gift of good food - Posts - Our Green House

Flavorful Turkey Chili - Simply Plated

Posted by Christine Tyrrell on Sep 15th 2018

It's still tomato season here in Connecticut, so this week's farm fresh recipe makes use of delicious fresh tomato, zucchini, and peppers for a flavorful turkey chili. While the recipe calls for jars of crushed tomatoes, if you've got lots of fresh tomatoes on hand, you can also simply take a couple of pounds of them and either grate them or run them through your blender until they're crushed. Ingredients: olive oil 1 zucchini, diced 1 yellow onion, diced 8 oz white mushrooms, sliced 1 jalapeño, finely diced 1 green pepper, diced salt & freshly ground pepper to taste 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 pound ground turkey 2 18 oz jars crushed tomatoes 2 carrots, diced 1 tomato, diced 15 oz can black beans 2 ears cooked corn, cut off the cob (or 15 oz can corn) 2 tablespoons chili powder sour cream, for garnish shredded cheddar cheese, for garnish Directions: In a saute pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Once pan and oil are hot, add zucchini, onion, mushroom, jalapeño, green pepper, garlic powder, and salt & freshly ground pepper to taste. Saute until browned to draw out their flavors. Set aside. In a large pot, over medium-high heat, cook the ground turkey until browned and crumbled. Add the sauteed veggies, crushed tomatoes, carrots, fresh tomato, beans, corn, and chili powder to the pot. Stir well. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat. Simmer for 30 minutes. To serve, top each bowl with sour cream and shredded cheddar. Add some fresh diced tomato on top for a pop of color and serve alongside some warm cornbread for a hearty, comforting dinner.

Spicy Grilled Shrimp over Harvest Fresh Salsa

Posted by Pam Davis on Aug 30th 2018

It's the peak of summer vegetable season here in Connecticut and as a result, our farmers' markets are loaded with a vibrant medley of harvest fresh veggies! We've had another hot and humid week here, the kind where nobody wants to be spending much time in the kitchen. So when my amazing friend Christine came over the other day, she used lots of the fresh veggies I'd picked up at the market this week to whip us up this light, refreshing dinner. A little time chopping in the kitchen and then outside for a quick grill of the shrimp skewers. Packed with fresh summer veggies and flavorful grilled shrimp, I think it may be my favorite dinner ever! Here's a quick tip for the corn, cook a couple extra ears when you're making fresh corn on the cob. It'll keep for a few days in the fridge and as a result, it'll be easy to cut the cooled corn off the cob for your salsa! Ingredients Shrimp Marinade: 1/2 Lime 1 tsp chili powder 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp sea salt 1/4 cup olive oil 2 lbs Jumbo (21-26 ct) shrimp Salsa: 4 fresh tomatoes 1 green bell pepper 1/2 red onion 1/2 jalapeno pepper 1 clove garlic 2 ears cooked corn, cut off the cob 1 can black beans, rinsed & drained fresh cilantro, to taste chili powder, to taste lime juice, to taste salt, to taste Accompaniments: sour cream or plain Greek yogurt avocado slices lime wedge Directions Mix together marinade ingredients, then add the shrimp and marinate for 30 minutes. If using wooden skewers, begin soaking them in some water now also. While the shrimp is marinating, dice your harvest fresh tomatoes, pepper, and onion. Finely dice the jalapeno and mince the garlic. Toss the veggies, corn, and beans into a bowl, then add cilantro, chili powder, lime juice and salt to taste/ Remove shrimp from marinade and skewer and grill over direct, medium heat until brown to bring out the flavor (3-5 minutes per side). Finally, serve the shrimp on a bed of salsa and garnish with sour cream, avocado, and a lime wedge. P.S. I just love those linen placemats because they're such a great blend of rustic, yet elegant!

Our Favorite Spring Recipes: Salads & Sides

Posted by Sonya on Mar 22nd 2018

We love providing our families with the gift of good, organic food, and seasonal spring produce fresh from the Farmer's Market and/or our local CSA is a bright, refreshing change of pace after winter's heavier meals. Today, Our Green House staff shares some of our favorite spring salad and side dish recipes. Pam: One of my favorite spring recipes is this tasty quinoa salad with feta cheese that my friend Christine shared with me. It's an easy, nutritious dish to throw together and makes great use of the abundance of organic baby spinach that spring brings. Cook: quinoa Chop: grape tomatoes, red onion, lots of fresh baby spinach, pitted kalamata olives, feta Dressing: olive oil, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, oregano Serve: with grilled chicken or grilled shrimp Kerry: I’m in charge of the bringing the same two dishes to our holiday gathering every spring (stay tuned for a spring desserts blog post next week!). These scalloped potatoes, originally from a 1971 Florence Junior Welfare League cookbook, are an excellent, delicious brunch side that is requested year after year. Using organic, pastured dairy products elevates this comforting side dish from its 1970's traditions. Sonya: I've loved asparagus ever since I was a little girl, snapping off the fresh stalks in my parents' garden and gobbling them up before anyone else could get a taste. This year I wanted to try something new with it, so last week we experimented with shaved asparagus and pea shoots. Everyone at home loved this shaved asparagus salad recipe so much that we've already made it a second time and decided that it's coming with us to our extended family Easter celebration in a couple weeks. What I did differently than the original recipe: I used 1 1/2 hearts of romaine and added roughly 1 1/2 cups of pea shoots. The second time we made it, I used feta cheese instead of the chevre. It's really bright and flavorful both ways!

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