White Bean Stew

Today it was really cold in Philly, so I decided to make a stew for dinner... bonus, this one took about 30 minutes to make!  Of course I changed a few things, fresh spinach wasn't on sale this week, but frozen was, so I used that instead, and I added some red chili flakes for a little spice!

White Bean Stew

Matt, helping out with dinner!

White Bean Stew

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 14 oz. turkey kielbasa, cut into 1/4 inch thick medallions
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 15 oz. cans Great Northern beans, drained (I used one can of cannellini beans and one of Great Northern)
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 tsp. rosemary
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 box frozen spinach, thawed
Salt
Pepper
1/4 tsp. red chili flakes

Directions: 
Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Add garlic and onion, stirring occasionally, about five minutes.
Add beans, broth, rosemary, paprika, salt, and pepper (both to taste.)  Crush the beans with the back of the spoon, to thicken, about eight minutes.
Add spinach and kielbasa.
Cook until heated through.
Enjoy!

Recipe Adapted from Eat. Drink. Smile.

Green Chicken Chili

So, I just started my job this week, which means I won't get paid until next week, which means I was looking for a meal that I could make with only the ingredients I already had on hand.  This one fit the bill!  (It actually called for some things I didn't have, but I got creative.)  My only complaint was that there were so few leftovers!

Green Chicken Chili

Green Chicken Chili

Ingredients:

2 chicken quarters, skin removed

2 cans (15.5 oz) cannellini beans, drained

1 can (15.5 oz) whole kernel corn, drained

1 jar salsa verde

1 can (4.5 oz) chopped green chiles

2 garlic cloves, diced

2 tsp. chopped onion

1 1/2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. salt

Preparation:

Put chicken in bottom of crock pot.  Add beans and corn. 

Mix salsa, chiles, garlic, onion, cumin, and salt in a medium bowl.  Pour over top. 

Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours.  Remove chicken and shred, discarding any bones.  

Return meat to crock pot.  Stir. 

Top with sour cream, fresh cilantro, shredded cheese, avocado

Enjoy! 

Recipe Adapted from The Woman's Day Everyday Cookbook

Turkey Noodle Soup

Obviously I needed a way to use some of the turkey leftovers because Matt and I can't eat 11 pounds of turkey meat before it would go bad.  I decided to transform some of it into turkey noodle soup, especially because my stomach had been upset, and what's better than chicken noodle soup?  (Or I suppose in this case, turkey noodle soup.)
This was a very easy soup to make.  First, I put one box of frozen mixed vegetables in the crockpot, celery, then added 4 cups of chicken stock, a couple cups of turkey, some parsley, salt, and pepper.  About an hour before I was ready to eat, I added some spiral noodles.  After they had cooked for a half an hour, I added two more cups of broth, as the noodles had sucked up a bunch of the broth.  I let it cook another half and hour, and it came out great!

Turkey Noodle Soup

Turkey Noodle Soup

Ingredients:
1 box of frozen mixed vegetables (I used one with corn, carrots, and peas)
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 cups cooked turkey (or chicken)
1 cup uncooked spiral pasta
6 Cups Chicken Stock
Parsley
Pepper
Salt

Preparation:
Turn Crockpot on low
Add vegetables, turkey, 4 cups of broth, and seasonings to taste.
Let cook for four hours (actually it doesn't really matter how long you cook this, as long as it's hot)
About 1 hour before you're ready to eat, add the remaining broth and the noodles.  Let cook one hour and you're ready to eat!
Enjoy!

Drunken Venison Chili

Tonight I decided to make some chili (I know I've been doing a lot of chilis lately, but it's just so good!)  I've never cooked venison before, but I decided to it a whirl because friends of ours left some venison in our freezer!  I also figured that chili would take away the gaminess.  I combined several different chili recipes into the final product, and it turned out great!
First, I browned the venison with some onions and garlic.  After the meat browned, I added a little bit of salt and pepper, tomato paste, and half a can of beer.  I cooked that down for about 5 minutes.

Venison cooking away!

Then to the crockpot, I added kidney beans, diced tomatoes, corn, the rest of the beer, the venison, and some spices.  I let that cook on high for about five hours.

Frozen corn!  (It's so much better than canned!)

Drunken Venison Chili

After it cooked, I served it with a sprinkling of cheese and a dollop of sour cream.  The venison turned out super tender and not at all gamey... it was great!  I also used a piece of cornbread I made a couple weeks ago that I froze!

