White Bean and Chicken Chili with Cheddar and Scallion Bread

What an awesome meal. Simple to prepare and jam packed with good for you stuff and protein!

Enjoy!

White Bean and Chicken Chili (Giada De Laurentiis)

(My additions and changes denoted in red)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 pounds ground chicken
1 teaspoon salt (more if you would like)
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon fennel seeds -- I didn't use fennel seeds because I didn't have any
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin
3 tablespoons flour
2 (15-ounce cans) cannellini or other white beans, rinsed and drained
1 bunch (about 1 pound) Swiss chard, stems removed, leaves chopped into 1-inch pieces -- I used Kale because that's what we had in the refrigerator
11/2 cups frozen corn, thawed
4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Freshly ground black pepper for seasoning
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the ground chicken, 1 teaspoon salt, cumin, fennel seeds, oregano, and chili powder. Cook, stirring frequently, until the chicken is cooked through, about 8 minutes. Stir the flour into the chicken mixture. Add the beans, Swiss chard, corn, and chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a simmer, scraping up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Simmer for 55-60 minutes until the liquid has reduced by about half and the chili has thickened. Add the red pepper flakes and simmer for another 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Ladle the chili into serving bowls. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.

Cheddar and Scallion Bread (Giada De Laurentiis)

8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded or coarsely grated
6 ounces butter, at room temperature
4 scallions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (1 pound) loaf ciabatta bread, cut in half horizontally -- I used french bread

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
In a food processor, combine the cheese and butter. Process until the mixture is smooth. Add the scallions and pulse until combined. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Spread the cheese mixture on the cut sides of the bread. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes until golden.
Using a serrated knife, cut the bread into 1-inch thick slices and serve.

SPICY Bean Tacos

These were good, not great, just good. If I make them again I plan on cutting back the amount of chipotle peppers in adobo (the flavor was good but they were too spicy for Jake's taste) and replacing that flavor with taco seasoning spices (cumin, chili powder, garlic, and a little cayenne pepper)

Instead of sour cream (which we love), we used plain yogurt and it tasted almost as good as sour cream, I'm not kidding. :-)

Spicy Bean Tacos (wholeliving.com)
8 whole-wheat tortillas, 7 inches each
1 teaspoon olive oil
3 scallions, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic , minced
2 cans (15 ounces each) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo, finely chopped, plus more for serving (optional)
Coarse salt and ground pepper, to taste
1 cup store-bought green salsa, plus more for serving (optional) - I omitted this
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed - omitted this
1 to 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

-Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wrap tortillas in foil, place in oven, and warm while you prepare the filling.
-In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add scallions and garlic; cook 1 minute until fragrant. Stir in beans, chipotle, and 1 cup water. Bring to a simmer, season with salt and pepper, simmer 5 to 7 minutes until slightly thickened and hot. Add salsa (if desired), corn, and lime juice; cook until heated through.
-Unwrap tortillas; spread yogurt over one side. Top with the warm bean mixture, cilantro leaves, lettuce, and cheese. Fold tortillas over and serve 2 per person with additional salsa and chipotle, if desired.

I couldn't resist posting this pic of Grace. How cute is she?!

This Evening Rocked

This weekend has done an amazing job of lifting my spirits and awakening me. The temperatures soared to the mid-60s and beckoned many Iowans outside to enjoy the beautiful weather. I went for a jog with Alison in the morning, enjoyed an Irish meal at my employees house in the afternoon, and relaxed with my amazing husband this evening. Jake and I cooked up some sesame encrusted tuna steaks and garlicky green beans with almonds. We enjoyed our meal outside and lingered for a bit while drinking wine and beer over great conversation. Does it get much better than that? I don't think so.

Pictured above is the really tasty sauce we put over our tuna steaks (see recipe below)

Searing our tuna over white hot flames.

The finished product was quite beautiful and really tasty.

Sesame-Crusted Tuna with Carrot Ginger Sauce(Wholeliving.com)

1 medium carrot (2 ounces), peeled and coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons minced fresh peeled ginger (about a 2-inch piece)
2 scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts separated)
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 to 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon tamari or soy sauce
4 tablespoons canola oil, divided
Coarse salt
1/2 cup sesame seeds, preferably mixed black and white
4 tuna steaks (each 6 to 8 ounces)

-In a blender, combine carrot, ginger, scallion whites, vinegar, sesame oil, tamari, 3 tablespoons canola oil, and 1 tablespoon water. Blend until smooth, scraping down sides of blender jar as necessary (add up to 1 tablespoon more water, if necessary, to adjust consistency). Season with salt.
-Place sesame seeds on a rimmed plate. Season tuna steaks with salt, then press both sides of the steaks into seeds to coat.
-Heat remaining tablespoon canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook fish in skillet 1 to 2 minutes per side for medium-rare (if steaks are particularly large, cook them in two batches).
-Serve fish topped with sauce and sprinkled with reserved scallion greens.

