White Chicken Chili - A la Mama!

So, this is a recipe I'll keep forever. You know this dishes your mom makes growing up that just TASTES like home and all those memories you have of it? This is it for me. Nick loves it and grew up with a similar recipe from his mom- so its a sentimental dish for both of us. And what better way to kick off the season premiere of 24???!!!

The List:

- It calls for 4 cups of cooked chicken, i buy about 1.5 pounds and boil, then shred it

- 4 cans of canellini beans rinsed and rained, or 1 lb dried

- 6 cups of chicken stock

-2 onions, chopped

- 3 cloves of garlic, minced

- 1 bag of white frozen corn

- 1 tsp Olive Oil

- 2 4oz cans of diced green chiles

- 2 tsp Cumin

- 1.5 tsp Oregano

- The juice of 2 limes

- Shredded jack or cheddar cheese for sprinkling

- We like to add oyster crackers, but you could do cornbread or any dipper you like!

So, there are many ways to approach this. You could slow cook, but it isn't necessary. If you are using dried beans, go ahead and soak them overnight. In the morning, drain them, cover with new water in a soup pot, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 40-50 minutes until beans are soft.

If you are going to boil your own chicken- here is the "Technical" method- but do whatever you like! I cover mine in about 2 inches of water, or more. I bring them to a boil, then reduce the heat, and allow to simmer 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain, and allow them to cool before shredding. You don't have to let them cool, but your asking for a chicken steam facial if you don't.

With all that aside, here's what you do!

The Process

1. Combine broth, beans, and ONE of the chopped onions in a large soup pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 2-3 hours until beans are very soft. Monitor the soup, you may need to add some chicken broth if it starts drying out.

2. Add lime juice and corn to the pot after it has cooked for the amount of time above.

3. In a skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat and cook the onions until translucent, about 5-7 minutes.

4. Add chile peppers to the skillet as well as the cumin and salt. Mix well.

5. Add chile and onions to the main pot as well as the shredded boiled chicken (or your pre-cooked diced chicken!)

6. Stir them in well, and allow the chili to cook/simmer for another hour to combine flavors.

It should cook down to something like this!

You can either top with cheese, or just grind some salt and pepper over the top to serve!

Soy Ginger Chicken with Sesame Snap Peas .... Make your OWN take out!

This recipe is a healthier version of chinese take-out :) Always go for the brown rice (Long Grain is better if you can find it!) Steer clear of sodium-high traditional chinese dishes by choosing this one! Here's what's on the grocery list:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup soy ginger sauce*

1 pound chicken breasts, cut into thin strips

(I sliced my chicken very thin, the way they do in a Mongolian Dish or Cashew Chicken dish)

6-8 cups assorted fresh winter greens (Kale, collards, mustard, chard, bok choy)

2 T Olive Oil

2/3 cups julienned carrots

1/2 cup chopped scallions

(Make Carribean Turkey Burgers with leftover scallions!)

*The soy ginger sauce I found was at Whole Foods. VERY low calorie, low sugar, low fat. If you are going to a local grocery store, just look for a soy ginger asian sauce with acceptable nutrition for your family's diet*

Here's How I did it:

If you have time, its always best to marinate your chicken as long as possible. Even overnight if you can remember! The LONGER that sauce can be in contact with your meat, the BETTER flavor you'll gain. I sliced my chicken very thin, put it in a gallon zip lock bag, added the sauce, and put it in the fridge that morning to start marinating. GIVE IT AT LEAST 30 minutes if you forget to start it early!

Next, you want to wash your greens. Trim them and chop them up, roughly. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, and place the greens in there for about 3-4 minutes. DRAIN IMMEDIATELY. You are just blanching them.
 

Now, have a bowl of ice water ready- you're going to throw them right in it to stop the cooking process! This will allow the leaves to retain that bright green color which means YOU retained the majority of the nutrients in the leaves! Once cool, drain, and set aside.

Time to WOK it up!

