White Bean Chicken Chili

Chili is definitely one of my all-time favorite Fall foods. There is nothing better than watching a football game on a cool Fall day (not too common here in L.A)–with a bowl of chili. I have been wanting to try white chili for a very long time but never got around to it. I am kicking myself now—because this recipe was awesome! And super easy. You can throw this together very fast. It was very creamy and delicious. Highly, highly recommended.

White Bean Chicken Chili

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

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

1 medium onion, chopped

1 ½ tsp. garlic powder

1 tbsp. oil

2 (15.5 oz) cans Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed

1 (14.5 oz) can chicken broth

2 (4 oz.) cans diced green chiles (I only used 1 can since I am not a huge fan of chiles)

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. dried oregano

½ tsp. pepper

¼ tsp. cayenne pepper

1 cup reduced fat sour cream

½ cup whipping cream

fresh cilantro and paprika, for garnish

Directions:

In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, sauté chicken, onion and garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add beans, broth, chiles and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer; let simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the sour cream and whipping cream. Sprinkle with paprika and top with fresh cilantro for garnish, if desired.

Source: Annie’s Eats

I am also going to submit this recipe to Joelen’s blogging event, Tasty Tools. This month’s tool is the Dutch Oven!

Red Wine Beef Stew with Potatoes & Green Beans

This beef stew recipe was simply amazing. The red wine (my $2 buck Chuck shiraz worked perfectly) was mouth-watering, not at all overpowering. It was one of the best soup recipes I have ever had. Pay attention to the time though—while it is relatively easy to throw together, it requires some simmer time (all in all, probably 2 hours total prep) to get the flavors perfect. So keep that in mind before you start this dish! I was also excited to have an opportunity to use my new blue Dutch oven that I got on clearance from a Linens ‘N Things closeout sale.

Red Wine Beef Stew with Potatoes & Green Beans

Ingredients:

2 pounds beef chuck for stew, cut into 1-inch cubes

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons butter

4 medium carrots, peeled and halved lengthwise, and cut into 1-inch chunks

3 small onions, diced

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2- 14.6 ounce cans reduced-sodium beef or chicken broth

2 cups dry red wine

1 cup canned crushed tomatoes

1 6-inch sprig fresh rosemary

2 medium russet or Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

2 handfuls green beans, ends trimmed

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Season the beef cubes lightly with salt and black pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter in a heavy 6-quart pot over medium heat. As soon as the butter starts to turn brown, add half the beef and raise the heat to high. At first, the beef will give off some liquid, but once that evaporates, the beef will start to brown. Cook, turning the beef cubes on all sides until the pieces are as evenly browned as possible, about 5 or 6 minutes after the water has boiled off. If the pan starts to get too brown at any point, just turn down the heat a little. Scoop the browned beef into a bowl and brown the rest of the beef the same way using the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter.

Scoop out the second batch of beef, then add the carrots and onions and adjust the heat to medium-high. Cook until the onion starts to turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour until it has been worked into the veggies and you can’t see it any more. Pour in the beef or chicken broth, wine, and crushed tomatoes , and toss in the rosemary. Slide the beef back into the pot and bring the liquid to a boil. Turn down the heat so the liquid is just breaking a gentle simmer. Partially cover the pot and cook 50 minutes. Stir the stew several times while simmering so it cooks evenly and nothing sticks to the bottom.

Stir the potatoes into the stew, cover the pot completely and cook until the potatoes and beef are tender, stirring occasionally, about another 45 minutes. Add the green beans and cook for another 5 minutes until they turn bright green and are cooked through but still have a nice snap to them. Stir in the parsley.

Yield: about 10 servings

Source: Food Network Favorites: Recipes from Our All-Star Chefs

Taco Soup

This soup is delicious! It is perfect for a cool, Fall day or a football-watching party. It is very similar to chili, except it has more veggies! The recipe makes a TON, so save some to freeze. I like to serve with an assortment of toppings: Fritos, sour cream and cheese.

