As a second year student who is living off campus for the first time, I have had many cooking adventures in the past three weeks, and I can’t say that all of them were successful. However, I can confidently say that through my failures, I did discover a few one-pot recipes that are easy to cook and support a balanced, healthy diet. The first one is soup of any sort. Vegetable soup is one of my favorite things to make, mainly because it fares so well in the freezer. Double any soup recipe, freeze it, and you have dinner for about a week just sitting in your freezer waiting for midterm season. Another one-pot dinner that is always a crowd-pleaser is chili. Perfect for potlucks, my turkey black bean chili recipe covers all your food groups, and lasts for a long time in the fridge. This kind of dish is perfect for a busy night, you take it out of the fridge and its ready to eat as-is, hot or cold!
To all the new cooks out there, a little effort goes a long way! Happy cooking!
Turkey Black Bean Chili
2 T Vegetable Oil
2 Cloves garlic, minced
2 t Dried Oregano
½ t Salt
½ t Pepper
2 T Tomato Paste
1 Can Tomatoes, Diced (28oz)
1 Can Black Beans, drained & rinsed (19oz)
1 Small Zucchini, Cubed
½ C Frozen Corn Kernels
1 ½ – 2 T Chili Powder
¼ fresh cilantro or parsley,minced
Sour cream
In large saucepan, heat 1 T of the oil over medium high heat; cook turkey, breaking up with spoon, until no longer pink, about 8 mins. Using slotted spoon, transfer turkey to a bowl. Drain fat from pan; heat remaining oil over medium heat. Cook onion garlic, oregano, salt and pepper until softened, about 3 mins. Stir in tomato paste; cook for one min. Return turkey to pan add tomatoes, black beans, zucchini, corn and chili powder; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 mins. Stir in cilantro, serve garnished with sour cream.
Serves: 4 to 6
Preparation time: 30 mins
Curried Apple and Zucchini Soup
2 T butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 apple, peeled cored and chopped
1-2 t curry powder
4 C chicken stock
¼ C uncooked rice
2 C diced, unpeeled zucchini
½ t salt
1 C milk
In saucepan, melt butter; sauté onion and apple until soft, Sprinkle with curry powder; cook, stirring, for a few seconds. Pour in chicken stock; bring to a boil. Add rice zucchini and salt. Cover and cook until rice and zucchini are tender, about 30 mins. Pour into blender and blend until smooth. Return to pan and add milk. Heat through serve hot.
Serves: 8
Preparation time: 30 mins
