CityMama™

Turkey Chili With Green Chiles and Orange

I'm not lying, this is the tastiest, most flavorful turkey ANYTHING you will ever eat. And for those on Weight Watchers (like I am), I calculate this at 7PP per one cup serving (without toppings).

STEFANIA'S WHITE TURKEY CHILI WITH GREEN CHILES AND ORANGE

This is a riff on my friend Abi's white chicken chili which she adapted from Epicurious.

 

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1/4-1/2 tsp chipotle powder (I love it in all my chilis, but if you don't like the smoky flavor you can omit)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (it's what I had on hand)
• 1 package ground turkey, crumbled (extra lean or regular)
• 1 15 ounce can of hominy, drained
• 1 15 ounce can of pinto beans, drained
• 1 15 ounce can of cannellini beans, NOT drained
• 1 heaping tablespoon of chicken base
• enough water to just cover all the meat/beans when added (about 2 cups)
• 1 4-ounce can of mild fire-roasted chilis (Ortega)
• 1 4-ounce can of hot fire-roasted jalapeños (also Ortega)    
• half an orange
• 1/2 cup whipping cream (or omit, but I use it)

 

Toppings (set these out in bowls and top as you wish!)

• lite Mexican shredded cheese (TJs)
• chopped onion
• chopped cilantro (leaves only)
• diced avocado
• fresh or pickled jalapeños
• fresh lime
• baked (or not) tortilla chips on the side

 

In a Dutch oven, saute turkey, onion, garlic, and spices together in a little olive oil until turkey is well-browned. Add in the remaining ingredients EXCEPT for the cream. Bring to a simmer and then reduce to low and cook for at least an hour. Check liquid level and add a little more water if needed. If you can let this sit overnight—it's even more delicious the next day.

Just before serving, remove the orange half and reheat the chili and stir in the cream. Heat through, but do not boil. Serve with toppings.

Six Tips For Getting Kids to Eat Their Veggies

I'm delighted to be a new Hidden Valley "Love Your Veggies" Parent Panel Member! I grew up eating Hidden Valley Ranch (and especially Green Goddess) salad dressing that my mom made by adding milk and mayonnaise to the spice packet and shaking it all up in a Mason jar. As a result, I've always held a special place in my culinary heart for Hidden Valley (and only Hidden Valley) Ranch dressing.

As part of my "official duties" I'll be posting throughout the year about specific veggie-related initiatives. Hopefully you'll find them informative. In the interest of transparency and full-disclosure, these posts will always be clearly labeled.

My 9- and 7-year-old daughters will proudly tell anyone who will listen how much they love Brussels sprouts, spinach, lima beans, broccoli, and salad—all manner of vegetables that conventional wisdom would have us believe all kids hate.

I often wonder if kids are inadvertently taught to hate vegetables because we’ve all been conditioned to believe that that’s supposed to the case. With my own family, my children have the benefit of two parents who love all manner of veggies, and I know it’s at least partly because my husband and I were raised by parents who love veggies as well.

With a mother who has also dabbled in vegetarianism, and a father who loves one hot vegetable and a salad (he's a "meat and two veg guy") with dinner, my kids don’t have a choice but to love their veggies. It’s not that I’m doing anything consciously, I’m just raising my kids the way I was raised—to be exposed to a wide-variety of foods and cuisines, to have an appreciation of where food comes from (we visit u-pick farms and participate in a weekly CSA produce delivery), to help prep and cook our meals, and to have to try everything at least once.

Here are my tips for getting kids to eat their veggies

Be upfront—I’m not an advocate of hiding veggies in food. I love them, and want my children to appreciate them for that they are.  Start cooking vegetables as “stand alone” items from the time your kids can eat table food. Once you start disguising vegetables, or dousing them in cheesy sauces, it’s harder to go back.

Raw Deal—I have found that my own children love veggies raw—so when they ask for a taste as you are chopping that pepper, radish, fennel bulb, or bunch of broccoli, let them have one. Take advantage of their interest, and if they like it, allow them to sneak another taste—and then remind them often of how much they liked that vegetable.

It’s Hip to Dip!—A great way to let veggies stand on their own and eat them raw (or lightly cooked) is to let kids dip them into their favorite sauce or dressing. With my own children, dipping was a developmental phase. For a time it seemed like everything had to be dipped into something else. If this gets your little ones to eat their vegetables, let them have it. Our favorite dips are: a dish of fragrant, fruity extra virgin olive oil sprinkled with a little sea salt; Hidden Valley Ranch dressing made fresh from the packet—like (as I mention above) my own mom did—with our own milk and mayo; apple or pear sauce; Thai peanut sauce; sun-dried tomato pesto; rosemary-white bean hummus; and tzatziki.

