Chicken Corn Chowder

There isn't a lot to say about this, except YUM.  It was perfect on a cool fall evening.  I started it at 4:00 and dinner was ready by about 5:30 so it can be done on a weeknight.  I used meat pulled from a Costco rotisserie chicken.  This is going on the regular rotation!

5 slices bacon
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp butter
1 large onion, diced
3-4 carrots, chopped
1/4 cup flour
1 Tbsp fresh thyme
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp turmeric
6 cups chicken stock
4 cups frozen corn
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
large handful baby red potatoes
1 cup cream
1 cup shredded cheese
2 Tbsp mascarpone cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook bacon in a porcelain coated dutch oven (or large pot) until crisp, remove to paper towel lined plate and set aside.  Drain fat from pot; add olive oil, butter, carrot and onion and sweat until soft... about 5 minutes.  Add flour, thyme, cayenne and turmeric - cook about 2 minutes.  Add stock, corn, chicken and potatoes.  Bring to a boil and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10-15 minutes.  Add cream, both cheeses and salt/pepper, cook about 5 minutes over low heat.  Don't cook at too high of a temperature, or for too long, or the cream might 'break'.

This is a slight variation of Cuisine at Home's Cheese and Corn Chowder in the Soups, Stews and Chilies cookbook.

~ Enjoy ~

White Bean Chicken Chili

Fall has officially arrived!  After longer than usual summer weather the clouds, wind, and rain arrived yesterday.  I'm so excited to start cooking soups, stews, and chilis again!

Tonight's dinner is a slight modification of Giada De Laurentiis's recipe.  The main differences are the chicken and omission of swiss chard.  Daryl wouldn't like it with the 'green stuff' in there.  Here's a list of the changes I made:

• 1 rotisserie chicken, meat pulled off rather than ground chicken (still let chicken/seasonings cook/warm a few minutes before adding the liquid ingredients);
• Instead of oregano I used Italian seasoning;
• No swiss chard;
• Instead of adding beans with all the other ingredients, waited a half hour so they wouldn't break down as much;
• Added 1/4 cup heavy cream at the same time I added the beans;
• Covered half way through so it wouldn't thicken/reduce too much;
• Omitted parsley (only because I didn't have any - that 'green stuff' would have been ok).

The picture doesn't look great -- I forgot to wipe down the sides of the bowl - but trust me the chili tasted amazing.  We had it with a side of toasted baguette bread.  Yum!  Thanks Giada!

~ Enjoy ~

p.s. to see more about the table runner peeking out in this picture, click here.

Fajitas!

This is probably one of my favorite meals.  It's often on our camping menu because it's an easy, delicious dinner.  I prefer these with corn tortillas, but it's great with flour if that's all I have on hand.  I make my own fajita rub, get lettuce from the garden (in season), grill some bell pepper and onion (or cook in a cast iron skillet), well - you get the idea.

Fajita Rub
2 Tbl - dried chili's made into powder
1/2 tsp - salt
Large pinch - black pepper
1 tsp - garlic powder
1 tsp - onion powder
1/2 tsp - sugar
2 tsp - dried cilantro
3/4 tsp - cumin
1/4 tsp - allspice
1/4 tsp - cinnamon
1/4 tsp - cocoa powder

Use a blender, spice grinder, magic bullet, etc. to pulse dried chili's into powder, enough for 2 tablespoons.  Combine all other ingredients with chili powder, and pulse a few times to mix them together well.

Chicken
2 - 4 boneless skinless chicken breast
2 - Tbl light olive oil
Fajita rub
juice and zest of one lime

Drizzle chicken with light olive oil (or vegetable/canola oil), apply thick layer of rub to both sides, add lime juice and zest, place in a bag and let refrigerate for 4-24 hours.
Grill chicken breast, serve with corn or flour tortillas

Fajita Topping Ideas
Grilled chicken
Grilled bell pepper and onion
Shredded cheese
Sour Cream (I use greek yogurt instead)
Lettuce
Tomato
Guacamole
Black Beans
Corn Salsa
Carrot Salsa
What else can you think of?


