White Bean & Turkey Chili with Sweet Cornbread

Well, it's still winter.  And for pretty much everyone not in the Pacific Northwest (save those of you on a beach or in a desert), you've recently been reminded about the properties of snow.  After all of the shoveling/snow-blowing/ice-scraping, you need something warm and comforting to fend off thoughts of tauntauns on Hoth.  This recipe is for you.

The husband was kind enough to whip this up while I was off on a long run, so I don't have much to say on the making of it.  His thoughts?  "It barely made any dishes - it's a one-pot wonder."  (This comment likely gives you insight into who does a lot of dishes around here...oops.)  He stuck with the recipe with the exception of expanding on the spices slightly - a bit more chili powder and a splash of sriracha to give it a bit more warmth and depth.

The result?  Awesome.  We immediately declared it wonderful and it has earned a spot in our rotation.  Of course, when you have chili you must have cornbread!  I have a go-to recipe for sweet cornbread that is a favorite of ours.  The only difference is that I used corn flour instead of all-purpose flour, just because I had it.  Also, I cut back on the sugar a bit.  I like things sweet, but it seemed a bit extreme, even for me.

For those cold days, this is the meal for you!

White Bean & Turkey Chili
(from Giada De Laurentis)
Serves 6-8

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 pounds ground turkey or chicken
1 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 1/4 teaspoons chili powder (or to taste)
3 tablespoons flour
2 (15-ounce cans) cannellini or other white beans, rinsed and drained
1 bunch (about 1 pound) Swiss chard, stems removed, leaves chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed
4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Splash of sriracha
Freshly ground black pepper for seasoning
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the ground turkey, 1 teaspoon salt, cumin, fennel seeds, oregano, and chili powder. Cook, stirring frequently, until the chicken is cooked through, about 8 minutes. Stir the flour into the chicken mixture. Add the beans, Swiss chard, corn, and chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a simmer, scraping up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Simmer for 55-60 minutes until the liquid has reduced by about half and the chili has thickened. Add the red pepper flakes and sriracha and simmer for another 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Ladle the chili into serving bowls. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese.

Sweet Cornbread
(from Allrecipes)
Makes 12 servings

1 cup all-purpose flour 

1 cup yellow cornmeal
2/3 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 egg 

1 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Spray or lightly grease a 9 inch pan.

In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt and baking powder. Stir in egg, milk and vegetable oil until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Serve with butter and honey.

Enjoy!

 

Acorn Squash, Pear, and Adzuki Bean Soup with Sauteed Shiitakes (vegan)

For my birthday, the fiance gave me a snazzy new vegan cookbook!  I've been itching to try something from it (I have bookmarks all over it with the things I want to try).  Finally, we made something, and it was fantastic!

The fiance was intrigued by the shape of the end of the squash, he just had to take a picture.

It was such a pretty colored soup!  The recipe says to puree just half of it so there are still some chunks in it, but I just decided to puree all of it for a smoother texture.  Either would work!

I love mushrooms, so I'd recommend adding a few more than the recipe calls for.  They add a really interesting texture and umami flavor to the soup!

(If you were wondering, we ate this soup with naan.  Not the most culturally accurate addition, but it was really tasty!)

Acorn Squash, Pear, and Adzuki Soup with Sauteed Shiitakes

(from Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook)

Serves 6

2 Tbsp peanut oil

1 large onion, cut into 1/4 inch slices

1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4 inch slices

2 tsp minced ginger

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp Chinese five-spice powder

2 acorn squashes, seeded, peeled, and cut into 3/4 inch chunks (the best way to deal with prepping the squash is to cut it in half, seed it, and then cut it into chunks.  Use a paring knife to slice off the skin)

2 firm Bartlett pears, peeled, seeded, and sliced into thin (not paper-thin) slices, roughly 1 inch long

4 cups vegetable stock

1 - 2 (15 ounce) cans or 2 - 3 cups (cooked) adzuki beans, drained and rinsed

1 Tbsp fresh lime juice

Mushrooms:

4 - 6 oz. fresh shiitakes, slice in half

2 tsp peanut oil

1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil

1 Tbsp soy sauce

Preheat a large stockpot over medium heat.  Saute the onions and peppers in the oil for about 10 minutes, or until the onions just begin to brown.

Add the ginger and garlic, and saute for 1 more minute.  Stirring often, add the salt, five-spice, acorn squash, and pear, and cook for another minute before adding the vegetable stock.  Cover and bring to boil.  Once the soup is boiling, lower the heat to medium-low and simmer briskly for about 20 more minutes, or until the squash is tender.

Puree half (or all) the soup, using either an immersion blender or by transferring half the soup to a food processor or blender, processing, and pouring it back into the the rest of the soup.  Be careful if using a blender - let the soup cool a bit before blending it so it doesn't explode!

add the adzuki beans and lime.  Cover and simmer over low heat until the beans are heated through - 7-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the mushrooms:

Preheat a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the oils and saute the mushrooms for about 7 minutes, until the are soft.  Mix in the soy sauce and stir constantly until it is absorbed (about 1 minute).

Ladle the soup into bowls and top with the sauteed mushrooms.

Enjoy!