big, thick stalks when they first appeared at the grocery store. (I am talking asparagus here…) Which made me think that I have to get to the local garden center, because they should have some nice ones there too! It’s getting to be close to that time…
So, dinner was a light-ish pasta with whole wheat penne. I sauteed the asparagus with handfuls each of mushrooms, artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes. And I really don’t have to say it, but some minced garlic was in there too. I let it simmer a bit with a lid mostly on to give it some juiciness. A sprinkling of shredded cheese on top and it was good for eats!
There’s something about asparagus with sun-dried tomatoes that I really enjoy. I also had the hankering for the artichoke hearts to give it a bit of that artichoke lemony touch. And mushrooms because, well, simply because they’re mushrooms. Same can be said for the garlic. Warm, light, springy and just what I needed…
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Which, this evening, will take the form of Brown Rice and Veggies. I can feel my body hollering for some whole grains and veggies. I’ve had quite a bit of meat the past few days, more so than I usually do. I’ve been a vegetarian in the past, but nowadays, I do [...]
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Well, my parents were here visiting this past weekend. Food-wise, that meant one big homemade meal on Sunday afternoon, pizza Friday night, and a big breakfast/lunch out on Saturday. We also made some fudge for them to enjoy (and that they did!)
Tonight, we hit dinnertime with nothing particular at all in mind. I made some whole-wheat pasta to go along with sauteed mushrooms and garlic. Then D. came up with the idea to cut up the leftover stuffed chicken and add it to the mix. Also, we had leftover stuffing from Sunday, which consisted of a cream cheese, roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes blend. That was the deliciously creamy sauce for our pasta, along with the leftover chicken cubes.
I wish I had some pics of our Sunday meal, but alas. This batch of stuffed chicken turned out best of all so far… Creamy stuffing in a perfect proportion, moist and tender chicken breasts, just a sprinkle of shredded cheese on top… All served with couscous, asparagus and dinner rolls. It was a light, yet hearty, springtime meal enjoyed with family. I’ll post the recipe for the chicken tomorrow… it’s a keeper!
Here’s the mushroom mixture with the leftover chicken. You can see the roasted red peppers and sun-dried tomatoes working their way in…
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- Whole-Wheat Penne Pasta
- Olive Oil
- Garlic
- Mushrooms
- Fresh Basil, chopped
- Fresh Parmesan, shredded
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I don’t think of Rice as particularly exciting… but sometimes it just feels good. This was a throw-together dish, with brown rice made in advance and waiting, as I was feeling the need for some rice and veggies sometime this week. And really, it hit the spot. Again, after the richness of the holidays and eating out at times (reminder: blog about yummy birthday dinner), it’s feeling pretty good to get back to the basics.
- Brown Rice
- Garlic
- Mushrooms
- Red Onion
- Green Zucchini
- Yellow Zucchini
- Broccoli
- Green Onion
- Scrambled Eggs
- Sesame Oil
- Soy Sauce
Plus, it was for a quite tasty lunch the next day. It could have used a bit more flavor… the last time I made something like this, I also had fresh ginger in there, which was perfect. I’ll have to remember to keep some on hand for times like these. D. added a bit of sweet and sour relish to his rice dinner, and although I’m not a big relish fan, it did add a nice amount of extra to it. I may have to try that next time too.
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These were a welcome dinner the other night, as we get back to more ‘normal’ eating for us. During the holidays, we did eat rather richly. I’m feeling it now, and I’m looking forward to getting back to a healthier pattern of food. Don’t get me wrong, because I do enjoy rich and decadent meals sometimes… I’ve just had enough of those for awhile, so it will be good to get back to some of our traditional daily dishes.
D. made his Turkey Burgers here… he does the burgers and I do Turkey Meatballs. I’m thinking I’ll have to make some meatballs soon too, and stick the extras in the freezer. Anyway, here’s what I believe to be in his burgers:
- 1-lb. Ground Turkey
- An Egg
- 1/2 packet of Ranch Dressing Mix (natural and MSG-free, of course)
- Worcestershire Sauce (I can never spell that right on the first try)
- Garlic Powder
I think that’s basically it. D. also cooks up some mushrooms and onions to go on top, yet underneath some Provolone cheese. I think our favorite is putting them on some Onion Rolls, as shown above. Simple, fairly healthy, and yummy!
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