Paccheri with Shrimp in a Tomato White Wine Sauce, by Cheryl

Oh paccheri, how I love you! This is my favorite pasta and I fell in love with it during my time in Naples. I also fell in love with their classic white wine tomato sauce. I can't ever seem to replicate it as well as they do, but this dish definitely brought me back. I loveee it. Yum!

Ingredients: 

1 package paccheri

1 8oz container of grape tomatoes

1 cup white wine

1 onion, chopped

A couple tbsp minced garlic

A couple handfuls of spinach

1 lb shrimp, seasoned

Salt

Olive oil

Directions:

1) Cook pasta according to directions.

2) Meanwhile, heat some olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until softened. Add the white wine, tomatoes, and garlic and simmer, mixing occasionally until sauce thickens. 

3) Cook shrimp in separate pan and then add to the sauce. 

4) Pour everything over the pasta. 

Leftover Turkey Soup, by Cheryl

We had SO much turkey leftover. After day 4 of eating our way through it I needed to repurpose it in some other way. In comes turkey soup! This is basically just like chicken noodle soup, but with turkey. It was so comforting to eat when it was cold! Yum!

Ingredients:

Leftover turkey, chopped or cubed

Egg noodles

Carrots, peeled and chopped

Celery, chopped

Onions, chopped

Fennel, chopped

Thyme

Other spices

Turkey broth (we had leftover from cooking, but veggie or chicken broth works)

Water

Directions:

1) Saute the vegetables in a pan with olive oil until aromatic. 

2) Meanwhile, put the leftover turkey in a large pot with the broth and some water. 

3) Once cooked, add in the vegetables and simmer for a little bit.

4) Add the egg noodles and cook until done. Serve with some crusty bread!

Chicken Mole Enchilades, by Cheryl

After being stuck in a major cooking rut the past few months I have found some renewed interest in cooking dishes I haven't made before. And if 3 out of 4 people in my family eat it then I'm happy. In come the chicken mole enchiladas! All I had to say to my 8 year old was that the sauce was made from chocolate and she was in heaven. Now my younger one isn't so easily swayed haha. But seriously these were delicious and we ate them all up! Yum! 

Ingredients (recipe from here):

Cilantro lime chicken thighs (recipe will be on blog), or 2 cups shredded chicken

10 corn or flour tortillas, warmed up

3 cups mozzarella cheese

Optional: queso fresco, avocado, cilantro

MOLE SAUCE:

1 19oz can enchilada sauce

1/4 cup chocolate chips, dark if possible

1 tbsp creamy peanut butter

1 tbsp chili powder

Directions:

1) In a small saucepan combine the mole sauce ingredients over medium heat. Stir until smooth. Set aside.

2) Preheat oven to 350.

3) Place shredded chicken in a bowl. Mix 1/2 cup of the mole sauce with the shredded cheese and chicken.

4) Fill each tortilla with 1/3 cup chicken and cheese mixture. Carefully roll the tortillas to enclose the filling and place in a serving dish seam side down. Fill the rest of the tortillas and place them side by side. Pour the reserved mole sauce on top. 

5) Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 20 minutes, until cheese is melted. Remove from oven and sprinkle with optional queso fresco, cilantro, and avocado. 

Ham and Cheese Sliders, by Cheryl

I don't know how this came about or why I had two out of three main ingredients, but this was super easy to put together and delicious! It was especially great dipped in the tomato soup that I made. Also, the sauce that is brushed on top is key to kicking this up from just a plain slider to something very special. Yum!

Ingredients:

Thinly sliced ham slices (I used honey ham)

Thinly sliced Swiss cheese

One 12- count package of Hawaiian sweet rolls 

1/2 stick unsalted butter

Some honey Dijon mustard

Salt, to taste

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. 

2) Slice the rolls in half so you have a large top half and large bottom half. Don't pull them apart. Place bottom half on pan. 

3) Evenly layer the cheese, then the ham, and then the cheese again. Add the top half of the rolls. 

4) In a small bowl microwave the butter. Stir in 1-2 tbsp of Dijon honey mustard. Pour the mixture over the tops of the rolls, letting some pool in the middle, and use a brush to make sure the tops are covered. Let stand for about 5 minutes.

5) Cover with foil and bake, covered, for 20 minutes. Take foil off and bake uncovered for about 2-3 minutes. Slice into individual sliders and enjoy! 

