What’s Cookin? Manic Monday- Lets Go Make Some Soup 9/10: Chicken, Tomato & White Bean Soup

September 10, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Have I mentioned that I love my crock pot? I should give her a name, but I wouldn’t want to upset Nancy, my GPS. I figured since I use my crock pot a lot, that I would post my favorite recipes for Manic Monday- Let’s Go Make Some Noise. I mean Soup.

Oh, and enjoy!

Ingredients:

  • 1 medium finely chopped onion
  • 4 finely chopped celery ribs
  • 3 finly chopped and peeled carrots
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic
  • 1/2 tbsp salt
  • 1 tbsp black pepper
  • 2 lbs (4 cups) cooked, cut into bite size pieces chicken breast
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 3 (14 1/2 ounce) cans chicken broth
  • 2 chicken bouillon cubes
  • 1 (14 1/2 ounce) drained, canned diced tomatoes
  • 1 (14 1/2 ounce) canned, drained and rinsed white beans
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
  • 1/4 tbsp Tabasco sauce
 

Preparation:

Place vegetables, garlic, salt and pepper in crock pot. Top with the chicken pieces, butter, broth and bouillon. DO NOT STIR.

Cover and cook on LOW for 7 1/2 hours. Stir in drained tomatoes and beans; continue to cook 1/2 hour more.

Before serving, stir in parsley and Tabasco sauce. 

Source: Chatelaine
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What’s Cookin? Manic Monday- Lets Go Make Some Soup: Chicken, Black Bean & Chipotle Soup

July 2, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Have I mentioned that I love my crock pot? I should give her a name, but I wouldn’t want to upset Nancy, my GPS. I figured since I use my crock pot a lot, that I would post my favorite recipes for Manic Monday- Let’s Go Make Some Noise. I mean Soup.

Oh, and enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 large onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, halved lengthwise & thinly sliced
1 finely chopped chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, seeds & membranes removed
1 tsp dried oregano
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained & rinsed
1 tbsp olive oil
4 (1 lb) chicken thighs, bone-in & skin on
Salt & pepper
4 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups water
1 (28 oz) can whole tomatoes, chopped (including juices)
1/2 cup long-grain white rice
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Lime wedges

Preparation:

In a large crockpot, combine onion, carrots, chipotle pepper, oregano, garlic, and black beans.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Season chicken thighs with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place the chicken thighs in the skillet and brown on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Place the seared chicken thighs in the crockpot, on top of the vegetables and black beans.
Pour chicken broth and water over the chicken. Add canned tomatoes and their juices. Cover the crockpot, turn the heat to Low, and cook for about 7 hours, or until the chicken is cooked through and the carrots are tender. Remove the chicken and let cool.

Add 1/2 cup long-grain white rice to the crockpot, turn the heat to High, and cook for an additional 25 to 30 minutes, or until the rice is tender.

Remove and discard the skin and bones from the chicken. Shred the chicken with two forks or your hands, and return the meat to the crockpot. Allow the soup to heat for about 5 minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve the soup with lime wedges.

Source: CookinCanuck
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What’s Cookin? Boneless Chicken Breast (What Time Is It? It’s) Apple Thyme

February 12, 2012 by Leave a Comment

My Wife and Daughter each had a friend join us for dinner tonight. Brittany, my Wife’s friend, asked me; how do you decide what to make? I explained that I usually look to see what I have, then figure out what to do with it. Tonight, I wanted to find a way to use boneless chicken breasts and apple juice. Because we had friends over, I doubled this recipe, and of course, adjusted it to our tastes. I found the original recipe on SouthernFood. The chicken breasts I used were thick. To ensure they were cooked through, I sliced them for the last couple of minutes of cooking time.

Oh, and enjoy!

