Turkey chilli

Our easy Turkey Chilli recipe.

When we dropped red meat from our diet, one of the dishes we thought we would miss the most was Chilli con Carne, but through experimentation, we have created a great Turkey chilli and prefer this over a normal chilli, plus it's really easy to make. This is a great low-fat, heart-healthy meal.

Adding beans to the chilli extends the dish, we love black beans, kidney beans and also cannellini beans. It's a way of changing the dish. It also means you have leftovers for another day. Great on the top of a jacket potato or with some tortilla chips, guacamole, salsa and sour cream.

Sometimes I will add a chopped green or red pepper when I'm frying the onions. You could also add 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper and 1 chopped fresh chilli instead.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 white or red onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon paprika
1 level teaspoon cayenne pepper (this is medium spice)

1 teaspoon of mild smoked paprika

Turkey thigh mince
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 Knorr beef stock pot 

1 tsp Tamari soy sauce
optional tin of black beans/kidney beans

optional 1 green/red pepper chopped

salt and pepper

Method

Over medium heat, sweat the onion in the olive oil until soft, add a small amount of water to the pan before adding the spices, this stops them burning. Gently fry off the onion and spices until the water has evaporated, keep stirring. If you are going to add the green pepper, add it now and fry 1 minute.

Add the turkey mince and fry off until browned.
Add the tin of tomatoes and a beef stockpot, you can also add a tin of black or kidney beans (don't drain them). If you didn't add the beans, then add half a can of water (wash out the rest of the tinned tomatoes). Stir in the Tamari (this gives a deeper flavour).

Cook gently for about 25 minutes, check the seasoning.

If you are using this in taco shells or with tortillas, cook down a little more, so that it is firm.

Serve with rice.

We also like some salsa and guacamole with ours. A pot of chopped fresh chillies, so that you can sprinkle over as much heat as you want. 

If you aren't worried about the fat content, some grated cheddar and sour cream is a perfect topping.

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Paella

If you want a special dinner, then this makes a great dish. There are quite a few ingredients, but I've discovered some quick cheats when shopping to make this easier.

Ingredients

Sofritto:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 medium tomatoes, chopped

1/2 chorizo chopped (can buy ready chopped pack)
1 large pinch of saffron
1 teaspoon paprika
1 pack of chicken pieces
1/2 packet of paella rice
1 chicken stock pot made up to 1 pint with boiling water
1 pack of frozen mixed shellfish (M&S contains, prawns, squid and scallops defrosted)
Frozen peas
1 tablespoon flat leaved parsley, finely chopped
1 lemon cut into wedges.

Method

In a non-stick frying pan, gently fry the sofritto together until the olive oil starts to separate from the mix, this can take 10 minutes.
Move the sofritto to the side of the pan and add the chorizo to the other side of the pan, let this fry off and release it's wonderful oils, add the paprika and chicken pieces, cook for 5 minutes stirring the chorizo side of the pan separately from the sofritto, cook until you have browned all the chicken. Mix everything in the pan together. Now sprinkle over the rice and stir in well to the mixture. Pour over the stock and add enough water to cover the chicken with liquid. Stir well and reduce to a simmer.
Stir gently occasionally, cook for 20 minutes. If the pan is drying out, you may need to add more boiling water.
Check the rice, you want it to be just soft and the chicken is cooked. Add the seafood and the frozen peas, stir well and continue to cook for another 5 minutes (add liquid if necessary), the prawns should be pink when fully cooked.
Sprinkle over the parsley and serve with lemon wedges.

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Leek and Potato Soup - Simple can be all that's needed

Gently does it

When you aren't feeling quite as good as you should, slightly off colour then soup maybe all you fancy. A very simple Leek and Potato soup would be a failsafe, plus I could put into a pour and store bag and pop in the fridge for later.

Leek and Potato Soup

Ingredients

1lb Potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/2 inch slices
1 Leek, washed and sliced
1 Vegetable stock cube
Water to cover
Seasoning

Method

Put all the ingredients in the pan and cover with enough water so that there is 1/2 inch above all the ingredients.
Bring to a boil and simmer until the potatoes are soft.
Remove from heat and then blend using a hand blender.
Season to taste. If serving at a dinner party, you can add a swirl of cream and a few chopped chives, but for convalescing leave out the cream.

If chilled, this is a great vichyssoise.

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Chicken Fajitas - when short cuts are good

A very successful dinner last night.

As our daughter has an intolerance to wheat, gluten and dairy, we had bought a Fajita Kit a couple of weeks ago. Tonight I used this to save some time and create a healthy dinner for all of us.
The kit came with the tortillas, salsa and the fajita spice mix.
I used one chicken breast, plus a red and a green pepper and one onion to make the fajitas.
I added some salad leaves and slices of avocado when building the fajitas with the salsa.
A big hit, the aromas in the kitchen were wonderful. A great store cupboard hit, full of nutrients and very low fat.

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