Aunt Glenda's Amazing White Bean Chicken Chili

This recipe is SO good!  And so easy!  I used fat free, low sodium broth, fat free sour cream, and low fat cheese, and it still turned out great!  I also just baked a few plain pieces of chicken with the dinner I made the night before so I had cooked chicken ready to go.  It made the prep time next to nothing.  Try serving it with cornbread and jam- delicious!  And so good leftover too.

AUNT GLENDA'S AMAZING WHITE BEAN CHICKEN CHILI

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast (cooked and shredded)

1 tbs olive or vegetable oil

6-8 small garlic cloves (minced)

1 small onion, diced (I don't like onion so I omitted it and it was still very flavorful)

(one) 7 oz can diced green chilies

(two) 15 oz cans white beans, undrained

4 cups chicken broth

1 tsp chicken bouillion granules

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 to 1 tsp cayenne (I only did a 1/2 and it gave it a medium spice level)

1 cup sour cream plus additional for topping

3 cups shredded monterey jack cheese

fresh cilantro

1- cook chicken and tear into pieces

2- heat oil in large pot over medium, add onion and garlic and sautee until flavor is released

3- add broth, beans, chilies and spices, and simmer 35 to 40 minutes

4- add sour cream and cheese and cook til cheese is melted (this sounded weird to me to add the cheese instead of just serve it with cheese, but it's what really thickens it up)

Serve in bowls with extra sour cream and cilantro

Weekly Meal Plan

I think my meal plan for this week is going to rock, so I want to share it.  I got almost everything in a desperate last minute web search before placing a FreshDirect order, so there are a few recipes on here I haven't tried yet, but they're all so simple I can't see anything not ending up great!

Pecan Crusted Chicken (Rachael Ray recipe)

     w/ Steamed Asparagus in lemon butter
Creamy Tomato Parmigiano Soup

     w/ French Baguette (using heavy cream in soup instead of sour cream)

Romanesco Broccoli and Rigatoni (Rachael Ray recipe)
Mediterranean Lemon Chicken and Thyme Roasted Potatoes

     w/ leftover asparagus

Crockpot Stuffing Chicken

     w/ steamed green beans

Oven Stew

This isn't really a recipe for the health conscious, but it's a good one to prepare early in the day and just let it cook away in the oven. Excellent for those cold, chilly days where you need something to warm you up.

2 lbs. hamburger

2 onions, chopped

2 sticks of celery, chopped

Carrots, peeled and chopped (I use about 3 or 4)

Potatoes, peeled and chopped (I used about 4-5 of these)

2 cans Cream of Mushroom soup

1 can Cheddar Cheese soup

2 cups milk

Brown the hamburger in an oven safe pot or dutch oven. Season with salt and pepper. Add everything else and stir well until the mixture is creamy.

Put in a 350 degree oven. Let bubble for 2-3 hours. Good for camping or cook while away for the afternoon.

With the potatoes and carrots, sometimes, I just guess how many to use depending on how big they are and how many people will be eating.

Pumpkin Soup

Rachel Ray's Pumpkin Soup with Chili Cran-Apple Relish

I love fall because of the weather, the colors, the harvest, and the soup. This is a really easy recipe (follow the link above) that we have been making for years.

I only use one cup of cream. In the relish I use mostly paprika, and a some chili powder.

Homemade Creamy Tomato Parmigiano Soup

Ingredients:
1 clove garlic (minced)
1 Tbs butter
1 small can crushed tomatoes in thick puree
1 small can chicken broth
Italian seasonings to taste (basil, oregano, etc)
1/3 to 1/2 cup low fat sour cream
1 1/2 Tbs low fat cream cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Saute garlic and butter in medium saucepan for about 1 minute.  Add tomatoes and chicken broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, add seasonings, and simmer for 15-20 minutes until it reaches desired thickness.  Remove from heat and add sour cream and cheeses slowly while stirring constantly to prevent sour cream from curdling.  Put back on heat and stir until cheeses are melted and soup is thick.  Makes approximately 2 to 2.5 servings so definitely double it if you're feeding more than just you and the hubby.

For those of you who've eaten at Zupas in Provo UT, this soup is really similar to their delicious tomato basil soup (especially if you add some crushed red pepper to spice it up a bit and add enough parmesan to give it that wonderful texture).  They serve theirs with orzo pasta which is really yummy!!

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Salsa Verde Soup

Salsa Verde Soup

SOUP
1 15 oz jar La victoria "Thick & Chunky" salsa verde, medium (I couldn't find this exact brand, but just used another brand of salsa verde and it worked just fine.)
3 cups shredded chicken (can buy and shred a rotisserie chicken {saves time and adds more flavor}, or boil and shred frozen chicken breasts)
1 15 oz can cannellini beans, drained (white kidney beans)
3 cups chicken broth

GARNISH
2 green onions, chopped
sour cream
grated monterey jack cheese
tortilla chips

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