And the official, inaugural dish cooked in my maaahvelous Le Creuset is…

…Chicken Tortilla Soup!   I love a good bowl of soup in the winter time, and when you live in one of the most frigid places in the country, soup can not only be a meal, but also a supplementary heating device.  Seriously, I can keep our thermostat 5 degrees lower when soup’s on the dinner menu.  Gus and I fell in love with Chicken Tortilla Soup after spending 2 weeks in Nuevo Vallarta for our honeymoon, so I decided it would not only be a great winter meal, but also kinda romantic too.  One big collective, “awwwww”.  The substitutions to make this healthy and Daniella-ified were pretty simple and easy, yet still left us with a very flavorful, filling soup.  Sure, the honeymoon version was better but that’s due to a number or reasons… 1.) Full fat cheese, sour cream, and fried tortilla strips served on top…you have to indulge on the honeymoon right?!, 2.) Those Mexican chefs definitely know a lot more than me when it comes to authentic Mexican cooking, 3.) Piquillo Peppers.  They’re everywhere in Mexico, but I can’t find one stinking Piquillo Pepper in the 3rd largest city in America to save my life, and 4.) Everything just tastes better when you’re enjoying it with your brand spanking new husband.  Time for another “awwwww”.  Alright, alright, enough of the schmoopie talk. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Healthy (and romantic!) Chicken Tortilla Soup

• 1 lb. Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
• 2 cans of Black Beans, drained
• 2 cans of Green Chilies, drained
• 1 can of Enchilada Sauce (I used hot, but if you’re a big ole wimp, then mild will suffice)
• 1 can of Crushed Tomatoes
• 1 Onion, chopped
• 2 cloves Garlic, minced
• 2 tsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/2 cup Cilantro, chopped
• 2 cups of Chicken Broth
• 2 tsp. Cumin
• 2 tsp. Chili Powder
• 1 tsp. Ground Black Pepper

Ideas for Toppings:

• Dollop of fat-free Greek Yogurt
• Chopped Scallions
• Handful of Whole-Wheat Tortilla Strips (Don’t reach for those evil Tostito’s!  Take 1 Whole-Wheat tortilla, cut into strips, lay flat on baking sheet, spray lightly with olive oil, bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes until they crisp up)
• Sprinkle of low-fat Cheese
• Slice of Avocado
• Squeeze of fresh Lime (sounds funny, but this is how they served it in Mexico and it was shockingly delish)

 

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly spray a baking dish with olive oil and lay the chicken breasts in the pan.  Season to taste and roast the chicken for 30-35 minutes, or until the juices run clear.  Once the roasted chicken has cooled, shred with two forks and set aside.
2. Coat the bottom of a stock pot or dutch oven (why helloooo, my lovely Le Creuset!) with olive oil and sweat the onions and garlic over medium heat.  Next, add in the green chilies and sweat those for about 30 seconds before turning the heat down to low. 
3. To the veggies, add the chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, and enchilada sauce.  Stir to incorporate the liquids then add the beans, shredded chicken, cilantro, and seasoning to the pot.  Cover and simmer for 1 hour, while stirring occasionally. 
4. Serve with your favorite assorted toppings…mine happen to include a dollop of fat-free Greek yogurt (I know I sound like a broken record, but this stuff makes healthy stuff taste oh-so-naughty), a sprinkling of diced scallions, toasted whole-wheat tortilla strips and a squeeze of fresh lime.  Ahhh, it’s *almost* like being back on the honeymoon.  Minus that whole it’s-negative-thirty-outside-and-we-have-a-foot-of-snow-on-the-ground part.

Wave your magic wand and make some White Chicken Chili.

