Russian Tea Cookies (Gluten-Free)

What are they really, these cookies?  I found many other possibilities online including Mexican Wedding Cakes, Russian Teacakes, Swedish Tea Cakes, Italian Butter Nut, Southern Pecan Butterball, Snowdrop, Viennese Sugar Ball, Sand Tarts, and Snowball and finally, Butterballs (my favorite, of course). I went with what I used to make, please choose your favorite.

These began with a recipe for chocolate chip cookies that I found on another blog. I have been pretty chicken to make gluten-free baked goods since this whole thing started.  I flopped pretty badly in my first bread-making attempt and who has the time (resources, ego...) for that on a regular basis?  This recipe met all of the necessary criteria for me to give it a try:

1) It looked easy and fast

2) I had most of the indregients on  hand and otherwise had probably good substitutes

3) I had been seriously craving something of a 'treat' at night- Gluten-free snacking is a complicated thing.
4) They are pretty low sugar, given they use agave and only 1/2 C

5) I was totally avoiding all of the cleaning that has been piling up around this house.

I think they turned out pretty darn tasty, albeit a bit greasy (I cut quite a bit of the oil from the original).  They had much more of a 'Tea Cookie' texture than a typical chocolate chip cookie, though.  I happen to like Tea Cookies, but couldn't shake the expectations and incongruencies.

 After a bit of thought, I just decided to adapt the recipe into what I felt it better lent itself to and I must say it is delightful. I hope you like it!  I didn't have any white rice flour on hand today, so I used brown rice flour instead this time.  I think that in this instance, white rice flour would be better for a lighter texture but I won't complain.  As a side note, the original Chocolate Chip recipe was pretty darn tasty, too- just more of a Chocolate Chip Tea Cookie.

"Helping"- Obvioiusly a chopstick is key here for proper cookie execution.

Ingredients

• 1.5 c  White rice flour
• 1 c tapioca flour
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 t baking powder
• 1 t xanthan gum
• 2/3c canola oil (If you can have real butter here, why wouldn't you?
• 1/2 c agave nectar
• 3/4c finely chopped pecans
  

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Spray baking sheet with canola oil spray or line with parchment paper. 
2. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl, adding nuts at the very end. Mix thoroughly. 
3. Roll cookies into 1.5 inch balls and place on cookie sheet
4. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. 
5. After completely cooled on rack, roll in powdered sugar once (or twice if you want them super dusted)

 

Made about 24-30 cookies

Chewy Granola Bars - Gluten-free (naturally)/Dairy-free

This is very fast, easy to make and couldn't possibly be more versatile or flexible.  Every time I make this, I tell my good friend, Bert "I made bars again, I think these are my best yet".  They are always different based on what I have on  hand and I benefit from the difference each time.  The inspiration for these came even before going the gluten/dairy free route for me.  As a new mom, I found that it was hard for me to find good, healthy and fulfilling snacks to keep me going during the day without eating just junk or not eating at all.  If you aren't in need of dairy-free, the other version is ridiculously amazing and I will post it next.  This version is super tasty, but more healthy tasting, too. Truly, there is no need to be precise with the ingredients or amounts, as long as it is gooey as a batter and sticks together.  What I put down here is what I currently have been enjoying, but it will change next time.... These last for ages, too.  Also, one time I made them and decided the next day that they were too gooey so I cooked them again and it worked great!  Really, these can't messed up.

Ingredients

• 2c Rolled oats, gluten-free if needed (I prefer the chewiness of regular, quick are also delicious)
• 1c Toasted brown rice cereal (totally optional, but good for texture variation and lightens it up)
• 1-2c mixed dried fruit (I just use currants and keep it to 1c since I don't like things too sweet)
• 2c mixed chopped nuts (I like a mix of blanched almonds, pine nuts, pecans, cashews & soy nuts)
• 1/2-1tsp salt (again, totally optional, but I like a more savory flavor.  You could use some salty nuts as well- yum!
• 1/2c natural peanut butter
• 1/2c unsweetened apple sauce
• 1/3c low-sugar jam or preserves

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.

Line a 9x9 pan with parchment paper and grease or spray with non-stick spray.  If you are adding lots of nuts and rice cereal, maybe you will need a 9x13 pan.

In large bowl, mix the dry ingredients. In smaller bowl or in a large measuring cup, mix the wet ingredients well.  Pour the wet into the dry and mix together.

