Tag Archives: chicken

that’s a wrap…some Friday belleiciousness 

30 Friday Jun 2017

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Although our kitchens aren’t getting much use lately (summer, travel, renovations…), we do occasionally crank it up to produce a home-cooked meal.  On a recent, rare, at-home evening, one of us decided to put together a “nutritionist-approved” feast…(yes, we have both been seeing a nutritionist for a while now, and we are trying our very best to avoid grains and sugar – among other delightful morsels!) 

Here’s what we came up with on this particular night…


Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps

2 lb assorted mushrooms, chopped

1 red onion, chopped

1 lb ground chicken breasts

3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 t minced ginger

2 t Thai Kitchen red curry paste (the ingredients are super-simple in this brand)

1 t salt

1/2 c cashews, chopped

1/2 c cilantro, chopped

1 package lettuce leaves or one head romaine (or your preferred lettuce), washed and separated 

The step-by-step:

Chop mushrooms and onion…


Sauté in coconut oil…


Remove mushroom mixture and add chicken, garlic and ginger to pan.  Chop and stir chicken until thoroughly cooked.

Stir in red curry paste…


Season with salt and keep warm.

Crush cashews and chop cilantro to be served as garnish…


Assemble and enjoy!!


#belleicious…and healthy to boot!

a&a

 

African peanut soup…back to one belle’s roots

25 Friday Nov 2016

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Tall blonde belle was born in South Africa and is still mad about the moment she lost her accent…the popularity in high school would have been a lot higher. And if the flat iron had been invented yet, it would have been off the charts.  Sigh ….

A hankering, however, for the flavor and tastes of such a beautiful country still lingers. And a Rhodesian Ridgeback by the name of Sadie is a gentle reminder. Not to mention that the old girl had counter surfing down pat and would have cleaned this dish up lickety split! 

Two belle friends happened to visit our local Publx and came upon a tasting station that knocked them off their feet.  When they regaled us with the taste thrill we just had to make. Thanks, belles, for sharing this easy, tasty dish.

South African Peanut Soup

1 3/4 lb boneless, skinless, chicken thighs (we used breasts)

2 medium sweet potatoes 

8oz belle pepper mix

1 t garlic paste

3T fresh cilantro 

1 (14.5oz) can fire-roasted tomatoes, diced

1 10 oz can Rotel

1 can chickpeas (garbanzos) (15-19oz)

2 1/2 cups chicken broth 

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1T Cajun seasoning 

1/2 cup roasted unsalted peanuts


Peel sweet potatoes a cut into 1/2 in cubes.

Drain chickpeas.

Cut chicken into 1/2 in pieces.

Place chicken, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, chickpeas, peppers, seasonings, garlic and broth into slow cooker. Cook on high 2 1/2 -3 hours (or 4-6 on low)

Remove 1 cup of liquid from soup and whisk into peanut butter until blended. Stir mixture into soup. 

Chop cilantro and peanuts.  Serve with stew 

Soup…it does a body good!! 

a&a

the belles’ white bean soup…a slow cooker fave

18 Friday Nov 2016

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Now that we have a legit chill in the air, we are ready to keep the home fires burning…and tummies full and warm…with a slew of soups and stews.  From the Boozy Stew we posted last week to many others from light to hearty, we plan to share ’em all.  ‘Cause, again…that’s how a belle rolls.

This one in particular can swing from totally healthy and vegan to a super hearty version with chicken…your choice.

The ingredients:

2 T olive oil, 4 cloves garlic, 1 leek, 1/2 lb carrots, 4 stalks celery, 1 lb dried navy beans, 1 bay leaf, 2 med stalks rosemary, 3-4 sprigs thyme, 1/2 t smoked paprika, 1/2 t black pepper, 1 1/2 t salt, *diced rotisserie chicken (optional)

Rinse beans, sorting to remove any debris.

Assemble a bouquet garni using rosemary, thyme and bay leaf.

Trim and prepare to slice veggies.

Soak sliced leeks in water to clean (yucky stuff falls to the bottom of the bowl)

place all ingredients in slow cooker with 6 cups water.  Place lid on cooker and set for 8 hours on low or 4-5 hours on high.

Once done, stir the soup, mashing the beans slightly to make a creamy base.

The finished product…

Easy…and belleicious!

