Apple Chili and Oat Scones

This turned out very well. The chili was slightly tart from using green apples and the scones were slightly sweet from the brown sugar (they pair really well with cinnamon butter). I would definitely make these again. Though with the chili, I used chunks of chicken and I felt that is wasn't chili-like enough for my tastes and I would use ground chicken next time - which I changed in the recipe here.

The apple chili was adapted from Kitchen Trial and Error.


Apple Chili

• 2 lbs ground chicken
• 4 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 apples, cut into bite size cubes (I used green)
• 1 onion, chopped 
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter 
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 
• 2 cups chicken broth 
• 3/4 cup 2% or whole milk (I used 1% though, so just use what you have available)
• 15 oz can pinto beans, rinsed 
• 15 oz can white beans, rinsed 
• 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (original used Monterey Jack cheese and I totally didn't realize it)

Coat the bottom of a large sauce pan or Dutch oven with olive oil and place over medium heat. Add the chicken, chili powder, and cumin and cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a bowl and set aside.

In the same pot, coat the bottom with olive oil again. Add the apple and onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the apple onion mixture to the chicken and set aside.

In the same pot, melt the butter over medium low heat. When melted, whisk in the flour and cook a couple minutes until the flour browns. Add the chicken stock and milk, whisking continuously, and cook until thickened, a few minutes.

Stir the apple chicken mixture and the beans to the stock mixture and bring to a simmer. Stir in the cheese and serve.  

The oat scones were adapted from The Cilantropist.


Oat Scones

• 2 cups white whole wheat flour
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup rolled oats
• Zest of 1 lemon (about 1 Tbsp)
• 1 1/3 cups heavy cream
• 1 tbsp butter, melted
• 2-inch cookie cutter 
• Extra rolled oats for sprinkling (optional)

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, brown sugar, oats, and lemon zest.  Slowly stir in the heavy cream, and mix until the dough just comes together.  It will be sticky and crumbly at the same time, so turn it out onto a well-floured surface, knead it for a minute or so, then pat it into a circle or rectangle that is between 3/4- and 1-inch thick.  

Cut into rounds using a plain or fluted 2-inch round cutter, then transfer the scones to a baking sheet lined with parchment.  (To make it easier, dip the cutter into a small bowl of flour each time before you cut out the scones.  Then shake the cutter slightly to pop out the scone from the cutter - don't push it out.)  Or, if you don't have a cookie cutter, cut the scones into triangles that are about 2 inches long.  

Before baking, brush the tops of the scones with some of the melted butter.  If you like, you can sprinkle the top with some extra oats.  Bake the scones at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes, checking occasionally, or until the tops are a dark golden brown.  

Once they are finished, remove them from the oven and cool completely.  Serve immediately, or store in an airtight container. 

Pottage

Yummy, comforting stew. Can't get better than that on a cold day (Not that it was a cold day when I made it this time). The nice thing about pottage is you can put whatever you want in it, really. I usually make mine with beef so I use beef broth, but you could easily use pork or chicken meat and chicken or vegetable broth and it would be an entirely different stew. The original recipe also calls for oats in it, which I'm sure would be really tasty.


Just beware that this recipe calls for a lot of chopping. Takes me at least an hour to chop everything up. I like to chop everything the night before if possible (which is probably why I like making this on Monday...leaves me Sunday night to chop things up).


I am thinking next time I'll season the beef somehow before putting it in the stew. Not sure with what yet, though.

This recipe is adapted from King Arthur Flour. If you want to make this, I recommend going over to the site as they have some useful tips and a very interesting and informative article on the origins of pottage. (I do plan on making the bread that is featured in that article as well, soon - I'll let you know how it turns out.)


Pottage

• 1 Tbsp oil
• 2 turnips, diced
• 2 medium-large rutabagas (the same size as the turnips), diced
• 1/2 large onion, diced
• 1 large celery root, diced (if desired - I left it out this time as they can be pricey and the ones at the store currently are pretty small)
• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup leeks, rinsed, diced and washed
• 1 cup cabbage, diced (I use red cabbage, but either is fine)
• 1 cup drained, rinsed canned beans or diced fresh green beans (I use green beans)
• 2 quarts (8 cups) stock (chicken, beef, or vegetable work - I used beef)
• 1 large or 2 small bay leaves
• 1/2 tsp ground sage
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
• 1/2 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 tsp dried or 1 Tbsp fresh parsley
• 1-2 lbs meat of your choice (I used 2 lbs of beef top sirloin, diced)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2-1 cup gluten-free rolled oats, optional (I do not use them)

Place a large kettle over medium heat. Add the oil, onions, rutabagas, and turnips. Cook, covered, for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Once the harder vegetables start to get a little tender, add the mushrooms, leeks, cabbage, and beans. Cook another 2-5 minutes, then add the stock and herbs.

Bring everything to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes to an hour. (How long I simmer this for depends on how long I have left until I want to serve dinner.)

Season to taste, then add the meat and oats (if using). Cook for at least 20 minutes or as long as you like, replenishing liquid as necessary.

Swiss Chard and Meatball Soup

I LOVE this soup. I've made it several times and each time it comes out just a tiny bit different - sometimes the meatballs are mild and sometimes they pack some kick. Either way, it's so comforting and yummy. 


The original recipe uses white beans, but I find it's great without them. It's also pretty simple to make.

This recipe was adapted from Kitchen Culinaire. Feel free to try theirs if you want the white beans.


