Red Beef Chili

This chili recipe rocks! It does have a kick to it, so be aware. This is one of Bobby Flay's recipes which I got off of foodnetwork.com. This only makes 6 servings, so if you are wanting to serve more than that, or want leftovers for your husband's lunches, I would definitely double it.

INGREDIENTS:

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 pounds bottom round beef, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 (12 ounce) bottle dark beer

2 tablespoons finely chopped semi-sweet chocolate

1 large red onion, finely diced

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 poblano, seeded and finely chopped

1 teaspoon seeded and chopped habanero

1 Thai bird chile, seeded and chopped (I couldn't find this, and omitted it)

1/2 jalapeno, seeded and chopped

1 tablespoon chipotle pepper puree

1 tablespoon ancho chile powder

1 tablespoon pasilla chile powder

1 tablespoon cascabel chile powder

1 teaspoon New Mexican chile powder

5 cups homemade chicken stock, or canned low-sodium or water

1 16-ounce can whole tomatoes, drained and pureed

2 tablespoons maple syrup, or more, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat. Season the beef with salt and pepper and saute until browned on all sides. Sprinkle with the cumin and stir well. Deglaze the pan with the beer and bring to a boil. Stir in the chocolate and cook until beer is almost completely reduced.

In a separate pot, add 1 tablespoon of the oil and add the onions to the pan and cook until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the poblano, habanero, Thai bird, and jalapeno peppers and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the chipotle puree, ancho powder, pasilla powder, cascabel and New Mexican chile powders and cook an additional 2 minutes. Add the stock and tomatoes and bring to a boil and boil for 15-20 minutes, or until all vegetables are tender. Puree with an immersion blender. Add the beef mixture back to the pan, reduce the heat to medium, cover the pan, and simmer for 1 hour, or until thick and beef is tender. Remove from the heat and add the maple syrup. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Vegetable Chicken Soup

I have made this soup several times, and always forget to take a photo! I've got to get better with the photos, sorry! But trust me, this recipe is a keeper! It's packed with veggies, and even my kids will eat it!

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 pounds chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces

4 small zucchini, diced

1 onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons Italian seasonings (your choice. I like a mix of oregano, basil, rosemary)

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 plum tomatoes, chopped

56 ounces reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 cup dry white wine

8 tablespoons Quinoa

6 cups baby spinach, packed

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until browned, 3-4 minutes. Put on plate and set aside.

Add zucchini, onion, garlic, italian seasonings and salt and cook until the vegetables are slightly softened, 2-3 minutes. Add tomatoes, broth, wine and quinoa. Increase heat and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer until the quinoa is tender. Stir in spinach, chicken (including any juices on plate). Cook until the chicken is heated through, about 2 minutes.

Three Bean and Beef Chili

This is a very tasty chili recipe from Ellie Krieger on Foodnetwork.com. It had a ton of flavor, and even my little girls loved it.

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, diced (1 cup)

1 red bell pepper, diced (1 cup)

2 carrots, diced (1/2 cup)

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 pound extra-lean ground beef (90 percent lean)

1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

2 cups water

1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, seeded and minced

2 teaspoons adobo sauce from the can of chipotles

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 (15.5-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15.5-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15.5-ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

DIRECTIONS:

Heat the oil in large pot or Dutch oven over moderate heat. Add the onion, bell pepper and carrots, cover and cook, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the cumin and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the ground beef; raise the heat to high and cook, breaking up the meat with a spoon, until the meat is no longer pink. Stir in the tomatoes, water, chipotle and adobo sauce, oregano and salt and pepper. Cook, partially covered, stirring from time to time, for 30 minutes. Stir in the beans and continue cooking, partially covered, 20 minutes longer. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Blackened Corn Chowder

I took this chowder to a Halloween party last night, and it got great reviews. Sorry there isn't a photo. It was gone before I could get one!

Recipe:

1 T fresh minced garlic

1 red onion, diced

1 3oz can green chiles

3-6(if small) cobs of corn grilled-just blackened

3 diced potatoes

6 T butter

6 T flour

1/2 gallon heavy cream

1 T paprika

Dash white pepper

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Melt a couple tablespoons of the butter in a large pot. Add the garlic and onion and saute until soft. Add the remaining ingredients. Simmer for 1 hour.

*I have used frozen corn and blackened it in the oven. It works just as well. I personally like to double the amount of green chiles, as I like a little kick. If you want to use half and half instead of the heavy cream, I think it would still be great.

Chicken Noodle Soup

I had some extra chicken from some chicken tacos we made the other night, so I shredded it and made the following Chicken Noodle Soup recipe from Tyler Florence (foodnetwork.com).  It was SO good, and tasted even better the next day.   The Mexican spices from the chicken gave it a little kick.  I used my own recipe for the egg noodles (below). I served it with some savory bread from the bread store.

Ingredients:

2 T extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 medium carrots, cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices

2 celery ribs, halved lengthwise, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices

4 fresh thyme sprigs (I used dried)

1 bay leaf

2 quarts chicken stock (I used canned broth)

8 oz egg noodles (recipe below)

1 1/2 C shredded cooked chicken

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped (I didn't use this)

Directions:

Place a soup pot over medium heat and coat with the oil.  Add the onion, garlic, carrots, celery, thyme and bay leaf.  Cook and stir for about 6 minutes, until the vegetables are softened but not browned.  Pour in the chicken stock and bring the liquid to a boil.  Add the noodles (recipe below) and simmer for 5 minutes until tender.  Fold in the chicken, and continue to simmer for another couple of minutes to heat through.  Season with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving.

Egg Noodle Recipe:

1 egg

1/2 t salt

2 T milk

1 C flour

1/2 t baking powder, if desired

Mix together, roll out, cut into noodles.  Can be used right away in soup, or left to dry a bit.