White Bean Chicken Chili

It's time for another edition of Fantastical Food Fight, where every month a theme or ingredient is chosen, and we all choose a recipe - from a cookbook, blog, or our imaginations - and then share on the same day. 

This month's theme is Slow Cooker Soup, and what could be better during the cold month of January? I love being able to throw some ingredients into the slow cooker first thing in the morning and have a yummy soup by dinner time. Talk about easy! I could probably eat nothing but soup all winter.

I've made this particular soup twice so far, and we really enjoy it. It's very simple and the flavors are fantastic.

White Bean Chicken Chili
from Burnt Apple

Ingredients:

• 2 cans (15 oz each) white beans (Great Northern or Cannellini), undrained
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs (or breasts)
• 1 can Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, undrained
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 3/4 cup chopped yellow onion
• 1-1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. dried oregano leaves

Directions:

1. Place one can of the Great Northern beans into the slow cooker and smash with a potato masher or back of a fork. Add the second can of beans and all other ingredients to the slow cooker, stirring to combine.
2. Cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 4 hours. Remove chicken from slow cooker, shred, then return to the slow cooker and stir until combined.
3. Serve topped with sour cream, grated cheese, and tortilla chips if desired.

The first time I made this soup, I used a can of Great Northern beans and a can of Cannellini beans because that's what I had. I also used a can of diced chipotle tomatoes, which gave the soup a really nice flavor. The second time I used home cooked Great Northern beans - 1-1/2 cups of beans and 3/4 cup liquid = 1 can of beans. And I used the tomatoes with green chilies. Both soups were yummy, and of course that's the beauty of soup - ingredients can be adjusted according to your tastes and/or what you have on hand.

Also, though the theme of this Fantastical Food Fight is Slow Cooker Soups, this soup is just as good when made on the stove; it just needs more attention than when throwing everything into the slow cooker. (and sometimes I just don't get everything together early enough in the day to use the slow cooker) For a little extra flavor when cooking on the stove, cook the onions in a bit of olive oil until translucent then add the spices and cook until fragrant. Add the rest of the ingredients, bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes or so, until chicken is cooked.

An InLinkz Link-up

Beef and Cabbage Stir Fry

I found this recipe the other day on Pinterest. I'm pretty sure this is going to become a regular around here. Well, as regular as any recipe can be - there are just so many recipes out there that simply must be tried. That doesn't leave much time for repeats... But, seriously, the flavors in this are so good.

Beef and Cabbage Stir Fry
from BudgetByte$

Ingredients:

• Sauce
  * 2 T soy sauce
  * 1 T sesame oil
  * 1 T sriracha
  * 1-1/2 tsp brown sugar
• Stir Fry
  * 1/2 head green cabbage
  * 2 carrots, cut into matchsticks
  * 3 green onions
  * 2 cloves garlic
  * 1 T fresh grated ginger
  *1/2 lb. lean ground beef (or ground turkey or chicken)
  * Pinch of salt and pepper

Directions:

1. In a small bowl stir together the soy sauce, sesame oil, sriracha, and brown sugar. Set aside.
2. Prepare vegetables so they are ready to go when you need them. Cut cabbage in half, remove the core, and then shred the leaves of one half the cabbage. Peel two carrots and cut into matchsticks (OR use a cheese grater to shred them). Slice the green onions. Mince two cloves of garlic. Peel a knob of ginger using either a vegetable peeler or by scraping with the side of a spoon, then grate it using a small-holed cheese grater.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the ground beef, garlic, ginger, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook the beef until browned (about five minutes).
4. Add the cabbage and carrots to the skillet and continue to stir and cook until the cabbage is slightly wilted (or fully wilted, if you prefer). Stir in your prepared sauce and the green onions; heat through.
5. Serve with steamed rice, a sprinkle of sesame seeds, some chow mein noodles, and a drizzle of sriracha, as desired.

Note: this makes a medium spicy stir-fry, so if you're sensitive to heat, start with 1 tsp. sriracha and adjust as necessary. Pass the sriracha for those who like a little heat.

I love spicy, so I used the entire tablespoon of sriracha in the sauce, and I thought it was nicely flavorful but not really spicy at all. My husband said it was a bit spicy for his taste, but he loved the way all the flavors went together, and he ate it anyway. Next time I think I'll cut the sriracha down a bit for him and just drizzle a bit on top of mine. Or add some of this hot chili oil.

Also, as it's a stir fry, any other vegetables you have on hand and want to use can surely be thrown in. The more vegetables the better, right?