Pour the mix into your prepared pan and pat down- they should be maybe 1-2 inches thick.  Cook for ~30 minutes, 'til browned around sides and top.  It may still seem a bit gooey.

Let cool in pan ~10  minutes before transfering to cooling rack and cooling completely.  Cut them into 12-16 squares as you like.

gooey into the pan!

Just done

The corner is the best part!

Banana Bread (Gluten-Free)

I nabbed this recipe from my youngest sister-in-law's good friend Ali after she put something about it on Facebook (another strange and wonderful byproduct of social networking).  I wish I had it together in my early twenties to think of dietary changes as they related to other aspects of my life- my post-partum life may have been a touch easier!  I thought this was delicious, but there may be some of you out there who don't like the heartiness of the buckwheat flour.  For you people, there are options.  I loved the texture it added.  This is really only one of my first attempts at actual baking and I am quite pleased at the results.  The Gluten-free flour game is tricky and very expensive, so not to be messed with too much in my kitchen yet.  I made several modifications to reduce the fat, sugar and replace the eggs.  I noted the changes I made as well as her tips along the way.  I think I enjoyed it the most when I toasted up two thin slices the next day and made a banana bread-almond butter sandwich!

Ingredients:

1 cup rice flour
1 cup buckwheat flour (Ali just use's 2 cups rice flour)
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup app sauce
1/2 cup plus 2T canola oil (original recipe called for 1 cup plus 2 tbsp butter and no applesauce)
1/2 cup sugar
2-3T agave (original recipe called for 1 1/4 cups sugar and no agave)
23 oz bananas (I use 3 average sized ones)
4 large eggs (I used Ener-G egg replacer and flaxmeal vs. eggs here for my particular needs)
4 tbsp icing sugar (Ali just use regular sugar) (I didnt even bother with the icing bit, too lazy)
1 tbsp lemon juice

*Ali says "Sometimes i omit the lemon "icing" and put 1 tea of both cinnamon and nutmeg to give it a little more fall flavor."

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350

Sift flours with baking powder and salt.
Beat the oil or butter, applesauce, sugar (and agave if using) and bananas together until smooth and then briefly stir in the eggs (or egg replacer). Stir this into the flour mixture until blended. Pour into a large loaf pan and bake for about 50 min.
Cool for 10 minutes and then mix the sugar with the lemon juice and drizzle over the top. (Ali says: "I like it lemony so I use more lemon juice")

ENJOY!

I am so thankful for the wonderful people in my life and for those of you I have not yet met. 

Oatmeal Apple Crisp (Wheat-free/Dairy-Free/adaptable)

Grandma Jeanne's Best Apple Crisp

This is a cheater post, since I put this recipe up two months ago.  I thought it wasn't a bad idea to re-post it with Thanksgiving is upon us and folks working out the menus and such.  Everytime my Mom makes this she gets recipe requests- and for good reason! 

GF note: I have never made it with gluten-free flour, but you certainly could if you know your flour mixes and xanthan gums.  I am still working my way around baking in the gluten-free world, so I't not ready to say how best to adapt it there.

Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving!

Kickin' Chicken Soup (naturally gluten-free!)

I should have realized when I was craving soup for three beautiful, sunny days in a row that I was getting sick.  Sun means grilling usually, but not this week.  Soup is usually a winter thing for me, but I couldn't get enough of it.  Miso soup, lentil soup, and then chicken soup.  I love easy soups like this one because they are fast, you can't mess them up, they are totally versatile, they are a great way to use up misc. veggies on hand and they are so light and rewarding.  Plus, Mia loves soup, so it is a great way to pack lots of good nutrients into a quick meal for everyone. 

Easy Chicken Soup (Feeds 2 bigs and 1 little)

2c chicken stock (homemade is best, but otherwise low-sodium)
2   chicken breasts (you could easily substitue tofu or pork or whatever here)
1   celery stalk
1   small zucchini
1   medium carrot (we didn't have any on hand this night, but chicken soup is always best with carrots!)
1c cooked rice (brown preferably) or pasta of your favorite shape
1t  pesto or other fresh herbs (optional)

Directions:

1.  Cut chicken and all veggies into roughly the same size- about 1/2 inch pieces ('cubes' if you must use that word to describe food).  Add the pesto or herbs here if you like.
2.  Bring chicken stock to a low boil and add celery and carrots.
3.  Meanwhile, in seperate pot, bring a quart or so of water to a boil, then put chicken in and cook for ~3 minutes to poach lightly; drain.
4.  Add poached chicken to broth with veggies (keeping at a low boil) and cook for a minute or two.
5.  Add the zucchini and cook for 2 minutes
6.  Add the rice or noodles and cook for another minute then salt/pepper to taste before serving.
7.  Ladel into bowls and maybe top with some pecorino or parmesan for good measure.

