White Chili

White Chili

from my cousin-in-law, Jo

1 Pound Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast, Cut into 1/2 Inch Cubes, or 1 Large Can Chicken

1 Large Onion, Diced

1 1/2 Teaspoons Garlic Powder, or 1 Clove Garlic, Minced

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper, to Taste

2 Cans Great Northern Beans or Cannellini Beans, Rinsed and Drained

2 Cans Reduced Sodium Chicken Broth

1 (4 oz.) Can Chopped Green Chilies

1 Teaspoon Ground Cumin

1/4 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

1 Cup Reduced Fat Sour Cream

Splash of Milk

In a large saucepan, saute chicken, onion and garlic with salt and pepper in oil until onions are translucent and chicken is no longer pink. Add beans, broth, chilies and seasonings. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook uncovered for 30 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in sour cream and milk. Serve immediately.

This was perfect for a cold winter day. Hubby and I both loved it! Honestly, it didn't even need a side dish. Now, let's get real... obviously I went for the canned chicken. I don't think the canned hindered the dish at all. If you're feeling ambitious, you can even cook fresh chicken ahead of time. As for the chicken broth, you should always buy low sodium chicken broth so that you can better control the sodium in the dish. At least that's what I've learned after watching Food Network for the last 18 months. Also, in the origional recipe, Jo calls for 2 tablespoons of fat-free half-and-half, but I substituted milk since I was fresh out of cream. Fun fact: the garnish is a mini Baby Bell cheese sliced and fanned out. Thanks for the great recipe, Jo!

Salsa Chicken Rice

Salsa Chicken Rice

inspired by GF Herald.... yup, the local newspaper

1 8.5 oz package Uncle Ben's Ready Rice Santa Fe flavor

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 6 oz. package Southwest flavor grilled chicken (love this stuff)

2 bell peppers (I found I prefer red)

1 cup salsa

1 can black beans

1 can corn

2 tablespoons lime juice

Cheddar cheese

2 green onions

Throw the rice in the microwave and let the magic happen. Meanwhile, chop the peppers and chicken into bite-sized pieces. Heat a large pan up with the olive oil on medium heat. Add chicken and bell peppers. Cook for a few minutes till peppers are tender-ish. Add the rice that was hanging out in the microwave, salsa, black beans, corn and lime juice. Continue to cook everything is heated through. Top with cheese and garnish with green onions.

I made this for lunch yesterday, and this makes quite a bit. Later I come home from work and 90% of it is gone! I'm like "Honey, did you have friends over? Where did all this food go?" "I ATE IT ALL IT WAS SO GOOD! You need to make it every day this week!" So I'm making it again tomorrow....
I bet you can tell I wrote this recipe because I use terms like "tender-ish", but that's what's awesome about cooking as opposed to baking - eyeballing it!

Crispy Rosemary Chicken and Fries with Carrots

Crispy Rosemary Chicken and FriesFrom allrecipes.com

8 chicken thighs
6 small red potatoes, quartered
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary*
1 ½ teaspoons chopped fresh oregano*
1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
Place chicken and potatoes into a large bowl. Pour olive oil over them, and stir to coat. Scatter the chicken and potato pieces in a large baking dish, or cookie sheet with sides. Sprinkle with rosemary, oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven, uncovered. Baste during the last 15 minutes for extra crispness.
*One can use 1/3 the amount of dried herbs instead of fresh

For some reason, I had “boneless, skinless chicken” in my head so when I unwrapped the chicken, which was with bone and skin, I took off the skin but left the bone. I need to start reading recipes more carefully! But, it still turned out great! My husband said it’s now one of his fav meals!




Cooked Carrots
12ish baby carrots
1 can veggie broth
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Few dashes of pepper

Put carrots, broth, thyme and pepper in a sauce pan over medium high heat stirring occasionally for about 15 minutes or until fork tender. Serve hot.

I bought carrots specifically for this recipe. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find this recipe so I winged it! Next time, I’ll add more herbs/spices after they are removed from the broth since the carrots didn’t turn out as flavorful as I had hoped. But, it was a successful cooking method!