Slow Cooker Chicken Chili

February 22, 2012 By

Is it already What’s Cookin’ Wednesday again?! My weeks are flying by, which I’m happy about because I’m so ready for warm weather.

I took a whirlwind trip up to my old stompin’ grounds, NYC, this past weekend. I {heart} that city. I could never live there again, especially now that I have a child, but the rush of adrenaline I get when I step out into the NYC air is indescribable and never felt anywhere else. Can’t you just feel all the dreams coming true?!

NYC and I had a 9 month love affair. Alas, she was too expensive for me and my $10 an hour music industry job.

I miss thee, En Why See.

Okay, enough about my favorite city. Here’s your recipe. It’s DELICIOUS! Molly broke my crockpot (don’t even ask) so I am currently crockpotless. I want to make this again so bad. Maybe I’ll run out and pick another one up this weekend. Yes, I think I may.

Slow Cooker Chicken Chili

  • 3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
  • 1 (16 ounce) jar salsa – don’t make it too spicy!
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • salt to taste
  • ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 (11 ounce) can corn
  • 1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans
  • 1 (15 ounce) can northern beans
  • 1 (15 ounce) can black beans

Directions:

  1. Place chicken and salsa in the slow cooker the night before you want to eat this chili (or in the morning the day of). Season with garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Cook 6 to 8 hours on Low setting.
  2. About 3 to 4 hours before you want to eat, shred the chicken with 2 forks. Return the meat to the pot, and continue cooking.
  3. Stir the corn and the beans into the slow cooker. Simmer until ready to serve. Top with some cheeeeeese!

Soooo easy and soooo delish! NOM NOM!

Filed Under: Dinner, Healthy, Low Carb, Meals/Recipes, What's Cookin' Wednesday Tagged With: , , , , , , Leave a Comment

Double Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes with Pumpkin Spice Buttercream

February 15, 2012 By

If you are new here I would like to welcome you to What’s Cookin’ Wednesday! Every Wednesday I share a recipe with my readers. Excuse me, a DELICIOUS recipe! And I think this is my most delicious recipe find yet!

Every Valentine’s Day my husband and I make a yummy dinner and a decadent dessert. However, this year we ended up going out to dinner over the weekend while my sister babysat and we didn’t ever discuss what to make on VDay. I decided to surprise Ben with these cupcakes! (I also made Turkey & White Bean Chili… recipe for another day). He almost left me to marry these cupcakes. They are THAT good.

He took them into work today and already IMed me at 8:15am to tell me how much everyone loves my cupcakes. So, if you need to wow someone then I highly suggest making these! They are chocolatey, moist and have the perfect amount of pumpkin flavor. Warning – if you are against using cake mixes than this recipe isn’t for you, but seriously you should get over that because these cupcakes are worth it!

Double Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes  by Picky Palate

  • 1 box devils food cake mix
  • 1 small box instant chocolate pudding
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 15 ounce can pumpkin (reserving 2 Tablespoons for buttercream)
  • 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and prepare your cupcake trays with liners.

2. In a stand or electric mixer, place cake mix, pudding mix, oil, buttermilk, eggs, sour cream, can of pumpkin and chocolate chips. Mix all ingredients until well combined, about 1 to 2 minutes. Divide batter evenly into cupcake liners. Be careful not to overfill! Bake for 15-20 mins. I suggest setting the timer to 15 mins and then testing with a toothpick. Do not over bake! My oven took 18 mins for perfect cupcakes!

Pumpkin Spice Buttercream

  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons reserved pumpkin
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 4 to 5 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 to 4 tablespoons milk

Place butter, pumpkin and cinnamon into stand or electric mixer. Mix on high until well combined. Slowly add the powdered sugar until thick and creamy. Slowly add the milk until buttercream is a nice consistency. Frost over cooled cupcakes.

Filed Under: Dessert, Meals/Recipes, Noms by Nikki, What's Cookin' Wednesday Tagged With: , , , , , , 1 Comment

Blackberry Compote

February 8, 2012 By

I am SO excited to have a guest writer for What’s Cookin’ Wednesday! Kelly is my Chi Omega (X and a horseshoe!) sister who lives in LA with her chef husband and super cute dog. She is a musician, a bartender and a huge foodie! I drool over everything she posts on her blog, The Key of Kels. Today she’s sharing her Blackberry Compote… YUM! I hope y’all enjoy!