Kjötsúpa (Icelandic Lamb Soup), by Diane

 

When I was in Iceland I was obsessed with kjötsúpa, a comforting and filling lamb and root veggie soup that seemed to be served everywhere along with Icelandic butter and bread. So as part of my cooking through the countries in quarantine, I decided to try this for Iceland! I ordered this mix of Icelandic herbs (Villikrydd- go here to order!) for the soup, and I happened to have some salt I had brought back from my trip (you can buy it online- Nordur is the brand I had). I had never cooked with lamb meat before (only ground lamb), and so I really wasn’t sure what to expect.

HOLY MOLY was this out of this world amazing- and the best part is that it tastes EXACTLY like it did in Iceland! How often can you say that you can accurately recreate your favorite dish that you ate in a country from your own kitchen? This soup was easy to make as well, and I already am looking forward to dinners this week! The best part, aside from the delicious broth, is that the lamb literally melts on your tongue it’s so tender! I modified the recipe a little by adding some bone broth I had to use up (I figured a little extra flavor and nutrition couldn’t hurt) and skipping the cabbage since I didn’t have that in Iceland. I added a cup of barley to thicken it up (some recipes use this and others don’t- but this is how I had it most on the trip), but it just took all the broth away overnight and didn’t thicken it at all so I wouldn’t do this again. This will be on repeat this winter!!!

Ingredients:

2 lb lamb shoulder, bone in, cut into bite size pieces and trimmed of fat (save the bones)

8 cups water

2 cups bone broth

1 large leek, sliced 

2 tbsp Villikrydd

1 tsp pepper

2 tbsp salt

1 cup carrots, sliced

1 medium rutabaga, chopped into bitesize pieces 

1/2 lb Yukon gold potatoes, chopped into bitesize pieces (I left the skin on)

Directions:

1. In a large soup pot, add lamb, bones, water, and broth and bring to a boil.

2. Skim the scum off the top and add in leeks, salt, pepper, and herbs. Simmer partially covered for 45 min.

3. Add in remaining veggies, stir and cook until veggies are soft.

4. Adjust seasonings, then refrigerate overnight to allow the flavors to come together. 

Whole30 Chicken Pot Pie Casserole, by Diane

 

This recipe looked so good, and since it’s been getting colder in the evenings I thought this would be a nice dinner. This recipe was just meh- I wouldn’t make it again. The seasonings and flavors were bland, and the onions never cooked. 

Ingredients:

1.5 lb chicken breast, cooked and cubed

1 can green beans

1 can sliced carrots

1 can white potatoes

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 can coconut milk

1 can chicken broth

3 tsp poultry seasoning

2 tbsp ghee

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tbsp nutritional yeast

1 tsp salt

1.5 tbsp arrowroot powder 

1 cup almond flour

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/2 cup ghee

1 tsp poultry seasoning

Directions:

1. Put chicken and veggies in the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish. 

2. Preheat oven to 350.

3. Mix coconut milk through salt in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring often until simmering. 

4. Add the arrowroot powder in a small bowl with 1 tbsp water and mix well, pour into pot.

5. Let simmer 10 min until thickened, pour over chicken mixture. 

6. Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl until a dough is formed. Make small balls and put on top of the casserole. 

7. Bake for 35 min until the top is golden. 

Nutella Stuffed French Toast, by Cheryl

I need a better picture! I'll replace with another one when I make it again!

For Mother's Day this year Jon had made me one of my favorite breakfasts, biscuits and gravy! So this Father's Day I decided to make him a sweet breakfast since that's what he usually gravitates to. While he's more of the baker in the family and made the biscuits from scratch, I was looking for a more quick and easy approach to this meal. It's sooo easy to make and very good! Julia has requested this for breakfast several times over the last couple of days and Jon loved it as well so this will probably become a treat for breakfast on the weekends. You can also put slices of bananas or strawberries inside the sandwich as well, which is what I did for Jon's. Not a bad way to start the day. Yum!

Ingredients, (recipe from here):

1-2 tbsp chocolate hazelnut spread
2 slices cinnamon raisin bread
1/8 cup milk
1 egg
1/8 tsp vanilla extract
butter or cooking spray
powdered sugar, optional

Directions:

1) Spread some chocolate hazelnut spread onto both slices of bread (recipe calls for spread on one slice). Put the two slices together to make a sandwich.

2) Beat milk, egg, and extract together in a shallow bowl until smooth. Soak the sandwich in the bowl until bread is moistened, about 20 seconds each side.

3) Melt some butter in a pan over medium heat.

4) Cook sandwich in pan until browned, about 2 minutes first side, one minute second side. Dust with powdered sugar.

