CEiMB: White Turkey Chili

 

This week's Craving Ellie in My Belly recipe was picked by Leslie of Lethally Delicious.  She chose for us to make the White Turkey Chili from from So Easy: Luscious, Healthy Recipes for Every Meal of the Week by Ellie Krieger.   This is an easy weeknight recipe that is light and fresh, which is good the week after lots and lots of Christmas indulgences.  

After looking at the recipe, I decided that I wanted my chili to be a bit heartier, so I halved all of the ingredients except for the turkey and the spices.  This made for a meatier chili with less beans, which is how I make chili normally, so I quite liked it.  I am also glad I kept the spices at that level as well, because without, the chili might have been less flavorful.  I added a jalapeno for a bit more spice, and instead of salt and pepper I used Goya Adobo with cumin, which is what I use for seasoning whenever I am cooking Mexican or Southwestern food.  I absolutely love it.  I used corn instead of hominy because that is what I had on hand.  I also would say it is imperative to add a splash of lime juice and fresh cilantro to your chili because it really brightens up the flavor.  Thanks Leslie for a great pick, I thought it was light, but comforting at the same time.  Be sure to check out the blogroll to see what the other CEiMB bloggers made.  

CEiMB: Cioppino

This week's pick is from Margaret of Tea and Scones.  She chose for us to make the Cioppino from So Easy: Luscious, Healthy Recipes for Every Meal of the Week by Ellie Krieger.  Cioppino is fish stew originally from San Francisco.  It is a tomato-based broth that has wine and garlic added to it.  Ellie's recipe called for a combination of scallops, shrimp, and halibut.


Unfortunately, my stew only contained scallops and halibut.  I thought I had frozen shrimp at home, but when I got home from the store with the scallops, I went  in the freezer to get out the halibut, but there was no shrimp.  So, scallop and halibut cioppino it was. 

I really liked the flavor of the broth.  It had a rich tomato taste, and I enjoyed the heat from the crushed red pepper.  I added a bit of smoked paprika as well to give the broth a hint of smoke.  I thought it was a nice touch.  I do have to say that as much as I like the broth flavor, I didn't think that flavor infused into seafood.  The seafood was a bit bland, but overall I did like the dish.  I think the broth would also be good with some pasta and some Italian sausage, but I would substitute the fish broth with beef broth.  Thanks to Margaret for hosting this week, and be sure to check out the blogroll to see what the other bloggers did this week!

CEiMB: Confetti Chili

This week's Craving Ellie in My Belly is from Lauren of I'll Eat You. She chose for us to make Confetti Chili from The Food You Crave: Luscious Recipes for a Healthy Life by Ellie Krieger. I hadn't made chili yet, and since it is finally getting cold around here, I was looking forward to this making this. The recipe on the Food Network is slightly different than the recipe in the book. Basically, instead of one of the cans of beans, 1 1/2 cups of corn was added to the chili instead. I like the idea of corn in chili because it adds some nice sweetness to balance the heat. I used black beans and pinto beans, because I like the texture and flavor of those beans better than kidney beans. I also added 2 teaspoons of chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika, and one clove of minced garlic to the chili. I really think those additions boosted the flavor of the chili considerably. I didn't have a red bell pepper on hand, but I did have some poblanos from my garden that I had roasted and frozen this summer, so I used that instead.

I really liked this chili. There is a nice smokiness to it due to the chipotle pepper and the smoked paprika, and a slight bit of heat. Next time, I might add some jalapeno or some cayenne pepper to boost the heat a little. The carrots and and corn balance the smokiness and the heat by adding sweetness. Overall it is a very balanced dish. Black beans and pinto beans have much better texture and flavor than kidney beans, and I think I will use both of them chilis I make in the future. Another good recipe from Ellie.

Spinach and White Bean Soup with Chicken Sausage

I wanted to make something simple, comforting, and healthy for dinner tonight. For me, that means soup. Soup is a great way to use up vegetables that you have in your refrigerator that are about to go bad. It's filling, but not heavy, and it's a great weeknight meal. The vegetable I needed to use up was spinach. I had a large amount of baby spinach, and it had been in my fridge for some time, so I needed to make a dish that would use all of it. This is a very simple soup made with ingredients I already had on hand. It was so easy to make, and only took about 10 minutes to throw together, and about 20 to cook.


Spinach and White Bean Soup with Chicken Sausage

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion, or 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 2-14 oz cans of low sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup water
  
• 1-12 oz. package fully cooked chicken sausage (I used Spinach, Fontina, and Roasted Garlic Chicken Sausage from Trader Joe's)
• 1-15 oz. can of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 1/2 cups (packed) baby spinach, roughly chopped
• freshly ground black pepper

-Heat olive oil in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until they are soft, but not brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about 1-2 minutes longer.

