Turkey Gumbo

Like everyone else right after Thanksgiving, you are looking for something to do with all of that turkey you have leftover!  This gumbo is very filling and just perfect for a cold winter's night!  It has a little bit of a kick to it!  I like to throw in some fresh parsley right at the end for the bright color and fresh revitalizing flavor.

1 cup of flour

1/2 cup of canola oil

1 yellow onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 yellow bell pepper, diced

3 whole carrots peeled, diced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 longneck bottle of Corona beer

5 cups of chicken broth

1 6 oz can of tomato paste

1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of celery seed

1/4 teaspoon of thyme

3 cups of cooked turkey, cut into 1 inch chunks

2 cups of cooked brown rice

1/4 cup of flat leaf parsley

1.  In a large pot, over medium heat, add the flour and oil.  Keep stirring slowly for about 20 minutes until you make a dark brown roux.  

2.  Now add the onions, peppers and carrots and stir for about 2 minutes.  Now add the garlic and beer and cook for another 3 minutes.  Mixture will start to become very thick at this point.  Add in the stock, tomato paste, seasonings and stir until the veggies and roux are combined.  

3.  Cook for about 30 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally.  Add in the cooked turkey and cook for about another hour.  

4.  Meanwhile prepare the rice according to the package instructions. 

4.  Add the parsley to the gumbo and stir.  Serve in bowls with a scoop of rice in it.  

Maple Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Honey Frosting Topped With Graham Cracker Crumbs Recipe

If you want a professional looking cupcake that tastes, well amazing, well here you go with my Maple Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Honey Frosting, topped with graham cracker crumbs! It's perfect to make for the holidays, and all the kids at your Thanksgiving table will love these fun desserts. I actually made a batch of these for my best friend's birthday earlier this fall and they were a hit everyone! I topped mine with roasted pumpkin seeds, but pecans would be a great alternative!

Maple Pumpkin Cupcakes

3 cups of flour

2 teaspoons of baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup of sugar

1 cup of brown sugar

3 cups of pumpkin puree (or one large can)

4 large eggs

1 cup of canola oil

1/2 cup of maple syrup

Cinnamon Honey Frosting

3 cups of powdered sugar

2 sticks of butter at room temperature

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 1/2 tablespoons of honey

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl add all your dry ingredients, including flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and sugars.

2. Make a well in the middle and add in the remaining ingredients- pumpkin, eggs, oil and maple syrup. Whisk the ingredients together until a smooth batter forms.

3. Add cupcake liners to a cupcake tin and divide the batter evenly among them (fill about 3/4 of the way full). Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted in the center and it comes out clean.

4. While the cupcakes are cooling, prepare the frosting. In a medium sized bowl add all of the ingredients including the powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, honey and cinnamon. Using a hand mixer mix until the mixture because creamy (about 2 minutes).

5. Once the cupcakes are fully cool, pipe the frosting on top of the cupcake. Sprinkle graham cracker crumbs on top. Top with pumpkin or pecans and enjoy!

Turkey Panini with a Spinach Artichoke Spread Recipe

Everyone loves those fancy paninis at cafe's but not so much when it comes to price.  Here is my version of a popular favorite- a Turkey Panini with a Spinach Artichoke Spread.  Imagine a creamy, cheesy, artichoke spread with a slight kick, between two warm pieces of crispy soft bread.  I love adding the spinach, not only for the extra nutrients, but it looks so beautiful layered on top of the bright red tomatoes.  Also, with Thanksgiving coming up, here is a great idea what to do with all those leftovers!

1/4 cup of Hellman's mayonnaise

1/4 cup of ricotta cheese

1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder

1/4 cup of parmesan cheese

1/4 cup of fresh baby spinach

1/2 cup of artichoke hearts

Few Dashes of hot sauce

8 ounces of turkey, sliced

1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar

4-6 tomato slices

1 loaf of focaccia bread

1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil

Salt and Ground Pepper

1.  Combine the mayo, ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, spinach, artichoke hearts and hot sauce in a food processor and combine until the ingredients turn into a spread.  

2.  Preheat your panini maker, or you can use a frying pan and then use another frying pan to push down on the sandwiches to "flatten"  it.  

3.  Slice the focaccia bread in half.  Spread the cheesy spinach-artichoke mixture on both sides of the bread.  Layer the turkey and then add the tomato slices.  Drizzle balsamic vinegar on top of the tomatoes and desired amount of salt and ground pepper.   Top with the other half of bread. 

4.  Brush both sides of the bread with the oil and grill until golden brown.  Slice into individual sandwiches and enjoy!

Spiced Basmati Rice with Carrots and Peas Recipe

This is a super easy recipe and packed with yummy veggies.  The colors and unique spices are paired perfectly with fall.  

1 1/2 cups of basmati rice (soaked for at least 30 minutes)

3 tablespoons of olive oil

1/2 yellow onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 carrots, chopped 

1 pinch of cinnamon

1 pinch of ground cloves

1 steam-able bag of frozen peas

Salt and Pepper to Taste

1.  In a pot, heat extra virgin olive oil and saute the garlic and onion for about 3 minutes or until soft.

2.  Add the rice and stir until the olive oil is fully coated.  Add the carrots and 2 1/2 cups of water.  Cover pot and simmer under medium heat.  If you are using frozen peas use about a 1-1 1/2 cups and toss them in the pot.  If not steam the peas according to the package directions.  Simmer for about 15 minutes, covered.

3.  Once rice is tender remove from heat.  Add the green peas, if steaming in the microwave and then serve. 

Hot and Salty Pumpkin Seeds Recipe

Yay!  Another pumpkin seed recipe.  I still had a bunch of pumpkin seeds to do something with after my sister came to visit for the week and we decided to carve pumpkins!  These pumpkins are simple, but perfect if you are craving a healthy alternative to something salty.  