Ingredients:

  • 6 teaspoons olive oil, divided
  • 2 green apples, unpeeled and thinly sliced
  • 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
  • 1 cup + 1 tbs apple juice, divided
  • 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • salt & pepper to taste

Preparation:

  • In a heavy skillet over medium heat, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil
  • cook apples, onion and thyme  for about 4 minutes, or until apples are just tender but still slightly crisp
  • transfer the apple and onion mixture to bowl and set  aside
  • add remaining 4 teaspoons of olive oil to the skillet
  • cook chicken, turning once, for about 5 to 6 minutes or until golden brown on both sides
  • reduce heat to medium low

  • set 1 tablespoon apple juice aside and pour remaining juice in skillet along with the cider vinegar
  • cover and simmer for 6 to 8 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear
  • with slotted spoon, remove chicken to platter and keep warm.
  • combine cornstarch with reserved tablespoon apple juice; stir into skillet juices and cook over high heat, scraping up any browned bits, for 2 minutes or until the juices are thickened
  • return apple mixture to pan and heat through
  • season with salt and pepper
  • spoon apple mixture around the cooked chicken

 
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What’s Cookin? Oven Baked Boneless Chicken Breast- Kicked Up A Notch Too Far

February 1, 2012 by Leave a Comment

I’m not sure if this turned out to be a frugal experience or not. Harris Teeter had split chicken breasts on sale for $1 lb. I’ve never purchased anything other than boneless chicken breasts before, so this was a first. I don’t like breasts. I don’t like chicken breasts, get your mind out of the gutter.

After searching for a recipe for the chicken breasts, and not finding anything; I decided to debone them. Another first for me, I was in the mood to try something new. It took me a couple of minutes to figure out the breast anatomy (no jokes), then another minute to figure out how to debone them. I think I did OK. At $1 lb, throwing away the bones still left me a large quantity of breast meat. I had 9 breasts, and deboned them all (not wanting to have to do this again later). I think in the future, I’ll go back to buying boneless, I’ll let someone else fill up their trash can with rib bones.

So this recipe calls for a lot of chicken, cut back on the spices if you are preparing a normal sized portion. Oh, and about the spices. I liked the flavor, but it was too spicy for Alex to eat. She managed to eat a few pieces that didn’t have any spice on them, but overall, she didn’t like it. If you have a delicate palette, cut back or leave out the cayenne pepper.

Oh, and enjoy!

Ingredients:

  • a whole mess of boneless chicken breasts, cut into half (I used 9 breasts, giving me 18 pieces)
  • 1 cup Italian dressing
  • 2 tbs garlic powder
  • 2 tbs baking powder
  • 1 tbs onion powder
  • 1 tbs cayenne pepper (see note above)
  • 1 tbs kosher salt
  • 1 tbs black pepper

Preparation:

  • lets assume you were smarter than me and bought boneless breasts, cut them in half across the middle (not lengthwise)
  • rinse off pieces, place in baking dish
  • pour enough Italian dressing to coat pieces, mix them around to coat all over
  • cover and refrigerate for 4-6 hours

  • prepare spices: mix them all together
  • remove chicken pieces to a foil lined baking dish
  • dust with spice mixture, turn pieces over to dust both sides
  • place baking pan into a preheated 400° oven
  • bake 30-35 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 165°
  • remove from oven before eating
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What’s Cookin? Chipotle Pollo Con Arroz

October 13, 2011 by 1 Comment

Springsteen is my favorite Rocker, and Chipotle is my favorite pepper. Just thought you might want to know.

I found this recipe on The Noshery, and prepared it almost exactly as written. I took her advice, and used chicken broth rather than water.

Oh, and enjoy!

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 2 pounds total)
  • Coarse salt and ground pepper
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo, minced (I used a 7 oz can of chipotle sauce instead)
  • 2 large tomatoes, diced large
  • 1 cup long-grain white rice
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • Lime wedges, for serving
  • Chopped cilantro leaves, for serving (optional)

 

Preparation:

In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high. Season chicken on both sides with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper (I used Old Bay instead). Brown chicken in batches, do not crowd the chicken, about 6 minutes total; transfer to a plate.

Reduce heat to medium. Add onion and saute until soft, about 5 minutes, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pot.  You can add a bit of water to release browned bits, if needed.

Add garlic, cumin, and chiles; cook until garlic is soft and fragrant, 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and 1 teaspoon salt and cook until tomatoes begin to break down and release their juices, 3 minutes. Stir in chicken broth and return chicken and any accumulated juices to pot. Cover, reduce to a simmer, and cook 25 minutes.

