minestrone

Diabetes runs in both sides of my family so I’m trying to learn more about prevention and treatment through diet for myself and loved ones. Lately I’ve tried several diabetic-friendly recipes, with mixed results. But this soup is mighty tasty, and it makes a ton!

Minestrone is a traditional Italian dish made up of a variety of ingredients. This dish is low-calorie, heart-healthy, and diabetic friendly. Substitute vegetable stock for chicken stock to make this dish vegetarian. 

adapted from The Mediterranean Diabetic Cookbook by Amy Riolo

serves 10 (1-cup servings)

1 Tbsp EVOO

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

2 carrots, finely chopped

1 celery stalk, finely chopped

¼ cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped

6 cloves garlic, chopped

3 cups shredded green cabbage

1 Yukon gold potato, chopped into bite-size pieces

8 cups low-sodium organic chicken stock

2 zucchini, chopped into bite-size pieces

2 large tomatoes, chopped

½ lb. string beans, chopped into bite-size pieces

1 (15 oz.) can no-salt added cannellini beans

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

salt to taste

pepper to taste

½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

to make your soup:

*heat olive oil over medium heat

*sauté onion, carrots, celery for 5 minutes

*add parsley and garlic, cook for another minute

*stir in cabbage, potatoes, and chicken stock, bring to boil

*stir in zucchini, tomatoes, green beans, cannellini beans, and vinegar

*cover and simmer for 40 minutes to one hour

*add salt and pepper to taste

*blend half of soup with an immersion blender

serving suggestions:

hot, topped with Parmesan cheese

nutrition per serving:

exchanges: ½ starch, 2 vegetable, ½ fat

calories: 130

fat calories: 30

total fat: 3.5g

sat. fat: 1.1g

cholesterol: 5mg

sodium: 475mg

total carbs: 19g

dietary fiber: 5g

sugars: 5g

protein: 8g

cranberry and apple braised pork chops

This creation made use of Thanksgiving leftovers and pork chops I had in the freezer from my CSA, making it delicious and inexpensive. In fact this was so good I’ll be making it again from scratch and trying it with different apple and wine varieties.

Local, natural, sustainable agricultural just tastes better, and these chops didn’t disappoint. Despite being frozen, this pork was incredibly tender and flavorful. With more chops, this dish could easily have served 4-6 people.

serves 2

salt and pepper

1 onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1-2 cups cranberry sauce

1 cup wine (I used Estancia Pinot Noir)

2 all-natural pork chops, ½” thick

1-4” stem fresh rosemary, stem discarded

1-4” stem fresh thyme, stem discarded

1 cored and sliced granny smith apple

to make your chops:

*rub both sides of the chops with salt and pepper and marinate with a little cranberry sauce 8 hours or overnight

*preheat oven to 350

*in a saucepan, warm 1-2 cups cranberry sauce and 1 cup wine over low heat

*in the Dutch oven, sauté onions and garlic in a little Olive Oil over medium heat about 5 minutes

*make room for and sear both sides of chops until golden, about 5 minutes total, transfer chops to plate

*add apples to onions and cook for 5 minutes

*place chops on top of apples and cover with thyme and rosemary leaves

*spoon warmed cranberry sauce over chops

*cover and cook for 45 minutes, uncovering the last 5 minutes

serving suggestion:

with cornbread stuffing

maple cranberry sauce

This recipe comes from the ‘big cookbook’ (it’s at least 3” thick) my mom gave me years ago which has become my bible of sorts for all things cooking and baking. There are a million ways to make a cranberry side dish for a Thanksgiving meal but this one is extremely simple and a good balance of sweet and tart flavors.

Walnut halves have been omitted from the original.

adapted from The New Basics Cookbook

serves 10-12

12 oz. fresh organic cranberries, well-rinsed

1 cup pure maple syrup

1 cup raspberry-cranberry juice (not from concentrate)

Grated zest of 1 orange

to make your sauce:

*combine all ingredients and bring to boil

*lower heat to medium and cook until cranberries pop, about 10 minutes

*skim off any foam, allow to cool, cover, and refrigerate

serving suggestions:

*with your Thanksgiving feast of course!

marinara sauce

Marinara sauce has been a love of mine since I was a kid sharing family meals at Anna Maria’s, a beloved family-owned Italian restaurant in Santa Monica. Marinara over shells is my favorite, but I have been known to eat it just by the spoonful. Never have I a made a worthy version from scratch, until now.

