Monday 14 April 2014

Recipe One - Turkey Con Carne.....!!

Good Morning guys, and Happy Monday!

Now I know a lot of people hate Mondays, it's back to work/school day after having a nice weekend off! Unless of course you work weekends, in that case, brothers and sisters, I feel your pain! I've done it for years until recently, and it sucks!

So, what are we kicking the week off with then?

How about a recipe for a lovely Turkey Chilli?

So why turkey, and not beef? Well, as much as I love beef, and red meat in general, it's a good idea to cut back on the amount we eat whilst we're on a fat loss journey! So here we go!

"Turkey Con Carne"

Serves Four Hungry People, or Six Not So Hungry People!

Equiptment -

Large High Sided Non-Stick Casserole Type Pan w/ Lid

Chopping Board

A Couple of Sharp Knives - A small prep knife, and a 6"/8" Chefs knife

Vegetable Peeler

Box Grater/Food Processor w/ Grater Attachment

Silicone Spatula/Non Metal Spoon

Ingredients -

500g Lean Turkey Mince (A mix of dark, and white meat for great flavour)

200g Carrots

300g Red Onion

100g Celery

3 Garlic Cloves

1 Fresh Red Chilli - Deseeded and finely chopped

4 Roasted Red Peppers - Roughly chopped. You can buy some fantastic ones at your local supermarket, for a fraction of the price of fresh peppers!

400g Can of Kidney Beans

400g Passata - Buy a nice flavoured one with chilli, herbs, garlic etc!

1 Tablespoon of Tomato Ketchup - I LOVE Sainsburys own brand, it came top in a taste test by Which? Magazine!

2 Tablespoons Rapeseed Oil - Border Fields is excellent!

Half a teaspoon Ground Cumin

Half a teaspoon Sweet Smoked Paprika

1 and a half teaspoons Regular Paprika

1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

1 teaspoon Dried Oregano

30g Fresh Coriander - Leaves picked and roughly chopped, and stalks finely chopped

1 teaspoon Chipotle Paste - ASDA do a very nice paste, if you've not tried it before, it's JalapeƱo Peppers that have been smoked, then ground to a paste. Delicious!

A Lemon

1 Free Range Chicken Stock Cube - Kallo Stock Cubes are great!

*Hints, and Tips!*

Recipes are there as a guide, unless it's baking, ingredients and amounts aren't set in stone. If you don't like something, or you have allergies, such as celery, leave it out and add more onion, or maybe some pumpkin/squash! If you don't like a herb, or spice, again swap it for something you do like!

If you have a food processor, this can make life a million times easier if your knife skills are lacking, by using the grater and slicer attachments you can whiz through your veg prep in no time!!

Method -

1. Peel the carrots, onions, garlic cloves, and wash the celery stalks. Finely chop the onions, and celery, and grate the carrots. If you have a food processor, use the grater for all the veg!

2. Heat a pan on medium, and add the rapeseed oil, followed by the veggies and a good pinch of sea salt. Stir well, put the lid on, and let the veg cook until softened, stirring every few minutes for 10-15 minutes. Some golden colour is a bonus here to bring out the natural sweetness in the veg!

3. Once the veggies are nicely cooked, add the garlic and red chilli, and cook for a few minutes. Push the veg to one side of the pan, and break in the turkey mince. Brown off the meat by stirring it, and breaking up clumps with your spatula/spoon. Increasing the heat if necessary.

4. Season the meat and veg mix with freshly ground black pepper, and add the dried spices. Allow the spices to cook for a minute or so, then add the chipotle paste, coriander stalks, stock cube, and dried oregano. The stock cube will melt in seconds with a little stirring action!

5. Next, add the passata, ketchup, the peppers, and the drained, rinsed kidney beans. Add a little water at this point if it seems a little dry, or thick, 200ml should suffice (If using a 400g jar of passata, just rinse the jar out!). Add in half of the chopped coriander leaves.

6. Once everything is in the pan, allow to cook on a low heat for an hour or so, or until the sauce has thickened to your liking, and the turkey is delicious and tender! Finish with the rest of the coriander, and the juice of half a lemon, or to taste, and check the seasoning!

I love this chilli served with some bulgar wheat, steamed broccoli, and a spoonful of fat free Greek yogurt!

I really hope you'll give this a try guys, and let me know what you think! Cooked, shredded turkey can be used in place of mince. Remember, if you don't like an ingredient, leave it out, or swap it for something else!

Cheers......Tash :)

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