Tuesday, February 23, 2010

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.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Zucchini Pie

Really easy and full of flavor. Would make a great brunch item.



Zucchini Pie (adapted from squidoo.com)


2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

3 Cups grated Zucchini

½ cup chopped Onions

3 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

4 teaspoon freshbasil

Fresh Thyme

Saltand Pepper to taste

2 Eggs beaten

2 cups Mozzarella cheese grated

1 can refrigerated Crescent rolls


Heat oven to 375 degrees. Heat olive in skillet over medium heat. Add zucchini, onions, and garlic cook until tender.Add parsley, salt, pepper, basil and thyme to zucchini mixture, stir.In a large bowl combine beaten eggs and grated Mozzarella cheese, mix well. Add the Zucchini mixture to bowl and stir gently.Separate Crescent roll dough and place into an ungreased pie pan, to form a crust. Press the perforations together to prevent the zucchini mixture from escaping.Pour Zucchini mixture evenly into the crust-lined pan.Bake for about 20 minutes (or until knife inserted in center comes out clean)

Monday, September 14, 2009

Eggplant and Potato Curry

Eggplant and Potato Curry (adapted from Indianfood.about.com)
5-6 baby eggplants, cut into halves or quarters
2 potatoes, cut into quarters
1 onion, chopped
3 tablespoons oil
Fennel
Coriander
Cumin
Tumeric
Cayenne Pepper
Cinnamon
or
Curry Powder
Cilantro
Water
In a deep pan, heat the oil on a medium flame until hot.
Add the onions and spices and sautee until soft and transluscent.
Add the eggplant and potato and mix well. Sauteefor 2 minutes.
Sprinkle water on the vegetables and mix all well.
Cover the dish and cook untilthe vegetables are almost done. Check occasionally.
Remove the cover from the dish and stir. Cook until done. You may need to add more water.
Garnish with chopped, fresh cilantro leaves and serve with hot Naan -- we buy pre-made frozen Naan at an Indian store. It's really good and it saves a lot of time.



Monday, September 7, 2009

Labor Day Dinner

Jake enjoying his Iowa sweet corn smothered in butter, parmesan cheese, pepper, and salt.

Lean steak, sweet corn on the cob, and the best damn kale I've ever made.

A close-up of the sauteed kale I have perfected!
Sauteed Kale (perfected!)
2 Cups kale
olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
a handful or two of pine nuts, toasted
a few splashes of sherry or a wine of your choice
red pepper flakes
salt and pepper
Blanch kale and drain. Heat oil in sautee pan and add kale, garlic, sautee for 2 minutes; add kale, pine nuts, sherry, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper; sautee for 5 minutes.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Fried Zuchini From the Garden


The beautiful plant.

A tiny little zuchini right next to the one I picked and fried up.


How beautiful is this? I grew it!!!


Getting ready to get dipped (in egg and milk mixture) then breaded with italian bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.

The finished product.

Want to see more pics of my garden? Click here!

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Spanakopitas and Orzo

A family favorite of ours is Greek spanakopitas (spinach pies, if you prefer an easier way of pronouncing). Spanakopitas are time consuming to make but are totally worth the time because they are so gosh darn good; crispy phyllo outside, spinach, dill, onion, and melted feta in the inside. HEAVEN, I tell ya. Get the recipe here.
Orzo is such a great pasta and it's super versatile. Tonight, I prepared another family classic with it; orzo, tomatoes, kalamata olives, feta cheese, lemon ( I use the juice of 2 lemons), and olive oil. Normally, I would put fresh basil in this salad, but the basil we bought at the store somehow was no where to be found!!! I added some fresh dill instead, worked just fine. :-)
(The mouthwatering inside of the spanakopitas)
(Fresh and flavorful orzo salad)

(The crispy outside of the spanakopitas)

(Angel food cake out of the box, so what!)

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?!