White Chicken Chili

Ingredients 

 
1 Tbsp Olive oil
1 large Onion, chopped
4 medium Poblano pepper, seeded, diced
2 Serrano chili peppers, seeded, minced
1 TBSP Garlic, minced
1 TBSP Chili powder
2 tsp Kosher salt, or to taste
1½ tsp Ground cumin
1 tsp Ground coriander
1 tsp Dried oregano
3 cups chicken broth, Reduced sodium
2 pounds Uncooked skinless boneless chicken breast
45 oz Canned cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
⅓ cup Salsa verde
2 Tbsp Fresh lime juice
⅓ cup Cilantro, minced, fresh

Instructions

1 Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add onion and peppers; sauté, stirring often, until softened, about 5 to 10 minutes. 

2 Add garlic, chili powder, salt, cumin, coriander and oregano; stir and cook, 1 minute.

3 Add broth, chicken and beans; increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until chicken is cooked through, about 15 to 20 minutes. 

4 Remove chicken to a plate; let rest 5 minutes and then shred with two forks.

5 Return shredded chicken to pot and stir in salsa verde, lime juice and cilantro; heat through.

• Serving size: about 1 cup

 

Comment:  Freeze any leftovers in 1-cup containers for easy, portion-controlled lunches for another time.

Lemon Chicken with Brocolli

Ingredients:
2 TBSP all purpose flour
½ tsp salt, divided
¼ tsp fresh black pepper
12 oz uncooked skinless boneless chicken breast, thinly sliced
2 TBSP olive oil
1½ cup chicken broth, divided
2 tsp minced garlic
2½ cups broccoli florets, roughly chopped
2 tsp lemon zest, or more to taste
2 TBSP fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions:
• On a plate, combine 1½ TBSP flour, ¼ tsp salt & pepper. Add chicken & turn to coat.
• In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high flame.
• Add chicken & cook, turning, until lightly browned & cooked through: ±5 minutes. Set aside on a plate.
• Add 1 cup broth and the garlic to skillet to deglaze. Bring to boil, scraping up goodies from bottom of pan.
• Add broccoli. Cover & cook for no more than a minute.
• Mix remaining ½ cup broth, ½ TBSP flour & ¼ tsp salt. Add to skillet & simmer, covered over low heat.
• Cook until broccoli is al dente, crisp-tender & sauce starts to thicken: ±1½ minutes.
• Stir in chicken & lemon zest & heat through.
• Add lemon juice & chopped parsley & toss to coat.
• Serve with couscous, angel hair pasta or rice.

Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients 

2 TBSP butter
1 medium (or ½ large) onion, peeled and chopped (alternate: 1 shallot)
1½ celery stalks, trimmed and cubed
1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped
1 medium potato, peeled and cubed
3 TBSP all-purpose flour, plus extra to dust
1 cups chicken stock
½ cup light cream
Sea salt and black pepper
½ lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cubed
(5 oz?) pie crusts, or ready-made all-butter puff pastry
1 medium egg mixed with 1 Tbsp water (egg wash), for glaze
(Consider adding chopped/crumbled bacon before adding the top.)

Instructions
Melt the butter in a large, wide pan and add the onion, celery, carrot, and potato. Saute gently for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are soft. 

Add the flour and stir well. Cook, stirring frequently, for another 2 minutes to cook out the flour.

Pour in the stock and cream and season well with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, for about 5 to 10 minutes until thickened. 

Add the chicken and simmer for 5 minutes or until the pieces are just cooked through. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Take the pan off the heat and let cool slightly.

Preheat the oven to 400F. Spoon the chicken filling into one medium or 2 individual pie dish(es) or cast iron frying pan to fill to just below the rim(s).

Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured counter to a large circle, 1/8 inch (3mm) thick. Cut out a circle (or 4 small ones) large enough to form pie lid(s).

Re-roll the trimmings and cut long strips to fit around the rim of the dish(es). Brush the rim(s) with water, position the pastry lid on top and crimp the edges to seal. If you wish, decorate the top of the pie with leaves cut from the pastry trimmings. 

Brush the pastry with egg wash to glaze.

Bake the pie in the oven for 40 to 50 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and the filling is bubbling hot. Let stand for a few minutes before serving.

TJ's Mediterranean Pasta Salad

INGREDIENTS: 

-full bag of fusilli noodles (black bean noodles or lentil noodles work great, and make this dish gluten free!) 

Handful each of

-kalamata olives

-roasted marinated red peppers

-artichoke hearts

-frozen corn, A half a bag

-chicken, 6 tenders or thighs. Or 3 chicken breasts. 

-8 cherry tomatoes

-1/4 red onion

-5 radishes

-1 clove elephant garlic, or a few cloves regular garlic

To taste 

-goat cheese

-Parmesan cheese

INSTRUCTIONS 

In a skillet, cook off finely diced garlic with butter, till translucent.

Add seasoned chicken (I liked garlic salt and pepper) when half cooked, start shredding it with two forks. (If it starts out frozen, cook in fryer till fully defrosted, finish cooking in pan and shred)

Place chicken and garlic in a separate bowl with frozen corn, and let residual heat thaw corn.

Cut cherry tomatoes to preferred size and blister in pan till umami flavour is strong. Roughly chop remaining veggies, fresh and marinated.

Do not waste any oil from the marinated veggies, as this will be our sauce. 

Mix everything thoroughly into a large bowl sprinkling in the cheeses to preference. Season with salt and pepper to taste, mushroom salt pairs nicely.  

Balance is important. Especially with the marinated veggies as the oil is important and also filled with flavour.

