mmmmm: crockpot white chicken chili

it is cold outside. i mean a high of 37 degrees yesterday cold. i know, those of you in other states are looking at a high of 5 degrees and are wondering what i'm complaining about. here in the south, we don't typically do cold. i pretty much want to stay in pajama pants and drink warm beverages all day long. this crockpot recipe is all things comforting. it's also about as easy as they come. grab the ingredients and throw it together this week. this recipe is enough for two large families. make the extra and give dinner away this week. people will love it!

crockpot white chicken chili

4 tablespoons of butter

2-3 cups chopped white onions (about 1 1/2 bags of frozen-chopped onions)

4 tablespoons minced garlic

6 chicken breasts 

2 teaspoons salt

2 cups sour cream

3 cans cannellini beans (or navy beans or great northern beans)

3 cans diced green chilis

1 box (4 cups) chicken stock

4 teaspoons cumin

2 teaspoons oregano

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

4 cups monterey jack cheese

put all of the chicken breasts in a large pot. cover with water and boil for about 15-20 minutes. (note: i usually add garlic and a little chicken base to the water to flavor the chicken). remove from the water, cool and chop into bite sized pieces.

put cannellini beans (or other white bean) in the crockpot. add the chicken, green chilis, onions, butter, garlic, salt, cumin, oregano, cayenne pepper, and red pepper flakes. cover the ingredients with the chicken stock.

cook on low for about 4-6 hours. (you can cook it longer...won't hurt a thing). about an hour before serving, mix in the sour cream and cheese. allow to cook for one more hour. serve with tortilla chips and top with some extra cheese and sour cream.

heaven! enjoy!

mmmmm, mondays: kellie's red and black bean chili

if you read last weeks post, you know that we went non-traditional this year with our family christmas dinner. along with baked potato soup and greek lemon chicken soup we made this amazing chili. the three together were a triple threat and made for some very happy and full bellies on christmas day. enjoy!

kellie's red and black bean chili

ingredients:
• 1 lb. ground hamburger meat
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 1 large anaheim pepper, chopped (green, mild, about 4-6 inches

   long…do not substitute with bell pepper!!) 

• 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup water
• 2 cans (15 oz each) red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cans (15 oz each) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ¼ tsp ground allspice
• ¼ tsp ground coriander
• 1 tbs red wine vinegar or cider vinegar

directions:
• brown the beef in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, 

   until the meat is brown and crumbly. drain off the fat. 

• add the garlic and onion, and cook until the onion is 

   translucent, about 5 minutes. 

• transfer the beef mixture to a crock pot. add the pepper, tomatoes,

   water, red and black beans (rinsed and drained!!), cumin,

   allspice, coriander, and vinegar. 

• cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours 

  (we did 8 and it turned out perfectly!).

mmmmm, mondays: greek lemon chicken soup

we hope that you all had a wonderful day together with family yesterday and that santa brought you everything that you wanted. 


for my family, we decided to forgo the usual feast of ham, turkey and all the fixin's and have a yummy trio of soups. we served baked potato soup, red and black bean chili with cornbread and greek lemon soup; they were all amazing and it was the most simple and satisfying christmas meal to date. you can find the link to the baked potato soup here, if interested (it's amazing). i will post the chili recipe next monday and the greek lemon chicken soup is below. 


enjoy!

  

greek lemon chicken soup

ingredients

4 chicken breasts (or 2 rotisserie chickens)

2 cups lemon juice (usually 6-8 lemons)

3 tablespoons lemon herb seasoning (the trade winds brand from smart & final is amazing)

3 qt chicken broth

3 eggs (beaten)
3 cups of cooked rice (i have used quinoa too and it was great!)

directions

boil the chicken in 2qts water for approximately 15 minutes.

shred the chicken with a fork into bite sized strips.

(or you can buy 2 rotisserie chickens and simply remove the meat and cut into bite sized strips)

add chicken to a large pot (either the shredded chicken you cooked or the rotisserie you didn't). 

add lemon juice, chicken broth and lemon herb seasoning. bring to a boil. 

take some of the hot broth from the pot and SLOWLY add to the beaten eggs, stirring constantly. (this brings the eggs closer to the temp of the soup). 

add the eggs VERY SLOWLY to the hot soup mixture, stirring constantly so that the eggs don't clump.

add the cooked rice and return the soup to a boil. 


serve and enjoy!