Read an Excerpt

Farm to Table Stir Fry
Serves 8-10

I came up with this recipe on my own out of pure necessity! I wanted to know how to make a delicious stir fry but never found a recipe I liked. One day, in the middle of the summer, when fresh beautiful produce was aplenty, I decided to experiment. I started by combining the oil and soy sauce together and was really just winging it. At some point, Cara came into the kitchen. She saw what I was making and said, 'That needs sesame seeds' and kept walking. I added Cara's magical ingredient and our stir fry was born! I made the dish three times that week. We just couldn't get enough of it. . . .

½ cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1½ pounds round steak, sliced thin
1 quart snow peas
½ head cabbage, slivered
½ bag baby carrots, quartered lengthwise
1 head broccoli, florets and stems, chopped small
8 scallions, whites and greens, chopped coarsely
1 red and 1 green pepper, sliced lengthwise
3 teaspoons sesame seeds
3 to 4 garlic cloves, minced
2 to 3 cups cooked brown or white rice

Mix the soy sauce, brown sugar, olive oil, and sesame oil together. Toss the mixture with the steak and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes.

Add all of the vegetables to the pan and sauté, turning occasionally until the vegetables are steamed but still firm in texture.

Add the sesame seeds and garlic and cook for 3 to 5 more minutes. Serve over rice.

Turkey, Corn, and White Bean Chili
Serves 10

Finished Product = Yum! This very flavor-packed soup was well received by my eight. In fact, on a scale of 1 to 10, it received a solid 8 from them. As for me, I didn't rate it, but I think my kids lost track of how many times I refilled my bowl. It's so delicious!

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium red onion, finely diced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
½ cup of my Best Balsamic Vinaigrette (see page 101), or you
can use store-bought Italian or balsamic vinaigrette dressing
2 pounds ground turkey
3 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, or 3 teaspoons dried cilantro
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil, or 2 teaspoons dried basil
2 tablespoons chili powder
¾ cup salsa
2 (15-ounce) cans great northern beans, undrained
2 (15-ounce cans) whole kernel corn, undrained
Salt and black pepper, to taste

Melt the butter and olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté, stirring until tender. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.

Add the vinaigrette to the pan with the ground turkey; brown the turkey thoroughly. Once the turkey is cooked through, add the broth, cilantro, basil, chili powder, salsa, beans, corn, salt, and pepper.

Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to medium-low for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper, to taste, before serving. Serve with homemade cornbread.

This is a great recipe to make and freeze for another night!

©2013. Kate Gosselin. All rights reserved. Reprinted from Kate Gosselin's Love Is In the Mix. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the written permission of the publisher. Publisher: Health Communications, Inc., 3201 SW 15th Street, Deerfield Beach, FL 33442.