Crock Pot Turkey White Bean Chili

I have a slight obsession with Gina's Skinnytaste blog...slight.  Everything I have made from there has been AMAZING!  She give such good tips and won't put anything on her blog that isn't perfect.  J's parents bought me a programmable crockpot for my birthday last month and what a better way to enjoy it than with chili!  And chili with PUMPKIN in it at that!  Don't be scared away from this recipe if you think you don't like pumpkin because you really can't taste it...it gives it such an amazing flavor and I have nothing but good things to say about it!

Crock Pot Turkey White Bean Chili
adapted from Skinnytaste

Ingredients:

• cooking spray
• 2 lb 99% lean ground turkey
• 1/2 tsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp chili powder, to taste
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp oregano
• 2 (15 oz cans) of white northern or navy beans, rinsed and drained
• 15 oz can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 4.5 oz canned chopped green chile
• 2 cups low sodium, fat free chicken broth
• fat free sour cream for topping (optional)
• chopped cilantro and chives for topping (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:



Heat a large heavy saute pan over high heat and lightly spray with oil. Add meat and cook, breaking it up until white, about 5 minutes.  Add to crock pot.

Add oil to the saute pan, then onions, garlic, sauté about 3 - 4 minutes; add cumin and sauté another minute.
  
Remove bay leaves and adjust seasoning to taste before serving. Enjoy! 

Recipe Swap : Apple/Pumpkin

Let's start this off by saying that I was a little worried by my recipe!  I got Apple Croissant Bread Pudding from Life and Kitchen...sounds super good, but WTF is it?!

Being new to this cooking thing and not much of a sweets person, I had not a clue what Bread Pudding was...not one.  It didn't sound like I was going to like it, let alone be able to pull it off when I read the one line in the blog post :


"Whoever said that bread pudding is difficult to make is crazy.  It was pretty easy!"

At that point, I definitely thought uh oh...this is going to fail!  But I was pleasantly surprised!  Not only did I LOVE it, I successfully made it and correctly!  The different textures and flavors really made the dish and I will definitely be making this again!  We halved the recipe since it is just the two of us and it worked out perfectly!

Thanks Life and Kitchen for creating this awesome dessert!


Apple Croissant Bread Pudding
adapted from : Life and Kitchen 

Ingredients

3 extra-large whole eggs
5 extra-large egg yolks
5 cups half-and-half
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
6 stale croissants (just cut them in half and let them sit out overnight)
2 apples, peeled and diced
1 cup raisins  (I omitted-I LOVE grapes but cannot do raisins!)
A dash of cinnamon and nutmeg
Caramel sauce for topping


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the whole eggs, egg yolks, half-and-half, sugar, and vanilla. Set the mixture aside. Separate the tops and bottoms of the croissants and rip them up into bite-sized pieces.  In a 10 by 15 by 2 1/2-inch oval baking dish, distribute the bottoms of the sliced croissants, then add the apples and raisins and sprinkle with the cinnamon and nutmeg.  Then cover with the tops of the croissants (brown side up), being sure the raisins are between the layers of croissants or they will burn while baking. Pour the custard over the croissants and allow to soak for 10 minutes, pressing down gently.
Place the pan in a larger one filled with 1-inch of hot water. Cover with aluminum foil, tenting the foil so it doesn’t touch the pudding. Cut a few holes in the foil to allow steam to escape. Bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 40 to 45 more minutes or until the pudding puffs up and the custard is set. Remove from the oven and cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature with caramel drizzled on top

Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken

I got a fancy crock pot for my birthday, so what a better way to christen it than with this lovely dish from Gina @ Skinnytaste...I love her recipes because she includes all of the WW points and nutritional info and I am yet to have a recipe yet that I haven't loved.  YUM!

I also got a fancy camera for that same birthday so hooray for upgraded pictures!!


Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken
from : Skinnytaste

What you'll need

• 24 oz (1 1/2) lbs thawed chicken breast
• 14.4 oz can diced tomatoes with mild green chilies
• 15 oz can black beans (drained)
• 8 oz frozen corn
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 14.4 oz can fat free chicken broth
• 3 scallions, chopped
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)
  
• salt to taste

Directions

Combine chicken broth, beans, corn, tomatoes, cilantro, scallions, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, cayenne pepper and salt in crock pot. Season chicken breast with salt and lay on top.

Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. Half hour before serving, remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in. Adjust salt and seasoning. Serve over rice and top with fat free cheddar cheese.

