April 18, 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

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Indian-spiced Chicken and Spaghetti Squash

September 15, 2015 by

Have you noticed ALL the squash at the grocery store (even more abundant, probably, at your local farmer’s market)?  Oh, h-a-p-p-y me!  This week there were quite a few small-ish spaghetti squash…so I snatched up 3 of ’em!  They are the perfect size for a meal for two (and some leftovers).  Spaghetti squash, as most of you know I am sure, is a really good substitute for traditional spaghetti…minus most of the carbs.  Here is some nutrition info for spaghetti squash.  This fits in so well with our ‘healthy but oh-so-yummy‘ POV.

My husband Robert’s favorite rendition of “spaghetti squash and…” is with Italian spaghetti sauce and meatballs.  But me…I am not a huge fan of so much liquid being dolloped over top the prepared spaghetti squash.  So this is what spaghetti squash #1 became….  The ‘warmth’ of the garam masala, the cumin, and turmeric spices added so much to fairly flavor-less ground chicken and spaghetti squash.  Enjoy!

Indian-spiced Spaghetti Squash

2015-09-14 20.40.38

ingredients

small (2#) spaghetti squash
1 pound ground chicken (or turkey)
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon coconut oil (or extra-virgin olive oil)
1 small sweet onion, diced
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons minced garlic
10-12 ounce package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
handful (or two) of cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup chicken broth (or water)

directions

  • cook the spaghetti squash (wash the skin off first). I usually just microwave it…in 5 minute increments ‘til the outside is softened and a sharp knife easily pierces the skin. (there are a number of other methods, click this link for some suggestions.) when done, set aside ’til cool enough for you to scoop it out
  • in a large saute pan, add 1 T of the oil and heat over medium heat
    add the ground chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes; remove from pan and set aside…season w/s&p
  • add the diced onion to the pan (and additional 1 tsp of oil, if necessary); 2015-09-14 20.15.50saute for 5 minutes or so
  • reduce heat and then add the seasonings and the garlic; continue to cook, stirring constantly, for another 3-4 minutes to allow flavors to blend together
  • then add the spinach, halved tomatoes, and peas; stir to combine.  pour broth evenly over top; cover the pan and simmer ‘til broth has been absorbed (just a few minutes).
  • meanwhile, using a fork, scrape out strands of spaghetti squash; season well with some additional s&p.  pile up in serving bowl to make a nest of the ‘noodles’; top with meat mixture (NOTE: if spaghetti squash has gotten cold, place in a small saute pan along with a pat of butter and gently heat)

♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥

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

♥  coleen

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Stuffed Peppers

September 16, 2013 by

Here on Mondays on our At Home w/GCH blog we usually focus on recipes that are healthy but oh-so-yummy!  We have been making some very yummy dishes using in-season veggies; and this week will be our last one—Stuffed Peppers.  I actually consider this week’s recipe a nice bridge into the fall as it is such a comfort food dish!  Have you ever made Stuffed Peppers on the stovetop instead of in the oven?  That is how we are doing it this week.  Get yourself some nice firm large green bell peppers…maybe from the Farmers Market, and let’s get started.  Enjoy!

Stove Top Stuffed Peppers2013-09-11 20.06.03

Ingredients:
1 cup rice
1/2 tablespoon butter  2013-09-11 19.05.00
1 cup water
1 cup chicken broth

4 large green bell peppers
1# ground chicken (or turkey or beef)
1/2# raw chicken sausage
1 large egg
kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
3 (or more) tablespoons chopped garlic
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 cup chicken broth
Shredded cheese, or grated Parmesan (optional)

Directions:

  • In a small saucepan, heat the butter over medium heat.  Add the raw rice, and saute, stirring constantly for one minute.  Carefully add in the liquids and bring quickly to a boil.  Reduce the heat to very low, cover, and let cook (approximately 15 minutes) ‘til all liquid is absorbed.  Empty the cooked rice out onto a plate or pan, and allow to cool.
  • While the rice is cooking, take a large dutch oven (I used an 8 quart pan) and place your peppers in to make sure they fit sitting upright. Once you have the right sized pan, fill 3/4 with water, cover and bring to a boil.  Cut the lids from the peppers (perhaps save the lids to cut up into a salad) and clean them out.  When the water is boiling, put the peppers in for 5-7 minutes depending on how large they are to parboil them.  Carefully remove from the water, and drain upside down.
  • Empty the pot of water, and place back on stove over low heat.  Add the crushed tomatoes, the broth and the remaining 2 tablespoons chopped garlic; bring to a simmer.
  • Meantime, in a large bowl, break up the eggs and add the chopped garlic and the meat; generously season with the salt and pepper; mix thoroughly.  Stir in about half of the cooled rice (save the rest to serve alongside the stuffed peppers).
  • Now to fill the peppers: just before you fill the parboiled peppers, use a knife tip to poke a hole into each of the “bumps” on the pepper bottoms.  This will allow the sauce to ooze up into the peppers while simmering.  Scoop up some of the meat/rice mixture.  Fill them firmly but don’t really pack it down; if you do, it will be too dense when cooked.  Carefully ease the filled peppers–right side up–into the heated tomato sauce.  Take care to sit them up so they won’t fall over…spilling out the meat.
  • Using a large spoon or gravy ladle, scoop up some tomato sauce and pour over each of the filled peppers totally covering the meat.  Increase the heat so that the sauce begins to boil, place a lid on the pot and then reduce the heat to a simmer.  Every 10 minutes or so, again pour a little sauce over the top of each pepper, replacing the lid on the pot.  They should be done in 45 minutes or less, depending on their size.  The meat in the stuffed peppers should be firm when done.  I use a thermometer to verify that they have reached at least 160 degrees, just to be safe.
  • Oh, and add some of the leftover delicious tomato sauce to the rice you set aside; serve that along with the Stuffed Peppers!  Yummy!

♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥

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

♥  coleen

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