Questions? Comments? Concerns? Email me at goodhappyfit@gmail.com!
Creamy Chicken Chili
I have a confession to make: I’m kind of a Halloween Grinch. Yeah, it’s fun and everything, and I really do enjoy dressing up… But I never think about it until the last minute, so I never give myself enough time to come with a creative costume. And now that I’m an adult, I think I’m just jaded because as a twenty-something female, I’m expected to dress as some sort of sleazy, skin-revealing version of something.
Growing up, my family had the BEST Halloween costumes. I’m the oldest of seven cousins (eight now that I have a baby sister), and we’d always have a big group theme with homemade costumes.
Every year, my mom would make a giant pot of chili, we’d take it over to my grandma’s house, do our trick-or-treating, then come back and have chili before bartering our shares of Halloween candy.
This year, although I would have loved to be at home trick-or-treating with my two-year-old sister (she was a giraffe!), I was three hours away and decided to make my own chili (while wearing my pajamas and an apron… pretty much the opposite of a skanky Halloween costume).
I dug through some of my bookmarked recipes, and borrowed this one from Eat, Live, Run, making changes according to what I had on hand.
Ingredients:
- olive oil (about 1 tbsp)
- 1/2 large (or 1 medium) onion, diced
- 2 small cloves garlic, minced
- 1 or 2 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts (I used one, but it could definitely use more chicken)
- 2 cans (or about 3 or 4 cups cooked) beans (I used black beans and navy beans. Drain canned beans as best as you can, but it’s OK if there is still liquid in the can)
- 2 cups chicken broth or stock
- salt, crushed red pepper, oregano (you can also use chili powder, cayenne pepper, or other seasonings, to taste)
- hot sauce, to taste (or finely diced chili or jalepeno peppers)
- 1/2 cup half and half
- about 1 cup Greek yogurt (to desired creaminess)
- mozzarella cheese and tortilla chips, for garnish
What to do:
- Dice onions and mince garlic. Set aside.
- In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, clean chicken breasts and cut into bite-sized pieces.
- When oil is hot, add onion and chicken to pot. Stir and let cook for a minute or two, until onions are translucent.
- Add garlic and cook another two or three minutes.
- Now add beans, broth or stock, spices, and hot sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes.
- Remove pot from heat and slowly whisk in half and half and Greek yogurt, one spoonful at a time (hint: the trick to blending it in smoothly is to use a wire whisk, not a spoon!).
- Serve immediately with a dollop of Greek yogurt, a sprinkle of cheese, some crushed tortillas, and extra hot sauce (I love hot sauce), or keep warm on low heat until ready to serve.
Though it wasn’t the prettiest chili, it was definitely delicious. Mine was very liquid-y because I used too much half and half (I used closer to one cup originally) and only one chicken breast. After letting it sit over low heat for a while longer, however, it thickened up. And it was even better the next day as leftovers!
Also, note to food bloggers: when taking photos of your food with your iPhone, please (I’m begging you!), hold onto it. Very tight! Mine decided to go for a swim in the bowl during the photos. Lucky for me, the Greek yogurt broke its fall and saved it from complete submersion. My phone seems to be OK but needless to say, I might go easy on the food photos for a while.
Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
I’ve been feeling very under the weather for the past few days, and since I’ve obviously been on a soup kick, well, this happened. I once had this soup at Panera Bread and fell in love with it, so I decided to make my own version.
Ingredients:
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cleaned and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 small onions
- 2 cloves garlic
- olive oil
- 2 carrots
- 2 celery stalks
- about 1 cup white wine
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 3 or 4 cups water
- 1 lemon, ends removed and sliced thin
- 1 handful kale, sliced thin
- 1 cup orzo (dry)
- salt and pepper, to taste
What to do:
- In a large stockpot, heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil while you clean and cut chicken. Add chicken to the pot and let it brown.
- Finely chop onions and garlic; add to pot.
- Wash and peel carrots; cut into thin slices. Wash and slice celery, and add both to pot.
- Gently pour about a cup of white wine (I used 3/4 C pinot grigio because that’s all I had) over your vegetable/chicken mixture and stir. Turn heat to high and let the wine cook down a bit.
- When the wine has reduced and the vegetables begin to soften (after just a couple of minutes), pour in a box of chicken stock (or broth), and about the same amount of water. For me, this came out to 4 cups of stock and 3-4 cups of water.
- Slice a small lemon into very thin slices and add those to the soup.
- Bring mixture to a boil and then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30-45 minutes, or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked and the flavors have all cooked together.
- Carefully, remove chicken pieces using a slotted spoon (or a fork and wooden spoon in my case) and let cool. When the chicken has cooled, use your fingers to pull it apart into small, bite-sized pieces, and return to soup. Also remove the lemon pieces at this point, if you’d like to.
- Wash and thinly slice a handful (don’t you love my precise measurements?) of kale and add that to the soup as well.
- Return heat to high and add about a cup of orzo. Bring to a boil and let boil for 8-10 minutes, or until the orzo is al dente.
- Remove from heat and ladle into bowls. Enjoy snuggled up on the couch with a blanket and a good movie. Serve with delicious, crusty bread. Make your boyfriend have some even though he’s hot and not in the mood for soup.
Notes: the orzo really soaks up the broth, making for a hearty, filling soup. If you want more broth, use a little less orzo and a little more water. I actually used closer to 2 cups orzo in mine, and ended up having to add more water the next day when I reheated it, because it soaks up even more in the fridge.
My boyfriend found it a bit too lemony, but I love lemon and I thought it was delicious. If you’re not a lemon freak like me, you’ll want to go through and remove the lemon peels when you’re removing the chicken, and possibly use less lemon in the first place. If you’re unsure, use half a lemon and then add a squeeze of juice at the end if you feel like it could use more lemon flavor.
