Quick and Easy Chicken Chili

Well, it is time for recipe #2...
Tonight I made my quick and easy chicken chili (in a Crockpot), yum yum! This is a recipe me and my boyfriend, Rob, made up one day and it has turned into one of my favorites.. a weekly staple. The best part about this recipe is that it only takes about 15 minutes to get the ingredients mixed together (then it obviously needs to cook for a few hours after that...but at least the prep is easy!) leaving you plenty of time to relax, do chores, or go to the gym like I did... knowing that dinner was being cooked for me while I worked out and I would have delicious chili waiting for me when I got home!

The Ingredients:

1 Can Black Beans, rinsed and drained
1 Lb. Ground Chicken

1 Yellow Onion, diced

3 Cloves fresh minced garlic

1 Can of corn (optional), rinsed and drained
1 Lg. can of stewed tomatoes (with celery and peppers if you want, approx 20-25 oz) DO NOT DRAIN
8 oz Tomato sauce (approx)

All the following ingredients are approximate and to one's personal taste:
Chili Powder
Cumin
Pepper
Oregano
Garlic Powder


The Process:

First, start by getting out your Crockpot (Rival 5025WG 2-1/2-Quart Crockpot) and turning it on to high; add about 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil to the Crockpot to begin heating.

Next, heat a skillet to medium heat, add about 1 Tb of olive oil (Bertolli Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 51-Ounce Bottle) to the pan; add chicken and cook through. Once you cannot see anymore pink, add onions and sauté for about 3-5 minutes. While chicken and onions are cooking, add about 1 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp cumin and 1/4 tsp pepper and continue cooking. Just as you think the chicken and onions are done, add the minced garlic and cook for one more minute. Once cooked, add to Crockpot.

Then, add rinsed black beans, corn, tomato sauce and stewed tomatoes to Crockpot. Mix well. Finally, add approximately 2-3 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp cumin (Simply Organic Cumin Seed Ground Certified Organic, 2.31 Ounce Containers (Pack of 3)), 1/4 tsp pepper, 1/4 tsp oregano (OREGANO FRESHLY PACKED IN LARGE JARS, spices, herbs, seasonings) and 1/2 tsp garlic powder, mix well and cover Crockpot. Cook for at least 1.5 hours on high, best is to cook the chili for about 2 hours on high. After 1.5 hours, if the chili seems to dry, add a little bit more tomato sauce.

Once chili is cooked, serve in a bowl with a little shredded cheddar cheese on top. It can be served with a little rice as well... I tend to go back and forth between rice and no rice. Tonight I just ate the chili as is, with a little shredded cheese on top.

Clarification:

Sorry if this recipe is a little unclear, it is a personal creation and none of the spices are exact. If anyone reads this and thinks it is unclear, please do not hesitate to let me know. Hope you enjoy!

Quinoa with Sautéed Apples and Almonds

Here we go...

This is the first dish I am going to share with you, I have to admit I am pretty excited!! I found this recipe online last week and have to say I'm addicted! Quinoa is fairly new to me and this specific dish has made me fall in love with this fiber-packed grain.

The Ingredients:

1 cup Quinoa

2-4 Tsp. Olive Oil

1-2 small chopped yellow onions (approx 3/4 cup)

2-3 diced carrots (approx 3/4 cup)

1-2 minced garlic cloves ( always use fresh garlic)

2 cups organic vegetable broth

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon ( a couple dashes is what I did)

1 finely diced, unpeeled granny smith apple

3 TB slivered almonds

1/8 tsp black pepper

Let's Make it Happen:

The recipe says to thoroughly rinse the quinoa twice before using it by placing the quinoa in a fine sieve, then place the sieve in a large bowl. Cover the quinoa with water. Using your hands, rub grains together for 30 seconds; rinse and repeat, drain well. I DID NOT DO THIS! Perhaps it was the type of quinoa I used: Ancient Harvest Organic Quinoa, Traditional, 12-Ounce Boxes (Pack of 12) , which comes already washed. 

Anyway...

Next, place about 1 tsp olive oil in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add onion and carrots, sauté for about 3-4 minutes. After 3-4 minutes add garlic to the pan. Sauté for an additional 2-4 minutes (until onion and carrots are tender or begin to brown). Stir in the vegetable broth ( Pacific Natural Foods Organic Low Sodium Vegetable Broth, 32 Ounce Units (Pack of 12)), quinoa, salt and cinnamon (Simply Organic Cinnamon Ground Certified Organic, 2.45 Ounce Containers (Pack of 3)); bring to a boil. Cover it, reduce the heat to low (or medium low, depending on your stove), and simmer for about 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove the mixture from heat; fluff with a fork; keep warm.

Then, heat approx 1 tsp olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add sliced apples to pan; sauté for approx 7 minutes or until apple begins to brown. Add apples, almonds and pepper to the quinoa mixture; toss to combine.

Make approximately 4 servings at about 258 calories per serving

NOW-- The recipe says to serve warm.. which when served warm it is delicious! So prepare to awaken your taste buds and dig in. However, if you have not scarfed down this entire mixture do not be alarmed... it tastes fabulous cold as well! What me and my roommate, Becca, do is make the recipe as listed above and portion it out into 4 servings (which is the amount it is intended to make). We each eat one serving with dinner (warm) and then bring the other serving to work the next day (and eat it cold). I make it sound like this is an every day occurrence...I am just saying what we did last week when I made it and what we will being doing tonight and tomorrow when I make it for dinner again in about 2 hours, YUMMY!




Now... What to cook with this as a meal is probably your next question? Last week when I made this delectable dish I cooked steak with it (at this moment I cannot remember what type of steak) and it made a great combo. The recipe suggests cooking it with chicken or pork however, tonight I am going to do a shrimp cocktail with it to keep it light. Delicious!

My Mission

My Mission is as follows:

To share with you, my potential readers, my love of cooking and my daily recipes. I often find myself absolutely in love with a new recipe, like quinoa with sautéed apples and almonds (YUM), and want to share it with the world! I hope to find food lovers like myself who take pleasure in trying out a new recipe. To me... cooking is always an adventure. It does not matter how many times you may have cooked one specific dish, each time is new. Well, perhaps every time is new for me because I do not like to measure. A dash of this... a pinch of that... now that's see how this changes my homemade pasta sauce this time, is how I approach cooking. Now, don't get me wrong, this is not a free for all, I just like to try new things and revamp old recipes that hopefully you all will enjoy. And, even if you do not enjoy it... please let me know...and tell what YOU think could make it better, like I have previously mentioned, I am always up to try a new cooking tip or suggestion!

A little about myself...

I am not going to share too much about myself at this time just that I find myself in a spot in my life where I need to be doing more and expanding my daily activities (sometimes going to work, coming home and going for a nice run, then tapping away on facebook for the entire night, while cooking dinner in between of course, is just not the way I want to be spending all of my time) and I figured since I love to cook, and cook every day for my roommate and myself, why not share it with the world! Cooking has always been a passion for me (the act of making it and the act of eating it) and this will be my outlet to hopefully share my passion with others.

My promise:

Inevitably, I will not post every day, but I will absolutely try to!