White Bean Chicken Chili

So I'm sure everyone loves chili or knows someone that does. It was a staple in my house growing up in the winter months and even as an adult I continue to make it. So I decided to try something a little different and I encourage you to adjust this according to your taste. The best part of all this, you only need one pot.

2 tablespoons of olive oil
half an onion diced
2-3 jalapeno peppers seeded and diced
1 bunch of green onion chopped
4 cloves of garlic minced
2 lbs of ground chicken
2 tablespoons of cumin
1 tablespoon of dried oregano
2 teaspoon of chili powder
3 tablespoons of flour
4 cups of chicken stock
4 (15 ounce) cans of any white bean drained and rinsed
salt and pepper to season

In a large pot heat oil over medium heat.
Saute onions and peppers til tender, about 5 minutes.
Add meat and seasoning to the pot. Cooking until meat is done (about  10 minutes)
Sprinkle flour over meat and stir.
Bring liquid to a boil then lower the heat til it simmers.
Simmer chili til liquid has thickened and reduced to about half.


Tips:

• For a little extra heat add red chili pepper flakes and simmer for an addition 10 minutes
• Try other peppers but remember the heat is in the seeds and vein
• Serve with a nice heap of sour cream cheese and croutons
• This would probably work well with left over turkey (add it in at the end since it's already cooked)
• Also try with chicken breast. 
• Add corn. At the same point that you add the beans

Pita Pizza

So needless to say, I'm still living off my finds at the farmers market last week. But I had really been craving pizza lately. But didn't want a whole pie. So went to my local grocery store and found some whole wheat pocket-less pitas and had a great, and healthy lunch. The salad is romaine lettuce with tomato and peppers, all from the farmers market. The pizza is turkey pepperoni (who knew) peppers, thinly sliced tomatoes, with freshly shredded Parmesan, habanero, and garlic cheese (the last 2 were from the farmers market), and some pasta sauce.

Now here's the fun part. Since this is just about a personal size pizza you can make it with whatever you like. There are a ton of sauce flavor you can buy in you grocery store or even make yourself. Use and vegetable you like or none at all. Cook up your favorite meats or use your leftovers and make pies for you and the whole family.

I'll leave a few of what I would suggest but feel free to have fun and be creative.

White Pizza
Mozzarella cheese
Provolone cheese
Alfredo sauce
Cubed chicken breast
Italian season (optional)

• Spread a few table spoons of Alfredo sauce over pita leaving a little edge (your crust if you will)
• Add chicken and seasoning if using
• Sprinkle as much of little cheese as you like over the top
• Cook in oven at 350 for 10min or until cheese has melted to your liking

Roasted Veggie Pizza
Sliced zucchini
Sliced mushrooms
Sliced red onion
Sliced peppers
Olive oil
Ricotta cheese
Mozzarella Cheese
Basil, chopped
Oregano, chopped
Parsley, chopped

• Toss veggies in about a table spoons of olive oil
• Roasted veggies on a sheet tray in the oven (15min at 500 degrees)
• Spread ricotta over pita
• Add veggies and herbs
• Sprinkle with mozzarella 
• Bake in oven just until cheese is melted

Sausage Pizza
Pizza sauce (can use any tomato based sauce you like)
Cooked sausage (Italian sausage or just ground meat)
Cheese (I suggest using more than one type)

• Spread sauce over pita
• Add meat to the pie
• sprinkle with cheese
• Bake in oven pre-heat to 350 until cheese is melted 

Black Bean and Corn Salsa

Black Bean and Corn Salsa with Homemade Tortilla Chips 

There is no exact science to making salsa. There are no real tips either. A good salsa starts and ends with the freshest ingredients you can find making summer in Chicago the perfect time to make a bowl. You can find (almost) everything you need for this salsa at your local Farmers Market here in Chicago.

3 ears of corn (in husk)

1 can of black beans (drained and rinsed)

1 small red onion, diced
2 tbsp minced garlic

3-4 green onion, chopped

3 jalapeno peppers (can use other peppers), diced

3-4 nice sized tomatoes, diced

cilantro (fresh or dried), finely chopped

basil (fresh or dried), chopped or chiffonade

salt and pepper, to taste

1-2 tbsp olive oil (optional)

bell pepper, chopped (optional)

Chiffonade is a method of taking leafy greens (the basil in this case) and finely cut up. Stack and roll the leafs as you would a cigar and cut into thin slices. Click here for a quick video tutorial.

