turkey chilli

As Jimmy and I prepare for our wedding, we’ve had sift to through evidence that the last four years of our relationship were legitimate for legal reasons: time-stamped photos of us at holiday parties; phone bills showing that we’ve had each other’s numbers on speed dial since 2009; wedding invitations addressed to both of us; email chains, et cetera. However, what started out as a fairly banal activity ended up being a surprising romantic walk down memory lane. There we were on paper: awkwardly flirting over facebook messages, playing hard to get over email, and looking doe-eyed on pictures. I’ve never been one to keep a diary – you can chalk it up to lack of discipline – so I wasn’t used to how it feels to see history reenacted in front of you. As I searched further and further into our emails saved on my gmail to see our love life play out, my heart warmed to see this:

I don’t know what it feels like to be in love with someone since elementary school, or to be high school sweethearts; in fact, I’ve always been a bit skeptical of the idea even though I’ve seen the lovey-doveyness of one in my sister’s relationship. But even I’ll have to admit that there’s something special about being able to look at someone you love and say, “I’ve known you since we were practically children.” (24 is, after all, barely pubescent, at least in my “late-blooming” case). “I love who you were, how you’ve grown up, and who you’re growing up to be.” With all the awkwardness that comes with both navigating a relationship and figuring out your life, it’s pretty incredible to be able to say that someone you love has been there, experiencing it right next to you.

Tonight’s creation is sweet in some bites, a bit spicy in others, and will leave you all warm and full inside. I played around with this recipe from Skinny Kitchen and this one from Food Network to make this creation.

1 lb ground turkey
1 chopped sweet potato
1 chopped onion
1 1/2 cups of chicken stock
1 10 oz diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 8 oz can of tomato sauce
1 can of black beans
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp chilli powder
1/2 tbsp paprika
1 bay leaf
2 cups of sweet kernel corn.
Saute onion in a frying pan with 2 tbsp oil. Add turkey and sweet potato. Cook until turkey is brown. Add all other ingredients over high heat until boiling. Cover and simmer on low-medium heat for 30 minutes. Serve over rice or couscous.

Cabbage pasta

Our trash today stunk to high heaven – and I couldn’t have been more proud. Jimmy and I have been trying to grocery-shop healthily by shopping around the edges of the grocery store: produce, fresh meat, eggs, and dairy aisles. We like to buy canned food, too, such as diced tomatoes (which I’ve noticed taste much better in recipes than fresh ones) and our pre-packaged black beans, but for the most part, our groceries consist of mostly organic material. The result: healthy food and stinky garbage cans.

Today, I was trying to figure out what to do with the head of cabbage we had bought at the farmer’s market this weekend. It hadn’t been on my grocery list, but a whole row of happy, round green cabbages sat on a table and we were drawn to them. “We can put cabbage in everything,” Jimmy said. Maybe it was the excitement of waking up early enough for the farmer’s market, or the cozy feeling that we got from buying our first Christmas wreath of the season, but at that moment, we felt like the cabbage was full of promise. This afternoon, however, I couldn’t find anything beyond coleslaw to make use of it, until I found this recipe from Prevention RD. I think the original recipe was meant to be sweet, but I played around with it and went down the savory route instead. Very happy with how it turned out. This is best served warm.

1/2 pound of spiral pasta, cooked according to package instructions
half head of cabbage, sliced thinly
2 tbsp oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup toasted pecans
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
salt and pepper to taste
grated parmesan cheese

In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the oil, then add the onion, garlic and cabbage. Toss them around, then cover for 15 minutes, until the cabbage has wilted. Mix with pasta, breadcrumbs and pecans. Add salt and pepper to taste. Top with parmesan cheese