BLACK BEAN TURKEY CHILI

so i told myself my first post of october was going to be pumpkin based (& pretty much every other post after that), but here i am posting a recipe for black bean turkey chili. this is a meal i make all fall & winter long. idk, maybe i wanted to ease you guys into october before i went all pumpkin spice crazy on the blog. i have made this recipe hundreds of times & have subbed in all different sorts of beans. black beans are by far my favourite & even though i love chickpeas, i HATED chili with chickpeas (ugh gross, just gross). i like the small size, plus i prefer my chili not to be overly beany, hense all the vegetables included. this is a super healthy chili thanks to the lean ground turkey. you can of coarse make this with beef, but i don't eat red meat. my sister for the longest time refused to make her chili with ground chicken or turkey claiming it was "weird". kind of like those weirdo's who won't eat a turkey burger. she finally concluded it taste the exact same (actually better) when so many spices are involved anyways & no longer uses beef. if you want to make this a vegetarian chili, swap out the turkey for another can of beans! if you want it spicer, add more chili flakes & cayenee pepper. i am a baby when it comes to spice & this is about all i can handle. enjoy your weekend. i'll be going to toronto's nuit blanche festival tonight followed by the pumpkin patch tomorrow to spend all my life savings on mini pumpkins. insert ALL the excited emoticons here

ingredients

• 1 medium red pepper, chopped
• 1 medium green pepper, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 large carrot, chopped
• 2 stalks of celery, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 450 grams ground turkey
• 1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
• 1 jar strained tomatoes
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne (add more if you like it spicy)
• 1/4 teaspoon chili flakes
• 1 bay leaf
• salt & pepper

directions

• in a large pot, over medium heat add red pepper, green pepper, onion, carrot, celery, garlic, olive oil, salt & pepper. cook until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
• in a separate frying pan brown your meat. seasoning with olive oil, salt & pepper.
• once meat is fully cooked & vegetables are soft, add the turkey to the pot.
• add the remaining ingredients starting with beans, strained tomatoes, water, chicken stock, chili powder, dried oregano, paprika, cumin, coriander, cayenne, chili flakes, bay leaf, salt & pepper.
• bring to a boil & then immediately reduce to medium low. cover the pot with the lid & simmer for 1-2 hours.
• remove bay leaf & serve with toppings of your choice! guacamole, sour cream, cheese, corn chips, cilantro.. the possibilities!

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CHALLAH BREAD PUDDING + VANILLA CREME ANGLAISE

is it too soon for bread pudding? is it more of a winter dish than fall?! whatever. i made a delicious loaf of challah last week & i knew i wanted to make something equally delicious with the left overs. not that there should be left overs when you make a fresh cinnamon roll challah.. but i more so saved it, just so i could make bread pudding. i love bread pudding. partially because bread is my favourite food group & partially because it's such a forgiving dessert, i swear you can throw whatever you want into the mix. i've seen bread pudding made with classic white bread, croissants (yes please), doughnuts (omg yes), assorted pastries & literally any and everything that remotely resembles bread. basically what i am saying is you don't have to use the cinnamon roll challah in the recipe, but i highly recommend it. you can also stir whatever you'd like into the mix; walnuts, pecans, raisins, or even better bourbon soaked raisins. i kept this one simple as i wanted the challah to be the star. it packed enough flavour on it's own & complimented the touch of nutmeg perfectly.

ingredients

for the pudding

• 1 loaf challah bread, chopped into 1 inch cubes (i used my cinnamon roll challah)
• 3 cups whole milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 5 whole eggs
• 1 3/4 cups sugar (if using regular bread, add an additional 1/4 cup of sugar)
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup raisins (optional if you don't hate raisins like i do)

for the vanilla anglaise

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 4 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon or nutmeg (optional)

directions

• for the pudding: preheat oven to 350 degrees. in a large mixing bowl whisk milk, cream, eggs, sugar, vanilla & nutmeg. add the chopped bread & toss to coat. if you are including raisins, add them now. in a greased 9x12 baking dish, evenly disperse the bread mixture & bake for 25-30 minutes. while the pudding is in the oven make the vanilla anglaise.
• for the anglaise: in a sauce pan over medium heat add cream & vanilla. heat until bubbles begin to form along the edges. in a small bowl whisk egg yolks, sugar, cinnamon & nutmeg. add a tablespoon of the hot milk mixture to the bowl to temper it. slowly pour the yolk mixture back into the sauce pan vigorously stirring (you don't want scrambled eggs!). cook until the mixture coats the back of a spoon & remove from heat.
• serve bread pudding warm & drizzle generously with the vanilla anglaise sauce.

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CINNAMON ROLL CHALLAH

i call this my "rematch with the challah" because of how many times this past summer i have tried to make one & miserably failed. maybe it was the hot summer air or the high humidity, but i just couldn't get the damn thing to rise properly. it was frustrating, however i was determined to make the perfect challah bread & it finally happened. maybe it doesn't look as pretty as i had hoped it would, but it taste next to perfect. it's pretty much a challah version of cinnamon rolls, but a bit more eggy then the average cinnamon bun. i kept the filling on the light side so it wasn't overly sweet like a cinnamon bun. it can be eaten as your morning toast or as an afternoon snack dipped in tea. enjoy the last sunday of september, i couldn't be more excited for october! now time for me to turn the left over challah into something equally (or more) delcious.

ingredients

for the dough

• 3/4 cup warm water
• 1 package of instant yeast
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 3 eggs

for the filling

• 3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

directions

• in a measuring cup add warm water, yeast and honey. let sit for five minutes until the yeast begins to activate.
• in the bowl of a stand mixer using the dough hook attachment, add sugar, flour, salt and nutmeg. in a separate bowl, whisk oil & eggs.
• with the mixer on low speed add the water/yeast mixture, followed by the eggs/oil mixture.
• mix or knead by hand until a smooth dough is formed, about 8-10 minutes. if dough appears too wet, add a touch more flour.
• transfer to a well greased bowl & let rise for 1-2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size.
• once dough has risen, divide it into three evenly sized pieces.
• roll each piece into a thin rectangular shaped. brush with butter 1/3 of your butter & sprinkle with 1/3 of the sugar & cinnamon. roll tightly (this step is similar to making a cinnamon bun). repeat with the remaing pieces.
• once you have completed all three pieces, gently braid them tightly together. pinch & tuck in both ends and transfer to a lightly oiled cookie sheet.
• bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until the bread is cooked throughout.

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