Who says you have to save the best soup and chowder recipes for winter? This roasted corn and poblano chowder is awesome and a perfect summertime treat! Roasted Corn and Poblano Chowder 1 poblano peppers, halved lengthwise 3 Tablespoons oil 4 cups frozen (or fresh) corn 4 slices turkey bacon 1 onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 7 cups chicken broth 1 pound red potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes 1/4 cup half and half 6 corn tortillas 1 Tablespoon cilantro 1 lime, half sliced into wedges and half juiced crumbled queso fresco If the poblano brown before the corn, remove them from the tray, place them in a paper bag to rest for 10 minutes.
Heat 1 Tablespoon oil in dutch oven and add onion. Cook until softened. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds.
Remove from heat and stir in half and half. Add pureed mixture to chowder along with chopped poblanos 1 T. chopped cilantro and juice from 1/2 lime. Prepare topping ingredients: cilantro, lime wedges, queso fresco, bacon and tortilla chips. Serve chowder with toppings of your choice. I ate the leftovers of this chili for lunch for a solid week. It was DELICIOUS. It may be 100 degrees outside but that isn't going to stop me from turning down the air conditioner and heating up a giant bowl of chowder.
Ciao!
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It happened almost immediately. I got my personal chef license and NOBODY wanted to cook for me anymore. Nothing had changed really - I didn't become a picky eater or turn into a weird food snob but all of a sudden, everyone was afraid that I would be critical of their food. I get it, it can be intimidating to invite a foodie over for dinner but quite honestly, we're far less critical that you might think. Believe it or not, I had to even convince my own family that I really wanted them to take a turn in the cooking. They just assumed that I was the "best" cook in the house and that I really didn't wouldn't want to eat anything that they made. The truth is, my very favorite meals are the ones that someone else has prepared for me. Last winter the neighborhood that I live in hosted a chili cookoff. It was a great opportunity to taste all sorts of homemade chili recipes. I cooked a batch of chili to submit for the competition but to be honest, I didn't even eat any of my own - I was much more excited about tasting everyone else's chili. One of my favorites was a white chicken chili recipe. Did I mention how thankful I am for friends who share their recipes with me too? White Chicken Chili 1 Tablespoon oil 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into cubes 1 onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 cans cannelini beans, rinsed and drained 2 cups chicken broth 7 ounces green chilies, diced 1/2 poblano chili, diced 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon cumin 1 teaspoon oregano 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 cup sour cream 1/2 cup heavy cream
Ladle into bowls and serve. Gotta love having friends who are not only willing to cook for me and my family but also willing to share their recipes with me. I've got some of the best friends around.
Ciao! I've never been a big fan of fast food restaurants but I do have to admit that they are offering healthier items on their menus lately. Fresh salads, healthy soups and even vegetarian options are becoming more common in fast food chains. I recently learned that by December 2016, the FDA is going to require any facility that is part of a chain with 20 or more locations will be required to post calories on menus and menu boards and provide other nutrient information in writing to help fill a critical information gap and help consumers make informed and healthful dietary choices.
I could probably live without knowing how many calories are in my giant popcorn bucket at the movie theater BUT I love that I will be able to see calorie information about my lunch choices before I order. A lot of times I will choose a salad because I assume it would be lower in calories than other menu choices but sometimes, it isn't the healthiest option. Having calorie counts on the menu board is one of the reasons that I like to go to Chick Fil A. I have to admit that I was a little surprised by some of the menu items. I recently learned that a cup of their tortilla soup has 22 grams of protein and only 260 calories - AND its delicious. I like it so much that I decided to recreate their yummy tortilla soup recipe at home. Chicken Tortilla Soup 3 Tbsp olive oil 1 medium onion, diced 4-oz can diced green chilies 1 taco seasoning packet (use hot or mild depending on your preference) 6 cups chicken broth 15 oz can black beans 15 oz cans navy beans 1 cup frozen corn 3 cups cooked, shredded chicken 2 Tablespoons flour 1 cup heavy cream 1 cup tortilla strips
Whisk together remaining 1 cup broth and flour. Add to soup mixture. Add cream and stir to combine. I'm pretty sure that the Chick Fil A version of this yummy soup has either less or no heavy cream at all. I think I'll do some experimenting with the amount of cream next time that I make this. (Maybe I can even swap it out for low fat milk.) Someone thought my soup smelled intoxicating. I hope that this bowl of hearty warm soup hits the spot on this chilly Tuesday afternoon.
