Healthy Turkey Chili

Happy (belated) New Year! 

I know I'm late but as this is my first post of 2017, I thought it was only appropriate to start the new year off with a delicious and healthy recipe. I'm so excited to share this dish because it was my first ever attempt at making chili with turkey rather than beef or chicken. I've been fairly hesitant about using turkey previously because I thought the flavor would be overwhelming. However, I'm so glad I gave it a try! Not only was this super tasty but also incredibly fast - the perfect meal for a busy week night. 

I particularly liked how easy it was to sneak in extra vegetables to make it even healthier - I added grated sweet potatoes, leeks and two kinds of bell pepper. I'd never tried grating sweet potatoes into a dish like this but they added a really nice background sweetness. Additionally, there are two types of beans to help make this be even more filling. I had the chili on its own while Matt had his with some easy microwaveable rice and we were both completely full. And we still had plenty leftover for dinner the next day. I did cheat a little by using a packet of chili seasoning but I think for a quick meal like this, that's totally fine. If you have more time, definitely try out your own seasonings as that way you can control the salt and heat. 

One important note: all ground (or minced if you're in the UK) turkey is not created equal! If you want to keep an eye on the fat and cholesterol content, make sure you're getting ground turkey breast rather than thigh meat. 

Finally, this chili would make an excellent workplace lunch and this recipe could easily be doubled to provide for the whole week. Yum! 

Prep Time: 5 min

Cook Time: 20-30 min

Serves: 4

Ingredients: 

Olive oil 

1 medium red onion, finely chopped

1 large leek, quartered and finely chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

1 yellow pepper, chopped

3-4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped 

500g ground turkey breast (2% fat)

1 packet of chili seasoning

1 can chopped tomatoes

1 large sweet potato, peeled and grated 

1 can red kidney beans, drained

1 can black beans, drained

1 can sweet corn, drained

Method: 

In a large pot over medium-high heat, sauté the red onion and leek in a splash of olive oil until they start to soften. Add in the red and yellow peppers and continue cooking, stirring frequently. When the peppers have softened, add the garlic and cook until fragrant. 

Next, stir in the ground turkey and break it up as it browns. Keep mixing to ensure that all of the turkey is cooked before adding in the chili seasoning, chopped tomatoes and grated sweet potatoes. Allow the pot to simmer for about five minutes, adding a splash of water as needed. When the sweet potatoes have softened, add in the beans and corn before leaving the entire mix to simmer for another five minutes or so. 

Serve with lighter cheddar cheese, jalopenos, olives and any other toppings you fancy! 

Enjoy! 

Lentil and Sweet Potato Curry

Ah, curry. Delicious, declicious curry. Britain has had a love affair with this versatile dish for over two hundred years and there doesn't seem to be an end date for this affection with the jalfrezi variety recently overtaking the classic chicken tikka masala as the national favorite. However, much to my chagrin, I think it's fair to say that curry house versions are hardly the world's healthiest dishes with the average calorie bomb reaching astronomical heights. For example, a takeaway (or delivery) version of chicken tikka masala with rice and naan comes in at an amazing 1,300 calories on average. On. Average. Yikes.

So, I thought for a homecooked option, I'd like to try and accomplish two goals. The first was to keep those calories more in check while the second goal was to find a recipe that delivered the same amount of flavor and enjoyment of a takeaway curry in a shorter amount of time. With this vegetarian version, which has only about 300 calories in each portion when divided into four, I think we've cracked it. I've listed the prep time as five minutes but honestly, it definitely took less than that since all you have to do is chop the onion and then peel and chop the sweet potato. The only fiddly part of this recipe is the fact that you need to find cumin seeds and mustard seeds in addition to your curry powder - which was a bit of a mission since neither of the small grocery stores near my house had them. However, wandering to a larger Tesco proved wise and I found them easily so this might be something to keep in mind. The rest of the ingredients were super easy to source and, aside from the sweet potatoes, are primarily found in canned form and therefore might already be in your cupboard.

