Showing posts with label Chicken. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chicken. Show all posts

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, March 22, 2009

Kitty Cat, Tofu, and Cous Cous

Pictured above is our new kitty, Grace (I've taken to calling her Grace Face). We adopted her on Wednesday and we absolutely adore here! She's the sweetest little thing who loves to cuddle, have her belly rubbed, and sleep with us in our bed.

We were a little worried about Grace and Arlo, but so far things are great with them. Grace loves to sleep in the basement so when she's hanging out down there we get Arlo out of her cage. During the day we keep the door to Arlo's room shut; I don't even think they know that the other one exist.

For supper I made marinated tofu and served it over a bed of blanched and sauteed kale. We had yukon gold potatoes with red onions as a side.

Marinated and Baked Tofu

( I didn't measure my marinade ingredient, so amounts are an estimate)

Tofu, drained and cut into card deck sized pieces

3 tablespoons Soy Sauce

1 tablespoon Sesame Oil

1 tablespoon Rice Vinegar

1 tablespoon Brown Sugar

Garlic, chopped

- Combine soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, brown sugar, and garlic and pour over tofu strips. Marinate for 30 minutes or longer for even better flavor.

- Bake tofu in oven for 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees.

The other night I prepared an awesome Cinnamon Moroccan chicken with cous cous. The recipe can be found here on wholeliving.com. I added pecans to the apple and golden raisin mixture and mixed it in with the cous cous. I seriously could've eaten an entire gallon of the cous cous, it was that good!

Monday, February 2, 2009

SUPER Bowl

I have to start this post off with a picture of my cute pregnant friend Amie. She's rockin' the 5 month belly and lookin' good.

I made some hot wings. Just frozen wings, baked at 400 degrees for 25 minutes with lots of Frank's hot sauce smothered all over them. Not good for you at all, but OH SO GOOD!

I also made some really good mac and cheese. According to Martha Stewart this was supposed to be Perfect Macaroni and Cheese. I wouldn't call it perfect but I would call it really darn good. I omitted the white bread from the below recipe.

Perfect Macaroni and Cheese (Martha Stewart, 1999)
6 slices good-quality white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for dish
5 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 1/2 cups (about 18 ounces) grated sharp white cheddar
2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated Gruyere or 1 1/4 cups (about 5 ounces) grated pecorino Romano
1 pound elbow macaroni
1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside. Place bread pieces in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Pour butter into the bowl with bread, and toss. Set the breadcrumbs aside. In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, heat milk. Melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When butter bubbles, add flour. Cook, stirring, 1 minute.

2. Slowly pour hot milk into flour-butter mixture while whisking. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.
3. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar, and 1 1/2 cups Gruyere or 1 cup pecorino Romano. Set cheese sauce aside.

4. Fill a large saucepan with water. Bring to a boil. Add macaroni; cook 2 to 3 fewer minutes than manufacturer's directions, until outside of pasta is cooked and inside is underdone. (Different brands of macaroni cook at different rates; be sure to read the instructions.) Transfer the macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Stir macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce.

5. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar and 1/2 cup Gruyere or 1/4 cup pecorino Romano; scatter breadcrumbs over the top. Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes. Transfer dish to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes; serve.

The whole crew in our 3-D glasses.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

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.



Saturday, January 3, 2009

Fajitas


Who doesn't love fajitas? We made these the other night and we pretty much ate all of 'em up! I put a lot of onions in my fajitas because I love onions. This is another great SUPER FOOD recipe when paired with a yummy bowl of black bean (SUPER FOOD) soup.
Fajitas:
1 lb. chicken, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced - SUPER FOOD
1 red pepper, sliced -- SUPER FOOD
1 medium onion, sliced
Chili Powder
Cumin
Salt and Pepper
-Season chicken and vegetables with a mixture of the above spices. Saute peppers and onions in oil until soft; remove from pan and place in bowl. Saute chicken until throughly cooked; add to vegetables and mix.
-Warm tortillas up and place fajita mixture in warm tortillas. Serve with tomatoes (SUPER FOOD), cilantro, and sour cream.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

White Bean Chicken Chili w/ Pepper Jack Cheese


This is a yummy one from Jake's mom, Shelly. Super easy, super flavorful, and super good!