~ Enjoy ~

Camping Meal: Chicken & Asparagus

Camping season is approaching and often we eat better than when we're at home!  The main reason is that I carefully plan our meals and prep the food before we leave.  This past weekend I brought skinless, boneless chicken breast and aspargus.  Before we left, I prepared both sides of the chicken with a little bit of light olive oil, and a modest to heavy dose of Kirkland Signature Organic No Salt Seasoning.  To that I added a bit of sea salt, some crushed red pepper and a pinch of turbinado sugar (which is basically coarse ground raw sugar).  I put it into a ziploc and packed it for the trip.  I did this on a Wednesday and cooked it Friday, so the flavors had plenty of time to develop and 'get into' the meat. 

For the asparagus, I cleaned it, drizzled it with a little olive oil, and a small amount of sea salt and pepper.  I grilled it for about 5-6 minutes and it was perfectly cooked.  Oh my, what a fabulous meal ...

Delicious food can be had on the road.  A part of camping that I look forward to is finding more great meals I can whip up in an outdoor kitchen.  :) 

Are you a camp cook?  I'd love to hear your meal ideas! 

Enjoy!

Chicken Pecan Salad

I love a good chicken salad sandwich.  When I lived in Arizona my favorite lunch spot was Paradise Bakery for their Chicken Walnut Salad on molasses bread.  Sadly, they aren't in Washington and they said (in an email reply to my begging they come here) there will be no stores here.  So, I had to find my very own recipe.  I didn't measure anything; I'll attempt to give you an idea of how much I used... but make it to your own taste.  Here goes:

• About 2 cups shredded chicken (I buy a whole rotisserie bird from Costco and shred it)
• 1/4 - 1/3 cup mayo
• 1/4 - 1/3 cup plain greek yogurt
• 2-3 ribs celery, diced
• 1/4 cup dried cranberry
• 1/4 - 1/3 cup apple, chopped (I prefer skin on)
• 1/4 - 1/3 cup pecan, chopped (or walnut)
• Salt and pepper to taste

This goes way back to when I was a kid, we would lightly toast bread for tuna sandwiches.  I never liked tuna, I had to put so much mayo and 'stuff' in it to drown out the taste.  Anyway... to build my sandwich, I (you probably already guessed it) lightly toast my whole grain bread, add a small amount of mayo and mustard, a slice of havarti and 3-5 tablespoons of salad.  On rare occasion, I'll add a slice or two of bacon.  Delish!

~ Enjoy ~

Oven Fried Chicken Breast

This has a somewhat significant crust, but it's made from the end pieces of leftover whole grain bread that I ran through the food processor.  Everytime I (almost) finish a loaf, I grind up the last pieces and add them to my crumb bag kept in the freezer.  Read on, then add this to your dinner menu one night soon!

2 skinless boneless chicken breasts
1 egg white
1/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups whole wheat breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon butter

Pound chicken breasts, not to flatten, just to get them an even thickness.  Lightly beat the egg white in a small casserole dish (or quart size ziploc), add chicken and coat both sides.  Lightly season with salt and pepper.  Add flour, garlic powder and cayenne pepper.  Massage dry ingredients well onto chicken... get it nice and coated.  Add buttermilk and put in fridge for at least 4 hours, or overnight. 
Preheat oven to 350.  Preheat a cast iron skillet on the stove top over medium heat, add 1 teaspoon butter. Remove chicken from buttermilk and coat with breadcrumbs.  Add chicken to hot skillet and cook about 2-3 minutes.  When lightly browned and crispy, turn chicken over and put skillet in the oven.  Bake about 30-35 minutes or until no longer pink inside.  Chicken will be beautifully brown and crispy.

Serve with: buttermilk biscuits, steamed green beans with a light misting of olive oil and sprinkle of sea salt.

Red Pepper Pesto & Chicken

Happy Valentine's Day!  On this special day, I made my husband's favorite meal.  It's my own creation and I almost hate giving this recipe out; it took me quite a long time to perfect, but since I'm food blogging, I have to write about all of it.  I've never written down amounts, but I've got it dialed in pretty good.  So, here we go!

Start by roasting the red bell pepper and garlic:
5-8 red bell peppers (I get them from Costco, way cheaper than the grocery store)
light olive oil
salt and pepper
whole head of garlic

Preheat oven to 400.  Place the peppers on a cookie sheet (might want to line with foil if you don't want to scrub), drizzle with light olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.  The head of garlic goes in the tin foil with a drizzle of light olive oil.   Cook about 20-30 minutes and flip.  Cook about 10-15 minutes more.  Note: you can also do this under the broiler (will cook less time and blackening of the skin is ok).  In the summer I do this on the grill.  When using the grill the garlic goes on the upper rack.