Well, hey there SuperNoVa Mom readers!  My name is Kelly and I eat, drink, and write over at The Key of Kels.  Nikki and I were sorority sisters back in college, and have since reunited over our love of writing about all things delicious (I am a bartender and my husband is a chef — which means I’m also really, really well-fed).  I am an East Coast girl as well, hailing from Maryland, and I have semi-recently relocated to sunny Los Angeles.  Being a food lover, I recognize that here in California we are so lucky to have year round access to fresh, local produce that my husband and I get to eat, cook and create with.  This makes for some super delicious meals around my house, and I thought today I’d share one of my recent recipes with you all!

I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but us bartenders have started getting pretty creative with our cocktail lists.  I have definitely jumped on board the mixology train and started creating my own infusions with all kinds of liquors that I mix up to make seasonal cocktails for my bar regulars, family, friends, and any dinner guests we might have over.
This past Thanksgiving I made a pumpkin spice rum and used it in a Pumpkin Pie Martini.  All-natural, all-delicious, and I’d even dare to say better than the real thing.  I mean, Pumpkin Pie is great, but it can’t get you tipsy…
On the other hand, mixology doesn’t have to be just about infusing liquors.  It’s simply just the art and science of creating cocktails.  So why not make something that will spice up that Vodka Tonic you’re getting bored of pouring yourself after the kids have gone to bed but will also give new life to your morning yogurt routine?

See?  Mixology is pretty awesome.  You’re gonna be hooked.

I have recently been incredibly inspired by our Wednesday trips to the local Santa Monica Farmer’s Market, which is just starting to pop with the flavors and colors of spring.  I know, I know, the groundhog said 6 more weeks… but don’t give in!  I bet even you all back east have some spring produce slowly creeping back into your grocery stores.  So go out and grab a couple quarts of whatever fresh berries you can get your hands on and whip up some of this super easy compote – a fancy word for puree that my husband just taught me today…

Fresh Berries

Blackberry Compote

3 quarts of berries (I used 2 qts Blackberries & 1qt Blueberries.  You could also use Strawberries, Raspberries, or whatever berries are ripe and flavorful in your area.)

1/4 cup sugar (more or less to taste)

1/4 cup water

1 Lemon (juiced)

 Berries in Saucepan

Combine the Berries, Sugar, Water, and Lemon Juice in a saucepan.

 Berries Simmering

Bring to a simmer.

 Muddle Berries

Let simmer for about 15 minutes.  Smash the berries with a spoon, muddler or potato masher.

 Berries in a Bottle

Once cooled, use an immersion blender to get a smooth and easily pourable consistency.

Viola!

Now for the boozy part.  Want a killer Valentine’s Day Martini?  Try this:

Berry-Tini

Berry-Tini

1 ounce Blackberry Compote

2 ounces Charbay Pomegranate Vodka

1/2 ounce Chambord Liqueur

Pour all ingredients into a tumbler over ice.

Shake well then strain into a martini glass.

Garnish with a fresh berry skewer.

This Compote would also be amazing simply mixed into a glass of Prosecco or shaken with vodka and mint leaves then topped with soda water over ice.

Yep.  I may have tried all three.  And they were all delicious.

But I do also have to keep in mind that many people (including my lovely husband) don’t drink alcohol and may still want to partake in my experiments, so I have also found plenty of tasty non-alcoholic uses for this Blackberry Compote of mine.

My husband mixed the compote into soda water for a homemade “Italian Soda”.  Then he literally said, “Oh my God, this is good.”

I love when I can make a chef say that.  Success!

For breakfast this morning, I swirled it into a bit of Vanilla Greek Yogurt for a little bit of a fruity twist.  Beautiful and delicious.

Greek Yogurt

Last night, I drizzled it like syrup over chocolate pudding (ice cream would also be awesome) for a decadent dessert.

Pudding

I also swirled it on top of my super secret, passed-down, incredible brownie recipe, which I didn’t think could get any better.

Berry Brownies

It did get better.  Oh. My. Gosh.

