White Bean Chicken Chili

I remember the very first time I had White Bean Chicken Chili.  My husband and I had gone out for lunch to Brueggers Bagels.  The soup of the day was White Bean Chicken Chili.  My husband said, "that sounds good and I think I will try it."  He did and of course I had to steal a taste.  Guess what, I liked it.  So I found a recipe by McCormick Seasonings that we tried and have tweaked.  

Recently, I was looking on Allrecipes and came across Chef John and I decided to give this recipe a try. Wow, the ancho chili powder and chipotle pepper powder gives it some great flavor and a bit of a kick.  I am convinced this will be my go to White Bean Chicken Chili recipe for now on... Thanks Chef John!!!

White Bean Chicken Chili

Ingredients

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1 large onion, diced

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon ancho chile powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon chipotle pepper powder

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon fine cornmeal

2 cups chicken broth, divided

2 (15 ounce) cans white beans, drained

1 cup chicken broth

1/4 teaspoon white sugar, or to taste

1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste

1/3 cup chopped green onions

1/3 cup sour cream

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. Heat 1 teaspoon vegetable oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts and cook until browned, about 4 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, flip breasts, cover the pan, and cook until browned on the other side, about 5 minutes. Remove to a plate and allow to cool before chopping into cubes.

2. Return skillet to medium heat, add 1 teaspoon vegetable oil, onion, salt, and black pepper. Cook and stir until onion turns translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

3. Stir ancho chili powder, cumin, flour, chipotle pepper powder, and oregano into the onion mixture; cook and stir for 2 to 3 minutes. Add 1 cup of the chicken broth and stir, scraping up any brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Stir in cornmeal and bring to a simmer.

4. Stir in beans and 1 more cup chicken broth. Cut cooled chicken breasts into cubes, add to the chili and bring to a simmer. Add remaining cup of chicken broth, season with salt, black pepper, sugar, and cayenne pepper to taste; cook until heated through. Serve garnished with green onions, sour cream, and cilantro.

Spinach and Strawberry Salad

Every weekend I sit down, usually Saturday morning while having my coffee and I make my menu for the week.  I generally buy only what is on my list.  So I never have extra ingredients in my refrigerator to make spur of the moment recipes.  This week I happen to have extra strawberry and spinach.  

Spinach and Strawberry Salad

Ingredients

2 bunches spinach, rinsed and torn into bite-size pieces

4 cups sliced strawberries

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 teaspoon paprika

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

Directions

1. In a large bowl, toss together the spinach and strawberries.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, sugar, paprika, sesame seeds, and poppy seeds. Pour over the spinach and strawberries, and toss to coat.

* I think the next time I made this I will use a Balsamic Vinegar.  This recipe was good as written but I think the Balsamic will elevate the flavors.  I used Mazola Cholesterol Free Canola Oil.

#allstarsmazola®

Pork Carnitas with Cilantro Tomatillo Sauce

This is the first recipe Mazola® has selected for the Allrecipes Allstars in the month of March.

Pork Carnita with Cilantro Tomatillo Sauce

Ingredients:

1 pound pork shoulder

2 tablespoons Mazola® Corn Oil

1/4 cup chopped onions

1/2 teaspoon Spice Islands Garlic Powder

1 tablespoon Spice Islands Chili Powder

1/4 teaspoon Spice Islands Chipotle Chile Powder

2 tomatillos, finely chopped

1/2 cup finely chopped tomatoes

1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

4 corn tortillas

Directions:

Cut pork into 1 inch cubes; season with salt and pepper.  Heat oil in large skillet or Dutch oven.  Add pork, onions, garlic powder, chili powder and chipotle chile powder; saute 3 to 5 minutes to brown the meat.

Add enough water to barely cover pork.  Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes.  Remove lid and continue to simmer an additional 45 minutes or until liquid has evaporated.

Combine chopped tomatillos, tomatoes and cilantro in a small bowl.

Place an equal amount of pork on each tortilla.  Top with tomatillo salsa.  

** I tweeked the recipe by adding salt, pepper and a little lime juice to the salsa.  I also used the Mazola® Cholesterol Free Corn Oil they sent me.  

My family really liked this recipe.  My husband kept saying, "wow this is good."  So it is keeper in my book.  We will be making this again.

#AllstarsMazola®