Spicy Beef & Acorn Squash Winter Stew

I’m not a huget meat eater but I’ll have the occasional burger or meatball if the mood strikes me. If you’ve been following my blog (thank you!) you’ll probably notice that most of the recipes involve veggies, chicken & fish with very little meat in between. Which means that that’s what my husband eats too. Last night I opted to throw Chris a bone & make a beef stew. Given his positive reaction I may have to make this & meat more often.

Simple Tapas: Spicy Baked Chickpeas

I love tapas for two reasons. One reason I love them is that they remind me of my first date with Chris. He took me to a great tapas restaurant. That was my last first date :) The other reason, which Chris didn’t know on our first date is that I love to taste different things. So I love ordering tapas. Granted there is a lot of work that usually goes into these tasty little dishes even if you’re just getting a taste. I found this quick & easy tapas dish for spicy baked chickpeas that from Claire Robinson’s 5 Ingredient Fix show (sigh I miss that show - so if you’re listening Food Network Gods please bring it back!). It’s a super easy snack to make & have on hand when guests come over for the holidays. Plus, this dish is primarily chickpeas so you can secretly provide some nutrition for your guests too!

Turkey & White Bean Chili

The mercury is dropping this week, so bundle up & cozy up to a hot bowl of chili like this one.  I adapted this recipe from Giada's White Bean & Chicken Chili.  The technique is similar but I changed up the ingredients a little bit but not much. I like this spicy chili because it's a bit different than traditional tomato based chilis in that there isn't any in this one.  It's a hearty chili with dark greens & creamy beans.  It's just what mother nature ordered this week.

Read more for the full recipe & photos.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 pounds ground turkey
• 1 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 2 (15-ounce cans) cannellini or other white beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup beet greens or red swiss chard, stems removed, leaves chopped into 1-inch pieces
• 4 cups baby kale
• 1 1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• Freshly ground black pepper for seasoning
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup basil, julienned
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Make it!

1. In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add the onion & cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the garlic & cook for 30 seconds.
4. Add the ground turkey, 1 teaspoon salt, cumin, fennel seeds, oregano, & cayenne pepper.
5. Cook, stirring frequently, until the chicken is cooked through, about 8 minutes.
6. Stir the flour into the turkey mixture.
7. Add the beans, Swiss chard, baby kale, corn, & chicken stock.
8. Bring the mixture to a simmer, scraping up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.
9. Simmer for 55-60 minutes until the liquid has reduced by about half & the chili has thickened.
10. Add the red pepper flakes & simmer for another 10 minutes.
11. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
12. Ladle the chili into serving bowls.
13. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese, julienned basil & chopped parsley.

Cuban Shrimp

This past weekend was pretty low key. On Saturday night we dinned on some Cuban beans, yellow rice & shrimp.  Check out my recipe for shrimp that I came up with via a combo of recipes I found.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb large shrimp, peeled & deveined (we leave our tails on but take them off completely if you like)
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 6 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 8 ounces tomato sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce (or more to taste)
• 3/4 cup chicken stock
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Make it:

1. In a large pan on top of the stove, heat the oil over medium-high heat, and sauté the onions for 3 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the remaining ingredients except the shrimp & parsley, cover the pot, turn the heat to low, and cook for 20 minutes.
3. Add the shrimp, cover, and cook over low heat for 6-8 minutes until shrimp are just cooked through.
4. Turn off heat and set aside until ready to serve with hot rice & top with chopped parsley.

Tangy Hot Chickpea Salad

Change up your salad routine with this hearty chickpea salad that's equal parts refreshing, healthy & hot! Simply combine all the ingredients in a large serving bowl.

Make it!
Mix the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl.  Toss it all together. This salad is great served right away & only gets better the longer it sits in the dressing & chills in the fridge. 

Ingredients:

• 2-8oz cans of chickpeas (rinse & drain)
• 1 jalapeno pepper (seed & dice)
• 1 cup baby spinach (chiffonade)
• 1 cup arugula (rough chop)
• 2 tomatoes (seed & chop)

Dressing:

• 1 tablespoon agave (or honey)
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 limes (juice & zest)
• 1 tablespoon hot pepper flakes

Cowboy Caviar

No one throws a tailgate like Gamecock fans, specifically the Snelling Family of South Carolina.  I've had this recipe in my rotation of dip recipes since 1999 thanks to my dear friend Sara (Snelling) Wilson, one of the finest ladies the South has to offer armed with a ton of charm, sugary sweet laughter & stellar Southern family recipes.  Check out my adaptation of Sara's cowboy caviar dip (read: I added avocado, of course!) after the jump.