Southwestern Chicken Barley Chili

I'm so happy I came across this recipe--it is sooooo good.  Hearty and healthy!  Perfect for the season.  I found it on this blog, which happens to be one of my favorite food blogs.  I changed the recipe just a teeny tiny bit according to how I made it.  Enjoy!

Southwestern Chicken Barley Chili
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1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained (I used petite diced)
1 (16 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
1 cup barley (not quick cooking)
4 cups water
1 Tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds), cut into bite-size pieces
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels

In a large pot, combine diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken broth, barley, water, chili powder, cumin, oregano and cayenne.  Stir well and bring to a boil.  Cover with a lid and let simmer 45 minutes.  Add chicken and simmer 30 minutes more.  Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.  Add corn and blackbeans and simmer until ready to serve (make sure barley is tender and chewy--I simmered for a couple of hours because that's how much time I had).  If desired, garnish with green onions, cheese and sour cream (I use plain greek yogurt).

The chili will thicken considerably upon cooling.  Add chicken broth or water as needed to achieve a desirable consistency. 

Split Pea and Barley Soup

I have always loved split pea soup.  Unfortunately, my husband and kids don't feel the same way.  But that doesn't stop me from making it, because the leftovers make the perfect lunch.  I love this recipe because 1) you cook it in the crockpot--EASY! and 2) it has barley in it which I LOVE because it gives you a little something to sink your teeth into.  And it's healthy.  I found this recipe on Tasty Kitchen, but I have changed the quantities of the spices for my taste.  Enjoy!

Split Pea and Barley Soup
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1-16 oz. pkg dried split peas
1/2 cup barley
1 small onion, minced
1 whole carrot, diced
5 cups chicken broth
5 cups water
3-4 cloves garlic
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp. dried basil (you could also use oregano)
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. salt

Rinse split peas and pour into a clow cooker.  Add remaining ingredients and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

Note: adding some ham would be yummy too!

Broccoli Cheese Chicken Soup

This was the first recipe that I "collected" when I first got married.  Actually, I got this recipe before I was married.  My friend's mom made this super delicious soup for my bridal shower, and I am so glad I bugged her for the recipe.  It has been a favorite for years!  It is especially good served in bread bowls, which is how it was served the first time I had it. 

Broccoli Cheese Chicken Soup
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3-4 carrots, sliced
3 stalks celery, sliced
1 onion, chopped
Cook together until tender.

4 breasts of chicken, cooked and cubed, save broth (or use a rotisserie chicken)
1 ½ pounds fresh broccoli or 2-10oz. pkgs frozen broccoli cooked for a minute or two

Melt ½ cup butter in large heavy pan. Stir in ¾ cup flour and cook together for a few minutes, constantly stirring. Add 1 pint Half and Half and 3 cups chicken broth. Stir with whisk over medium heat until slightly thickened (you can always add as much liquid as desired--I always end up adding more broth). Stir in 8 oz. jar of Cheese Whiz (or 16 oz. if you want it more cheesier) until melted. Add drained vegetables and chicken. Simmer 10-15 minutes. Salt and Pepper to taste.

Crockpot Stew

Another one of my favorite recipes!  Perfect for a cold winter day.  I love sitting down to a delicious meal without a mess in my kitchen.  Being able to prepare this and clean up the mess in the morning makes me happy!

Crockpot Stew
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2 lbs. stew meat, cubed
3 carrots, cubed
3-4 potatoes, cubed
3 stalks celery, diced
1 small sweet potato, cubed
1 pkg. dry onion soup mix
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1 8oz. can tomato sauce
1 bay leaf

Put all ingredients into crockpot. Rinse soup cans with small amount of water and pour into pot. Cover and cook on high for 6-8 hours.

(note: All of the quantities are estimates.  If my potatoes are big, I use less.  I never have EXACTLY 2 pounds of stew meat.  I just grab a few handfuls of baby carrots and cut them up until it looks like I have enough.  You get the idea!)

