chipotle turkey & tomatillo fajitas

tomatillos. green tomatoes. whatever you call them, they are pretty fantastic.

i was surprised to stumble upon some fresh tomatillos in the produce aisle the other day. intrigued by the vibrant green hue beneath the husk, the tomatillos quickly became the inspiration for my weeknight culinary experiment. tomatillos are a staple ingredient of mexican cooking, so i thought fajitas were just the ticket that night. olé!

the turkey:
– heat up 1.5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (evo0) in large saucepan on high heat
– sauté 1/4 white onion (peeled, diced) until slightly browned
– add 500g extra-lean ground turkey to pan
– add a dash of salt
– season w/ 1 tsp dean & deluca chipotle bayou blend (combo of spices incl chipotle powder, ground paprika, cumin, coriander, granulated onion, garlic powder)
– add 1 cup crimini mushrooms (diced)
– season w/ ground black peppercorns
– divide & fold the ground turkey into pieces as it cooks for approx 4-5min until no longer pink. reduce heat to medium.

the tomatillo:
– add 1 tomatillo (husk removed, rough chop) to turkey, onions & mushrooms in pan
– sprinkle 1 tsp dean & deluca chipotle bayou blend
– season w/ ground black peppercorns
– drizzle hot sauce over turkey & tomatillo (optional)
– fold ingredients & simmer on medium heat, until well combined and meat is cooked
– remove from heat & set aside

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chipotle chickpea & tofu flatbread

feeling a sense of déjà-vu? ditto. if you’re thinking to yourself, ‘um, i think this gal needs to get some groceries.’, you’re right. clearly, i’m repurposing leftover ingredients from last night’s dinner. call it boring, or call it clever. ;)

i thought i’d get inventive with making pizza… without cheese. (yes, a grocery run is on the to-do list this weekend. ;) here’s the skinny on my chickpea flatbread culinary experiment…

– preheat oven to 400F

prep the toppings:
– 1/2 can of chickpeas (drained, blended until smooth like hummus)
– 1/8 cup peppadew peppers (sliced)
– 1/2 red bell pepper (cored, sliced)
– 1/2 cup organic raw tofu (sliced into bite-sized chunks)
– 1 cup fresh organic arugula

prep the dough:
– sprinkle some whole-wheat flour on a clean surface before rolling out the fresh pizza dough (i bought some fresh from the bakery.)
– using a rolling pin, flatten out the dough into a thin, round pie
– sprinkle some more flour on the dough pie, flip over before applying the rolling pin again
– place the prepped dough pie on a pizza stone (at room temperature) or a lightly-greased, round baking pan

chipotle tofu & chickpea salad

i guess that’s the way the [chipotle tofu & chickpea cake] crumbles.

so i had grand plans of making homemade veggie-cakes, after a little culinary inspiration during a lunchtime convo at the office today. think: crabcake, minus the crab, plus tofu & chickpeas. good in theory; a bit of a scramble in practice.

chipotle tofu & chickpea mixture:
mix the following ingredients together in a large prep bowl until well combined:
– 1/2 can organic chickpeas (drained)
– organic raw tofu (diced)
– 2 medium eggs (whisked)
– 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (evoo)
– 1 tsp chipotle blend  (combo of spices incl chipotle powder, ground paprika, cumin, coriander, granulated onion, garlic powder)
– 1/4 cup peppadew peppers (diced)
– 1/8 cup red peppers (diced)
– 1/4 cup breadcrumbs (crushed in mortar & pestle)

the non-cakes:
– heat up 1 tbsp unsalted butter in a large saucepan (note: i ran out of evoo, so i substituted the evoo w/ butter.)
– add 2 medium mounds of the tofu & chickpea mixture and flatten to form patties in pan

so this is where the veggie-cakes went awry…