This recipe incorporates celery and carrots. And while I’m not sure how authentically Italian these ingredients may be, they seem to be valuable additions to the tomatoes, delivering a rustic flavor. I substituted half of the tomatoes for fresh tomatoes and wine. This sauce is hefty, despite being meatless.

adapted from Giada DeLaurentiis’ marinara sauce recipe

serves 4-6

½ cup EVOO

2 small onions, chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

½ tsp sea salt

½ tsp freshly ground pepper

1-28oz. can Hunt’s crushed tomatoes

4 fresh, large paste tomatoes, sliced

1 cup red wine

2 dried bay leaves
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

to make your sauce:

*heat oil over medium high heat and sauté onions and garlic for 10 minutes

*add carrots, celery, salt and pepper, and stir occasionally another 10 minutes

*add tomatoes and remove from heat

*blend with immersion blender

*bring to simmer, add bay leaf and red pepper

*cook on low heat, uncovered, for one hour

*remove and discard bay leaves before serving

serving suggestions:

*freshly grated parmesan and homemade garlic bread, buon appetite!

butternut squash soup

Gwyneth Paltrow’s cookbook and an immersion blender have been on my wish list for some time and when I received both as birthday presents, I couldn’t wait to use them. Searching her book for a soup recipe with blending in mind, this one seemed spot-on for a fall afternoon.

Garam masala provided depth of flavor to this thick, savory soup. Most likely owing to the dark vegetable stock, the russet tint was not entirely appealing. G.P. offers a vegetable stock recipe, but I opted for store-bought. Another grocery item to save time is the peeled and diced butternut squash available at Trader Joe’s.

Since everything will be blended, there's no need to toil over perfectly-sized chopped veggies. The immersion blender was quick easy to use. It has become my new favorite kitchen gadget and I’m looking forward to more applications. This recipe was sized just right for two people with leftovers for an entire other meal.

A native of Central America, Butternut Squash is easy to grow. Due to its nutty taste and orange flesh, this winter squash is considered a type of pumpkin and used as such in Australia. Butternut squash is an excellent source of vitamin A and vitamin E, as well as a good source of fiber, vitamin C, manganese, magnesium, and potassium.

adapted from ‘Butternut Squash Soup’ from My Father's Daughter

serves 4

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 large yellow onions, peeled and roughly chopped

2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

½ tsp sea salt

several turns of fresh ground pepper

½ tsp Garam masala

6 cups butternut squashed, peeled, seeded, cubed

32 oz. vegetable stock

to make your soup:

*melt butter in the olive oil over medium heat

*add onions and garlic and sauté for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally

*stir in salt, pepper, Garam masala and heat for another 2 minutes

*add squash, stirring occasionally for another 10 minutes

*add vegetable stock and bring to a boil

*lower the temperature and simmer for 20 minutes

*remove from heat for 15 minutes

*blend soup with immersion blender

*heat for another few minutes, salt to taste, and serve

serving suggestions:

*a fried green tomato salad and sweet vinaigrette would nicely complement the savory nature of this soup. also, cheesy croutons would be a most welcome addition.

white bean & chicken chili

It’s fall ya’ll! And I had house guests last weekend, so I made one of my favorite cold weather soups. This dish is always well-received and the leftovers are absolutely delicious. I recommend adding one more jalapeno for an additional kick and making cheesy jalapeno cornbread to go along with it.

The last time I made this chili, instead of simmering for 30 minutes, I baked the chili at 250 degrees for about an hour. The broth/wine proportion and volume is open to interpretation. I’ve made this without wine and/or with less liquid volume and still had great results. As always, home-grown, locally sourced, free-range, and organic ingredients make everything better!

serves 6-8 
1 onion, diced
1 fresh jalapeno, diced
1 rotisserie chicken, bones removed, chopped
28 oz. petite diced tomatoes
3 (15oz.) great northern white beans
14 oz. fresh salsa (I used Jack's Special Medium Salsa)
24 oz. chicken broth
1 cup white wine
½ bunch cilantro, chopped
juice from ½ of a lime
1 Tbsp. cumin

to make your stew: 
*sauté the onion and pepper in a little olive oil until softened
*add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil
*reduce heat and simmer, covered, for at least 30 minutes

serving suggestion:
serve with cornbread, sour cream, shredded cheese, and sliced jalapenos

poulet en cocotte bonne femme

The end of Septemeber has arrived without my having posted any recipes. And while I have been cooking, mostly soups, nothing has seemed worthy of publishing here. In a moment of nostalgia I realized I neglected to post the first dish ever attempted in my dutch oven, roasted chicken.