Market Street Clam Chowder

 

Market Street Grill is one of my favorite places to eat.  They have the best clam chowder ever, and this recipe came from their website.  How nice of them to share!!!  I do have to say that when I made this over the weekend, it actually tasted BETTER than at the restaurant.  Seriously.  And not just because I served it in a bread bowl either.  And I loved how easy it was to make! 

Market Street Clam Chowder
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1 cup potatoes, diced ½ inch
1 cup celery, diced ½ inch
1 cup onion, diced ½ inch
1 cup green pepper, diced ½ inch
1 cup leeks, diced ½ inch
¾ cup chopped clams (canned or fresh)
¾ Tbsp. coarse ground black pepper
1 ½ tsp. salt
¾ Tbsp. whole thyme
6 bay leaves
1 tsp. Tabasco
¾ cup sherry wine (optional)
2 cups water
¾ cup clam juice (drained from canned clams or purchased separately in can)
¾ cup butter, melted
1 cup flour
2 quarts half-and-half

Combine melted butter and flour in oven-proof container and bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes. In large saucepan, combine remaining ingredients except half-and-half. Simmer until potatoes are thoroughly cooked. Stir butter-flour mixture into chowder and stir until thick. Mixture will be slightly less thick than cookie dough. Remove chowder from heat. Stir in half-and-half until blended. Heat to serving temperature, stirring occasionally (this will thicken it up).

(note:  since I didn't add the wine, I added 2 3/4 cups water)

Roasted Cauliflower and Leek Soup

So I had a head of cauliflower in my fridge that I didn't know what to do with.  The air is starting to get a bit chilled which tells me Fall is coming, which tells me it is soup season!  I found this recipe at Tasty Kitchen, which is my favorite website to search for recipes with a certain ingredient in mind.  This soup is yummy--I love roasted vegetables and it gives the soup a deeper flavor.  It is very healthy too--notice there isn't any heavy cream!  Of course you can add some and I'm sure it would make it taste even better!  But I like the healthy version myself.

Roasted Cauliflower and Leek Soup
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1 medium head cauliflower, roughly chopped

2 whole leeks, white and light green part only, cut in half lengthwise

6 cloves garlic (I only used 4)

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 pinch kosher salt

2 cans (14 oz.) chicken broth

1 pinch fresh ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 425.  Spread chopped cauliflower, leeks and garlic on a baking sheet.  Drizzle olive oil on the vegetables and mix well to thoroughly coat.  Sprinkle with kosher salt.  Roast in the oven for 40-45 minutes.  Vegetables should be brown on the edges and slightly softened. 

Pour roasted vegetables into a saucepan and add the chicken broth and fresh ground pepper to taste.  Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.  Using an immersion blender, thoroughly puree all contents of the saucepan.  (If you don't have an immersion blender, you can use a regular blender.  Just be careful putting hot liquids in a blender as they can cause the lid to come flying off!)

 

Here's my veggies right before I put them in the oven....

 

after they were roasted....

 

in the pan with the broth....

and after they were pureed with my immersion blender.  So simple!

Jenny's Turkey Chili

I have been trying really hard to eat healthier.  Some days I do better than others.  This is one of my new favorite meals and it is super healthy!  It kind of has a lot of spices, but it is so worth it to make!  I like to freeze it in individual serving sizes and have it for lunch (if I remember to take it out of the freezer the night before).  It is one of those meals that is even better the next day after the flavors have all melded together!

Jenny’s Turkey Chili


2 (generous) Tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 green pepper, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, chopped
20 oz. pkg ground turkey breast
2 Tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. coriander
½ tsp. red pepper flakes (or more if you like it hotter)
1 cup chicken broth
1 can (14.5 oz) fire roasted diced tomatoes
3 cans (15 oz) kidney, pinto and/or black beans, undrained


Place large pot over moderate heat and add olive oil. Add onions, garlic and peppers and cook until tender. Add mushrooms and cook a couple minutes longer. Add ground turkey breast and break it apart with a spoon while it cooks. Add spices, chicken broth, tomatoes and beans ( I happen to really like beans so I add 4 cans, draining my last can).  Stir together and simmer for at least 30-60 minutes.  You can use any garnish you like--I like to substitute plain greek yogurt for sour cream.  I can't even tell the difference!

