Steak Chili

Recipe # 25: Steak Chili

We've had a very long winter this year, so I've been making lots of soups and stews to keep us warm. Matt always requests chili, and this time I decided to mix it up a bit and use steak instead of ground beef.

My only confusion with this recipe was the ingredient of "chili starter." I hadn't heard of this and couldn't find it in the grocery store, so I added a can of chili beans in sauce and a packet of chili seasoning. Whatever I did worked, because it turned out really good! I ate mine over Fritos with cheese, because I didn't feel like being healthy (do I ever?). Matt just ate his plain, and raved about it all week.

Chicken and White Bean Chili

Recipes #17: Chicken and White Bean Chili
Recipe #18: Jalapeno Cheddar Corn Muffins

I love green chiles, so when I saw this recipe for chili with chicken, cannellini beans, and green chiles, I had to make it immediately.

I made the chili exactly as the recipe stated, except I reserved about a tablespoon of the jalapenos for my corn muffins, and only used 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper. I was glad I made those modifications, because the chili was super spicy (or maybe I am just a wuss).

I made some corn muffins to go along with the chili. I am not sure if this should count as one of my recipes, but I'm in charge and I'm behind in my posts, so I am counting it!

Jalapeno Cheddar Corn Muffins
1 box Jiffy cornbread mix
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 TBSP diced jalapenos
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Bake at 350 for 15 min.

Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken

Recipe #7: Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken

I have been following the Skinny Taste blog for a while, even back when it was called Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes--or something like that. I've made several of her recipes, and have yet to find one I didn't like. They have all been flavorful, healthy, and relatively easy to prepare.

I've had the Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken on my "to make" list for a while, and finally made it this weekend. When making this recipe, I was skeptical about the amount of cayenne pepper in it. I've used cayenne before, and have found it to be pretty spicy. I initially added 1/4 tsp of it into my crockpot, but after tasting it decided to add the full amount.

The only change I made was the cooking time. I only had chicken breast tenders, so I cooked it on high for about 4 hours. The chicken was very tender, and shredded nicely.

We ate ours over rice, like the recipe recommended, with diced avocado and cheese on top. But, the real magnum opus of this dish was how I ate it last night--over nachos. For those of you who oppose eating a snack food like nachos for dinner, let me remind you that there are vegetables and protein in the Santa Fe Chicken, which balances out the unhealthiness of the nachos. And nachos are delicious and you should take every opportunity you can to eat them.

Matt ate his leftovers on a hamburger bun with salsa and BBQ sauce, making a weird pulled-mexican chicken sandwich. Some of his food choices are questionable, because he also puts ketchup AND gravy on his pot roast. Maybe I'll let him write a guest blog soon.