Adventures of a Messy Chef

Spicy Sausage and Black-Eyed Pea Chili

Dec 19th, 11 / 0 Comments

Eesh. 4 whole months since I last blogged. Who am I?! The big little girl is at Grandma’s house this week and that allows a little more time in our schedule, so I decided to cook some dinner! Yay! I’ve been sick and needed something spicy to smoke all the germs out and this did the trick. This spicy chili incorporates two types of meat, some gumbo-inspired vegetables, and a Southern twist … black-eyed peas! Super filling, super spicy, and super delicious! Top with your favorite chili toppings – cheese, some onions, or sour cream and serve with cornbread for a fine meal!

One quick food note – if you’re not a connessuer of black-eyed peas (aka you are not from the South!), do not get confused when you go shopping for them. The sell them ‘seasoned’, like the Glory Brand. They are also sold plain:

See!? That doesn’t say anything but ‘black eyed peas’. They’re plain. That’s the kind you want. If you accidentally buy the seasoned kind, it’s ok, you can still use them, but leave the paprika out or you’ll have a giant smoky bowl of chili!

Also, if you’ve never cooked with andouille, do not be afraid!! I bought Aidells brand and they are sold in my store near the hot dogs and kielbasa. They’re fully cooked, so I just quartered them. There are 4 in the pack. You can use all 4 for sure, or save one to fry up with some eggs and potatoes (yum!).

Hope you enjoy!

Yield: Eight 1-cup servings (a very full 1 cup!)

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 links (9 ounces) andouille sausage, chopped or crumbled
1 1/4 pound ground turkey
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste (I used about 1/4 tsp of each)
3 cups chicken broth
10 ounce can diced tomatoes with chiles (such as Rotel)
8 ounce can tomato sauce
Two 15.5-ounce cans black-eyed peas, rinsed
2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
shredded cheddar, diced green onions, or sour cream for topping

1) In a large, heavy pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook until browned, about 2 minutes. Add the turkey and cook, crumbling, until browned, 2 to 3 minutes more.

2) Add the celery, bell pepper, onion, garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes.

3) Stir in the chicken broth, tomatoes, tomato sauce, black-eyed peas, hot sauce, thyme, chili powder, paprika and cumin. Bring to a low boil, lower the heat and cook for 20-30 minutes more.

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Pork, Soup, Turkey

Thai Chicken Drumsticks

Aug 26th, 11 / 0 Comments

Another winner from Rachel Ray’s magazine! I think I’m going to have to subscribe because I really like these recipes I’ve tried lately. This one was not fast, but it was easy!! I marinated the chicken the night before and left it in a Ziplock in the fridge just waiting for us. While it was in the oven, I made the rice and prepped the cucumbers. RRs method for making the rice took longer than her recipe said it should, so I will just make the suggestion to prepare jasmine rice according to your package’s directions. If you’d like to see what she suggests, check it out on her website. Apologies for a “2 seconds before I bit into it” picture! I promise to step the photography up here soon! But for now, just use your imagination. This one was good! The chicken moist and flavorful (not just in the skin!) and the cucumbers and rice were a perfect compliment. I also served some spring rolls and we were a happy, well fed family!

Source: Adapted from Rachel Ray Magazine
Yield: 4 servings

1/2 bunch cilantro, stems and leaves separated and coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic
2 tbsp. oyster sauce
1 lime, juiced
Salt and pepper
8 chicken drumsticks
2 cucumbers—peeled, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
Jasmine Rice – prepared according to package directions

In a food processor, puree the cilantro stems, garlic, oyster sauce, half of the lime juice and 1/2 tsp. each salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl, add the chicken and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight.

Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 400°. Place the chicken on a foil or parchment-lined baking sheet and bake, turning once, until cooked through, 45 to 50 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the cucumbers, cilantro leaves and remaining lime juice; season with salt and pepper. Serve with the chicken and rice.