I love kitchen gadgets.  Getting married only intensified my love of all things kitchen related since marriage = lots of fun kitchen gifts.  And I am not ashamed to admit that I will decide to cook something in particular just so I can bust out a gadget that has been hiding in the back of my cabinet for too long.   I happened to see my little Italian friend, Giada, on the Food Network this week and she was whipping up a yummy soup with the help of an immersion blender…and that got me thinking that I just love my magical immersion blender and it is probably needing some attention from me.   An immersion blender is this fabulous magic wand that you just stick right in the pot you are cooking in…no need to haul down the heavy food processor or dirty your regular blender.  Just stick that magic wand right in the pot and puree away!  I wanted to make something a bit heartier than plain, old soup so I could serve it for dinner this week…as I know Gus’ response to soup for dinner would most definitely be, “that’s it?!?”.   That’s where the idea for Chili came in, but this time I decided to stray from my usual Chili and go with White Chicken Chili.  Now I know you are probably asking yourself, why the heck do you need an immersion blender if you are making Chili?!  Well, to keep my Chili on the healthy side, I replaced the usual thickening ingredients of flour and cream with a can of pureed cannelini beans…hence the need for the immersion blender.   I also chose to puree my onions and peppers, as I don’t particularly like to bite into chunks of those in my chili, but it’s up to you.  If you like the chunks, then just put the immersion blender down, my friend.  With a topping of fat free Greek yogurt and a sprinkle of low fat cheese, you just made a healthy, hearty meal AND you got to have a little fun with a magic wand.  That’s what I call a great day in the kitchen. 

 

 

White Chicken Chili  (or if you puree the onions and peppers like I do, then it looks more like Light Green Chicken Chili)

 

• 1 lb. boneless, skinless Chicken Breasts
• 30 oz. Chicken Broth
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 cloves of Garlic, minced
• 2 tsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 4 (15 oz.) cans of Cannelini Beans
• 2 (4 oz.) cans of Green Chili Peppers
• about 1/2 (2 oz.) can of Diced Jalapenos (I thought 2 oz was plenty of heat, but if you’re insane than go with a full 4 oz. of Jalapenos.  Just don’t get mad at me when your tongue has first degree burns.)
• 2 tsp. Cumin
• 1/4 tsp. Cayenne Pepper

 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Season the chicken with salt and pepper.  Place chicken in a shallow baking dish and cook for 30 minutes or until juices run clear. 
2. Allow chicken to cool and shred with 2 forks.  Set aside.
3. In a large stockpot or dutch oven, saute the diced onion in the olive oil over medium heat.  Once the onion is soft, add the garlic, green chili peppers, jalapenos, cumin, and cayenne pepper.  Saute for about 3 minutes and then turn down the heat to low. 
4. Add the chicken broth and one can of beans to the pot.  Using an immersion blender, pulse until the beans, onions, and peppers are pureed.  Once mixture is smooth, add the remaining beans and shredded chicken to the pot.  Simmer on low for 30 minutes and serve with fat free Greek yogurt and low fat cheese. 

Chicken Marsala with Extra Fungi

I love me some fungi.  Thankfully I married someone who loves mushrooms as much as me.  This dish is chockful of them and while the chicken is good, the sauce is really the star.  Typically Chicken Marsala is served with a breaded breast of chicken and usually is accompanied with pasta…while that is delicious, it certainly isn’t doing anything nice to our arteries or thighs.  I typically pair this verision with a salad and steamed green veggie…and we don’t even miss the breading or pasta from the original.  Or at least, we just keep telling ourselves that so we can enjoy more of those Best. Chocolate. Chip. Cookies. Ever. 

 

 

Chicken Marsala “Daniella-ified” (aka, the healthy version)

• 4 skinless, boneless Chicken Breasts, pounded 1/4 inch thick
• 3 cups Baby Portabella Mushrooms (I told you we loved shrooms…feel free to cut back this amount or substitute any variety of mushrooms)
• 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 3/4 cup Marsala Wine
• 1/4 cup Chicken Broth
• 2 Shallots, minced
• 2 cloves of Garlic, minced
• Salt/Pepper/Italian Seasoning

 

1. In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil over medium heat.  Season the chicken with the Salt/Pepper/Italian Seasoning and lightly brown in skillet.  Once both sides are lightly brown, remove chicken from pan. 
2. Add the remaining 1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil to the skillet.  Add the shallots and garlic to pan and let them cook for about 30 seconds. 
3. Add the mushrooms to the pan and cook until the edges are golden brown. 
4. Once the mushrooms have cooked down, add the marsala wine to the skillet.  Be sure to scrap the bottom of the skillet, so all the browned bits end up incorporated into the sauce.  Bring the wine to a boil.
5. When the wine has reduced to half, add the chicken broth to the skillet.  Continue to cook until sauce slightly thickens.
6. Once sauce has thickened, add the chicken breasts back to the pan and contine to cook for about 5 minutes.   
7. Season to taste and garnish with chopped basil.