Tomato Chicken Stew

I figured tonight was a good night to cook chicken. Mostly because I bought a bunch of chicken at the store the other day and haven't had any creative inspiration on cooking it. Since I'm trying to eat smaller portions of meat, I've been really into one pot meals. This way a scarce amount of meat doesn't seem as noticeable if you can fill up on veggies. I've never made anything quite like this but it was really tasty. I'll definitely be making it again.

Tomato Chicken Stew

10 oz chicken breast
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion
3 cloves of garlic
2 carrots
2 stalks of celery
1 bell pepper (I used red)
1 can of green beans
1 large baking potato or two smaller ones
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 can of diced tomatoes or tomato sauce
about 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth
2 tbsp flour

Dice onion and garlic. Pour oil in very large skillet or pot on low heat and add the onion and garlic. Chop carrots, bell pepper and celery and add to the onions. Cut potato into moons and add that to the skillet. Cook for a few minutes on medium heat to get the potatoes started cooking. Add seasonings: oregano, thyme, turmeric, salt and pepper. Cut chicken into small squares. Add to the skillet. Add a can of tomato sauce or diced tomatoes. (I didn't have tomato sauce but I didn't really want chunks of tomato, so I pureed it in my blender.) Drain the green beans and add them to the skillet too. In a small bowl mix 1/2 cup of chicken broth and the flour whisking with a fork until there are no lumps. Pour into the skillet and stir. Add more chicken broth depending on how thick you want it. Bring to a simmer and cook covered for about 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Do not boil or the chicken will get tough.

weight watchers: Serves 4 at 4 pts per serving.
-Amanda

Stuffed Bell Peppers

First, let me apologize for how horrible this picture is. I am a terribly food photographer. I’m working on it. If it means I need a fancy new camera, then so be it. That’s the lengths I will go to for you people. I’m just that generous.

College cafeterias are supposed to be miserable, right? Poor quality, high calorie, all seemingly designed to accelerate the addition of the Freshman 10 (or 15 or 20) to the fastest rate possible. Mine was no different. Although, I will admit, after a little awhile, I developed a sort of Stockholm syndrome and actually started liking the food. It is with a heavy heart (among other heavy things) that I make that admission.

One of my favorite meals was stuffed bell peppers. I’m sure they were just mass produced Stouffers numbers, but Stouffers knows how to make nicely edible comfort food, so points to the cafeteria for knowing what works.

I wanted to make this dish at home, but the versions I’ve always had included cooked rice, which I usually did not have on hand, and I didn’t want to add extra time to a dish that already needed a fair amount of oven time. By then, my husband’s beloved Giada (his foodie princess) showcase a recipe that didn’t use rice. Yay for no extra carbs! Plus, ketchup! I always have plenty of ketchup (say what you will about the carbs there, but I don’t care)! Win win!

So I’ve tweaked the plan a bit, and this is how I make it at home. Feel free to make a Mexican version with salsa as a topper (as said husband does even though I’ve already made it with slightly Italian leanings).

Stuffed Bell Peppers

1 large bell pepper
½ lb. lean ground sirloin or ground turkey (or ground chicken, it’s versatile)
1 egg
½ cup bread crumbs
¼ cup ketchup
¼ cup (or whatever good amount you like) grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
Dash of dried oregano and parsley, unless you have fresh, then go for it
Diced tomatoes or bruschetta topping

Cut the bell pepper in half and remove seeds and ribs to create a small pepper boat. Mix the remaining ingredients (expect for the tomato topping) gently until combined. Fill each pepper boat with stuffing and top with tomatoes. Sprinkle with cheese. Arrange in a casserole dish and bake in a 400 degrees for 40-45 minutes.
-Julie

Turkey Chili Mac

This is another one of those dinners that I was just going through my pantry/fridge and came up with. There are lots of versions of this, my Mother-in-law makes something similar she calls Chili Soup because hers is thinner and this is thick. Since I made it while the girls were napping and my kitchen was clean, I took pictures of the steps. I'd like to do that more often, but I usually don't have the time or I forget. And don't let the long list of ingredients worry you, at the end of the recipe I put some easy substitutions! Oh and this passed the toddler test, although after they ate about half of it they decided it was too spicy. (But they kept eating more!)

Turkey Chili Mac

10 oz ground turkey meat
1 can of pinto beans
1 can of fire roasted tomatoes (or stewed)
1 can of tomato sauce
1 carrot
1 stalk of celery
1 small onion
3 cloves of garlic
banana pepper or can of green chilies
2 tsp salt
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 cup parsley
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 cup beef stock
2 cups dried pasta


This is most of the ingredients. I decided not to put in two cans of tomatoes, instead I used some beef stock for more liquid. I also added some vinegar and Worcestershire sauce to "brighten" the flavor at the end.


Chop your onion, garlic & peppers pretty small (especially if you are hiding them for toddlers)


Put them in a big skillet and saute.


While they are sauteing chop your celery and carrot and add to the skillet.


Add your turkey meat.


This is a nifty tool I bought from Pampered Chef. It helps break up meat and it works really well. Lean meats can sometimes be harder to break up than higher fat meat. Also, I never drain my meat, because I cook with such lean meat there is usually no fat to drain. If you sub a higher fat beef or even a higher fat turkey meat you may have to drain before you add seasonings.


Once the meat is broken up a bit, add the seasonings. I like to add them before the meat is fully browned. I think this flavors the meat more. Once it is brown, it doesn't take in the seasoning as much (in my opinion.) Stir the seasoning in to mix with the meat and veggies.