Quick Chick and Noodle Soup

There's nothing quite like chicken noodle soup when you're feeling under the weather. My picky eater actually requested this for dinner tonight--I had no idea she liked it that much! And she isn't even sick! I was more than happy to oblige, and I even had all the ingredients on hand. Even the parsnip! Go figure. Have you ever used a parsnip?  It is a vegetable kind of in between a carrot and a potato.  They are delicious in this soup!

This is my favorite chicken noodle soup recipe. It is so easy and yummy. It is so fast to make because you add the chicken to the soup raw and let it cook in the broth with the veggies.  It saves a lot of time rather than cooking the chicken first.  Of course, half the time I end up using a rotisserie chicken anyway!  The recipe comes from Rachel Ray.

Quick Chick and Noodle Soup
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2 Tbsp. (2 turns around the pan) extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
1 parsnip, peeled and chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, choped
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper
6 cups good quality chicken stock
1 pound chicken breast tenders, diced
1/2 pound wide egg noodles (I use Grandma's Egg Noodles--see below)
a handful of fresh parsley, chopped
a handful of fresh dill, chopped
(note: I don't use the fresh parsley or dill. Instead I add about 1/4 tsp. dried rosemary OR 1/4 tsp. dried dill)

Place a large pot over moderate heat and add extra-virgin olive oil. Work close to the stove and add vegetables to the pot as you chop, in the order they are listed.

Add bay leaves and season vegetables with salt and pepper (I wait until the end to do this, otherwise my soup ends up too salty). Add stock to the pot and raise heat to bring liquid to a boil. Add diced chicken tenderloins, return soup to a boil, and reduce heat back to moderate. Cook chicken 2 minutes and add noodles. Cook soup an additional 6 minutes or until noodles are tender and remove soup from the heat.

Stir in parsley and dill, remove bay leaves and serve. This is a thick soup. Add up to 2 cups of water if you like chicken soup with lots of broth.

So, my sister-in-law introduced me to Grandma's Egg Noodles, found in the freezer section of your grocery store.  These were next to the hash browns in my store.  I used to make my own noodles from scratch, but these are just as good, and it saves me tons of time.  I add the noodles (thawed) to the soup when it's boiling, and let them cook for 10 minutes or so. I usually have to add a couple of extra cups of broth as well to make sure there is enough liquid to cook the noodles.

Chicken Coconut Curry Soup

I love Thai food...the coconut, the curry, YUM! Here is a soup recipe that I made tonight. My husband and I really liked it, 2 out of 3 of my kids tried it and didn't complain too much. There are several things I will change about the recipe the next time I make it, and there WILL be a next time!

Chicken Coconut Curry Soup


1 Tbsp. Canola Oil
1 medium onion
1 cup Shitake mushrooms (I used baby bellas, couldn't find shitake at my grocery store)
2 cups cooked chicken cut into bite-sized pieces (I used a rotisserie chicken)
1 can (13.5 oz) coconut milk
4 cups water (I will try using some chicken broth next time--maybe half broth half water)
1 tsp. red curry paste (I will try 2 tsp. next time)
1/4 cup sugar (I will try 3 Tbsp. next time--was a bit sweet)
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
soy sauce to taste (I used maybe 1/4 tsp)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil


In a large pan, heat oil and saute onion. Add mushrooms and cook for a few minutes. Add all other ingredients except for tomatoes and basil. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Add tomatoes and basil and adjust seasonings to taste.


Next time I make this, I would also like to add white rice or pad thai noodles to make it even more substantial. And serve it with a wedge of lime. YUMMY!