Turkey and Sweet Potato Chili

Makes 5 servings (1 cup each)

Ingredients:
20 oz. 93% lean ground turkey
Koster salt, to taste
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 cloves crushed garlic
10 oz can Rotel mild tomatoes with green chilies
8 oz can tomato sauce
3/4 cup water
1/2 tsp. cumin, or to taste
1/4 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. paprika
1 bay leaf
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch cubes
Garnish ideas: fresh cilantro, grated cheddar cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips

Directions:
In large skillet, brown turkey over medium-high heat, breaking up into smaller pieces as it cooks and seasoning with salt and cumin. When meat is browned and cooked through, add onion and garlic and cook 3 minutes over medium heat. Add Rotel tomatoes, tomato sauce, sweet potatoes, water, cumin, chili powder, paprika, salt, and bay leaf.

Cover and simmer over medium-low heat until potatoes are soft and cooked through, about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1/4 cup more water if needed. Remove bay leaf and serve.

Red Beans and Rice

Not going to lie, this recipe requires some planning, prep, and time. But if you're willing to pay the price, the reward is well worth it! Ask Nathan for more details--he's the expert on this recipe.

Ingredients:
For red beans:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 medium green bell peppers, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
5 cloves garlic, minced
12 ounces pickled pork, cut into 1-inch pieces, recipe follows
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 quarts water
1 pound red kidney beans, rinsed and picked of debris

For rice:
3 cups water
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups long-grain rice
1/2 to 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Pickled Pork:
2 cups water
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup kosher salt
6 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons yellow mustard seed
2 tablespoons hot sauce
1 tablespoon celery seed
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
8 ounces ice
1 1/2 pounds fresh boneless pork butt, cut into 2-inch cubes

Directions: 

For rice + beans:

Place the vegetable oil in a 7-quart Dutch oven and set over medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, celery, salt and pepper to the pot. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions and celery are semi-translucent and the bell peppers are tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the pickled pork, bay leaves, thyme, hot sauce, cayenne pepper, water and beans to the pot and increase the heat to high. Cook, stirring frequently until the mixture comes to a boil, approximately 6 to 8 minutes. Decrease the heat to maintain a simmer, cover and cook for 1 1/2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes. Uncover, increase the heat slightly to maintain a steady simmer and continue to cook for another 30 to 40 minutes or until the beans are tender and the sauce is thickened to your liking. If you prefer an even creamier texture, mash some of the beans with a potato masher.

Prepare rice during the last 30 minutes of cooking the beans. Place the water into an electric kettle and bring to a boil. While the water is coming to a boil place the butter into a 3-quart saucepan, set over medium heat. Once the butter begins to bubble, add the rice and stir to combine. Add the salt and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Carefully pour the water over the rice and stir to combine. Decrease the heat to the lowest setting, cover, and cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve the beans over the rice.

Pickled Pork:

Combine all of the ingredients except the ice and the pork in a 2-quart non-reactive saucepan, set over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and maintain a simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the ice and stir. Place the pork into a 1-gallon zip top bag and add the cooled pickling liquid. Remove as much air as possible; seal the bag and place in the refrigerator for at least 3 days, turning the bag occasionally. Use within 2 weeks or remove from the pork from the brine and freeze. (Catherine's note: I trim as much fat as possible off of the pickled pork before it goes in to cook, otherwise you'll be running into a lot of gross, fatty bites when you're eating!)

Dark Chocolate Brownies

These brownies are so dark chocolate-y, rich, and delicious! Courtesy of Alton Brown.

Ingredients:
Soft butter, for greasing the pan
Flour, for dusting the buttered pan
4 large eggs
1 cup sugar, sifted
1 cup brown sugar, sifted
8 ounces melted butter
11/4 cups cocoa, sifted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Butter and flour an 8-inch square pan.

In a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the eggs at medium speed until fluffy and light yellow. Add both sugars. Add remaining ingredients, and mix to combine.

Pour the batter into a greased and floured 8-inch square pan and bake for 45 minutes. (He also recommends lining the pan with parchment paper with two edges hanging off so you can easily remove the brownies from the pan, then cut with a pizza cutter.) Check for doneness with the tried-and-true toothpick method: a toothpick inserted into the center of the pan should come out clean. When it's done, remove to a rack to cool. Resist the temptation to cut into it until it's mostly cool.

Roasted Veggies

Really easy! This usually makes two sheet pans worth, so I will prep both one night, roast one right away, and refrigerate the other for dinner the following night. You can make it into as much or little as you want. I don't do anything to preserve overnight aside from just covering with plastic wrap and haven't had issues with potatoes going brown. I haven't ever waited longer than 24 hours to cook so I don't know how it does beyond that. 

Ingredients:

1 large yellow squash

1 large zucchini 

1 medium red onion

1 large sweet potato, peeled

Several small red potatoes, peeled

1 large red bell pepper 

2 cans garbanzo beans, rinsed 

5-6 large carrots, peeled 

Kosher salt

Fresh ground black pepper

Olive oil

Instructions:

I just chop everything up a little larger in size (not finely diced)--it shrinks down a lot while roasting. Toss it all together in a large bowl, then spread in an even layer onto sheet pans--it can be snug but not on top of each other or it won't roast as well. Sometimes I line with foil to make cleanup easier. Drizzle with olive oil and a decent amount of salt and pepper. Then roast at about 375 or 400 for around an hour...I usually take the pan our about halfway and stir things around. You just have to eyeball it to see when it looks done. 

Curry Fried Rice

This recipe is very flexible, just cook as much rice as you need for the # people you're feeding and add the mix-ins, adjusting amounts accordingly. You can easily eyeball everything!  

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups rice (jasmine)

3 cups chicken broth 

1/2 red onion diced

1-2 cloves Garlic

1/4 cup fine diced fresh tomatoes

1/4 cup frozen peas

1/4 cup frozen corn

1/4 stick butter

3/4 tsp. curry powder

1/4 tsp. turmeric 

Salt to taste

Instructions:

1. Melt butter and sauté onion, then garlic 

2. Add rice, curry powder, turmeric, and salt, sauté to toast rice

3. Add broth and bring to a boil, then cook like normal rice

4. Once cooked, add veggies and salt to taste, then let sit a few minutes before serving

Fried Rice

This probably feeds 8-10 but this recipe is easy to adjust up or down for the # of people you're cooking for. 

Ingredients:

3 cups jasmine rice

About 6 large carrots, diced small

1 yellow onion, diced small

About 3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 bag frozen peas (or however much looks right)

1/2 bag frozen corn (same with amount) 

7 eggs, scrambled (unseasoned) 

1 pkg. Canadian bacon (8 rounds)--small diced

Soy sauce 

Sriracha sauce

Directions:

Cook rice

Scramble eggs until just done, break into small bits 

Sauté onion and carrots til tender, add garlic and cook for a minute or so

Add ham

Add frozen veggies and sauté til heated 

Add eggs

Add cooked rice and mix thoroughly

Season with soy sauce and sriracha to taste