Add your liquids: the tomatoes, tomato sauce, beans and beef stock. I added the Worcestershire sauce and vinegar later because it needed the acidic element added. I didn't drain or rinse the beans because the liquid that they are packed in is high in starch (leached from the beans) and will help thicken the chili. Add your raw noodles, cover and let simmer for 20 minutes or until the noodles are tender.
Serves 6 (Weight Watchers 4pts per serving)

substitutions: you can sub beef for the turkey. If you don't have tomato sauce use either some tomato paste and extra beef stock or water. OR use a squirt or two of ketchup. You can skip the parsley, I just had it on hand. You can probably play around with the seasonings but I'd stick with the chili season or perhaps substitute a taco seasoning (it'll taste a bit different of course!) The main idea is cook with what you have and don't feel like you have to follow the recipe exactly!
-Amanda

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars

I saw someone on food network make "healthy" peanut butter oatmeal bars this morning and it kind of annoyed me a bit. I'm sure they were probably healthier than store bought but they weren't healthy. They had 1 stick of butter, 1 cup of sugar + 1/4 cup of honey, chocolate chips, an egg white and finally the peanut butter and oats. Here is my version:

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars

2 cups of oatmeal
1 cup of puffed wheat
1 egg
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 cups of natural applesauce
1/4 cup of honey
1 tsp vanilla
3 tbsp dried fruit (I used raisins and blueberries)
1 tbsp sugar (optional)
Nuts would be good too but I didn't have any.

In the bottom of a large bowl, whisk the egg. Add the peanut butter, vanilla, applesauce and honey and whisk until peanut butter is incorporated and mostly smooth. Add oatmeal, puffed wheat and dried fruit. If it seems to wet add some more oats and if it seems to dry add more applesauce. (Sorry, I didn't measure exactly!) Line a 9"x9" baking pan with parchment paper or foil. Spray with cooking spray. Spread the oatmeal mixture in the baking pan and smooth down. Sprinkle the top with sugar. Bake for 30 minutes at 350º or until the edges start to brown. Let cool for 1 hour and cut into cubes or bars. I do have to admit that these come out more like a fruit bread than a granola bar. But they are tasty. I bit off one corner to try and next thing I know I ate an entire bar. Oops!

Rosemary Beef Kabobs

I have wanted to try this ever since I saw it on Food Network the first time years ago. The trick to this is getting the woody type of rosemary. I have a big bush in my front flowerbed and I was excited to use it in this preparation tonight. I have found that this type of rosemary is good for seasoning things when you plan on removing the rosemary from the dish before serving, or for a long cooking stew so it has a chance to get tender. I also have another type of rosemary in a pot in my windowsill that is much more delicate and I like mincing it and adding it to chicken dishes or cooking with it quickly.

Rosemary Beef Kabobs

1lb sirloin steak cubed
12-14 cherry tomatoes
1 onion cut into big chunks
Worcestershire sauce

Peel back about 1 inch of the rosemary at the cut end to have a decent skewer. Then slide on the meat and vegetables alternating. The whole will get big because the leaves of the rosemary will fold up inside the pieces. Leave an inch or two of rosemary at the other end. Pour on some Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Grill on a very hot grill for 8-10 minutes or until your beef is cooked to your liking. Serves 2-3 people
-Amanda

Pumpkin Apple Soup

I love squash and pumpkin, any kind, anywhere. When I found this recipe on Tasty Kitchen I knew I had found my go-to fall soup. It was super easy (always nice) and versatile. Originally it called for butternut squash, a Gala apple and apple juice. Well, in Turkey they do not sell squash. Yes, I know. NO SQUASH! It really is a personal tragedy. So instead I hauled my behind down to the weekly pazaar and found a nice farmer selling pumpkin. Close enough. (On a side note, the pumpkins here range from grayish to blue and have hellishly thick skin.) I used some random apple and I did not have apple juice, so I used a juice medley and it still tasted lovely. Seriously. Make. This. Soup.

Pumpkin and Apple Soup

2 Tablespoons of Butter

1 Onion, Chopped

1/2 teaspoons Ground Nutmeg

4 pounds Pumpkin, Peeled, Seeded and cut into 2 inch cubes

4 Vegetable or Chicken Broth

1 Apple, Peeled, Cored and Quarter

1/2 cup Apple Juice

Salt And Pepper

In a large pot melt the butter over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and nutmeg. Saute until onion are translucent. Add the pumpkin, broth, apple and apple juice.

Bring to a boil and simmer until pumpkin and apple are soft.

Blend the soup in a food processor or an immersion blender(Still the best thing I have ever bought.)

Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer uncovered until squash and apple are tender, about 30 minutes.

Salt and pepper to taste. I like a think soup, but if you would like it thinner add more broth.

Makes a big batch.

-Jules

Chicken and Bean Taco Salad

A quick and easy go-to meal. I have a couple different taco salads here at The Frickin Chicken, and this was another tasty one.... not mention high in fiber and decent in Weight Watchers Points.

Chicken and Bean Taco Salad

6 oz chicken breast
3 oz shredded cheese
1/2 onion, finely diced
1 small red bell pepper small dice
2 cloves garlic
1 can of black beans
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp lime juice
salt and pepper
chopped lettuce
2 tortillas per person

In a cast iron (or other favorite skillet) saute the onions, garlic and bell pepper until the edges start to turn brown. Add the chicken. When the chicken is almost cooked through, add the beans and all of the seasonings. Build your taco how ever you like. I put a tortilla down on the plate, piled it high with lettuce and then my chicken taco mixture. I put 2 oz cheese on top and melted it in the microwave for a few seconds. My second tortilla I cut into triangles and served on the side. This serves 3 Weight Watchers portions for 8 pts each.
-Amanda