White Bean Chicken Chili

Who says chili is just a winter meal? It's almost summer, and I'm still obsessed with this dish!

I've made this chili several times and have been experimenting a bit with the proportions of the ingredients. It has come out pretty good each time, but I'm finally thrilled with the result! I got the recipe from Multiply Delicious, an amazing food blog you should check out! Here's my version:

You'll need:
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 sweet onion, chopped finely
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 - 15 oz. cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 - 10 oz. cans Rotel tomato and green chiles diced (mild)
1 pound chicken, cooked and shredded
2 Tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. cumin
1 1/4 cups chicken broth
Juice of one lime
1/4 cup fresh cilnatro, chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste

In a blender or food processor, combine 1/2 cup of the beans and one can of Rotel until smooth - just takes a few seconds! Set that aside. I know this doesn't look appetizing, but it'll all come together in the end.

Drizzle some olive oil in your pot, and turn the stove on medium heat. Add your chopped onions, and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Add the bell peppers and sauté for another 3-4 minutes.

Add the garlic, and after about 30 seconds, add the chili powder and cumin. Give the mixture a quick stir and add the broth.

Then, add the pureed bean mixture, along with the remaining beans and other can of Rotel.

  

Stir together and turn the stove to medium-high heat. Once the mixture come to a boil, turn the heat down to low and add your chicken.

Stir together, and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Chop your cilantro.

Stir it into your chili along with your lime, salt, and pepper.

Meanwhile, slice up some avocado to top each individual serving of chili.

This tastes so good!!

 I also made some honey cornbread muffins, and I'm convinced I've discovered one of the best recipes for cornbread ever! It's pretty straightforward (like most things I make), and I didn't change anything about it, so I won't go through each step... but CLICK HERE for the recipe.

Sending you love from my kitchen!

Vegetable Soup

This is another one of my mom's recipes. She used to make it every time one of us was sick, and it would magically make us feel better.  So, I made it for a couple of sick friends recently.  I changed Mom's recipe up a little - she uses peas, and I'm not crazy about them, so I used green beans instead.

You'll need:

1 beef neck bone

2 medium potatoes

2 small carrots

2-3 stalks of celery

handful of green beans

1/4 medium onion

2 cloves garlic

8 oz. tomato sauce (1 small can)

3 oz. tomato paste (1/2 small can)

1 teaspoon dried dill

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Bring about 6-7 cups of water to a boil, and then add the neck bone.  Turn the heat down to medium-low, and simmer for about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, peel, wash, and chop your vegetables into bite-size chunks.

Chop the onion and garlic, too.

Back to the neck bone - Scoop out the foam that rises to the top.

Drop in your veggies, onion, and garlic.

Pour in the tomato sauce, tomato paste, dill, salt, and pepper. Let it simmer on medium-low heat for 2 hours. The soup will thicken up a bit.

Give it a taste before serving... you may need to add a bit more salt to get it tasting just right.  After serving, I like to squeeze some lime into the bowl, too!

Sending you love from my kitchen.