Mexi-Chicken Bean Dip

Here's an upgrade to the bean dip that I did back in August of 2012. I decided to make it more hearty and flavorful.

1 chicken breast, sliced into small chunks
1/2 can of dark red kidney beans
1/2 can of black beans
2 large spoonfuls of taco seasoning
1/2 cup of Mexi-Blend Cheese
1 spoonful of crushed red pepper
1 cup of salsa

In a medium-sized frying pan, spray bottom and sides with cooking spray; turn the burner to medium heat. Once you've cut up your chicken into small chunks, place the chicken in the frying pan. Add taco seasoning and crushed red pepper; stir so all the chicken is coated in the seasoning. When the chicken is white on all sides add in salsa and cheese. Once cheese begins to melt, add beans. Cook for about 5-7 minutes or however long the chicken needs to be cooked all the way through. Turn off burner and serve with tortilla chips. *Bonus* Goes great with sour cream!

Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup

Happy New Year everyone! Sorry it's been so long since I posted. The holidays were a little crazy for me this year. Hope everyone had a fun and safe holiday season! Here's an easy chicken noodle soup recipe to start off the new year!

1 chicken breast, cubed
1 can (14 1/2 oz) of chicken broth
4 cups of water
1/2 a bag of egg noodles
2 green onions, chopped
2 carrots, roughly chopped
2 stalks of celery
2 pinches of thyme
1 pinch of dried basil leaves
2 pinches of parsley flakes
2 pinches of dried oregano
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste

Place broth and water in the crock pot; add spices and stir. Now add chicken and vegetables. Cook on high for about 3-4 hours (or cook on low for 6-8 hours). For the last 30-40 minutes add egg noodles. Once the noodles are tender serve immediately, otherwise they will be too soft and mushy. Voila!

Chicken and Rice Stuffed Peppers for Two

So I wanted to try something a little different with the Stuffed Peppers Recipe that I did last month. Instead of using ground beef, I decided to use ground chicken. It was a great success! The boyfriend and I loved it so I felt that I should share it :D

2 Sweet Bell Peppers
1/4 lb of ground chicken, pulled apart into smaller chunks
2/3 cups of rice
1 spoonful of jarred minced garlic
1 spoonful of minced onion
2 spoonfuls of Italian Seasoning
2 pinches of paprika
1/2 jar of Tomato Sauce

Preheat oven at 350.

Place rice in a small sauce pot with water. Bring to a boil and cook until rice is tender. Drain.

Meanwhile, cut the tops off of the peppers. Hollow out the inside by removing seeds and some of the membrane; also cut out the stem from the tops.  Finely chop up what is left of the top; set aside.

Coat the bottom of a medium-size pan with a tablespoon of olive oil. Turn burner onto medium heat. Place chicken in pan along with garlic, onion, and spices. Stir until evenly coated and cooked evenly. Once cooked thoroughly, add tomato sauce, pepper tops, and rice. Cook for about 2 minutes then turn off burner.

Stuff peppers with mix from pan. Place peppers in a baking dish that is sprayed with cooking oil. Coat the tops of the peppers with extra tomato sauce. Place in oven and baste with tomato sauce every 10 minutes for 30 minutes.

Lita's Minestrone

1/2 can (10 3/4 oz) of garden vegetable broth
1 cup of water
1-2 spoonfuls of cornstarch
2 pinches of dried basil
3 pinches of oregano
4 shakes of black pepper
2 tsp of paprika
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 medium-sized potato, peeled and chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 cup of dark red kidney beans
1/2 cup of black beans
4 cherub tomatoes, quartered

In a medium-size saucepan, combine broth, spices, and water. Turn onto medium heat and add in potatoes, celery, and carrots. Cook for about 15 minutes then add tomatoes and beans.
Meanwhile, place 1 spoonful of cornstarch in a mug. Take out some of the broth from the pot and pour it into the mug.  Stir until it isn't lumpy then pour it into the soup. Repeat for the second spoonful.* Cook for another 10 minutes or until potatoes can be pierced easily with a fork. Enjoy!

*Tip* It's easier to separate the cornstarch with the broth mix in a mug so that it doesn't get lumpy. If you add the cornstarch directly into the pot with all the soup it get lumpy and isn't very appealing. This way it is gradually added in and the lump are already worked out!

Hearty Tomato Soup for Two

1 can of Low Sodium Tomato Soup
1 can of milk
3-4 cherub tomatoes, chopped
2 scallions, diced
2 teaspoons of crushed red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons of dried basil
3 teaspoons of dried oregano
2 pinches of paprika

In a small saucepan pot, pour in tomato soup from the can; then fill the can with 1% milk. Add in spices. Stir until well blended, add vegetables, and then cook over medium heat. Cook for about 20 minutes or until tomatoes are soft. Serve with toasted whole wheat bread or unsalted crackers. Delicious!

*Optional* Add peppers and/or celery to make the dish even more chunky and flavorful!