Tag: avocado
Instant Pot White Chicken Chili? Yes We CAN!

Instant Pot White Chicken Chili? Yes We CAN!

By | | Comments 0 Comment

Ramping up for the holidays?  Here is a recipe that is easy, delicious and thanks to your handy dandy Instant Pot, ready in minutes.  You will need, first and foremost, a can opener.  Yep, a can opener, indispensable. You’ll also need, chicken, white beans (can), chicken stock or broth (can), roasted peppers (can), corn (yes, a can) and spices. Everything except the chicken, you’ll need a can opener.  Stupid easy.

I couldn’t let sleeping dogs lie, the original recipe from the blog Eat.Drink.Love. calls for onion powder and garlic powder.  I decided to use chopped onions and garlic cloves instead.  It adds a couple of minutes, but I like the texture and flavor of the onions and garlic.  Feel free to stick with the original if you like.

This really is quick and easy, perfect for a busy weekday night.  Ready in minutes, good the next day, and very kid friendly.

The recipe calls for chicken breast, you can use thighs instead if you prefer dark meat.  Any white bean will work, Kidney, Great Northern, Navy or Cannellini.  The recipe calls for a can of corn, which I misread and thought it was a can of creamed corn. I went with it and I actually liked it.  It adds a bit of sweetness and creaminess to the chili.  Consider decreasing the broth if you use creamed corn.  I also added a finely diced jalapeño pepper to give the chili an extra kick.  If the sauce seems a bit thin at the end, remove chicken and continue to cook sauce on saute’ function to reduce to desired thickness then add the shredded chicken back to the pot.

Between you and me, I love eating chili over macaroni or rice.   From Epicurious, favorite ways to eat chili.

Print Pin

INSTANT POT WHITE CHICKEN CHILI

Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword White Chicken Chili
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts halved lengthwise
  • 2 15-ounce cans white navy beans rinsed and drained
  • 1 15-ounce canned corn, drained or 1 15 ounce canned creamed corn + 1 cup frozen corn
  • 1 4-ounce can roasted diced green chiles
  • 2 cups low sodium chicken broth 1-1/2 cups if using creamed corn
  • 3 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder*
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder*
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

*Substitute 1 chopped yellow onion and 4 cloves of garlic finely chopped

  • 1 jalapeno pepper seeded and veined, finely diced (optional)

Toppings

  • shredded cheddar or jack cheese
  • diced avocado
  • sour cream
  • cilantro or sliced green onions

Instructions

  • *If using onions and garlic, on saute', add 1 tablespoon oil to Instant Pot. Add onions and garlic and saute' until soft. Proceed with recipe, omit garlic powder and onion powder
  • Place the chicken into the pressure cooker.
  • Pour in the beans, corn, chiles, and the broth. Then stir in the seasonings*
  • Cover with the lid and set valve to sealing position.
  • Cook on poultry setting for 15 minutes followed by a quick pressure release.
  • Shred the chicken with a fork and serve with desired toppings.
  • Can add additional seasonings if desired.
  • Garnish with toppings, serve immediately
Blueberry Avocado Spinach Salad (It’s Gettin Hot In Here, So Take Out All Your Salad Greens)

Blueberry Avocado Spinach Salad (It’s Gettin Hot In Here, So Take Out All Your Salad Greens)

By | | Comments 0 Comment

Woohoo, it is going to get really hot this weekend! When the temperature hits 3 digits it’s time to get out of the kitchen as fast as you can. Time for al fresco dining-cool, refreshing salads, sweet and juicy summer fruits along with an array of cheeses. A pitcher of thirst quenching Sangria…just maybe we can get through this heatwave.  I found a tasty and eye-catching salad from Over Easy by Joy the Baker (latest book and amazing blog) that I love. It’s my salad of the season, specifically, blueberry season, Blueberry Avocado Spinach Salad. The list of star-studded ingredients includes toasted hazelnuts, blueberries, avocados, and cucumbers. Dressed with a sweet, slightly tart dressing, it reminds me of the classic Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing from back in the day, it’s dee-licious.

Get to the farmer’s market now and pick up sweet, juicy peaches and nectarines along with your salad fixins!

I have gone crazy with this salad with additional yummies like pancetta “cracklins” or crispy bacon bits, thinly sliced red onions for some bite, or sliced hard-boiled eggs for protein, YUM.  The toasted hazelnuts have no substitute, their crunch and flavor are hard to beat in this salad and they go so well with blueberries, like Fred and Ginger.

The dressing is easy and quick.  Start with a squeeze of lemon juice, a dollop of dijon mustard, glop of honey and whisk in some EVOO.  Alternative easy method: throw it all in a bottle and shake, shake shake. Season with salt and pepper to taste and that’s it.  You don’t need no stinkin’ supermarket bottle stuff, nope.

This is a lovely salad, I hope you will try it. Share it with friends and family.

