White Chicken Chili

This is one of my families favorite dinners. It is a wonderful hearty chili that also has vegetables to add extra nutrition. It cooks up fast and is great for a small group or a big gathering. We really enjoyed it today. I hope you do too.

 Ingredients

3-4 T olive oil
2 C Cooked chopped  chicken (you could also use turkey)
1 C chopped onions
1 whole chopped red pepper seeds removed
3 cloves of garlic minced
1/2 C  chia *optional
4 C water
2 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
1- 4 oz can of diced green chilies)
1-11oz can white shoe peg corn
juice from 2 limes
2-14 oz drained and rinsed great northern beans
serve with
tortilla chips
grated cheese

Directions

1. In a large pot pour in oil and heat to medium heat. Toss in the chicken and let it start to lightly brown.
2. Then add onions, peppers and garlic, and chia if desired. Continue to let it cook on medium heat. If you need a little more oil then add some. Continue to cook until vegetables are softened and slightly browned. (The browning adds extra flavor)
3. Stir in the water, salt, cumin, chilies, corn and lime juice. Let it come to a boil.
4. Turn down the heat to low and then stir in the beans.
5. Cover and let cook for 30-40 min.
6. Serve in bowls. With chips and cheese if desired.
7. Store leftovers covered in the fridge. Enjoy

Tasty Vegetarian Black Bean and Brown Rice Chili

Recipe Redux is here again, and this month we are posting about recipes that are easy to make in a slow cooker that don't include casseroles. Isn't that perfect? This time of year always makes me want the kinds of recipes that heat all day long in my kitchen, making it smell delicious way before dinner ever starts.

It is that time of year that we enjoy a nice warm dinner. My family has enjoyed eating chili like this that you can be creative and add your favorite toppings. This had a nice combination of spices. It an easy recipe to assemble together. I loved all the bright colors in it and it was delicious. This is a chili you could freeze too.

Ingredients
3 T grapeseed oil or olive oil
1 yellow onion diced
1 large red pepper or green chopped
6 garlic cloves
2 tsp chili powder
1 1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2- 15oz black beans
1 10 oz can diced tomatoes with green chiles undrained
2 C of vegetable broth or water
1 tsp honey
1 to 1 1/2 C cooked brown rice
juice from fresh lime
1 avocado diced
1/2 C chopped cilantro
1 to 2 diced tomatoes
* other optional toppings cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips

Directions (Serves 6)
1. Heat oil in skillet. Throw in the onion, peppers and garlic cook and stir about 5 min or until softened. Pour into crock pot
2. Stir in the beans and spices, broth, tomatoes and honey. Turn up to medium heat. Let it cook for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Then turn down to low until almost ready to serve.
3. Right before serving stir in riceand let it heat all the way trhough for 5 to 10 minutes.
4. Stir in the lime juice and serve.  Top with avocado, cilantro and tomatoes. (You can also add addiontal toppings. Enjoy!

Yummy Roasted Tomatilo Chicken Chili

It is starting to cool down during the day around here. It is a great time of year for chili. Chicken chili is one of my favorite kind to make. I have made different versions of it. This version is my favorite so far. It made a great dinner and the leftovers made a great lunch. Yum! Have a great weekend.

Ingredients: 
2 T grape seed oil or olive oil 
1/2 white onion diced
2 garlic cloves minced
6-8 small tomatilos chopped up (you can buy them canned)
1 jalapeno deseeded and diced
1 small can green chili's
2 boneless chicken breast fully cooked cubed
1 C of chicken broth
6-8 tomatoes diced or 1- 16 oz can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 tsp cumin
2 can of shoe peg corn
1 16oz can of white beans (I used cannellini beans) 
salt and pepper to taste
1 handful of cilantro
garnish with cheese, chips, sour cream, lettuce, salsa etc..


Directions:  
1. In a skillet heat up oil on med. high heat. Pour in the onions and let cook till soft about 5 min. 
2. Then add minced garlic, and tomatilos. Let the tomatilos roast a little getting slightly brown.
3.  Stir in the jalapeno and chili's cook and stir. Let cook a couple minutes together. 
4.Then stir in the chicken and broth. Turn down to medium heat. Let it cook together for 10 min. on low heat. So all the flavors can meld together nicely.  
5. Stir in the tomatoes and cumin cook another 5 min. 
6. Stir in the corn, beans, and salt and pepper to taste. Throw in some cilantro. Cook another 5 min. 
7. Serve on tortilla chips hot and top with your favorite topping.     