3 Cups of Pumpkin Seeds, washed 

3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon (or more to taste) of season all salt

Freshly ground pepper to taste

Several dashes of hot sauce (I used Texas Pete)

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Take a spoon and scrape out the pumpkin seeds into a bowl.  Separate the seeds from the stringy pumpkin innards. Rinse seeds in a colander.  Place pumpkin seeds back into a bowl. 

2.  Drizzle extra virgin olive oil over the seeds.  Add the above ingredients to the bowl and then toss until everything is evenly distributed. 

3.  Add wax paper to your cookie sheet and then spread the seeds out on the pan in an even layer.  Bake for about 45 minutes, stirring once every 15 minutes so the seeds do not stick.  

Spaghetti Squash with Italian Sweet Sausage, Fresh Tomatoes and Mushrooms Ragout Recipe

Oh man do I ever have a new obsession this fall with spaghetti squash.  This dish is wholesome, packed with lots of fresh ingredients including tomatoes, mushrooms and of course the bulk of it squash!  It's filled with earthy aromas of rosemary and chilies, yet guided by a sweet and acidity.  Shave off about an hour of your time by cooking the squash in the microwave.  You know I am down for anything that requires the majority of the cooking in the microwave.   For a vegetarian dish ditch the sausage and enjoy!  

1 spaghetti squash, cleaned and halved lengthwise

3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, roughly minced

2 links of Italian sweet sausage

1 very large tomato, diced

1 cup of sliced mushrooms

1 pinch of crushed rosemary

1 pinch of nutmeg

1 teaspoon of chili powder

1/4 teaspoon of chili pepper flakes

4 tablespoons of red wine vinegar

1 tablespoons brown sugar

5-8 leaves of basil shredded

1/4 cup of romano cheese (optional)

1.  Place 1/4 inch of water in a microwave safe dish and place squash in the dish, with cut sides down in the dish.   Cover with plastic wrap and then microwave on high for 13-15 minutes.

2.  While the squash is cooking,  heat a skillet.  Add the extra virgin olive oil, garlic and sausage for about 3-5 minutes under medium heat.  Now add the tomatoes, mushrooms, rosemary, nutmeg, chili powder, chili pepper flakes and cook for about 10 minutes or until the mixture starts to thicken.  Now add the remaining ingredients and cook for another 5 minutes.  Take the sausage out on a cutting board and slice thinly, add the meat back to the pan and stir.

3.  In a large bowl shred the squash  and then add about 1/2 cup of the water that the squash was cooked in stir carefully.  Add sausage and tomato mixture on top of the squash.  Top with additional romano cheese.    

Sweet and Smoky Pumpkin Seeds Recipe

Halloween is less than a week away and that means it's time to start carving pumpkins.  So bust out those cookie pans because it's time to roast some pumpkin seeds!  These seeds are my absolute favorite, they are sweet and smoky and ohhhhh so yummy.  Seriously I am addicted!  Oh, and learn from my mistakes and actually use the wax paper, if not have fun cleaning baked on brown sugar.  

3 Cups of Pumpkin Seeds, washed 

3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup of brown sugar ( I used Splenda Brown Sugar)

2 teaspoons of chili powder

1 pinch of nutmeg

Wax paper

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Take a spoon and scrape out the pumpkin seeds into a bowl.  Separate the seeds from the stringy pumpkin innards. Rinse seeds in a colander.  Place pumpkin seeds back into a bowl. 

2.  Drizzle extra virgin olive oil over the seeds.  Add the above ingredients to the bowl and then toss until everything is evenly distributed. 

3.  Add wax paper to your cookie sheet and then spread the seeds out on the pan in an even layer.  Bake for about 45 minutes, stirring once every 15 minutes so the seeds do not stick.  

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with New York State Maple Syrup and Rosemary Recipe

I had some free time before I had a freelance photography event I had to cover so I thought hey, why don't I head to my favorite produce stand up the road!  I bought a whole case of yams for only 3 bucks.  I really don't know what I am going to do with all these sweet potatoes, so if you are curious why the next few weeks there are so many yam recipes on here, it now should make sense.  Once starting to bake, the syrup starts to caramelize, which further enhances the sweet, earthy flavor of the roasted veggies and intensifies the rosemary.  Am I painting an aromatic dining experience yet?   

5 large sweet potatoes, cubed

2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup of maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon of dried rosemary

Salt and Ground Pepper to Taste

1.  Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.  Spread the sweet potatoes in an even layer on a baking sheet.  Drizzle olive oil and maple syrup on top.  Sprinkle the dried rosemary.  Mix so that everything is incorporated.  

2.  Place into the oven for about 30 minutes or until tender.  

Harvest Romaine Salad with Creamy Thyme Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe

So despite me refusing to believe that summer is over, I broke down and decided to start concocting a few recipes that create the perfect balance between warm temperatures and fall, starting to creep in.  Blame it on my latest trip to Panera, I got inspired after having one their newest salads.  Well, here is my spin on it!

2 heads of romaine lettuce

1 cucumber sliced

1/4 of dried cherries

1/4 cup of crumbled goat cheese

5 slices of bacon cooked until crumbled, and then crumbled

3 spoonfuls of chopped candied pecans

1.  In a bowl, add the lettuce, cucumbers, dried cherries, cheese, bacon and pecans.  Serve with my Creamy Thyme Balsamic Vinaigrette, recipe is as follows.  

Creamy Thyme Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe

1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 tablespoons of no fat mayo

1/4 teaspoon of ground mustard

1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder

3 sprigs of thyme, minced

Salt and Ground Pepper to Taste

2.  In a small bowl, add the above ingredients and whisk until fully combined.  Drizzle dressing on top of the salad and then serve!