Drunken Venison Chili 

Drunken Venison Chili:

Ingredients:
1 loin of venison (approx. 1 lb.) chopped into bite size pieces
1 15 oz. can of diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 15 oz. can of kidney beans
1 can of beer (I used Labatt's!)
1 package frozen corn
1 large onion
1 Tbsp. garlic
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1/2 Tbsp. cumin
Salt
Pepper

Directions:
Brown venison in pan.  After almost browned, throw in onion, garlic, salt, and pepper.
After about 5 minutes, add tomato paste, and half a beer.  Cook another 5 minutes, so the beer cooks out a little.
While the beer cooks out, put beans, tomatoes, corn, venison mixture, spices, and the rest of the beer into the crockpot.  Cook for 5 hours on high or 8 hours on low.  I always stir occasionally, but if you're just leaving for the day, that's fine too!
Top with some shredded cheese and sour cream.  Serve with a side of cornbread that you froze from last week!
Enjoy! :)

Bean and Beef Chili

I decided to make chili tonight and I tried a new recipe I found in the Food Network magazine.  I didn't have any beef chuck, but I used the same amount of ground beef and it worked out well.  I also didn't have any pinto beans, so I used one can of black beans and one can of kidney beans.  I also couldn't find any regular chili powder in the house, so I used a combination of a bunch of different chiles my mom had; it was a combination of cayenne pepper, red pepper chili flakes, adobo chile, and some others.  I used much less than called for, but it still had plenty of heat from the hotter chiles.  I also ended up cooking it on a low simmer for about six hours rather than the two it originally called for.  That really let the flavors marry!

Bean and Beef Chili with a piece of Cornbread!

Bean and Beef Chili

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
3 pounds ground beef
Salt and Pepper
2 large onions, chopped
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. adobo chile
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. oregano
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
1 (14 oz.) can low-sodium beef broth
1/3 cup brewed espresso or strong coffee
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained
1 (15 oz.) can kidney beans, drained
Topping: Shredded cheese, sour cream

Preparation:
Heat 1/2 Tbsp. vegetable oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Season beef with salt and pepper.  Brown in batches, about 4 minutes, adding more oil as needed (especially if you're using lean ground beef), about 4 minutes.  Transfer to a plate.
Reduce heat to medium and add 1 1/2 Tbsp. oil to pot.  Add garlic and onions, and cook, stirring, about 6 minutes.  Add cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, adobo chile, chili powder, oregano, and tomato paste, cook, stirring, about 30 seconds.

Return the meat to the pot and stir in the tomatoes with their juices, broth, coffee, and beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, about 4-6 hours.
Top with whatever you like.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Food Network

Mexican Chicken Soup

Okay, so I know I didn't post yesterday, but I went out to an Indian restaurant in the city, near Avenue of the Arts.  Also, it was appropriately named Indian Restaurant... at least I knew what I was getting!  I went with Matt and my friend Chris, and we got a smorgasbord of food.  I got chicken malai, chicken cooked in coconut milk and Indian spices and we all got some naan (Indian bread) to share.  Delicious!

Well, that's enough about yesterday, today I made Mexican chicken soup from a Food Network Magazine recipe.  Everything was going fine until I had to add my canned tomatoes.  I didn't realize that it was a can of cooked plum tomatoes, not diced ones.  So after I dumped the entire can in, I had to scoop them out and cut them up.  Whoops!  Other than that snafu, it turned out pretty good, though a little under-seasoned.  Perhaps after a day, the flavors will strengthen and be better as leftovers!

Step 1: Chicken broth, celery, onions, and spices.

Step 2: Add tomatoes and green chiles.

Accidental step: Cut up all the tomatoes.  

Finished product: Add chicken and cilantro!

Mexican Chicken Soup

Ingredients: 

2 Tbsp. canola oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 rib celery, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbsp. chili powder

1 tsp. ground cumin

6 cups chicken broth

1 (4 oz.) can green chiles

1 (15 oz.) can corn

1 (15 oz.) can whole peeled tomatoes, chopped

1 tsp. oregano

1 cup cooked chicken breast, shredded

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Juice of 1 lime

Salt and Pepper, to taste

Preparation:

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onion, celery, garlic, chili powder, and cumin; cook until the onion turns translucent, about five minutes.  Add the chicken broth, bring to a bowl.  Reduce heat, summer, uncovered for about ten minutes.  Add the green chiles, corn, tomatoes, and oregano; cook for another five minutes.  

Take saucepan off heat and stir in chicken, cilantro, and lime juice.  Season to taste, with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!  

Recipe adapted from Food Network

My Mom's White Chicken Chili

Today was so chili (haha, see what I did there) that I decided to make chili.  This went much better than yesterday!  It tasted great, though it was more like a soup than chili.  My mom uses instant mashed potatoes to thicken hers, but I didn't have any and I didn't want all the wasted calories of flour.  I decided to blend another can of beans instead.  Well, they didn't really do much and it was still pretty runny.  Well, what can you do?  The chili came out tasty, so maybe I will just cut my losses and call it soup.

Step 1: Add chicken and onions to the pot.

Step 2: Add chicken broth, green chilis, and spices.

Finished product: Delicious soup! 

My Mom's White Chicken Chili

Ingredients: 
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 lb. boneless/skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 small onion, chopped
2 cups chicken broth
1 can (4 oz.) chopped green chiles
2 cans white cannellini beans, undrained
Potato flakes, for thickening
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. cilantro
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
Toppings (optional): scallions, sour cream

Preparation: 
Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add chicken and onions, cook until done.
Stir in broth, chiles, garlic, cumin, oregano, cilantro, and red pepper flakes.  Simmer 20-30 minutes.
Stir in beans, simmer 5 minutes.
*Thicken (if desired) with instant potato flakes until desired consistency
Enjoy!