New Year’s Eve Chili

Ingredients:

1-2 lbs (depends on how much you like) meat (whatever kind you prefer i.e. ground turkey, ground beef, cubed beef, etc.)

2 medium onions, chopped

4 carrots sliced thin or a bag of shredded carrots

2 garlic cloves, peeled and pressed

4 strips bacon, diced

2 10-ounce cans beef consommé (you can use beef broth instead)

1 8-ounce can tomato sauce

1-3 T. chili powder (depends on how hot you want it)

1 tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 15-ounce can pink, kidney or pinto beans ( I use two cans of different kinds)

salt to taste

lime juice (optional)

MIX INS

tortilla chips

shredded cheddar cheese or cheddar cheese substitute

green onions, with tops chopped

sour cream or sour cream substitute

Cook meat.  In a large saucepot, cook bacon until almost crisp. Add onions and carrots and sauté until tender, about ten minutes.  Stir in garlic, chili powder, basil, oregano, consommé (beef broth) , and tomato sauce. Bring to a simmer and add cooked meat.  Cover and cook ½ hour.  Stir in beans (do not drain them if chili is too thick) and taste for seasoning, adding salt and lime juice if preferred.  Simmer 10-15 minutes longer and serve in bowls with tortilla chips, cheese, green onions and sour cream as condiments.

Note: I have never tried adding the lime juice.  After we put it in bowls, we also have separate bowls of mix ins that everyone can choose what else they want to add.  This is a great recipe for entertaining or just for yourselves.

Pumpkin Seed Pesto

Ingredients:

½ cup olive oil (may need more)

1Tbsp Earth Balance Butter or other “butter” substitute

1 tsp salt

3 garlic cloves pressed

2 Tbsp Brewer’s yeast (can omit if allergic)

1 cup pumpkin seeds (can use pine nuts)

4 cups fresh basil

In a blender or food processor, mix first 4 ingredients until blended.  Add pumpkin seeds and blend well, then add basil. You can add more oil if too thick.  Can be frozen in small containers for later use.

Teriyaki Sauce

Ingredients:

1/2 cup GF soy sauce, Bragg’s liquid aminos, or coconut aminos
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons sweet rice wine
1 tablespoon, plus 2 teaspoons brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons minced ginger

To Thicken the Sauce use:
1/2 tablespoon arrowroot dissolved in :
1 tablespoon water

Risotto (Dairy Free/Gluten Free)

Dairy Free Risotto

½ onion red or white minced

1C.-1 ½ C. Arborio rice

½ C. white wine

1 box chicken stock

1 box water (refill stock box)

2-3 Tbsp. Earth Balance “butter”

5-6 cloves garlic

bunch of fresh basil

salt and pepper

truffle salt (optional)

In a 12” frying pan on med low, heat oil.  Sweat onions and then add 1 Tbsp “butter”.  When onions are clear, add arborio rice and heat until brown (yellow). Pour in wine and allow rice to absorb it. In a separate pot, bring chicken stock and water to a boil and then down to a simmer.  Add 1C. at a time of the chicken stock/water mixture to the rice and let soak in.  Repeat this until you are 2/3 way through stock and then check for softness.  You may add more stock if you like a thinner risotto.  Stir to make sure that the rice is not sticking.  In a food processor, mix garlic and basil to make a paste.  When the rice is at your desired texture, stop adding stock and add the garlic/basil paste.  Add remaining “butter”, salt and pepper and truffle salt if desired.

Should take 20-25 minutes.

Can also add shitake mushrooms after onions and cook the same.

Can also add meat and veggies at the end of cooking.

Thai Red Chicken Curry

Ingredients:

1 pound of chicken legs or breasts (I usually just use whatever is left over from the previous nights rotisserie chicken)

I tablespoon of red curry paste (Thai Kitchen)

3 medium potatoes, cubed

4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces

2 cloves of garlic

sweet thai basil (I have used regular before or not at all if I didn’t have any fresh basil

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 can of coconut milk (Thai Kitchen 13.66 0z. can)

2-3 cups of water

salt and sugar

Directions:

Heat up oil in pan/wok, add garlic and curry paste. Cook for 30 seconds then add chicken and cook until chicken is almost done (or tear up rotisserie chicken and add to pan). Add water, carrots and potatoes and let simmer until carrots and potatoes are soft. Add coconut milk and let simmer for 2 minutes. Add sweet basil and turn off heat. Serve alone or with rice.

Hamburger Casserole

Hamburger Casserole

My mom fed me this meal as a child…

coming soon…