Beans and Greens Chicken Chili

I love a one-pot situation that is full of flavor and health, so I came up with this awesome chicken chili recipe recently. I call it Beans and Greens Chicken Chili. I used black beans, cannellini beans and baby kale to up the healthy factor. Frozen corn adds a pop of color.

You could easily swap out the chicken for ground turkey. Spinach could replace the kale if you aren't a fan. 

This is easy to freeze as well, so double the batch if you would like!

Please note the recipe does not call for any salt. This is due to the Goya Adobo seasoning, which already contains salt. If you wish to swap out the Adobo seasoning for salt and black pepper, feel free! You may also add more salt during your cooking process. I tend to use a lot less salt than most recipes call for. Just a personal taste.

Beans and Greens Chicken Chili

Makes 4 big servings

Ingredients:

 1 onion

1 jalapeno

4 cloves garlic

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 lb. ground chicken

1 tsp. Adobo seasoning

1 tsp. cumin

1 Tbsp chili powder

1/2 tsp. coriander

flour

2 cups chicken broth

1 19-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed

5 ounces baby kale

1/2 cup frozen corn

1/2 cup- 1 1/2 cups of water, if desired

Lime juice, chopped scallions, shredded cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips to serve

Instructions:

In a dutch oven, add olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and jalapeno, saute for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic, saute for a minute. Add ground chicken. Stir until well browned. 

Add Adobo, cumin, chili powder, coriander. Stir and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add flour. Stir until well blended.

Add broth, 1/2 cup water, cannellini beans, black beans, corn and kale. Simmer over low heat partially covered for 15 minutes. Stir. Add another 1/2 cup of water if desired, simmer for another 15 minutes. For the third and final time, stir and add another 1/2 cup of water if desired. 

Let chili rest. Serve with a squeeze of lime juice, scallions, shredded cheese and/or sour cream, if desired. 

Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup

 Colorful. Flavorful. And Freezable.

Three words I love in soup.

I found this Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup on the Pinterest. It is soooooo easy, and it's a healthy dish that is filling and full of veggies. 

The prep couldn't be easier. Just place ingredients in the crockpot and stir. Then shred the chicken before cooking for another thirty minutes. The recipe gives instructions for cooking on the low setting for 6 hours. I did it on the high setting for 4 hours, and it worked perfectly. If you want this to be more child friendly, you could use just plain chopped tomatoes to cut down on the spice factor. I used a nice fire-roasted. I also added a green bell pepper because I had one, and the more vedge the merrier in my opinion. 

Serve over rice, if you'd like. Top with cilantro, shredded cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips or strips. Avocado would be fab too, but I don't groove on that due to my food allergies. But you do you!

Sooo delish.

The recipe made a ton, so I froze a batch for later on in the winter. Yay for preparation!

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

From Kitchen Fun with My Three Sons

Makes 12 servings

3 chicken boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 packet fajita seasoning

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cans chopped tomatoes with chilies

1 can black beans, rinsed

1 can corn, drained

1 red bell pepper, chopped

4 cups chicken broth

1 bay leaf

1 Tbsp., chopped cilantro for garnish

1 cup tortilla strips, for garnish

Serve with: Shredded cheese, avocado, sour cream

Add chicken, onion, chopped tomatoes, black beans, corn, bell pepper, broth, bay leaf and fajita seasoning to the slow cooker. Mix with a spoon.

Cook on low for 6 hours. Shred chicken. Cook an additional 20 minutes.

Serve with cilantro, tortilla chips or your favorite toppings like sour cream, avocado or shredded cheese.

Please note: The Jersey Girl uses low-salt chicken broth. She added a green bell pepper and used fire-roasted tomatoes. She cooked this dish on high for 4 hours. After shredding the chicken, she added chopped cilantro and cooked on low for thirty minutes.

Fish Taco Fiesta

Mexican night is always a hit at my house. Especially when it's taco bar style. My son was obsessed with fish tacos when he was 4/5. I decided to resurrect them recently, even though our taco night has been chicken based in more recent years. My son loved them, once again. Yay!

The chipotle crema I serve with fish tacos is absolutely a must. Chipotle in adobo seems to last forever stored in the fridge. You can find a can of them in your Mexican aisle at the grocery. The crema adds so much flavor to the fish. I love it!

Any white fish will do, but we usually go with cod. I serve with a variety of toppings, black beans and rice. My black bean recipe is below. It's so delish!

Fish tacos:

Marinade:

(From closetcooking.com)

2 lbs. cod filets

2 Tbsp. chili powder

2 tsp. cumin

Salt and pepper to taste

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

Juice of 1-2 limes

(Makes 8 servings)

Whisk chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, oil and lime juice together to make marinade. Rub all over cod filets. Marinate filets for 20 minutes.

Preheat grill pan over medium high heat. In batches, grill cod five minutes per side. Remove to a covered dish. Repeat until all of the cod is grilled. Using forks, flake the fish. 

Chipotle Crema:

(From mylifeasamrs.com)

2/3 cup 1/2 and 1/2

3 Tbsp. sour cream

1 chipotle in adobo sauce

Juice of 1/2 lime

Salt and pepper

Add all ingredients into a blender. Puree on high until well combined. Chill in refrigerator until ready to serve. 

To serve and assemble:

Tortilla shells, soft or hard

Prepared fish (recipe above)

Chipotle Crema (recipe above)

Pico de Gallo salsa

Shredded lettuce

Chopped jalapeno

Chopped scallions

Mexican blend shredded cheese

Lime wedges

Place 1/3 cup fish on top of a warmed taco shell. Top with 1 Tbsp. crema and your favorite toppings and salsas. Serve with rice and beans. For my black bean recipe, see below.

Black Beans
1 1 lb., 13 oz. can of Goya black beans, drained and rinsed in a colander
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
3 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped
1 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. hot pepper sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Juice of 1 lime, optional

In a pan over medium heat, add oil. Once oil is heated, add jalapeno, garlic and onion. Saute for about 4 to 5 minutes. Add beans, cumin, hot pepper sauce and salt and pepper. Cook for about five more minutes. Add cilantro and lime juice. Cook for another minute.