-Add the chicken broth, water, chicken sausage, and beans. Bring the soup to a boil and add the baby spinach. Simmer over low heat until the spinach wilts and the flavors come together (about 10-15 minutes), season with freshly ground black pepper and salt if necessary. (I used low sodium chicken broth because the chicken sausage I used was already quite salty, and I didn't need to add any extra salt to the soup)

White Bean and Chorizo Soup

It is starting to get cold outside, so I thought this weekend would be a good time to make a hearty, comforting soup. I found this recipe for a White Bean and Chorizo soup, and I decided to try it. I made a few changes from the original recipe. I like my bean soup thick, and the original recipe calls for a lot of liquid. I also used Spanish chorizo which is similar to andouille or smoked sausage rather than the fresh chorizo that is used in the original recipe. It is less greasy, and the smoky flavor goes well with the beans.


White Bean and Chorizo Soup

serves 6-8

• 1 1/4 pound dried cannellini or Great Northern beans (generous 2 1/2 cups)

• 8 cups water
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 3 garlic cloves; 1 smashed, 2 chopped
• 1 large fresh rosemary sprig
• 1 bay leaf

• 1 cup chopped onions (about 1/2 a large onion)
  
• 1 cup chopped carrots
  
• 1 cup chopped celery (about 2 stalks)
  
• 2 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme, divided
• 2 14.5 ounce cans of chicken broth
  

• 1 pound Spanish chorizo link sausages (fully cooked), casings removed

• 1/4 cup whole milk or whipping cream
• salt and pepper
• fresh parsley, chopped
  

Place beans in heavy large saucepan. Add enough water to pan to cover beans by 4 inches. Let beans soak overnight at room temperature.

Drain and rinse beans; return to same saucepan. Add 8 cups water, 1 tablespoon oil, smashed garlic clove, rosemary, and bay leaf. Bring to boil. Season to taste with salt. Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover, and simmer until beans are just tender, about one hour. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cool slightly, cover, and chill.)

Drain beans, reserving cooking liquid. Discard rosemary sprig and bay leaf. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté until vegetables are beginning to soften, about 10 minutes. Add chopped garlic and 1 teaspoon thyme; sauté 2 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups reserved bean cooking liquid, the chicken broth, and beans. Bring to boil; reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered until vegetables are tender, about 15-20 minutes. Cool soup 10 minutes. Meanwhile, sauté chorizo in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat until browned and crisp, about 10-15 minutes. Transfer chorizo to paper towels to drain.

Using slotted spoon, remove 2 cups of the bean mixture from soup; reserve. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup, or working in batches, purée remaining soup in blender until smooth. Return puree to pot. Stir in reserved whole-bean mixture, remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons thyme, chorizo, and the milk or cream. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Chill uncovered until cold. Cover and keep chilled.) Rewarm soup over medium heat, thinning with more broth if desired. Season with salt and pepper. Divide soup among bowls, sprinkle with fresh parsley, and serve. This soup goes great with some crusty bread for dipping.

Roasted Tomato and Basil Soup

In order to use up a lot of tomatoes from my garden, and at my dad's request, I decided to make tomato-basil soup. I found a good recipe for this soup over at the For Love of Cooking blog. Pam has a lot of good recipes and this is no exception. I made a few adjustments because I was working with fresh tomatoes instead of canned. I doubled the recipe, so this makes a whole stock pot worth of soup. I plan on freezing a lot for the winter.

For the tomatoes:

• 16 cups of ripe tomatoes, chopped
• 4 tbsp olive oil, divided
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Chop the tomatoes (if using cherry tomatoes, just leave them whole) and divide between two 9x13 glass baking dishes. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil over each dish and season with salt and pepper. Place in oven and roast for approximately 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool slightly.

For the soup:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 3 carrots, diced
• 4 celery stalks, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
• 4 cups of vegetable broth or chicken broth (I use chicken)
• 2 bay leaves
• 3-4 teaspoons white sugar
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 3 tablespoons freshly chopped basil
• salt and pepper

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, non-reactive soup pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery, season with salt and pepper, and cook until soft. Add garlic and stir for 30-45 seconds before adding chicken (or vegetable) broth, bay leaves, sugar, balsamic vinegar, roasted tomatoes and their juice. Simmer over low heat for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally. Remove the bay leaves and use an immersion blender to blend until smooth. Pour soup through a strainer to remove any chunks (optional). Mix in the fresh basil. Adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve immediately, or let cool completely, transfer to containers and freeze to enjoy later.

Notes: This soup tastes surprisingly like Campbell's Tomato Soup. I had it with a grilled cheese sandwich for dinner, and it was great. Since I was working with fresh, very ripe tomatoes, the soup was quite acidic. I had to add more sugar than the original recipe calls for, but depending on what type of tomatoes you use, you might not need that much sugar. I added one teaspoon at a time and simmered for a bit, re-tasted, and added more until I achieved the right balance. This is a great way to use up a large amount of tomatoes. Also, if you are using fresh tomatoes, I highly recommend straining the soup because there are so many seeds and skins in the soup that it makes the texture before straining the soup unappealing.