Cream of Zucchini and Broccoli Soup with White Truffle Oil

Yes, it's another soup recipe, but what can I say? We're a family that loves its soup! This is one that I usually start as I'm cooking breakfast in the morning and it's done by the time the kids are off to school.

 

CREAM OF ZUCCHINI AND BROCCOLI SOUP WITH WHITE TRUFFLE OIL

White truffle oil is found pretty easily now. Check your local "gourmet" grocer, cheese shop, or places like Williams-Sonoma or Sur La Table. In a pinch, you can mail order. My favorite comes my local olive oil shop and, according to the owner, it's the same kind that is used at the French Laundry. (Take that with a grain of truffle salt!)

Ingredients:

• olive oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 5 zucchini, scubbed and sliced
• the stems of a bunch of broccoli (I used the florets for a salad), peeled and chopped
• 1 box of low-sodium chicken broth
• 3/4-1 cup of heavy cream (or half-and-half, but not milk), amount depends on how liquidy the soup is and your personal preference.
• sea salt and pepper to taste
• white truffle oil

In a soup pot, saute onion, zucchini, and broccoli in a couple glugs of olive oil over medium heat until tender, about 10 minutes. Pour in chicken broth and simmer on medium-low until broccoli is very soft and zucchini is falling apart, about 10 minutes more. Remove from heat and whiz the pot with a stick blender until pureed. While whizzing, slowly pour in the cream. Add salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowl and add a few drops (a drizzle would be overpowering) of white truffle oil.

Picadillo with Ground Turkey

I love any kind of hash—corned beef, Chinese pork (especially with salt fish!), potato—and this sweet, sour, and fragrantly spiced Cuban-style hash called Picadillo.

It's traditionally made with ground or shredded beef, but I used ground turkey with delicious results. (I use ground turkey in place of ground beef in just about every recipe that calls for it.)

Serve over white rice or with tortillas. You can also scoop it up with tortilla chips. This dish got a thumbs up from the kids, too!

Picadillo with Ground Turkey

adapted from Cooking Light'

• 3-4 glugs of olive oil
• 2-2.5 lbs (2 packages) of ground turkey
• one finely chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes and juice
• 2 jalapeños en escabeche (pickled), chopped (or you can use milder roasted green chiles)
• 6 green olives, pitted and diced
• 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, slightly crushed
• 1/2 cup tablespoons golden raisins
• 4 tablespoons capers
• 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
• a big splash of red wine or sherry

Preparation

• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the ground turkey and saute until no longer pink. Add tomatoes, chiles, olives; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Stir in brown sugar, cinnamon sticks, cumin seeds, and salt and pepper to taste.
• Reduce heat to low. Stir in raisins, capers, vinegar, and sherry; simmer about 10-15 minutes more. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Serve over white rice or with tortillas with black beans and a green salad on the side if you like.

Meatloaf Variations

We are a family that likes its meatloaf. I love to cook it I think because there are so many variations and because it's a meal that kids (mine, anyway) love to help prepare. It's also something that's easily made ahead of time. If you buy 4 pounds of ground meat, you can make two meat loaves, one for now and one you can freeze (unbaked) for another time. Here are some of my favorite variations on meatloaf, starting with the basic recipe of:

 

• 2 pounds of lean ground meat (beef, pork, veal, chicken, turkey, bulk Italian sausage or a combination—I love pork in meatloaf. If using turkey, don't get the leanest if you have a choice. Ground turkey thighs work best.)
• 1/2-3/4 cup of oatmeal flakes, e.g. Quaker (not breadcrumbs)
• 1/2 a grated onion (yellow or red, whatever you have on hand)
• 1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 hefty glug of Worcestershire sauce (or soy sauce if you don't have Worcestershire)
• one egg lightly beaten (or egg whites, which I prefer)
• salt and pepper to taste

Bake at 325º for an hour and 15 minutes (place loaf pan on a cookie sheet to catch any drips). Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing.

My favorite veggie add-ins (choose any combination of the below):

• one grated carrot
• one grated medium zucchini or yellow squash, squeezed as dry as possible
• a handful of finely chopped green beans
• a handful or two of finely shredded fresh baby spinach
• 1 stalk of celery, very finely minced
• chopped mushrooms, any time (reconstituted dried are great, too)
• 2 tbsps minced sun-dried tomatoes

My favorite cheesy add-ins (choose one):

• 1/2 cup of crumbled blue cheese
• 1/2 cup of crumbled feta
• 1/2 cup of chopped fresh mozzarella
• 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 tbsps grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano

My favorite herby add-ins (choose one):

• a tsp of chopped fresh rosemary (really good with beef-pork combo)
• a tsp of chopped fresh sage (esp. good with turkey meatloaf)
• leaves stripped from a few branches of fresh thyme
• a handful of chopped, fresh marjoram
• 1 tsp of poultry seasoning if you don't have fresh herbs on hand

Other fun additions:

• a row of peeled hard-boiled eggs (Place half the meatloaf mixture in pan, line eggs in a row down the center, top with other half of meatloaf mixture. When sliced, each portion will have an egg slice in the middle.)
• you can also use the above technique to "stuff" your meatloaf with that last bit of leftover mashed potatoes or macaroni and cheese (or any leftover short pasta)
• a tsp each of chipotle powder and cumin + 1/2 cup of salsa + substitute finely chopped corn tortillas for the oatmeal to make a Mexican meatloaf
• a spoonful of Dijon mustard
• a spoonful of horseradish
• a big handful of crumbled bacon (esp with the horseradish and cheddar cheese)
• Omit the egg from the meatloaf and substitute 1/2 to 3/4 a can of condensed cream of chicken soup instead (do not add water, reduce the salt). This is especially good with turkey meatloaf which tends to be dry if you don't add enough moisture.
• For a turkey meatloaf, try adding blue cheese and dried cherries.

Before popping your meatloaf in the oven top it with a squiggle of:

• ketchup
• barbecue sauce

Or paint it with a mixture of tomato paste, Dijon mustard, and a little garlic powder

Or lay a few strips of bacon down on top.

My favorite "stand-by, nothing more needed" meatloaf recipe. Feel free to riff on this theme, but it's really good as is. And it makes great sandwiches the next day.

Definitely make enough so you can have sandwiches the next day. My favorite is sliced cold meatloaf on soft white bread that has been shmeared with a mixture of mayo and ketchup. Lettuce optional.

One last thing—when mixing meatloaf, don't forget to use your hands!

 

Sweet and Sour Beef Stir Fry with Asparagus and Mushrooms

The girls chopped all the veggies while I was on a conference call. That'll help get dinner on the table!

I like my stir fries to be about 2/3 veggie to 1/3 meat, but you can use whatever ratio you prefer. I used asparagus and mushrooms here but you can use whatever veggies you like: green beans, bok choy, broccoli, peppers, etc.

For the stirfry:

• 2 tbsps of peanut oil
• 1/2 a large yellow onion, sliced
• 2 bunches of asparagus, ends snapped and cut on the bias
• 1 lb of white mushrooms, ends trimmed, quartered
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• one 2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated
• 1-1.5 lbs of lean beef (whatever you like for stir-fry) sliced into thin strips and seasoned with salt and WHITE pepper (you can use shrimp or chicken or lamb, too)

 

For the sweet and sour sauce (adapted from the January issue of Everyday Food):

Whisk together in a small bowl and set aside

• 1/4 cup each: white vinegar, low-sodium soy sauce, cane sugar
• 1 tbsp corn starch
• 1 tsp chili-garlic-black bean sauce (Lee Kum Kee brand)
• a dash of WHITE pepper

Cooked white or brown rice for serving.

Heat peanut oil a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat until it starts smoking. Add the onion, asparagus and mushroom and stir fry for about 3 minutes, until asparagus is tender-crisp. Add the garlic and ginger, fry for a minute more (no longer) and remove veggies to a large bowl. Add meat to the pan and fry until browned, about 4 minutes for beef. Add the veggies back in. Whisk the sauce and add to the pan stirring constantly until sauce is thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Serve over white or brown rice. Serves 4.

 

 

 

Turkey, Green Chili, Hominy Chili

My friend Alisyn made this chili on New Year's Eve, and even after (the baby and) I spent a solid hour plowing through all the appetizers on her buffet table, I had to have a bowl of this delicious chili.

When we were invited to a chili cook-off, I knew this was the chili I wanted to bring. Alisyn gave me the general ingredients, but she just wings it, and so did I.  You can, too.

TURKEY, GREEN CHILI AND HOMINY CHILI

Note to self: Eat more hominy. It's so satisfyingly good.

• olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 2 lbs of ground turkey
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tbsps ground cumin (or more or less to your liking)
• 1 tbsp dried oregano (crush between your fingers when adding to pot)
• 1-2 tsps ground chipotle (I like the flavor of this in chili, but you can omit)
• 2-4 ounce cans of diced green fire-roasted chilis
• 2 cans of hominy, drained
• a quart-sized box of chicken broth
• sea salt and fresh-ground pepper to taste

Pour a couple 3 glugs of olive oil into a Dutch oven and heat over medium heat. Add garlic and onions and saute for a few minutes until onions start to become translucent. Add turkey and bay leaves, and brown it, crumbling it as you stir. Add the cumin, oregano, and chipotle pepper. Stir for a few minutes then add the chilis, hominy and enough broth to cover everything, you might not use the entire box. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Check for salt and pepper. It's done in about 20 minutes. Serves 8.

Garnish with any of the following:

• fresh cilantro leaves
• chopped onion
• Mexican crema or sour cream
• lime wedges
• shredded asadero or crumbled cotija cheese
• slices of fresh jalapeño

This was a good dinner: Turkey meatloaf with blue cheese and dried cherries

I adapted this recipe from one found in blogger Stephanie O'Dea's cookbook and combined it with everything I love about Foodmomiac's meatloaf (namely, the oatmeal and horseradish).

Start with Foodmomiac's recipe, omit ketchup and mustard and substitute lean ground turkey for the meats. Then, add about a cup each of crumbled blue cheese (disclosure: I used Alouette's gorgonzola crumbles sent to me for review and they are delicious), dried Bing cherries, and a handful of finely chopped fresh basil. (If you don't have fresh basil omit it.) Bake in the oven at 350º for about an hour. Let rest for about 10 minutes before slicing.

The result is a very moist, light, and extremely flavorful meatloaf. The saltiness of the blue cheese is a nice counterpoint to the sweet-tartness of the dried cherries. (The photo makes the loaf look dry, I promise, it was not.)

Kids will eat it. Adults will love it. Promise me you'll try this.

Carolina Pulled Pork Sandwich Topped with Cole Slaw

This is one of the best and easiest slow cooker dinners ever. The recipe I had (from the Crock-Pot site) calls for using a pork loin.  I think that leaner cut is best saved for roasting or grilling. Maybe it's because I was born in Hawaii (where pork aka pig is revered), but I prefer to use pork shoulder or butt.  It's fattier and therefore, more tender, and stands up to slow cooking without drying out.

I did nothing more than put the pork shoulder in the Crock-Pot, sprinkle it with salt, garlic powder, and pepper, and let it go for about 8 hours on low. Then I shredded it (after removing all the fat I could see) and added a bottle of Carolina-style barbecue sauce. (Carolina because I am just not a fan of barbecue sauce in general, especially if it's thick tomato-y and smoky.) I like the vinegary twang of Carolina sauce, but use whatever barbecue sauce you like. I then let it heat through, about 15 more minutes in the slow cooker.

I served this on lightly toasted buns topped with a mayo-based cole slaw the first time and, because we had leftovers, I served them with a mustard and vinegar-based cole slaw the second time (Bittman's recipe). My entire family are cabbage freaks, and the girls will eat cole slaw any which way, so it was the perfect accompaniment, along with a Russian sour pickle.

I'm telling you, this dinner is SOLID.

***

Eight-year-old Bunny says (she typed every word of this herself and I couldn't be prouder):

I like the sauce thats in cole slaw. Kids would like it because it is crunchy and sweet. I like this dinner because it reminds me of a hamburger and I like sweet shredded pork a lot. (I think it would be good with shredded beef too.)

Because the Giants are in the World Series: Yummy Balls

This is a dish I made for dinner last week that was a HUGE hit with my entire, meatball-loving family. They reminded me of Mexican albondigas because of the rice-meat combination, but then again the flavor wasn't really Italian, either. They defy categorization.

I found the recipe in one of my vintage Sunset cookbooks from 1969. I'm sure the recipe is at least 20 years older than that.  It was so easy to make and so delicious that it's going into heavy rotation this Fall and Winter.

I modified the original recipe slightly so I could share it here. I think you'll be able to tell where the old school recipe ends and my variations start.

YUMMY BALLS

• 1 pound ground beef (chicken or turkey)
• 1/2 pound ground pork
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup uncooked rice (I used short-grained Japanese rice since that's what I had on hand)
• 1/2 cup bread (or cracker) crumbs
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• fresh ground pepper to taste
• 1 can Campbell's tomato soup (it just has to be)
• 1 can water

Combine all ingredients except soup and water. Form into golf ball-sized balls and place into a greased 9 x 13 pan. In a small bowl mix soup with water then pour mixture over meatballs. Bake in a 375º oven for one hour. Made enough to serve my family of four + a guest, and we had plenty of leftovers.