Belgian Waffles, by Cheryl

On March 25 it was National Waffle Day. How do I know this? Well, my kindergartener's principal sends a lovely one minute video message to all of the students everyday and he has a different day for every date! It's pretty informative actually, haha. Anyway, I didn't have the energy to cook waffles right then and there, but we made them the next morning with this recipe. They were so fluffy and different than other waffle recipes I've tried before. I had to beat the egg whites until they fluffed up into stiff peaks and the fold it into the batter.. I think this really made the difference! I'll be making them again. Yum!

Ingredients:

2.25 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
3 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 large eggs, separated
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1) In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and cinnamon.

2) In a medium bowl beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Set aside.

3) In another bowl mix the egg yolks, vegetable oil, milk, and vanilla extract.

4) Add the egg yolk mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well.

5) Fold in the egg whites.

6) Heat up your waffle iron and spray it with oil.

7) Pour the batter into the waffle iron (I used half a cup) and cook according to its directions.

8) Serve immediately with optional toppings such as butter, whipped cream, fruit, etc.

Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Pasta, by Cheryl

Ugh, another night of what to make for dinner? I'm in a rut! Help me!!! Anyway, I had eggplant, tomatoes, and pasta so I put together this together. I used this recipe as a guide to help with some of the sauce making. The sauce came out really well and was tasty. I ended up adding a teaspoon of baking soda to take out the acidity of the tomatoes and it worked! This is a great meal to whip up when you have no idea what to make for dinner!

Ingredients:

1 eggplant, cut into 1 inch cubes
olive oil
2 ripe heirloom tomatoes, cut in half
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp unsalted butter
pasta of choice.. something like farfalle or radiatore would be good

Directions:

1) Heat oven to 450. Toss eggplant with some olive oil and salt. Roast about 30 minutes.

2) Meanwhile, cook pasta until about 1 minute shy of al dente.

3) Grate tomatoes (until you get to the tomato skin) over a skillet using the large holes of box grater. Add garlic and 1 tbsp of olive oil and bring to a simmer. Simmer until pulp is reduced by half, then season with salt. This is where I added a teaspoon of baking soda and some cherry tomatoes to cut the acidity and add some chunk to it.

4) Add the butter and pasta and toss together. Bring to a simmer and cook until pasta is cooked through. Add eggplant.

5) Serve pasta with a little more olive oil and Parmesan cheese if using.

Cornbread, by Cheryl

This is the best cornbread I've ever had and I knew as soon as I tasted it that I had to have the recipe. This recipe is from my brother in law's mother and goes well with just about anything. I've had it with chili and most recently made it with a smoked brisket for our Hanukah party. It is beyond unhealthy, but makes a nice addition to some warm comfort food. Yum!

Ingredients:

1 (30oz) can drained whole kennel corn
1 (30oz) can creamed corn
2 eggs beaten
1 cup melted butter
1 cup sour cream
1 package jiffy cornbread or muffin mix
2 tablespoon sugar

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350.

2) Mix all ingredients together. Bake in a greased 9x13 dish for 45 minutes.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie, by Cheryl

I know, I know

One of my go-to smoothies is a peanut butter banana smoothie. I used to drink this everyday before work and it was a great way to start the day before teaching. I actually can't believe I've never posted it before! Anyway, I decided to switch it up a bit this morning and wowsers, this was so good! It may have been a little too sweet for me at 7:30 in the morning - I think this would be a great post-workout drink as it provides just the right amount of carbs and protein to refuel you afterward. I added a few dried figs, which added some depth and sweetness to it, and a handful of spinach. Yum!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup milk (I used whole, but almond would work great too)
1/2 cup coconut water
2 tablespoons peanut butter (sometimes I use PB2 - if you've never heard of it look it up!)
1 banana
flax seeds
chia seeds
spinach or kale
3-4 dried figs
2 tablespoons cacao powder
handful of ice

Directions:

1) Blend it all together and enjoy!!

Eggplant and Mushroom Polenta Bake, by Cheryl

On my quest to find easy and healthy weeknight meals I came across this recipe. This was anything but easy! Let me rephrase that. It was technically easy, meaning that all of the steps were easy to accomplish, but it just took an effing long time! Between the chopping, all of the steps, and ingredients it took two hours to prepare. If I'm going to prepare something that takes two hours of my time (especially on a weeknight) the main ingredient better have had parents when it was alive. To boot, the dish was just so-so. I thought it was a little flat tasting and could use some more zing to it. It was reasonably good, but in my opinion it wasn't worth the effort. The recipe is from here. Yum?