We served this curry with a bit of wholegrain rice and shared a simple Tesco naan bread between us but I think this would be equally delicious with some paneer thrown in to bulk it up a bit. I think this dish is best thought of as a more robust option to compete with chana masala. I've kept the recipe pretty much the same although I added the frozen peas to give it that nice burst of freshness. I really hope you'll give this a try since it takes less time than a delivery would and you'll have plenty to go around for weekly lunches or dinner the next day. Finally, the original recipe is supposedly for two portions but I didn't change any of the measurements and ended up with definitely enough for four people. If you were serving this alongside another curry or additional dishes, you could easily stretch this to at least six portions.

Original recipe via www.bbcgoodfood.com

Prep Time:   5 min

Cook Time: 25 min

Serves:       4-6

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 tbsp medium curry powder

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp mustard seeds

100g red lentils 

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite size pieces

500 ml vegetable stock

1 can chopped tomatoes (400g)

1 can chickpeas (400g)

1 cup frozen peas

To Serve:

Yogurt

Mango chutney 

Fresh coriander

Rice/Naan bread 

Method:

In a large pot, heat the oil over a medium heat before adding the chopped onion. Leave to soften, stirring frequently. When the onion is translucent and soft, add the spices, lentils, sweet potato, chopped tomato and vegetable stock.

Bring to a boil then cover and leave to simmer for 20 minutes. 

When the sweet potato has softened, add the peas and chickpeas over a low heat. Cover again and leave for five minutes to allow to heat through.

Serve over rice or alongside naan bread with a yogurt, mango chutney and a sprinkle of fresh coriander. 

Cookbook Challenge: Mustard and Parsley Crusted Salmon

I was very excited to try today's Cookbook Challenge recipe because it comes from one of my favorite television chefs. I actually have two of Lorraine Pascale's books but, until today, I had focused primarily on her party foods. Since those have always been a hit in the past, I had high hopes for this salmon recipe. 

Home Cooking Made Easy

By Lorraine Pascale

Harper Collins, 2011

As I mentioned in my coconut prawn curry post, I have been trying to increase my familiarity with seafood dishes so this recipe seemed like a relatively simple way to continue that trend. While I haven't been the biggest salmon fan in the past, I think the cooked version is starting to grow on me. This recipe certainly helped to improve my opinion since it was so easy and tasty! 

This recipe essentially has two parts: making the topping and then cooking the fish. Both of these stages take only a few minutes though so this could easily be used as a weeknight dinner. I hit a slight snag since I forgot to take the butter out of the fridge in advance so struggled a bit to incorporate it into the other ingredients. However, properly softened butter would probably have meant an even quicker prep time. 

The only strange part was that the recipe did not seem to include a baking temperature. I set my oven to 200 degrees celsius since that's my most commonly used temperature and everything turned out fine so I've included it in the recipe below. 

I have to admit, I was pretty pleased with the final result! In the past when I've tried to cook salmon, I definitely overdid it and ended up with fairly unappetizing results. However, I think ten minutes was the prefect length of time in the oven for my little fillets. The brown sugar was fairly subtle but definitely added a nice element of sweetness to balance out the Dijon mustard. When serving, I used the zested limes as added garnish and thought the lime juice also added a nice dash of flavor. Although I used salmon, you could also use trout or whatever type of fish you prefer. 

I served the salmon with a simple tomato salad and some broccoli and onion that I had sautéed in sesame oil. As a result, the final dish felt like a very healthy and light summer dinner! Finally, this recipe was originally for four people so I have cut the quantities in half below since I only had two salmon fillets. 

Prep Time: 5 min

Cook Time: 10 min

Serves: 2

Ingredient: 

50g dried breadcrumbs
1 tbsp soft light brown sugar
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
knob of butter
Zest of 2 limes
1 bunch of fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 Salmon fillets
Salt and Pepper

Method: 

Preheat the oven to 200C.

In a small bowl, mix the breadcrumbs, light brown sugar, Dijon mustard, butter, lime zest and parsley. The mixture should form a paste.

Spread evenly onto the tops of the salmon fillets and then place them onto a baking tray. Bake for 10 minutes or until your fish is cooked to your liking. Enjoy! 

Quick lunch: Zucchini Fritters

Hello lovely readers! 

