Turkey Chili with White Beans

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 medium onions, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 pounds lean ground turkey
1/4 cup chili powder
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes
3 cups beef stock or canned beef broth
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
3 15-ounce cans small white beans, rinsed, drained
Chopped red onion
Chopped fresh cilantro
Plain low-fat yogurt or light sour cream

Preparation:
Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onions; sauté until light brown and tender, about 10 minutes. Add oregano and cumin; stir 1 minute. Increase heat to medium-high. Add turkey; stir until no longer pink, breaking up with back of spoon. Stir in chili powder, bay leaves, cocoa powder, salt and cinnamon. Add tomatoes with their juices, breaking up with back of spoon. Mix in stock and tomato sauce. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add beans to chili and simmer until flavors blend, about 10 minutes longer. Discard bay leaves. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium-low heat before continuing.)
Ladle chili into bowls. Pass red onion, cilantro and yogurt separately.

Comments: Healthy, very delicious, and easy to make. What more could you ask for? I've made this one multiple times and it turns out great every time. The Cocoa adds a wonderful, unique flavor.

Source: Epicurious

Ratatouille

Ingredients:

1 onion, sliced thin
2 garlic cloves, minced
5 tablespoons olive oil
a 3/4-pound eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
1 small zucchini, scrubbed, quartered lengthwise, and cut into thin slices
1 red bell pepper, chopped
3/4 pound small ripe tomatoes, chopped coarse (about 1 1/4 cups)
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
1/8 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shredded fresh basil leaves

Directions:

In a large skillet cook the onion and the garlic in 2 tablespoons of the oil over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons oil and heat it over moderately high heat until it is hot but not smoking. Add the eggplant and cook the mixture, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes, or until the eggplant is softened. Stir in the zucchini and the bell pepper and cook the mixture over the moderate heat, stirring occasionally, for 12 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and cook the mixture, stirring occassionaly, for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Stir in the oregano, the thyme, the coriander, the fennel seeds, the salt, and pepper to taste and cook the mixture, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in the basil and combine the mixture well. The ratatouille may be made 1 day in advance, kept covered and chilled, and reheated before serving.

Comments:

This dish is simple to prepare, and very delicious. The Wife raves about this one and asks me to make it often. As an additional step to make it extra delicious, Preheat your oven to 350, put the dish in the oven covered with shredded mozerella just until the cheese melts on top. Yummy.

Source: Epicurious

Ovo's Magic Huevos

Ovo's Magic Huevos is more a philosophy to cooking eggs then it is a hard and fast recipe.

When my good friend Kyle was living in Germany for a year writing his dissertation, he ended up living with a famous German drag queen and actress, Ovo Maltine. Ovo Maltine roughly translates to "Ovaltine", which is pretty hilarious.

Anyhow, Ovo would come home from the clubs and cook scrambled eggs for everyone who lived in the house by dumping whatever leftovers were in the fridge in with the eggs and scrambling it all together. Many delicious concotions resulted, and many leftovers that otherwise would have gone bad were used up.

When Kyle returned from Germany we started cooking eggs this way. I found it to be quite liberating, and ended up using some ingredients in scrambled eggs I never otherwise would have used.

One of my favorites was eggs with black beans, leftover salsa, crushed tortilla chips, and cheddar cheese. I used to make this one a lot when I lived in San Francisco and would have leftover chips and salsa from my Mission burritos, which was especially yummy since the salsa verde there is made with fresh avocado.

Another favorite was eggs with garlic, red pepper, and sausage sprinkled with fresh cilantro and a good dusting of turmeric. This looks bizarre but was quite yummy.

In the picture below I used some leftover ham, scallions, leftover shitake mushrooms, and cheddar cheese. Very delicious.

I encourage you to be more adventurous with your scrambled eggs. Throw in that leftover chili. Throw in the roasted chicken and leftover stuffing. Give it a shot. Do it for Ovo, who sadly is no longer with us.