Monthly Archives: November 2011

Jalapeño Corn Muffins

Yesterday, I introduced you to a delicious version of chili, perfect for colder weather. Now, I have the perfect complement to such a dish – Jalapeño Corn Muffins. I searched out this recipe after being surprised by a similar corn muffin during a training session lunch break at my job. I don’t remember anything else I ate for lunch that day, but I remember those spicy muffins. So, I went in search for something similar and found these. Not only do these muffins get a kick of heat from a jalapeño pepper but they also have pepper jack cheese for a double-whammy. But these aren’t just hot – they are also buttery, cheesy, and perfect for dunking in a bowl of chili.

The ingredients:

Sauté onion and jalapeño in butter until soft. Move to a plate.

In one bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In another bowl, whisk eggs, milk, buttermilk and melted butter.

Stir the wet mixture into the dry mixture.

Fold in the onion mixture and pepper jack cheese.

Pour batter into 16 muffin cups and bake at 425ºF for 12-14 minutes.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions: None

Overall Rating: Like It

Source: All You Magazine

Jerk Chicken Chili

November 14, 2011
Shannon
3 comments
chicken, chocolate, food, soup, tomatoes

Chili is usually a recipe that I make the first weekend that football starts, no matter what the temperature is outside. So, making chili in November is pretty late for me. But this recipe for Jerk Chicken Chili was worth the wait. This recipe came from Glamour Magazine – a surprising source of tasty recipes. This chili is different than your regular chili but still just as hearty and comforting. The spices in this chili – chili powder, thyme, allspice, cinnamon – are cooked with onion and yellow pepper early on which brings out their natural oils and intensifies their flavor. Chicken is added and coated with the spice mixture before being simmered with the liquids, beans, and jalapeño. Fresh cilantro and (surprise!) chocolate are added at the end to deepen the flavor of every bite. I left the garlic out of this recipe for one reason only: the editors at the magazine included it in the directions but didn’t include it in the ingredients! Ugh! Anyway, the flavor in this chili goes deep to create an intense, soothing chili that digs down and warms you to the core. If you’re bold enough to try a different kind of chili, you won’t be disappointed with this!

The ingredients:

Heat onion and yellow pepper in olive oil until soft. Add in chili powder, thyme, allspice, and cinnamon and cook until fragrant.

Add in chicken and stir until coated with the spices.

Add in broth, stewed tomatoes, black and white beans, jalapeños, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Stir in cilantro and chocolate and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Additions: None

Omissions:

Garlic

Substitutions:

Fresh jalapeño for pickled jalapeños
Precooked chicken for rotisserie chicken

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Glamour Magazine

White Bean Soup with Kale and Hot Turkey Sausage

When the weather starts to get colder outside, sometimes nothing else will do but a warm bowl of soup. This White Bean Soup with Kale and Hot Turkey Sausage is hearty, warm, and spicy – just the way I like it. The original recipe calls for Spanish chorizo but I couldn’t find chicken chorizo in my store (bummer) so I substituted hot turkey sausage. I cooked the sausage first before beginning and this soup came together pretty quickly. It wasn’t until I was almost finished making this soup that I realized it’s nearly identical to the Kale, Bean, and Sausage Soup with Parmesan Cheese I made last month. Since I devoured that soup and discovered I love kale, I knew this soup wouldn’t last long either.

The ingredients:

Sauté onion and garlic in a pan and cook until soft. Add in chopped sausage. (If using chorizo, add chorizo to the pan first and cook for a minute before adding onion and garlic.)