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Asian, Chicken, Main Dishes

Green Bean Spaghetti Carbonara

Aug 24th, 11 / 0 Comments

Yes, I’m still alive over here! Tired, but alive, and even cooking a little bit Tonight’s dinner is a minorly (is that a word!?) tweaked recipe from Rachel Ray’s magazine. It was easy and delish, but not exactly low cal (oh well!). Bacon is one of our favorite foods in this house and I loved that there were green beans in the dish to help salvage the nutritional value I’ll make this one again!

Green Bean Spaghetti Carbonara

Source: Adapted from Rachel Ray Magazine
Yield: 6 servings

1 lb. spaghetti
1 lb. green beans, cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 lb. bacon, chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 eggs
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper

Directions:
1) Cook pasta according to package directions, adding beans halfway through cooking time; drain, reserving 1/4 cup cooking water.

2) Brown bacon in large skillet over medium heat; add onion and sautee until soft; deglaze with reserved cooking water. (or if you’re like me and forget to reserve it, regular tap water will be ok!)

3) Whisk eggs with cheese. Off heat, add pasta, beans, eggs and cheese to skillet and toss; season with salt and pepper.

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Main Dishes, Pork

Sweet & Spicy Chicken Thighs

May 21st, 11 / 0 Comments

Apologies that there’s no picture here – we were STARVING so as soon as these babies came out of the oven, we ate! This is a Cooking Light recipe and is easy and quick. I was out of regular chili powder, so I used Medium Hot chili powder from Penzeys. Because of this, I cut the cayenne in half. It was still SPICY. If you like things inferno hot (like my sister!) – use a full 1/2 tsp of cayenne. Otherwise, go for a 1/4 tsp or less… I also needed to cook the chicken a few minutes longer than the recipe called for. My changes are noted below, but if you’d like to see the original recipe, you can go here.

Sweet & Spicy Chicken Thighs

2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons chili powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
Cooking spray
6 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1. Preheat broiler.

2. Combine first 6 ingredients (garlic powder through red pepper) in a large bowl. Add chicken to bowl; toss to coat. Place chicken on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Broil chicken 7 minutes on each side.

3. Combine honey and vinegar in a small bowl, stirring well. Remove chicken from oven; brush 1/4 cup honey mixture on chicken. Broil 1 minute. Remove chicken from oven and turn over. Brush chicken with remaining honey mixture. Broil 1 additional minute or until chicken is done.

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Chicken, Main Dishes

Summer Squash & White Bean Saute

May 9th, 11 / 0 Comments

I feel like that commercial “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!” I had great ideas of cooking up a storm while I was on maternity leave. Yeah, that didn’t happen! I’ve fed my family, but we’ve eaten a lot of frozen bag meals and spaghetti. Sorry guys! HOWEVER – We got a GREAT box from the CSA this past week and I just couldn’t ignore it, so I actually cooked a new recipe or two!! This was one I found in a stack of recipes on my dresser and it sang to me!! The beautiful squash had a place to go and we were not disappointed. The original recipe called for 1 medium yellow squash and 1 medium zucchini. I used 2 of each because I like to have a big side dish and adding the extra veggies is never a bad idea!! I also have to say I LOVE white beans. LOVE. We served this over brown rice. Please make this recipe! It’s so good!

Summer Squash & White Bean Sauté

Source: Adapted from Eating Well
Yield: 4 servings – about 1 1/4 cup each (very filling!!)

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, halved and sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced
2 medium yellow summer squash, halved lengthwise and sliced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano, or 1 teaspoon dried (I used dried)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 15- or 19-ounce can cannellini or great northern beans, rinsed (see Tip)
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
1/3 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese

1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Add zucchini, summer squash, oregano, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook, stirring once, until the vegetables are tender-crisp, 3 to 5 minutes.

2. Stir in beans, tomatoes and vinegar; increase heat to medium and cook, stirring, until heated through, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in Parmesan.