Obviously this is always best with a good bread to accompany it.  Let's not kid ourselves, bread needs gluten to be delicious.  However, Great Harvest Bakery makes some pretty good close seconds (especially the one here in West Seattle) and most health food stores will have GF options if you need them. 

Note:  The listed veggies were just the ones we had in the fridge.  You could use anything you wanted to here....  corn, mushrooms, onion, edamame, beans, peas......

Note:  For Mia, I usually toss frozen peas in her bowl, then the soup cooks them just enough while the peas cool the soup

Note:  If the thought of prepping your own chicken tonite doesn't work for you, you could buy a rotisserie chicken at the store and shred it, then just toss that in at the end with the rice/pasta.  The broth would lose some of the delicious chicken-ey flavor, but sometimes the trade is worth it to not touch raw chicken, right?

Chicken Parmesean (Pecorino) Gluten-free/Egg-free/Dairy-free Adaptable

This is a surprisingly fast dish to prepare and very tasty, it just takes several dishes for the assembly line.  Kind of a comfort-meets-fancy dinner but very easy.  I often freeze half of it and it holds up surprisingly well if maintained in a good air-tight freezer container, then thawed for 1-2d in the fridge before cooking.

(serves about 4 bigs and 2 littles and nobody goes hungry)
Ingredients:

• 4 chicken breasts cut in half lengthwise (these will be even better if they are pounded flat, however in my house, the time just isnt there, so I skip that part)
• 1/2c seasoned breadcrumbs (or just add a pinch each of dried basil/oregano/lemon pepper to plain crumbs if you have plain crumbs at the ready)
• 1/4c grated pecorino or parmesean cheese
• 2-4T flaxseed meal
• 2t olive oil
• 1/4c milk, buttermilk, soy milk, rice milk or 2 eggwhites lightly beaten
• 4c tomato sauce, heated
• 1-2c shredded cheese (Use what you like here.... Mozzarella is standard, Jack is great, any non-dairy meltable cheese works- I used Goat Gouda from TJ's and it was fab)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425.
1. Combine breadcrumbs and pecorino, then put into a shallow dish.
2. Put the flaxmeal and milk each in separate shallow dishes or a plate.
3. Dredge one chicken breast in flax meal, then dip in milk or egg, then dredge in breadcrumb mixture.  Repeat with remaining breasts.
4. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add chicken and cook about 5 minutes on each side until done or nearly done.
5. Place each breast in 9x13 slightly oiled glass baking dish.
6. Cover them with tomato sauce and top with cheese.
7. Bake for 10 minutes or just until cheese melts and sauce is a little bubbly.

This is Flaxmeal on the top and the Breadcrumb/Pecorino mix on bottom.

Browning up!

This was some Roasted Tomato Sauce from our freezer- straight into the pan and ready for dinner!

 

Delicious served with or over noodles!  In our case, I just tossed some Trader Joe's Brown Rice Spaghetti noodles with olive oil, salt & pepper.

 



Mom's portion



Mia'a portion!

We ate this with the Raw Tuscan Kale Salad that I can't seem to get enough of.  Great meal!

Raw Tuscan Kale Salad (Gluten-Free... or Not)

This salad is amazing!  I have to admit that after about two bites into my first go-round when I made it, actually looked Mike in the eye and said "my only regret is that I shared this with you".  I'm sure he understood where I was coming from.  It is like a super-healthy Caesar Salad with a wintery twist.  I have made it at least three times in the last week just because I could.  I can't tell if it is the garlic/salt paste or the lemon and chilis that make this so delicious, but it doesn't matter. I made this with both Lacinato and Black Kale-I liked them each for different reasons, so try both.  Another huge bonus of this salad is that it totally holds up to putting left-overs in the fridge for the next day because the kale is so hardy.  Please try this, it is amazing. 

