Recipe: Moroccan Stew

In celebration of festival season, I wanted to keep on trend with some bohemian moroccan stew!

It's just like any chili or stew but with the addition of the moroccan paste: harissa! Harissa is a hot chili paste with chilis, red pepper, garlic, etc... it's necessary for the strew and helps elevate all the flavors. If you can't find this at the grocery store (like us), you can easily make this by rehydrating dried chilis (recipe here)

Recipe

2 packages of ground turkey
1 small can of harissa
2 medium onion, diced
8 carrots, diced
5 celery stalks, diced
3 32oz box of chicken broth
1 small can of crushed tomatoes
2 cans of garbanzo beans
1 can of corn
1 handful of chopped fresh parsley

Note: Add more or less of the onions, carrots, and celery. It's really your preference! This is just how we like it at our home.

Spice Mix

1 tbs cumin
1 tsp salt (add more or less)
1 tbs harissa spice (you can buy this at whole foods at the ground spices section)
1 tsp panch phoron (it's a Bangladeshi spice from my mother land, and can be easily re-created with the following ingredients)
1 tsp cracked pepper
1 tsp fresh tumeric
1 tsp fresh ginger

Directions

Brown the turkey first. Add half of the spice mix blend and 2 tbs of harissa (if you want to add more, wait till later when the broth is in). Once browned add the mirepoix (fancy name for onions, carrots, celery) and cook down for 10-15 minutes.

Add the broth and tomatoes. Let cook for 5-10 minutes. Once completed, add the garbanzo beans and corn (feel free to add other ingredients if you are adventurous. Kale, squash, potatoes, etc... will all taste great in this!) Add the remaining spice blend and harissa and let simmer for about 30 minutes.

Serve immediately (garnished with parsley) with your favorite loaf of bread (sourdough is our favorite) if you are craving carbs!

Recipe: Damn Delicious - Lemon Orzo Chicken Soup

I have been sick for about a month now. This Lemon Orzo Soup I found on Damn Delicious is amazing. I added bouillon cubes to mine for extra taste and used rotisserie chicken, but it's up to you. I think adding tomatoes and corn would be excellent too



Recipe (courtesy of Damn Delicious)

2 tbs olive oil
1 pound of boneless skinless chicken thighs, chopped
Kosher salt and pepper (to your liking)
3 cloves of garlic, diced
1 onion, diced
3 carrots, diced (I used 4)
2 celery stalks, diced (I used 4)
1/2 tsp dried thyme
5 cups of chicken stock/broth
2 bay leaves
3/4 cup uncooked orzo
1 sprig rosemary
1 juice of a lemon (I used half)
2 tbs chopped fresh parsley

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper, to taste. Add chicken to the stockpot and cook until golden, about 2-3 minutes; set aside.

Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the stockpot. Add garlic, onion, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in thyme until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Whisk in chicken stock, bay leaves and 1 cup water; bring to a boil. Stir in orzo, rosemary and chicken; reduce heat and simmer until orzo is tender, about 10-12 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and parsley; season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Serve immediately.

Sunday Night - Beef Chili

I love a good Chili! With the cold approaching, chili is the perfect weeknight meal. It's hearty and incredibly easy to make (I just dump mine in a crock pot) My recipe is an amalgamation of a bunch of different recipes I have found throughout the years, but this is just amazing! I add a ton of spices for flavor. You can add more or less if you would like. I just love a ton of different spices!

Recipe

1 lb of Grass Fed Ground Beef (for red meat, I try my hardest to be organic) - brown the beef on a pan for starters with 1 tbs of olive oil

1/2 can of white kidney beans
1/2 can of dark kidney beans
1 1/2 can of tomato sauce
1 can of diced tomato
3 garlic cloves, diced fine
1 small green pepper, diced small
1 large onion, diced small
1/4 cup water
3 bay leaves
2 tbs chili powder
1 tsp salt (add more if  desire)
1 tsp pepper
2 tsp cumin
1 tbs paprika
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cocoa powder (trust me)
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
2 tsp red pepper flakes (add more or less, depends how spicy you want it)
2 tsp worchestershire sauce
2 tsp hot sauce
1/8 tsp habanero chili powder (can be purchased at Whole Spice - see post below -- it's optional but add a great smoky flavor)

Add the ground beef and the remaining ingredient. Slow cook on high for 4 hrs or low for 8 hrs.

Weekend Soup: Roasted Red Pepper & Smoked Mozzarella Soup

My current obsession is making soup with my hand blender. I love it. It's such a quick process and I have a gourmet meal within minutes. I found this roasted red pepper soup recipe on Taste of Home and modified to make it healthier and my own.

Roasted Red Pepper and Smoked Mozzarella Soup

4 red peppers, charred on the grill
1 32 oz of chicken broth
1 medium onion, diced
1 shallot, diced
1 tbs coconut oil
1 cup of fresh basil
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 jalapeño, de-seeded and diced
1 tbs herb de provence
1 tsp pepper
2 tbs of heavy cream (optional)
1/2 cup smoked mozzarella, shredded fine with a grater (add more if you want)

Directions

With a tbs of coconut oil, cook the shallots and onions till browned.

Add the the herb the provence, pepper and jalapeño.

Mix in the broth and simmer for about 1-2 minute then add the can of tomatoes and basil. Let cook for 5 minutes.

Once you have the red pepper charred on the grilled, chop in half and add to the soup. Use a hand blender (or transfer soup to any blender) till smooth. Then mix in the cream and mozzarella. Let the soup sit for 1-2 minutes so the the mozzarella will melt and garnish with sliced basil leaves.

Rainy Day Soup Recipe: Ina Garten's Roasted Tomato Soup

I am so obsessed with soup during the fall. One of my favorite recipes is the Ina Garten Tomato and Basil Soup. So delicious, healthy and easy to make. A perfect weeknight dinner for me and my boyfriend. It has so much flavor that I eventually eat 2-3 bowls. See below for the recipe. Keep warm!

Recipe Ina Garten Roasted Tomato Soup

Weeknight Dinners! Chicken & Vegetable Soup

I work 5 days a week and usually buy a rotisserie chicken on Sunday to make various dishes during the week (chicken salads, regular salads, soups, etc...) It is so versatile and helps me make a quick and easy dinner.

My go to is a chicken and vegetable soup. It's so appropriate and delicious especially since the temperature has begun to drop. Very easy to make and the clean up is just as easy (a great combo in my opinion)

Recipe

1 box of Chicken Broth
1/2 cup of water
1 carrot diced
2 celery stalks diced
1 small russet potato diced
1 small onion diced
1 tomato diced
1/2 can of low sodium corn kernels
1 handful of parsley chopped
1 cup of shredded chicken (rotisserie is my go to!)

Add all ingredients to a boiling pot of water and broth and let simmer for 20-25 minutes on medium heat. Add some sriracha if you want to add some heat! Garnish with some fresh parsley.