Easy Summer Chicken Chili

I had big plans for today. I was going to spend hours (well, maybe not hours) updating the blog here, to give you things to read while we go on vacation (flight in 5 hours), but then I blew up my back yesterday (doing chores, no less) and then Squito got sick, so both he and I went to the doctor today. The vet kept him (thought it better to board him while we were gone) and I went to the pharmacy and took a nap! Now I have to go figure out what to make with all my remaining veggies and pack! Yikes! We'll be back Sunday, so I'll blog my heart out when I return. While I've never actually taken photos of what we've had at restaurants, I might try, since we're going to eat like eating is out of style in Vegas. I mean, its Vegas. ;)

To tide you over, I give you this ridiculously easy south beach diet chili recipe. Its been a little while since we had it, but I remember that it was tremendously satisfying, and it made for a really great lunch the next day. The cumin and chili powers added nice smokiness and depth.
I'd been concerned about the low volume of added liquids, but it turned out just fine. I loved all the vegetables, and I loved the big chunks of chicken - and going forward, I might just try to make ANY chili chunkier.

That, and it was a one-pot meal and you really can't beat that!!

Anyway, see you guys in a week!

Easy Summer Chicken Chili
From The South Beach Diet Taste of Summer Cookbook

1 small avocado
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
1 small zucchini, thinly sliced
1 medium jalapeno, seeded and minced
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon ground cumin
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 (15 ounce) can white beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5 ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, with juices
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes

In a small bowl, gently stir together avocado, lime juice, and 1/8 teaspoon of the salt.

In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, zucchini, jalapeno, chili powder, and cumin; stir to coat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables have begun to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in broth, beans, and tomatoes and their juices; bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Add chicken and remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt. Return to a simmer and cook until chicken is cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. Divide chili among 4 bowls, top with avocado, and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Per serving: 380 cals, 12 g fat, 2 g sat fat, 36 g protein, 33 g carbs, 10 g fiber, 560 mg salt

See the recipe...

Potato and Jalapeno Pepper Pierogies

I am really excited about this post for a couple of reasons:

1. I love pierogies
   
2. I've long wanted to participate in a "Waiter, there's something in my..." event
3. Pierogies rule!
   

You could rearrange that list as you like, but it would amount to the same thing. You could even add a few more bullets, but that would be overkill. :)

Anyway, on to my point! I didn't give it any thought when this dumpling event came out - I didn't think I knew how to make any dumplings. My grandpa had a killer chicken and dumpling recipe, but its never as good if someone else makes it. It was a total light-bulb moment, too, one afternoon, I was re-reading the rules/suggestions, and pierogies just came to me. Bam! I knew I wanted potato and cheese, and I found a recipe that included jalapeno peppers - so I knew Dave would love them.

Added to this loveliness were the hot pepper goat sausages in my freezer (Found at a local farmers market. I know, I know - goat? We went looking for lamb, but they were out, the farmer suggested the goat sausage, and as its hot and spicy, we couldn't resist. On top of that, it allowed us to try goat in a friendly way) Anyway, my plan was that the hot yet creamy potato pierogies would pair nicely with the spicy hot sausages.

Because it was there, I tossed the boiled pierogies around in the leftover goat sausage drippings, to tie it all together.

Something worth noting: farmers market peppers mean business. I made the dough and filling yesterday afternoon, say, around 12:30. This morning, my fingers still burned. I've experienced ouchy-contact lens removal post-peppering, but never next day burning fingers. I love the freshness this must indicate, and going forward, I'll make sure to don the surgical gloves. :)

Also of note - the pieces of this recipe don't exactly match up. I have a little more than half of the filling left after using all the dough. I plan on freezing it for future use, but if you have a lot of mouths to feed, make double the dough. Though, now that I'm thinking about it, I might not have rolled the dough out thin enough, resulting in less dumplings. Hmm. Whatever the case, you could end up with extra filling. (I plan on making potato pancakes, too!)