Blanching is a quick cook and cool method used in vegetables and fruit. Take the tomatoes and lightly score the bottom with an X. In a boiling pot of water drop the tomatoes in until u see the skin peeling away. carefully remove from the water and place them in a bowl of ice water. Once cool enough to handle peel away skin and dice the tomato. Click here for a quick video tutorial.

The easiest way to cook your corn in the husk, just throw it in the own. After you've washed it off of course. I usually turn my oven to 350 degrees and leave it in the till I smell the husk burning. No you house will not burn down but your corn will be extremely juicy and the husk will hold in the flavor. after you remove it from the oven allow it to cool and just cut it off the cob into the bowl you will be using for the salsa. Make a extra one to enjoy for yourself as well :-)

Add all the ingredients in a large bowl and stir it together. Add the salt and pepper to taste and store in the refrigerator at least an hour before serving (if you don't end up eating it as you finish).
Try baking your own chips and serving at your next party. I'll include that recipe down below in the tips.

Have fun and a message if you love/hated this recipe. I'd love to hear your feedback.

TIPS:

• Always remember the heat from peppers is in the seeds. So the less seeds the less heat. 
• You can make this completely with tomatoes/corn if you like maybe just add more tomatoes/corn
• I love red onions but any onion will do just fine
• Bake your own chips. It's easy. Just take some tortilla shells and brush with oil or butter and cut into quarters. Sprinkle with cumin, if you have it, and salt before putting in oven. Place in a preheated oven of 350 for 7min turn the pan and bake an additional 5min. Chips are best when served warm. 

Apple Galette

So galette makes it sound fancy but this is really just a simple apple tart that takes very little time to and very little experience.

3-5 Med Granny Smith apples (or any apple you'd like)
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup toasted walnuts (optional)
1 pre-made pie crust
cinnamon and nutmeg to taste
egg wash (one egg beaten with a tablespoon of milk or water)

Preheat your oven to 375°
Place walnuts on cookie sheet in oven til lightly toasted (about 10min or less)
Once walnuts have cooled coarsely chop and put aside
Peel and core apples and cut into wedges
Melt butter in skillet on high
Once butter is melted add apples
Cook until apples are edges are browning and kind of soft
Add brown sugar cinnamon and nutmeg (if using) and stir reduce heat to medium
Continue to cook until the liquid has reduce to a syrupy consistency stirring frequently
If using walnut add to the mixture before pouring into the pie crust
Roll your pie crust out on a parchment or foil line cookie sheet
Pour filling into the pie crust leaving about 2inches on the end to fold edge up gently
brush folded edges with egg wash and bake at 375° for 35-40 min


TIPS

• they sell precut apples now all you'll have to do is peel them (makes it kind of easy for you)
• You can make your own pie crust but again they sell it so you don't have to 
• Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream 
• You can really just eat the apples warm with the sauce if you really wanted to.... I did 

Thai Chicken Salad Wraps

So I didn't come up with this myself although if you read the tips I've kinda redone the whole thing. If you like to see the original please search Cat Cora Thai Chicken Salad Cabbage Spring Rolls.

Thai Chicken Salad Spring Rolls with Homemade Fried Rice

Dressing: 1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons store-bought Thai peanut sauce
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Spring Rolls:
1 whole chicken breast, or 2 half breasts (or 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts)
1/2 head Napa cabbage (1 pound or 8 cups thinly sliced cabbage)
1 cup shredded carrots (about 3 large carrots)
2 green onions, thinly sliced, plus 1 green onion, thinly sliced for garnish
1 tablespoon black sesame seeds
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

