Black bean chicken chili

After a very long break since I last made anything worthy of much discussion, I finally got inspired tonight. We've either been pretty busy in the evenings, or I've been getting home too late to have time for big recipes.

Anyway, Ross has been asking me to try black bean soup again, so tonight I got a bit creative, again with a recipe just as a basic guide. I had made a black bean soup before that wasn't nearly thick enough, but my new food processor helped with that. I also used my basic cubed, sauteed chicken style that shows up pretty often in my food, with some chipotle spices. Any number of veggies would be a great addition to this, and because I'm not particularly fond of chunky soups, I would give them a spin in the food processor too. In fact, one of the recipes I glanced at basically involved a salsa base. I toyed with a few ideas as I went, and ended up with maybe my favorite soup to date.

So, here's the ingredient list for a nice big pot like I made:

3 regular cans black beans (best ever are XXX brand Jalapeno and Lime flavor)
1 large can chili beans
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and cubed
several stems of fresh cilantro
2 cloves fresh garlic
2 teaspoons onion powder (or fresh onion if you'd like)
salt, pepper, chili powder, lime juice, sour cream, shredded cheddar to taste

And it's this easy:

Cook in a large pot the chicken with whatever marinade or spice rub you enjoy for a little spice, and when it's cooked through, add half the can of chili beans and one can of black beans. In a food processor, blend another can of black beans with the rest of the chili beans, the onion, garlic and cilantro, then add this thickened bean mixture to the soup. After that, use the last can of black beans to help determine the thickness you would like. For a thinner soup with more whole beans, just add it in. For an even thicker soup, blend it as before. I settled somewhere in the middle, pulsing it once or twice so I wouldn't thin the soup out too much but leaving most of the beans whole, making the soup more appealing to look at. Adjust the spices and lime juice to your liking... You'll likely need plenty of salt and pepper. I would recommend letting the soup simmer for 10 minutes or so before you add any chili powder. My soup ended up a touch spicier than necessary, but still delicious. The longer it simmers, the better the flavors get. Enjoy!

Crock Pots... not just a way to cheat

It's been a busy week here, with working, spending time with Ross' family during his grandma's move, and car shopping. Yes, car shopping! I've picked the car, so now it's just a matter of finding THE car. Tuesday night we had to return the one I'd taken on an extended test drive, so I put together what I'm calling a chili stew that morning in the crock pot and turned it on low for about six hours. Some people seem to think crock pots are a way of cheating, because it's just so easy, but I don't consider it that way, especially with this dish.

This was my second try at this soup, the first fairly successful, the second something I hope I can replicate each time. It's based on a "Mexican Cheese Soup" recipe from my crock pot cookbook, with plenty of variation. I wanted to try some chunk stew meat I found at the store instead of ground beef, and I wanted a variety of beans., plus I don't care for tomatoes and I avoid corn from a can as much as possible now.

Here's a rough estimate of what I DID use:

1 to 1.5 pounds stew meat
1 cup frozen corn
1 big can of kidney beans (I think about 30 oz.)
1 can black beans
1 can mild Rotel with lime and cilantro
about 1 diced jalapeno (Either use the pickled kind in a jar or be sure to remove the seeds from a fresh one. That's the especially spicy part!)
 1/8 block of Velveeta

Side note about the cheese: the first time, I used string cheese... oddly enough, string cheese doesn't melt. It was disgusting. I don't recommend ever putting it in a crock pot. Trust me on this one. I don't want to have to give details. So this time I used Velveeta, and I learned it also doesn't melt incredibly well unless you're there to stir it, so even though I haven't yet tried it, my advice is to add it last so you can stir it in.

So anyway, everything but the cheese goes right into the crock pot (do NOT drain any of the beans), and then it's time to season it. I tried to make sure the meat itself got a little extra seasoning, so do that first or last, then mix it into the other ingredients. Generous salt and pepper, onion powder and some garlic are my go-to spices. I also used a little steak seasoning, probably a teaspoon of chili powder and some paprika to add depth without much more heat. The chili powder is the main place you can adjust the spice level to what you like. Mine had lingering heat but was never overpowering. I also used a few dashes of worcestershire, which I use a lot, mostly because I love the way it smells, and I like to believe it adds to the meaty flavors. Lime juice would be a great addition here if you have any.

Then, five or six hours on low and you're good to go. The flavors simmer together all day, creating a rich and hearty stewed chili that reaches a beautiful thickness, with bursts of color from the corn and jalapeno. This is where you can stir in the Velveeta, or just serve on top with a dollop of sour cream. That reminds me, I should start learning some fancy plating skills.

Until then, however, here's what you have to look forward to...

Experimenting with a childhood favorite

Ironically, after starting a cooking blog, I went most of a week without any interesting meal ideas. Instead of experimenting with recipes, I spent a few days tweaking easy food, which is one of my favorite things to do in the kitchen. For example, the other night we had very cheap frozen pizza for dinner. But I topped it with pepperoncinis (salad peppers) and salt, pepper, oregano and basil halfway through the baking, and suddenly it's not just a boring frozen pizza at all. We also had a delicious Macaroni Grill-brand basil and parmesan dinner from a box. A little added flair here and there makes a big difference.

