Turkey and chickpeas crockpot "chili"

Hi guys!!!

How have YOU been doing?? Like I said in my last post, a cute little furry life event has been the reason for the sluggish blog output at PITK these past two months.

But I'm back! And today is a snowday here in Boston. So let's kick-start the 2015 PITK season in style and make a crockpot chili :)

Enjoy!




INGREDIENTS (2-3 people):
- 1.5 lbs ground turkey
- 3 rashes of thick cut bacon
- 1 large Idaho potato, peeled and diced in bite sized cubes
- 1/2 large or 1 medium onion
- 1x 15oz can of chickpeas, juice reserved
- 1x 28oz can of crushed tomatoes
- 1tbsp salt
- 1tbsp ground cumin
- 1tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 1/2 tsp chili powder

RECIPE:
- in a dutch oven, fry the chopped bacon until crispy and golden over medium high heat then add the chopped onion and saute until translucent over medium heat

- add the ground turkey and cook until golden, using a wooden spoon to break off any large chunks

- when the meat is brown, but not completely cooked, place in the slow cooker together with the chickpeas, diced potato, tomatoes and spices

- stir well and cook on HIGH for 4 hours

- stir every 30 minutes and adjust the consistency to your liking with the reserved chickpea liquid

- serve sprinkled with grated cheddar and a few slices of avocado
- enjoy!

Leftover Thanksgiving turkey and corn chowder

It's that time of year again.

Thanksgiving has come and gone. You've already had reheated turkey twice, and you just cannot even think of having it a third and last time… Look no further, this is an awesome new way to use your Thanksgiving leftovers.

Here's how I made this delicious chowder out of my leftovers :)



INGREDIENTS (2-3 people):

- leftover turkey meat, shredded or diced
- 1/2 to 1 cup leftover gravy, but feel free to use more or less according to what you have left!
- 4 to 8 cups chicken, vegetable or turkey broth, depending on how thick you want the chowder to be (I used chicken bouillon, since that is what I had on hand)
- 1 large carrot, 1 medium onion and a few branches of celery, diced finely in a mirepoix
- kernels from 2 ears of fresh corn
- 1/4 cup AP flour
- 2 tbsp butter
- a sprig of thyme



RECIPE:
- in a deep skillet, stockpot or dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the carrot, onion and celery over medium heat until soft

- make a roux by adding the flour and cook it over low heat for a couple of minutes

- add the gravy and broth and stir over medium-low heat until thickened, then add the corn kernels and the shredded/sliced turkey meat and stir until well combined

- bring to a simmer over low heat for a few minutes, or until warmed through

- serve hot alongside a nice thick slice of grilled sourdough or buttered cornbread
- enjoy!

Leftover Thanksgiving turkey and barley soup with stuffing dumplings

This is the ultimate leftover Thanksgiving turkey soup!

If you're like me, and cannot even THINK of having yet another reheated piece of turkey after the weekend, try this soup. It is so easy to make, and you probably have everything to make it in less than an hour.

You can pretty much make this soup with any leftovers you have. Here's what I did with mine.


INGREDIENTS (4 people):
for the dumplings (makes about 50 small pieces):
- 2 cups of cold stuffing
- 1/3 cup gravy
- 1 egg
- about 1 1/2 cups of panko breadcrumbs (you can use regular breadcrumbs, flour, semolina, cornbread, biscuits, etc... Just use something to regulate the moisture level of the dumpling batter)


for the soup:
- 8 cups chicken stock
- leftover turkey meat
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 onion
- 2-3 carrots
- 1 bunch of parsley (I would have normally used 2 celery branches, but only had parsley)
- 1/2 cup barley (or rice, orzo, soup pasta, angel hair, potatoes, beans...)
- salt to taste


RECIPE:
- first make the dumplings: mix the stuffing, gravy and egg until smooth, adjust the moisture level with breadcrumbs until thick (the texture of thick cookie dough is what you're after here) and let firm up in the fridge for about 20 minutes

- in the mean time chop the garlic, carrots, onion and parsley and saute in splash of olive oil over medium high heat

- add the chicken broth, bring to a boil and add the barley

- turn down the heat to medium and simmer for 25 minutes, until the barley is almost cooked through
- about 20 minutes in start shaping the dumplings: wet your hands so the dough won't stick and roll a small amount of dough into a ball

- add the dumplings and diced turkey meat in the soup and cook for another 5 minutes (or until the turkey is heated through and the dumplings rise to the surface)

- enjoy!