teacups and cinnamon: September 2014

pumpkin turkey chili

Autumn 6:06 PM

I've talked about the SPU Community Kitchen quite a few times on my blog. That's because A) I was involved with the organization for a year, and B) I got a WHOLE bunch of delicious recipes from it. We had a pretty extensive process choosing recipes. They had to be healthy and wholesome, inexpensive, and most importantly, easy to make. The volunteers (and I) searched for recipes, selected potential recipes and then tested the recipes, choosing the best ones. We then would scale them up for 25+ people and prepare them during our monthly kitchen nights.

And the dishes we made during the kitchen were amazing! They were always a little different. Always had a twist to them. And that's what I liked the most. For example, we didn't just make simple cornbread, we made cornbread pudding (recipe here). One of our monthly kitchen theme's was chili cook off, and instead of traditional chili, we made all sorts of chilies, such as black bean espresso chili, cumin chili, and my favorite, pumpkin turkey chili. It was the definite favorite of most of the participants that night, especially mine.

The pumpkin in this chili is what takes this dish to a whole other level. Though you can't really taste it, but the texture it gives the chili is superb. It becomes creamy and thick, and slightly sweet. It's also pretty cool knowing that there is pumpkin in the chili. It's high in vitamin A, potassium and other vitamins and minerals. It's also high in fiber. So along with the beans, the chili is a good source of dietary fiber! Pumpkin is also low in calories.

Using lean turkey instead of beef is another way to cut back on calories and fat. You can't even taste the difference because of all the spices. My husband even made a comment about it, saying that it tasted really good with turkey. Personally, I have never actually used beef in chili (so I don't really know how that tastes), because I am satisfied with the turkey. If you're a beef person, I encourage you to try replacing it with turkey. It can really make a difference in your health (a good one too!)

As you can see, pumpkin isn't only for desserts and lattes. It can easily be put into chilies and soups. Pumpkin also doesn't have to always be associated with cinnamon and pumpkin pie spices. This chili recipe actually doesn't have any of that stuff, though if you're courageous you can definitely add some ;) You are the boss of your cooking, after all. Now that it's fall and pumpkins are everywhere, go and try this recipe! You will not be disappointed! Click "read more" for more pictures as well as the awesome recipe! Enjoy! :)

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sweet cornbread pudding

Food 8:02 PM

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bread and butter pickles

Food 3:31 PM

Every summer, my mom's and aunt's garden is over flooding with cucumbers. Cucumbers (and tomatoes) are pretty much our main food source of the summer. We eat them a million different ways. Fresh, pickled, in salads, on sandwiches, etc. You get the point. WE LOVE CUCUMBERS! My mom always makes Russian-styled pickles. They're a little different, salty, dilly, vinegary, yet not as tart as American-style pickles. Definitely not sweet! Though the Russian pickles are something I grew up with and something I enjoy every once in a while, my all-time favorite pickles are bread and butter pickles!

To be honest, I didn't actually try bread and butter pickles till this last June. I know what you're thinking, how in the world did you live your entire life without eating these delicious things?! I ask myself that too. I had always just stuck to boring old dill pickles. But then my life changed. And now I don't want boring old dill pickles. Now I only want sweet and tangy, crunchy and crispy bread and butter pickles. These crunchy pickles just go so well with everything. I even eat them on their own as a snack! (i think i've gone pickle-crazy, lol).

So when I saw Chef John's post about bread and butter pickles on my newsfeed, I got SO excited! I had never even considered making my own pickles (even though I grew up watching people around me pickling all. the. time.) Just for some reason, the thought of making pickles never entered my mind. Because my mom's garden was overflowing with cucumbers, I decided to give Chef John's recipe a try. I also tried Recipe Girl's recipe to see which one was better (since i had sooooo many cucumbers!). Out of the two I tried, Chef John's was the clear winner. The other one was too apple-cider-vinegary for my liking and it just wasn't as flavorful as Chef John's. I think his recipe is perfect.

Technically, I didn't actually can these. I didn't want to deal with that (maybe next summer). I just made refrigerator pickles. So I don't know exactly how long these will last in the refrigerator, but that's not even really a problem. My husband and I eat these like candy! So they'll be gone before the month ends. You could easily can these using the water bath method. I definitely will next year!

I made these pickles twice. The first time out of curiosity and the second time because they are outrageously delicious. Yes. I just said outrageously delicious. I gave a couple jars to my inlaws, a couple jars to my family and a jar for my aunt and uncle. EVERYONE ~~liked~~ loved them (except for my dad--he just doesn't like sweet pickles). People were asking for the recipe. When that happens, you know you gotta blog about it!

