Taco Time!

I had been trying to figure out something different to use the corn in and wasn't quite in the mood for chicken tortilla soup (this is a default for me).  I decided to try making chicken taco filling in the crockpot.  It helps that they had chicken thighs on sale in the grocery store this weekend.  I do love cooking with chicken thighs.  I made some homemade salsa with some of the fresh tomatoes and jalapenos from the CSA and that is the base of the mixture.  Add some black beans and fresh corn and I think it's going to be a tasty mix!

Crockpot Chicken Taco Filling

• 4 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin and fat removed
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup fresh salsa* (tomatoes, jalapenos, green pepers)
• 1 tsp Cajun spice
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 3 cloves garlic*, minced
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups fresh corn kernals*
• 1/2 Tbsp lime juice

Place chicken in crockpot and pour water and salsa over the chicken.  Next, add the spices, garlic, black beans, corn and lime juice.  Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours.  The chicken should shredd very easily.  Remove the bones and thoroughly shred the chicken.  Serve in tortillas with your favorite taco toppings.

*CSA ingredients

3 Bean Baked Beans

It's Memorial Day weekend.  A weekend to thank those who have defended our freedome.  I have many friends and relatives who have served and fought in the military, army, navy, marines AND air force.  I have heard the stories from those who were in WWII, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. I am grateful every day for what they have sacrificed so I can have the life I have today.

To celebrate, we will be cooking out on Monday.  At the farmers market today, I picked up some spicy Italian brats and some asparagus that I plan to grill.  And right now, I am making some baked beans to go along with it.  I don't make homemade baked beans often, so I don't have a standard recipe. I do know that I have always liked my mom's baked beans, but they are in Minnesota at my niece, Katie's, college graduation.  So, I turned to my friends and asked them to give me their best baked bean recipes.  It turns out that one of my friends posted the same recipe that my mom uses.  It is credited to Pat Lyle, a close family friend.  I didn't follow it exactly, but used it as a basis for my beans.  I like to mix bean types and decided to go with pinto beans, great northern beans and black beans for this batch.

3 Bean Baked Beans

• 1 can pinto beans with jalapenos
• 1 can great northern beans, drained & rinsed
• 1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
• 1 Tbsp olive oil 
• 6 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1/2 lg Vidalia onion, chopped
• 3 small mixed sweet peppers, chopped
• 1 bunch ramp bulbs*, thinly sliced
• 2 tsp roasted garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

 Heat olive oil in a frying pan.  Add onions, peppers and ramp bulbs and cook, stirring until onions begin to turn translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic, cook and stir about 1 minute until fragrant. Mix all ingredients in a large baking pan.  Bake in a preheated 350F oven, stirring occassionally, for 1 hour or until cooked.

*Farmers market items

First Chili of the Season

It has been somewhere between 13 and 25 degrees for the past couple days, so I got a taste for chili.  I had to sing this morning at church and then we had our last class for our India students, so I wasn't able to make it until after I got done with all of that.  On the way home from school, I stopped at Jack's and picked up a sweet onion and 2 lbs of ground round.  From that, I used what I had in my pantry and put together a 2-bean chili.  Since I roasted a spaghetti squash last night, I decided to serve it Cincinnati-style in the only way that I can eat it these days (pasta and I are not friends anymore).

2-Bean "Cincinnati" Chili

• 2 lbs ground round
• 1/2 large onion, diced
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cans Rotel tomatoes with chiles
• 1 (28-oz) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups fresh sweet corn
• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• 1 Tbsp cumin
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp cayenne powder
• Roasted spaghetti squash
• cheddar cheese

 Heat EVOO in a heavy Dutch oven.  Add onions and saute until they start turning translucent; add ground round and cook until meat is no longer pink.  Add next 9 ingredients, bring to a boil.  cover and lower heat until simmering.  Simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Heat squash, spoon chili over squash and sprinkle with cheese.