Ciao! It's starting to feel like Fall around here which means that I've launched myself into yard tasks of gargantuan proportions. This year, I decided to add not one, but two - GIGANTIC flower beds to my back yard. They are long overdue and they will look amazing when they're finished but right now - in the middle of the digging process - I have to remind myself why I ever started this project in the first place. Spending an afternoon digging up flower beds sounds exciting but trust me - it's not all glamorous. :) It does take a lot of energy and it doesn't leave me with much extra energy to get dinner for my family. All I feel like doing after a long day of digging in flower beds is to take a long soak in a tub filled with bubbles. Spending the day working in the yards is tiring AND it makes me crave food that's warm and hearty and delicious. But without a lot of energy to spare, it needs to be easy to prepare too. Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup to the rescue. I would call this soup SEMI homemade. It is REALLY good and it definitely hits the spot after a day of digging. Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup 2 chicken bouillon cubes 4 cups of chicken soup stock 1 cup water 5 Tablespoons of butter 2 cups chopped carrots 2 cups chopped celery 1 cup chopped onion 2-10 oz. cans of cream of chicken soup 2 cups half and half 3 Tablespoons of butter 3 Tablespoons of all-purpose flour 2 cups of cooked diced chicken 4 cups of cooked noodles Salt and Pepper to taste
I kept my creamy chicken noodle soup meal super simple. A handful of crackers and a sliced apple is all that I needed to complete this yummy dinner. It was delicious AND there are plenty of leftovers for the rest of the week. As for the flower beds - well, they're coming along nicely. I have lots more work to do and hopefully some nice Fall weather while I work.
Ciao! Atlanta is bracing for a winter storm this afternoon. The Governor even issued a state of emergency for 50 counties in Georgia starting at 2:00 this afternoon! In lieu of this information - I made a gigantic mistake - I went to the grocery store!!! (Along with several hundred panicked Georgians.) At nine o'clock this morning, there were only a few loaves of bread left on the shelf and less than 6 gallons of whole milk was all the remained in the dairy case. Most of the shoppers had carts full of soup and bread and I was pushing my cart full of Cheerios and dog food through the supermarket. I also picked up a few vegetables because nothing tastes better to me on a cold winter night and a plate full of roasted root vegetables. Serve these veggies along side a nice big pot roast or roasted chicken and you've got yourself a warm, hearty dinner - perfect for a cold February night. Maple Balsamic Roasted Vegetables 5 thin carrots, peeled and cut 3 small white potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" cubes 1red onion, sliced thickly 1 pound parsnips, peeled and sliced 3 zucchini, peeled and cut into 1/2" disks 1 eggplant, peeled and cut into cubes 1/3 cup olive oil 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon pepper 1 1/2 teaspoons Herb De Provence 1/2 cup maple syrup 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar Fresh rosemary Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl combine all of the vegetables. Combine oil, salt, pepper and herbs and toss to coat well. Pour over vegetables and toss to coat. Transfer to a cookie sheet. Place in the oven and cook for about 45 minutes, checking that the point of a sharp knife spears the vegetables easily. White vegetables are roasting, prepare sauce. Combine maple syrup and balsamic vinegar. Place the maple syrup and balsamic vinegar in a pan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer slowly until it has reduced by about half and is nice and thick. Once the vegetables are ready, lightly drizzle some of the syrup over them and return to the oven for 5 more minutes. Serve with fresh rosemary. Stay warm tonight friends and with any luck, I'll be posting some snow pictures tomorrow. Ciao! |
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