Chicken Chili

As promised, although a day late - here is the recipe for the Chicken Chili I made on Sunday. This recipe comes from the Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook.

Chicken Chili

Makes 4 servings

8 points per serving

Ingredients:

4 tsp olive oil

1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 red onion, chopped

3/4 pound ground chicken (I actually used ground turkey, it was on sale)

1 T all-purpose flour

1 T chili powder

1 T ground cumin

1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Three 14.5 oz cans crushed tomatoes (I used two quarts of homemade canned tomatoes)

2 T balsamic vinegar

3/4 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1. In a large nonstick dutch oven or saucepan, heat the oil. Saute the bell peppers and onion until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken; cook, breaking apart with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 5-7 minutes.

2. Sprinkle with the flour, chili powder, cumin, cocoa powder and cayenne; cook, stirring briskly and constantly, 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes and vinegar; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring frequently, until thick, 30-40 minutes. Stir in the chickpeas; simmer until heated through, about 5 minutes.

Per serving: 377 calories, 16g fat, 37 g carbs, 6g fiber, 25g protein

Add some shredded cheese to the top but don't forget to add in the points if you're following Weight Watchers!

Corn Chowder in the Wintertime

Winter is upon us here in Vermont. We received 33" so far and it's still snowing outside. The National Weather Service said we hit an all time high, or at least an all time high in the last 120 years, since they started tracking snowfall. I love snow but I don't love it this much!

When we get snow like this, all I want to do is snuggle inside the house with a cup of soup and a good movie. The New Year is upon us and so is my dedication to eating healthy and getting back on track with Weight Watchers. I made a batch of Corn Chowder and Chicken Chili for supper tonight. (I'll share the recipe for the Chicken Chili tomorrow). For now - here is the Corn Chowder one.



Corn Chowder
Makes 4 Servings, 4 Points each
Rating 4.5 out of 5 stars



Ingredients:
2 slices turkey bacon, cut into 1/2" pieces
1 onion, chopped
1/2 yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 medium all-purpose potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 cups whole corn kernels
1/4 cup light cream

1. In a medium nonstick saucepan, cook the bacon in 2 tablespoons water until crisp. With a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel; dicard the liquid.

2. Add the onion, bell pepper and 2 tsp water to the saucepan; saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the broth and potatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, until the potatoes are almost tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in the corn; simmer 5 minutes longer. Remove from the heat; cool slightly.

3. Transfer 2 cups of the soup to a food processor or blender; puree. Pour back into the saucepan; stir in the cream and heat to a serving temperature. Serve, topped with the bacon pieces.


This was really yummy. It sure didn't taste "healthy" or like I was skimping in flavor at all.

As requested, Here are the nutritional values:
Per Serving (1 1/2 cups) 209 calories, 8 g Total Fat, 4g Saturated Fat, 22mg Cholesterol, 175mg Sodium, 30g Total Carbs, 4g Fiber, 6g Protein, 28mg Calcium.

Roasted Pumpkin Soup

I have been on this cooking kick lately. I absolutely love trying new recipes and last week I had some pumpkin soup that a friend of mine made. I used his recipe last night and made my own, very close to his, version of the soup. It was delicious!

Perfect recipe for when you are on a blended or full liquid diet.

Roasted Pumpkin Soup

(photo courtesy of Better Health)

Prep Time: 5 min. Total Time: 40 min.

Serves 4 - Weight Watcher Points 4 per serving

2 3/4 pounds sugar pumpkin, halved and seeded

1 leek, sliced and rinsed

2 shitake mushrooms, steemed, caps wiped clean

1 garlic clove, peeled

2 T olive oil

5 cups fat-free chicken broth (or vegetable broth)

2 tsp cayenne pepper

salt and pepper, to taste

4 T fat-free sour cream

Preheat oven to 450. Cut pumpkin into 2" pieces. Place on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and 2 tsp salt; toss to coat, then spread in a single layer on baking sheet. Roast pumpkin until it is tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, about 30 minutes. Let cool, then remove skins.

Saute the onions, mushroom and garlic in a stock pot until softened.Pour in 2 cups stock; puree with an imersion blender until smooth. With the blender running, slowly add remaining 3 cups stock, and puree until smooth. Bring soup just to a simmer. Remove from heat, and seasonwih cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Cover to keep warm.Serve with a 1T of fat free sour cream.

What autumn favorites do you enjoy?

Pulled Chicken and Chili Spiced Fries

Here's another review from the Comfort Classics cookbook from Weight Watchers. This time around we have the Pulled Chicken Sandwiches and the Chili-Spiced Thick Oven "Fries".