Ingredients (filling):

olive oil
1.5 pounds Japanese eggplant, largely diced
1 pound cremini mushrooms, stems trimmed and mushrooms quartered
1/3 cup dry red wine
1/2 large yellow onion, diced
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp red pepper flakes
kosher salt
5 medium garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup green olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 cup water
ground pepper

Polenta ingredients:

3 cups water, plus more as needed,
2 cups whole milk
2 tsp kosher salt
1.5 cups polenta
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1.5 cups shredded fontina cheese

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 350 and arrange a rack in the middle. Place a large, well seasoned or enameled cast iron skillet in the oven while it's heating.

2) Once the oven is heated, drizzle 1 tbsp olive oil in the hot skillet and let it heat up for 1-2 minutes. Add the eggplant to the skillet and arrange it in an even layer. Roast until tender and starting to brown, stirring halfway through, about 25 minutes. Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven and place on the stovetop. Using a spoon, transfer the eggplant to a bowl and set aside.

3) Add 1 tbsp olive oil to the skillet and place over high heat until shimmering. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring rarely, until browned, about 8 minutes. Add the wine, stir to combine, and cook until the liquid has completely evaporated. Reduce the heat to medium low and using a spoon, transfer the mushrooms to the eggplant bowl.

4) Add 1 tbsp olive oil to the skillet and heat. Add the onion, oregano, red pepper flakes, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion has softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring often, about 1 minute.

5) Add the olives and reserved eggplant and mushrooms, along with any accumulated juices in the bowl and stir to combine. Add the tomatoes and water, season with salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, being making the polenta. (Remove mixture from heat when done, season with salt and pepper, and keep warm until polenta is ready).

6) POLENTA: Place the measured water, milk, and salt in a large saucepan and bring to a simmer over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, and whisking constantly, slowly pour the polenta in a thin, steady stream until all of it is incorporated and there are no lumps.

7) Cook, whisking or stirring with a spoon every few minutes, until the polenta pulls away from the sides of the pan and the grains have softened, about 20 minutes. Add water if it gets too thick. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and set aside. Heat the oven to broil.

8) Pour the polenta over the eggplant and mushroom mixture and spread it into a smooth even layer. Evenly sprinkle the fontina onto the polenta. Place the skillet in the oven and broil until the cheese is browned and bubbling, about 4 minutes. Remove from the oven to a wire rack and let sit for 5 minutes.

Homemade Chicken and Dumpling Soup, by Diane

This recipe comes from cooking light. It was a total hit!! One of those dishes that gets better with time, and is super comforting on a cold day. I didn't wind up making the stock from scratch, so I just used store bought stock and a rotisserie chicken, but it still came out amazing! My only fix would be to add the thyme in earlier to help it cook out the flavor, and to get it in underneath the dumplings (mine stuck to the tops of the dumplings and were very intense in flavor bc they didn't cook). Definitely a make again recipe!!

Ingredients:

1 (4-pound) whole chicken
10 cup water
4 cups unsalted chicken stock
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
3 celery stalks, coarsely chopped (about 6 ounces)
2 carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 5 ounces)
2 bay leaves
1 onion, peeled and cut into wedges (about 10 ounces)
1/2 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley (about 2 ounces)
3 tablespoons butter, divided
1 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup sliced celery
1 carrot, halved lengthwise and sliced
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
1 teaspoon baking soda
6 tablespoons nonfat buttermilk
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions:

1. Remove giblets and neck from chicken; trim excess fat. Place chicken, 10 cups water, and next 7 ingredients (through parsley bunch) in an 8-quart stockpot. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 1 hour, skimming foam from the surface as necessary. Remove from heat, and let stand for 20 minutes.
2. Remove skin from chicken; remove chicken from bones, discarding skin and bones. Shred chicken with 2 forks. Strain stock through a sieve into a large bowl; discard solids. Cool stock and chicken to room temperature. Cover and chill stock and chicken separately for 8 to 24 hours. Skim solidified fat from surface of stock; discard fat. Reserve 8 cups stock and chicken. Refrigerate remaining stock in an airtight container for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 3 months.
3. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add 1 cup onion, 1/4 cup celery, and sliced carrot to pan; cook 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in 1 tablespoon flour, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and ground pepper; cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Stir in 8 cups reserved stock. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Weigh or lightly spoon 4.5 ounces flour (about 1 cup) into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking soda, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, stirring with a whisk. Cut in remaining 2 tablespoons butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk, stirring until moist.
5. Drop dough in 24 portions (about 1 teaspoon each) into stock mixture. Cover and cook 8 minutes. Gently stir in reserved shredded chicken and thyme. Simmer over very low heat for 6 minutes or until thoroughly heated and dumplings are done. Remove from heat, and ladle into shallow bowls. Sprinkle evenly with chopped parsley.