 Berry Brownie

Anyway, the point here is that the possibilities are endless with this stuff.  Reduce it with some Balsamic Vinegar for a killer sauce for a Pork Tenderloin.  Swirl it into a poundcake batter to give it a blackberry twist.  Mix it with vinegar, oil, salt and pepper and maybe a touch of dijon mustard for a berry-fied salad dressing.

All this from a little martini fun.

So get creative!  Have fun while you’re at it, and eat deliciously.  Thank you so much for having me, Nikki!!  And come on over and visit me at The Key of Kels for more of all things delicious anytime!

OMG. I want all of those delicious goodies, especially those brownies. Kelly posted them on Instagr.am last night and I was legit ready to buy a flight out to LA. I wish we lived closer!

Filed Under: Breakfast, Dessert, Drinks, Guest Posting, What's Cookin Wednesday, What's Cookin' Wednesday Tagged With: , , , , , 3 Comments

Super Bowl Weekend

February 3, 2012 By

Are you ready for some foooooootballllll? No? Well are you at least ready to eat some delicious game day food? That’s more like it! I, too, am not super pumped about the game. Mainly, because my beloved Redskins aren’t playing. Before I get any hate comments about the Redskins, I did not expect them to be playing in the Super Bowl. I know they are horrible. But I still love them.

I think everyone likes the excuse that the Super Bowl gives them to have a party with people they enjoy while consuming yummy food and drinks. I always am looking for an excuse… Groundhog Day? Let’s EAT!!!! Easter? PARTY!!!!! Random Thursday? FOOD AND DRANKS FOR ALLL!!! Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating just a tad, but I know I’m not alone. (Who else am I going to party with?) ;)

The only problem is that the Super Bowl falls in the beginning of February. Which is, right smack in the middle of your New Year, New You plan. You’ve been going strong until now, right? Well, don’t let the Super Bowl set you back. I have a few suggestions on dessert alternatives for your party over on Pure Matters. So head on over there and check out my healthy treats!

Healthier Desserts for Super Bowl Sunday

Hail to the Redskins!

 

Speaking of New Year, New You… how are you doing?

Since my food journaling adventure I dropped off for a week or so. Well, I decided to pick back up the journaling AND I’ve been counting calories with My Fitness Pal. It seems to be the only thing that is working for me! I’m down 1.4lbs. Yay!

Filed Under: Dessert, Meals/Recipes, Sports, Super Bowl Tagged With: , , , , Leave a Comment

Avocado Chimchurri Bruschetta

February 2, 2012 By

Here’s the recipe I promised you yesterday. Oops!

I’ve made this recipe twice now and everyone loves it! It’s a fantastic appetizer, particularly if you are an avocado fan, and if you aren’t than I feel sorry for you.

Avocado Chimchurri Bruschetta

  • 2 Tbs. lemon juice
  • 2 Tbs. red wine vinegar
  • 3/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
  • 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, minced
  • 1//4 cup chopped fresh parsley, minced
  • 3 minced garlic cloves
  • 2 avocados, peeled, pitted, and cubed
  • 1 baguette, sliced and toasted (I’ve used both white and whole wheat baguette)

Combine the garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, oregano, and black and red pepper in small bowl.

Whisk in the oil until thoroughly combined, then stir in the herbs.

Gently toss the avocado cubes into the sauce.

Spoon the avocado and sauce mixture onto toast slices.

Filed Under: Appetizer, Meals/Recipes, What's for ____ Wednesday Tagged With: , , , , 2 Comments

Tortellini with Corn, Arugula and Tomatoes

January 25, 2012 By

It’s What’s For Dinner Wednesday! YAY! And I’ve had quite the Wednesday.

Molly slept until 8:30am which NEVER happens. I seriously felt like a new woman when I woke up. She is still coughing a bit and has a runny nose, but is feeling so much better. I think she just needed extra sleep.

About an hour or so after we woke up I was on Facebook and a friend of mine mentioned that the Bloom just down the street was closing and the ENTIRE store was 50% off. Well, I hauled my ass up there so fast and piled up my cart with diapers, coffee, baking ingredients and shampoo! I got $440 worth of groceries for $220. I don’t think I have ever been that excited about groceries. Woo!

