Soups/Salads

Poblano-Turkey Sausage Chili

The beautiful fall weather seemed to be a topic of conversation amongst everyone all weekend. Blue skies and cooler temperatures seemed to put a pep in my step and I’m quickly becoming obsessed with fall weather, fall clothes and fall food. I’ve already bought my second bag of apples that I’ve been eating everyday and I’m chomping at the bit to break out pumpkin recipes and scary movies. Yesterday, with the windows wide open and football on the television, I was excited to make a bit pot of chili. I typically make chili the first weekend of football season but it had been too warm so when I woke up yesterday to a chilly breeze, I knew it was time to make Poblano-Turkey Sausage Chili.

Turkey sausage is mixed with vibrant spices, diced tomatoes, poblano peppers and two different kinds of beans to make for a thick and spicy chili. Using sausage instead of regular turkey gives this chili another layer of flavor and if you use hot sausage instead of sweet sausage (like I did), it creates even more intense, firey burst. If you don’t like so much heat, you might want to stick to regular chili because the poblanos really do pack a punch but the older I get, the spicier the better. Adding a touch of sour cream or plain yogurt helps to tame the heat a bit and a topping of cilantro gives a fresh element. I’m obsessed with this chili. I plan on eating it all week and might just make it again next weekend.

If you like this, also check out Jerk Chicken Chili.

The ingredients:

Add oil to a Dutch oven pan heated over medium-high heat; swirl to coat. Add onion and garlic; sauté 4 minutes or until browned.

Remove casings from sausage; add sausage to pan. Stir in chili powder, oregano, cumin, poblanos, and bay leaf; cook 4 minutes or until sausage is browned, stirring to crumble sausage.

Add 1 cup stock, tomatoes, and beans. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 25 minutes or until slightly thickened.

Combine flour and the remaining 2 tablespoons stock in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk to form a slurry. Add slurry to chili, stirring with a whisk. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute or until thickened.

Remove from heat; stir in cilantro and black pepper. Discard bay leaf. Serve with sour cream or yogurt, if desired.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions:

Hot sausage

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Cooking Light Magazine

Egg Salad Lettuce Wraps

I’m fortunate to work in a building that has a large “cafe” available to employees with a variety of lunch options such as a deli, two salad bars, a sushi bar, brick oven pizza and warm foods that change each day like fish tacos, chicken kabobs or grilled steak and potatoes. Yet, for some reason, each time I go up there on days when I didn’t bring lunch, I end up walking around the whole place, eyeballing each item to find that nothing looks good and I ultimately end up getting the same thing every time: egg salad on a spinach wrap. I know this before I even ride the elevator up 15 floors to the cafe but I always hope each time that something else will strike my fancy. And it never happens. The wraps are huge and I’m full after just a half of one but I always end up eating the whole thing. Oh, and instead of getting baby carrots and celery which are an optional free side, I typically succumb to the question “Do you want chips?” The word yes comes out of my mouth before I even know what I’m saying and I rationalize it by figuring that I’m already eating so badly with the mayonnaise-laden egg salad that what’s the point of fooling myself with carrots. I’m a hot mess. So to keep myself away from the deli counter, I’m bringing in my own Egg Salad Lettuce Wraps for lunch this week.

Nonfat plain Greek yogurt replaces most of the mayonnaise in this recipe, keeping it lighter in calories without sacrificing too much flavor. Keeping a little light mayonnaise in keeps the Greek yogurt from making the egg salad too tangy. I also added celery for crunch, roasted red pepper for an additional flavor boost and cayenne pepper for a little kick. Putting the salad in lettuce really keeps the calories down and, depending on the kind of lettuce you use, provides and additional crunch factor, making this a satisfying lunchtime bite. In additions, if you are watching your Weight Watchers points, one serving has 5 points so you can be on a diet and have egg salad too! See ya’, deli counter…I won’t be back for a while!

Egg Salad Lettuce Wraps (makes 6 servings)

12 eggs
1/4 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
3 tablespoons light mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/3 cup jarred roasted red peppers in water, chopped or 1 red pepper, roasted (see note below)
1/2 cup celery or one stalk, chopped
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
6 lettuce leaves, preferably butter lettuce
salt to taste

Place eggs in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, cover, and let sit for 15 minutes. Peel eggs and chop, placing them in a large bowl. Add yogurt, mayonnaise and mustard; combine. Add chopped celery and roasted red pepper; combine. Stir in cayenne pepper and salt. Rinse and dry lettuce leaves. Serve 1 cup of salad in lettuce leaves.

Note: To make your own roasted red peppers, cut fresh red peppers in half, remove seeds and ribs, flatten, and broil, skin side up, for 10-15 minutes, until blackened, on a foil-lined baking sheet. Place blackened peppers in a zip-top plastic bag, seal and let stand 15 minutes. Remove from bag, peel and discard skin; chop.

If you like this, also check out Enlightened Egg Salad Pitas.

The ingredients:

Place eggs in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, cover, and let sit for 15 minutes.

Peel eggs and chop, placing them in a large bowl. Add yogurt, mayonnaise and mustard; combine. Add chopped celery and roasted red pepper; combine. Stir in cayenne pepper and salt.

Rinse and dry lettuce leaves. Serve 1 cup of salad in lettuce leaves.

Grilled Corn, Poblano, and Black Bean Salad

July 31, 2012
Shannon
1 comment
avocado, beans, food, peppers, salad, vegetarian

I’ve been noticing how few vegetables have been making their way into my kitchen lately so when I went to the store early on Saturday morning, I spent a lot of time in the produce section, picking up zucchini, squash, peppers, oranges, corn, avocado, and tomato amongst others. I’m trying to make a deal with myself that I won’t eat anything unless it has a fruit or veggie in it or with it. Not a bad way to live, I assume. This means that if I splurge on an egg sandwich in the morning, I have to be prepared to bring in a baggie of spinach to put on it or at least pick up a piece of fruit to eat with it. It doesn’t help that I can’t stop watching the Olympics and seeing all of these physically fit athletes are really sending me into a self-loathing spiral. First up is Grilled Corn, Poblano, and Black Bean Salad which is perfect on a summer day.

Fresh Jersey corn, red pepper, poblano pepper, avocado and scallions are all grilled until brown and soft before being tossed with cilantro and black beans. A light coating of freshly squeezed lime juice, olive oil, ground cumin, salt and pepper, round out this light summer salad which truly tastes like summer in a bowl. Don’t have a grill or a grill pan? Just use your broiler instead (a great way to make this recipe year-round). The red peppers and corn are perfectly sweet while the grilled poblano (my latest obsession) gives a subtle kick of heat. The avocado, true to form, provides a slightly creamy element and the ground cumin adds a hint of smoky flavor. I can’t think of another word to describe this vibrant salad other than lovely. Eat this plain or with your favorite grilled burger for a true summertime moment.

The ingredients:

Place green onions, avocado, bell pepper, and poblano on a grill rack coated with cooking spray and preheated on high heat. Grill onions and avocado 2 minutes on each side, until browned. Grill bell pepper 6 minutes on each side or until blackened and peel (put peppers in a plastic storage bag for a few minutes to loosen skin, in necessary). Grill poblano 9 minutes on each side or until blackened and peel.