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If you are cooking for the big game, I humbly suggest this fabulous recipe. This week has been very hard for me to come up with recipes- so the night before, I have been asking my husband and daughter for ideas. They have come up with some great ones. The night before last my husband suggested a dish with polenta. It got me thinking of the big game and maybe I should post another chili recipe for this weekend.

I went to the market and bought some fresh chicken thighs and drumsticks. I also bought a can of beans because that is what one adds to chili- right? I love beans in chili but it kind of bothers me that both the meat and the beans have the same mushy texture. So, I decided to keep them separate. That is how I came up with this very delicious dish.

I made a sauce with three different dried chillies and cooked the chicken till the meat was falling off the bones. In the meantime, I put the relish together. I am not sure how I came up with the apple idea. I was looking for the crunch factor and since apples are in season- it was an easy choice. I also made some yummy guacamole which I served on top.

Did I mention I served the chili on polenta? Yup, and it was delicious. For the big game, I would suggest corn bread or tortilla chips. Lots of garnishes including shredded cheese, chopped onions and of course the fabulous relish and guacamole. Have fun eating, drinking and watching this Sunday!

• 1 large yellow onion, quartered
• 1 head of garlic, drizzles with olive oil and wrapped in aluminum foil
• Salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the onion and wrapped garlic on a small cookie sheet. Drizzle the onion with some olive oil and salt. Bake for about 30 minutes or till the onion is tender. Squeeze the garlic out and keep aside with onion.

• 1 large dried New Mexico Chili, deseeded
• 1 dried Ancho Chili, deseeded
• 1 dried Chipotle Chili, deseeded
• 2 cups chicken broth

Add the chilies and the broth in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer, covered for 30 minutes.
Add the chilies and liquid into a blender. Add the roasted onion and garlic. Blend till smooth.

• 4 chicken thighs on the bone
• 4 chicken drumsticks
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• Salt
• 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
• ½ cup tomato sauce
• Salt

Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour and sprinkle with salt. Heat a saucepan with olive oil. Brown the pieces on both sides on high heat. Keep aside and add the tomato sauce and blended sauce. Bring to a boil and add the chicken pieces back into the pan. Bring to a boil. Lower to simmer and cover with lid. Cook for 45 minutes or till the chicken is falls off the bone. Take the chicken out and take the meat off with a fork, shredding it at the same time. Discard the bones and add the meat to the sauce. Bring the sauce to a boil and test for seasonings. Add salt. Cook till the chili reaches desired consistency. Serve with Spanish rice or some creamy polenta.

Pinto Bean and Apple Relish

• One can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 small Pink Lady apples, chopped
• Juice of one lemon
• 2 teaspoons agave
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon roasted cumin seeds, crushed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ cup cilantro, chopped

Add the pinto beans and apples into a small serving bowl. Add the lemon juice, agave, olive oil, cumin seeds, salt and cilantro. Mix well and taste for seasonings. Let sit for at least an hour before serving. Serve a few tablespoons on top of the chicken chili and maybe a ladle of guacamole.

An old recipe revisited for the Super bowl.
I have been looking for a chili recipe that delicious yet a little different. I saw this on tv the other day and have come up with my own version. I love ancho chili powder! I use it as often as I can, in salsas, guacamole and stews, etc. Ancho powder is ground ancho (poblano) peppers. It has a mild to medium smoky flavor that goes well with cumin and chili powder in this recipe. Before grinding the cumin seeds, I roasted them first. The roasted cumin has a deeper smokier flavor. I used cannellini beans for the color and their creamy consistency. Since there are no tomatoes, the ancho chili and cumin flavors come through very well. The corn and yellow peppers give it nice sweetness. Also adding the half and half gives a really nice richness, you can substitute milk instead. In case you want more tartness, add a splash of fresh limejuice at the end. Overall it is a delicious recipe. I plan to make some corn bread and serve it with the tomatillo guacamole. You can make this in advance, as the chili sits, the flavors will have a chance to marry! Of course wine or beer should be served!

• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 medium yellow bell pepper, chopped
• ½ cup shredded carrots
• 2 teaspoons roasted ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1-2 teaspoons ancho chili powder (depending how spicy you like)
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 1 pound ground dark meat turkey
• 1 19oz can cannellini beans, drained
• 1 cup frozen roasted corn
• 3 cups chicken broth
• ½ cup half and half
• ½ cup cilantro, chopped for garnish

Preheat a large heavy pot and add the olive oil. Add onion, garlic, bell pepper and carrots. Saute for a minute on medium high heat. Add the cumin, chili powder and ancho chili powder and salt. Next add the ground turkey and cook on high heat breaking the meat apart. Next add the beans, corn and chicken broth, bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook for at least 30 minutes. Take the back of a wooden spoon and mash some of the beans in the chili- it will thicken it up. Once reached the desired consistency add the half and half and check for seasoning. Cook another 10 minutes and add the cilantro on top.
Serve with corn bread.

This is an ideal dish for Super bowl. Somehow, thinking of the big game- Mexican and Latin cuisines come to mind. This particular one is cooked in mixture of anaheim and poblano peppers. It also has green onions and cilantro. I cooked the mixture down with roasted cumin- which I find even yummier than regular cumin.

I added large pieces of carrots and potatoes- to make it more substantial. I would definitely make the stew for this Sunday. I would serve it with different breads, Spanish rice, guacamole, salsa and shredded cheese. Lots of beer, wine and maybe sangria.

I love the idea of friends and family getting together and eating delicious food. I am not too keen on the game but I am probably in a minority.
Click here for the recipe… »

Here is another yummy, healthy chicken dish. This particular one  has Latin flavors. I started with marinating the chicken- I do think it is the key to amazing flavor every time. I marinated the chicken in orange juice, lime juice, agave, smoked paprika and garlic. I later made a sauce out of the left over marinade- always a good idea! To thicken the sauce, I dredged the chicken pieces in a bit of flavor before cooking. The dish came together in no time at all and it was delicious.

I served the healthy chicken breasts with citrus broccoli and some sweet potato oven fries.
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Nothing like a delicious chicken curry to start off the New Year. Chicken curry invokes great childhood memories of yummy meals my Mom made. A balanced Indian meal includes some protein, vegetables and some healthy whole grains. In this case I made the chicken, lentils with spinach. I also made a quick tomato salad. I also made fresh whole wheat rotis. It was a delicious, balanced meal. How did I make the curry, you ask? Well, it was quite easy.It helps if you can marinate the chicken in advance- it gives the dish amazing flavor.

The curry part of the dish was simple- made with onions, tomatoes and chicken broth. I also added some spices like cardamom and cloves.

The dish was delicious and very easy to make- and healthy!
Click here for the recipe… »