White Bean & Chicken Chili

I acquired this recipe via my mother-in-law... via my sister-in-law... via her grandmother.  It's a slow cooker recipe that is so simple to put together and incredibly delicious.  Bonus:  it's also another healthy recipe.

I usually serve it with grilled sourdough.  This particular recipe will feed 5-6, or for Matt and I... two meals (we severely lack portion control).

Everything goes right into the crock pot:

-6 x boneless chicken breast halves, sliced into large chunks
-48 oz (give or take a few depending on the size cans you get) of great white northern beans - undrained (I usually drain about half of each can anyway)
-1 x 8oz block of monterey jack cheese, shredded
-1 x can diced jalepeños (I love the kick of these -- add less if you're not a spicy fan)
-1 x chopped onion
-1 x chopped green pepper (I have forgotten this before and not even noticed a difference in taste)
-1 x cup chopped celery (3-4 stalks)
-16 oz mango salsa (I always have a hard time finding this so I usually use 8 oz salsa verde and 8 oz pineapple salsa
-2 Tbsp cumin
-1 Cup white wine (a chef once told me that you should never cook with wine you wouldn't drink.  I whole-heartedly agree.)

Once everything is in the crockpot, if you're in more of a "rush" cook on high for 1.5 - 2 hours and then low for 3 more hours... if you've got all day, cook on low for 8 hours.

Serve with grilled sourdough bread.

As with most crockpot recipes, this is even better the second day.

The Misfit Kale Salad.

There's a restaurant in Santa Monica that I often find myself running into and quickly out of.  I have become completely addicted to a single item on their menu, and I truly just can't get enough of it.  The bonus:  It's REALLY healthy.

The Misfit Restaurant is very close to where I work, so it's easy to get there and back with my take out multiple times a week (or to bring home for dinner when I'm heading out of the office).  There was a time this summer when I was working every single day for a month, and I may have eaten the kale salad twenty five times...It's that good.  Actually all of their food seems to be really tasty and moderately priced as well, but my love for their kale salads -- and complimentary sea salt chocolate chip cookies -- will never wane.

I finally snapped a photo of it to share with you all.  I have yet to re-create this at home, though it seems pretty straight forward.  The ingredients are:  finely chopped kale, quinoa, halved grapes, sunflower seeds, diced red peppers, manchego & parmesan cheese, tossed and topped with a lemon vinaigrette.

More please.

Cheese Paper.

If a cheese professional were to read this next entry their first reaction would absolutely be, 'duh.'  But it's not something I paid close enough attention to until now.  As cheese is a living, breathing entity, it turns out that wrapping it in plastic will shorten it's life, murder it's flavor, in a word - it will suffocate it.  Enter cheese paper.  By wrapping your cheese in paper (like they do when you buy it in a specialty shop) you are prolonging the life of your cheese, protecting it's moisture, and preventing adverse mold growth.  

One of my friends (did I mention I have the greatest friends?) recently sent me a package of cheese paper complete with modern design and fancy labels.  As I am rapidly going through it, I've done my own searching online and found a great, informative site about cheese paper here.  I will most likely replenish my cheese supply from Formaticum sooner than later.

Best Hummus. Period.

Did I create the recipe myself?  Of course not (As much as I'd like to say I'm an inventor, I'm just not.  I love finding / following great recipes and then altering them to my taste).  I found this recipe by googling "best hummus" and do, in fact, agree.  This is the best hummus I've ever consumed.  I hope you can enjoy it, too, cleanly and conveniently created in your trusty Cuisinart food processor.

Although I did follow this recipe almost to a T, after my first try I've since held back just a hair on the Tahini and added a touch more of the lemon juice, plus added lots of freshly ground pepper and topped it with a really great finishing olive oil.  I like to think these touches put the recipe over the top, so my slight alterations are included in the recipe below (double the recipe to make enough to last a few days).

Ingredients:
2 cloves garlic
1 (19 Oz) can of garbanzo beans, draining most - but not all of - the liquid. (Save about 5 beans for garnishing)
4 T lemon juice
1 3/4 T tahini
1 tsp salt
A healthy amount of freshly ground pepper
2 T olive oil 
(Plus another 1 - 2 T of a high quality finishing oil to drizzle on before serving)

Directions:
Using a food processor, chop the garlic.  Pour the garbanzo beans into the blender.  Place lemon juice, tahini, salt, pepper, and the first 2 T olive oil into the food processor as well.  Blend until creamy and well mixed.
Empty into serving bowl.  Top with reserved garbanzo beans and drizzle with finishing olive oil. 
Serve with warm pita chips.

To make the pita chips -- simply slice pita bread into small pieces, place on a baking sheet, drizzle olive oil over the top along with a sprinkling of sea salt.  Bake for about 10 - 15 minutes at 250 until bread is golden and crispy.

To be a Vegetarian... Someday.

I love animals.  All animals.  So much.  My husband and I often ask ourselves, 'how are we not vegetarians?'  Well, because we LOVE FOOD... the richness in a beautiful piece of steak, the savory goodness in a brilliantly prepared piece of pork belly, the sheer feeling of comfort from white bean chicken chili (which I'm going to be making this weekend and will be sure to share with you).  Good food - including meat - just makes us HAPPY. 

That being said, I hope someday to really try it.  It would vastly improve my cooking creativity and I would really just love knowing that I don't eat anything with a face.  (Well except fish, for whatever reason I just don't feel guilty eating them.)

Since getting married and settling into a more relaxed state, I've started following a few blogs by women that focus more on beautiful photos than writing, and this one, A Well Traveled Woman, has quickly become my favorite.  Recently she posted a few outstanding photos of animals, which made me beg the question once again, 'how am I not a vegetarian?'  I thought I'd share them with you.

Sigh...