White Chili Recipe

I am trying to ease up on the red meats and I thought that this would be an interesting twist on regular chili. It turned out great and the family loved it.  Feel free to swap out whatever you want.  Recipes are meant to be customized AND shared.

White Chili
Ingredients

2.5lbs of Chicken Breast (chunked/cubed)
1 lb Turkey Smoked Sausage
3/4 -1 cup Yellow or Orange Bell Pepper (chopped)
3/4 -1 cup yellow onion (chopped)
1 1/2 chopped garlic clove
1/4 cup canola oil
3 tbs flour
1 can of great northern beans
1 cup of sliced portobella mushrooms
Sweet Corn
1 can chicken broth
1/4 c. half/half
Spices: Ms. Dash, Cumin, Oregano, Salt Pepper, red pepper

(I season my chicken with the spices, then marinate  a little before starting)

In a large skillet heat oil.
Throw in the onion, bell pepper & garlic and cook for a few minutes.
Sprinkle in the flour and coat the veggies.
Throw in the chicken over that and coat with the floured veggies.
Cover and let cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
When the chicken is mostly done, transfer to a Dutch oven. Pour everything in, including the scrapings from the skillet.
Slice the turkey smoked sausage & portobellas and cook them a little in the same skillet and toss that in along with the corn. add chicken broth as needed and let it all simmer (15 min).  Check your seasonings & add more if you want (i went heavy on the cumin cause i like it).

Cook it till you are sure your chicken is cooked thoroughly, add the beans last along with the half/half.  Cook for a few more minutes.  Serves many.  Garnish with cilantro, green onion, jack cheese, sour cream...or whatever you want. Its a very hearty meal.

Hope you like it!  If you try it, please come back and tell me about!

Thanks for reading.

Healthy Eating: 7 ~ Layer Salad Recipe

Although I did not make any New Years Resolutions (I never do) I have always (well at least tried) to eat right.  Lucky for me, I actually love salads and anything green, leafy.  I prefer it over sweets sometimes.  The 7 - Layer Salad is the perfect go to recipe for anyone trying to incorporate a little green into their lives.  The recipe is quick & simple, bold crunchy, creative & fun.  The idea is to layer 7 or more ingredients into a bowl with any kind of lettuce being the 1st layer.  Here is my recipe.

7 - Layer Salad

7 - Layer Salad
Ingredients ~
Romaine Lettuce (or whatever leaf you choose)
Cauliflower
Brocolli
1 Green Pepper
1 Red Onion
Frozen Sweet Peas
Miracle Whip
Sugar
5 cooked & crumbled strips of bacon or Hormel Bacon pieces
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
A Big Bowl to hold it all

Prep
(I didnt put exact measurements because thats your preference)

Chop your fresh/raw Broccoli & Cauliflower (I use about 2 cups each)
Finely slice your onion (about 5 or 6 thin slices)
Finely slice your green pepper (about 5 or 6 thin slices)
Thaw your sweet peas by running them under warm water (about 2 cups)
Cook & crumble your bacon

Now Layer
In a bowl empty your bagged lettuce
arrange your onions on top of that lettuce
arrange your green pepper on top of the onions
Cover the onions with the chopped cauliflower
Cover the chopped cauliflower with the chopped broccoli
Cover the chopped broccoli with the unthawed peas
The last layer is Miracle Whip, take a big spoon and use the back of it to spread this on top of the peas covering them.
Sprinkle about a tablespoon of sugar over the Miracle Whip
Top with the shredded cheese, followed by the crumbled bacon
(6-8 servings)

Shredded Cheddar & Bacon Garnish on 7 Layer Salad

Let this sit in the fridge for a couple hours and ENJOY!

Its a super fun, colorful, crunchy salad that sits ready to be eaten at anytime. Its a perfect addition to any meal, a quick snack, and even comfort food for some and its HEALTHY.  Feel free to modify to your own needs and have fun!

Thanks for reading!
Peace :-)

Happy Father's Day and Healthy Cookin!

Sorry this is late, but I wanted to give a special shout to all of you Dads out there! Happy Father's Day!! And to all of you ladies out there who are single Mother's having to play both roles as "Mom" and "Dad"...Keep doing your thang Sis. and blessings to you along the way. We hosted a Dinner in my home to celebrate the occasion. (Honoring my husband, bro in laws, and step dad.) When getting together in the summer we typically BBQ - Beef & Pork Ribs, Burgers, Brats, Chicken and with all the sides Mac and Cheese, Potato Salad, Baked Beans, Etc. I decided to switch things up with the menu this year. Because I am becoming increasingly more aware of what I put in and on my body, I remixed the menu and replaced it with a healthier version. Instead of a BBQ w/all of the meats, we grilled Chicken breasts seasoned with garlic and various herbs. Instead of Potato Salad i prepared a fresh, crisp, rotini pasta salad, filled with cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, red onion, chilled shrimp with some Italian & salad dressing blended in. Instead of Mac & Cheese I had my mother prepare her famous spaghetti and ground turkey meat sauce. She used fresh tomatos in her sauce. We also had a Salad of Spring Leaves with walnuts and golden raisins among other healthy toppings (instead of Collard Greens & HamHocks). Last but not least, instead of chips we had a wonderful veggie tray will all of the favs (carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, etc.) I got everybody involved in this and We switched out the desserts too! Instead of all of the heavy cakes and pies we had fresh fruit covered in lite Whipped Cream in a graham cracker pie crust and topped with chopped pecans. Very light, and sweet. My aunt was able to modify her CheeseCake recipe to allow for lower fat and lower sugar or sugar free ingredients (we kept this fact a secret until after it had been eaten...Nobody knew the difference!). Us women kept all of these switcharoos a secret from the men. When those men came in rubbing their hands together for the feast...lmao!!! the LOOK on their faces when I informed them of our new leaner menu...Priceless! We had a fun healthy meal in the Georgia Summer sun and weren't left feeling lazy and lethargic afterwards aka "The itis". This was my way of honoring the men in our family, by serving them a meal that won't kill them!!! :-)

Stay tuned for some of the recipes from this wonderful feast!