This is when I start the brown rice since it takes about an hour.  Take the peppers out of the oven (or off the grill), put them in a bowl and cover tightly for about 10-15 minutes.  This lets them steam so it's easier to pull the skins off.  At this point, I open the foil on the garlic and put it in the fridge until I'm ready to use it.  Remove the cover from the peppers, start sliding the skin off when they are cool enough to handle. 

While the peppers are roasting I start adding the other ingredients to the food processor.

• 1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted in a small skillet.
• About 1 cup fresh basil leaves (a little more or less depending on your taste)
• 5-10 olives - this kind specifically (secret ingredient) - I buy them at Costco, they only carry them about twice per year so I stock up. If you can't find, or don't have this brand, leave the olives out.
• About 1/4 cup balsamic vingear
• About 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup grated parmesan
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Add bell peppers after skinned
• Squeeze in all of the roasted garlic

Pulse about 10-15 seconds, then taste for seasoning

Pulse another 10-15 seconds

Put the pesto in a skillet, warm on low heat while the chicken cooks.

For the chicken:

2-4 boneless skinless chicken breast

Light olive oil

salt and pepper

Season chicken breast with oil, salt and pepper - grill until cooked through, about 10 minutes.  Serve topped with grated parmesan

Notes: some of the oil in this recipe is light olive oil, since extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) has a lower smoke point it burns easily which is why I use the light oil in higher heat situations such as grilling and broiling. 

For my vegetarian friends, this is really good without the chicken.

Enjoy!

General Tso Chicken

I don't make Asian food often, but I need to.  What's not to love about meat (chicken), fresh veggies and a light sauce all served over rice?  Last week I teased my husband by saying I'd make this dish, forgetting I didn't have any fresh broccoli or ginger.  So, tonight I was able to make this (for the 1st time) and oh boy it's good.  I originally saw this on The Chew, an ABC daytime cooking show.  Of course I made a few very minor changes.  Below is the recipe in order of the steps I took to make it....

Chicken
2 chicken breasts, cut into 1" pieces, set aside

Veggies
1 (very) large carrot, cut into bite size chunks
1 pound broccoli florets

I steamed the carrot and broccoli (separately) until crisp tender, then set aside. 

Sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup cold chicken stock
4 garlic cloves, diced
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, diced/minced
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1-2 teaspoons red pepper flakes (I actually used 1 tsp this time, but could have gone with 2), use more or less to your taste

Mix together corn starch and chicken stock until smooth.  Add garlic, ginger, honey, soy sauce and red pepper flakes.  Set aside.

Add 2 tablespoons light olive oil to a large skillet.  Mix 3 tablespoons flour with 1/4 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper.  Coat chicken, shake off excess and place in the hot skillet, cooking 4-6 minutes.  Add the sauce and cook about 1-2 minutes until it just starts to thicken.  Add the veggies and cook an additional 2-5 minutes until warmed through and coated with the sauce.  Serve over a bed of rice.

Recipe adapted from: Clinton Kelly's General Tso's Chicken, The Chew

Enjoy!

Chicken Chili

After a few days in the mid 60's with abundant sunshine, the clouds and rain reappeared.  Tonight was perfect for a quick, healthy chili.  The original recipe calls for canned tomatillos, and while I would love to use fresh, the ingredients in this recipe are typically in my pantry so I can whip this up on a cool night.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14oz) can chicken broth, divided
1 (16oz) jar salsa verde
2 (15oz) cans petite diced tomatoes
1 (7oz) can diced green chiles
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seed
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
2-3 teaspoons chili powder
1-2 cups corn
1 rotisserie chicken, meat pulled and shredded
2 (15oz) cans white beans (great northern or cannellini work well)
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a stock pot or dutch oven and cook onion and garlic until soft.

Stir most of the broth (reserving 1/4 cup for a roux), salsa verde, tomatoes, chiles, and spices.  Bring to a boil, then let simmer about 30 minutes.  While simmering, made a roux* from the remaining stock with 1 tablespoon flour and a little 1/2 and 1/2 (or milk).  Add the roux to the simmering pot. Add chicken, corn and beans.  Continue to cook until heated through or lower heat until ready to serve.

Garnish ideas: sour cream (I use plain greek yogurt), crushed tortilla chips, shredded cheese, cornbread, fresh cilantro

* Heat the roux in a small saucepan to cook out the raw flour taste before adding it to the chili

Recipe adapted from: White Bean Chicken Chili