Oct 25, 2010

Fall FOOD- Spicy Stew to warm you up!

I Love the Fall. Although it's short- I love the colors, and the crisp air... I also  love the transition to comfort food. The problem is that a lot of the comfort food is not as healthy as I would like... 

I found a great recipe and was going to email it to my friend Mia- But then I thought- Why not share it with everyone here!!!!!!
I hope you enjoy my tips!!! 


1. Recipe I discovered:
I found this great recipe for Chipotle-Chicken Stew. 
And it's HEALTHY!
If you like spicy food this is a winner!
You can use less chipotles if you don't want it too hot. 

2. Chipotle TIPS
a) Chipotles are smoked, dried jalapenos... They are in adobo sauce which is a tomato based sauce that, just like the peppers, it's hot and smokey.
They are a great ingredient to add flavor to make your food taste good without adding extra calories or fat!!! They come in a small can- But they pack A LOT OF HEAT! 
This recipe calls for 3 peppers. (use two if you don't like VERY spicy)
b) You will have un-used peppers, plus the adobe sauce, left-over. I have discovered that it freezes really well- When you want to add a little heat to a recipe, just cut off a little chunk, chop it up and it will dissolve!

3. On-line recipes: TIP:
I found this Cooking Light recipe on-line.
When I look for recipes on-line I like to chose recipes that have great ratings. For example the Chipotle-Chicken Stew recipe has four stars- the highest possible amount - awarded by 21 people. 

4.Ingredient TIPS:
a) Don't be afraid to substitute!


I didn't have red potatoes so I used yukon gold. Cooking can be casual- Especially a recipe like this- 
b) Extra Ingredient TIP:
My friend Eva got me hooked on Trader Joe's Fire Roasted Corn... I stock up on this (I probably have two full bags in my freezer right now!) Not only does corn add a nice color to recipes- This corn has a nice "fire-roasted" flavor! I love adding this to my chili- it makes ordinary recipes special! This is worth a trip to Trader Joe's!










Chipotle-Chicken Stew


Chipotles are dried, smoked jalapeños; they give this stew a Southwestern flair guaranteed to take the chill off winter. Make and store the stew in the refrigerator the day before the party. Reheat over medium-low heat, and stir in the cilantro before serving.
Yield: 16 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Ingredients

  • Cooking spray
  • 3  pounds  skinned, boned chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
  • 1  tablespoon  olive oil
  • 3  cups  chopped onion
  • 6  garlic cloves, minced
  • 2  cups  (1-inch) cubed peeled red potato (about 1 pound)
  • 1 1/2  cups  (1-inch-thick) slices carrot
  • 1/4  cup  tomato paste
  • 1 1/2  teaspoons  ground cumin
  • 3  (16-ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
  • 3  (14.5-ounce) cans no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 3  drained canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, finely chopped
  • 1/2  teaspoon  salt
  • 2  tablespoons  chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation

Place a large Dutch oven coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add the chicken; sauté 7 minutes or until browned. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm.
Add oil to pan. Add onion; sauté 7 minutes or until lightly browned. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add potato and the next 6 ingredients (potato through chiles); bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 25 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add chicken and salt; cover and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in cilantro.

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