In a large saute pan, or wok, heat your olive oil over medium high heat and saute chicken for about 5 minutes until browned and cooked through

Remember: the thinner you slice the chicken, the quicker it will stir fry

Also, remember at some point along the way to start cooking your brown rice

Now, add your carrots, scallions, and cooked greens. Saute another 3-5 minutes, tossing to mix ingredients.

Once you are ready, serve this over brown rice with additional soy ginger sauce.

But wait! Now its time for your side dish! These easy Sesame Snap peas compliment the meal well. They were yummy, cheap, and best of all, EASY! I would recommend starting them as soon as you start to stir fry the chicken. They have a similar cook time!

What you'll need:

1 T Sesame Oil (I bought TOASTED sesame oil because its sounded yummy)

1/2 pound snow pea pods (About 2 cups)

1 T Sesame Seeds

1 Medium Red or Yellow Bell Pepper sliced thin

Those green onions go with the stir fry, don't be confused!

What to do:

-Heat your sesame oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

-Add your pea pods and sesame seeds. Cook about 2 minutes, stirring frequently at first to distribute oil.

Add in your red bell pepper, cover, and continue to cook 5-7 minutes, STIRRING FREQUENTLY until veggies reach desired tenderness. We kept ours pretty crisp. I kept them covered more to the 5 minute mark!

Serve alongside Chicken Stir Fry and Rice for a Chinese Take Out turned HEALTHY!


Enjoy :) We hardly had leftovers!

It just LOOKS healthy, doesn't it?!

White Bean and Winter Green Soup ... It's a Keeper!

So, allow me to preface before diving into this recipe. First of all, I hardly took pictures because, I made the majority of this recipe up, and figured by doing so, it would be a flop. I WAS WRONG! And so I have one picture of it cooking to show you :( But believe me when I say, this will warm you up on any cold winter evening and you'll feel satisfied, but not too full, at all! We enjoyed it and will be having leftovers this week! It makes a lot!

Also, like I said, although I was inspired by a recipe on wholefoods.com - this dish is really a dish I created in my mind the longer I thought about it, as well as one I created based on leftover veggies in my refrigerator! You could leave a lot of it out, and I'll let you know when that option comes along!

Lastly, its going to call for Chicken Sausage. If you live near a Whole Foods- they have AWESOME chicken sausage. Mine were spinach and feta flavored. They also have like sun dried tomato ones etc. BUT- you can use turkey sausage or any chicken sausage you find at your local grocery!

The "Recipe" (Loose as it may be!)

12 oz of Chicken Sausage (I used spinach and feta sausage)

2 - 32 oz Jugs of Chicken Broth (Reduced sodium if you can find it!)

1 T Olive Oil

3-4 garlic cloves smashed and minced

1 white or yellow onion chopped

1/2 red bell pepper chopped (Optional, I had it in my fridge!)

1 cup julienned/sliced carrots (Optional, I had them in my fridge for tomorrow's dinner!)

Salt and Pepper to Taste

1 bunch of Kale, ribs and stems removed, leaves torn or chopped

7 cups of cooked white beans (Equal to about a bag and a half of dried beans)

*If you buy dried beans, soak them overnight, then boil for about an hour until soft the next day*

Italian Spices/Seasoning

 (Optional- you could use any italian spices- rosemary, thyme, parsley, oregano etc.)

Method:

IF YOUR BEANS ARE DRY- you need to soak them in water at least 8 hours, preferable over night. Then, cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for an hour until soft

IF YOUR SAUSAGE IS RAW (Meaning not pre-cooked)- you'll need to boil or steam them so that they are ready to throw in the dish!

1. Put about 1/4 cup of broth in the bottom of a large pot. (I used a dutch oven) Add Olive Oil. Heat over medium heat.

2. Slice up your sausage and toss it in. Let it cook until liquid is absorbed, stirring constantly. They should start to brown up in the olive oil.

3. At this point, add your garlic, chopped onion, chopped pepper, and carrots. If they start to stick to the bottom, splash some chicken broth over them. Let them cook about 5 minutes and soften up.