Pumpkin and Chicken

Okay, I am being terribly remiss in posting recipes again.  Today I needed to use a sugar pumpkin and some chicken that I had in my fridge.  While I looked for ideas, I roasted the pumpkin.

Roasted Sugar Pumpkin

• 1 medium sugar pumpkin

Preheat oven to 400F.  Cut stem end off pumpkin.  Cut pumpkin in half and remove seeds and strings.  Separate the seeds from the strings and rinse; set aside.  Place pumpkin halves, cut side down, on a cookie sheet.  Roast for 30 minutes.  Allow to cool.  Remove flesh from skins and process until smooth in blender.


I looked at several different recipes for pumpkin chicken soups and stews.  In the end, I decided to go with a Chicken Pumpkin Chili that looked similar to Chicken White Bean Chili.  I have always liked that type of chili, but have never actually made it.  And it seemed to be the type of thing you could prepare the ingredients and then cook in a slow cooker.  I have spent part of the summer preparing vegetables and freezing them so that I would have everything on hand and decided to adjust the recipe to include some of my other favorite vegetables.

Chicken Pumpkin Two Bean Chili
Adapted from: http://picky-palate.com/2012/11/26/white-bean-and-turkey-pumpkin-chili/

• 2 Tbsp canola oil
• 1 medium Vidalia onion, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 1 cup frozen fresh corn
• 1 cup frozen fresh mixed peppers
• 1 4oz can green chilis
• 3 cloves garlic
• 4 cups homemade chicken stock
• 5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• Roasted pumpkin puree from 1 medium sugar pumpkin
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp cumin

Prepare vegetables (onions, celery, carrots).  Heat oil over medium heat.  Add prepared vegetables, plus corn and mixed peppers.  Saute until vegetables are soft.  Add garlic and saute another minute or so until fragrant.  Mix pumpkin puree and chicken stock in crockpot until well blended.  Add vegetables and remaining ingredients.  Cover and cook at HIGH for 1 hour, then reduce heat to LOW and cook 6-8 hours.

Quinoa Chili

There is nothing that says comfort better than a nice hot bowl of chili! Especially on a cold, snowy winter day. Oh yeah, and it also happens to be Super Bowl Sunday! Chili is essential Super Bowl food, right? The other thing I like about chili is that it can be a "pot-luck" meal. Yes, it is one of my favorite ways to use up things in my refrigerator. Today, Iam using up leftover quinoa and the pulled pork chops from the other night. We also got corn and tomatoes frozen from the summer in this week's share, as well as some young garlic shoots. I put all of this together with more traditional chili ingredients in my Crockpot last night and woke to an apt fullof wonderful chili smells! Of course, the big debate is always beans or no beans? Well, Iam a big beans in chili girl, but I really think this chili is hearty enough that I wouldn't miss the beans of they weren't there. However, since protein is my focus, I added the beans. Make it however you like it best!

 Slow-Cooker Pork Quinoa Chili

• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• 2 cups leftover Parmesan Honey Pork Chops*, shredded
• 2 cans Rotel (R) tomatoes with chiles
• 2 cups frozen tomatoes*
• 2 cups frozen corn*
• 2 cups cooked black turtle beans* 
• 1 can pinto beans, drained
• 1 Tbsp Chili powder
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 6 garlic shoots*, sliced thin 
• 1 medium onion*, diced 
• 1 Tbsp olive oil

Heat oil over medium-high heat in a medium skillet. Add garlic and onions; cook until translucent. Add all ingredients to slow-cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours. Serve with cheese and onions, if desired.

*CSA ingredients

Beans and Kale

Today's soup helps me to use up a couple items I generally have trouble using up. The original recipe calls for white beans, but I figured it would taste just as good with black truth beans. Actually, now that it's done, I kind of like the contrast with the green kale. I was a little worried when I woke this morning because this soup looks a little plain without the kale, but I tasted it before adding the kale and it's quite tasty. I also want to note that I did not have celery, but I had a beautiful bunch of but greens. The stems have the same texture as celery and cook about the same. I substituted the stems for the celery and that worked very nicely.