12 rice paper wraps


For the dressing, in a small bowl whisk together the vinegar, olive oil, sesame oil, Thai peanut sauce and sugar. Set aside.
To poach the chicken, in a medium saucepan bring 8 cups of water up to a boil. Add the chicken and bring down to a simmer. Simmer the chicken for 40 minutes until fully cooked and tender. Remove the chicken from the water and set aside on a plate to cool.
In the meantime, in a medium bowl, combine the cabbage, carrots, 2 sliced green onions, and sesame seeds.
Using 2 forks, shred the cooled chicken and add to the bowl with the salad.
Add the dressing and mix, making sure the salad is nicely coated.
In a wide, shallow bowl filled with hot water, put a rice paper wrap into the water. Press the wrap down so it is fully submerged in the water. Remove when softened. Place the softened wrap flat onto a damp work surface.
Scoop 1/2 cup of the Thai chicken salad onto the bottom 1/3 of the wrap. Fold over the left and right sides of the wrap inward about 1 inch. Working from the bottom up, tightly roll the wrap.
Repeat with the remaining Thai chicken salad and arrange on a platter.
Garnish the spring rolls with the remaining sliced green onion. Serve alongside a bowl of Thai peanut sauce for dipping.

TIPS

• Save yourself some time and cook the chicken ahead of time. It needs to be cool anyway.
• Even though the recipe says to poach, we are in grilling season, so go ahead and prepare the chicken however you like. 
• If you're like me you won't be able to find rice paper wraps easily (I happen to live near a great Asian market) try using wonton wraps or even tortilla
• I, for some reason, couldn't find Napa cabbage. But I did find bags of coleslaw and broccoli slaw. Both worked great and i just added extra carrots to it
• Try adding other veggies to the mix make it your own
• Tried the rice paper wraps and didn't enjoy them. Guess what? You can now just enjoy this as a regular salad. 
• Want to sever this to a few of your vegan friends? Get rid of the chicken. It's that simple!

ESP Cookies

This is possibly the easiest and quickest cookie recipe ever. Need a last minute dessert to take to the office potluck. This is perfect and can do it in less than an hour. If you don't have the Hershey Kisses use a fork and make them look like tradition Peanut Butter Cookies


1 egg
1 c. sugar
1 c. peanut butter
1 pkg. chocolate kisses

Mix egg, sugar and peanut butter. Roll the dough into marble size balls. Bake on a cookie sheet at 325 degrees for 9 minutes. Place a chocolate kiss on each cookie and return to the oven for 1 minute. Makes 24-30.

Tips
Try using chunky peanut butter.
There are a lot of different types of Kisses. I used the caramel ones in the pic above.
Brown sugar instead of regular sugar could prove tasty. Or maybe a tsp or 2 of honey.

Red Velvet Cake

Red Velvet Cupcake with Rum Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups vegetable shortening
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
4 1/2 teaspoons red food coloring
3 cups cake flour
1 1/4 teaspoons fine sea salt
1 1/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
3 extra-large eggs
1 1/4 cups buttermilk


8oz Cream Cheese
4Tbsp Butter
1tsp Vanilla
2cups Powder Sugar

• Position a rack in the center of the oven, and preheat to 350˚F.
• Put shortening, sugar, cocoa, food coloring, flour, salt, vanilla, baking soda and vinegar in the bowl. Mix to combine, starting at low speed, then raise the speed to low-medium and mix for about 1 minute. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing for 1 minute after each is absorbed into the mixture. Add the buttermilk in two portions, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl between additions.
• Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans (2 inches deep).
• Divide the batter evenly between the two pans, using a rubber spatula to scrape down the bowl and get as much batter as possible out.
• Bake until the cakes begin to pull from the sides of the pans and are springy to the touch, 35-40 minutes.
• Remove cakes from the oven and let cool for at least 30 minutes, preferably 1 hour. The cakes should be at room temperature before you remove them from the pan.
• Put a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet, sprinkle with sugar, and one at a time, turn the pans over and turn the cakes out onto the parchment; the sugar will keep them from sticking.

Frosting:

Mix cream cheese and butter until just combined. Add in vanilla and gradually add the powder sugar. 

TIPS:

• If making cupcakes pour batter into a gallon size freeze bag to pour the right amount into each cup.
• Allow your frosting to come to room temperature before trying to ice the cake. 
• Make sure your cupcakes, or cake, have completely cooled off before icing
• Got that one cupcake that didn't come out right, or that you picked at to get a taste. Use some of its crumbs to add a little more decoration to the frosting at the end.
• It is almost always easier to frost a chilled or frozen cake.