I didn't really care for the pulled chicken. It needed more of a kick to it. I would have preferred bottled bbq sauce over making my own. The oven fries, were delish. Definitely something I'll be making again. Especially since it's only 2 points per serving.

Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

Prep-10 min * Cook-25 min * Serves 4

1/2 cup ketchup
2 T packed dark brown sugar
1 T yellow mustard
1 T apple-cider vinegar
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp ground allspice
1/8 tsp ground ginger
4 (1/4 lb) skinless, boneless chicken things (I used chicken breast), trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
8 slices whole wheat bread, toasted (I used hamburger rolls)
12 bread and butter pickle slices (I didn't use these)

Stir the ketchup, sugar, mustard, vinegar, chili powder, cumin, allspice, and ginger together in a medium skillet; add the chicken and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is tender, 20-25 minutes.

Remove from the heat and shred the chicken with 2 forks. Serve the chicken mixture between the bread slices with the pickles on the side.

7 points per serving * 2/5 Rating


Chili-Spiced Thick Oven "Fries"

Prep-10 min * Bake-25 min * Serves 4


3 large (8oz) russet potatoes, scrubbed (I peeled mine)
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Preheat the oven to 450. Spray a large rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray.

Halve the potatoes and cut each piece lengthwise into quarters; place on the baking sheet. Drizzle with the oil and toss to coat. Arrange the potatoes in a single layer and bake until the bottoms are deep golden and crisp, about 15 minutes. Turn the potatoes onto the opposite cut side and bake until crisp, 10-15 minutes longer.

Meanwhile, combine the sugar, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the fries and toss to coat.

2 Points per Serving * 5/5 Rating

Caribbean Beef Stew with Coconut Basmati Rice

You know, I've never really tried a sweet potato. I think I may have had a bite of one baked in the oven, one Thanksgiving. I would always choose white potatoes over sweet potatoes even though the sweet are much better for you. When I spotted this stew recipe I debated on substituting the sweet potatoes with white ones. I'm glad that I didn't - the lightbulb finally went off and I am now a "liker" of sweet potatoes. They fit very well with this stew recipe.

I made this recipe as suggested but next time I'll save some time by cooking it in a crockpot. Plus, I'll add more coconut milk to the rice - I was disappointed that I couldn't taste the coconut at all.

Caribbean Beef Stew with Coconut Basmati Rice

Prep-15 min * Cook 1 HR 15 Min * Serves 6 * 7 Points

page 74 from the Comfort Classics cookbook by Weight Watchers

3/5 Rating

1 lb lean boneless beef bottom round, cut into 1" chunks
1 T jerk seasoning (I used cajun)
2 tsp olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (14.5 oz) reduced-sodium beef broth
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 lb fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1" pieces (I used 1 can instead)
2 cups water
1 cup brown basmati rice
1/2 cup (reduced-fat) coconut milk

Sprinkle the beef with seasoning. Heat the oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook, stirring occasionally, until broned, 4 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and broth; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the beef is almost tender, 45 minutes. Add the potatoes and simmer, covered, until almost tender, 15 minutes. Add the beans and simmer, covered until tender, about 6 minutes longer.

Meanwhile, to make the rice, bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the rice and coconut milk; return to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the rice is tender, about 40 minutes. Serve the stew with the rice.

Asian Kebabs

Last month I grabbed my Grill It! Weight Watchers cookbook and planned out my meals for the week. One of the dishes I made that week was a dish called Asian Beef Kebabs (pg. 40). My husband, who is a huge meat eater said it was some of the best meat he's ever eaten. That's a huge compliment in my household. Since he is also a hunter, he asked that I make that same recipe utilizing venison.

Here's the recipe for you to enjoy. Try it with beef, venison or even chicken.

Asian Kebabs

Makes 4 servings, 3 points each (utilizing beef)

1/4 C chopped scallions (we used some from our garden)

2 T reduced-sodium soy sauce

1 T minced peeled fresh ginger (I used 2 tsp dry)

1 T rice-wine vinegar

2 tsp canola oil

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

1 garlic clove, minced (I use 1 tsp of the pre-minced garlic)

3/4 pound lean beef tenderloin, cut into 16 strips (I used venison tenderloin instead)

1/4 cup Chinese mustard (optional)

Combine everything, excluding the mustard and put into a ziplock bag to marinate for at least 15 minutes or refrigerate overnight.

Remove the meat from the marinade and place on skewers. Discard remaining marinade. Place kebabs on grill and grill 5 minutes. Turn and grill an additional 5 minutes. Serve the kebabs with the mustard on the side.

Venison

Scallions from my garden

Marinade

Finished Kebab - Yummy!