Fiesta Dinner Jam

Cooking with friends is one of my favourite things to do! Well, cooking with anyone. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy my “experimenting” and focus needed with some recipes, but who wouldn’t love to share one another’s company! It was initially a Friday night out, but when my girlfriend asked if we could stay in and cook….well, she’s my friend for a reason right! The perfect Friday night! I asked her what she felt like, she mentioned she had this gluten free pasta, possibly something with spice, then she let me take the ropes in the development stage….AND she was O.K. to be a guinea pig! This dish….she called it a little something “exciting”, but hopefully this resonates with you and your family or group of friends!

Serves: 5

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp Avocado oil, divided
• 450 g Ground turkey
• 2 Cloves garlic, minced
• ½ tsp Fresh cracked black pepper
• ¾ tsp Cracked Salt
• 1 Red onion, finely chopped
• 1 Green pepper, chopped
• 1 Jalapeno, finely chopped
• 1 Cup Cooked Black beans
• 1/3 Cup Sliced Kalamata olives
• 2 Cups Dry pasta*

For the Sauce:

• 1 Cup 1% Sour Cream
• ½ Lime, juice from
• 1 tsp Paprika
• 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce**
• 1-2 tsp Turmeric (fresh or dried)***

• 1 Avocado, for garnish

Directions:

1. In a large sauté pan, heat 2 Tbsp of oil over medium-high heat. Add the ground turkey and cook through until brown throughout. Transfer to a plate for later.
2. Remove any turkey liquid from the pan, and place back on the stove. Heat the remaining 1 Tbsp of oil over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes.
3. Add the red onion and sauté for 3-5 minutes.
4. Add the green and jalapeno peppers and allow to sautee for 5-7 minutes. Once cooked through, lower heat to medium-low.
5. Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to boil and cook pasta according to box directions.
6. While the vegetables are sautéing and water is boiling, prepare the sauce: mix together the sour cream, lime juice, paprika, Worcestershire sauce and turmeric in a bowl. Stir well to combine all flavours.
7. Once the pasta is cooked, drain and rinse. Add it to the pan with vegetables, along with the black beans, ground turkey, and the black olives, mixing all ingredients together. Heat through, about 2 minutes.
8. Keeping the pan on the stove, turn the heat off. Add the sour cream sauce and stir well to combine all ingredients and flavours, mixing gently so as to not break the pasta.
9. Serve immediately, topping with avocado pieces.

*I used the Catelli Gluten Free fusilli pasta, or you can also use the GoGo Quinoa macaroni, or any pasta of choice.

** If you prefer spicier, feel free to add more Worcestershire sauce or chill flakes.

*** You can use the dried turmeric. Turmeric has a very subtle taste, but if using fresh, be careful as it will stain your fingers! Nothing soap and water won’t take off, but just a forewarning