 Sausage Bean Soup with Kale
 Adapted from: http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/slow-cooker-white-bean-soup-with-andouille-and-collards-00000000052371/index.html

• 1  pound  dried beans* (I used black turtle beans)
• 1/2  pound  andouille sausage links*, halved lengthwise and sliced crosswise 
• 1  large onion*, chopped 
• 1 bunch stems from beets*, chopped
• 8  cups  homemade chicken stock*
• 1  bunch  kale*, stems discarded and leaves cut into bite-size pieces (about 8 cups) 
• 1  tablespoon  red wine vinegar 
• kosher salt and black pepper 

1. In a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine the beans, sausage, onion, and beet stems. Add the broth and stir to combine.
2. Cover and cook until the beans are tender, on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours (this will shorten total cooking time).
3. Twenty minutes before serving, add the kale, cover, and cook until the greens are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Add the vinegar and salt and pepper, as needed.

  * CSA ingredients

Chorizo and Corn

I have the most amazing smell in my apartment right now! I had thawed a pound of local chorizo this week. I also had six ears of corn I needed to use. So, as I usually do, I  Googled recipes with these ingredients. There are a lot of ideas out there from frittatas to soup. I finally decided on a chorizo and black bean soup made with a beer base. I just happen to have a partial 6-pack of Oktoberfest in the refrigerator and thought that would make an interesting base. I have to say it was interesting starting this today because I am still unpacking my kitchen. It was an adventure going through bags and boxes to find everything I needed. There were some ingredients I didn't have, so , I just increased the corn and added a poblano pepper as a substitute.

 Black Bean Chorizo Soup with Beer
 Adapted from: http://www.yummly.com/recipe/Negra-Modelo-Chorizo-_-Black-Bean-Soup-Recipezaar

• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
•  1 lb chorizo*
•  1 lg onion*, diced
•  1 red pepper*, diced
•  1 poblano pepper*, diced
•  3 cloves garlic *, minced
•  2 quarts water
•   36 oz beer (l used Oktoberfest)
•  4 cups fresh corn kernels *, (from approx. 6 ears corn)
•  2 (15-oz) cans black beans, with liquid
• 1 (15-oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
•  1 1/2 Tbsp ground cumin
•  1/2 tsp fresh-ground pepper
•  2 Tbsp lime juice

 Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chorizo and cook, breaking the chorizo up as you cook, until pink.

 
Dice the onion and peppers; mince garlic.

Add vegetables to chorizo; cook until onion is translucent.

Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 2 hours or until vegetables are cooked.

Note: I did not have carrots this time, but I think I would add them if I did to make this even heartier. Because of the bean liquid, I didn't feel this soup needed anymore salt, however, feel free to add salt if you feel it's needed You may also add cayenne if you want more spice.

 *CSA ingredients

Easy Crockpot Chicken

One of the frustrating things about summer for me is that I have no air conditioning in my apartment.  Last week, the temperatures averaged in the high-90's with a heat index in the 100's.  So, obviously, not the type of weather where you want to be firing up your stove or oven.  That is why I LOVE my crock-pot.  I have used a crock-pot since the day I moved away from home because of the convenience.  However, in the summertime, there are weeks where I would not have any home cooking if it weren't for the crock-pot!

This week, I had chicken thighs in my freezer and was really trying to figure out what to make.  I apologize because only one of the ingredients was actually a Fresh Fork product, however, by the end of summer, I can guarantee that almost everything in this dish could be from Fresh Fork.  It makes a really nice spicy chicken that you could serve over rice or noodles or put in tortillas for burritos or over tortilla chips for nachos.