Anyway, pop over to Johanna's site, The Passionate Cook, for the roundup, but also because she has a really delightful site. Great writing, tasty food, and beautiful photographs - a foodies dream!!!

Edit: Ugh - it must not have been a lightbulb moment after all - I went back to see how to submit to the event, and the comments section is FULL of pierogie discussion... I prefer to think I was independently genius, but I'm willing to accept otherwise. ;)

Potato and Jalapeno Pepper Pierogies
Recipe courtesy Helen Mannarino, Pierogies Plus
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_27628,00.html

Pierogie Dough:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg
2 tablespoons margarine
3/4 cup lukewarm water
1 teaspoon salt

Jalapeno Filling:
2 1/2 pounds Idaho potatoes, washed and peeled
3 cups cold water
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons chopped jalapeno peppers
Freshly ground black pepper

To make Pierogie Dough: Combine all ingredients and mix well. Knead dough on flat surface for approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Let dough rest for 30 minutes or refrigerate overnight; the dough can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Roll out dough into a thin sheet, approximately 1/4-inch thick. Then cut in circles: 2 inches for small pierogies and 3 1/2 inches for large pierogies. Fill circles with desired filling. Pinch the edges well and cook them in rapidly boiling water for approximately 10 minutes. Drain and serve immediately with butter. If you decide to store them, dip them in cold water, drain, and let them cool on a cookie sheet. When completely cool, store them in refrigerator.

To make Jalapeno Filling: Place potatoes in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Add salt, bring to a boil over high heat, and cook until potatoes are soft. When potatoes are done, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until soft; you can continue cooking until onions are caramelized if you so desire. Drain the potatoes and mash them. Add the cooked onion and jalapeno and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Continue mashing until blended. Let filling cool. Use 1 tablespoon of filling to fill the circles of dough as directed above.

See the recipe...

Coconut-Crusted Tofu with Peach-Lemongrass Salsa

I printed this recipe in March, hopeful that I'd get to it eventually. I think that's about when I started giving tofu a chance, sneaking it into our meals.

Thank goodness for this dinner. Between our breakfast, pizza and a churro from Costco for lunch, Maggie Moo ice cream in the afternoon... I'm sure you see where I'm going with this. Today was a classically bad-eating Saturday. (I did really like that churro, though!)

I made some brown basmati to go-with, and I steamed some CSA sugar snap peas during the last ten minutes of the rice. (I feel very sneaky.) I do wish that the coconut had adhered better to the tofu, and Dave suggested more jalapenos for the salsa. Overall, it was a nice healthy dinner, that assuaged a little ice cream guilt.

Coconut-Crusted Tofu with Peach-Lemongrass Salsa
Eating Well Magazine, June/July 2006
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/coconut_tofu_peach.html

3 medium peaches, peeled, pitted and diced
1-2 jalapenos, preferably red, seeded and minced
1 2-inch piece fresh lemongrass, minced, or 1 teaspoon dried (see Note)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon rice-wine vinegar
¾ teaspoon salt, divided
½ cup unsweetened flaked coconut
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 14-ounce package extra-firm water-packed tofu, drained
2 tablespoons canola oil, divided

Preheat oven to 400°F. Set a wire rack on a large baking sheet.

Combine peaches, jalapenos, lemongrass, basil, brown sugar, vinegar and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl; toss to combine.

Mix coconut, flour and cornstarch in a shallow dish. Cut the block of tofu lengthwise into 8 thin steaks. Pat the tofu slices dry with a paper towel, sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, then press both sides of each tofu steak into the coconut mixture.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 4 tofu steaks and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side, adjusting heat as necessary to prevent scorching. Transfer the tofu steaks to the rack-lined baking sheet and place in the oven to keep warm. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the skillet over medium-high heat; cook the remaining tofu steaks until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Serve the tofu with the peach salsa.

Makes 4 servings.

Per serving: 251 calories; 16 g fat (4 g sat, 9 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 19 g carbohydrate; 11 g protein; 3 g fiber; 491 mg sodium; 313 mg potassium.

See the recipe...