White Chicken Chili

Tis the season of soups and crock pot recipes. It is always nice on a cool fall or winter night to cozy up to a delicious cup of soup. I am always looking for recipes with fewer calories but not blah. I found this chicken chili recipe on cooking light and decided to give it a whirl. It sounded like it would be bursting with flavor. 

White Chicken Chili

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 cups finely chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander ( didn't have any)
• 2 (4.5-ounce) cans chopped green chiles, undrained
• 1 cup water
• 2 (15.5-ounce) cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained (such as Goya)
• 1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions

Preparation

• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken to pan; cook 10 minutes or until browned, stirring frequently.
• Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion to pan; sauté 6 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Add garlic; sauté 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in cumin, dried oregano, and coriander; sauté 1 minute. Stir in chiles; reduce heat to low, and cook 10 minutes, partially covered. Add the chicken, water, cannellini beans, and broth; bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. 
• Stir in hot sauce. Ladle 1 cup of chili into each of 8 bowls; sprinkle each serving with 2 tablespoons cheese, 1 tablespoon cilantro, and 1 tablespoon green onions.
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I chose to put extra cilantro in the soup because it is sooo delicious! 

Look at those delicious chunks of cilantro beans and chicken.

Baked Pasta with Sausage, Tomatoes, and Cheese

What happened to summer? Every year it seems to go faster and faster. Unfortunately, I did not have much time to devote to my blog but, am hoping I can be back in the saddle again. Now with the weather turning colder I may be staying inside more therefore have more time to cook! YAY. What I am trying to do is make meals that I can easily freeze. It is so much easier to do that and portion them out in 1 or 2 servings. With the hubs gone alot it is easier to eat better when it is portioned out and ready to eat.  Here is my first of many meals I am going to freeze.

Baked Pasta with Sausage, Tomatoes, and Cheese
Adapted From Cooking Light

Ingredients

• 1 (1-pound) package uncooked ziti (short tube-shaped pasta)
• 1 pound hot turkey Italian sausage links
• 1 cup chopped onion ( or MORE if you like onion like ME!!)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 (14.5-ounce) cans petite-diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• Cooking spray
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded fresh mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup (4 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain the pasta, and set aside.
• Remove casings from sausage. Cook sausage, onion, and garlic in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until browned, stirring to crumble. Add the tomato paste, salt, pepper, and tomatoes, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Combine cooked pasta, sausage mixture, and basil. Place half of the pasta mixture in a 4-quart casserole coated with cooking spray. Top with half of mozzarella and half of Parmesan. Repeat layers. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until bubbly.

I used these Chicken and Turkey Sausage from Trader Joes. I cut them up and them used my chopper to make it a finer chop since they don't crumble very well. You could also cut them in smaller pieces so you have chunks of sausage in your pasta.

Saute the Sausage, Onion and Garlic

                           Layer the ingredients, Place in 4 qt dish and Bake

Enjoy the gooey cheese baked pasta.