Creamy Spicy Chicken

• 1-1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, frozen (may substitute 4 cups cooked, shredded chicken*)
• 1 can Rotel tomatoes with chiles (substitute 1 large heirloom tomato with one hot pepper, diced*)
• 2 cups frozen sweet corn*
• 1 can Black Beans, drained & rinsed (substitued 2 C cooked black turtle beans*)
• 8 oz Philadelphia fat-free cream cheese (substitute fresh cream cheese, any fat content*)

Place chicken in bottom of crock-pot.  Pour remaining ingredients on top.  Cover and cook on LOW 6-8 hours, stirring every couple hours.  When finished cooking, remove chicken thighs and cool.  Shred chicken and return to mixture.  Allow to cool about 30 minutes before serving.  Serve over rice, noodles, in tortillas as tacos or burritos or over tortilla chips as nachos.

*CSA ingredients 

Winter squash and greens

This week, we had a plethora of greens to choose from!  We got rainbow Swiss chard, mustard greens and beets with beautiful greens.  I took the mustard greens and beets while Leland took the Swiss chard.  Because greens do not keep well, I wanted to use them today and I wanted to do something different with them.  I am not a fan of sauteed greens, no matter how much garlic and/or bacon you add to them.  I think they remind me of Richmond too much.  As I looked through pages of greens recipes, one stood out.  It was a vegetarian chili with winter squash, black beans and greens.  It is definitely a convenience recipe, though, using canned tomatoes, chicken broth and beans.  I have a refrigerator full of vegetables that need to be used, so I developed a fresh vegetarian chili based on that recipe.

Fresh Winter Squash Chili with Greens
Adapted from: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe_details.asp?nutrition_id=43019416

• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small sweet onion*, diced
• 2 cloves garlic*, minced
• 1/2 large acorn squash*, peeled and diced, 1/2" cubes
• 2 Tbsp good chili powder
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 Tbsp ground cumin
• 3 C chicken stock (use vegetable stock for vegan/vegetarian)
• 1 (11 1/2 oz)
• 3 C cooked black beans
• 4 Roma tomatoes*, diced
• 1 lg sorreno pepper*, small dice
• 2 C corn* (from 2 cobs)
• 5 C greens*, coarsely chopped (I used mustard and beet greens)

1. Heat EVOO in a large Dutch oven.  Add onion and garlic; sautee until tender and golden, about 10 minutes.
2. Add squash; cook and stir 2 minutes.  Stir in spices, black beans, stock, tomatoes and pepper with V8. Bring to a boil
3. Cut corn from ears of corn; break up kernals.  Add to pot and reduce heat to simmer.  Cook until squash is tender; about 15 minutes
4. Stir in greens; simmer until greens are tender, about 15 minutes longer.
5. Season to taste with salt and pepper if necessary.
6. 1 serving is 1 1/2 cups.  Serve with chopped cilantro or diced tomatoes or red onion, if desired.

*CSA ingredients

Tortilla Soup

A friend of mine made a request for good slow-cooker recipes when I mentioned that I never put mine away.  It made me look back in my files and reminded me of one of my favorite recipes.  I had searched recipes for leftover chicken and found this recipe years ago.  I, of course, can't follow the recipe as it's written, so here's my adaptation:

Amy's Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup
Adapted from http://www.a-crock-cook.com/amys-crock-pot-chicken-tortilla-soup.html

• 1 lb roasted chicken breasts*
• 3 cobs of corn*
• 2 15-oz cans black beans
• 2 cups tomato sauce
• 1 can Rotel tomatoes w/ green chiles
• 1 cup salsa*
• 2 med hot peppers*
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 Tbsp ground cumin

Cut kernals from corn cobs.  Finely dice hot peppers.  Mix all ingredients in crockpot.  Cook on HIGH 2-4 hours or on LOW 6-8 hours.  Serve with crushed tortilla chips and 2 Tbsp sharp cheddar.

*CSA ingredients

Notes: It never fails to amaze me that just changing the salsa that you use for this soup can change the flavor completely.  However, this is probably the best, most reliable recipe for tortilla soup that I have found.  Using fresh, free-range chicken, fresh corn and fresh peppers made it even better!  Enjoy!