Healthy Turkey Chili.

I love chili. A while back I posted my standard chili recipe. I love that chili. But I just might love this one even more. It's made with ground turkey (protein with less fat!) and adds zucchini (color, crunch, healthy vegetable!).  Give it a try and let me know what you think!

• 1 pound lean ground turkey
• 3 celery stalks, coarsely chopped
• ½ small onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 can light red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cans diced tomatoes or 4 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
• small zucchinis, coarsely chopped
• 1-2 tsp chili powder
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• 1 T fresh Italian parsley, chopped

Brown turkey with celery, onion, and garlic in the bottom of a Dutch oven, breaking it up with a spoon until it is mostly cooked through.  Add beans and tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes.  Stir in zucchini, chili powder, salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Mix in fresh parsley and cook five minutes longer. Serve with fruit and bread for a complete meal.

Grape & Sweet Cherry Flatbread.

It's so good to be back in my kitchen! It has been a long stretch and I'm ready to be back - cooking, blogging, and enjoying good food...all part of a busy girl's life!
This afternoon I put together this quick flatbread - and it was gone as quickly as it was made!  I used a fresh thin pizza crust but any prepared or homemade flatbread will do nicely.

• pizza crust or flatbread
• olive oil
• green grapes, halved
• sweet red cherries, pitted and quartered
• fresh basil leaved, sliced
• parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Brush crust with olive oil.  Sprinkle parmesan on crust.  Arrange grapes, cherries, and basil evenly on crust.  Top with more parmesan and bake 5-7 minutes at 450 degrees.

Vegetable & Sausage Saute.

This meal went together quickly and disappeared just as fast. Serve with fresh bread or brown rice and a salad.

• 1 package fully cooked chicken sausage, sliced
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, sliced
• 8-10 mushrooms, sliced
• 4 oz sun-dried tomatoes, in oil
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp chili powder

Saute sausage and onion over medium heat until onion is soft, about 5 minutes.  Add pepper strips and mushrooms.  Cook another 5 minutes, tossing several times.  Add tomatoes and seasonings. Stir. Cover and cook 3 minutes more, until everything is heated through.  Peppers should still be brightly colored and slightly firm.  Serve and enjoy.