1 bunch Tuscan kale (for ex: black or lacinato)
2 thin slices country bread, or two handfuls good, homemade coarse breadcrumbs (GFree or not)

1/2 garlic clove
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus a pinch
1tsp capers (optional, but a HUGE addition)

1/4 cup (or small handful) grated pecorino cheese, plus additional for garnish

2-3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional for garnish

Freshly squeezed juice of one lemon (scant 1/4 cup or ~50ml)

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Trim the bottom few inches off the kale stems and discard. If you are using black kale, consider cutting out the majority of the center stem as it is pretty darn woody.  Slice the kale into 3/4-inch ribbons. You should have 4 to 5 cups. Place the kale in a large bowl.

If using the bread, toast it until golden brown on both sides and dry throughout. Tear into small pieces and pulse in a food processor until the mixture forms coarse crumbs, or crumbs to your liking. (For Gluten-Free, I like either Great Harvest's French or Udi's Brown Rice Bread.  Delicious!)

Using a mortar and pestle or a knife, pound or mince the garlic, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and capers into a paste. Transfer the garlic to a small bowl. Add 1/4 cup cheese, 2-3 tablespoons oil, lemon juice, pinch of salt, pepper flakes, and black pepper and whisk to combine. Pour the dressing over the kale and toss very well (the dressing will be thick and need lots of tossing to coat the leaves). Let the salad sit for at least 5-10 minutes, then serve topped with the bread crumbs, additional cheese, and a drizzle of oil.  You can toss it even 30 minutes ahead of time if you want for the sake of time.  It will just get better.

Adapted from via Heidi Swanson at 101cookbooks the Raw Tuscan Kale Salad with Chiles and Pecorino recipe in Melissa Clark's In the Kitchen with A Good Appetite.

I made a big batch of gluten-free breadcrumbs for this and a gluten-free chicken parmesean dish I will post as well, so I have been pretty much indulging in this ever since. I'm not sure why I haven't thought to put coarse breadcrumbs in my salads before, but I sure will from here out. 



Lacinato is more delicate and leafy than black kale.



Black Kale is more like a Romaine leaf.  My mom called it "Dinosaur Kale" which made this salad even more fun. 

Roasted Tomato Sauce

 

This is one of my favorite ways to  use huge quantities of tomatoes.  You can be as creative as you want, add whatever spices you want and it is always amazing.  The roasting process turns the sauce into an intense tomato-y delight.  It is nice to add things like pureed zucchini and whatnot to boost the nutrition as well.  I usually freeze in 1-2c batches and our family enjoys it all winter.  Since it is to dang flavorful and rich, I find we only need about 1c per 1/2 or 3/4lb pasta for serious sauce action.  Adapted from Marcella Rosene's recipe in Pasta and Co. By Request.

(Editors note added 9/24/14: Every batch of this changes with what is available, of course.  I have begun regularly using 2-4 carrots and 1-2 zucchini chopped in the pans to roast as well.  Also delicious and unobtrusive is to toss in a few leaves of kale!)

Preheat oven to 400.

In a 9x13 baking dish, combine:

~3-4# Ripe tomatoes, halved (any tomato you have is great here.  I use a combination of whatever is ripe, including cherry)

3 cloves garlic, crushed or minced

~1/4c olive oil

1/4 cup chopped basil or 4T pesto

~1/2t each salt and pepper

Toss,  cover with foil, roast for ~2 hours, stirring every 20-30 minutes to mash up big pieces.  Once it has reduced down to ~1/4-1/2 inch in the pan, remove and puree in blender (skin and all, yum!)

Yields approx 2-3 cups, depending on how many tomatoes and how reduced you go.

Note: all of these amounts are approximate and I encourage you to add whatever you like.  The last few times I have made it I added some red peppers and carrots that needed to be used and it took on more sweetness.

Here are mostly basic reds with a few cherry and heirlooms.  I used a few cubes of frozen broccoli/spinach/basil pesto vs. fresh basil and also a few cubes of pureed zucchini for good measure.





Toms 1hr in

  

Toms after 1.75 hr.  As you drag the spatula through it, it leaves a trail

Ready to go!

Croutons & Bread Crumbs (Gluten-Free.... or not)

I have been making various things lately that I have wanted breadcrumbs or croutons in the gluten-free variety.  I haven't seen any in the store, but they are so darn easy to make, that I had to get on it.  I typically make croutons out of all left-over bread or bread-like items in the house.  If I don't, I will just end up tossing it into the compost and I hate throwing food away (see 'hot dog croutons' below).  If I just turn it into croutons, Mike and Mia will take down the whole batch in an afternoon for snacks like they are potato chips.  This is a triple bonus for me of using food before it spoils, often getting good hearty grains into the family's bellies and having just what I need around in a pinch.  The same now goes for Gluten-free breads. 

