Category Archives: Feathered

Mexican Slow Cooker Turkey Chili Mac

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Here’s one more chili recipe for the season, this time inspired by flavors of Mexico and just in time to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. After slow cooking for hours, and filling the house with an amazing aroma, this chili is infused with smoky Mexican spices and the deep, slow roasted caramel malt notes from the beer.  The addition of the sweet potatoes adds a healthy dose of vitamins B and C, plus their inherent sweetness balances the heat from the poblano peppers.

The chili itself is very hearty and filling; however, if you have a noodle-head at home as I do, the addition of the pasta works great here.  Either way of serving, it’s sure to be a family favorite.

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Citrus Marinated Chicken with Grilled Pineapple and Pickled Jalapeno Relish

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While I was staring at the jar of delectably pickled jalapenos I used for my last food blog; I decided to use them again here and marry them with some grilled pineapple to make a sweet/spicy relish to accompany the citrus flavor in the grilled chicken.

The ingredients list here looks long, but the recipe is really quick and easy to put together aside from the marinating time for the jalapenos and chicken breasts. I guarantee it’s worth the wait!

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Cajun Chicken and Andouille Fettuccini Alfredo

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What do you get when you give a sixteen-year-old girl who loves pasta free reign in your kitchen? You get spicy, flavorful, creamy, luxuriant pasta bliss!

I love cooking with my daughter, and this recipe is great for a young cook. The directions are simple and easy to follow, and cooking the pasta in the liquid uses the starch from the noodles to naturally thicken the sauce. It’s a one pot meal. Brilliant and delicious!

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Grilled Chicken on Ciabatta with Spicy Olive Relish

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Everything about this sandwich was delicious.  And even though I’m supposed to be cutting carbs out of my diet, I had to cave this one time because the toasty ciabatta bread was just too good to pass up!  The combination of ingredients here was foolproof.  The juicy, tender grilled chicken melted the provolone to a yummy warm, gooeyness, and the crunchy, briny, spicy relish was all you needed for a condiment.  I’m already thinking about when I’ll make this sandwich again!

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Couscous Salad with Turkey, Sprouts, and Arugula

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I was very pleased with this salad for two reasons. First of all, because it was delicious, healthy, and very satisfying, and second because I got my husband and daughter to eat Brussels sprouts; something they swore they would never do. I shredded the sprouts raw and mixed them into the greens. If you’ve never tried raw Brussels sprouts in a salad before, this would be the perfect time to try them.

Like tiny cabbage heads, raw Brussels sprouts have a richly sweet flavor, with just a hint of bitterness, and they taste great when paired with peppery arugula and the bright, citrusy vinaigrette.

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Turkey, Habanero and Sun-Dried-Tomato Meatballs

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Today, it’s time to talk meatballs. Sweet, savory, tangy, spicy – whatever you’re craving, you can pretty much go in any direction and come out with a very flavorful bite. For this recipe, I decided to make a spicy meatball, and incorporate the spicy mustard habanero pepper with earthy sun-dried tomatoes and mild ground turkey. I knew the amped up flavor profile with the turkey would work well together, and they turned out just as I hoped. The meatballs were tender and juicy, and they had a nice low heat at the finish. The tangy sauce had a little heat of its own as well so overall, this turned out to be a hit. Evidence of that was the lack of portion control I had at dinner that night! There were no survivors.

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Habanero Mole Chicken Enchiladas

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habanero-mole-chicken-enchiladas

I have two weaknesses when it comes to Mexican food, pork tamales with the perfect ratio of meat to masa, and authentic spicy mole chicken enchiladas. When I visit a Mexican restaurant, those are the two things I search for first on the menu. Sadly, I’ve discovered not many Mexican restaurants serve a mole sauce, at least not in St. Louis.

So, since I still had several habanero peppers left from the garden, I decided to try my hand at making my own version of an authentic mole sauce, just to see if I could pull it off. Much to my delight, I did it. This sauce was rich, smoky, spicy, earthy and positively delicious!

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Spicy Caribbean Grilled Chicken with Carrot and Jicama Slaw

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spicy-caribbean-grilled-chicken-with-carrot-and-jicama-slaw

Remember last week when I warned you to get ready for a string of spicy recipes?  Here’s a spicy, sweet, tangy, acidic masterpiece of a marinade using chocolate habaneros that I’m definitely going to make again.   Don’t be daunted by the amount of garlic and habanero peppers here.  You can reduce the quantities down to your preferred level of heat and still get great flavor.

Once grilled, the chicken ended up being exceptionally juicy, and it picked up a great level of heat from the habaneros.   The addition of the bright, colorful, crunchy sweetness of the carrots and the dressing for the slaw balanced out the heat and made a beautiful plate.

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Spicy Peanut Chicken Satay

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Spicy Peanut Chicken Satay

Dinner on a skewer makes me feel a bit adventurous and whimsical. You can thread just about any protein, fruit or vegetable on a stick and after only a few minutes over the heat, voila, dinner is served! Chicken is great for skewering because it cooks so quickly. Just look at the crispy brown edges of the caramelized marinade. It makes your mouth water!

The marinade in this peanut satay has the luscious, creamy, peanutty flavor, and citrusy-ginger zing common in traditional satay marinades, however, it is a bit spicier than you may be used to. (My sriracha obsession shows up again here.) So if you prefer a tamer flavor, reduce or omit the chile sauce. Although I highly discourage it!

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