2 Alarm Chili

Recipe has been adapted from Wick Fowler's 2 Alarm Chili Kit. 

We haven't purchased the 2 Alarm Chili Kit for years, but use to keep several on hand at all times. You can find the kits on Amazon if you can't find them at your local grocery store.

Ingredients:

29 oz. Kidney beans, drained and rinsed well (or equivalent of cooked dried beans)

30 oz. Tomatoes, diced

14 oz. Tomato sauce

1 lb. Turkey, ground

Spices:

2 tsp. Paprika

1/4 tsp. Cayenne

3 tsp.  Garlic powder

1/2 cup Chili powder

1 Tbsp. Cumin

1 tsp. Oregano

2 Tbsp. Flour

2 tsp. Salt

Directions:

Cook and drain turkey. I prefer to add the spices next and toss well with the meat. Add the wet ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes or more.

Notes:

· All of herbs/spices are dried.

· We never use the flour or salt. The chili seems thick enough w/o the flour, and everything canned has high sodium content anyway.

· Ok, of course I don’t use the garlic and onions either- but you should!

· You can use less tomato sauce to keep it thicker. We use garden fresh tomatoes that we freeze in quart size bags to use throughout the year.

Play around with the recipe as you like. It’s pretty forgiving. If you need it less spicy, you can omit or decrease the amount of cayenne pepper. Remember, you can always add MORE heat, but is darn hard to take away heat. Ask me how I know! We also like to toss in any veggies that are laying around such as zucchini, bell peppers (red, yellow or orange).

This is an all time favorite in our house. I usually make a LARGE batch of the spice mix to keep on hand. Did I mention it goes great with corn bread? Recipe to follow... eventually.

Enjoy and I hope you like it.

Karan

Kale Lasagna

Recipe is a modified version of Kale Lasagna Diavolo from Vegetarian Times Jan/Feb 2011.

Ingredients:

1 tsp. olive oil

• 1 16 ounces kale, stems removed
• 1 15-oz. pkg. fat-free ricotta cheese
• 6 oz. goat cheese, softened
• 4 cups prepared tomato puree
• 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 6 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Prep:

1. Heat oven to 400°F. 

2. Cook kale in large pot of boiling salted water 2 minutes. Drain, and rinse under cold water until cool enough to handle. Thoroughly drain or wring out kale, then chop, and set aside.

3. Combine the ricotta and goat cheeses well, and set aside.

4. Heat tomato puree and red pepper flakes; Add salt and pepper as desired.

5. Start layering contents in baking disk (9 x 12) starting with tomato puree to coat the bottom of the dish to prevent sticking. Use two lasagna noodles per layer. Sprinkle the top with the Parmesan cheese and bake for approximately 45 minutes, checking after 30 minutes. You want the top to be bubbly, but not burnt ;-).

When I'm in a hurry, I cut up the lasagna noodles into smaller pieces, mix all ingredients and bake as directed. Still tastes great, and cuts the prep time. This dish freezes well and makes 8 servings.

Enjoy!

Karan