This simple French dish was a perfect first challenge and the results were nothing short of mouth-watering success. What better way to start a dish than bacon and butter? I remember this recipe taking some time to prepare, but the end result was well worth the effort. I'm glad I thought of this, I plan on making it again soon!

adapted from Julia Child’s recipe

serves 4-6
4 oz. bacon, chopped into large chunks
2 pads of butter
a small whole chicken, washed and drained (giblets and neck removed)
12 small potatoes, quartered
3 carrots, sliced
1 large onion, chopped into large pieces
handful of fresh rosemary
handful of fresh thyme
a bay leaf
2 cloves of garlic

to make the dish:
*preheat the oven to 325 degrees
*chop the bacon into large chunks
*add bacon to dutch oven on medium high heat and stir until mostly cooked
*set bacon aside and add a pad of butter
*place chicken in melted butter, brown the skin, flipping often (approximately 10-15 mins.)
*add cut potatoes to a pan of cold water, bring to a boil and remove immediately
*bring carrots and onion to a low boil for five minutes in a separate pan
*remove chicken to a plate and some of bacon fat from dutch oven
*add another pad of butter to dutch oven and stir in potatoes, coating well
*season the inside of the chicken with rosemary, thyme, bay leaf, and garlic tied in a washed cheesecloth
*season the chicken with salt and pepper
*set aside most of the potatoes from the dutch oven, and add the chicken
*add the remaining potatoes, carrots, onion, and bacon around and partly covering the chicken
*put the lid on the dutch oven and bake for 22 minutes per pound of bird
*let the bird rest 10 minutes before serving

spicy spaghetti

i love this spicy spaghetti! add some chopped tomatoes from the garden; this is a great way to use home-grown produce. quick and easy, this dish went from chopping to serving in just 30 minutes. i'm looking forward to the leftovers!

also, this meal is very inexpensive. if you grow your own peppers and basil as i have, each serving of this dish costs about $1.00. for the money, this meal was satisfying, healthful, and tasty!

adapted from Jamie Oliver’s recipe

serves 4-6
2 cloves garlic
1 pound dried spaghetti (i used Capellini)
1 fresh red chile
olive oil
small bunch of fresh basil
14 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 cup fresh spinach, stems removed
sea salt and fresh ground pepper
4 oz. fresh grated parmesan cheese

to make your pasta:
*peel and finely slice the garlic
*finely slice the chile
*pick the basil leaves off the stalk and put to one side
*finely chop stalks
*bring large pan of salted water to a boil, add spaghetti, cook according to package
*put dutch oven on medium heat, add 2 lugs of olive oil
*add garlic, chile, and basil stalks, stir
*when the garlic browns, add most of the basil leaves and canned tomatoes
*turn the heat up to high for one minute
*season with salt and pepper
*drain spaghetti in colander, transfer to the dutch oven, add spinach and stir

serving suggestion:
serve in bowls topped with torn remaining basil leaves and parmesan cheese.
Chianti works well with this meal.

red, white, & blue cobbler

this quick and easy dessert is perfect for July 4th weekend; add a little ice cream and it’s red, white, and blue! personally, i think cobbler makes a great breakfast too.

adapted from Allrecipes.com

serves 6
4 Tbsp. butter
¾ cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup sugar
1 tsp. baking pwder
1/3 tsp. salt
¾ cup milk (I used 2%)
3 cups sliced fresh berries (I used strawberries and blueberries)
1 Tbsp. sugar

to make your cobbler:
*adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and preheat to 350 degress
*put butter in your dutch oven (or at least 2-quart pan), set in oven to melt butter and then remove
*whisk flour, ¾ cup sugar, baking pawder, and salt in a small bowl. Add milk; whisk to form a smooth batter.
*pour batter into the dutch oven (with butter), then scatter fruit over batter, and sprinkle with 1 Tbsp. sugar
*bake until batter browns and fruit bubbles (50-60 minutes)

serving suggestion:
serve warm or at room temperature with ice cream or whipped cream

cheesy baked pasta with spinach & artichoke

this simple, healthful recipe was quick to prepare and yielded a wonderfully cheesy result. any opportunity to grate fresh parmesan is a welcome one, and i think it adds so much more flavor to any dish over the store-bought pre-grated variety.

