White Chili with Ground Turkey and Chicken Sausage

I really wasn’t planning on posting this recipe.

Really.

It’s one of those throw together, made-up recipes that has become a staple in my house. Nothing special. Until tonight, when I decided to add kale to it since I’m trying to increase the amount of dark leafy greens my family eats.  And then my 17-month-old son actually picked the kale out of the chili and ate it.  That’s when I decided that this recipe is worth posting because if you have a toddler, you know that getting them to eat veggies is a challenge, especially something like kale.

White Chili with Ground Turkey and Chicken Sausage

1 package of ground turkey
1 package of ground chicken sausage (I like Iserno’s mild Italian chicken sausage)
3 -14 oz cans of Great Northern beans or white beans
2 onions
6 celery stalks
6 Lacinto kale leaves
1 cup chicken broth
2 tbsp cumin seed
1 tbsp coriander
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 can chopped green chilies (optional)
Cheddar cheese to taste (optional)
White or brown rice, cooked per instructions

In a soup pot, brown ground turkey and chicken sausage. Chop onion and celery.  Remove spines from kale leaves and chop.  In another pan, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add onion, celery and kale and cover. Steam/sauté for 20 minutes or until onion is clear and celery is soft, stirring occasionally. 

Rinse and drain beans.  Take one cup of beans and one cup of sautéed veggies and run it through the blender with the chicken broth until smooth. 

After the meat is cooked thoroughly, add veggies, beans, blended mixture, cumin, coriander, sea salt and green chilies to the soup pot and heat over medium-low heat until hot.

Serve with cheddar cheese over rice if desired.

Roasted Garlic Hummus

I love, love, LOVE roasted garlic, and it’s so easy to make!  This quick, easy, make-ahead dip is great for barbeque get-togethers or, in my case, a healthy snack for my one-year-old who loves to dip things.  You will need a food processer (Cuisinart) or a Vitamix for this recipe.

Roasted Garlic Hummus

1-14 oz can of garbanzo beans

1/4 cup sesame tahini, unsalted

2 medium size heads of garlic, roasted (see below for how to roast garlic) and peeled

2 tbsp fresh sqeezed lemon juice

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp sea salt

3 sprigs of parsley (optional)

Trim stems off parsley.  Drain garbanzo beans. Combine all ingredients in a food processer or Vitamix and blend until creamy.  Let chill before serving.

How to roast garlic:

Cut the top quarter inch off the head of garlic (the pointy end).  Place on sheet of aluminum foil, cut end up.  Drizzle with olive oil and a little sea salt.  Close aluminum foil over garlic to create a loose sealed enclosure.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  I highly recommend letting the garlic cool before handling it.

Easy Brined Chicken

Spring is here! Yippee!  It’s time for barbequing season to start.  This is my favorite way to cook chicken on the barbeque.  Often chicken done on the grill is dry, but this chicken is moist and yummy.  If you’re feeling adventurous, play around with the seasoning. I’ve come up with some pretty good ones just using herbs from the spice rack and whatever happens to be in my frig.

My toddler son loves chicken cooked this way too.  It never fails!

This recipe is adapted from Williams Sonoma Essentials of Roasting Coockbook.

Easy Brined Chicken

1 to 2 lbs chicken breast or thigh, boneless, skinless

1/3 cup kosher salt

1/3 cup brown sugar, packed

2 tsp celery seeds

Fresh ground black pepper to taste

1 leek, white part and 3 inches of green, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices (a chopped onoin will work too)

 4 or 5 fresh tarragon sprigs (optional)

Dissolve sugar and salt in approximately 1 quart of water completely.  Add all ingredients and marinate for at least 4 hours, up to 2 days.  Barbeque until chicken is cooked completely (170 degrees).

Broiled Asparagus

I have asparagus in my garden, finally!  We planted asparagus three years ago, and finally this year I am able to harvest a little to eat. Of course I had to broil it because it is (in my opinion) the best way to eat asparagus.  This is a super easy recipe that our whole family, including my one-year-old son, loves.  Asparagus can take a lot of seasoning, so don’t be bashful with the salt and pepper.

Broiled Asparagus

1-2 lbs asparagus

Olive oil

Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Rinse asparagus and trim ends.  Lay asparagus in a single layer on a cookie sheet.  Brush lightly with olive oil.  Sprinkle with salt and fresh ground pepper, turning to coat all sides.  Move oven rack to top shelf.  Place cookie sheet on oven rack and broil, turning asparagus at least once, until asparagus turns lightly brown, or approximately 6-8 minutes. Cooking time may vary depending on the thickness of asparagus.

Gluten Free Chex Mix

Who doesn’t love Chex mix?  Before I went gluten free I used to buy the bags in the store all the time, especially in the summer when we went on vacation.  Since going gluten free I ‘ve realized that I still need that crunchy, salty “fix” every now and again.  This recipe definitely fits the bill!  It’s always the hit of the party, and I love making it because it always gets eaten. 

Gluten Free Chex Mix

4 cups Corn Chex

4 cups Rice Chex

3 cups gluten free pretzels (I use Glutino’s)

1 cup mixed nuts (optional)

6 tbsp butter

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 tsp seasoned salt

3/4 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

Bake at 250 degrees for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes.