I have had this Rachel Ray Cookbook (Yum-O) since high school:
The recipes all sound great, but for some reason, I never seem to make anything out of her cookbook (one reason may be the multitudes of cookbooks I have to chose from).
I wanted to find a classic chili recipe, so I figured Rachel would be a good person to start with. I chose her "Cajun Chili with Scallion Corn Cakes" recipe.
However, I should say up front I did NOT like the results the first day. I didn't start to really enjoy this chili until day two, and then something changed and the chili was delicious. So if you are planning to make it for some event (Super Bowl Sunday?) then I would suggest making it a day or two in advance.
I also made a few adjustments, so the first section of ingredients is what Rachel calls for and the second set are what I added.
See BELOW Cajun Chili recipe for Scallion Corn Cakes - these were my favorite takeaway from making this meal.
Ingredients for Cajun Chili:
Rachel's
1.5 pounds lean ground pork
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
4 shakes cayenne pepper sauce (Frank's Red Hot or Tabasco)
1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 rib celery, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 bottle of beer
1 can (14oz) crushed tomatoes
handful chopped fresh cilantro
Kosher salt, to taste
Kelsey's
First of all, I think using half of a vegetable is a waste because odds are I will be eating chili for the next week and will have nothing to use the vegetables in. Also, more vegetables means healthier chili, so why not? I used the WHOLE onion, red pepper and green pepper. I could also only find a 28oz can of tomatoes, so I used all 28 ounces. I used the entire bunch of cilantro.
The only "use the whole thing" I would be careful about is the beer. I used a whole bottle of beer and it definitely had a distinct taste. Like I said above, this mellowed out after a few days. However, if you are serving immediately, definitely be cognizant of how much beer you use. Maybe just drink the leftover while you are cooking.
I also added:
Another Tablespoon chili powder
1 minced jalapeno
MUCH more Tabasco (and I don't even care for spicy things)
1 lime
half cup quinoa (note that if you don't use the slow cooker method, you will want to cook your quinoa first and then add it. My quinoa wasn't fully cooked until the morning after I used my slow cooker)
Instructions for Cajun Chili:
1) Heat a big pot over high heat (I used a deep set saucepan type pan, but a pot would work too. Use whatever you want to make the chili in). Yes, use high heat. I was scared but it worked.
2) Add your pork to the pot. Season with chili powder, cumin and cayenne sauce. I couldn't believe this is called Cajun chili and only called for four dashes of hot sauce. I added plenty more while cooking and it didn't taste hot at all. I don't even like things spicy but kept adding hot sauce. So my point is add your hot sauce to taste.
3) Brown the meat for 5 minutes.
4) Add onion, garlic, celery, bell peppers, jalapeno, and lime juice. Cook, stiring/shaking the pan, for 3 or 4 more minutes.
5) Add the beer and stir everything together, scraping the bottom to get the burned bits. Add tomatoes and cilantro, plus quinoa if using (remember, pre cook the quinoa if you are not going to use a slow cooker). Bring to a boil and season with salt.
Essentially, your chili is done here. However, I then added the whole mixture to my crockpot and let it cook overnight. I don't know the difference in taste, but it turned out great.
Rachel's Scallion Corn Cakes:
Ingredients:
1 package Jiffy corn bread mix
1 egg
Milk
2 scallions (I prefer more like 4)
Butter/vegetable spray
Instructions:
Follow the instructions on the jiffy box for making corn pancakes, but add scallions to the mix. I bunched my scallions up and used scissors to cut them right into the bowl.
Then, depending on what occasion and who you are serving, make the appropriate size scallion corn cakes. For instance, if you are serving a lot of people small servings, make small corn cakes. If this is a meal for your family, make them larger.
The way I like to eat them is the crumble them up into the chili and mix it in. However, if you master the art of pancake making, I bet you could make them look really pretty and masterfully display them on top.
Either way, I GREATLY prefer the corn cakes to corn bread. I am not sure exactly why - maybe the texture? They taste awesome and are really easy to make.
When cooking mine, I did about 3 minutes on the first side and two minutes on the other side. Be careful though...the smaller you make them, the quicker they cook and they get easier to burn.
To serve my chili, I melt in cheese, add sour cream, and crumble in a corn cake. Voila!
My mom first introduced me to quinoa and I love it. I am surprised how many people have never even heard of it - when I bring it to lunch, I get all sorts of quizzical stares and questions about what I am eating. My mom and I both like to buy our quinoa from Costco. I didn't want to drive there the other day, so I ended up buying my most recent batch from the bulk foods section of Fred Meyer ($3.99/lb).
This recipe for Quinoa Chili came from http://www.allrecipes.com/.
Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1 pound extra lean ground beef *Optional
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced (2 teaspoons preminced)
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced - use a serrano pepper if you prefer more heat
1 Tablespon chili powder
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
2 19oz cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1 teaspoon dried parsley (or 2 tablespoons fresh parsley)
black pepper to taste
1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1) Bring the quinoa and water to a boil over high heat. A good rule of thumb for cooking quinoa is a 2:1 water to quinoa ratio. Reduce heat to a medium low, cover, and simmer until tender, about 15-20 minutes. FYI I also cook quinoa all the time with no cover and it turns out fine. Quinoa is pretty difficult to mess up.