4. Add the rest of the chicken stock to the pot, along with the cooked beans

5. Bring to a boil. Add kale, cover, reduce heat, and simmer about 5 more minutes.

6. Add in salt and pepper as well as any italian herbs/spices you want TO TASTE.

7. Once heated through, it is ready to serve at any point!

Optional Toppings: Crutons, Torn Stale Bread, Oyster Crackers, Red Onions, Red Pepper Flakes, Hot Sauce.

ENJOY :)

Go Fish.... Salmon Packets!

Salmon WRAPPED and topped with Orange Chipotle Salsa

Anyone else afraid to cook fish? Because I am. But, I decided, since I had a Whole Foods gift card, I was going to buy some King Salmon! BECAUSE I COULD! And I did. I have a couple of things to say. First of all, I recommend going somewhere where you can ask them to cut 4 oz filets for you. Don't try and buy some frozen salmon and do this yourself- unless you are an acclaimed chef. Let the seafood experts handle it. OH- tip- ask for the the part of the salmon with the least amount of bones!

Anyways, these little salmon packets were quite tasty. The recipe calls for swiss chard- which I recommend. I ended up using collard greens, and they WORKED, but, not the taste I was expecting. ALSO- my leaves browned up, but I think I know how to save you from that experience, read it in the directions.

I have a sneaky suspicion, NO ONE will try this recipe, but- for my few adventurous cooks out there, this is for you!

Note: This recipe only serves 2. You would need to increase the fish and the greens depending on how many you want to serve.

What You'll Need:

2- 4 oz Salmon Filets
2 Swiss Chard Leaves (Or Collard Greens)

1 Small Orange

1 Chipotle Pepper in Adobo Sauce

Salt and Pepper to Taste

2 t Olive Oil

Optional:

I served mine with some Trader Joes Mushroom Risotto.

If you live near a Trader Joes, make the trip. Any risotto would pair well with this dish, so find one that you like! All you do is put a little olive oil in, add the rice, add the seasonings, and add water. Not hard at all!

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees and coat a baking dish with cooking spray

2. Grate your orange into a small bowl

3. Peel and chop your orange (Remove seeds if necessary)

If you've never peeled an orange, use a paring knife (Not a potato peeler!) Get rid of all the white pithy part!

4. SEED your chipotle pepper(unless you love fire hot salsa!) and chop very finely

5. Combine orange rind, orange pieces, chipotle pieces, and 1 tsp of the olive oil.  Mix together to form salsa mixture and set aside

6. Prepare salmon filets by brushing with remaining 1 tsp of olive oil, and sprinkling with a little salt and pepper

7. Now, take your 2 Leaves (Swiss Chard or Collard Greens) and SMASH the rib (center) of the leaf with a fork to make the leaf more pliable

8. Place a salmon filet on each leaf. Top with half the salsa.

9. Now, just roll them up, and fold in the sides to form a tight packet around each filet.

10. Place seam side down in a baking dish

11. Bake in the oven for about 20-25 minutes. If you have a meat thermometer, cook to about 135 degrees.

Now, my leaves got pretty browned up. I would suggest maybe dipping the leaves in some chicken broth before wrapping around the salmon, OR, drizzle some water or brother over top after rolling them up! Just a suggestion!

12. Remove from oven, serve with rice, risotto, or any side of your choice!

Cut it open, and you should have a steamed-fresh orange chipotle filet:

If you are sketched out by the leaves- just wrap them in some parchment paper! Same effect. Not sure what the cooking time would be, but probably pretty similar. Its the same idea, this recipe just give you an edible packet!!

ENJOY :)

Carribean Turkey Burgers with Sweet Potato Fries!

For those of you who participated in the poll ..... I fully expect you to make these... AND COMMENT on them if you like them or hate them. And I quote my husband... "These are the best turkey burgers I've ever had." That's right! So get your shopping list out and lets get to it.