Wednesday night, though, I made a meal I've been wanting to try for a long time: my mom's curry. Disclaimer: I've never eaten real Indian food and have zero concept of what curry  meals are actually like. All I know is the chicken or pork curry and rice that was one of my favorite meals growing up. It's basically a curry-flavored gravy you put over rice. The basic ingredients are simply flour, butter, oil, milk, chicken, curry powder, rice, salt and pepper. I buy boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trim them down and cut them into chunks. Then heat a tablespoon or so of olive oil over medium high heat. Season the chicken with salt, pepper and a touch of curry, then sautee it in the oil. Fresh garlic or onion is a good possible addition at this point. After I sear the chicken and get it lightly browned, I'll put the lid on the pot to create steam and help cook the chicken through. This usually creates some boiling liquid in the pan.

Don't worry about the liquid, just take the lid off and let it go, stirring occasionally. This is when the magic I mentioned in my initial post happens. Just make sure it never starts sticking, and at some point, the liquid will start reducing and thickening, and before long, your chicken will be beautifully coated in flavor and color, and that liquid in the pan will be gone. I make chicken like this every chance I get. I usually find 10 or so chicken boneless, skinless breasts for about $10, and chunking it up myself is the best way to get rid of any undesirable parts.

Magic, I tell ya.

Once the chicken is done, set it aside and in the same pan over medium low heat, melt a few tablespoons of butter. In case you couldn't tell, all these amounts are rough estimates. These days, I prefer to not measure things out, adjusting as I go and teaching myself to fix it if amounts don't work out right. You'll also want to make rice at this point. Ross and I always just eat Minute Rice, probably about two cups for a meal. Back to the main pot, slowly add flour a tablespoon at a time, stirring to make a roux. I was gradually adding curry powder as I went, along with salt and pepper and a touch of onion powder to get to my desired flavor. When it comes together (it will look like a doughy solid) turn up the heat a bit and add milk about a half-cup at a time, stirring. That will thicken up each time you add more milk, until the clumps of butter and flour are gone. The rest is up to you, adding curry powder as you see fit, building the flavor until it's as strong as you like. If it feels bland, add salt or soy sauce. I always use soy sauce once I've made my plate. Add the chicken and maybe some chopped green onion and let it cook for a few minutes to help pull the flavors together.

As a side for this meal, I made sugar snap peas (which you can buy fresh in convenient dinner serving-size bags at Wal-mart) sauteed in olive oil with red onion and a touch of worcestershire sauce (one of my favorite kitchen ingredients!) with some basic spices. We love simple green veggies like this. Peas and green beans both come in those easy packages, and frozen broccoli is super easy to cook up, as well. So fresh and so much healthier than some of the potato sides we love.

Ross was skeptical at first, but it was a hit! Reminded me so much of my mom's, so thanks to her for her basic guidance on how she always made it.

The best part? All the leftovers!

Diving in!

Food is magical.

Last night I made our version of Chipotle at home and watched a boiling broth surrounding my chicken to keep it from burning after I seared it turn quickly into a thick sauce that suddenly coated my chicken with bright color and tons of flavor. To think I had been about to pour out some of that broth because it was keeping the chicken from gaining any additional color. All the flavor I would have lost!

Okay, maybe I'm simple-minded in the kitchen (I also find salt particularly amazing... it makes things taste not like salt, but like greater, more intense versions of their original flavors. Magic!), but that's what works for me. And now that I've got a little experience cooking and can experiment with my own creations, it's finally time. I'm ready to go out on a limb and open a window into my kitchen. I've been cooking for two regularly for less than a year, but already I've broadened my scope so much. Just ask my mom... she loves to share how I didn't cook anything but macaroni, wouldn't touch any veggies but the most basic, and --God forbid-- couldn't even attempt to make anything without detailed directions. Believe it or not, Mom, that's all changed.

Ross, my boyfriend of a year-plus now, has very simple requests when it comes to dinner. Chicken or steak plus a veggie and maybe some rice makes him a happy man, so that's where I began. He could eat that every night, but I quickly realized how boring it would become. I love fresh green vegetables now, particularly sugar snap peas, asparagus and green beans, with a little broccoli mixed in on occasion. I began adding recipes based on meals from my childhood, restaurant dinners, and Food Network ideas. It snowballed, and now I'm having fun. In the past two weeks or so, a very successful time in my kitchen, I've made shrimp sushi rolls, cream cheese chicken enchiladas, a spicy beef stew, roasted chicken and potatoes in white wine sauce, chicken shepherd's pie, and buffalo chicken. Most of those were either my own creations or were only loosely based on a recipe.

This blog is to share my cooking experiments and discoveries with anyone who's interested. I'll take pictures and discuss what I tried. I've been lucky so far to not have many cooking failures, but when they arrive, I plan to document them here just as I will the successes. I hope to include tips, suggestions and variations in case anyone wants to try meals for themselves, and I welcome everyone's comments!

Look for my first real cooking post soon!

- Tara