Now, this recipe is an oldie. I can’t even remember where I found it but it has evolved over the past few years and I don’t even measure the ingredients anymore, but don’t worry, I have measurements for you. This dish is one of the first meals Ben and I made together when we started dating. Awwww.

Tortellini with Corn, Arugula and Tomatoes

  • 2 packages of the tortellini of your choice
  • 1.5 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 cup cooked corn kernels (I use frozen)
  • 1 pound tomatoes, peeled, stemmed and chopped (I use one tomato b/c Ben isn’t a big fan)
  • 1/4 cup scallion, thinly sliced (I use onion powder to taste)
  • Handful arugula
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • garlic powder to taste
  • Grated Parmesan
  • optional – cooked ground turkey for a meat lover

Directions

1. Cook tortellini according to the directions on the packaging.

2. Meanwhile, pour the vinegar into a large bowl. Slowly whisk in the oil. Season with salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder. Add the corn, tomatoes, scallion and arugula. Toss until coated.

3. When tortellini is done cooking, drain the pasta and then toss with the arugula mixture. The arugula should begin to wilt. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle on a little parmesan.

Yum! It’s seriously so good. I like to add red pepper flakes to mine, but I’m totally addicted to red pepper flakes.

Tortellini with Corn, Arugula and Tomato

Enjoy!

By the way… I’m so so so so mad about Picnik shutting down. I can’t even talk about it. :(

Filed Under: Dinner, Meals/Recipes, What's for ____ Wednesday Tagged With: , , , 1 Comment

Food Journaling

January 24, 2012 By

If you read my guest post over on The Momma Bird you would remember that I talked about food journaling. And if you didn’t read it you should! Writing down everything you eat can be scary at first, but it is a great way to figure out where all your calories are coming from and how quickly they can add up. I recently did a week long journal which you can check out over on Pure Matters. Don’t judge!!

My downfall is the weekend. I go a little crazy with the food and I don’t work out. I am still working on that balance, but I can’t be perfect every weekend. Remember when things were so easy before your kids came along and you had all the time in the world to focus on your health and fitness? :::sigh:::  ;)

Food Journaling

Do you write down what you eat?

Filed Under: Health, Meals/Recipes Tagged With: , , , 1 Comment

Hungry Girl – Kickin’ Chicken Tortilla Soup

January 19, 2012 By

Today is Health & Wellness Thursday over on The Momma Bird where you can find me talking about inspiration and motivation. It’s really easy to get excited about starting a new health and fitness routine. Then, after a few weeks, it gets old. You are bored or you aren’t seeing the results you want. Well, I have a few suggestions to inspire you. Go check it out!

I didn’t get a chance to post a recipe yesterday, however this recipe is perfect for all of you watching what you eat so it works out well! It’s no secret that I’m a big Hungry Girl fan. I love that she takes bad-for-you food and makes it good for you! This soup is guaranteed to keep you warm on these cold winter nights AND satisfy you!

Hungry Girl’s Kickin’ Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients

  • 3 cups fat-free chicken broth
  • 4oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
  • 1 cup diced tomato, undrained
  • 1/2 cup sweet whole kernel corn, canned
  • 1/2 cup onion, chopped
  • 1 tbsp jalapeno pepper, chopped
  • 1 tbsp lime juice
  • 1 tbsp fajita seasoning mix
  • 1 tsp garlic, minced
  • 1/4 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/4 tsp chili powder
  • 6 baked tortilla chips, crushed
  • Optional toppings – cilantro, nonfat sour cream, low fat/fat free shredded cheese

Directions

  • In a medium pot sprayed with nonstick spray, cook onions, garlic, seasoning and spices over medium heat until onions soften, 3 to 5 minutes.
  • Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
  • Add the corn and diced tomatoes and continue to cook for 5 minutes.
  • Add chicken, jalapeno and lime juice. Stir for 2 to 3 minutes to thoroughly blend flavors.
  • Once ready to serve, top each serving with crushed chips and, if desired, the optional toppings.chicken tortilla soup

     

    I added avocado to mine! YUM!