There are lots of ways to make croutons and breadcrumbs, so be creative with what you add in.  I am just offering some thoughts of quick & easy.  Store leftovers (hah!) in very air-tight container.

Note:  Use whatever bread you want or have here.  If I want Gluten-Free, I use either Udi's Brown Rice Bread or Great Harvest's French because it is what I buy.  If I don't care, I use whatever is around and it is typically hot dog buns or bagels or something left over from a gathering of some kind.  It is all delicious with oil,  herbs and salt!

Directions/ingredients:

For Croutons:
Preaheat oven to ~400.

-Cut bread into about 1/2 inch cubes (however much you are using)
-Toss bread into medium bowl
-Drizzle around some olive oil over the bread (maybe several tablespoons?).  I don't use a lot in an effort to minimize excess fat, but fat is flavor, afterall.
-Sprinkle in some spices.... I often use a combination of  lemon pepper, basil, garlic powder, salt, pepper and red chili flakes. 
-Toss everything together in the bowl, then pour onto ungreased cookie sheet
-Cook for ~12 minutes, stirring once or twice to cook evenly on all sides
-Let cool before using

Plain Jane here, no fancy stuff.

Breadcrumbs:
Once croutons are cooled, place in food processor or blender and pulse for a few seconds until you get the texture you want.  If you are making breadcrumbs only, you may want to leave out the spices when you toast them.


Gluten Free.  Coarse texture good for salads and pastas.

Gluten-Free.  Fine texture for breading.

No, really.  Hot dog buns make great croutons!  Dont judge.

see?

 Also.... a few weeks back, this was posted on Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef.  Slightly different technique, but the point is it is easy and they are so great to have on hand!

Whole Wheat Tasty Muffins

AKA: MamaFawn's Whole Wheat, Flaxmeal, Zucchini, Carrot, Applesauce, Banana, Molasses, Reduced Sugar, Low-Fat Muffins.

AKA: Power Muffins

Mia loves these.  Mike loves these.  I loved these.  They are neither gluten-free, nor dairy-free, but they are amazingly tasty and packed full of goodness for big and little ones alike.  This recipe is heavily modified from a zucchini bread recipe originally in a Cooking Light cookbook.  This was originally motivated by trying to find a delicious way to deliver major amounts of nutrients to the little one, but quickly morphed to Mom & Dad's favorite morning snack.  This is one of the few things I truly miss in my wheat-free world.  I have to continue to develop my wheat-free option, so far I'm not there.  Anyway, these have snuck green veggies into even the most discerning Mini-tasters.

~Makes 18-20 small muffins or 12 muffins and a loaf~

~I usually freeze 12+ muffins and pull out from the freezer as needed~

3c shredded zucchini/carrot*

4c flour **

1/3c -1/2c white sugar (or less, as you like it.  The original recipe called for 1c!)

1/4c brown sugar

5t baking powder

1.5t cinnamon

1/2t salt

1/2t nutmeg

1.5c milk, soymilk or yogurt***

2t vanilla extract

2lg eggs lightly beaten (or egg substitute)

6T vegetable oil****

1/2c or so unsweetened applesauce (optional)

3T or so blackstrap molasses (optional, great for flavor and extra iron)

1-2 bananas, either smushed up or finely chopped (optional, good for natural sweetness and potassium)

1.  Preheat oven to 350°

2.  Mix dry ingredients in big bowl and make a well in center

3.  Mix wet ingredients together and add zucc/carrot

4.  Add zucc/carrot/misc.  mix into center of dry ingredients stirring just until combined

5.  divide evenly between muffin tins &/or loaf pans (either use cupcake liners or non-stick spray)

6.  Cook muffins 30-40 min, loaf pan usually requires 50-60min. 

* I use whatever is on hand or sounds good.  Maybe even some frozen, drained spinach would be good for some extra nutrients?

**I usually use about 2.5c whole wheat, 1c white and .5c flax meal.  Use whatever you like to mix

*** Use nonfat for big people if you care, or use full fat for the babies, depending on your goal!

**** I usually use only 3T oil and 3T applesauce in addition to adding extra applesauce for fun, as with the milk, modify your fats as you see fit for your needs

Basque Red Bean Soup

An amazing recipe and post just in from the amazing Miss Katie M. Read on........ 