The Cookbook Challenge has been a lot of fun so far and has had the intended effect of reinvigorating my interest in cooking and blogging. As a result, I'll be trying to include a few non-Cookbook Challenge recipes here on the blog as I come across tasty treats. Today's post is one of these delicious discoveries... zucchini fritters! 

As I'm currently working from home, I've been trying to take advantage of this fact to make more interesting lunches than I'd be able to if I was in an office environment. These little fritters were so easy to put together and surprisingly satisfying. I only had one sad little zucchini knocking around in the bottom of the fridge so I think in the future I might use two in order to up the actual veggie factor. However, this recipe was really forgiving so even if you don't have an excess of zucchini to use up, you'll still be in for a nice lunch. 

I had mine with some leftover Indian spiced veggies so I added a bit of mango chutney to continue the inadvertent Indian theme. However, I think these would be amazing topped with a poached egg. You could even add hollandaise if you're feeling fancy! Seriously, these little fritters are so versatile that they could be paired with just about anything... leftover chili, cottage cheese and tomatoes, or even topped with ham and cheese as an open-faced mini sandwich. This recipe also seems to be pretty forgiving so you could even try swapping out the parmesan for cheddar or mozzarella and even adding in green onion or other tasty additions. The possibilities are endless and so I hope you enjoy them as much as I have! 

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 5 min

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

1-2 zucchini, grated

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup grated Parmesan 

1 egg

2 cloves garlic, minced 

Salt and Pepper to taste

Olive oil 

Method:

Place the grated zucchini in a colander over a bowl. Mix in the salt and leave to drain for ten minutes. 

When the zucchini is ready, move to a large bowl and mix in the flour, Parmesan, garlic and egg. Stir thoroughly to create a batter. Add salt and pepper to taste.

In a large pan, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil over a medium heat. Drop spoonfuls of batter carefully into the oil. Allow to brown on one side before flipping to brown the other. When ready, remove from the pan to a plate lined with paper towels to soak up the excess oil. Continue this process until you have used up all of the batter. Enjoy! 

Cookbook Challenge: Coconut Prawn Curry

This week in the Cookbook Challenge, it's time to get serious about curry. Living in Britain means Indian food makes a fairly frequent appearance on the dinner table since its a national favorite. However, I have to admit that this is often a result of either ordering in or popping out to our local Indian restaurant rather than something homemade. So this week, I set out to rectify this situation! 

Rick Stein's India

by Rick Stein

BBC Books, Ebury Publishing, 2013.

This cookbook is the result of a culinary adventure Rick Stein went on around the entire country of India. The journey was captured in a multi-episode documentary where each episode focused on a different region of the country. I was hooked when the first episode opened in Chennai, which obviously has a very special place in my heart. After watching the program, I hemmed and hawed for a few months before finally cracking and buying the cookbook. 

Due to the fact that we lived in India when I was younger, my mom actually makes a pretty mean curry. Therefore, when I've wanted to host a curry night or just make something tasty for myself, I would turn to her recipe rather than outsourcing to a cookbook or the internet. Since mom's curry is usually focused on chicken, I thought it would be good idea to push my comfort zone a bit by trying out a seafood curry. 

Now, for most people, a dish focused on prawns (or shrimp in America!) wouldn't be exactly pushing the bounds of adventurous eating. However, I am something of a seafood novice in the kitchen. In fact, you may have noticed that seafood is conspicuously absent from this blog... But it's not my fault!  My dad isn't a fan of fish so we didn't eat much of it at home while I was growing up. As a result, I'm slowly trying to get into the habit of having it more often. While I'm keen to try seafood dishes while I'm out at restaurants, I haven't really tried making many at home. So, this recipe will hopefully be the start of something new! 

I have to say, this curry certainly didn't disappoint! I was amazed at how easily it came together. The coconut milk means its a bit on the sweeter side so I think next time I'll probably add a bit more chili to balance that out better. Another change I think I'll make is to add more prawns since they were so tasty! Additionally, I used pre-chopped ginger since it was the only option in my local shop. It was such a great time saver that I'll definitely be repeating this next time! The first time round, I served the curry on its own over simple rice and my taste tester Eurydice gave it her blessing. However, the second time I added some simply sautéed veggies that were also spiced with Indian flavors and felt it was a more complete meal. So, I'm adding the simple recipe for the veggies to this post as well just in case you'd like to recreate the dish below. The only time consuming element of this dish was deveining the prawns so if you can get them already cleaned then you'll be even faster than I was!