Filed Under: Dinner, Healthy, Meals/Recipes, What's for ____ Wednesday Tagged With: , , , , 4 Comments

Turkey, Tomato, & Mozzarella Stuffed Zucchini Cups

January 12, 2012 By

Sorry I didn’t post this recipe yesterday, it was a rough day. Unfortunately, I attended the funeral of a friend. It was heartbreaking and emotionally draining. I left feeling all the love everyone had for him, but the obvious hole that he left is gaping. Seeing so many people in that much pain is almost unbearable. I hope my hugs helped a tiny bit for at least a few moments of comfort.

Life truly is so fleeting.

Anyway, here’s your weekly recipe. I promise it’s a good one… and it’s adapted from Kalyn’s Kitchen, so you know it’s awesome. Her recipe calls for onions and green peppers, but I don’t like either so I removed. Visit her site for the original recipe.

Meat, Tomato, and Mozzarella Stuffed Zucchini Cups

2 large zucchini or yellow squash, about 12 inches long
2 tsp. + 2 tsp. olive oil (may need more, depending on your pan)
2 T finely minced fresh garlic 
1 lb. ground turkey (10% fat or less)
Onion powder for seasoning
2 C flavorful tomato-basil pasta sauce
2 cups low-fat mozzarella or other mild white cheese

Preheat oven to 350F/175C. Chop onion and green pepper. Heat 2 tsp. olive oil in a non-stick pan, then sauté  minced garlic about 1 minute, being careful not to brown the garlic. Remove garlic to a bowl.

Add 2 tsp. more olive oil to the pan. Crumble in the ground turkey, season with onion powder, and cook over medium heat until the meat is well browned. Tilt pan to see if there is any extra fat, and remove with a spoon if there is, then stir  garlic back into the meat. Add tomato sauce and simmer until the mixture has thickened and liquid has cooked off, about 10 minutes, then turn off heat.

While meat cools, cut zucchini into 2 inch thick slices, discarding ends. Use a sharp spoon or melon baller to hollow out a cup in each zucchini slice, leaving just over 1/4 inch of zucchini flesh. Be careful not to get too close to the skin or the cups will leak liquid when they cook.

Spray baking sheet with nonstick spray and stand up zucchini cups, open end up. Stir 1 1/2 cups grated cheese into the cooled meat mixture (it doesn’t need to be completely cool), then spoon the meat-cheese mixture into zucchini cups, pressing down with the spoon and mounding it up a little over the top of the zucchini.

Bake zucchini cups for 20 minutes, then remove from oven and use remaining cheese to top each one with a generous pinch of cheese. Put back in oven and bake 10-15 minutes more, until zucchini is slightly soft when pierced with a fork and cheese is melted and lightly browned. Serve hot.

zucchini cups

Filed Under: Dinner, Healthy, Low Carb, Meals/Recipes, What's for ____ Wednesday Tagged With: , , , , , , Leave a Comment

Hungry Girl Chicken Pot Pie

January 4, 2012 By

I think I may have mentioned at least one hundred times how much I love Hungry Girl’s recipes. When my sister and I were roommates we pretty much lived off of her first cookbook. And now she has three cookbooks and her own show on The Food Network! Crazy!

I make this recipe a lot. It is SO easy and seriously delicious. It only serves four so if you have a big family you will have to adjust the ingredients. Okay, I’ll shut up now. Here ya go!

HG’s Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:

  • 8 oz. raw boneless skinless chicken breast; cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 3 cups C&W Ultimate Petite Mixed Vegetables (or any other frozen mixed vegetables)
  • 1 can (10.75 oz.) Campbell’s Condensed Soup, 98% Fat Free Cream of Celery
  • 3 servings Pillsbury Reduced Fat Crescent Rolls (unprepared)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Saute chicken pieces for several minutes in a pan spritzed with nonstick cooking spray, until chicken is light brown/cooked but still tender; set aside. Heat frozen veggies in microwave according to package. Mix chicken, vegetables and soup together and put in a 9" round baking dish sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Place dish in oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly (stir about halfway through).

While dish is cooking, unroll 3 crescent rolls. Combine pieces together with hands to make one large ball of dough. With a rolling pin, roll dough out into a circle to cover top of dish. Add dough to the top of the dish and cook for an additional 15 – 20 minutes or until top is golden brown. Serves 4.

HGChickenPotPie

Filed Under: Dinner, Healthy, Meals/Recipes, What's for ____ Wednesday Tagged With: , , , , , 2 Comments
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