Healthy Tasty Zesty Chili

Yes folks, it's that time again it's AUTUMN!!! I love the Fall the only thing I don't like about Autumn is that it means Winter must follow. I don't care for wintertime, I guess I would enjoy winter a lot more if I didn't have to trudge out in the elements to try to get to a 9-5 everyday. Okay I'm soooooo far off of the subject. LOL!!!

Autumn means we can start making soups, stews and chili. I think you are really gonna like this recipe, it's low fat and high fiber. I'm really on a fiber kick as of lately, I think it's because I've finally learned about all of the benefits it has for our bodies. Anywho, this recipe has TONS of flavor a little heat for a kick and no guilt. I serve it over brown rice for a added benefit. When you guys try it let me know how it turned out for you.

1-2 lbs. of ground turkey (the leanest you can find, I used 93/7)

2 Tbls. of olive oil

1- 28 oz. can of Whole plum tomatoes

1- 15.5 oz. can of kidney beans (drained and rinsed)

1 medium onion (diced)

8 cloves of garlic (chopped)

1 Tbls. of Honey

1- 4 oz. can of tomato paste

2 tbls chili powder

1 tbls chili paste

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp crushed red pepper

2 tbls worcestershire sauce

2 Bay leaves

Add one tbls. of olive oil to a large heated pot (medium-low) heat. Add the onion, stir and saute until onions appear translucent, add the garlic, turn the heat down to low. Saute the garlic and onions for 2 minutes more. Remove the onion/garlic mixture and place separate bowl.

Add the remaining olive oil to the pot and add the ground turkey, turn the heat back up to medium-low. Add the chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, crushed red pepper, and salt and pepper. Cook the ground turkey until done. Add the Worcestershire sauce, chili paste, tomato paste, honey, sauteed onion/garlic mixture, bay leaves and canned tomatoes including juice. Use the back of your spoon to break up the tomatoes. Place a lid on the pot and reduce heat to low to simmer, keep an eye on it and stir frequently. Simmer for 20-30 minutes or until the liquids reduce and you end up with a thick chili. Add the kidney beans and stir allow to simmer for an addition 10-15 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and serve over brown rice, get ready for the flavor explosion. lol. Enjoy!

BTW- If you are not able to find the chili paste in your local supermarket you may want to try an asian food market or you can omit all together. But its sooooo worth it so you may want to track some down. I love chili paste in my soy sauce for dipping with dumplings. It has multiple uses, so at least you won't purchase it and it's hanging out in your refrigerator and only used for one recipe. I hate that! :-) Speaking of which I have an awesome Asian Dumpling recipe that I will be sharing with you. Look forward to that post.

Coming soon:

DIVA'S FAVORITE TREATS: In an effort to eat healthier I have found out that I need to have healthy snacks or treats to help me between meals. Beyond the regular fruit and veggies, which are great, but sometimes you just need a little more or just something different to add to the mix. Look out for it!

-Diva

Guess What Folks??? DIVA'S BACK!!!

Alright, let me explain my absence, Diva is currently going through a transformation. I am in the process of becoming a healthier person, hence, my dishes and recipes are going through a transformation as well. You will be able to see my physical results by accessing my other blog divatakesitoff.blogspot.com (Coming Soon!!!).

Don't worry Diva still loves all of you and I need your support and comments. I have received quite a few comments asking me where I have been and why have I abondoned my blog. I would never abondon the blog. As you saw above about the blog transformation, you will notice lighter healthier recipe entries. I'm also on this high fiber kick so you may want to prepare your system for the change.

Look forward to some major changes!!! Thanks for sticking with me through the transformation. Diva loves you!!!

P.S. To my sister- The recipe you tasted is coming. I had to enter this post first, it will be done this week, without a doubt. To clue everyone else in, she tasted my Creamy Chicken Rigatoni it's a low fat and high protein recipe. I loved it and so did she.

Cheesy Veggie Quiche Recipe and Secret Ingredient

All right folks!!! The pictures have been posted and now here’s the recipe. Oh, the secret ingredient is……………RICOTTA! It gives the quiche a fluffiness and creaminess that I absolutely loved. Okay, now on to the recipe:

It was sooooooo yummy!

1 Frozen pie crust, thawed and *blind baked
1 Tbsp of olive oil
1 Bunch of asparagus (10-12 spears) cut in 1-inch pieces
1- 10 oz package of frozen spinach (thawed and excess liquid squeezed out)
1 Bunch of scallions (5-7 stalks) thinly sliced
3 eggs
1 ¼ cup of half and half
¼ cup of ricotta (part-skim)
½ cup of yellow cheddar cheese
½ cup of white cheddar cheese
½ cup of Gruyere cheese
Dash of nutmeg
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil, once the oil is hot add the scallions and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Add the asparagus to the skillet and continue to sauté. Cook until the asparagus is slightly soft (approx. 7-10 minutes). Remove asparagus and scallions from the heat and set aside.

Crack the eggs into a bowl and beat until well incorporated. Add the half and half to the eggs and beat with electric hand mixer for 1 minutes. (This is to add extra air to the mixture, extra air = extra fluffiness). Add ricotta cheese beat until well incorporated.