Remove chicken and stir in rice, making sure it is completely submerged in liquid. Place chicken over rice, cover, and cook until rice is tender and liquid has been absorbed, 25 to 30 minutes more.

Serve with lime wedges and cilantro if desired.
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What’s Cookin? Broiled Chicken Thighs Thai Style

October 6, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Harris Teeter has boneless chicken thighs on sale (insert happy dance here), and I wanted to use some of the fresh ginger I bought at the Farmers Market, so this is what I came up with. Because Alex doesn’t like spicy foods, this is more aromatic than spicy. The kitchen smelled wonderful as the chicken was under the broiler, and the aroma found its way to the dinner table as the dish was served. I served it with take-out fried rice and chicken lo-mein (Alex has to have her pasta!).

Oh, and enjoy!

Ingredients:

  • 12 boneless skinless chicken thighs, rinsed off and patted dry
  • 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil (I used lemon basil- yummy!)
  • 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro (worth picking up instead of using regular parsley)
  • 1 1/2 tbs minced fresh ginger
  • 1 tbs minced garlic
  • 1 tbs chili paste
  • 1 1/2 tbs soy sauce
  • 1 1/2 tbs oyster sauce
  • 1 1/2 tbs olive oil
  • 2 tbs brown sugar

Preparation:

  • place all ingredients (except chicken) in bowl, mix well
  • add chicken pieces, mixing to coat chicken thoroughly with marinade
  • cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, up to 6 hours
  • turn broiler on in oven, place rack on highest position
  • place chicken in broiler pan, trying to flatten thighs as much as possible to speed cooking time
  • broil for 5-6 minutes per side, or until cooked throughout, watching for flare ups in the pan
  • remove to serving dish, pour cooking juices over the top of the chicken

 

 
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What’s Cookin? Citrusy Chinese Chicken Thighs

September 21, 2011 by Leave a Comment

I decided to prepare a Chinese meal tonight, and I found this recipe from Food.com.  I’ve made the whole shmear before, you know, the rice, soup, everything. This time, I picked up some take out rice and soup, and just made the chicken.

Oh, and enjoy!

Ingredients:

  • 8 skinless chicken thighs
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, minced
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 jalapeno, chopped and seeded

Preparation:

  • Remove the surface layer of fat from the thighs. Rinse and towel dry.
  • In a large non-stick skillet, combine all remaining ingredients.
  • Over medium-high heat, bring the mixture up to a boil, then add
    the chicken (bones up).
  • Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
  • Remove the cover, turn the chicken pieces over, raise the heat to
    medium, and cook until the liquid is evaporated and the chicken is glazed, about 10 to 15 minutes

 

 
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What’s Cookin? Won’t Have To “Go To The Mattresses” For This Chicken Parm

September 3, 2011 by 1 Comment

There’s no need to call Luca Brasi, I meant no disrespect. I had a request for Chicken Parmigiana for dinner, because Alex has a friend over, and that’s what Lily said is her favorite meal. But since it turns out Lily had Chicken Parmigiana at her house last night, I wanted to change it up a little. I found a recipe on Simply Recipes that had a different twist on Chicken Parm, and the absence of sauce made me happy.

The big difference between the recipe above, and mine, is that I didn’t allow the chicken to brown at all. I wanted to make sure that it would stay moist, which is tough to do with chicken breast. If I had used boneless thighs, I would have followed the suggested temperatures. Instead, I cooked the chicken at 400° for 30 minutes, instead of 450° for 15 minutes. They came out juicy and buttery, but not toasted. Delish. Oh, and enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 clove garlic, minced

1 stick unsalted butter (1/2 cup or 1/4 pound), melted

1 cup dried Italian bread crumbs

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic salt

A large pinch of Italian seasoning (herb mix)

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 lbs of skinless, boneless, chicken meat, cut into pieces no larger than 2×2 inches

Preparation:

  • Preheat oven to 400°F. Pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towels.
  • In a bowl, combine the minced garlic with the melted butter. In another bowl mix together the bread crumbs, Parmesan, parsley, salt, garlic salt, Italian seasoning, and pepper. Dip chicken pieces into garlic butter, then into crumb mixture to coat.
  • Place coated chicken pieces on to a 9×13 baking dish. Try to leave a little room between each piece. Drizzle with remaining garlic butter and bake uncovered 30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear. Note that the chicken will get much more browned on the bottom side than on the top (not at the lower temperature).

