Fall Recipes to Warm You

On Monday September 18th the following recipes were chosen to cook on Thursday night: Fast & Easy Turkey Chili, Easy Greek Chicken Cassarole, Curried Beef Stew, Open-Faced Falafel Burgers and Banana Oat Breakfast Cookies. On Thursday night we welcomed a new member and all nine of us got straight to work! The chosen recipes called for a lot of chopping and dicing, so we definitely got our upper arm exercise in for that night.

Fast & Easy Turkey Chili
2 lbs Hayter's ground turkey ( 1lb dark, 1lb breast)
1 onion chopped
1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can of chili beans in sauce DO NOT DRAIN
1 can of corn (optional)
2 cans of peeled tomatoes, puréed in a blender
1 package of chili season mix
1 tsp chili powder (or more to taste)
1 tsp ground cumin

Directions
Sautee turkey with chopped onion in a saucepan. Drain. Add all the rest of the ingredients. Simmer over low heat for 1-2 hours. Serve with chopped onion, shredded cheese, sour cream and crushed tortilla chips. This is a versatile recipe, you can make it as hot as you like by adding more chili powder or diced, chopped chilies.

Easy Greek Chicken Casserole

From Cooking Light

This easy one-dish meal is prepared and cooked in only one pot, saving you space and cleanup. You can decrease the sodium by using less anchovy paste or by replacing it with the olives.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
2 tablespoons dried thyme
1-2 teaspoons of black pepper
10 garlic cloves, minced
6 cups cubed red potato (about 2lbs)
2 cups cut green beans (about 1/2lb)
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons anchovy paste or finely chopped olives
2 cans no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
8 skinned, boned chicken thighs (about 1 lb)
1/2 cup of crumbled feta cheese

Preheat oven to 375.
Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the thyme, pepper, and garlic; sauté one minute. Increase heat to medium-high. Add potato; sauté 8 minutes or until potato begins to brown. Stir in green beans, water, anchovy paste, and tomatoes. Remove mixture from heat. Nestle chicken thighs into potato mixture. Top with feta cheese. Cover and bake at 375 for 45 minutes.

Curried Beef Stew
A green onion paste is sautéed to release its flavour in this Singapore-inspired dish. Serve with basmati rice.

PASTE:
1/2 cup chopped green onions
3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
1 tablespoon Thai chile sauce
4 garlic cloves, peeled
2 serrano chiles, seeded and finely chopped

STEW:
Cooking spray
1lb beef stew meat
1 tbls curry posder
1 cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf
3 tbls low-salt beef broth
2 cups cubed peeled sweet potato
1 1/2 cups sliced carrot
1 cup sliced celery
1 package presliced mushrooms
1/2 cup light coconut milk

To prepare paste, combine first 6 ingredients in a blender; process until smooth. Spoon into bowl.

To prepare stew, heat a dutch oven coated in cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add beef; cook 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove from pan.

Reduce heat to low; add oil to pan. Add paste; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add curry, cinnamon, and bay leaf; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in beef, soy sauce, and broth. Increase heat to medium-high. Bring to boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour.

Add sweet potato, carrot, celery, mushrooms. Bring to boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 50 minutes or until beef and vegetables are tender. Remove from heat; stir in coconut milk. Discard cinnamon stick and bay leaf.

Open-Faced Falafel Burgers
From
Cooking Light

This Middle Eastern vegetarian sandwich is typically stuffed in a pita, but our version offers a more eye-catching presentation. Garnish with parsley.

Sauce:
1 cup hot water
1/4 cup tahini (sesame-seed paste)
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 garlic cloves, minced

Patties:
1 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 (15 1/2-ounce) cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs, divided
4 teaspoons olive oil, divided

Remaining ingredients:
6 mini pitas (about 5 inches wide)
3 cups chopped romaine lettuce
2 cups chopped tomato
2 cups sliced peeled cucumber
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion

To prepare sauce, combine the first 5 ingredients in a blender, and process until smooth.
To prepare patties, combine 1 cup onion and next 7 ingredients (through 4 garlic cloves) in a food processor, and process until smooth, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Place bean mixture in a large bowl; stir in 1/4 cup breadcrumbs. Divide bean mixture into 6 equal portions, shaping each into a 1/2-inch-thick patty. Place remaining 1/4 cup breadcrumbs in a shallow dish. Dredge patties in breadcrumbs.

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 3 patties to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Repeat procedure with remaining 2 teaspoons oil and patties.

Warm mini pitas according to package directions. Place 1 pita on each of 6 plates. Top each serving with 1/2 cup lettuce, 1/3 cup tomato, 1/3 cup cucumber, and 4 teaspoons onion. Drizzle each serving with about 3 tablespoons sauce; top each serving with 1 patty.

Wine note: Light in body and tannin, pinot noir is the perfect red wine for robust vegetarian dishes. These burgers include spices like coriander and cumin, which are echoed in Kim Crawford Marlborough Pinot Noir ($15), with its savory nuances and aromas of smoke and dried herbs. Bright fruit and ample acidity help to cut the burgers' rich tahini sauce. -Jeffery Lindenmuth

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 burger)

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 437(24% from fat); FAT 11.6g (sat 1.7g,mono 4.1g,poly 4.6g); PROTEIN 14.8g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 159mg; SODIUM 903mg; FIBER 9.1g; IRON 4.7mg; CARBOHYDRATE 70.8g

Banana Oat Breakfast Cookie (Adapted from BH & G)

1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 cup mashed ripe bananas
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup golden syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup dry milk powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350

In a large bowl, mix together peanut butter, mashed banana, honey, golden syrup and vanilla.

In a medium bowl, whisk together oats, flour, dry milk, cinnamon and baking soda. Stir dry ingredients into the wet until combined. Fold in cranberries.

Drop dough onto parchment lined baking sheets in 1/4 cupful amounts. Gently flatten each mound to about 1/2" thick.

Bake until lightly golden, about 14-16 minutes. Remove and let sit on the baking sheet for a couple minutes, then carefully move to wire racks to cool completely.