Yogurt Barbecued Turkey Breast

Giant turkey breast

I've always made and used tomato based barbeque sauces but I've read about ones that have different bases and seen chefs make different types on cooking shows. Probably on the food network but I have no idea whose show because I don't have cable and just watch it whenever I am visiting someone who does. Anyway, I thought a yogurt base would be good, tangy, and also tenderizing. This turkey breast came out amazing but the spices weren't super strong, so after I had deboned and shredded the breast I added in some more seasoning.

spices mixed together

Feel free to make your own modifications. I threw this together on a whim after reading about paprika in a cookbook while I was browsing Barns & Noble.

The finished product!

Yogurt Barbecued Turkey Breast
3 1/2 teaspoons Paprika
2 1/2 teaspoons Chili Powder
1 1/2 teaspoons Onion Powder
1 1/2 teaspoons Garlic Powder
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground Black Pepper
2 teaspoons Brown Sugar
1/3 cup Greek Yogurt (I wouldn't recommend using regular yogurt for this unless you strain it because it will be too watery)
6 lb Turkey Breast
Mix together spices with yogurt and rub all over the turkey breast. Make sure to separate the skin on the turkey breast and rub the spices under it otherwise you will just be flavoring the skin which doesn't do much good. Bake in a large pot or roasting pan, covered, for about 3 hours or until a meat thermometer inserted into the turkey breast reads about 170 degrees. Let the turkey cool down (don't wait until it is is really cold though because that makes it harder to debone) and then debone and shred the meat and mix it back in this it's own juices. Use it for whatever recipes you want. I made a casserole, and a pasta salad with mine. The turkey also freezes well so you can save some for future use.

Pepper and Black Bean Filling

All the peppers and Onions

This is my go-to meal when I am by myself or don't feel like doing a lot of cooking. Mexican is probably my favorite cuisine and this is a mexican-ish tasting filling that works for pretty much anything. I use them as a filling for a quick burrito, sprinkle them on top of nachos along with other toppings, in quesadillas...you see where I am going with this.

Nachos!

I can make this in about 20 minutes and have enough to use for several days (if it is just me eating it). I never get tired of eating it either, yesterday I had a burritos filled with these beans and today I had nachos.

Enjoy!

Pepper and Black Bean Filling
2 15 oz cans Black Beans
1 Onion chopped
1 Orange Bell Pepper diced
1 Poblano Pepper diced
1 Red Chili Pepper diced
3/4 cup Frozen Corn
Oil
To taste:
Salt
Pepper
Chili Powder
Cumin
Coriander
Cheese
Heat oil in a large frying pan on medium heat and saute onions, bell pepper, poblano pepper, and chili pepper until browning then add in the corn, black beans and spices and cook on medium low for about 10 minutes; sprinkle with cheese and continue to heat until melted then take off of heat. Wrap these beans in a tortilla, sprinkle over nachos, or whatever you want to do.

Kashmiri Chicken

This chicken is simply amazing. The pungent and tangy blend of spices just makes my mouth water when I am making this. Also, I love recipes that use cinnamon sticks, not just because cinnamon is tasty, but also because I feel cool cooking with a whole cinnamon stick - it seems like something only a fancy chef would do. Anyhow, the spice blend in this recipe is excellent, probably because it is from the Complete Indian Cooking cookbook.

I think this would be great paired with a spinach salad with dried cranberries in it. I just ate it plain but I definitely think it would have benefited from something fresh along side.

Also, I used greek yogurt in this because I love how thick and tart it is but you could use regular yogurt just as well.

Kashmiri Chicken
3 Onions finely sliced
10 Peppercorns
10 Cardamoms
1 Cinnamon Stick
1 2-in long Piece Ginger finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons minced Garlic
2 teaspoons Chili Powder
2-3 teaspoons Paprika
3 lbs. Chicken Breasts cut into large pieces
1 1/2 cups Unsweetened Plain Greek Yogurt
Salt
Oil

Heat oil in frying pan until hot (on medium heat) and put in onions. Fry onions, with peppercorns, cardamoms, salt, and cinnamon stick, until the onions are golden brown. Add in the ginger, garlic, chili powder, paprika, and chicken and let the chicken briefly brown on both sides (about 2 minutes or so). Add in the yogurt and reduce heat to low; cook for about 30 minutes (for about half the cook time cover to conserve juices) or until the chicken it cooked through (no longer pink inside and the chicken will be firmer). Serve over rice. Makes enough to feed about 6 people.

Classic Wet Burritos

These burritos were inspired by memories of really tasty burritos a friend of mine back in Michigan would make, also I had a bunch of pinto beans I had made a while ago sitting in the fridge and I needed to use them up. I totally didn't write down how I made the pinto beans but they are pretty simple, soak them overnight in water, drain the next day. Put in just enough water to cover and add in some garlic, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper and whatever else suits your fancy and let them simmer for about 3 hours until they are cooked down. The most important thing is to cook them until they are in a very thick broth made from the beans partially breaking down, this is what makes homemade pinto beans so different and so much better than canned ones.

Anyway, on to the burritos. These are really easy to make and make good leftovers. Enjoy!