Now for the whole recipe in a screen-shotable list…

The Belles’ White Bean Soup

2 T olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 leek, sliced

½ lb carrots, sliced

4 stalks celery, sliced

1 lb dried navy beans

1 bay leaf

2 med stalks rosemary

3-4 sprigs thyme

½ t smoked paprika

½ t black pepper

1 ½ t salt

diced rotisserie chicken (optional)

Rinse beans, sorting to remove any debris.  Assemble a bouquet garni using rosemary, thyme and bay leaf.  Wash, trim, and slice veggies.  Place all ingredients in slow cooker with 6 cups water.  Cover and cook on low 8 hours or on high 4-5 hours.  When done, stir soup and mash beans slights to add a creamy texture.

PS:  Guests coming next week for the holiday?  This would be an excellent “night-before” meal!  Just sayin’

Enjoy!
a&a

*chicken is delish in this soup, but not necessary…totally convenient for our vegan friends

simple summer supper…belleicious

22 Friday Jul 2016

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With lots of travel and a complete lack of schedule in the summer…we struggle to find the time to prepare an entire meal!  Sound familiar?  Thought so.

But with all that travel, sometimes we just crave home-cooked, simple comfort food.  After one belle returned from a recent adventure, she pulled out a couple of old, easy standbys.  Thought we would share for a bit of inspiration…

BBQ Chicken Sliders and Summer Succotash (with a little kick)


The chicken, prepared in the slow-cooker, is just about the easiest thing imaginable:


Belleicious Crockpot Chicken Barbecue 

(similar to this version from Family Fresh Meals)

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 cups of your favorite barbecue sauce (or try our homemade sauce)

2 T worcestershire 

Place chicken in crockpot and season well with salt and pepper.  Pour bbq sauce and worcestershire over chicken and toss to coat.  Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours.  Remove chicken from pot and shred with two forks.  Return chicken to sauce, stir to coat, and allow to warm in the crockpot until ready to serve.

Done!!

Serve alone or as a slider or full sandwich with extra sauce…and if you want to do it up right, add some coleslaw.  Belleicious!!

Summer Succotash with a kick

(Loosely adapted from this FoodNetwork recipe and inspired by our friend, Cathy, ages ago!!)

2 cups corn kernels

2 cups baby lima beans

2 cups cut okra

2-3 tomatoes, chopped

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped

1 small onion, finely chopped

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1 T butter

1 T olive oil

1 T kosher salt

1 t sugar

Fresh ground black pepper

Heat oil and butter in heavy saucepan or large skillet.  Add jalapeño, onion and garlic, sprinkle with salt, and sauté until soft.  Add corn, stir and cover.  Allow to simmer/steam 5-10 minutes until slightly tender.  Add lima beans, okra, sugar and a couple tablespoons water.  Stir well and cover again.  Allow to simmer another 20-30 minutes until all veggies are tender. Adjust salt if needed and add tomato.  Grind pepper on top.  Stir.  Serve!

Easy, peasy belleiciousness!

a&a

mmm…mmm…good! soup the whole gang will love

08 Thursday Jan 2015

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Our dear friend, Kathryn, is quite the belle-chef. If she shares a recipe, which she is most gracious about, you can be assured that it will be to. die. for.

Her latest share in the gourmet department is a soup that is easy, delicious, and super-family-friendly. It is also football and guest-friendly. Perfect for the cooler days we are facing this time of year…and perhaps a Super Bowl party? We shall see…

The fact that it’s a dump-and-pour sort of soup only enhances it’s belle-worthiness.

Buffalo Chicken Soup

Zee ingredients:

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1 whole rotisserie chicken, remove meat and shred
1 onion, chopped
1 T butter
32 oz can chicken broth (you may find you need a tad more , especially the next day as the beans absorb a lot of the liquid)
2 14.5 oz cans navy beans, drained
2 14.5 oz cans fire roasted tomatoes
1/2 pkg frozen white corn
1/4-1/2 cup wing sauce (we used Franks and ended up putting closer to 3/4 cup…belles are saucy)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp celery salt
1 pkg ranch dressing mix
1/4 tsp salt
8 oz cream cheese
Chopped cilantro

Sauté onion in butter for 5 minutes. Add other ingredients EXCEPT cream cheese and cilantro. Simmer for ’bout 30 minutes. Add cream cheese and cilantro and cook until cheese melts.

Another belle-friend made a similar version and she put blue cheese crumbles on the top as a garnish. Brilliant belle addition in our ever-so-humble opinion….just sayin’

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Buffalo, blue cheese and belles. A magical concoction!

a&a