Prep Time: 10 - 15 min

Cook Time: 20 - 30 min

Serves: 4

Ingredients: 

2 medium onions, roughly chopped
2 medium onions, finely sliced
2 tablespoons ghee
1 piece of cinnamon
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp turmeric
1 tsp chili powder
250g large peeled raw prawns
1 can of coconut milk
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
150ml water

Olive oil
1 head of broccoli, cut into bite size pieces
1 zucchini, chopped into bite size pieces
1 large onion, sliced
A handful of green beans, sliced in half
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp chili powder

Method:

In a mini food processor, blend the two roughly chopped onions until they form a rough paste. Add a splash of water as needed to make the mix combine and then set aside. Next, heat the ghee in a large pot over medium heat. Add the cinnamon stick and fry for a minute or until fragrant.

Into the pot, add the sliced onions and fry until golden brown. Next add in the garam masala and allow to continue frying for thirty seconds to a minute until it is fragrant.

Add in the onion paste, garlic ginger, turmeric and chili powder and continue to fry until the onion mixture is golden. Stir frequently to avoid burning and add a splash of water if the mixture seems to be sticking to the bottom of the pan.

When the mixture is golden, add in the washed and cleaned prawns and mix through. After a few minutes, add the coconut milk, salt, sugar and water. Bring the curry to a simmer and allow to cook for five minutes or until the liquid has reduced by half and the prawns are cooked through.

To make the Indian spiced veggies, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Add the broccoli and sauté for a few minutes until it starts to brown. Next add in the zucchini, green beans and onion and continue cooking until softened. When the veggies are ready, add in the garlic and all of the spices. Continue to sauté until the garlic is soft and fragrant, mixing frequently to ensure the spices are well distributed.

Serve along side some simple basmati rice and enjoy! 

Weekday Breakfast: Baked Egg and Beans

I have to confess that I'm not much of a breakfast person and this is primarily due to laziness. Given the option between getting up and having a healthy breakfast before work or sleeping fifteen minutes longer, I'll always choose the sleep. However, the current tube strike means I've been working from home for the last two days so I thought I'd use this as an opportunity to try out a few breakfast dishes. 

Beans ready for the egg topping

Baked eggs are a really healthy option since they don't use any oil or butter while cooking. I have another recipe where the egg is baked in a bell pepper but, since I didn't have any bell peppers in the fridge, I thought I'd try branching out a bit. I had purchased the little 200g cans of baked beans so for this recipe, you only need half (or a quarter of the regular cans).

Egg and beans ready for the oven

While in Tesco the other day, I had a sudden craving for baked beans on toast so I picked up a few little cans of Heinz baked beans and some soda bread. So of course, this seemed like a great chance to use them! This recipe was super easy and the cooking time (10-15 min) means you could pop it in the oven, jump in the shower, and then have a tasty breakfast waiting when you get out. I left mine in slightly too long so be warned: keep an eye on it during the last minute or so. You mainly are just waiting for the white to set but if you prefer a more cooked yolk then leave it in a bit longer. It was still tasty albeit slightly less photogenic...

Finished product! 

Prep Time: 1 min

Cook Time: 10-15 min

Serves: 1 

Ingredients: 

100g baked beans
1 large egg
Salt and Pepper
Bread to serve

Method:

Preheat the oven to 190C/375F.

In a small ramekin, spoon the baked beans into the bottom and spread them out to make a nice bed for the egg. When ready, crack the egg on top and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

Bake for ten to fifteen minutes and serve with buttered toast. Enjoy! 

Sausage, Spinach and Chickpea Stew

In news that will surprise no one, life is pretty hectic at the minute with school and work so blogging hasn't really been a priority. However, spring has finally sprung and I'm getting excited about cooking lots of tasty treats so hopefully I'll be able to share a few of those with you all along the way. I might have to cut down on the step by step photos for recipes but I'll try to include at least one picture of the finished product for each post.

Finished product!