i thought the meal was hardy enough as a main course, but this recipe could easily be a side item as well. next time, i will try using some lemon pepper and/or lemon thyme in this dish as i love the combination of lemon and artichokes.

adapted from Real Simple’s recipe

serves 4
8oz. whole grain mini penne (or other short pasta)
14oz. can artichoke hearts, rinsed and quartered
9oz. package frozen creamed spinach, thawed
¼ cup fresh grated parmesan
2 cups grated mozzarella, divided
Fresh ground black pepper

to make your pasta:
*cook pasta according to directions, drain, and return to pot
*add artichoke hearts, spinach, parmesan, 1 cup mozzarella & ¼ tsp. pepper, stirring to combine
*heat broiler
*sprinkle remaining mozzarella over the top of the pasta and broil until cheese is browned in spots, about 2-3 minutes

serving suggestion:
with a crisp salad

mom's meatloaf

Meatloaf = comfort food. And while I usually think of this dish as a fall or winter meal, it’s just as tasty when it’s warm outside. It’s even better (and perhaps more seasonally appropriate) the next day as cold slices on sandwich bread. I was able to use parsley from my garden, and soon I’ll be able to use my own peppers too!

Occasionally, I’ll substitute oatmeal for breadcrumbs, which creates a chunkier texture. Also, I place slices of red pepper on the top of the loaf before baking, though this is more for aesthetics than anything else. If you don’t like red pepper, you could substitute any sweet pepper.

based on my mom’s recipe

serves 4-6
pad of butter
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 lb 8% fat Laura’s Lean ground beef
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
3/4 cup italian breadcrumbs
1/3 cup chili sauce
1/3 cup ketchup
1 egg
a few sprigs of fresh Parsley, finely chopped
pinch of cumin
pinch of mustard powder
pinch of salt
a few turns of fresh ground pepper

to make your meatloaf:
*preheat oven to 350
*with dutch oven over medium to high heat, saute' onions in butter for a few minutes
*meanwhile, chop red pepper and combine with beef, breadcrumbs, chili sauce, ketchup, egg, and seasonings in a large mixing bowl
*remove onions with a slotted spoon and place them in the bowl with the meat
*mix everything well with your hands
*create a loaf shape (like a football) and place in the dutch oven (or spread into a loaf pan)
*lightly drizzle the top of the loaf with ketchup
*bake covered for an hour, uncover the last few minutes of baking

serving suggestion:
serve with butter rolls, potatoes, greens, and of course ketchup!

sweet & savory roasted chicken

“food must not only be good to eat, but also good to think”--Claude Levi-Strauss

Some like to fix sweet potatoes sweetly, others prefer savory; this recipe is the best of both worlds. Everything used to make this meal came from local farms save the oil, salt, and pepper.

This is the first time I’ve ordered chicken from my CSA, and I couldn’t have been more pleased with the moistness and flavor. This meal makes the most of everything that’s in season right now, making it very cost-effective.

adapted from Real Simple’s recipe

serves 4
4 chicken thighs
4 chicken legs
3 tbps olive oil
2 ½ tsp kosher salt
¾ tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 ½ lbs sweet potatoes
1 medium onion
2 tbps honey

to make your chicken:
*preheat oven to 400
*pat the chicken dry with paper towels and place in the dutch oven (or roasting pan)
*drizzle with 1 tbsp oil, 1 ½ tsp salt, and ½ tsp pepper, rub to coat
*roast chicken for 25 minutes
*meanwhile, chop sweet potatoes and onions into 1” pieces and combine in a large bowl with honey and remaining spices
*after chicken has roasted for 25 minutes, add sweet potato mixture on top of chicken and cook another 25-30 minutes until potatoes are tender.

turkey piccata

"One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well."
—Virginia Woolf

I love schnitzel, piccata, and scaloppine. Veal piccata (which is the origin of this dish in Italy) is the superior piccata from a taste perspective. But, if you are budget conscious or morally opposed to veal, the poultry options are a good bet. And, if you're Vegan/Vegetarian you can make this dish with seitan. When I saw the Turkey version in Alton Brown’s Good Eats 2, I couldn’t wait to try it.

