Quinoa and Chicken Chili

I think this may be my favorite chili I've ever made. Not least because there is basically no prep; minimal chopping, just mix everything in the slow cooker and you come home to a hot, healthy, deliciously filling meal. Fantastic.

I hate it when chili is too watery. Watery chili is up there with slow drivers, one-upping moms, and workplace butt-kissers in my book of Things That Annoy Me. This chili came out the perfect consistency. Plus it makes lots for leftover lunches, which is even more of a bonus lately when I can't just throw together a sandwich (for lack of gluten-free bread, which I hope to rectify when I do grocery shopping tomorrow).

Speaking of gluten-free. I am so stoked for Easter brunch on Sunday. It's going to be a dairy and gluten fest. Then I'll go back to being good. I cannot pass on Easter brunch with dishes like egg and sausage pie, cheesy bread pudding, that I've been eating every Easter for my ENTIRE LIFE. Clearly.

You know what else would be good with this chili, assuming you are good with gluten and dairy? Biscuits. Always a good idea with chili. Oh, I happen to have posted a recipe for Best Drop Biscuits a while back. You're welcome.

QUINOA AND CHICKEN CHILI

Serves 8

Adapted from Everyday Reading

Use less salt if you are not using no-salt added canned goods.

• 1 540-mL can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 540-mL can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 796-mL can diced tomatoes (do not drain)
• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• optional toppings: chopped cilantro, diced avocado, shredded cheese, sour cream

Mix all ingredients up before chicken together in the crock of the slow cooker. Nestle chicken in the middle, ensuring chicken is submerged in liquid. Cook on low 6 to 9 hours. Shred chicken into chili prior to serving. Serve with desired toppings.

Cleanse Day 3

Yesterday was pretty easy. I think maybe already by body has stopped crying out for coffee and milk. I went to Zumba last night and I had tons of energy. I think I may make it the week.

I thought that I would feel like something was missing in our dinner of Black Bean Taquitos, but I made a quick salsa and avacado spread to dip them in and they were just fine. However, next time I make this recipe there will be cheese involved, and probably sour cream too.

Wednesday Day 3

Breakfast: Smoothie with protien powder (it was whey which is dairy, but I attribute this to my sanity yesterday), 1/4 avacado, 1/2 cup berries, kale, almond milk. Tea to drink.

Lunch: Egg salad sandwich on whole grain bread. Egg salad made with 3 eggs, 1 finely chopped celery stalk, 1 finely chopped dill pickle, 1 tbsp pumpkin puree, 1 tbsp mayo, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, salt and pepper.

Dinner: Black Bean Taquitos (recipe below) with salsa avacado dip. For dip mash 1/2 an avacado, add 1 tbsp salsa, a squeeze of lime juice, salt and pepper.

Dessert: Healthy Carrot Cake from Cook Yourself Thin on The Food Network, 1/2 kiwi, piece of dark chocolate. I know there is sugar in this cake, but there is no dairy (I didn't make the icing) and it has heart healthy nuts. Plus, I really needed to bake something... again, a sanity issue. I halved the recipe and baked it in 4 mini loaf pans for 25-30 minutes.

BLACK BEAN TAQUITOS

Sprinkle in some cheese before rolling the taquitos if desired.

• 1 onion, small dice
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• taco seasoning or make your own- i.e. chili powder, cumin, corriander seed, garlic powder, oregano, cayenne
• 1/2 can black beans, rinsed
• 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 4-5 canned plum tomatoes, crushed (I just squeeze them in my hand into the pan)
• 1 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley
• salt and pepper
• 6 small whole wheat tortillas

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Heat a large skillet with olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic, saute 2 minutes. Add red pepper, saute until vegetables are soft. Add taco seasoning, stir to combine. Add black beans, pumpkin, and tomatoes, heat through. With a potato masher, roughly mash the black beans. Remove from heat and add the parsley. Season with salt and pepper.

Add about 1/4 cup of bean filling to the bottom third of a tortilla. Roll, ensuring the filling all stays in the tortilla. Place on a baking sheet. Once all tortillas are filled, bake in the middle of the oven 15 minutes, or until taquitos are golden brown.

Two Years + 100th Post!

This post marks both 2 years of Four Seasons Kitchen AND my 100th post! I didn't even plan that, I swear. Actually, I really should have planned a bit. When I realized that both these blog milestones were coming this week I figured the recipe for this post should be an amazing one. However, we hadn't done grocery shopping for real food (just Thanksgiving food) for a couple of weeks. Hmm... what to make?

The best thing I've made lately was something I didn't think I would even post, let alone allow to represent these milestones. But the more I thought about it, it came to me that this dish really represents why I write this blog and how my cooking has evolved in the last few years. It is quick, easy, healthy, and unexpectedly delicious.

I started Four Seasons Kitchen because I wanted to share my recipes and inspire anybody reading to get cooking and try something new. Comparing posts from the start of this blog to now, I now put more thought into eating healthy, especially in the last year since Parker was born. Since my first post October 17, 2009 I have gotten married and had a child. Amazing.

So without further ado, here it is- Lentils with Chorizo, Brussels Sprouts, and Balsamic Vinegar.