Swiss Chard and Meatball Soup

Meatballs:

• 1 pound ground turkey (ground pork also works as well, if you prefer)
• 1/4 teaspoon red chilli flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt
• dash of cayenne and ancho chili powder (use more or less depending on how spicy you like it)
• 2 tablespoons minced yellow onion (I probably use more, but be careful not to use too much our your meatballs will be harder to form)
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Soup:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium leek, sliced and cleaned well of any grit or dirt
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 bunch of swiss chard, tough stems removed and sliced into thin ribbons (about 6 cups)
• 6 cups (1 49.5 oz can) chicken stock/broth
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

To make the meatballs place the turkey meat in a medium bowl and add the minced onion, and parsley.  Add the spices to the ground meat, onion and parsley. Season with some more salt and pepper, if desired and mix gently. Form into meatballs (I scoop out portions with a very full Tablespoon then roll with my hands gently to keep them together). Set aside.


In a medium soup pot heat the olive oil and add the sliced leeks. Sauté leeks over low heat until soft and fragrant but take care not to allow the leeks to brown. Once the leeks are cooked down, add the minced garlic and sauté for a minute or so before adding the sliced swiss chard. Cook the mixture until the chard is wilted, about 2 to 3 minutes. 


Add the chicken stock, salt, and pepper to taste and bring to a simmer. Add the meatballs (With the pot I use, most of the meatballs poke above the liquid a tiny bit, so I usually put them all in, turn them all over immediately, cover the pot, and cook in the simmering soup for 13 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through. Check and adjust seasonings. Serve hot!

White Veggie Soup and Curry Chicken w/ Salad

I thought this meal was good. The soup was fairly neutral but I thought the chicken broth took over the flavor a bit too much, but it's plain and satisfying enough to me. The chicken was good (I love curry, so of course I would think that). I wasn't a huge fan of the vinaigrette, though. My dad said it had too much thyme in it and it didn't really blend well with the chicken. I also prefer my salads to be fairly drenched with dressing, and there wasn't enough liquid in the vinaigrette to do that. I'm going to have to do some more work to figure out how to make it better and work with the curry.


FYI, I have not altered the recipe to fix the vinaigrette, yet.

These recipes are adapted from I'll Have What She's Having and Serious Eats.

Roasted White Vegetable Soup

• 1 cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1 rutabaga, peeled and diced
• 1 turnip, peeled and diced
• 1 celery root, peeled and diced
• 1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
• 4-6 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 L low sodium vegetable stock

Preheat oven to 400.

Place the vegetables, onion and garlic on a baking sheet. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast vegetables for 40 minutes.

Transfer roasted vegetables to a large soup pot. Cover with stock. Bring to a boil then simmer for 20 minutes.

Using an immersion blender puree soup, or allow to cool and pour into a regular blender to puree (may have to be done in batches).

Chicken with Tomato-Saffron Vinaigrette

• 2 Tbsp white rice vinegar
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 cup minced shallots
• 1/8 tsp crumbled saffron
• 1 1/2 tsp hot paprika
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 4 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes (or equivalent chopped tomato pieces)
• 1 1/2 - 2 lbs chicken thighs, sliced
• Lettuce of your choice

(I did these steps while the veggies were simmering.)

In a medium bowl, combine vinegar, lemon juice, shallots, saffron, and 1/2 teaspoon of paprika. Whisk to combine, then slowly whisk in 3 tablespoons of the olive oil to create a dressing. Sprinkle in half the thyme and add the tomatoes, mixing to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Season the chicken breasts with salt, pepper, curry powder, and remaining paprika and thyme. Heat a skillet with the remaining olive oil over medium heat and sauté the thighs until cooked through. Remove the chicken and turn off the heat. Add the vinaigrette to the pan to deglaze and warm through. (Oh, I just realized I forgot to heat the vinaigrette up...that could also have had something to do with why it wasn't as good as I'd hoped.)

Place your lettuce on plates and place the chicken on the salads, then spoon the vinaigrette over and serve immediately.

Sausage and Sauerkraut Soup

I enjoyed this soup more than I thought I was going to. It actually is the kind of soup that gets better the more you eat it. I added a turnip and a rutabaga to the recipe because I was worried that the sauerkraut would be a bit too potent for my tastes and figured they would be a good, neutral veggie to add to help.


This was definitely different, which is nice to have every once in a while (or for Oktoberfest). Also, my nose was pretty conflicted while cooking. The browning of the sausage smelled wonderful but rinsing off the sauerkraut smelled kinda nasty. My dad added some cheese on top but couldn't tell me if it made much difference as he didn't use a particularly sharp cheese.

Not the most beautiful of dishes, but there it is. This is an adaptation from Perry's Plate.


Sausage & Sauerkraut Soup

• 8-10 ounces of sausage (I used a package of breakfast sausage crumbles)
• 1 cup white onion, chopped (about 1/2 large onion)
• 1 turnip, diced
• 1 rutabaga, diced
• 2 cups sauerkraut, rinsed and drained
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1/4-1/2 cup heavy cream (optional)
• 4 tsp Dijon mustard

Cook the sausage over medium heat until browned. Remove sausage from the pot and set aside.


Add your turnip and rutabagas to the pot and cook 5 minutes. Add the onion to the pot and cook until the vegetables are soft. Add sauerkraut and 1 cup of chicken stock and boil for about 5 minutes. Turn down heat slightly and add remaining stock. Simmer for 10 minutes.


Remove from heat and stir in cream (if using) and mustard. Puree the soup using an immersion blender or in batches in a blender. Return the soup to the pot and add the sausage. Season with salt and pepper to taste.


Serve with cheese or croutons, if desired. Serves 5-6.