Taco Soup

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground beef
2 cups diced onions
2 (15 1/2-ounce) cans pinto beans
1 (15 1/2-ounce) can pink kidney beans
1 (15 1/4-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can tomatoes with chiles
2 (4 1/2-ounce) cans diced green chiles
1 (4.6-ounce) can black olives, drained and sliced, optional (I omit these–not a fan of olives)
1/2 cup green olives, sliced, optional (I omit these)
1 (1 1/4-ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1 (1-ounce) package ranch salad dressing mix
Corn chips, for serving
Sour cream, for garnish
Grated cheese, for garnish
Chopped green onions, for garnish
Pickled jalapenos, for garnish

 

Brown the ground beef and onions in a large skillet; drain the excess fat, then transfer the browned beef and onions to a large slow cooker or a stockpot. Add the beans, corn, tomatoes, green chiles, black olives, green olives, taco seasoning, and ranch dressing mix, and cook in a slow cooker on low for 6 to 8 hours or simmer over low heat for about 1 hour in a pot on the stove. To serve, place a few corn chips in each bowl and ladle soup over them. Top with sour cream, cheese, green onions and jalapenos.

 

Source: Paula Deen

Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup

This soup was absolutely delicious. The flavor of thyme was perfect! Aaron and I both loved this dish and will definitely be making it again. It was a little time consuming—you need to make the mushroom stock (you could make it ahead of time and it would definitely make the process a lot quicker). But this is perfect for some of the cooler days ahead (well, not so much in Los Angeles….)

 

Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup

5 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms
5 ounces fresh portobello mushrooms
5 ounces fresh cremini (or porcini) mushrooms
1 tablespoon good olive oil
1/4 pound (1 stick) plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, divided
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 carrot, chopped
1 sprig fresh thyme plus 1 teaspoon minced thyme leaves, divided
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts (2 leeks)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup half-and-half
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

 

Clean the mushrooms by wiping them with a dry paper towel. Don’t wash them! Separate the stems, trim off any bad parts, and coarsely chop the stems. Slice the mushroom caps 1/4-inch thick and, if there are big, cut them into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.

To make the stock, heat the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large pot. Add the chopped mushroom stems, the onion, carrot, the sprig of thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until the vegetables are soft. Add 6 cups water, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Strain, reserving the liquid. You should have about 4 1/2 cups of stock. If not, add some water.

Meanwhile, in another large pot, heat the remaining 1/4 pound of butter and add the leeks. Cook over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until the leeks begin to brown. Add the sliced mushroom caps and cook for 10 minutes, or until they are browned and tender. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the white wine and stir for another minute, scraping the bottom of the pot. Add the mushroom stock, minced thyme leaves, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the half-and-half, cream, and parsley, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and heat through but do not boil. Serve hot.

Source: Ina Garten

LiveSTRONG with Corn Chowder!

I recently heard about a blog event called “A Taste of Yellow” which helps support LiveSTRONG Day  on May 13, 2008. LiveSTRONG is Lance Armstrong’s foundation which aims to raise awareness for cancer. Thankfully, I have not had too many personal experiences with cancer. However, as a pediatric nurse practitioner, I have had many patients who have succumbed to this horrible disease. I was very excited to participate in this event. The challenge was to make and blog about any type of yellow food. I have been meaning to make this corn chowder for awhile, so I thought it would be perfect. It tasted awesome!

Blanchard’s Corn Chowder

From the cookbook At Blanchard’s Table by Melinda and Robert BlanchardServes 8

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 medium yellow onions, chopped (I only used 2)

5 carrots, cut into ¼-inch slices (I only used 4)

5 celery stalks, cut into ¼-inch slices (I only used 4)

6 cups fresh corn kernels (about 12 ears of corn)

3 cups chicken broth (I wanted mine a little creamier, so I used 2 cups chicken broth and 1 cup heavy cream)

¾ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 large red bell peppers, seeded and cut into ½-inch pieces (I used 1)

3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, plus more for garnish

**I decided to add some crab meat to my chowder so I used 1 tub of fresh, lump crab meat that I flaked into the chowder at the end and let simmer for a few minutes to heat

Melt the butter in a large pot. When the butter is hot, add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook just until tender, stirring frequently, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the corn and cook 2 minutes more. Remove 4 cups of the vegetables and transfer to a food processor (I used my Magic Bullet). Puree the mixture until fairly smooth and return it to the soup pot.

Add the chicken broth, salt, and pepper, and bring to a boil. As soon as it boils, add the peppers and simmer for 2 minutes (this is when I added the crab). Add the dill, and taste for salt and pepper. Serve hot, garnished with more dill (and some good crusty bread!)

**This post is specifically dedicated to Zackerie and Gwendolyn–two patients I was recently with at their moment of death from cancer–whom I will never forget.