Five Bean Chicken Chilli

Ever since I was diagnosed with diabetes, I've had to find new ways to enjoy my favorite meals. One of my loves is good old hot Chilli. Since I can't use beef, and even ground turkey has a little bit of a fatty cook off, I decided to make my normal Chilli and switch it up a little. This time I used boneless skinless chicken breast,  cooked it in a covered pan so that it wouldn't dry out, and chopped it really fine. I also added a link of finely sliced smoked sausage for a flavor element. The rest was just adding the beans, spices, and sauce. Here are the things you will need:

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 link of smoked sausage
1 LG can of tomato sauce
1 can of pinto beans
1 can of kidney beans
1 can of canellini beans
1 can of Chilli beans
1 can of black beans
1/4 cup Chilli powder
2 tbsp cumin
2 tbsp garlic powder (not salt)
1 1/2 tsp Adobo powder
1 tbsp Mexican oregano
1 tbsp hot sause
1 tbsp black pepper
1 cup bread crumbs

There is no salt in this recipe as the beans offer plenty of sodium. You won't miss it. Pre-cooked the chicken in a covered pan so that it doesn't dry out. Remove and chop into very fine pieces as stated above. Cut sausage link in half lengthwise and then very thin on each half. Add this mixture to a slow cooker. Add the beans, and tomato sauce and stir to mix everything together. Add the spices and hot sauce and mix again. Set the slow cooker on high for about 4 hours and set to low for another 2. After the time is up, Turn off the heat and add the bread crumbs and stir.  This will thicken the Chilli to a heavy stew like consistency. Add a dollop of sour cream and some shredded cheese and eat it with some cornbread or garlic bread. Very simple, virtually no setup  difficulty and you have dinner when you want. Just start it in the morning and let it ride.  Slow cooker recipes are numerous.  This will be a good addition to my arsenal. Enjoy it.

Quick-Q Sauce

Here is a quick bbq sauce that I make at home very often. It's very simple, and quick and it's mixed in a solo cup. No cooking involved. Takes 5 minutes. It also tastes better than bottled sauces and uses no hfcs.
Here are your ingredients.

1 solo cup (any color)
Natural organic Ketchup
Dijon mustard
Apple Cider Vinegar
Worcestershire Sauce
Cayenne pepper/Sriracha sauce
Molasses
White sugar
Garlic powder
Chilli powder
Onion powder
Salt
Pepper
Smoked paprika

Start off by filling a cup 1/3 way up with ketchup. Add 2 tbsp mustard, 1/4 cup vinegar, 2 tbsp worcestershire, 1 tsp hot sauce of your choice, 1 tbsp molasses, 1/4 cup sugar, tsp each garlic powder, onion powder, 1 tbsp Chilli powder, 2 pinches of salt, 1 tsp pepper, and 1/2 tsp of smoked paprika. Mix with a spoon in the cup. Ready to go, no cooking needed. Put it on chicken, bbq pork, burgers, sausages, anything you want. It's easy, quick, and delicious. And with no artificial crap. If you have any questions about any sauce, I can help you make your own. I make homemade dressings, sauces, glazes, marinades, and many other liquid delights.

Rojoverde salsa

Love to try out new recipes and this is one I saw on TV the other day with a light variation on it. Since it's red and green salsa mixed I just named it rojoverde. Involves a blender, a covered pan and a rather short list of ingredients

5 medium size tomatillos
5 sprigs of cilantro
2 cloves of garlic
1 lime
1 jalapeño pepper
1 can Rotell tomatoes
1/2 large white onion
1/4 cup of water.
1tbsp olive oil

Place pan on medium high heat and drizzle in olive oil. Peel the tomatillos and wash them with warm water to remove sticky outer coating of them. Add them whole to pan and add quartered onion, both cloves of unpeeled garlic, and whole jalapeño pepper. Cover and simmer on medium high heat for seven minutes. Remove lid and add tomatoes, mix in, and replace cover for another 4-5 minutes. Turn heat off and transfer everything to blender.  Remember to remove the garlic peels. Add juice of 1 lime, cilantro, 1/4 cup water, and about a tbsp of salt for seasoning. Pulse in blender for about 10 seconds. Remove blender cover and add salt to taste.
Your product should be green and red, have little bit of heat and a very fresh roasted taste. Place it on chips, nachos, tacos, burritos, burgers, and anything you like.  It's easy, mildly quick, and wonderfully tasty.

2 Hour Chicken Chilli

One of the things I've done in my absence of eating beef is finding ways to make chicken, really, really well. One of them being chicken Chilli.  Here's the things you'll need:

3 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
2 cans light red kidney beans
1 bag frozen corn
1 large can Tomato sauce
1 can stewed tomato
Chilli powder
Cumin
Garlic powder
Onion flakes
Red pepper flake
Salt
Adobo
1 packet of sauzon

Coat and dust chicken with Chilli powder and garlic powder and cook in a pan. Once you flip the chicken over, pour all the other ingredients in. Cover the pan, turn the heat down and simmer on medium low for 2 hours. Once the two hours is up,  break up the chicken. Let rest for 15 minutes. Top with cheese and sour cream.
Good to go!!!