CHEERS! to an amazing evening.

Filling (and really darn good) Pasta

A few weeks ago I whipped up a lunch with some random things I had in the refrigerator and pantry and I came up with a tasty little pasta dish that had kale, chickpeas, olive oil, and garlic in it. Tonight, I recreated the dish but added a spicy/zesty red sauce to it. One word: AWESOME!

That bowl of goodness you see above contains:

Whole Wheat Penne

Chickpeas

Kale

Crushed Red Tomatoes w/ olive oil, crushed red pepper, crushed garlic, salt and pepper

Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese

- Boil penne noodles.

-Sautee kale and chickpeas in olive oil with garlic and salt.

-Combine crushed tomatoes with olive oil, red pepper, crushed garlic, salt and pepper and cook over medium heat.

-Toss everything together with the pasta and grate fresh parmesan cheese on top.

Beware: This is a very filling meal!

Awesome Tuna Salad and a 20k Run

I have officially signed up to particpate in a 20k race on May 30! My friend Alison and I are doing it together. and we're using a 12-week training plan that officially starts tomorrow. I'm excited, nervous, and a tad bit crazy for spending money to run 12.4 miles!! I can't wait to share my training journey with my blog readers.

On to supper....

This tuna salad was WOW! I got the recipe inspiration from a shape.com recipe.

This is a protein-packed meal containing both northern white beans and tuna. Served over a bed of spinach leaves, it's a filling yet really healthy meal.

Tuna and White Bean Salad

1 package tuna

1 can northern white beans, drained

2 stalk celery, finely chopped

1/2 red onion, finely chopped

1 cup green beans

fresh basil - to taste

~1-2 tablespoons olive oil

~1 tablespoon white basalmic vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Spinach or another yummy green

Cook green beans in boiling water for 5 minutes; drain and rinse with cold water then chop into bite size pieces.

Combine all ingredients and mix together. Serve over a bed of fresh greens.

Ribollita

I have managed to catch the sick germs that have been floating around work and I feel miserable. When I feel miserable all I want is as big bowl of healthy soup. A couple years ago my Aunt Connie and Uncle Mike gave me a recipe book called The Cook's Encyclopedia of Soup. All of the recipes in the book look amazing and it was hard to choose one to make. I finally settled on a classic Italian Ribollita.

"Ribollita is like minestrone, but includes beans instead of pasta. In Italy, this is traditionally served ladled over bread and a rich green vegetable."

This soup is full of good for you veggies and lots of flavor. The recipe calls for pesto and lucky for me I had a few pesto cubes left in my freezer (you can see the little guys in the picture above) You can find my pesto recipe here.

I sauteed some arugula and spinach to serve the soup over. The arugula added a great peppery taste. Kale would also be a great addition. Rather than serving over bread, I just served the bread on the side.

The soup was perfect and made me feel better (at least for a little bit).

Ribollita (Adapted from The Cook's Encyclopedia of Soup)

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 onions, chopped

2 carrots, sliced

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 celery stocks, sliced

1 large zuchini, thinly sliced

Green beans, trimmed

14 oz. can crushed tomatoes -- I used fire roasted

2 tablespoons pesto

3 cups vegetable stock

14 oz. can Northern White beans or Cannellini beans

Salt and Pepper to taste

- Heat oil in large saucepan or dutch oven. Add onion, carrots, garlic, celery, and onion and fry slowly for 10 minutes. Add the zuchini ad green beans and fry for 2 minutes longer.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, pesto, stock, and beans and bring to a boil. Lower the hear, cover and simmer for ~ 25 to 30 minutes until all the vegetables are tender. Season with salt and pepper and serve over greens.

All By Myself

Jake's in Iowa City for the annual Journal of Gender, Race, and Justice (the journal he was on in Law School) symposium so I have the house to myself tonight; it's taking me back to the days of living on my own and having to cook supper for only one person, which, in my opinion, is hard to do. I had quite a collection of veggies in the fridge so I decided to roast some up (my favorite thing to do with veggies) and throw them over a bed of spinach, arugula, and quinoa. I really love arugula but have a hard time finding it around here. Luckily, Dole began making a really great arugula and spinach mix that is now available at my local grocer! I don't think I've mentioned arugula in any previous posts so here's the down low on the stuff: high in vitamins A and C and contains barely any calories (2 calories/half cup!) PRetty SUPER! P.S. It's a great addition to pesto!!

After posting, I realized I've never given a good SHOUT OUT to quinoa (quickly becoming a kitchen favorite in our household). While doing my food research I found that quinoa is a seed that is a relative of leafy green vegetables. Who would've thought? We always have a bag of quinoa on hand. It's easy to cook, it taste wonderful--nutty, and creamy and crunchy at the same time--best texture ever! Find out more about this magical little seed by clicking here.