Although cucumber season has come to an end, you can still get successful pickles from store bought cucumbers! They would probably even be better from store bought (since you don't have to worry about bitter garden cucumbers). I hope everyone gives this recipe a try. They are really easy and super fun to make!

Click "read more" to see the recipe and step-by-step pictures of the process. Enjoy!

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tzatziki sauce

12:38 AM

Hi guys! So a couple weeks ago, I made homemade whole wheat pita bread and tzatziki sauce, both which were incredibly yummy. I took pictures of the pita bread but decided against blogging it, since I wanted to practice a little more and get the recipe perfect. I mean they were good and all, but I really want to perfect the recipes I share with you :)

The tzatziki sauce on the other hand was perfect. I've made it a few times before and each time it amazes me how delicious it is! And it is soooo easy. It really is just mixing a few ingredients. The only tricky part is squeezing the moisture out of the cucumbers. But that's not that difficult. This sauce is so delicious with so many things--warm pita bread, gyros, grilled meats, with veggies. You name it. It's the perfect dipping sauce (sorry for saying "perfect" a million times, I'm just liking that word at the moment).

The sauce is also pretty healthy. Greek yogurt is high in protein, probiotics and vitamins and minerals. Because of its richness, I prefer to use low fat or 2%, to reduce total fat and calories. You won't even taste the difference because of all the different flavors. So go ahead, don't be scared to use low fat Greek yogurt here! The other ingredients are also high in vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals. Best of all, there aren't any preservatives or other funky ingredients. Everything is fresh, natural and whole.

Unfortunately, I don't remember where I found the recipe. I tried looking for the original recipe, but it's been a couple years. So if you're the writer of the recipe, please don't sue me. Just let me know and I'll give you credit :) Anywho, I will now let you go. I think I've said everything I've wanted to. I hope you give this recipe a try! It's really tasty and really easy. Enjoy!

Tzatziki Sauce

Ingredients:

1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 regular cucumber, peeled and seeded
2 Tbsp fresh dill, chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Shred the cucumber or chop in a food processor. Using a cheesecloth or paper towels, squeeze the shredded cucumber to remove as much water as possible
In a medium bowl, mix together all the ingredients
Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes

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family favorites: easy stuffed eggs

10:03 PM

Because I grew up in a Ukrainian/Russian family, I ate a lot of foods that other kids didn't eat. Borscht, shuba, plov, kotleti.... You get the point. Lots and lots of weird sounding foods! As a kid, I hated it. I wanted to eat what other kids were eating. Pizza, hamburgers, tacos, etc. Pretty much like every other kid on the planet. But Eastern European food was all my parents knew and loved. They grew up with it after all. I guess that was a good thing though, since Ukrainian/Russian foods are pretty healthy.

I didn't really start eating ethnic foods until late into high school. Now that I'm older and have been trying foods from many different cultures, I'm loving it! Eating foods from around the world really opens your eyes to different cultures and people. It also introduces you to lots of new and interesting foods and flavors. However, ever since I got married and moved out, I've been missing Ukrainian/Russian cuisine. Yep, I miss my mama's cooking. Every time I go over to my family's or my in-law's house for dinner, I get so happy and excited to eat all the food! I don't really make it at home, so it really is a treat.

One of my favorite things to eat as a kid was stuffed eggs. Now, I don't know exactly if this is an authentic Ukrainian/Russian food. I've never actually met anyone who would make these. But it was something my family made every once in a while and they were one of my favorite foods. One of the first things I ever cooked were these eggs. I actually remember mashing egg yolks and then stuffing the egg whites. Even now, I love love love these. They are kind of different. Not exactly deviled eggs, though they do have mayonnaise. These simple stuffed eggs only have 5 ingredients. And they only take about 15 minutes to make! Don't these sound awesome?! I mean if a kid can do it, you can do it too ;)

One of my goals for the rest of the year is to collect all of my favorite family recipes. This isn't as easy as it seems because my mom doesn't really use recipes. She just cooks by memory and by the eye. I'm not like that. I like things to be precise and proper. So I need to have exact measurements to make something taste good. So as I collect the recipes and practice them, I'll post them to the blog. Everyone always asks me what Ukrainian/Russian people eat, and it's easier to show them rather than to explain. I'll name these posts "family favorites", because that's what they are. They're my family's favorites. But most importantly, they're my favorites.

I hope you guys give these strange eggs a try! Just kidding, they're not that strange. They're just a little different than your typical deviled egg. In my opinion, they're much better than deviled eggs. And i'm always right. Right? Kidding, kidding. Click "read more" for the recipe. Enjoy!

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