Blueberry Avocado Spinach Salad

Print Pin

Blueberry Avocado Spinach Salad

Perfect during blueberry season, a spinach salad with avocado, slices of hard-boiled egg and hazelnuts all of which compliments blueberries dressed with honey mustard dressing.
Course dinner, first course, lunch, Salad
Cuisine American
Keyword avocado, blueberry, Caesar Salad, hazelnuts, honey mustard dressing, spinach
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

The Dressing

  • 2 tbsp Honey
  • 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
  • ¼ tsp. sea salt
  • ¼ tsp. black pepper
  • 4 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
  • ¼ cup olive oil

The Fixings

  • 6 cups Baby spinach (generous cups) washed, rinsed and dried
  • 1 cup fresh blueberries
  • 1 cup English or Persian cucumber thinly sliced
  • 1/3 cup toasted hazelnuts coarsely chopped
  • 1 ripe avocado thinly sliced
  • 1-2 hard-boiled eggs sliced

Instructions

  • Whisk together honey, mustard, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Whisk in lemon juice. Add olive oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly, until mixture is emulsified and thick. Taste, and season with additional salt and pepper as desired.
  • Toss together spinach, blueberries, cucumber and 1/2 of the hazelnuts in a large bowl. Drizzle dressing over the salad, and toss to combine. Sprinkle with remaining hazelnuts. Top with avocado.

Notes

Optional adds:
2 hard boiled eggs, sliced, Bacon or pancetta bits fried crisp, as little or as much as you like,
1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced, or
2 green onions, sliced
 
 

 
What’s Up Doc? (Roasted Carrots with Avocado)

What’s Up Doc? (Roasted Carrots with Avocado)

By | | Comments 0 Comment

Though I am not a vegetarian by any stretch of the imagination we have definitely cut back on our carnivorous ways.  I find myself perusing cookbooks, favorite blogs or magazines for recipes that showcase vegetables.  This recipe for Roasted Carrots and Avocado Salad from Smitten Kitchen caught my eye and with Jamie home for the weekend, it was time to give it a whirl.

Wow.

Just wow.

Aside from being visually stunning.  This salad is absolutely delicious!  The different textures and flavors play off of each other.  The warm carrots with the cool yogurt and avocado, the crunch from the seeds against the creaminess of the avocado.  Sweetness from the citrus dressing compliments the cumin and coriander.  I could go on and on but I think you should just stop reading, skip to the recipe at the end of this post and MAKE this salad.  Really.

 

carrots

Great dishes invite imitation but often with a personal twist or tweak by each chef, this is no exception.  I found versions of this salad on NYT cooking, Jamie Oliver and the Spotted Pig.  Variations included using sour cream instead of yogurt, different spices, pumpkin seeds instead of sesame seeds, arugula for the sprouts.  Use you imagination.  I plan on adding orange segments, a pinch of smoke paprika next time and maybe some cilantro.  Can’t wait to make this dish again!

Print Pin

What’s Up Doc? (Roasted Carrots with Avocado Salad)

Ingredients

For carrots:

  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons teaspoon cumin seeds toasted and cooled or ground cumin
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons coriander seeds toasted and cooled, ground coriander instead
  • 2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
  • 1 teaspoon coarse or kosher salt plus more to taste
  • Red chile flakes to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 4 garlic cloves minced or pressed
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 3 pounds thin-to-medium carrots scrubbed, not peeled; mixed colors if possible
  • 1 -2 oranges cut into segments, reserve 1/2 of an orange uncut for the dressing (segments optional)
  • 1/4-1/3 cup cilantro leaves optional

To finish

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons orange juice from about 1/4 orange
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice from about 1/2 lemon
  • 1 large or 2 medium firm-ripe avocados cut in thin slices
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 to 2 cups radish sprouts other sprouts or light salad greens of your choice
  • 1/4 cup plain non-fat or 2% Greek yogurt or sour cream
  • 2 tablespoons roasted hulled pumpkin seeds sunflower seeds, toasted sesame seeds or a mix thereof

Instructions

  • Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
  • Cover 1 large baking sheet or shallow roasting pan with foil. Pour 1/4 cup water in bottom of pan
  • Make your spice paste by either pounding the cumin, coriander, thyme, salt and peppers in a mortar and pestle until roughly ground or using an electric spice grinder or small food processor to do the same.
  • If using ground spices, combine them in the bottom of a bowl large enough to fit carrots.
  • In bottom of bowl, combine prepared spices, salt and pepper, garlic, vinegar and 1/4 cup olive oil and whisk to blend. Add carrots and toss to coat evenly.
  • Spread carrots in prepared pan, drizzle with extra marinadeand cover tightly with foil. Roast for 25 minutes covered then remove the foil and roast for additional 35 minutes, until the carrots are lightly browned and tender but not falling apart.
  • Meanwhile, combine 2 tablespoons olive oil, orange and lemon juices in a small bowl with salt and pepper.
  • When carrots are done, scatter with avocado, sprouts or greens of choice and orange segments then drizzle with citrus dressing
  • Dollop yogurt or sour cream over the top and sprinkle with seeds.
  • Enjoy!