Traditional Piccata is sauteed, butterflied meat in a lemony reduction. It is typically served over a bed of pasta in America, or after the pasta course in Italy. I am accustomed to a piccata dish containing capers, but this recipe omits them (and I missed them, though this was probably just nostalgia). This simple dish is easy to assemble and very quick cooking.

The turkey breast I bought from Whole Foods was already so thinly sliced that I didn’t take the time to flatten the turkey cutlets further. Next time, I will make more of the lemon/wine reduction as it accompanied the fettuccine pasta quite well. The turkey was delicious and I’m looking forward to the leftovers!

adapted from Alton Brown’s Good Eats 2

serves 4-6
1 pound of turkey cutlets
Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. olive oil
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
2 tbsp. shallots, finely chopped
½ cup white wine
1/3 cup lemon juice (which was more than 1 lemon for me)
2 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)

to make your Piccata:
*preheat oven to 200
*slice your turkey breast into ½” pieces and pound turkey cutlets to no less than 1/8” thick
*season both sides of the meat with salt and pepper and dredge through flour, shaking off excess, set aside
*heat oil and 4 tbsp. butter over medium high
*when hot, but not yet smoking, brown the turkey, about 1 minute on each side, then remove to an oven-proof platter and place in oven to keep warm
*reduce heat to low and add shallots, sautéing for 1-2 minutes, until they begin to turn translucent
*add the wine and lemon juice and simmer until slightly reduced, about 2 minutes
*add the remaining butter and whisk to combine
*season with salt and pepper to taste, if necessary
*pour the sauce over the turkey, sprinkle with parsley, and serve immediately

serving suggestion:
over a bed of pasta or mashed potatoes with a crisp salad

p.s. the photo used is from wikipedia's chicken piccata article. my turkey was camera-shy and really, they look quite similar.

(twice) baked beans

We’ve had such mild weather lately that we’ve been able to grill out in the middle of February! I love baked beans, and this recipe doesn’t disappoint. We had these beans as a side to really delicious burgers on the grill. And while a dutch oven is not necessary, as with all things, it only makes it better!

My boyfriend thought it was comical that one of the ingredients in this recipe was in fact canned baked beans. Come to find out Whit himself passed off canned baked beans in a Crockpot as a homemade side dish for a holiday party years ago. If he had just had this easy recipe, he could have truthfully claimed this fabulous side dish as his own.

If chili sauce is unknown to you, you are in good company. I had no idea what it was before I made these beans. I found it between the cocktail sauce and ketchup in the condiment aisle at my Kroger. It's not hot (spicy), but more of a sweet ketchup. This sauce is tasty and will be a condiment staple in my fridge from now on.

This recipe is adapted from ‘Life After Ramen’ by Ann Thatcher and Randy MacDonald, who are Knoxville natives! I've truly enjoyed their cookbook in the years since I received it as a gift. The recipes have short ingredients lists and do not require a lot of skill or equipment to pull off.

In the future, I'll try to make baked beans from scratch. But in the meantime, I'm happy to have this time saving and absolutely delicious recipe for a summer favorite on hand.

serves 4-6
28 oz. canned original style baked beans
¼ cup diced onion
¼ cup diced green pepper
6 oz. chili sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 strip bacon

to make your beans:
*preheat oven to 350
*mix all ingredients and add to the dutch oven
*top with bacon strip
*cover and cook for 15 minutes
*uncover and cook for another 15 minutes

serving suggestion:
this side dish is delish hot or cold!

brownie eureka

last week we made brownies in the dutch oven. they were the most delicious, moistest brownies i have ever made, despite having come from a BOX. let me explain; after years of trying to bake cakes, brownies, cookies etc. in my shoddy oven with lackluster results, i had all but given up.

for some reason the temperature never stays consistent and i wound up with desserts that looked as though i baked them in a microwave. i can’t tell you how humiliating it is to make a cake (from a box) and it doesn’t turn out. short of purchasing a new oven, i had a hunch that the dutch oven could turn all this around for me. and it did.