2) If you are using meat, cook over medium high heat until the beef is crumbly, browned and no longer pink. I like to ensure the meat is cooked throughly, so you don't have to worry about getting sick if you taste the chili while it cooks. Drain the grease and set the meat aside. If you are not using meat, skip this step entirely.
3) Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat. You can use a soup pot or a big stirfry pan - pick a pan big enough to make all the chili in as well. Add the onion, garlic, and serrano pepper* and cook for five minutes or so.
*A note on the pepper - the store was out of jalapeno peppers so I decided to be adventurous and try a serrano pepper. I was really scared to use it because a) I hate food that is too spicy and once the spice is in, you can't take the spice out and b) I always manage to get spicy-ness in my eye and it burns. I was really careful this time and removed all the seeds from the middle, then chopped the pepper into tiny pieces. It wasn't too spicy at all, so don't be too afraid to try a new kind of pepper! Next time I would even consider leaving the seeds in.
4) Add the cumin and chili powder and cook a minute more. The onion mixture may look a bit thick - this is fine.
5) Add the black beans, tomatoes, green and red bell peppers, zucchini, oregano and parsley. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Simmer until the bell peppers are tender, about 20 minutes.
6) Add in the quinoa, beef (if using), and corn kernels. Return to a simmer and cook five more minutes.
7) To serve, stir in sour cream and add cheese if desired.
My recipe (meatless) made 8 cups of chili. I calculated the calorie content and that is approximately 271 calories per cup. This soup is CHOCK FULL of vegetables and I can't imagine many meals you can make that would be more healthy or delicious. The beans add substance and there are all sorts of veggies and healthy spices (I especially love the addition of zucchini). Ease off the cheese and lay off the meat, and you have an even healthier meal. You could also use Greek yogurt rather than sour cream.
One other bonus? The chili looks really awesome - it is very colorful.
Do yourself a favor and make asparagus guacamole. It is made almost entirely of unprocessed food (besides 2 tablespoons of mayo) and tastes delicious. Try to be open minded - don't expect it to taste exactly like guacamole. However, it does taste similar, and looks just like it, except a bit thinner. I ate mine with naan and baby carrots, but it would be great with tortilla chips, pita bread, other veggies, etc. This version is really low calorie for "guacamole" too.
Ingredients:
1 lb fresh asparagus, cooked
1 small chopped onion
2 teaspoons minced garlic (divided)
1 can diced tomatoes
2 tbl mayonnaise
Juice from 2 lemons
One bunch minced cilantro
1/2 tsp chili powder
Salt and Hot Sauce, to taste
Directions:
1) Cook asparagus. I boiled mine in a big pan of water for about 10 minutes. You want them really soft because you are going to be blending them.
2) Dice up one small onion. Blend the onion, asparagus, and 1 teaspoon garlic until smooth. Pour into a bowl.
3) To the asparagus mixture, add mayo, lemon juice, cilantro, chili powder, tomatoes, hot sauce, salt, and another teaspoon minced garlic. I love cilantro so I may have used a lot - you can adjust accordingly. Stir to mix.
There you have it - very easy, very delicious, and very healthy "guacamole" to eat guilt-free!
My Mom was nice enough to give me one of her old slow cookers, and this is literally the first time I have ever used a slow cooker. I have a feeling I will get obsessed...Going to bed at 10 and waking up to delicious turkey chili for lunch? Count me in!
I got the recipe from my Mom, who got the recipe from Allrecipes.com: Laura's Quick Slow-Cooker Chili. All I needed to buy to make it was one onion and two cans of tomato soup - I was thrilled how cheap it was to make. Definitely something most people should be able to throw together with what they have on hand.
*I put stars next to all the changes that were my additions. You can check out the original recipe if you would like to know the other version.
1) To start, cook the turkey (which makes me happy because I can safely sample the chili while it cooks). I used 1.25 pounds* turkey and a tablespoon of olive oil, heated over medium, and cooked until brown (about 8 minutes). I sprinkled my turkey with turmeric* and pepper*, to ensure the meat was flavorful. I try to add turmeric whenever possible, because it is such a healthy spice. In fact, my food is starting to look weird when it DOESN'T have a yellow tinge to it :) When done, drain the turkey. I used a slotted spoon and put paper towels under and over the meat, to soak up most of the fat.
2) Coat the slow cooker with cooking spray. Add the following to the slow cooker:
- Cooked ground turkey
- Two 10.75oz cans of tomato soup
- Two 15oz cans of kidney beans
- 15oz black beans
- One medium onion, chopped*
- Two tablespoons chili powder
- Two teaspoons red pepper flakes*
- Half Tablespoon garlic powder
- Half Tablespoon paprika*
- Sprinkling of curry powder*, pepper, and allspice
3) Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours - I went for low.
I will let you know how it turns out in the morning! I have a feeling it is going to be delicious. The only thing I might need to change is it doesn't look like there is much liquid. However, I am not familiar with slow cookers, so not sure how much I will end up needing, plus I prefer a chunkier chili, so we will see what happens.
The ultimate test will be if it is better than this chili I made previously in the year: MOPS Chili
*Update: The chili turned out great. There was definitely enough liquid- after it cooked for 8 hours, it got perfectly juicy, so I wouldn't change the liquid. I like this better than the MOPS Chili because I like ground turkey better than chunks of beef. The MOPS chili was closer to a stew. However, I do think this turkey chili would be great with the addition of diced tomatoes and potentially the juice of a lime.