 

 

 

 
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Just A Review & Giveaway: Tropical Traditions Shredded Organic Coconut

August 11, 2011 by 9 Comments

I ♥ Coconut! Tropical Traditions sent me a gallon  tub of shredded Organic coconut. That’s a lot of coconut! Now for the great news: One of my readers will WIN the same gallon tub of Coconut that I received, just read on!

As I did for my review of Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil, I used a recipe from their website for tonight’s dinner. I adjusted it a little to fit my Girl’s tastes, adding 6 boiled potatoes, a diced green pepper (that was for me), and making the sauce a little thicker by leaving out the water.

So what makes Tropical Traditions Coconut so good? Tropical Traditions 100% natural Shredded Coconut, Coconut Flakes, and Coconut Chips are made from organic dried coconuts in the Philippines that are grown with no fertilizers or pesticides. This premium dried coconut contains no additives or preservatives, and is not sweetened. Unlike most dried coconut on the market, our dried coconut products are not treated with sulfites to keep them white. They are a great addition to recipes and baking, or just for snacks! Note: The Shredded Coconut is a very small cut, suitable for baking, such as making macaroons.

As you can see from the picture, the shredded coconut is very fine, almost like grated Parmesan cheese. When we opened the well sealed container, the aroma wafted up from the tub and smelled wonderful. It brought back memories of a dive in Key West that fried up the BEST Coconut Shrimp! We noticed that the coconut was dry, not moist like the store-bought coconut. Since it’s dry, it doesn’t need to be refrigerated, which is a good thing because the tub is huge! So what did I use the coconut to prepare for dinner? There were many recipes to choose from on the Tropical Traditions website, but I chose the Slow Baked Curry Coconut Chicken. Here is my version, and oh, enjoy!

Ingredients:

  • 8 boneless and skinless chicken thighs
  • 1/2 cup organic coconut oil, melted but not hot (or use olive oil)
  • salt, to taste
  • 1-2 teaspoons black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon saffron (optional)(I used Bijol)
  • 1 teaspoon red paprika
  • 3 tablespoons honey(optional) (I didn’t use)
  • 1/2 cup water (left out to make sauce thicker)
  • 1-2 teaspoons fresh ginger
  • 1-2 cloves fresh organic garlic
  • 1/4 large sweet organic onion – or 1/2 small onion (your choice)
  • 1/2 cup shredded organic unsweetened coconut
  • 1 cup coconut water/juice or 14 oz coconut milk (Coconut milk for me)
  • 1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste (I used 3 tbs, it’s gotta have a kick!)
  • 1 teaspoon cumin (I would leave this out next time)
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon (I would double to make up for the left out Cumin)

Preparation:

Spread the coconut oil all over the skin of the chicken,then sprinkle on the salt, pepper, saffron and red paprika. Place in a baking dish and set aside. If you do choose to use honey, also gently drizzle over the
chicken skin. It will give it a nice browning texture and sweetness to the skin.

Sauce:

Place remaining ingredients as well as additional salt and pepper to taste in a blender (I used a food processor). Blend all together until well mixed, but still a little chunky.

Gently pour sauce in baking dish and some on top of the chicken. Cover the chicken dish and cook slowly on oven temperature of 275° for 2-3 hours or until fully cooked. The last 1/2 hour, remove cover and cook uncovered to brown.It is best cooked slowly so it is more tender and delicious. Remember to check it every 1/2 hour.

I loved that the coconut tasted so fresh, I was munching on it like it was a snack food. Alina doesn’t care much for coconut, but because this was so dry, it didn’t have an after taste, which allowed her to enjoy it as well.

So how do you WIN a 3.5 lb gallon container for yourself?  Use RaffleCopter to enter the Giveaway, please follow the directions or your entries will be erased.
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