Fold in the remainder of the ingredients (asparagus, scallions, spinach, all the cheeses, nutmeg and salt/pepper. Combine well, pour mixture into blind baked piecrust. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes, until the center of the quiche is set (non-giggly). <--- That’s a technical term LOL! *Blind baked simply means that the crust needs to be baked prior to adding any filling. It is to prevent the bottom of the pie from remaining undercooked or gummy. Yuck, I hate that!

Please be adventurous with this recipe. With the other quiches I prepared I substituted the veggies for meat and then made a combo of meat and veggies (which is my personal favorite) a.k.a. THE WORKS!

Additional instructions for THE WORKS:

For THE WORKS quiche I used in addition to the veggies, 4 oz. of ham (cubed), 3 slices of bacon (cut in 12 in pieces and cooked until crispy), 4 oz. of breakfast sausage (out of the casings, cook until browned). Add the veggies, meat and egg mixture all together and pour into blind baked pie shell.


-DIVA

Cheesy Veggie Quiche

This weekend I made (3) separate quiches that seemed to be a hit. The first was a total meat quiche, the second was the cheese veggie quiche and the third was the WORKS (a combination of the other quiches)!!! Out of all three I enjoyed the WORKS the most. I wanted to get this post up now because my tasters need to respond, however the recipe will be posted tonight for all those who are interested. I have an extra special ingredient, so stay tuned for the recipe.

-DIVA

A GRAND ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

DIVA is having her first official group tasting!!!

How cool is this?!?! This is going to be the MOST fabulous event ever! I am so excited and can't wait to share this experience with my new tasters. I hope everyone invited is able to show up, because I handpicked this beta group for a reason.

A question may surface for my up-coming tasters, what exactly will be on the menu. Well!!! The menu has been created and has a lot of delicious componets including desserts and drinks. With a special shoutout to Roz because a special drink thingy has been inspired just for her.

But the tasing in general with be a spin on a tappas menu. Please know that the Diva flair with be there, it's always there. So it will not be a traditional tappas menu, don't expect chorizo or squid, think DIVA inspired. I know it's difficult because not many of you really know me, however it will be fantastic!

A note to my currents guests: Please contact me with ANY questions concerning the tasting or if you just want to talk to me to get to know the person that will be feeding you. :-) My contact information is located on the invitation.

I am currently formulating the list for my second tasting in May, if you are interested please let me know, there are only 5 slots left. There is a small nominal fee involved, however it won't break the bank, don't worry. (Hint: It's less than a fill-up at at the gas pump.)

The pictures from the tasting will be posted following the event.

Banana Pudding

Here are the pictures as promised

I can't begin to describe how much I love this dessert (yes I can, see below). Mmmmmmm!

2 lbs of yellow bananas (no brown spots) sliced in 1/2 inch slices
2 (4-oz serving pkg) Cook and serve vanilla pudding mix
1 box of vanilla wafers
6 cups of milk
Deep baking dish, (I use a pyrex glass dish so you can see the layers) but be creative, a trifle dish would be awesome for this.

Prepare the pudding according to the directions on the box. Remove from heat. Line the bottom of your baking dish with vanilla wafers. Layer the bananas on top of the wafers. Pour the pudding on top just to cover the cookies. Repeat layers, end with a final layer of vanilla wafers and pour the remaining pudding over. Place in the refrigerator to set (at least 3-4 hours). Let's not be greedy trying to eat hot, crunchy banana pudding.

This recipe is soooooooooo stinkin’ easy!!! I believe it was one of the first desserts I ever prepared. My mom taught me how to prepare it, of course I was designated the pudding stirrer because it’s the most tedious portion of the recipe. My mother knew what she was doing, “keep stirring sweety, it will thicken eventually”.

This dessert is best once it has had a chance to sit overnight in the refrigerator before serving. All of the flavors have a change to meld and the cookies change into a spongy filling. The cookies give the cakey texture, the bananas make you feel not so guilty (because it's fruit, right? It can't be that bad for you) and the pudding just adds that silky coolness. Can you tell I'm obsessed?

Some people enjoy adding a whipped topping to finish it off, but I like the basic banana pudding. It’s so easy, sooooooooo good and a great overall spring/summertime dessert.

-Diva (banana pudding fiend)

What's the BIG deal with zest???

I'm sure all of you have heard or even have tried a recipe with lemon, orange or lime zest in it. The zest craze has seemed to intensify over the past year or so. You may be asking yourself is it that great, does it make that big of a difference, could I possibly just leave it out of the recipe.

I mean who really likes lemon, orange or lime rind? Have you tasted it by mistake? It's gross, bitter and disguisting.

But if you ever think of omitting this valued ingredient, it is a big, Big, BIG mistake! The answer is with our a doubt a resounding, NO!

Zest is so vital to the flavor of a dish, used appropriately it will make you dish, POP! The reason is because in citrus fruit the essential oils and a lot of the flavor is packed into the outer layer of the rind. I would agree that you need to be very careful in grating. You only want to grate the outer most colorful portion of the rind. If you grate or zest too deep you will hit the white portion which is very bitter and could ruin the flavor of your dish.

So to answer the question, the BIG deal is BIG FLAVOR!!!

Stay tuned because I will review the different zesters and graters out there on the market, see who wins out as Diva's favorite...

-DIVA