Ghoulish Goulash

Ghoulish Goulash
(Serves 4)

olive oil
1 lb ground turkey meat
2 medium yellow onions, diced
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 bell pepper, diced
2 tbsp smoked paprika
1 can diced tomatoes with juice
2 cups chicken stock
3 large handfuls spinach, steamed
sea salt and ground pepper, to taste

Preheat your oven to 350 F.

Brown the turkey meat in the bottom of a large pot with some olive oil. Once the meat is cooked through, remove the meat to another plate or bowl. Brown the onions in the pot for about three minutes. Then add the garlic and bell pepper and cook them all, stirring regularly, for about five minutes over medium heat.

Add the turkey meat back to the pot and add the paprika, salt, pepper, tomatoes (and the juice), and stock. Let cook on stove top for a few minutes. Meanwhile, prepare a steamer tray (this one is my favorite) and steam your spinach for about six minutes in the microwave. Add the steamed spinach to the pot.

Place a lid on the pot and transfer to the preheated oven. Let the stew cook for about two hours and remove to serve. There will be a delectable, hearty stew waiting for you that has the suspicious look of brains and mildew. A lovely addition to any Halloween themed feast. Go on. Have a peace.

Fabulous Fall Farrago

A farrago is a 'confused mixture' or hodgepodge - isn't that a fabulous word? And equally fabulous is this particular farrago, which is a hodgepodge of different delectable and healthy tidbits, all piled together into a slow cooker for an easy, tummy-pleasing meal with delectable fall flavors. And, like all wonderful soups, this one smells so good that people will look up from what they're doing just to ask you what you're eating.

Fabulous Fall Farrago
(serves 6)

1 lb ground turkey meat
1 tbsp whole wheat flour
1 large zucchini, diced
1/2 eggplant, cubed
8 oz baby carrots, shredded
1 red onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 bottle pumpkin ale (I used Buffalo Bill's brand)
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup water
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/8 tsp white pepper
1 can unseasoned diced tomatoes, with juice

Are you ready for how easy this is going to be? Add all ingredients to crock pot, turkey last. Stir to make sure everything is well combined. Set on low and let cook for ~9.5 hours. Serve warm. Enjoy.

Your kitchen is going to smell amazing and your taste buds will thank you.

Go on! Have a peace!

Hearty Bison Stew

One of my favorite dishes I have ever had is one I experienced in North Pole, Alaska after meeting a man who's legal name is Kris Kringle. For a while, I thought that my morbid sense of humor had flavored the taste of the delectable reindeer stew house he directed us to, but having substituted the reindeer for bison, I can now unequivocally say that the stew is just delicious.

Hearty Bison Stew
(serves 6)

3lbs bison steak, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 medium white onion, chopped
6 shitake mushrooms
4 cloves garlic (more to taste)
3 fresh meaty tomatoes, chopped
1 16 oz bag peeled baby carrots
3 cups low sodium chicken stock
1 head cabbage, chopped to bite size pieces
olive oil
sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Season your cubed bison meat to taste with sea salt and pepper, then - using a deep skillet - brown the meat in a little olive oil over medium heat. Remove the browned meat from the pan and place directly into your crock pot.

Add your chopped onions and mushrooms to the meat drippings and oil in the skillet and cook until they are softened - takes about 5-10 minutes.

Pour the contents of the skillet into the crock pot with the meat. Then add carrots, tomatoes, chicken stock, and garlic. Season again to taste (personally I don't like much salt in my food, but for those who do, sparingly add enough until you're satisfied with the flavor of the broth).

Set your crock pot to 'slow cook' or 'low' for 6 hours. When you come back, add the cabbage and then cook it at the same temperature for another 1.5-2 hours.

Enjoy!

Moroccan Bison Tagine

If you haven't had Moroccan food, you've just got to try it. They do an amazing job of bringing sweet and spicy to mingle on the tongue. Pair this dish with hot mint tea for a more authentic experience. For all my world travel, I first discovered Moroccan cuisine at - wait for it - Epcot in Orlando. There, I had a dish called Chicken Bastilla, which forever gave me a hankering for sweet and spicy dessert flavored main dishes. Since then, I've made Chicken Bastilla twice - it's a complicated process. This tagine, however, only takes about an hour - and most of that is just letting it cook on its own without being bothered.

Now, a tagine (or tajine or tajin), for those who are curious, is named so for the special earthenware pot that this North African dish is typically cooked in. I do not have such a dish, so I used a large pot. However, the tajine pot is made entirely of clay and consists of two parts - a base unit that is flat  and circular with low sides and a large cone shaped cover that rests inside the base while the dish is cooking. The cover is designed that way to promote the return of all the steam condensation back into the bottom.

Moroccan Bison Tagine
(makes 4 servings)

3 lbs bison steak, cut into bite size cubes
4 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, diced
1/2 tsp Spanish saffron threads
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 cups dates, pitted
low sodium chicken stock
3/4 unsweetened coconut milk
~ 1/2 tbsp sea salt and fresh ground pepper, (more or less to taste)

Heat a large pot over medium heat and brown the bison meat in 3 tbsp of olive oil. When the meat is ready, use a slotted spoon to remove it to a plate for a little bit. Now, add the onions to the juices that have seeped out of the meat and cook for about 5 - 10 minutes. Until they're softened and a little brown. Now, add the bison back to the pot. Add the saffron, cinnamon stick, and ginger (the ginger is what makes this dish 'spicy', so if you like more of a kick, add some more here). Stir. Add the salt and pepper. Stir. Next, pour in your chicken stock until the contents of the pot are covered, stir the contents of the bowl so everything is all mixed up together, and let the mix simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Add 3/4 cup of coconut milk to thicken the broth and then let simmer for another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the ground cinnamon, test the broth and adjust the seasoning to your taste. You may need more salt or ginger to balance the cinnamon. Continue to simmer, uncovered, for another 10-15 minutes. Add the dates and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Serve hot.

Enjoy!