Chicken and White Yam Chili

I'm always looking to re-invent a classic dish to make it more interesting. This lighter, healthier version of chili uses ground chicken and white yams and was a hit with the kids. White yams are starchier and less sweet than a typical sweet potato, so they pair wonderfully with the chicken without taking over or getting mushy.  They also act as a healthy filler so you can use less meat if you want and sneak more veggies in your meal.  If you can't find white yams, a regular baking potato will work just fine, although the flavor of the dish will change.



What you will need:
2 lbs ground white chicken
1 white yam - pealed and cut into small cubes
2 carrots - pealed and cut into small cubes
2 T tomato paste
1/3 C Texas Chili Mix
4 C chicken broth
olive oil
salt/pepper to taste
chopped parsley/cilantro for garnish

Directions (serves 6):
Brown the ground chicken in a little olive oil in a large pot. Season with salt/pepper.  Add the tomato paste to the chicken and stir together for a minute or two.  Add the Chili Mix and stir together for a minute or two. Add the yams and carrots and stir together for a minute or two. (By adding these ingredients one at at time and allowing them to saute' a bit, you provide an opportunity for richer layers of flavor to develop). Add the chicken broth, stir, cover, and simmer on low for 20 minutes. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and/or cilantro. Yummy!

*Note: for a naughty twist to your healthy chili - render the fat from a piece of bacon and use it with the olive oil in browning the chicken. This adds a smoky richness that you really can't get any other way.

Italian Ribbon Cookies - with Signature Spiced Sugar

Crostoli are beautiful fried ribbon cookies that Italians religiously serve at weddings and holidays. They are most associated with the celebrations that precede Easter. While traditional Crostoli are made with fresh citrus zest and rum or brandy, I found an easier way to whip them up! Our Signature Spiced Sugar has lemon and orange zest in it already plus warm spices like cinnamon and clove, which mimic the flavors of dark rum. Here's how it goes….

What you will need:
6 T very soft butter
1/3 C Signature Spiced Sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 C milk
1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
2 1/4 C all-purpose flour
6 C vegetable oil for frying
powdered sugar for garnishing

Blend the butter, sugar, and salt in a processor. Add the milk, egg, and yolk and process until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the flour and process until a dough comes together. Form dough into a ball and transfer into some plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes (if it is too sticky to transfer, knead in a little more flour as needed).
Cut the chilled dough in half and work with one half at a time. Roll the dough out into a 16" square(ish) shape and cut it into 10 ribbon strips. Cut the strips in half lenth-wise. Place your ribbons on a parchment-lined sheet pan to save to the side. Repeat with your other half of dough. If you want to be Italian and fancy, tie each ribbon in a simple knot in the center.
Heat 2" of oil in a pan over med heat until it reaches 350 degrees (frying temp).  Fry up 10 ribbons at a time - flipping to brown on both sides. When they are crisp and golden all over, remove them from the oil with tongs and drain them on paper towels.  
To serve, pile them on a plate and dust them with powdered sugar!

Honey Apple Spice Cake - with Gingerbread Sugar

This beautiful, fall cake makes a wonderful dessert, brunch, or breakfast item. Try serving it with whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, or all by itself!

What you will need:
2 apples - pealed, cored, and thinly sliced 
1 C Gingerbread Sugar
3 C cake flour (can sub regular white flour if needed)
1 T baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 C vegetable or coconut oil
1 C honey
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 C warm coffee
1/2 C apple cider

Optional (but not really): 2 T Spice Cake Sugar, extra apple slices, 3 T oil for frying

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. lightly grease a 9" baking tin and line the bottom with parchment paper.  Mix the apple slices in a bowl with 3 T of the Gingerbread Sugar and set aside. Combine the remaining Gingerbread Sugar with all other dry ingredients. Add half of the honey, the oil, eggs, vanilla, coffee, and cider and mix well.  Spoon 1/3 of the batter into the bottom of your pan. Layer with half of the apples. Top the apples with another 1/3 of the batter, followed by the rest of the apples and last 1/3 of the batter. Bake the cake for one hour, r until a skewer comes out clean. Straight out of the oven, drizzle with the remaining honey. Top with fried apple slices.

Fried apple slices:
Toss some apple slices in a few tablespoons of Spice Cake Sugar. Fry them on the stove in some oil until they start to caramelize. Drain the apples on a paper towel and garnish your cake with them. Dust the top with some powdered sugar.

3 Sugo spice mix recipes!

Quick Guide to Recipes and Uses - Sugo

Scratch Spaghetti Sauce 

(Serves 4)

You will need:

1 T Sugo Italian Seasoning

1 lb ground beef or pork

2 T olive oil

28 oz crushed tomatoes (with juice)

1/2 C water 

Directions:

Brown 1 lb ground beef or pork in 2 T olive oil in a large skillet over med-high heat. Add 1 T Sugo Italian Seasoning and stir it into the meat, allowing it all to stir fry a bit in the pan.  Add 1/2 C water and 28 oz of chrushed tomatoes. Stir to combine. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes. 

Serve over pasta or use as a filling for lasagna.  