Spinach & Sausage Stuffed Shells, by Cheryl

Quite an alliteration I have for this recipe! I found this recipe through foodgawker.com. I've never made stuffed shells before, but didn't think it was going to be hard to make at all... I was right! Jon even got into it- he cooked the sausage and onions and we stuffed the shells together. This makes A LOT of shells so it's really good for a family dinner or leftovers throughout the week. Yum!

Ingredients:

1 12-oz. package jumbo pasta shells
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
1 lb. Italian sausage (I used chicken sausage)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 15-oz. container ricotta cheese
6-7 oz. fresh spinach, chopped OR 10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 tbsp. chopped fresh basil or 1 tsp. dried basil
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 28-oz. can chopped tomatoes with herbs, including the liquid

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook pasta shells according to package directions. Drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the sausage to the pan, breaking it into smaller pieces as it cooks (I cut it up beforehand and cooked it that way). Cook until the sausage is completely cooked through and no pink remains, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove from the heat.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the egg, ricotta, spinach, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan, basil, bread crumbs, salt, and pepper. Stir together to combine. Add the cooked sausage mixture to the bowl and stir until evenly mixed.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spread a thin layer of the chopped tomatoes in the baking dishes (either three 8×8″ pans, or one 9×13″ and one 8×8″). Stuff each shell with some of the sausage and cheese mixture, and arrange in the baking dishes, open side up. Spread the remaining tomatoes over the top of the pasta shells.
Cover the pans with foil and bake for 30 minutes, until hot and bubbling. Remove foil and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 10 more minutes.

Butternut Squash and Bacon Mac 'n Cheese, by Cheryl

I know we've been using quite a bit of butternut squash lately... it all stems from that amazing lunch Diane and I had at Tower Oaks. Anyways, I was looking for a comfort food type of meal to make tonight... this recipe originally comes from Cooking Light. It took longer than I thought it would to prepare, but once the preparation is done, the food is almost ready to eat. In the future I would make more of a milk/flour/cheese mixture because I don't feel that it covered the whole dish well. This dish works best if you have the butternut squash, bacon, and pasta all in the same bite. Yum!!

Ingredients:

1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed (I use pre-peeled/cubed)
1 tbsp Dried Rosemary
salt and pepper
1 box pasta of choice (I used rotini)
7 slices of bacon (I used turkey bacon)
1 cup shallots, diced
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk (1 or 2%)
1 cup Italian blend shredded cheese
1/3 cup grated fresh parmesan

Directions:
Preheat to 425. Coat the squash lightly in cooking spray, rosemary, and S&P. Roast in a pan for 45 minutes until squash is tender.
While the squash is roasting, cook the pasta, and fry the bacon. When the bacon is done, pour off all but 1 Tbsp of the drippings. Set aside the bacon, and cook the shallots 5 minutes or until translucent in the leftover drippings. Crumble the bacon and set it aside with the shallots. When the squash is done roasting, mix in the bacon and shallots and turn the oven up to 450.
Put the flour in a heavy-bottomed sauce pan over medium-high heat and slowly whisk in the milk. When all the milk has been added, bring to a boil for 1 minute or until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the shredded cheese. Combine the pasta and the squash mixture in a 9×13 casserole dish, and pour the milk and cheese mixture over the top. Stir to coat. Top with grated parmesan and pop back in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until the cheese starts to brown.

Turkey Chili, by Cheryl

I went for an easier recipe for my first post. I'm new at the blogging aspect of the internet and didn't want to do anything too extravagant too soon. I chose turkey chili because one, it's Monday and if I'm making chili I like to make it in the beginning of the week so I can take the leftovers to work everyday. And two, it's a filling, hearty, keep you warm, type of meal that one can always turn to in the colder weather.

You'll need:

1 lb. ground turkey
1 15 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
1 large onion, chopped
1 green (or red) pepper, chopped
minced garlic
2 cans of kidney beans, rinsed
3/4 - 1 cup of low sodium chicken broth
heaping tablespoons of cumin
cayenne pepper
black pepper
salt
olive oil

Directions:

1) Put a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a pan over medium/medium high. Saute the onion and pepper until softened (not browned). After a couple of minutes, place the minced garlic in.

2) Cook the turkey in a separate pan.

3) While the turkey is cooking, stir the canned tomatoes and chicken broth in a large pot over medium heat. Add the paste and rinsed beans - stir together. Add the cooked turkey, onions, garlic, cumin, black pepper, and salt - stir together. Add the cayenne pepper as you go depending on how spicy you want it.

4) Simmer on medium low-medium heat for a minimum of 20 minutes. Serve with rolls on the side and/or cheese on top!