Food Friday: Easy Turkey Chili

Photo credit: www.ambitiouskitchen.com

As much as we would like the warmer temperatures to come to Nova Scotia, the winter cold just keeps coming. Fingers crossed spring temperatures come knocking on our door very soon!

Since it is still cold outside, you may still be craving warming hearty food and this Turkey Chili doesn’t disappoint. The hubby has claimed it his favourite chili. It is very easy to make and filled with delicious and healthy ingredients. The recipe is adapted from “Ambitious Kitchen”, one of my favourite food bloggers (and a fellow pregnant women! - I am looking forward to browsing her postpartum food prep meals). This meal is great with different topping choices. The hubby likes shredded cheese on top. I prefer a little dollop of plain yogurt, cilantro and sliced avocado. Also with a side of gluten free cornbread of course (Jaime Oliver’s is my favourite). Plenty of options!

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp olive oil

• 1 yellow onion, chopped

• 3 garlic cloves, minced

• 1.5 bell peppers (any colour), chopped

• 1 jalapeño, diced

• 1lb ground turkey

• 4 tbsp chili powder

• 2 tsp ground cumin

• 1 tsp dried oregano

• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

• 1/2 tspn salt, plus more to taste

• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes (you can use diced tomatoes as well if you like)

• 1 1/4 cups chicken or vegetable broth (I use the Better Than Bouillon paste from Costco)

• 1 (19 oz) can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

• 1 cup frozen corn, rinsed and drained

Directions:

1. Place oil in a large pot and place over medium high heat. Add in onion, garlic, bell pepper and jalapeño and saute for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently. 

1. Add in ground turkey and break up the meat; cooking until no longer pink. Next add in chili powder, cumin, oregano, cayenne pepper and salt; stir for about 30 seconds.

2. Next add in tomatoes, chicken broth, kidney beans and corn. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30-45 minutes or until chili thickens and flavours combine. Taste and adjust seasonings and salt as necessary. 

3. Top with your favourite toppings. Makes around 5-6 servings.

Enjoy!

Do you have a favourite chili recipe?

In health & happiness,

Dr. Karen

Food Friday: Best Brunch Frittata

https://drhyman.com/blog/2016/05/03/broccoli-sausage-frittata/

Do you have leftovers vegetables or meat in your fridge? Are you looking for a breakfast option that is packed with protein and veggies? Are you on a paleo diet or limiting grains and lost for what to eat for breakfast? This is your dish!

I was not able to eat eggs for awhile as they were a sensitivity for me, I also never liked them as a kid, so cooking an egg (in its many ways) was a mystery to me. Luckily that has changed, so over the years (years meaning about 1!), I am exploring different egg dishes and perfecting my cooking methods. This still is a struggle…I constantly overcook my fried egg!

Good quality protein to start my day is very important to me. It helps me focus for the day and prevents a crash of energy in the afternoon. If I am not doing an intermittent fast day, something I weave in and out of, I always make sure to have some sort of protein, and eggs are a great option. What makes this frittata so awesome is that it is very easy to make and you can make it on the weekend with leftover veggies you have, and then eat it for breakfast the next few days. You could even make this in little muffin tins and have an easy on the go breakfast. Feel free to switch up the vegetables and protein to your liking (eg. red pepper, broccoli, tomato, grated sweet potato). Anything goes really!

Ingredients:

• 6-8 eggs

• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 uncooked sausage, skin removed and broken into pieces

• 1 leek, diced

• 1 garlic clove, minced

• 1/2-1 cup mushrooms, diced

• 1 cup greens, chopped (swiss chard or baby spinach)

• 1 tsp coconut or almond milk

• 1/2 tsp Herbamare or sea salt

• freshly ground pepper, to taste

• optional - feta cheese, cheddar cheese, grated

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375F.

• Heat the oil in an oven-safe skillet, such as a cast-iron pan, over medium heat.

• Add sausage, leek and garlic and saute for 5-7 minutes or until sausage is cooked through. Spread vegetables and sausage evenly around skillet.

• Beat the eggs with the coconut/almond milk, add salt and pepper, then pour into the skillet and cook for 2 minutes.

• Place the pan in the oven and bake for 12-20 minutes, until egg is no longer runny and slightly golden.

• Serve in pie slices and garnish with avocado, chives and parsley if you like.

Enjoy!

Do you have a favourite combination for a frittata?

Food Friday: Grain-free Granola

Fall is in the air! That calls for fall flavours in my morning meal of course :) To set your day off right, whether it is for better energy, weight loss and concentration, it is important to get protein for breakfast. Common breakfast choices like cereal, toast, pancakes and even oatmeal do not have any protein in them unless they are “tweaked” a little, leading to blood sugar spikes then energy crashes. Being a Naturopath with a busy day seeing patients, it is important for me for my mind to be clear and my energy to not crash so finding better breakfast options is always key. This recipe is an easy one for busy mornings or when you are craving something a little sweater. The spices can be adjusted depending on what you prefer and you can even mix up the seeds or add some nuts like almonds or cashews. So many options!

