Week 17

I'm having a cooking class this Saturday, so the recipes for that will be listed in a separate post, probably after the event :) We also have a lot of leftovers from Easter and last week that need to be eaten up this week, so the recipes are few this time around. They are:


Crockpot Chili with Beef, Black Beans, and Pumpkin (adapted from Kalyn's Kitchen)
EVOO for browning beef
1 lb. ground beef
salt and fresh ground black pepper, to season meat
1 medium onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
3-4 cloves minced garlic
1 Tbs ground cumin
1 Tbs chili powder
2 tsp. ground Ancho chile pepper (or use a little more chili powder if you don't have this)
2 tsp. dried oregano
1 4 oz. can diced green chiles
3 1/2 to 4 cups beef stock
1 cup dried black beans, soaked overnight
1 can pumpkin puree (15 oz. can, not pumpkin pie filling!)
2 cans diced tomatoes with juice
cilantro, grated cheese, sour cream and tortillas for serving if desired

Brown meat in skillet in EVOO. Transfer to 4 qt or larger crock pot. Add onion, green bell pepper, and spices to the skillet and saute until fragrant, about a minute. Add to crock pot along with remaining ingredients except cheese and sour cream. Cover and cook on high until beans are soft, probably 6-8 hours. Serve

Apricot Glazed Chicken w/Butternut Squash
I have some squash sitting in my pantry from winter. Time to use it up! This is super simple. Wash squash and cut in half lengthwise. Discard seeds and stringy stuff inside. Put a pat of butter in each well and either a little brown sugar or a squirt of agave nectar. Bake at 350F for about 45 mins or until soft. Meanwhile, make apricot glaze buy whisking a few scoops of apricot preserves with a dash of apple cider vinegar and some minced garlic. Brown some chicken thighs in EVOO and then pour glaze over. You can transfer to baking dish and finish in the oven or just cook on the stove top covered over low heat until done. You could serve this over rice, or with quinoa, barley or bulgur.