Creamy Beer Pasta Sauce

One thing that gets my taste buds going is eating pasta in creamy beer sauce. Very simple to make and has an absolutely divine taste. First off, you're going to brown whatever meat you use in olive oil and remove it from the pan. Next, you use equal parts flour and butter to make a roux(melt the butter and slowly scrape the yummies from the pan into it. Add the flour and stir). Continue stirring the roux until it reaches the light brown stage, add a lager beer, or an ale if you want it a little more bitter, 3 oz at a time. Stir in until the beer is completely finished. If the sauce is still thick you can add water, but I use chicken broth. It adds some more depth of flavor. Add 2tbsp of cayenne pepper sauce, 2 cloves of chopped garlic, 1 tbsp of parsley, 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp black pepper, 1 tbsp salt, and 1 tsp dill. Turn the heat down and allow to simmer for about 15 minutes in a covered environment. The flavors marry together and you will add the meat (I use smoked sausage and/or chicken usually) back in. Allow to simmer covered for another 8-10 minutes so the meat shoals up the flavor of the sauce you made and pour over noodles. Works well with linguine, fettuccine, or penne regate. This recipe works well with shrimp pasta as well and can also be used with black eyed peas and rice for a hoppin' john's type dish. Fantastic taste that you're sure to love. And don't worry,  the minute amount of alcohol in the beer will cook out. And another thing, the better beer you use, the better rate you will get. Please don't use light beers, the flavor doesn't come close to using something full bodied. Give it a try... I'm sure you'll enjoy it as much as we do.

Invention

Invention... A fun word. Often, we seek new things that broaden our minds, senses, and adorations. We make things. Craft new ideas. Some for gain, some for entertainment. I love messing around with stacking flavors and researching how certain things are made. I make dressings that never existed, sauces that you can't buy, dips that will make you smack your momma, and even learned tricks of the trade to make the products I would normally buy, for my taste, better. For instance, I love pimento cheese. My favorite is Palmetto brand. But I'm not paying $6 a tub for it. I can make it at home for less than 4 and make it better.

2 cups sharp cheddar
1 cup pepperjack
2 roasted red bell peppers from a jar.
1/2 cup mayo
2 tbsp sour cream
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper or 3 dashes of hot sauce.
Put ingredients in a food processor and let it ride for 10 seconds. Takes 5 minutes. Very simple to make and the taste is superb.

Chicken salad is another staple I have messed with. Roaster chickens from the grocery store make some darn tasty chicken salad. Quarter some onion and bell pepper, a little celery, and chicken, mix in some mayo and a half a bottle of Frank's hot sauce and you have buffalo chicken salad. I added some bleu cheese and bacon in it one time and made a bacon bleu chicken salad. Sweet and Sour sauce made a good one. Teriyaki, bbq, honey mustard, jerk, Cajun, and many others have been made. It's all about what you like and keeping it interesting. Some of these ideas are just reinventing the wheel. All part of food invention. New ways to try things that you love eating. The only limits you have in the kitchen are those that you stop with your imagination. Expand the universe and seek better. Making another post next week. Hopefully doing some projects on fried tastiness.

Here's to profiles

Have you ever thought of two different foods that you love and can't decide on what you want to eat? How about combine them and fuse the cuisines into one dish. Two things  that go surprisingly well together are Mexican and Asian.  Especially on chicken. Another is low country southern and Italian.  The flavors work very well together.  For example,  I put creole seasoning, smoked sausage, and Worcestershire sauce in my spaghetti sauce.  I know it sounds weird,  but it works. Another is to make meat loaves with Asian flavors like soy, sesame oil, fish sauce, garlic, and oyster sauce. Mix the meat with an egg and Panko Bread crumbs,  throw it in the oven and you have a magical Asian meat loaf.  That and play around with proteins like ground shrimp burgers,  chicken meatballs, turkey burgers, lamb chilli, buffalo taco meat, all different and funky combinations that you never thought of that work surprisingly well. Keep things interesting. Experimentation is the key to making your taste buds and your tummy happy.  Eating the same old stuff because that is the only thing you have a recipe for is a means to a very boring appetite. Try sandwiches with odd toppings. I put fried bologna,  two kinds of cheese,  collard greens, eggs, tomato, and mustard on a sandwich and it rocked.  Make your own sauces... You like a particular kind of soda? Make a bbq sauce out of it.  Same with fruity sauces. Don't follow recipes verbatim. Just play around and see what you can come up with.  Rules are meant to be broken.  Just remember to love cooking,  and quit eating outside trash from fast food restaurants. You'll be much happier.