These are HEALTHY burgers, HEALTHY fries, and I cooked up some of our favorite green beans (easiest recipe you'll ever find). This beats fast food calories every day of the week! (Scroll to the bottom to see the final plate!)

Carribean Turkey Burgers

• 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
• 3 tablespoons chopped green onions
• 1.5 tablespoons dried parsley 
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon Caribbean jerk seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 pound LEAN ground turkey
• 1 teaspoon olive oil

 Optionals:

• 4 whole wheat hamburger buns, split
• 4 lettuce leaves
• 1 medium mango, peeled and sliced (I took this option!)
  
• 4 (1/4 inch thick) rings sweet red pepper (I took this option!)
  

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix together WELL. Form meat mixture into a large ball. Divide into 4 equal parts, 6 equal parts, or 8 equal parts. I chose 6- and it made pretty small patties. You'll want to press down the patties to about 1/2" thickness.

Saute olive oil over medium-high heat and cook burgers about 5 minutes per side or until juices run clear.

Once they are ready, get whatever toppings you chose ready and doll them up. I just did a red pepper ring with a mango slice

If you want to make sweet potato fries and green beans, keep reading, and don't miss the final plate at the bottom!!

Baked Sweet Potato Fries:

3-4 sweet potatoes

Cooking Spray

Cumin

Chili Powder

Ground Red Pepper

Paprika

Salt

Preheat your oven to 425

Spray baking sheets (I needed 2 for how many fries I made)

Cut your potatoes in half (short-way, not the length)

Then cut them in half again (long way)

Place cut side down and start slicing small fry shapes, or you could go for wedges

Once sliced, place in a single layer on the baking sheet(s). Spray cooking spray over the fries to coat them. Sprinkle all spices over. (I probably used about 1tsp of each, maybe less of the red pepper!)

Bake on the bottom rack 20 minutes, then move to the top rack for 10. You'll want to watch them CONSTANTLY. They will go from perfect to burned to a crisp quickly depending on the heat your oven puts out. Just monitor and taste test! You'll know when they are ready!

Easy Almond Green Beans

1 16 oz bag of frozen green beans

(If you can get them from Trader Joes, I highly recommend doing so!)

1/4 cup sliced almonds

Heat a dry skillet over medium heat. Toast almonds, stirring constantly until browned. Remove and set aside.

Add a couple of tablespoons of water to the skillet. Bring to a boil (This should happen almost immediately after cooking almonds). Add frozen beans.

Cover, and cook 10-12 minutes. Drain, toss with almonds and serve immediately.

We have this anywhere from 1-2 times a week. NO LIE. Add some salt and pepper at the table, and enjoy! (We also add spray butter!)

So here was the final plating of the meal. So much better than a fast food burger! You felt GOOD after you ate it, not guilty! So please try these and ENJOY them! They are guilt-free!

Red Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

So, Nick had asked that I make some enchiladas awhile back. My sister-in-law recommended the ones out of a cook book that both she and Nick have copies of. It's called Eating For Life. While I followed this recipe for the most part, I did add some of my own stuff, and will make a few suggestions for those of you who want to test it out!

Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

1 pound of chicken breast (a little over a pound wouldn't hurt)

4 green onions, chopped

1 jalepenio, seeded and minced

(The recipe called for fresh cilantro, but I forgot about it, so my recipe didn't have cilantro)

10 Whole Wheat Tortillas

(Recipe calls for corn tortillas, use what you want!)

3- 10oz cans Enchilada Sauce

(I used Red, the recipe calls for Green)

1 Cup Skim Cheddar Cheese

Optional Toppings:

*Yes, I said optional, but I HIGHLY RECOMMEND ALL OF THEM!*

Shredded Lettuce to place under enchiladas when serving

Reduced Fat Sour Cream

Sliced Black Olives

Chopped Fresh Tomatoes

Directions:

Place Chicken in a large pot, cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes, until insides are no longer pink. Drain, cool slightly, and start to shred with 2 forks.