Honey Bears, Mac and Cheese, and Soup

This little honey bear always makes me smile.

He was a perfect compliment to Whole Wheat Flax'n 'Nana Muffins.

I found the recipe for these muffins on the back of my Hodgson Mill Flax Seed box. They are really, really, really, really, really good. Doesn't hurt that they are really good for you.

Smear the muffins with some peanut butter and drizzle with honey and you are in for a treat.

Whole Wheat Flax'n 'Nana Muffins (Hodgson Mill Recipe-altered)

1/4 cup flax seed

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg, beaten

2 bananas, preferably brown, mashed (the recipe suggest using apples, which would be good too)

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 cup milk (I ended up using about 1 cup for more moisture)

1/2 cup chopped nuts

Blend dry ingredients together in a bowl. In a seperate bowl; combine egg, vegetable oil and milk. Add dry ingredients to egg mixture and stir until just blended. Fold in banana and nuts. Fill well greased muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until top springs back when touched.

I made this soup for supper tonight. Tonight I altered it by adding Indian spices (curry powder, cumin, and cinnamon) and it tasted even better than the first time I made it.


Last night I had a major craving for mac and cheese (the best comfort food EVER!) I used this recipe and this recipe as inspiration and came out with a bowl of this:


Mac and Cheese with a healthy kick! The spinach and mushrooms were a great add-in and the recipe I followed for the cheese sauce was made without butter. I also used the Barilla Plus pasta.

Valentine's Weekend

Oh, Valentine's Day, not a day I've ever gotten too terribly excited about. I'm not a cold-hearted romance hater, I just could never get giddy over the entire holiday. I do make an attempt to celebrate it and this year's celebration was simple and relaxing. We spent time at a resort-style hotel with Jake's parents and family friends and I went to a casino (I HATE casinoes). Despite my hatred of casinoes we had a very lovely weekend.

On Friday night I sauteed some chicken breast, made mango salsa, and cooked up some yummy black beans and rice. The mango salsa was really yummy and made a great addition to our cumin and cayenne pepper seasoned chicken breasts.

Mango Super Salsa (all measurements are estimates)

1 mango, chopped

1 avocado, chopped

1 half red onion, finely chopped

1 jalapeno, seeds removed and chopped

1 half tomato, chopped

1 tablespoon honey

Adobo seasoning

Cumin

Cinnamon

Salt and Pepper (all spices are to taste)

- Mix all ingredients together and serve.

My mother-in-law and me being goofy. Like always. :-)

Being a Nurse

My beloved husband had an accident this weekend. While snowboarding in Iowa (yes, in I said in Iowa) on a small ski hill he fell and broke his arm, a clean snap all the way through. The poor dude is in a full arm splint and in quite a bit of pain. This is where you realize marriage is quite wonderful even when things are looking a little down. I've enjoyed playing nurse; wrapping his splint, bathing him (we laughed for about 10 minutes straight during this), buying him the first two seasons of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and cooking him a yummy meal. He visits an othapaedic surgeon on Tuesday where he will get a cast (which I heard goes quite well with suits).

For dinner this evening I wanted to use bok choy so I made a stir-fry that was inspired by this recipe on Cuisine Nie. Lots of bok choy, mushrooms, red peppers, and tofu served over brown rice. HEALTHY, HEALTHY, HEALTHY!

I really enjoyed this meal except that I suck at cooking tofu. I've yet to master frying it and this time was no different. In the pic below things aren't looking too bad...yet.

However, once added to the veggies my tofu fell apart into tiny little pieces and made the stir-fry a little mushy. I think I'm gonna stick to baking tofu unless one of you as some good advice for me.

Taco Salad Done Healthy

Taco Salad Done Healthy

Lean Meat (Venison), Avocadoes, Purple Onions, Tomatoes, and a little bit of cheese rest on top of a cup and a half of fresh spinach.

QQQQuinoa and a Kitchen Cart

In order to recover from my Super Bowl binge fest I decided I would eat lots and lots and lots of vegetables today. Tonight's bowl featured quinoa, chickpeas, brocoli, zuchini, red and green peppers, cauliflower, cherry tomatoes, red onions, and yellow carrots.

I toasted the chickpeas with some garlic, pepper, and salt to give them a little kick.

I put olive oil, salt, and pepper on the vegetables and roasted them for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

I tossed the quinoa, chickpeas, and veggies together.

COMING SOON! Pictures of my new KITCHEN CART!!!

