White Bean & Chicken Chili Recipe

My fabulous, older sister Steph made me some amazing white bean & chicken chili a while back and then sent me the link to the recipe. Since it has been chilly lately, I was craving some nice, hearty soup, so last night I made a big batch. I can't tell you exactly many people it will feed, but I think Cam and I will be having it for a few days. And although the prep and cook time are loooong, the end result is totally worth it.

Ingredients:

3 15 oz. cans white beans, drained (or you may cook your own)

6 cups chicken broth

2 medium chopped peeled onions, divided

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into ½-inch cubes

2 4 oz. cans whole green chiles (they kind of fall apart, but next time I might try the chopped chiles)

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp ground cumin

1 1/2 tsp crushed dried oregano

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

Optional:

Bread bowl (I just bought two, small round loafs of bread and cut out a plug in the top and pulled out bread until I made a bread bowl - how very sophisticated, eh?)

Sour Cream (we used fat free - I can't taste a difference, though I am sure Cam did!)

Shredded cheese (we used Kraft natural shredded Mexican cheddar jack cheese with jalapeno peppers)

Salsa (we didn't use any)



Directions:
Place beans, chicken broth and half the onions in a large pot; bring to a boil (this takes a while). Reduce heat and simmer. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil and, when hot but not smoking (be careful or it will taste burnt!), add onions and sauté until tender (they will begin to look translucent).

Stir in chicken and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until thoroughly cooked. Add green chiles, garlic, cumin, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper and stir until well combined.

Transfer mixture to bean pot, return to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour, or until flavors are well blended. Add more water or stock, if needed. Serve warm, garnished with sour cream, cheddar cheese and salsa, if desired.


Absolutely delicious and not very spicy. I totally ate the inside of the soup-soaked bread bowl once I finished my two helpings. We were going to serve it with a lovely side salad of spring mix, gorgonzola cheese, pecans and Asian vinaigrette dressing, but we just ate soup instead. It was that good.

Mimi's Western Baked Beans

Cam and I went to our friend Josh's birthday party on Saturday and I needed to whip up a very quick and tasty side dish. Or as Josh put it, a heavy hor d'oeuvre. It was a hit.

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs ground beef (we used lean and it worked great!)

1 packet onion soup mix

1 20 oz. bottle of ketchup (or 2.5 cups of ketchup)

2 heaping tablespoons mustard (we used spicy)

1 large can Van Camp's Pork & Beans

Crackers (we used Wheatables)

Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Brown the beef in a skillet. Once the beef is brown, turn the flame down to low and add the onion soup mix, ketchup and mustard. Stir until mixed well. Transfer the mixture to a 9x13 casserole dish and then mix in the Pork & Beans. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes.



I served this dish with crackers as it has the consistency of thick chili, but people at the party also just ate it off their plate sans crackers. This recipe would also work well as a meal on rice with some veggies on the side.

* A big thank you to Cameron's grandma ("Mimi") for the quick and easy recipe.

Cameron's Veggie Sandwich with Bacon

Ingredients (for two people):

Two portobello mushroom caps

One hass avocado

Six strips of bacon

Cheese (we used crumbled goat cheese)

One red onion

Cilantro

Green leaf lettuce

Focaccia bread (We used Margherita Focaccia)

Soy sauce

Olive oil

Sandwich spread (We used All Natural Nasoya Dijon Style Nayonaise Spread - very tasty!)



Pre-heat the oven to 350°F. Thinly coat a skillet in oil and let it heat up in preparation for the mushrooms. Begin cooking bacon on another hot skillet and wash all vegetables while the bacon is cooking. Cut the portobello mushrooms into thick slices and place on olive-oil coated hot skillet. Coat the top of the mushrooms in soy sauce and saute for about five minutes, occasionally moving the mushrooms until all or most of the soy sauce is absorbed. While the mushrooms and bacon cook, shock lettuce leaves in ice water (keeps them crisp); cut the avocado into medium slices; coarsely chop the cilantro (as much as you want to use) and very thinly slice some red onion (as much as you want to use). NOTE: Red onion is very strong, so a little goes a long way.

Cut the focaccia bread in half and then cut again length-wise, covering the two bottom halves in cheese. Place the bread on a foil-covered baking sheet and then into the oven to bake for 5 minutes or until the cheese begins to brown (we put the top half of the focaccia bread in the oven, too, so it would be nice and crispy). Once the bread/cheese is browned and the bacon & mushrooms are done, begin assembling your sandwich - layering all the ingredients any way you like. Slather the non-cheese covered top half of your sandwiches with sandwich spread, put the sandwich together and cut in half. Just so you can pick up the monstrous thing. Prepare to enjoy one of the best, if not the best, sandwiches you have ever had.

Delicious and so easy.