You may want to start pre-heating your oven at this point to 350.

Spray a large saute pan with cooking spray. Add the green onions and jalepeno. If using cilantro, add it here. (I would also suggest possibly dicing up some onion, throwing it in here, maybe put some frozen corn in at this point as well. I didn't do either THIS time) After about 2-3 minutes, add your chicken to the pan.

At this point, pour 2 cans of enchilada sauce in a microwave safe bowl, and heat in the microwave for 2 minutes.

While that is heating, pour remaining can of sauce over chicken mixture.

Allow to simmer together and really season up the chicken.

NOW. Prepare to get messy, but if you prepare ahead of time, not too messy!

1. Spray a 9X13 baking dish with cooking spray

2. Have the dish VERY NEAR the chicken mixture

3. Have the bowl of sauce VERY NEAR the chicken mixture

Ready? Here we go.

Dip a tortilla in the warm bowl of sauce.

Place in baking dish

Add a scoop of chicken on one end, and roll up.

Turn seam side down in the pan.

REPEAT. 9 TIMES!

Pour remaining warm sauce over enchiladas

Now, sprinkle with A LOT of cheese. Yes, the recipe says 1 cup, but please don't actually measure out a cup. JUST PUT IT ON THERE THE WAY YOU LIKE IT!

Does that look good or what? Pop it in the oven for just 15 minutes.......

And you get some super-cheesy, super-healthy, and super-tasty enchiladas! We went nuts over them!

Place some shredded lettuce on each plate, and serve up the enchies!

 Nick's Plate

(Not a good shot of the lettuce underneath due to the flash, BUT- good shot of those enchiladas!)

I need to work on my food photography!

My plate

ENJOY! Of course, I made the Ultimate Spanish Rice to tag along with this meal. Go find it in the blog if you don't know what I'm talking about by now!

Healthy Baked Chicken Parmesan

So, this is an oldie, but a keeper! Its the classic Italian favorite: CHICKEN PARMESAN: turned low fat and low calorie. It beefs up the fiber by serving it atop whole wheat pasta, and you'll get a good serving of protein out of strictly meat and healthy cheeses. I PROMISE, you won't miss the taste of that deep friend Italian restaurant Chicken Parm.

Here's the recipe. Its easy, and its cheap! I do have a couple other recipes for healthy chicken parmesan, but if you are budget-wise, choose this one!

Note: There are a lot of spices listed for flavoring the chicken, if you don't have them, don't rush out and buy them, I'll make some suggestions later on in the directions!

Chicken Parmesan:

1 pound of chicken breasts (3-4)

Garlic Powder

Salt

Pepper

Ground Red Pepper

Italian Seasonings

(You can use a pre-made packet, or just use some dried basil, parsley, and oregano)

2 Cups Spaghetti Sauce (I used Classico Italian)

1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese (I use part skim)

1/2 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

8-10 ounces Whole Wheat Pasta (penne, spaghetti, doesn't matter!)

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 375

2. Meanwhile, coat the bottom of a shallow baking dish with cooking spray. Lay your chicken pieces in the pan. Sprinkle the tops with a little of the garlic powder, red pepper, salt, pepper, and italian seasoning. Flip them over and do the same thing to the other side.

*Garlic salt or garlic pepper would work fine in place of garlic powder. Basil, oregano, and parsley would all work instead of an actual "Italian Seasoning" spice or packet. If all else fails, just use some salt and pepper!

3. Pour/spoon the spaghetti sauce over top of each breast so that they are covered. DON'T GO EASY ON THIS! The more sauce, the better!

4. Pop them in the oven for 45 minutes.

5. Near the end of their baking time, start boiling water for your pasta. Cook according to box directions.

6. Once the chicken is done, remove from the oven. Top each breast with a little mozzarella and a little parmesan, then bake for 5 more minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly!

7. Remove and serve immediately over the pasta. Top with more grated parmesan and some of the sauce from the baking dish!

ENJOY! Its delicious!