we used the Ducan Hines Decadent Double Fudge Brownie mix. the brownies were beautifully consistent, and delicious. thank you, Duncan Hines. thank you, Le Creuset.

chicken and white wine stew

you may never have thought to put chicken in a stew before, neither had i. but, true to form, the combination of chicken and white wine does not disappoint. this stew ended up being one of my favorite Jamie Oliver recipes to date, albeit one that i tweaked considerably.

a note from the meat department: the butcher at my neighborhood Kroger would not skin and dice my chicken thighs as the original recipe calls for. so, being short on time and weary of raw poultry i decided to cook the chicken first and sort out all the messy details later.

my stew was probably more delicious for having left the skin on; though this probably decreased the healthfulness quotient slightly. the original recipe calls for adding raw, skinless, diced poultry to the cooking veggies. also, there is no bacon in the original recipe; another boon to flavor (and hindrance to health, perhaps).

this is a simple recipe from the ingredients standpoint, as most everything i already had in the pantry/fridge. this was my first time cooking with chicken thighs and wow, the dark meat is tasty! i was also pleasantly surprised to find that chicken thighs are relatively inexpensive compared to other meats and other chicken parts.

however, this is not a ‘quick and easy’ recipe. it always takes some time to chop veggies, but the additional step of removing chicken bones at the end was a pain. although probably less painful than removing them on the front end. all in all, this was an excellent dish to enjoy on a snowy wintry night!

adapted from Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution

serves 4-6
2 stalks celery
2 medium onion
2 carrots
olive oil
1 heaped teaspoon all-purpose flour
1 x 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ handful fresh parsley
1 pound chicken thighs
2 cups white wine
1 slice bacon
pad of butter

to make your stew:
*preheat oven to 350
*with dutch oven over medium heat, fry one slice bacon in butter for a few minutes
*place chicken thighs, skin down in the bacon/butter and season with salt and pepper
*brown the chicken on both sides and remove chicken and bacon to a plate
*trim off ends of celery and roughly chop
*peel and roughly chop onions
*peel carrots, slice lengthwise, and roughly chop
*finely chop parsley
*add the veggies, herbs, and 1 lug of oil to the dutch oven fry for 10 minutes
*add the flour, booze, and canned tomatoes
*stir and season with salt and pepper
*add the chicken and bacon
*bring to boil, put the lid on and stick it in the oven for 1 ½ hours
*with 30 minutes of cooking time remaining, take the chicken out, remove all bones, and shred the meat
*add water if the stew looks dry
*return shredded chicken to the dutch oven and continue cooking the last 30 minutes uncovered
*add more salt/pepper if needed before serving

serving suggestion:
serve with Hawaiian rolls

chili con pavo

the original recipe is a chili con carne (made with ground beef); however, i planned to make this recipe the last time we were expecting snow and by the time i got to the grocery, ground turkey was the only option. i've enjoyed turkey chili before, so i knew this substitution would be sufficient.

chili is one of my favorite things to cook, but this was my first time using cinnamon. while cooking, the scent of cinnamon was very strong. i was skeptical the chili would be too sweet tasting but the vinegar adds a nice balance. this chili had a wonderful, distinctive flavor and was probably lighter with the turkey substitution.

another favorite of mine is chili over pasta. on the second day, i added 16 ounces of canned tomato sauce and italian herbs to the leftover chili which yielded more of a pasta sauce consistency. i served that over rotini pasta topped with cheese and it was fabulous as well!

adapted from Jamie Oliver's 'Food Revolution'

serves 6
2 medium onions
2 cloves garlic
2 medium carrots
2 celery stalks
2 red bell peppers
olive oil
1 heaped teaspoon chili powder
1 heaped teaspoon ground cumin
1 heaped teaspoon ground cinnamon
sea salt and fresh ground pepper
1 x 15oz. can garbanzo beans
1 x 15oz. can red kidney beans
2 x 14oz. cans diced tomatoes
1 pound ground turkey
1 small bunch of fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

