Smoky Barbecue Chili

Smoky Barbecue Chili

2 cups chopped yellow onion
6 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 to 2 pasilla chiles, stemmed and seeded
1 jalapeno chili
2 chopped seeded chipotle chiles, canned in adobo sauce
2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/4 pounds stew meat or ground beef
1 3/4 cups no-salt-added tomato puree (can of stewed tomatoes put in a food processor)
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon honey mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon molasses
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 (15-ounce) cans pinto beans, rinsed and drained

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion and garlic to pan; sauté 5 minutes. Add chiles; cook 2 minutes. Add broth; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until chiles are tender. Cool slightly. Place half of chile mixture in a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid spills). Blend until smooth. Pour into a medium bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining chile mixture.

Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add beef; cook 7 minutes or until browned. Remove from pan. Add chile mixture and beef to pan. Stir in tomato puree and remaining ingredients except beans; bring to a boil.
Partially cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour or until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in beans; cook 15 minutes.

Ok, so I know this is a LOT of ingredients... but it really is simple and super super yummy! It goes great w/the pumpkin biscuits or regular cornbread. It's amazing!

Pumpkin Biscuits

Pumpkin Biscuits with Orange-Honey Butter

2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup chilled butter, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup fat-free buttermilk
1/2 cup canned pumpkin

Preheat oven to 450º.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flour and next 6 ingredients (flour through nutmeg); cut in chilled butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Combine buttermilk and pumpkin; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead lightly 5 times. Roll dough to about 1/2-inch thickness. Cut into 12 biscuits with a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter. Place the biscuits on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 450° for 11 minutes or until golden.

Serve warm with orange-honey butter:

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended.

Ok, I'm addicted to these!! I've made them several times and used them to accompany chili, tortilla soup, or for breakfast! I searched high and low for a biscuit cutter and couldn't find one, so I used regular cookie cutters and it worked perfect! I used a heart-shaped one for V-Day and Mark took them to his home teaching families. They are very yummy!!

Stuffed French Toast

Stuffed French Toast

24 (1-ounce) slices cinnamon-raisin bread
3 cups 1% low-fat milk
2 cups egg substitute, divided
1 cup half-and-half
1 cup sugar, divided
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 (8-ounce) block fat-free cream cheese, softened
1 (8-ounce) block 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
Bottled cinnamon-sugar (optional)

Trim crusts from bread. Arrange half of the bread in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Combine milk, 1 1/2 cups egg substitute, half-and-half, and 1/2 cup sugar in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Pour half of milk mixture over bread in dish.

Combine 1/2 cup egg substitute, 1/2 cup sugar, vanilla, nutmeg, and cheeses in a food processor or blender; process until smooth. Pour cream cheese mixture over moist bread in dish. Top with remaining bread; pour remaining milk mixture over bread. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350°.

Uncover and bake at 350° for 55 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar, if desired.

I made this for Cherstyn's shower and it was a hit! It was pretty easy (despite the long list of ingredients). It's super rich and great for a holiday morning. Enjoy!

Tres Leches

Easy Tres Leches Cake

1 box yellow cake mix (the kind w pudding is good)

1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk

1 ½ cans sweetened condensed milk

1 cup whole milk

1 tbsp vanilla

Whipping cream

Tbsp sugar

Make cake batter as directed on box. Let cool. On the stove top, mix the milks and vanilla, stir. Do not bring to boil, just warm. Set aside to cool. Pierce cake with a fork and pour the milk mixture evenly over it and let it absorb. Pour ½ can of sweetened condensed milk on top; freeze cake for one hour. Right before serving put whipping cream and sugar in a mixer to make the topping. This is so good! You’ll feel like you are in Cuba eating an authentic dessert!

Bruschetta

Bruschetta
1 French baguette, sliced
prepared pesto sauce of your choice
1 C grated mozz. cheese
3/4 C grated parmesan cheese
6-8 chopped tomatoes
1/2 C finely chopped onion
1/8 C chopped fresh basil
1/4 C balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. garlic salt

Arrange baguette slices on cookie sheet and toast (or broil) lightly on both sides. Remove from oven, spread with pesto. Mix tomatoes, basil and vinegar. Spoon onto bread slices and sprinkle with mixture of the 2 cheeses. Broil in oven until cheese is melted.
*I have made this without onions and with regular basil seasoning (not fresh) and it was still great! It makes a lot so either just broil a few for your family and save the rest for the following day, use less tomatoes, or make when serving a big group. It is super quick and tastes as good as Macaroni Grill's Bruschetta.

Shannon

For Kristen!

Whole-Wheat Spaghetti with Meyer Lemon, Arugula, and Pistachios (so yummy & easy!)

Serves 4
Use a fragrant extra-virgin olive oil for the nut "pesto" and for tossing. Or for an added backdrop of flavor, use an olive oil that's been cold-pressed with citrus. (The oil and the pistachios are excellent sources of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat.)


Sea salt or coarse salt

1/2 cup shelled unsalted pistachios
1 small shallot, cut into eighths
1 Meyer lemon (about 5 ounces), cut into eighths and seeded
3 tablespoons lemon or regular extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 pound whole-wheat spaghetti
2 cups packed baby arugula
Freshly ground pepper


1. Preheat oven to 375°. Spread pistachios on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast in oven until fragrant, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate; let cool completely.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, pulse pistachios and shallot in a food processor until finely chopped. Transfer to a large bowl. Without cleaning processor bowl, finely chop lemon. Add to pistachios and shallot; stir to combine. Stir in 2 tablespoons oil.
3. Add pasta to boiling water; cook until al dente, according to package instructions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water. Toss pasta with pistachio mixture until coated. Add reserved cooking water; stir until sauce coats pasta. Stir in arugula, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and remaining tablespoon oil; season with pepper. Divide among 4 serving plates.

Per serving: 400 calories, 3 g saturated fat, 16 g unsaturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 52 g carbohydrate, 152 mg sodium, 12 g protein, 10 g fiber