Some other protein packed breakfast options I enjoy are a smoothie with protein powder or almond butter, “paleo pancakes” with eggs and plantain and a breakfast hash. Yum!

Do you have a go-to granola recipe?

Ingredients:

• 2 cups raw sunflower seeds

• 2 cups raw pumpkin seeds

• 3 tbsp chia seeds

• 2 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1 tsp ground ginger

• 1 tsp cardamom

• 1/4 tsp sea salt

• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup

• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil

• 3/4 cup dried currents

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 300F. Prep a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Place sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds in a food processor and pulse until you have a chunky, coarse meal.

3. Add all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

4. Spread mixture out on the baking sheet and bake for 35 minutes, stirring once half way through.

5. Remove from the oven and mix in dried currents, then let cool. Once cooled store in an airtight container.

6. Mix with yogurt, almond milk or vanilla hemp milk :)

In health & happiness,
Dr. Karen

Food Friday: Falafel Buddha Bowl

Yum...buddha bowls! There is something about the name buddha bowl that just oozes warmth and joy for me. That is what this meal feels like, especially during a busy week when a little prep goes a long way. On cold winter days the last thing I want is a cold smoothie or raw veggies in a salad, so adding some roasted veggies with a delicious dressing is just right. 

This recipe is adapted from www.pinchofyum.com but the great thing about buddha bowls is that they can be changed around to your liking. I recommend sticking to this dressing from Oh She Glows though if you are adding the falafels as the flavours match so well. I love falafels as well since they have so much flavour and so easy to make. The other benefit of this meal is that each step could be made on a different day depending on your schedule. For example, I made the falafels ahead one evening, then roasted the veggies and made the dressing on the weeknight I had planned the meal for. Finally, this meal is gluten free and grain free depending on what flour you use for the falafels :) So enjoy and let me know if you come up with other delicious adaptations. 

Ingredients:

Servings - 3-4 bowls 

For the Falafels:

• 2 cups cooked lentils - barely cooked for better falafel texture (or chickpeas for alternative)
• 1 huge handful (a cup or so) fresh cilantro leaves and stems
• 1 huge handful (a cup or so) fresh parsley leaves and stems
• half a jalapeño 
• 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1-2 cloves garlic
• a squeeze of lemon juice
• 1 tsp salt
• 2-4 tbsp gluten free flour - eg. Bob's 1:1 flour (or almond flour)

For the Roasted Veggies:

No room for brussels sprouts on this pan. 

• 3 carrots. peeled and cut into strips 
• 1 head cauliflower, cup into bit size pieces 
• large handful brussels sprouts, cleaned and halved  
• 1/2 sweet potato, peeled and cut into strips
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 teaspoons cumin
• salt and pepper to taste

 

 

 

For the Dressing: (makes 1 cup)

• 1 large or 2 small garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (2.5-3 lemons)
• 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 sea salt
• freshly ground pepper

For the Buddha Bowls:

• 1/4-1/2 head red cabbage, sliced/chopped
• arugula or spinach 
• roasted nuts and seeds - I did cashews, pumpkin and sunflower seeds
• sprouts - optional 

Directions:

Then the dressing...the missing piece!

1. For the falafels - Preheat the oven to 350F. Pulse all ingredients except flour in a food processor until combined. The mixture should form semi-dry crumbles that stick together when you press them. Stir in the flour – just one tablespoon at a time, until it’s just dry enough to handle. Form into 7-9 patties and bake for 18 minutes, flipped half way. Remove from oven. Refrigerate for a few days or freeze.
2. For the dressing - In a mini/small food processor, process all ingredients until smooth. Taste seasoning and adjust nutritional yeast, olive oil and salt and pepper if needed. The dressing can be kept in the fridge for up to a week but will thicken in the fridge. 
3. For the roast veggies - Preheat the oven to 400F. Place all the veggies on a roasting pan prepped with parchment paper. Drizzle all veggies except brussels sprouts with oil and sprinkle with cumin, salt, and pepper. Toss around on the pan to combine. Bake for 30 minutes – stir occasionally, but not too often otherwise you’ll disrupt the browning process. To get more browning, bake for an additional 10-15 minutes. When the veggies are done, remove from oven and set aside to cool.
4. To assemble buddha bowl - Add arugula/spinach, cabbage to a bowl then top with roast veggies, nuts/seeds, falafel and drizzle with dressing. Take a bite! Or...Add all to a container for lunches and keep dressing separate until lunch time. I like to warm up the roasted veggies and falafels at work if I can and then mix all together, or even toast the falafel in a toaster oven if possible. 

In health & happiness,

Dr. Karen