Apple Chicken Chili

"It's Autumn time, It's Autumn time...." I always think of this song at this time of the year. This Chili is a great meal for an Autumn dinner. I have made chicken chili many times, but never with apples. It was a nice variation. It had a sweet and slightly spicy flavor. It is a wonderful way to use apples that are prevalent right now. It is also a great way to eat beans. :)

Ingredients:
1/4 C grape seed oil or olive oil
1 to 1 1/2 lb chicken tenders
1 T & 2 tsp chili powder
1 T cumin
1 tsp sea salt w/iodine
1/2 white pepper or 1/2 regular pepper
3 1/2 C water
3 T oil
2 C chopped apples (less is fine too)
1 onion chopped
1 can diced green chili's
2 15-oz cans white beans drained and rinsed
1 T honey * optional
cheese for garnish* optional
tortillas chips

Directions:

1. In a large pot heat up oil and lightly brown chicken. Then add spices, salt, pepper and water. Let cook 15 to 20 min. It will help have all the flavors combine.

2. In a separate skillet pour in 3 T oil heat the skillet and add the apples and onions. Fry till softened. Put on the lid and let it cook a for a few minutes.

3. Then take the chicken out of the pot and shred. ( I shred the chicken in my bosh mixer with my cookie paddles. ) Put the chicken back in the broth.

4. Add the cooked apples and onions, chili's, honey and beans Let cook for at least 30 min on low or when you are ready to eat. You could put it in a crock pot. I left it on low for a couple of hours. left

5. Serve in soup bowls with chips at the bottom and chili on top. You can garnish with cheese.

Chicken Vegetable Chili

I changed the normal Chicken Chili recipe by adding some more vegetables to it. I was happy with the result. It seemed like the perfect meal for a cooler fall night. I have been doing a lot more with fresh garlic. It seems like I keep hearing more and more about the health benefits of garlic. I like the flavor it adds to my food too. I was roasting some garlic bulbs in my oven this afternoon. My daughter came home from school and was drawn to it. She even ate some of the soup before it was finished because she was so excited by the smell. It's nice when my family gets excited about healthy food. I also had fun roasting my own tomatoes.

Ingredients:
5 C Water
2 T Olive oil
3 Boneless skinless chicken Breasts
1 Chopped onion
1 C Chopped carrots
1 large can of roasted tomatoes drained or 2 C of your own roasted tomatoes*
1 7oz can of diced green chili
2 T Garlic, minced, or 1 roasted garlic*
1 140z can white corn
3 T Lime juice or juice from 1 lime
1 T Cumin
2 tsp Lemon Pepper
2 1/2 tsp salt
1 14oz can of white northern beans rinsed and drained

1. In large pot I put in olive oil and chicken and onion to cook a little bit. Then chop up the chicken into small pieces. (If you have a Bosch, you can put the chicken into the bowl with the cookie paddles on. It shreds the meat. It is wonderful.)

2. Pour 5 C water with cumin and lemon pepper into the pot with the chicken, boil. Then reduce heat and simmer 20-30.

3. Then add garlic, corn, tomatoes, chilies, carrots, and lime juice. Have the mixture come to a boil. then add the drained and rinsed beans. simmer for 20-45 minutes. (You could leave on warm in crock pot till ready to serve.) Add additional seasonings according to your preference.

Optional: Serve in soup bowls with chips in the bottom, soup, and cheese and a little sour cream on top. Enjoy!

* I roasted my Roma tomatoes. 3 lbs = 2 cups. Cut tomatoes in half. Put the tomatoes in a bowl with 4 T Olive and salt and pepper. Then pour on to cookie sheet in one layer. Bake at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes. Watch so they don't burn.

* I roasted garlic bulbs as well. You cut a small slice off the top of the bulb. You then pour 1/2 tsp olive oil on to each bulb you are cooking. (I cooked 2 so I could have an extra for later. ) Let the oil seep into the garlic and then pour another 1/2 tsp into the garlic. Place in pan, and cover with foil. Then cook at 375 degrees for about an hour. The top of the garlic will be golden and the garlic will be soft. I then squeezed the bulb into the soup, leaving the shell behind. It smells wonderful while it cooks!