Californian Turkey Chili by Heather

Brandon and I made this chili over the weekend, and it was awesome.  Brandon recently moved to San Francisco, and I was in town visiting for the weekend.  We've started a tradition, where very time I visit, we cook a Sunday meal together.  It's normally a bigger meal, so that he can enjoy the leftovers during the week.  We hadn't made chili in a while, and we wanted to incorporate some fresh veggies and flavors from California to make this version extra special.  The spice mixtures below are based on our preference- if you like things more or less spicy, play around with the measurements to suit your taste buds!

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground turkey (light and dark meat)
12 oz. can unsalted crushed tomatoes
12 oz. can diced tomatoes
2 cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 ear corn, kernels removed
2 onions, diced (set aside 1/4 for garnish)
3 green onions, white and green parts diced
1/4 jalapeño, diced (you could also add a roasted poblano if you can find them)
4 dashes Worcestershire sauce
6 good shakes of Cholula or your hot sauce of choice

Spices:
4 tbs. cumin
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
at least 4 tbs.  chili powder
salt and pepper to taste

Garnish:
shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
dollop of Greek yogurt (instead of sour cream)
1/4 cup diced cilantro
diced raw onion
hot sauce (we prefer Cholula)
avocado

Chipotle Shrimp Tacos by Heather

I've been obsessed with tacos lately.  Maybe it's because it's finally starting to get warmer outside, and nothing sounds better than sitting outside with a margarita and some tacos.  Sadly, today it rained again and it's dipping into the 30's, but one can hope!  These tacos are really colorful and they pack a lot of punch from the chipotle peppers.

This recipe was adapted from this one at Tartine and Apron Strings, and this comes together so quickly, I didn't take a ton of photos, but it's super easy to make.

Ingredients:

For the shrimp and tequila lime marinade:
1 lb. raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tsp. sea salt
2 tbs. honey
juice of 2 limes
1/4 cup tequila
1/2 onion, chopped
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. chipotle powder

For the slaw dressing:
1/2 head red cabbage, finely sliced
1 tsp. dijon mustard
1/4 cup lime juice
1/2 cup neutral oil like canola
salt and pepper to taste

For the chipotle crema:
1 cup Greek yogurt
1-2 chipotles in adobo sauce

Additional ingredients:
corn tortillas
1 lime, quartered
1 avocado, diced
hot sauce (optional)

Hot and Sour Soup by Heather

I went to a really great yoga class tonight, and was craving a warm, healthy soup afterwards, and this soup did the trick.



Ingredients:
1 carton low sodium organic vegetable broth
4 cups water
3.5 oz (1 carton) shiitake mushrooms, sliced
3.5 oz. beech or enoki mushrooms
white parts of 3 green onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs. ginger, grated
2 heads baby bok choy, stalks diced
1/2 package firm tofu, diced
1 cup chinese cooking wine
3/4 cup to 1 cup rice vinegar (depends on your preference; I added 1 cup)
2-3 tbs. hot chili sauce
4-5 tbs. soy sauce (taste as you go and add more as needed)

Garnish:
1/2 carrot, julienne
leaves of the baby bok choy
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
green parts of the green onions, sliced
lime wedges
sriracha

Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies by Heather

Brandon and I make these cookies every Christmas.  They're really chocolate-y and have an unexpected spiciness to them.  This recipe is adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe.

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup high quality unsweetened cocoa powder 

2 tsp. cream of tartar

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. coarse salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 3/4 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

2 large eggs

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp chipotle chile powder

Spicy Roasted Tomato Soup by Rachel

Brrr!  It's starting to get chilly in NYC!  For some people, their most comforting soup might be chicken noodle, but mine is definitely a nice, creamy tomato soup.  I found a recipe that sound delicious with roasted garlic so I tried it.  It was lovely.  I hope you'll enjoy it too!

Recipe inspired by A Mummy Too

Ingredients:

4 large tomatoes

About 3-4 tbsp olive oil

1 can chicken stock

1 bulb of garlic

1 Fresno pepper (or any other hot pepper, just depends on how spicy you want your soup)

2 tbsp heavy cream

2 tbsp cheddar

salt and pepper to taste

Greek yogurt to taste

Chili Roasted Tofu with Minted Quinoa Relish by Heather

I wanted to share this easy weeknight dinner.  It's light and healthy, and only takes about 45 minutes from start to finish to make.  This recipe is from Sprouted Kitchen (one of my go to recipe sources) and this was actually the first time I've made this recipe.

Ingredients:

1 14 oz. pack extra firm tofu, drained and pressed in paper towel
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
2 tsp. chili powder
pinch smoked paprika or chipotle
2 tsp. maple syrup or honey
1 tbs. orange juice
1 tbs. olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt

1 pomegranate (just buy the arils)
1 shallot, finely minced
zest of 1 orange
2 tbs. chopped mint leaves
salt and pepper to taste
1 avocado, diced
Sriracha to taste

Wrap tofu in paper towel and place between two plates.  Rest a couple heavy objects on the top plate to help remove any excess liquid from the tofu.  Keep the tofu pressed for at least 10 minutes.

Cook the quinoa according to package directions.  Typically, the instructions call for 1 cup of quinoa, 2 cups of water.  Bring the quinoa to a boil, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until quinoa is fluffy and all water is absorbed.

While the quinoa cooks, make the chili marinade.  Combine the chili powder, paprika or chipotle powder, maple syrup, orange juice, olive oil, and salt in a small bowl and whisk until combined.