I Married a Beige-atarian.

Some people marry vegetarians, I married a Beige-atarian. He only eats things in shades of beige: meat, pasta, potatoes, yogurt, pork, chicken, rice. Ocasionally, he'll throw in something orange (gasp!) like mac n cheese. So, it really surprised me that he told me that Basque Red Bean soup is one of his all-time favorite meals. I worked at a Basque restaurant in high school, and it was the signature item, everyone loves it. The recipe I've adapted was the closest one I could find to the real thing. I have to admit that it's delicious. I just have to make sure I don't let him see what's in it...

Basque Red Bean Soup - Recipe adapted from http://everything2.com/title/Basque+red+beans

Ingredients

• 2 cups dried small red chili beans
• 8 cups beef stock, I used the boxed kind
• 2 large carrot, diced
• 1-2 garlic cloves
• 2 bay leaves 
• 1 medium green bell pepper, diced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 leek, white and tender green parts, diced
• 2-3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
• ½ pound Basque chorizo, diced (don't use mexican chorizo)

Method

Put the dried beans in a large bowl and cover them with water. Let them soak for four-ish hours. Drain and rinse the beans.
In a big stock pot, mix the beans, stock, carrot, bay leaves, pepper, and onion. Note: If you have a food processor, you could run all the veggies through that. They are pretty much undistinguishable when the soup is done because they cook down completely. Bring it all to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 90 minutes.
Add the leek, potatoes, and chorizo. Simmer for another 30 minutes. If you can find it, use Basque Chorizo (cured), but don't use raw mexican chorizo. If you can't find the Basque version, try a Portuguese linguisa. At the end of the cooking time, the soup will thicken up.

Let the beans cool, and then cover and chill them in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, reheat them just before serving. Don't forget to remove and discard the bay leaves. Serve it up with a Fred Meyer baguette (it's the best one around) or sourdough. This serves a lot of people, I'd say at least 6.

All the ingredients. Look at the size of those leeks!

Getting ready to add the beans.

 Meat and leaks added. Soup is still thin and looks stringy because of the leeks. The leeks will completely disentegrate later.

The soup gets really thick and delicious. The longer it sits the better it is.

Adrienne's white bean chicken chili (soup)

I always look forward to the soups that Miss Adrienne cooks up and I always want the recipe afterwards.  This was no different.  I am very much looking forward to her Tortilla Soup this winter and I am already trying some corn-desensitivity training as I plan for it.  Anyway, the other day we got to enjoy more of her delicious soup as we celebrated the hubbin's birthday.  What I especially loved about this chili recipe was that it was less 'stew-like' and more 'soup-ey'.  This leaves much more room for delicious bread (gluten-free, of course) and birthday treats!  Soup is so great for freezing leftovers and having healthy, easy dinners weeks later when you need a night off from cooking.  Even better- look at how simple it is to make! (serves about 4 bigs and 2 littles)

Adrienne's Soup recipe:

1T olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2lb chicken breast, cut in 1/2in pieces and cooked

1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

2 (15 oz) cans white beans, undrained

1 (4 oz) can diced green chiles

1/2tsp ground cumin

1tsp chili powder

1 (14 oz) can chicken broth

2T lime juice

2T minced fresh cilantro (or 1T dried) I usually omit it altogether since i usually have all the other ingredients, but around here cilantro is a specialty item

(Editor's note: Cilantrophobes unite!  I can only assume that by 'specialty item', Adrienne meant 'gross'- I assure you this soup does not suffer from it's absence)

In a large pot, heat olive oil. add onion, garlic and red pepper. saute 5 mins.

Stir in white beans, chilies, cumin, chili powder and broth. bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. stir in chicken and simmer 5 mins. 

Stir in lime juice and cilantro (if you must).






Finished in the Pot.  Yum!


I might even add some celery in with the onions and pep next time for some bonus texture.  Or maybe some zuke just before serving.  Of course we added a touch of pecorino or Pepper Jack just before the spoons!



A final editor's note:  We had it again for left-over's tonite.  Much of the broth was absorbed into the beans and whatnot, so I added some more broth and put in some diced zucchini as I heated it up.  The fresh zuke was a nice contrast with the heat of the soup.  Just enough to make it seem like a slightly different dish for two days in a row.  So tasty!