2 cans northern white beans
16 oz. salsa
1 can diced green chilies
2 cups chicken broth
8 oz. hot pepper cheese
4 boneless chicken breast, cubed and sauteed (really good if you slow cook the chicken and shred)

Place all ingredients in dutch oven or slow cooker and heat until cheese is melted. Serve with fresh cilantro and tortilla chips.

Happy holidays from us!

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Marsala Chicken


In late August my family held a late wedding shower for Jake and I. At the shower each guest was asked to bring a recipe card with their favorite recipe written on it. We got some great recipes and we're determined to try them all before the New Year. Tonight, we made the Marsala Chicken from my Cousin Jake and his beautiful wife, Carissa.

Jake pretty much cooked the Marsala chicken while I worked on the salad and dressing. He did a great job! The recipe was easy to follow and didn't take long at all. The next time we make it we'll add some prosciutto and make more sauce.

Marsala Chicken:
2 chicken breasts
1/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed marjoram
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1/2 tablespoons sliced onions
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup marsala
salt and pepper to taste
Mix flour, marjoram, salt and pepper; lightly press chicken into flour mixture, both sides.
Cook mushrooms and onions in butter until tender. Remove and replace with chicken in same skillet on med-high 4 minutes. Add mushrooms and onions, then add broth and marsala; cook uncovered 2-3 minutes until sauce thickens.
Transfer chicken to serving plate, spoon mushroom mixture over chicken.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Super Simple Chicken Noodle Soup




Yesterday I felt like crap. I mean absolute CRAP. My head was stuffy, my throat was sore, my body was achey, and all I wanted was chicken noodle soup, lavender tea, and sleep.

So when I got home from work the hubby and I went to the grocery store to pick up a rotisserie chicken and came home to make some chicken noodle soup.

I don't use a recipe, so I'm estimating on the amounts.

Super Simple Chicken Noodle Soup:

2 cups shredded chicken

1 big carton chicken broth
1 cup water

1 cup carrots, chopped

1 cup celery, chopped

1/2 cup green onions, chopped

1-2 cups egg noodles

1 tablespoon hot sauce

salt and pepper to taste

Bring chicken broth and 1 cup water to boil in stockpot. After liquid has come to a boil add chicken, carrots, celery, green onions, egg noodles, and hot sauce. Boil for 10-12 minutes then reduce to simmer for 10-15 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste and serve steamy hot.

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Special Guest Blog:Chicken Breasts w/ Balsamic Vinegar and Garlic


My ever-so-awesome Knottie friend, Chelsey (chelsmillertobe), is my guest blog contributor today. Chelsey is the bomb and so is her knot bio, check it out. The girl is beautiful and her wedding just screamed romance. And, it seems to me, the girl can cook, too. Way to go, Jason (her hubby)!

Here's Chelsey's recipe for Chicken Breasts w/Basalmic Vinegar and Garlic. The pictures were taken by her too.

This recipe was super easy, and delicious. The best part was I had most of these ingredients on hand and didn't have to run to the store.


Chicken Breasts with Balsamic Vinegar and Garlic from Allrecipes


Ingredients:4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (I used 8 little chicken cutlets, just because that's what I had on hand)

salt and pepper to taste

3/4 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons olive oil


6 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

3/4 cup chicken broth

1 bay leaf

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon butter

Directions:Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Rinse the mushrooms and pat dry. Season the flour with salt and pepper and dredge the chicken breasts in the flour mixture. Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat and saute the chicken until it is nicely browned on one side (about 3 minutes).
Add the garlic. Turn the chicken breasts and scatter the mushrooms over them. Continue frying, shaking the skillet and stirring the mushrooms. Cook for about 3 minutes, then add the vinegar, broth, bay leaf and thyme. Cover tightly and simmer over medium low heat for 10 minutes, turning occasionally.
Transfer the chicken to a warm serving platter and cover with foil. Set aside. Continue simmering the sauce, uncovered, over medium high heat for about 7 minutes. Swirl in the butter or margarine and discard the bay leaf. Pour this mushroom sauce mixture over the chicken and serve. I served this along with some garlic mashed potatoes, if I had more time I would have also done a green salad. I hate serving dinner without some healthy veggies on the plate. To make the potatoes I just boiled them, placed them in the mixer skin on with some milk, butter, salt, pepper and minced garlic (you could also use garlic salt).