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars

I force J to go apple picking with me every.single.year.

Smallest apples ever!

 

We always have about 50 apples to use up so I always end up making this at least twice!  One for us and one to pass out to friends :)

One of my go-to faaaaaavorite fall treats.

 

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars

adapted by The Girl Who Ate Everything

Crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

Cheesecake Filling:

3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons, divided

3 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Apples:

3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Streusel topping, recipe follows

1/2 cup caramel topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, combine flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter with a pastry blender (or 2 forks) until mixture is crumbly. Press evenly into a 9x13 baking pan lined with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bake 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with 3/4 cup sugar in an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth. Then add eggs, 1 at a time, and vanilla. Stir to combine. Pour over warm crust.

In a small bowl, stir together chopped apples, remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Spoon evenly over cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle evenly with Streusel topping. Bake 40-45 minutes, or until filling is set. Drizzle with caramel topping and let cool. Serve cold and enjoy!

Streusel Topping:

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup quick cooking oats

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients. I like to really combine it by using my clean hands to thoroughly combine the butter into the mixture.

Homemade Chipotle Bowls!

I will admit it...I am a Chipotle-aholic.  So I found a copycat recipe on pinterest and went to town!

Chipotle Burrito Bowl

adapted from Iowa Girl Eats

What you need

Rice

• 1/2 cup brown rice (I used Jasmine and it worked great!)
• Small pat of butter
• Salt
• Juice of 1/2 of lime
• Chopped cilantro 

Beans

In a microwave safe bowl, heat up 1 can drained and rinsed pinto or black beans with:

• Splash of chicken broth
• Dashes of chili powder, cumin, oregano & cayenne pepper

Chicken

Cook two chicken breasts in a skillet seasoned with:

• Chili Powder
• Garlic Salt
• Onion Powder
• Cumin
• Oregano

I found it was easier to chop it up first for quicker and even cooking.



Pico de Gallo

I had made Fresh Tomato Salsa the day before from allrecipes.com so I just added a can of whole kernel corn to that and it was great! Here is how Iowa did hers!

• 1 tomato (plus some cherry tomatoes I had on hand)
• 1 jalapeno
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/4 small red onion
• Sprinkle of chopped cilantro
• S&P
• Juice of 1/2 lime

I had some left over guac and sour cream that I added on the side as well.

Nestie Recipe Swap : Tailgating!

I don't think words are enough to explain how excited I was for this weeks swap!  I love sitting around on a Sunday and watching football and eating good food!


My recipe was from Lindsay(lneuner09) @ Peace, Love and French Fries.

We used chicken breast over wings and it worked out really well.  I let them marinate for about 4 hours and they were so tasty!  Def will be making them again!
 
Thanks Lindsay, we loved them!!



Chili-Lime Chicken Wings

1 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup lime juice
2 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
3 dashes hot sauce
3/4 tsp onion powder
2-3 lbs chicken wings and drumettes  (we used chicken breast cut into 1-2" chunks)
 
Place marinade and chicken wings in large zip-top bag, shake to coat wings.  Refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours, tossing the chicken in the marinade every so often.

Preheat the oven to 400.  Spread wings on 9×13 baking dish in a single layer (use 2 if necessary), shaking off excess marinade before placing in pan.  Bake for 40 minutes then switch oven to broiler.  Broil wings for 4-5 minutes or until crispy.  Serve immediately.

Jalapeno TOSTITOS Scoop Bites

Jalapeno TOSTITOS Scoop Bites




Sorry, I haven't made these in a while so I don't have a picture, but I am making them Sunday, so I'll update it then :)


What you'll Need

• 1 bag TOSTITOS Scoops

• 1 jar sliced jalapenos (can be omitted if you don't want them too spicy...I usually make some with and some without)

• 1 pkg cream cheese (8oz)

• Small container sour cream

• 1 can sweet corn (drained)

• 1 bag shredded cheese (The Mexican blend is really good!)

Prep/Directions

1. Mix together the cream cheese, sour cream and corn until smooth.  I add about 1 1/2 cups or so of the shredded cheese to the mixture as well, but not necessary.
2. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and fill sheet with TOSTITOS, (scoop side up)
3. Place 1 jalapeno in the bottom of each scoop
4. Top each with the mixture, do not overfill.  I usually go about 3/4 of the way up.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted.  Top each scoop with a little of the shredded cheese and bake for another 5 or so minutes until shredded cheese is melted.