Meatless Monday (on a Tuesday)...a Lentil Chili recipe

Yesterday (Monday) I was in Long Beach at the Esthetics trade show so when I got home I wasn't exactly in the mood to cook dinner.  Thanks to frozen pizza and premixed salads I was good to go.  Today though I cooked.  

I have a turkey chili recipe that I pulled from a Shape magazine a couple years ago...I always tweak it a bit based on what I have on hand because I always seem to leave something at the grocery store.  This time I switched out the turkey for lentils.  See below for a little cut and paste of the original recipe with my tweaks are highlighted (or click here for the recipe directly from Shape).  It came out really well and looked nice and colorful with the spinach/cilantro/tomatoes.  

Firehouse Turkey Chili from Shape Magazine minus the turkey
Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large clove garlic, smashed  (I just used garlic powder)
• 1/2 cup chopped scallions, divided (I chopped up cilantro, very fresh and tasty)
• 1/2 pound ground turkey (subbed for Trader Joes' refrigerated lentils, 16oz)
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
• 1 can (15 ounces) kidney beans, rinsed and drained 
• 1 medium red bell pepper, diced (skipped, didn't pick it up at store)
• 1 cup carrot, diced (also forgotten at store...but I did use a couple of handfuls of chopped spinach that I wilted a bit in the pan first)
• 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
• Salt to taste

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan heat oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Toss in garlic and all but 2 tablespoons of the scallions and cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute.
2. Add turkey and continue to cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in chili powder and cook for 1 more minute. Add tomatoes, kidney beans, bell pepper, carrot, brown sugar, and salt to taste. Bring to a boil over high heat.
3. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Divide among 4 bowls and garnish with the remaining 2 tablespoons of scallions.  (Cut the cooking time to 10mins because of the lentils and sprinkled some cilantro on top)

What's cooking with you this week? Man, I crack myself up sometimes.  Really though, I love Pinterest for recipes and the occasional health magazine (some of those recipes seem like a lot of work though); where do you get your recipes from? Anything you'd like to share?

A tasty dish: Corn Salad

The LA County Fair is in town, which I love...and there is so much that I love:

Ok, this wasn't at the Fair, you can't pet them there.

• Farm animals and their BABIES
• Budweiser Clydesdale Horses 
• The Garden Railroad
• The Table Settings competition 
• Browsing the shopping areas
• FOOD.  

Now I've been going to the fair ever since before I can remember.  I have some vague memories of a stroller and the Giant Slide.  In all the years that I've been going though I've never been to a BBQ Competition.  My friend's fiance entered a very tasty tri-tip sandwich with a spicy spread on a glazed donut, bacon chips, and a corn salad (he took home a Second Place Ribbon).

BAAAAAA!

I'm not a BBQ-er myself.  I enjoy the taste, but I'm just more of an indoor cook.  So of his menu I decided that I needed to come home and make some corn salad of my own.  I'm not one to make up a recipe from scratch either...but I can tweak a recipe like nobodies business, which is what I did with this recipe from Six Sisters' Stuff. My changes included adding spinach to the corn at the end of heating (because I have WAY too much spinach on hand right now).  Instead of mayonnaise I used some Vegenaise and plain Greek yogurt. I omit the jalapeno but doubled up on the cilantro.  I also went with fat free Feta crumbles.  Lastly, I used onion and garlic powder--because I'm lazy like that.  It came out fantastic!  I would never have even looked for a recipe like this if it weren't for the LA County Fair.  

Any county fair memories you'd like to share?  What's your favorite part?

Buffalo Cauliflower, a tasty treat

Forever ago I went to a dinner at Mohawk Bend in L.A. We had the Buffalo Cauliflower as an appetizer and it was very tasty.  I've never been much for wings myself and these were a delightful option.

Fast forward to now when I'm watching what I eat (more or less).  I found this recipe on Pinterest (where else?) and decided to give it a go.  They came out pretty well and are relatively low in WW points to boot.  Bonuses for cauliflower: High in fiber, high in vitamin C, and has all sorts of other vitamins/minerals and antioxidants.  So yay for new recipes involving this "nutrient powerhouse"~~not sure where I picked that up, but I know it's not something I would've said on my own hence the quotes. I like it steamed or roasted and one of these days I'll try it mashed.  I don't know how I feel about using it as a base for pizza though.

For the Buffalo Cauliflower recipe click here.


Any favorite veggie dishes you'd like to share? Thoughts on cauliflower in general?