Aggie's Kitchen

Bush’s White Bean Chile Verde with Sonoma Pesto

Aggies Kitchen — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 18:56:28 +0000

Here’s the recipe a lot of you have been asking me for…

After getting back from my trip to Napa, I couldn’t wait to make this chili for my family. I convinced my children to try it using an idea I got from my new friend Connie Gutterson…she asks her kids to rate some of the recipes she makes for them…my son totally bought into the “rating game” and ate a nice bowl himself. My daughter, she didn’t care so much about the rating part, she just dove in and gobbled up her share. I had to restrain myself from showing too much excitement so they wouldn’t get suspicious…

Sammy (age 5) rates this “5 spoons” and “3 thumbs up”!

I added a little quinoa to the chili to make it even more nutritious. My kids think of quinoa as “rice”…whatever works right?!

Another tip I learned from Connie…Be sure to “fry” your sauce before adding in the liquids. What that means is cooking down the roasted pepper and tomatillo puree in a little olive oil along with the onions and garlic until it “pulls away from the pan”…doing this enhances the flavor by concentrating and thickening up the sauce a bit.

Enjoy!

(Oh…and to keep things on the up and up here’s a little disclaimer…Bush Beans covered the costs of my trip but does not pay me to say nice things about them.)

Bush’s White Bean Chile Verde with Sonoma Pesto
Recipe created for Bush Beans by Connie Guttersen, R.D., Ph.D., nutrition instructor at The Culinary Institute of America, mom and author of “The Sonoma Diet.”

(Printable Recipe)

1 lb tomatillos
1/2 lb poblano chiles
2 tsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups finely chopped yellow onion
1 TB minced garlic
1 tsp Mexican oregano (use regular oregano if you don’t have Mexican)
3 cups chicken stock
2 cans (15.5 oz) BUSH’s Cannellini Beans, with liquid
2 TB chopped fresh cilantro
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
4 cups chard, stemmed, cut 1 inch wide strips
salt and pepper, to taste

* Optional Toppings
Salsa Verde (purchased)
Sour Cream or Greek Yogurt
Sonoma Pesto (see recipe below)

1. Preheat oven or toaster oven to 400°F.
2. Place tomatillos and poblano chiles on sheet pan. Roast in oven until peppers have blistered and tomatillos are soft. Remove from oven. Place tomatillos in blender. Once poblanos are cool enough to handle, remove seeds and skins. Add to blender, blend until smooth.
3. Heat olive oil in a sauté pan. Add onions, cook until caramelized, approximately 5 minutes. Add garlic and oregano, cook until aromatic.
4. Add tomatillo mixture, cook for 10 minutes until slightly thickened.
5. Add stock, beans and their liquid. Bring to simmer, cook for 20 minutes.
6. Add cilantro, chicken and chard. Bring to a simmer, cook for 10 minutes. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Sonoma Pesto

1 bunch fresh cilantro
1 serrano chile
1 tablespoon pine nuts or peanuts
1 clove garlic
2 ounces olive oil
zest and juice from 1 lime
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all pesto ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Drizzle the pesto on top of the chile verde and finish with salsa verde, as desired.

A Taste of Spring with Cooking Light

Aggies Kitchen — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 11:25:42 +0000

This month’s Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club theme was picked by Val of More Than Burnt Toast. I love it…Spring is my absolute favorite time of year. I’m sure I am not alone with that sentiment. How can you not love seeing all the green start popping up after winter (especially after a winter like this past one!)…

What I love most about spring is the feeling of freshness it brings. Open windows, pleasant temperatures, lots of new fruits and vegetables, I just want to be outside all the time. And for me, all of this goes hand in hand with eating lighter and fresher…and this recipe gave me just that.

I picked Spring Giardiniera for this month for a couple of reasons:

1. It was super simple 2. It was super healthy 3. It looked like a perfect way to snack on vegetables that can sometimes get a little boring.

I served the crunchy pickled veggies at a get together and they were quite a hit. I continued to snack on them for days afterwards…especially right around that time of day right before dinner when I notice I tend to snack “mindlessly” on things that are probably not so good for me. I put a plate of this on the counter while I was cooking and it definitely did the trick.

To view the recipe for Spring Giardiniera click here…

The ladies of CL’s Virtual Supper Club put together a great menu to celebrate Spring’s arrival…

Jamie made … Strawberry Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

Val made … Rosemary-Crusted Rack of Lamb with Balsamic Sauce

Shelby made … Zucchini Ribbons with Saffron Couscous

and for dessert Helene baked up some Raspberry-Almond Crumb Cake

Enjoy!

Hanging with Bush Beans in Napa…

Aggies Kitchen — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 02:04:56 +0000

Do you have a minute?

Pull up a chair…

Or maybe pour yourself a glass of vino.