Meatballs

You Will Need:

2 T Sugo Italian Seasoning

2 lbs ground beef/pork/or both

1 C bread crumbs

2 eggs

flour

olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all ingredients except the olive oil (by hand is best).  Roll meatballs into desired size - golfball size works well. 

Roll the meatballs in white flour and shake off the excess so that they are just lightly coated.

Coat a large saute pan with olive oil and heat over med-high.  Brown the meatballs on all sides - working in batches if necessary. Place them on a baking sheet and finish cooking for about 15 minutes in the pre-heated oven. 

Serve in sandwiches, marinara sauce, or freeze them for later use.

*Can also be used to season meatloaf in a ratio of 1 T seasoning per pound of meat.

Roman Baked Chicken

You Will Need:

3 T Sugo Italian Seasoning

a whole chicken

1/4 C orange juice

1/4 C olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Rinse and pat the chicken dry. Place Chicken in a baking dish. Combine seasoning, juice, and olive oil in a small bowl. Rub the seasoning mixture all over the chicken. Loosely cover the chicken with foil and bake for half the total cooking time. Remove foil and finish cooking. (Cook time for whole chickens is 20 minutes per pound).

Italian Breakfast Sausage

You Will Need:

1 lb ground pork/turkey/chicken

1 T Sugo Italian Seasoning

olive oil

*if using chicken or turkey you may also want to add 1/4 C applesauce for moisture

Coat a skillet in olive oil over medium heat.

Combine all ingredients and form into small patties.

Cook sausage patties 5-8 minutes on each side until they are browned and cooked through.

Moroccan Beef with Garlic and Herb Mash

Full of warm and wonderful flavor, this dish, akin to a stew, will never fail to please a crowd.

What you will need:

1/4 C Moroccan Tagine spice mix
2 T tomato paste
2 C vegetable or beef broth
2 lbs beef, cut into bite-size cubes
2 C baby carrots, cut into halves
1 yellow or red onion, cut into pieces
2 baking potatoes or several golden/white potatoes
4 whole garlic cloves(skin on)
1/2 stick butter
salt/pepper
olive oil
1/2 C chopped flat leaf parsley and/or other fresh herbs

Season the beef with salt/pepper to taste.  Brown the beef cubes in a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large, high-sided skillet over med-high heat.  

Stir in the tomato paste and onions and saute' until onions are browning.

Deglaze the pan by adding the broth and stirring/scraping the bottom of the pan.




Stir in the Moroccan Tagine spice mix and carrots.  Cover and simmer on low until meat is tender - about an hour.

While your meat is simmering, make your mash.

Peal your potatoes (if desired) and cut them into even chunks.  Boil them with the garlic cloves until they are very tender - about 30 minutes. 

Drain off the water and squeeze the garlic out of the skins into the potatoes.
Mash the garlic, potatoes, and butter together and season with salt and pepper to taste.
stir in chopped parsley and/or other fresh herbs such as rosemary and thyme.

Spread mash onto a serving platter and pour the finished beef stew on top. Finish with some more chopped herbs for garnish.  Voila - a beautiful meal is served!

*Different cuts of meat and different varieties of potatoes take shorter or longer too cook. Test tenderness by sticking them with a fork. If there is any resistance - keep cooking! 

*If your stew seems to be getting too low on liquid, simply add more broth and cover to achieve desired sauce consistency. If your sauce seems too thin, crack the lid open on one side to allow some evaporation.

What Is Tagine?

Tagine, or tajine, is simply an ancient method of slow cooking.  Shaped like a teepee, the tagine allows steam to escape very slowly, keeping the food inside moist and the meat tender. In places like the Middle East and North Africa, you can order a tagine to go. But don't be fooled - this is no fast food! To order a tagine, you would select your preferred meat and veggies and they would be cooked with spices in your own personal clay cooker in a basement area filled with hot coals and buried in ash.  Several hours later you would return to take home your hot and delicious meal, right in the cooker.

But just because you don't have a basement filled with hot coals and ash, doesn't mean you can't enjoy the succulent flavors of this exotic cooking method.  Tagines can be used at home on the stove, grill, or in the oven and are more widely available than ever before at specialty stores such as Sur Le Table or World Market.  An electric crock pot or covered creucet will do the trick too!

A dear friend of mine, who was raised in the Middle East, sent me this glorious photo of her famous chicken, rice, and carrots - slow cooked with our Moroccan Tagine spice blend.  This dish became an instant family favorite. There's nothing I like hearing more than being a part of a special family memory or tradition. What a gift!

While our spice blend is named after tagine cooking, it is useful and delicious in countless other preparations as well. Try it as a rub or marinade on lamb, chicken, beef, kebobs, or even fish.  Add it to sour cream for an excellent dip or sauce. Throw some in your rice as it cooks for an amazing side dish. This one is only limited by your imagination. Find us on Facebook and share your creative uses!

Mayan Mocha

Introducing our latest all-natural sugar: Mayan Mocha! Chocolate, cinnamon, vanilla bean, and a pinch of cayenne - this blend transforms coffee or hot milk into an exotic mocha beverage.  It can also be used in baking, on top of cereals, or as a chocolatey finishing sugar on desserts and ice cream.