(Ground) Turkey a l'Orange ... ¡En Fuego!

Man, life has been crazy lately! Poor Suanne is on a huge project at work and she has been working from sun-up to sun-down and then some! And I ... well, I'm nowhere near as busy as Suanne. Either way, neither of us have had much time to post anything, so on behalf on the Chic-Peas, I apologize. I know that all of you have just been waiting with bated breath for our next riveting installment, so here goes:

Tonight, I wanted something hearty, healthy, and ... what's an 'h' word for quick? I had a ton of produce in my fridge, so I decided to use at least some of it tonight. I served the finished product over a mildly sweet, sticky, coconut rice (which will most likely make its way into another post in the future) and garnished it with avocado.

**Disclaimer: I realize that this recipe bears no resemblance to duck a l'orange. The name is simply a nod to the mishmash of ingredients, but I am open to better suggestions. Feel free to leave them in the comments below!***

(Ground) Turkey a l'Orange ... ¡En Fuego!

Ingredients:
1 small onion, chopped
2 cups baby spinach, chopped
1/2 cup peanuts (optional, but I like the texture they provide.)
1 lb. ground turkey (you can also use ground beef)
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 to 2 tbs. of Sriracha hot sauce, depending on how spicy you like it (or how spicy you can handle!)
Approximately 1 cup orange juice (Approximately. Eyeball it! ... Also, I used OJ with a lot of pulp, in case you were wondering.)

1. In a large skillet, saute the onion and peanuts in a bit of oil until the onion is translucent. (If your peanuts turn translucent, you have a problem.)
2. Add spinach and let it cook down.
3. Add ground turkey and season with salt. Break up the turkey as it cooks.
4. When the turkey is almost finished cooking, add the Sriracha and stir well.
5. Add orange juice and simmer until it reduces by about half.

Makes about four servings.

You know, this would probably freeze well. I will get back to you about that ...

Mmmm ... Mmmm ... Meatloaf!

So, I haven't posted much lately - sorry to my co-author and all of our soon-to-be fans!

But fear not, my friends, for I bring you a new take on an old favorite (or not-so-favorite)! I've taken what can be a tired, boring, bland meal and turned it into a juicy, satisfying, filling comfort food.

It takes a little bit of work, but it freezes and reheats well. (I'm all for anything that freezes well: homemade food is so much better than TV dinners. Bleh!)

And now, without further ado, I give you one of the best meatloaves you'll ever taste!


Mmmm ... Mmmm ... Meatloaf
- 1 red onion, roughly chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup of carrots, diced
- 1/4 cup of celery, diced
- A splash of red wine (Either regular wine or cooking wine is fine.)
- 1/4 cup of green onion, chopped
- a handful of baby spinach
- 1/2 pound of ground turkey
- 1/4 cup pumpernickel crumbs (You can use any type of bread, but I like the flavor of pumpernickel. Also, bread that's more stale than fresh works better. Trust me.)
- 1 egg
- A few dashes of Worcestershire sauce
- 1.5 tsp. cumin
- 1/2 tsp. coriander

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Sauté the red onion, garlic, carrots and celery in a small amount of olive oil until they are tender.
3. Deglaze the pan with the red wine and let it reduce a bit.
4. Add the green onion and spinach. Cook until the spinach wilts. Remove from heat.
5. In a large bowl, mix the rest of the ingredients with the veggies and another splash or two of red wine. (Use your hands - it's the best way to mix it! Just be sure to wash them well both before and after.)
6. Press the mixture into a loaf pan and cover with foil.
7. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove foil and bake until a thermometer inserted into the center of the loaf registers 165 degrees Fahrenheit (about 15 to 20 minutes). There should be a nice crust on the top.
8. Once the meatloaf is cooked, remove from oven and let sit for at least ten minutes before cutting. (If you cut it immediately, all the juices will leak and the loaf will become dry!)
9. Enjoy!