TJ's Curried ButterNut Soup

Ingredients:
1 large butternut squash.
1 1/2 heads of garlic, smashed.
2 Shallots, finely diced.
3 TBSP Red curry paste.
2 cans coconut (cream, milk or combination).
4 cups strong veggie broth.
Some (4 or 5?) chicken thighs, sliced thinly against the grain.
A bunch of broccoli. Be generous.
Some yellow/Dutch potatoes.
A bunch of crushed/chopped peanuts.

Instructions: Cook this is a stockpot. Cast iron is a good idea.
• Peel squash. Quarter it. Remove seeds & goop.
• Rub squash with high-temperature oil.
• Roast squash: 45 minutes at 425. Turn halfway through.
• Cook curry paste for two minutes.
• Add shallots and garlic. Cook 'till translucent.
• Dice the cooked squash. Add to curry, onions, garlic. Re-heat.
• When it's hot, add broth & coconut. Re-heat again. Blend 'till very smooth with immersion blender.
• While it’s simmering, cook chicken, broccoli & potatoes separately (Reminder: they take different times). Season liberally with salt & pepper.
• Combine solids with blended liquids just before serving. Dust with peanuts.
• Serve and enjoy!

Comment: This is delicious! 

Chicken Turnovers

Ingredients (makes 6 turnovers):

1 Chicken Breast, cubed to ½”, room temperature

2 Sausages, cubed to ½”, room temperature

¼ cup finely chopped onion

1 TBSP fresh garlic, minced

½ cup shredded (or cubed to <¼”) cheddar cheese

1 tsp fresh tarragon, finely minced.

Lemon pepper to taste

Salt to taste

Phyllo dough

An egg (for egg wash)

Instructions:

• Thaw the phyllo dough. Preheat [toaster] oven to 350°.

• Combine filling ingredients in a bowl. Mix thoroughly. Season well (don’t skimp).

• Cut 8” circles out of the dough. Put ½ to ¾ cup of the filling in (be generous). Fold over, and seal the edges using either water and crimping or egg wash.

• Egg wash the top. This makes a big difference.

• Bake at 350° for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Comments:

○ This is worth remembering. Also, this is worth refining some more.

○ I made this recipe because I had some phyllo dough to use up, not because phyllo is the best pastry for this. Next time, I might use pie crust or shortcrust pastry. 

 

○ The tarragon was not amazing. Maybe sage? Rosemary? Tomato & basil? Dehydrated lemon might be good with the tarragon, sage or rosemary. 

○ I forgot to put the cheese in. Oops. Needed it.

○ Needs more veggies! Double the onion. Maybe add celery. I considered putting some frozen corn in; that would have been good. Some diced tomatoes might be good too, maybe with basil more than tarragon.

Keto Pizza, Chicken & Cheese Crust

Ingredients:

• Crust:

1 chicken breast, roasted, then shredded.

½ cup Parmesan cheese,

1 large egg,

1 TBSP bacon drippings, melted

• Toppings:

2 TBSP bleu cheese dressing

Sliced pepperoni

½ cup shredded cheese (I used a cheese blend)

Instructions:

Combine the crust ingredients in a bowl. Spread out on a silicone baking matt. Cover with parchment paper and roll flat and relatively thin. Clean up edges with a spatula.

Bake at 450° for 6 minutes until it begins to brown.

Add topping.

Spread bleu cheese dressing.

Add ½ of cheese.

Layer pepperoni.

Maybe add some slices of ham.

Add other ½ of cheese.

Or add whatever pizza toppings you’d like!

Bake another 6 – 8 minutes at 450°.

Let it cool a little before slicing. (Note: don’t slice it on the silicone baking mat.)

The calculation is that this recipe is functionally carb-free. Nice.

Bacon Zucchini Chicken Rolls

Ingredients

2 or 3 strips bacon, mostly cooked, diced

¼ medium onion, chopped

2 tsp olive oil, divided

2 garlic cloves, minced

¾ cups diced zucchini

¼ cup diced sweet red pepper

1-2 TBSP grated Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon minced fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil

Salt & pepper

1 boneless chicken breast, thawed

Directions

Slice the chicken breast into ¼” thick pieces. Lightly salt & pepper both sides. Set aside to warm to room temperature, under plastic wrap.

In a medium cast iron skillet, fry bacon until it’s beginning to firm up. Remove and dice (or dice before frying).

Sauté onion in remaining bacon fat for 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add zucchini and red pepper; saute for 3 minutes or until crisp-tender.

Remove from the heat; stir in the bacon, cheese, basil, salt and pepper.

Roll vegetable mixture up in slices of chicken breast. Secure with toothpick

In the same skillet, brown the chicken rolls. Drizzle with seasoned olive oil.

Microwave or fry the remaining chicken slices. Top with remaining filling. 

Bake it all, uncovered, at 375° for 25-30 minutes or until a thermometer reads 170°.

Comments: I forgot the basil, and I was out of bell pepper, so I added roasted bell pepper powder and fresh mushrooms  Good. Consider fresh rosemary. 

Curry Breaded Chicken Fingers

Ingredients (serves two, light, or one big meal):

1 large chicken breast, thawed.

1 large egg.

1 TBSP barley flour.

1 TBSP corn flour (or corn meal).

½ TBSP dry milk powder.

1 TBSP curry powder.

Salt & pepper to taste (use restraint).

Instructions:

• Mix the dry ingredients in a medium size bowl.

• Whip the egg in a small bowl.

• Slice the chicken breast into ½” or ¾” slices.  

• With a pastry brush, coat the chicken in the egg. 

• Then coat the chicken with the dry mixture.

• Bake on a silicon-lined or parchment-lined tray: 25 minutes at 375° with fan, slightly longer without. 

(A dipping sauce would be yummy. Maybe bleu cheese dressing.)

I served with baked sweet potato slices.