Last Wednesday I flew 2000 (or so) miles west to California to join a few ladies to cook alongside Bush Beans at the Culinary Institute of America – Greystone. We spent the day in the kitchen cooking up a few delicious chili recipes created by Connie Gutterson, RD for Bush Beans.

I can’t begin to tell you how amazing this experience was for me…but maybe these photos can…

Joining me in the kitchen were:

Amy @ She Wears Many Hats, Sandy @ Reluctant Entertainer and Tina @ Mommy’s Kitchen

Connie Gutterson was an amazing hostess…

and we had a little help from Chef Andy Wild (check him out on Facebook!)…

Our cooking stations…

Don’t we look all professional?

White Bean Chili Verde with Sonoma Pesto (recipe to come)

Chicken and Kidney Beans Spanish Stew (recipe to come)

Black Bean Buttermilk Cornbread (recipe to come)

Lunch is served…

Team Pesto – Tina and I joined up together to cook up the Chili Verde

And of course there was a little extra time for some

fun fun fun!!

Picnic Lunch at Rutherford Hill Winery…marinated artichokes, roasted garlic, balsamic figs, crusty bread, hummus and falafel chips…and of course a nice bottle of their Petit Verdoh

We learned how to swirl our wine and look at “legs”…

Thank you for letting me share my trip with you…it was totally inspiring and I can’t wait to get cooking again!

Guest Blogger Post – Chickpea and Feta Salad

Aggies Kitchen — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 15:37:44 +0000

Hey there, Aggie’s Kitchen readers! It’s Molly here, your royal highness from Duchess of Fork. I’m just a busy gal juggling a new husband, new house, new puppy and new career. I enjoy creating quick, yet healthy and delicious recipes that fit into anyone’s lifestyle. Feel free to come over and visit me any time you’d like!

I’m honored to be Aggie’s guest today, and am thrilled to share a fresh take on salsa with you. With Spring just a few weeks away, this chickpea and feta salsa will be a great addition to your outdoor picnics and parties. It’s already in the 60s here in Florida, so I’ve been enjoying this salsa a lot lately!

Chickpea and Feta Salsa

Ingredients:

1 (16 oz) can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

1 green onion, sliced thin

1 cup diced cucumber

½ cup diced bell pepper

½ cup crumbled feta

2 tbsp. olive oil

2 tbsp. red wine vinegar

½ tsp. dried oregano

½ tsp. fresh cracked black pepper

1 tsp. garlic salt

Instructions:

In a large bowl, combine chickpeas, onions, cucumbers, bell peppers and feta.

In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, oregano, pepper and salt. Pour over chickpea mixture and toss to combine.

Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Makes about 2 cups

This salsa comes together in a flash and will keep in the fridge for about a week. It’s great with whole wheat pita chips, as a salad, or alongside grilled chicken. If you’ve never tried chickpeas before, this is the perfect recipe for you.

Thanks for letting me stop by! Remember, we may not all be royalty, but we can certainly reign supreme in the kitchen.

Beans, beans, beans…

Aggies Kitchen — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 21:14:09 +0000

I’m a big fan of beans. I know that sounds funny in its own way, but seriously, those little guys are one of my favorite foods. I love adding them to soups, salads, pasta or whirled around smooth in a dip. Not only are they tasty, they are actually good for you too.

A few of my faves…

About a month ago I was presented with an awesome opportunity to visit Napa Valley as a guest of Bush’s Beans to cook up some chili with 3 other bloggers and Connie Gutterson, RD at the Culinary Institute of America. I know right? I’ve been over the moon about the trip…not only do I get to visit wine country with three other fabulous foodies, Amy, Sandy and Tina …but I get to do what I love…cook! Pinch me now…

I will be heading to California on Wednesday, but I will leave you with my newest favorite recipe using beans, Artichoke Hummus. I found the recipe over at Itzy’s Kitchen and served it to friends over the weekend…it got rave reviews…and a few of them are waiting on this post for the recipe. Good stuff!

Stay tuned for a few guests that will be dropping into Aggie’s Kitchen to share their recipes! I’ll see you when I get back…with lots of photos and maybe a few tips or two that I pick up along the way!

(Oh…and to keep things on the up and up here’s a little disclaimer…Bush Beans is covering the costs of my trip.)

Artichoke Hummus

Recipe adapted from Broccoli Hut

(Printable Recipe)

(I doubled original recipe – and added some olive oil)

2 cup canned chickpeas/garbanzos
1 can canned artichoke hearts, quarters, or pieces, drained
juice 1 small lemon
3 T. tahini
3 clove garlic, minced
2 t. dried oregano
salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
1/4-1/3 cup olive oil, streamed into food processor while blending

Place beans, artichokes, lemon juice, tahini, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper into food processor. Pulse until consistency is smooth. Stream in olive oil until desired consistency. Taste for salt. Enjoy with fresh vegetables such as celery sticks, cucumber slices and carrot sticks or baked tortilla and pita chips.