While this recipe is not the most spring oriented, it does make for a quick and tasty weekday dinner. However, the herbs add a much needed dash of green and, let's be honest, spring in Britain requires holding on to a few comfort dishes to warm you up. I made this for my flatmate and her friend and it was a hit - easy to make while chatting, super fast and delicious. Plus, add it a slightly sad attempt to artfully place the toast and you have a dinner party dish. I love this recipe because it works for most of the year and is pretty cheap (so perfect for those midweek meals!). This time, I doubled the recipe so I'd have plenty leftover to take to work for my lunches. Of course, I did this before remembering that the current tube strike means I'll be working from home today and tomorrow! Oops. Oh well, still delicious! If you'd like to skip the bread, this could be good with couscous or rice as well. You just want something that will let you soak up all that saucy goodness. Finally, try and get sausages with a high percentage of meat. I went with the Waitrose pork and leek sausages because they were on sale and, at 75% meat, they were perfect. 

Delicious and Prosecco... can't complain! 

I stayed pretty true to the recipe on Real Simple but added parmesan cheese to the final product. This is optional but, if you're like me, you probably have some in the fridge already! Sprinkle a bit of the leftover herbs on top and you're good to go!

Recipe via www.realsimple.com

Prep Time: 5 min

Cook Time: 20 min

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

Olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
6 sausages, casings removed
1 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro/corriander, chopped
500ml chicken or vegetable stock
2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
500g spinach
Salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese, grated
Crusty bread to serve

Method: 

In a large pan with high sides, heat a dash of olive oil over medium heat and add the chopped onion. Cook until softened and then add the sausages. Use a wooden spoon to break up the sausages as they brown so that they look more like mince than sausages. Once browned, add the tomato paste and cook for a minute or two, stirring continuously so the meat doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. If necessary, lower the heat to medium-low.

Next, stir in the herbs and continue to cook for another minute. When the herbs have been incorporated, add the stock and chickpeas. Increase the heat and bring to a boil.

Finally, add the spinach and simmer for ten minutes until wilted and well mixed. Serve with toasted crusty bread and enjoy! 

Easy Jam Tarts

I've been meaning to give this recipe a go for a while now. It just seemed like the perfect last minute treat for when you're feeling a bit down or if you have surprise guests. I mean, most people will have that forgotten jar of jam in their fridge just waiting for a recipe like this. I used strawberry jam because I happened to have it on hand but next time I think I'd like to try mixing it up with a few jam ones and maybe a few lemon curd ones... delicious!

Ready for the oven

I used shop bought pastry because, again, this is more of an emergency recipe than something you'd plan for but of course, feel free to use your favorite pastry recipe if you have one. My local shop tends to put the puff pastry and shortcrust pastry on offer every now and then so I try to stock up and have them on hand for situations like this.

Finished product

Also, I managed to make nine tarts out of the pastry I had but that will probably depend on the size of your circular cutter and your muffin tin. I found the best tarts were the ones where the pastry hadn't been stretched too thin so make sure you've got a good amount there for a solid crust around the outsides and on the bottom. And of course, be careful to really butter your tin properly so that the tarts slide right out.

Jammy goodness!

Prep Time: 5 min

Cook Time: 20-25 min

Serves: 9

Ingredients:

1 package shortcrust pastry
9 tablespoons of strawberry jam
1 egg

Method: 

First, grease a muffin tin so that the bottoms and sides are lightly coated.

Next, roll out your pastry and use a circular cutter to cut nine circles and nine stars. Lightly stretch the circular cut outs in your hand so that as you press them into the pan, they come up the sides about half way. Use a fork to prick the bottoms of your pastry so that they don't puff up while baking.

Add a tablespoon of jam to each pastry shell. Top with one of the pastry stars and place into the fridge for fifteen minutes to set.

While the tarts are in the fridge, preheat the oven to 160C / 320F.

After removing the tarts from the fridge, make an egg wash by whisking the egg with a little bit of water and lightly brush over the pastry stars and the tops of the sides of each tart.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until the tarts are lightly browned and the jam is bubbling. Leave in the tin for a few minutes to cool and then turn out onto a plate. Enjoy!