December 23, 2024

Veggie-full Chicken Chili

September 22, 2015 by

It’s getting to be that time of year when a soup or a stew or a chili are often on the menu around here; how about at your house?  If you have followed this blog for a little while you have heard how VERY MUCH my husband enjoys soup—any kind of soup…the more variety the better!  So, I figured I should dust off my soup recipes and find a few more that I could add to our soup repetoire.

This—Veggie-full Chicken Chili—filled a vacancy amongst the recipes I rely on.  And it fits so well into our healthy but oh-so-yummy POV.   NOTE: Important to keep the size of the veggies approximately the same size so that they will cook well together.

And this easily could be adapted in a few different ways to make it just exactly the way YOUR family would enjoy it:
–  increase the spices
–  use a different bean (or more beans)
–  add more liquid
–  skip the tomatoes (now it is a White Chicken Chili)
–  add more variety of veggies and leave out the chicken

I would love to hear how you tweaked it and made it your own!  Enjoy!

2015-09-19 19.37.04

Veggie-full Chicken Chili

ingredients:

2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
1# ground white-meat chicken
1 medium onion, diced
1 large red, orange or yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 small zucchini, diced2015-09-19 19.10.50
5-6 ounces baby bella mushrooms, diced
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon chipotle powder
2 teaspoons dried coriander, or oregano
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 jar of salsa (I used salsa verde)
2 heaping tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 of a 28 ounce can chunky crushed tomatoes
2 cups chicken broth
toppings: chopped fresh cilantro, diced avocado, shredded cheese, sour cream

 

directions:

  • heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat
  • carefully add the chicken; cook for 5-6 minutes, gently chopping so that it breaks down into small pieces and ‘til the chicken is cooked through
  • remove to a bowl and set aside
  • add a tablespoon of oil to the pan; when heated, add the onion and peppers. cook for 5 minutes
  • then add in the zucchini and mushrooms; stir together to distribute the oil (adding a bit more if necessary); cook ‘til all veggies are softened
  • lower heat; add garlic and spices; stir constantly for 1 minute or so ‘til fragrant
  • increase heat again to medium and add in the chickpeas, salsa, tomato products and broth; stir well to thoroughly combine; bring up to a simmer
  • reduce heat and allow to simmer for 15 minutes or so
  • serve along with any of the toppings you prefer

♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥

God loves you!  ♥  (Don’t ever forget that!)

♥  coleen

Filed Under: At Home w/ GCH Tagged With: , , , , ,

Chickpea Cranberry Salad

September 5, 2014 by

Chickpea Salad resize

When I was in 10th grade, I decided to become a vegetarian.  My mom made no objections, but she did make it known that it was up to me to make sure I was eating a balanced diet, and that I should do some research.  “You can’t live on cheese sandwiches!” she told me more than once.  So I read up (in actual books.  It would have been so much easier to go online, but the internet hadn’t been invented yet!) and found out which foods were good sources of vegetable protein.  Chickpeas are your meatless champions!  Try this Chickpea Cranberry Salad and see for yourself!

Whether you are a vegetarian (or making lunch for someone who is), or if you just want a few meatless options, chickpeas are your friend.  Stock up on canned chickpeas for making hummus or adding to soups and salads.  I like to buy them dried.  They’re cheap and they pretty much last forever in your pantry.  Soaking them the night before you make this will cut down on cooking time, and also helps eliminate some of the chemicals that can cause gas and bloating in more sensitive tummies.  I like them better this way, because you can cook them to your preference—you can make them soft like the canned kind, or (and I highly recommend this) a little bit al dente.  The toothsome texture makes them seem more filling to me.

Serve this Chickpea Cranberry Salad between slices of bread, like a sandwich, or wrap it in lettuce.  Out of lettuce, like I was?  Use half of a sweet bell pepper as a taco shell!  Crunchy, delicious, meatless, marvelous!

Chickpea Cranberry Salad

(makes two servings)

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup dried chickpeas (or use 1 regular can of chickpeas)
  • 1 stalk celery
  • 1/4 cup walnuts
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 1-2 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • squeeze of lemon juice

Directions:

  1. The night before you make the salad, pour the chickpeas into a large bowl and cover with water by at least an inch or two.  Cover the bowl with a plate and leave on the counter overnight.
  2. After soaking, drain the chickpeas.  Place in a pan and cover with water.  Simmer, covered, for about an hour.  Taste one and see if you like the texture.  Cook longer if you like.  When done, drain off the water and pour the chickpeas into a bowl.  Mash with a potato masher or the back of a fork.  I like to leave them a little chunky.
  3. Add in the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Explore, experiment, enjoy! — Dana

To view even more of Dana’s unique recipe, you can visit her at Frugal Girlmet!

Filed Under: At Home w/ GCH Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,