 

 
Chicken Tortilla Soup from The #2 Jamigo-Jamie

Chicken Tortilla Soup from The #2 Jamigo-Jamie

By | | Comments 0 Comment

Hello! Before you get all excited to read what cool new post this blog has to offer, let me stop you right there.  It’s time to get really excited because, yes, this is not Debbie writing.  Fortunately, good ‘ol Deb here decided to let her daughter, Jamie, (that’s me!) take a whack at blogging.  So buckle up readers and followers (all 3 of you?) for an exciting glimpse of what it’s like to be a 19 year old girl living all alone for the first time, a good 2,000 miles away from her family in the—rather stormy—city of Houston, Texas.  

Whenever I tell people that I’m living in Houston for the summer, they always ask…..why..?  Why would you ever leave the great state that is California, equipped with superb weather surrounded by mountains and beaches and awesome food? And for a second, I nod and smile, and in my head wonder if I am, in fact, a crazy person for doing such a thing. Houston definitely is different from Los Gatos.  It rains here, a lot.  And I’m not talking just a light drizzle every now and then.  I’m talking hurricanes and tropical storms(whaddup trop storm Bill?) that DUMP rain and wind onto Houston and cause flash floods and rattle the windows in my room. 

Did I mention that it’s a constant 90-plus degrees, too?

I also am not in possession of a car, which is quite inconvenient to get around Houston, and if it weren’t for my 8-5 job, I would probably stay holed up in my room watching Netflix all day—which is what I do after I get home from work.  But after that second is over, I realize that I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Houston is an awesome city, once you get out and about.  It’s diverse and fast-paced and always fun to explore.  For once in my life I’m earning a steady paycheck, paying rent, buying my own food, navigating through a completely new city, and making my own decisions.  I feel like a grown-up, and I’m pretty darn proud of myself.

Have You Eaten Yet?

But what you never realize before you start living on your own is how much you’ll miss your mom.  I never notice until I go home and follow her around like a puppy dog.  So, on days when I especially miss her, I like to cook recipes that she always makes me.  The other day, I decided to make her chicken tortilla soup—a slightly spicy, warm, and cheesy bowl of goodness that reminds me of home.

Note:  Skip the tortillas and serve tortilla chips on the side for folks to add with other garnishes, Or fry tortilla strips and serve them on the side instead of adding to the soup. Yes, they thicken the soup but sometimes I’m going for a lighter soup.

Sometimes my mom will add corn or black beans to the soup transforming the soup into a hearty meal in a bowl!  It is a super flexible soup, add any veggies you like, chayote, and squash would go well.  Think of this as a yummy version of Stone Soup.

Print Pin

Chicken Tortilla Soup

A delicious South of the Border Chicken Soup!
Course soul food, Soup
Cuisine Mexican, tex-mex
Keyword Chicken Tortilla soup
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients

The Soup

  • 1/2-1 cup chopped yellow onion Oh for goodness sakes, 1 medium onion, use the whole thing
  • 3 cloves garlic peeled and finely chopped
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin like cumin? Add more
  • 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon chili powder spicier? Add more
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 8 cups fat-skimmed chicken broth
  • 14 ounces fire-roasted tomatoes (canned) diced canned tomatoes can be substituted
  • 4 ounce can of Dice Green Chilis or use any fresh pepper, green bell pepper, Anaheim pepper, saute' with onions. Or you can char-grill them and peel and dice and add to soup.
  • 1 1/2 pounds boned, skinned chicken breasts or start with bone-in chicken breasts, bones add flavor. Allow to simmer a little longer,~ 15-20 minutes.
  • Salt
  • 6 corn tortillas 6 in. wide See notes for substitute

The Garnishes

  • 1 firm-ripe avocado cubed or thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro chopped
  • 8 ounces Any cheese that melts would work Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Mozarella, Cotija
  • Diced green onions or white onions
  • Tortilla strips or chips
  • 1 lime cut into wedges

Adds-feel free to add more veggies or beans to this soup!

  • 1 cup Corn, canned or frozen
  • 1 15 ounce can Black Beans, drained
  • 1 chayote, zuchinni-diced and added to soup during simmer

Instructions

  • In a 5- to 6-quart nonstick pan over medium heat, stir onion, garlic, cumin, oregano, chili powder, and pepper until spices are fragrant, about 1 minute. Add broth, tomatoes (including juice), and green chilies. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat.
  • Add chicken breasts to the broth and return it to a boil over high heat then reduce heat immediately and simmer until chicken is cooked through (cut to test), about 10 minutes. Remove chicken and set aside to cool.
  • Meanwhile, stack tortillas and cut into 1/8-inch-wide strips. Add to boiling broth. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. This is the traditional way of making tortilla soup. Add optional vegetables, corn or beans at this point also. See notes for blasphemous shortcuts, lol...
  • Shred chicken. Cut the avocado in half, remove the pit and peel it. Thinly slice or cube and place in a shallow bowl. Shred cheese and place in a bowl.
  • Before serving, season soup to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into soup bowls, garnish with cilantro, avocado, green onions and cheese. I usually leave all these fixings in bowls for folks to help themselves!