A Kitchen Sink Salad

Approximate quantities: 6 ounces baby spinach; 2 large heirloom tomatoes, roughly chopped; 3 Kirby cucumber, sliced into thin disks; kernels of 1 ear of grilled corn; 1 grilled bell pepper, roughly chopped; 1 large sweet potato, peeled, chopped into 1-2” cubes, and tossed with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roasted at 425 degrees for about 20-25 minutes, 1 medium watermelon radish sliced into thin crescents, 1 lb of ground turkey browned with scallions and red chili flakes, 1 cup of cooked rice, and 1 16-ounce can on black bean, drained drizzled with olive oil, lime juice, and hot sauce

My only note about assembling this is, I browned the ground turkey — actually my Mom did — just before we were going to eat, and then once it was cooked through, she added 1 cup of cold, cooked rice and the black beans to pan to warm them and bring the flavors together and then we tossed this mixture warm into the salad.

Serves 4 as a main.

Taco Salad

Approximate quantities: About 1/2 cup seasoned ground turkey, about a cup of cooked brown rice, and 1 14 ounce can of black beans, mixed together and warmed; 1 head of green lettuce, roughly chopped; kernels of 1–2 ears of grilled corn; 2–3 medium carrots, cut into thin disks; 2 grilled bell pepper, roughly chopped; 1 avocado, thinly sliced; 2–3 Kirby cucumbers, sliced into thin disks; 6 or so radishes sliced into thin disks; and 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese drizzled olive oil, the juice of 1 lime, and hot sauce

Serves 4 as a main.

Instant Pot Turkey, Black Bean, and Hatch Chile Chili

I was at a wedding in New Mexico over Columbus Day Weekend and I brought back green chiles and chili powder from the Santa Fe Farmer’s Market and I’ve made this chili twice since — it’s very loosely based on Melissa Clark’s Pressure Cooker Classic Beef Chili.

Ingredients

4 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound ground turkey
3 teaspoons kosher salt
1 large onion, diced
4 New Mexico chili peppers, sliced
4 carrots, peeled and sliced
4 cloves garlic, finely grated or minced
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
14 ounces diced tomatoes
1 cup dried black beans
5–6 cilantro stems

To serve:

chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems
lime juice wedges
Sour cream
Cubed avocado
Pickled jalapeño
Radishes
Corn bread
Corn chips
Salsa
Shredded cheese

Using the saute function of the Instant Pot, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and then brown the ground turkey

Add 1 teaspoon of salt when turkey is cooked completely through and then using a slotted spoon, scoop it out of the Instant Pot and set it aside

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the onion, chile peppers, carrots and garlic and saute for 5-7 minutes until the are soft and fragrant

Add 1 more teaspoon and then return the ground turkey to the Instant Pot and add an additional teaspoon of salt, chili powder, cumin, and oregano and cook for about another minutes, until well combined

Add 1 cup of dried back beans and stir until well-combined and then add 14 ounces of diced tomatoes and 5 cups of water and 5-6 whole stems of cilantro

Set Instant Pot to cook on high pressure for 1 hour

After 1 hour, manually release the pressure, fish out the cilantro stems, and serve with chopped cilantro leaves, lime juice wedges, sour cream, avocado, jalapeño, radishes, corn bread, corn chips, salsa, and shredded cheese

Tortilla-less Tortilla Salad

An all Trader Joe's middle-of-a-busy-week-tortilla salad minus the tortilla. But if you have chips around, toss them in!

Approximate quantities: 3-4 cups of chopped kale; 1 cup quick-cooking brown rice; 1 cup black beans; 3 carrots, sliced into thin disks; ½ of a cucumber, sliced into thin disks; 1 avocado, cubed; 1 cup sugar snap peas, strings removed, ends trimmed; 2 cups of grilled chicken breast, roughly chopped; drizzled with olive oil, Cholula's chili lime hot sauce, salt, pepper, and grated Tillamook cheddar cheese

Serves four as an appetizer or two as a main.