Friday Night With Friends

We had our friends Nick and Alison over for dinner last night. A few sangrias in we took this picture (we actually took 6 pictures until we settled on the perfect one). We ate a really good meal, played Wii, and blared our stereo while singing along to Old Crow Medicine Show, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, The Beatles, and John Prine.

For dinner we had a very flavorful and healthy Mexican lasagna.

Mexican Lasagna (From Cuisine Nie) My add-ins are in red.

1 cup fresh cilantro leaves

4 scallions, coarsely chopped

Coarse salt and ground pepper

10 ounces fresh baby spinach

Nonstick cooking spray

8 (6-inch) corn tortillas

1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 can black beans

2 chicken breasts, seasoned,cooked and shredded

1 cup prepared salsa (mild or medium)

8 ounces pepper Jack cheese, grated (about 2 cups)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a food processor, combine cilantro, scallions, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper with as much spinach as will fit; pulse, adding remaining spinach in batches, until coarsely chopped.Coat an 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray. Lay 4 tortillas in bottom of dish (they will overlap slightly). Layer with half of beans, salsa, spinach mixture, chicken, and cheese; repeat with remaining ingredients, ending with cheese and pressing in gently.Cover dish with foil; place on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until bubbling, 25 to 30 minutes; remove foil, and continue baking until golden, 15 to 20 minutes more. Cool 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Alison made a delightful and fruit-filled sangria. I had a wee bit too much but it was sooo worth it.

Sparkling Sangria (from Michael Chiarello- Food Network)

1 cup brandy

1/2 cup orange liquer (we used Grand Marnier, we're fancy like that- ha!)

1/4 cup sugar

1 orange, thinly sliced

1 pint blackberried (or any other berry)

1 lime, thinly sliced

1 lemon, thinly sliced

2 bottles sparkling wine, chilled

In large pitcher or bowl, combine the brandy and orange liquer. Pour in the sugar, stir until the sugar dissolved. Add all of the fruit at once. Add the sparkling wine and serve.

The sangria maker poses with a glass.

The dinner table set. What a great night!

Chicken and Chips

I'm not going to write much about tonight's dinner. It was good. It was basic. It was healthy. Here's the inspiration for it. I do want to add that I absolutely adore roasted red peppers. YUMMY.

I am going to go on and on and on and on and on and on...about kale chips! OMFG, these were just as good as everybody has raved about. They took a total of 2 minutes prep and 15 minutes baking. Jake, who is a big junk food fan, said these were just as good as potato chips and was sad when we had eaten them all up.

I got the recipe from Katheats.com. I was really generous with the paremsan because I love parmesan. Only thing about these delicious little snacks is that you have to eat them immediately after baking because they get soggy if stored overnight. If you have any ideas on how to keep them crispy, let me know.

Kale Chips:
1 bunch of of kale
2 tablespoons olive oil
Freshly grated parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper
Preheat oven to about 375 degrees
Tear the leaves off the thick stems into bite size pieces. Spread out on cookie sheets.
Sprinkle with Parmesan and salt and peper.
Bake for about 15 minutes, until edges are brown and kale is crispy when moved in pan.

Hump Day

Happy Hump Day, All!!! The weather has warmed up in Iowa (30's!!). My body is feeling amazing. My wonderful husband had a gift waiting for me when I got home (a post to come on that!!!!). And, supper was quick, satisfying, and tasty. Veggie burgers with hummus, spinach, and tomatoes. A fresh spinach salad with red peppers, mushrooms, zuchini, and feta cheese.

Just look at the yummy hummus.
Love me some salad.

Veggie Curry

I have been craving a curry like CrAzY lately. So, I made it! I threw cauliflower, green beans, carrots, red peppers, and chick peas into my saute pan. Seasoned them with curry powder, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, and salt and pepper. Covered and steamed for 10 minutes. Added about 1.5 cups of plain yogurt to the pan, mixed it up and served over quinoa and sprinkled some cashews on top. My craving was satisfied in about 20 minutes. Perfect.

The inpsiration for this recipe came from Savvy Vegetarian, which is a great website.

While eating this meal I came to realize that chick peas are quickly becoming one my new favorite foods. I just love their nutty, earthy taste. It doesn't hurt that they are really good for you too!

SUPER Salad

I'm chillin' at home today because school/Club was cancelled due to the VERY cold temperatures (-25, -45 degree wind chill!) Arlo and I have been relaxing. I had a boiled egg, sprouted grain bread with peanut butter, and a cup of red tea for breakfast. Then I did 20 minutes of yoga, took a bath, and read. For lunch I worked with what I had in the refrigerator. I ended up making a salad with spinach, red and green bell peppers, green beans, yellow squash, zuchini, tomatoes, onions, lentils, and feta cheese. I drizzed olive oil and basalmic vinegar on top, and seasoned with some salt and pepper. IT.WAS.GOOD.

Happy and Healthy Eating!