Ok, a little more ado. I feel I have to justify this dish. I had some lentils, chorizo, and brussels sprouts hanging around in the fridge and I needed a quick lunch for myself and Parker. I wasn't sure I'd like what I had created but I figured it'd have to do cause I was starving. And the rest is history. I loved it and so did Parker (I know, the kid will eat anything). I beg you to try it. Report back on how much you like it. I won't even say I told you so.

One Year Ago: Sneaking in healthier foods

Two Years Ago: Caldo Verde Soup (also with chorizo, funnily enough)

LENTILS WITH CHORIZO, BRUSSELS SPROUTS, AND BALSAMIC VINEGAR

In true Four Seasons Kitchen style, this is not a recipe so much as a method. Use your judgement on amounts and seasoning. 

To cook lentils, cover dried lentils in a pan with water and add a carrot, celery stick, a couple whole cloves of garlic, half an onion, and a bay leaf. Simmer until lentils are tender, drain and remove vegetables and bay leaf. Can be frozen for quick meals.

• brussels sprouts, quartered
• olive oil
• dry chorizo sausage, sliced
• cooked lentils
• splash of balsamic vinegar
• salt and pepper

Heat a pan with olive oil over medium high heat. Add brussels sprouts and saute, turning them over a few times throughout cooking, until golden brown on all sides. Add a splash of water and cover pan. Let steam until brussels sprouts are just tender. If there is still some water in the pan, uncover and increase heat to high to let it evaporate.

Add chorizo, saute a couple of minutes. Add lentils to heat them through. Add a good splash of balsamic vinegar and cook until pan is almost dry. Season with salt and pepper.

Long time no post

I have photos of food that I wanted to post, I just haven't gotten around to it lately. Bad blogger, bad! Along with moving, I've also been preparing things ahead of time for when Tyler's family comes to our place for dinner on Boxing Day and making homemade gifts for people. I know- excuses, excuses. I will have lots to share after the holidays though- the food and gifts I made will be posted.

Today I have a Tex-Mex lasagna that I made last week. I had started to follow a recipe for a casserole, but it morphed into this lasagna and it turned out great!

TEX-MEX LASAGNA

• 1 onion, diced
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground white pepper
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 1/3 can tomato soup
• 1 cup salsa
• 2 tbsp adobo sauce (the sauce from a can of chipotle peppers)
• 4 oz (about 1/2 a tub) cream cheese
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• zest of 1 lime
• 2 cups grated cheese
• 12 fresh or dried lasagna noodles (if using dried pour about 1/2 cup water over lasagna before putting in the oven)

Lasagna filling: Saute onion, pepper, garlic with olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until softened. Add black beans, stir to warm through. Add coriander, cumin, white pepper, salt and black pepper. Stir to combine and toast the spices a little. Add soup, salsa, cream cheese, sour cream. Stir until simmering and cream cheese is melted through. Add lime zest, stir to combine and turn off heat.

To assemble the lasagna: Spread 1/2 cup of the filling in the bottom of the lasagna pan. Place 4 noodles on top. Spread 1/3 of filling over noodles. Top with 1/3 of the grated cheese. Repeat layers 2 more times. Cover with foil, bake approx. 30 minutes, or until it feels cooked through when a knife inserted in the middle.

**In the photo I topped the lasagna with crispy tortilla pieces after baking. This was a bad idea- it didn't add anything to the flavor or texture because they got soft anyways.

Flu Be Gone Soup

Actually, Flu Stay Away Soup. The "Be Gone" part sounded cooler, like something a snake doctor would sell. Yes, the flu arrived at my house in full force on my husband yesterday. I cannot get sick right now! We are leaving for Hawaii in less than a week! Tyler (oh! he has a name!) is on the mend so he'll be good by the time we leave, but it's crunch time for me. So I decided to make some fortifying soup with lots of vegetables- aka vitamins, aka pump up my immune system to keep the flu away. And as an added bonus, it's delicious. Any vegetables that you have can go into this- swiss chard or spinach instead of kale, sweet potato instead of squash, or just throw in some extra veggies on top of the ones in the recipe below- but add softer veggies like zuccini at the end with the beans. I didn't have any bread (I know, shock and horror) to make croutons as a garnish, but some bread cubed small, tossed with olive oil, and toasted in the oven would not go amiss sprinkled on top of a bowl of this (hopefully) fortifying elixir.

WINTER MINESTRONE

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, quartered and sliced
• 3 slices prosciutto, chopped*
• 1 leek, white part only, washed, sliced into half moons**
• 8 cups low sodium chicken stock
• 1 carrot, diced
  
• 1 large baking potato, diced into 1-inch cubes
• 1/2 butternut squash, diced into 1-inch cubes
• 1 14-oz can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 bunch kale, chopped
• 1 Parmesan rind, if available
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• salt and pepper to taste
• splash lemon juice

Heat olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add onion, cook for 3 minutes until slightly softened. Add prosciutto, cook 3 minutes. Add leeks, cook 3-5 minutes until softened. Add chicken stock, carrot, potato, squash, Parmesan, and thyme. Bring to a boil (I add the stock and then dice the potatoes, adding as I chop- quicker this way).

Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes and squash are cooked through, 15-20 minutes. Add beans and kale, simmer 5 minutes to warm through and meld flavors.

Remove thyme stems and Parmesan rind. Add splash of lemon juice. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.

*I roll them up together then slice into ribbons, then run my knife through again
**Leeks are very sandy- I slice them lengthwise and run them under water to remove the dirt