to make your chili:
*peel and finely chop the onions, garlic, carrots, and celery
*halve the peppers, remove stalks and seeds and roughly chop
*place dutch oven over medium high heat with 2 lugs olive oil
*add all your chopped veggies
*add chili powder, cumin, and cinnamon with a good pinch of salt and pepper
*stir every 30 seconds for 7 minutes until softened
*add the drained garbanzo beans, drained kidney beans, and the canned tomatoes
*add the ground turkey, breaking larger chunks up with a wooden spoon
*fill one of the tomato cans with water and add to the pot
*pick the cilantro leaves and place them in the fridge
*finely chop the stalks and place them in the pot
*add the vinegar and season with a pinch of salt and pepper
*bring to a boil and turn the heat down to a simmer with the lid slightly askew for one hour, stirring occasionally

to serve your chili:
Jamie Oliver recommends serving his chili con carne over rice with guacamole. we enjoyed the turkey chili with cornbread, oyster crackers, shredded cheese, sour cream, cilantro, and jalapenos.

to make the cornbread:
use a package of jiffy cornbread and make according to package. mix into the batter a handful of shredded cheese, 1/2 cup of cream corn, and diced jalapenos; bake as directed.

Chicken Parmesan

this is a really simple and fast chicken Parmesan recipe. it will serve approximately 4 people. we have started buying the thinly sliced chicken breasts, which cook even faster. also, i usually want to add more spaghetti sauce than recommended.

one advantage of using the dutch oven is that you can saute and bake the chicken in the same dish. the last time i made this, i fried pieces of bacon in a little olive oil before adding the chicken and it was quite tasty.

ingredients:
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 package mozzarella cheese slices
1 jar spaghetti sauce
desired noodles (i prefer angel hair)
olive oil
salt & pepper

directions:
*preheat oven to 350 degrees
*mix breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, and red pepper together
*dredge chicken through milk, then eggs, than breadcrumb mixture
*lightly brown chicken in skillet with olive oil (about 3-4 minutes each side) and lightly salt and pepper
*pour 1/2 sauce over the chicken breasts
*add a slice of mozzarella on top of each breast
*bake, covered, for 25-30 minutes
*prepare noodles
*serve chicken on top of a bed of noodles and cover with remaining sauce

serving suggestion:
i like to eat this meal with a crisp salad and garlic bread.

Pan-Fried Glazed Pork Chops

these chops had a great flavor, despite the fact that i probably over-cooked them slightly. my crackling wasn't entirely successful, since the chops i found were very lean. we had them with a salad, baked potato, and rolls; looking back i probably would have served them with a sweet potatoes instead. this was a really quick dinner, and one i plan to make again.

adapted from Jamie Oliver's 'Food Revolution'

serves 2
2 x 8-ounce pork chops
olive oil
sea salt and fresh ground pepper
4 sprigs of fresh sage
mango chutney
honey

to prepare your pork:*trim the skin off the edges of each chop to turn into crackling
*cut each strip of skin lengthwise into 2 strips, ending up with 4
*make cuts every 1/4" along the fat remaining on the chops
*rub both sides of the chops (and strips of skin) with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper
*pick the sage leaves off their stalks and toss gently in olive oil, set aside

to cook your pork:
*put a frying pan over a high heat and add strips of skin
*move them about the pan and remove when golden , crisp, crackling
*lay both chops flat in the pan and give them 4-5 minutes on each side, turning every minute
*when they're golden, add a few sage leaves to the pan
*let them crisp up and cook for about 30 seconds, then remove them to a plate
*spoon a large tablespoon of mango chutney mixed with honey over each chop
*keep turning the chops over so they get nicely coated
*remove the chops to a plate and let them rest for a minute or two

to serve your pork:
*serve your chops on a plate, with the crackling and the crispy sage leaves

le french [dutch] oven

My dutch oven is actually a ‘French Oven’, according to Le Creuset. But since everyone else calls it a dutch oven, that is what I will call it in this blog. My dutch oven is a Le Creuset 5 ½ quart masterpiece in Cherry. Acclaimed for their performance, Le Creuset cookware is also a thing of beauty.

According to Le Creuset, “The cast iron provides superb heat retention and distribution, and the enamel is hard-wearing and non-reactive, making the number of recipes that you can do in this pot endless: anything from savory rice to braised chicken to mouth-watering cake. Your imagination is the only limit!”

I had the fine fortune this year of not only acquiring this beautiful piece of cookware, but also these wonderful cookbooks: Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, and Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking. With these tools I hope to cook delicious food. Bon Appétit!