Classic Wet Burritos
1 lb Ground Turkey
2-3 cups cooked Pinto Beans
2-3 Jalapeno Peppers seeded and diced
2 Red Chili Peppers seeded and diced
2 Onions chopped
3-4 teaspoons Chili Powder
1 1/2 teaspoons Cumin
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1 1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 1/2 teaspoon Onion Powder
2 10 oz cans Enchilada Sauce
1 1/2 cups Shredded Mexican Cheese Blend
10 Tortilla Shells (soft taco sized)
Olive Oil
Spice amounts are approximate I just dumped stuff in for this recipe
Saute peppers and onions in a large skillet in a little oil for about 5 minutes then add in the ground turkey and spices and cook until turkey is browned. Add in the pinto beans and stir, then turn off heat. Put about a 1/4 cup of the filling onto a tortilla shell and sprinkle on a little cheese then roll up and put in a 13x9 inch pan that has  been lightly greased. Repeat until filling is used up. Pour Enchilada sauce over the top of the rolled up burritos and sprinkle with cheese. Bake for about 25-30 minutes at 350 or until heated through.

Creamy Chicken Taquitos

I found this tasty recipe over at Best Bites and decided I had to try it. These taquitos are baked not fried like most varieties, so they are substantially healthier and they still taste amazing. I still had some of the spicy chicken I made in the crock-pot stashed in the freezer so I thawed that out to use instead of the plain the chicken the recipe called for. These turned out super tasty and I only made a few modifications to the original recipe (I don't like cilantro so I left that out, and I didn't think the lime juice sounded necessary).

Here is the recipe:

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos (Original recipe is here)
1/3 cup (3 oz) Cream Cheese
1/4 cup Salsa Verde
1/2 teaspoon Cumin
1 teaspoon Chili Powder
1/2 teaspoon Onion Powder
1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
2 cups Spicy Shredded Chicken Recipe
1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese/Mexican Cheese Blend
at least 13 Small Corn Tortillas or Flour Tortillas (Fajita size)
Cooking Spray
Soften cream cheese in the microwave for about 30 seconds or so in a large glass bowl, then mix in the spices, chicken, and cheese. Warm 2 corn tortillas at a time in the microwave (so they don't crack when rolled, the heat makes them pliable) and fill each tortilla with about 2 tablespoons of the chicken mixture and roll up tightly (leave ends open). (There is no need to heat the flour tortillas, they are soft enough already). Place rolled up tortillas on a lightly greased cookie sheet (it is better if they aren't touching because it allows the tortilla to harden more), spray the tops with cooking spray and bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes.
FYI: I found that it took a little longer than 20 minutes for my batch but I was making a larger batch.

Sweet and Spicy Roasted Sweet Potatoes

I made these sweet potatoes for a birthday party potluck on Saturday and got a steady stream of compliments on them. They are just the right blend of spicy and sweet, and quite healthy to boot! If you want a quick side dish this a great recipe to try, because it goes well with pretty much anything.

peeled whole sweet potatoes

Sweet and Spicy Roasted Sweet Potatoes
3-4 Sweet Potatoes cubed and peeled
2-3 tablespoons Brown Sugar
1-2 tablespoons Chili Powder (depends on how spicy you like your food
Enough olive oil to coat the potatoes
Salt to taste
Spread the cubed sweet potatoes in a single layer onto a large cookie sheet (15x10) and sprinkle on chili power, brown sugar, and salt. Drizzle with enough olive oil to coat the sweet potatoes.

potatoes just after sprinkling on spices

Mix together until all the sweet potatoes are evenly covered with the seasonings and oil. Bake at 425 for about 20-30 minutes (time varies due to the size of the potatoes, if you cut in larger chunks it could take more time to cook) stirring once or twice. The sweet potatoes should be slightly crusty on the outside (allow the potatoes to stick to the bottom of the pan while cooking as that facilitates a nice caramelly "crust") and soft on the inside. Enjoy! Calories for entire recipe are about 1050.

Spicy Shredded Chicken

Chicken on a tortilla cause I didn't get a good pic of it by itself

I have been craving mexican food lately and I also had bunch of chicken in my freezer so I decided to make a big pot of chicken that I could use in various mexican recipes. Or just as a quick add in to a burrito, I eat burritos all the time because they are a super quick and tasty way to have lunch - its like a sandwich but yummier.

This makes a large amount of chicken, perfect for freezing and using later on in a casserole or whatever you want. I decided to make enchiladas with the chicken and they were delicious. (Recipe for those to follow this one).

This chicken actually wasn't as spicy as I thought it would be, which will be good for all of you who are less inclined to eat food that makes you cry. It does taste absolutely delicious though, juicy and slightly tangy from the tomatoes with the added smoky flavors of the roasted peppers.

Peppers, yum!

Here is the recipe, enjoy!

Spicy Shredded Chicken

6 Chicken Breasts (boneless)

2 cans Rotel (I used one spicy and one regular)

Assorted hot peppers (I used 4 Jalapeños, and 3 Poblanos)

2 teaspoons Cumin

2-3 teaspoons Chili Powder

Salt to taste

Put whole chicken breasts and rotel into a crock-pot and turn onto high setting. Meanwhile dry fry (i.e. don’t use any oil, just use a dry skillet) the peppers in a frying pan over high-medium heat, turning as the skin blackens (this should take a few minutes on each side).

this is what the blackened peppers should look like

Immediately put the peppers into a plastic bag and seal.

the steam makes it easier to remove the skin

Once peppers have cooled peal (and scrape) off as much of the outer skin (the part that has blackened and blistered) as possible. Then cut the peppers in half and take out the seeds. Chop into small pieces and put in the crock-pot. Add seasonings to the crock-pot. Stir the chicken mixture periodically and start to break up the chicken (the goal is for the chicken to be completely shredded by the end of cooking). The chicken should be done is 4-5 hours. If you want to cook on low it will probably take a couple of hours longer. However, this can cook for a while after it is technically done without any ill affects, so don’t worry about the time too much.