This soup was wonderful. Light yet filling. It really hit the spot in terms of I’m-not-feeling-well comfort food, and was kind of a new twist on the classic chicken noodle soup.
I’m on a roll with soup-making, and I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon. What delicious soups have you made since the cold weather’s kicked in? What should I try my hand at next?
Creamy Sweet Potato Soup
So I just noticed today that fellow blogger and soup enthusiast Nutritionista is doing this really cool thing where she plans to cook at least 25 new soups this winter. Seeing as how I, myself, am obsessed with soup and usually make at least one pot every week anyway, here is my little contribution to Season of Soup. I can’t wait to see what other recipes people come up with and try making them myself!
There are a few things that I really love about fall, and most of them are some sort of food item. One of them is squash. Another? Sweet potatoes. Last week at the grocery store I got all giddy when I realized, OMG sweet potatoes! I kinda forgot about them over the spring/summer! I stocked up on quite a few, and I knew right away that one of the first ways I wanted to prepare them was in a soup. I did a little researching online and found lots of different recipes for soups using sweet potatoes, butternut squash, etc., but I just ended up kinda making it up as I went along, which is one of my favorite things about making soup (it’s really hard to mess up).
Ingredients:
- olive oil
- 1 smoked turkey sausage, chopped into small pieces
- 1 or 2 small onions, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 medium russet potato
- 2 medium to large sweet potatoes
- salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, cinnamon, other seasonings
- approx. 6 cups liquid
- 2-3 dollops nonfat or 2% plain Greek yogurt
Other items:
- Large soup/stock pot
- Immersion blender!
What to do:
- Coat your pot with olive oil and heat over medium heat.
- Add the turkey sausage (I’ve been on a real sausage kick lately. It’s just so easy to work with) and let it brown.
- Roughly chop the onions and garlic. Add to pot.
- Try your best to remove the majority of the sausage from the pot and set aside. You could do this before adding the onions and garlic, but I wanted to let the flavors all cook together before removing it.
- Let the onions and garlic cook while you peel and roughly chop the potatoes. Add those to the pot, too. Stir.
- Season with salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, a bit of cinnamon, and/or whatever else you have a taste for.
- Add liquid. I used about 3 cups water and 2-3 cups vegetable stock. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil.
- Cover, reduce heat to low, and let simmer for 45-60 minutes, or until the potatoes are nice and tender.
- Remove from heat, let cool slightly, and carefully puree using an immersion blender.
- Slowly whisk in 2-3 dollops of Greek yogurt. It’s important to add it a little bit at a time, and while the soup isn’t too hot, so it blends in smoothly without curdling. Or, add the yogurt after serving into bowls. That way, you can adjust according to your individual tastes.
- Return to heat and bring back to serving temperature, if necessary.
This soup was very yummy and definitely hit the spot on this cold, rainy day. I’m slightly obsessed with soup. Not only because it tastes delicious, but it’s also fun and souper (see what I did there?) easy to make!
This reheats well in the microwave, too, so make a big pot and have it for lunch throughout the week!
Remember that time when I love to pretend I’m Portuguese (and a good cook) and make this delicious Portuguese Caldo Verde soup all the time?
Well, it just happened again. I’m re-posting this recipe (my own version of it this time) simply because I just love it that much. Now that I’ve had some practice, I think I’ve mastered it on my own (sorta).
Ingredients:
- olive oil
- 1 large sausage link
- 10 russet potatoes
- 2 large (or 4 small) yellow onions
- 2 cloves garlic
- salt
- pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 4(ish) cups water
- 4(ish) cups of vegetable or chicken stock (or broth, but you may need to adjust according to how it tastes. I tend to stick with the vegetable stock)
- 1 bunch (or about 6 cups) of collard greens
Other items:
- Large soup or stock pot
- Handheld (immersion) blender (note: GET ONE OF THESE NOW! so so so handy)
What to do:
- Place your pot on the burner over medium-low heat. Coat with a bit of olive oil.
- Cut your sausage into large pieces and place in the pot (I like to use smoked turkey sausage. You’re supposed to use a Portuguese pork sausage called Chourico). Let them brown while you prepare the potatoes.
- Peel your potatoes and set aside. Peel and roughly chop your onions.
- Place onions into pot, slice potatoes into one-inch slices, and add to pot.
- Stir the potato and onion mixture and remove the sausages.
- Add garlic cloves (roughly chopped), a pinch of salt and pepper, the bay leaf, water, and stock or broth. Add about 1/4 cup olive oil. Stir.
- Turn to high heat and let boil for 15-20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.
- Meanwhile, wash your collard greens (you can also use kale, but collard greens work better, taste better in this soup, and I think they’re cheaper, too) and slice into very thin slices (this will take some TLC, especially if you’re using kale).
- Remove pot from heat, remove bay leaf, and (VERY CAREFULLY) puree with your immersion blender. Return to heat.
- Place the sausage back in the pot, along with the sliced greens. Cook for a few minutes, until the greens are nice and soft.
- Remove the sausage and slice into very thin slices. Set aside.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with 3-4 slices of sausage.
Notes: I didn’t use any salt until the very end, and no pepper at all. You’ll just have to adjust according to your tastes. If the soup tastes bland, add salt and pepper, or a bit of extra olive oil.
This makes a giant pot of soup, which is perfect for lunch and with dinner throughout the week, but if you want less, cut all measurements in half. It reheats well in the microwave or over medium heat on the stove. Store the sausage separate from the soup so it doesn’t get soggy in the fridge.
I love this soup! Especially on chilly fall days like today. It’s warm, thick, and soothing*, but not too hardy or filling. I highly suggest trying it out!
*I will not make dirty jokes, I will not make dirty jokes, I will not make dirty jokes
