White Chicken Chili with Aged Cheddar

Ever go out for dinner and love something so much you search the interweb for hours upon days upon months for the recipe but come up empty-handed?  Well, that’s what I've been doing since April with the hubs and I went back to the Frozen Tundra (aka Wisconsin) to visit my parents for Passover. 

The night before the seder we always go out for dinner because the table is already set for the 30+ people my mother hosts, and this past year we went to a local place – Fratellos.  And what do they serve?  A little bit of everything, but a lot of something: the best White Chicken Chili I've ever eaten. 

Once we got home, back in April, I've been scrubbing every search engine possible to find the secret recipe, but to no avail.  I did, however, come across this gem, which is not the same but pretty close.

The color is there, the texture is there, and the flavor, just about there.  The milk, beans, and cheddar give it the creamy and thickness, and the little cumin really makes the flavor pop. 

I will not give up looking for the original recipe, for now, this will have to do.

White Chicken Chili with Aged Cheddar

 

White Chicken Chili with Aged Cheddar

What You Need:

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped
• 1 fresh jalapeno, minced
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 can (15 oz) cream-style corn
• 2 cans (4 oz each) diced mild green chiles
• 2 c whole milk (I used unsweetened almond milk to cut the fat)
• 1 can (15 oz) navy beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 c shredded cooked chicken
• Salt and pepper
• 1 1/2 c white aged cheddar cheese, shredded 

How You Do It:

1. Add oil to large pot and sauté onion, bell pepper, and jalapeno until soft, about 5 minutes.
2. Add cumin, corn, green chiles, milk, and beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
3. Stir in chicken and season with salt (not much, if any, the cheese has enough) and pepper.
4. Stir in cheese until blended.

White Chicken Chili with Aged Cheddar recipe adapted from Food Network.

Tomato, Zucchini, & Tortellini Soup

Back in my Minneapolis days, I had a little bout with tomato soup.  My girlfriend/colleague and I fancied a little Italian restaurant over our lunch hour every so often and they served up the best tomato basil soup.  Thus, I found a recipe and made my own.  Without getting into the gory details, it didn't sit well.  So since then, I've had a slight aversion to tomato soup.

A diversion, that is, until not too long ago when I made a Hungry Girl chicken recipe that used a can of tomato soup for the sauce.  It took me back - back to that little place with the soup, back to my parents' house when my sister and I would insist on the "tomato soup bowls" when we had a cup with a grilled cheese, back to when the idea of tomato soup didn't turn my stomach.

However, I think I've had about enough of the condensed soups.  Enter: Amy's Organic Chunky Tomato Bisque.  There's something about this stuff that really hits the spot.  So this afternoon, while home enjoying Presidents Day off, I whipped together a little something with Amy's Tomato Bisque.  Hearty and delicious, this soup was perfect for my afternoon of Dreamgirls and sweatpants.

Tomato, Zucchini, & Tortellini Soup

Tomato, Zucchini, & Tortellini Soup

What You Need:

• 2 cans Amy's Organic Chunky Tomato Bisque
• 2 small zucchini
• 1 package refrigerated tortellini

How You Do It:

1. In a large pot, cook tortellini as directed, adding the diced zucchini to the water when adding the pasta.
2. In a separate pot, slowly heat soup (do not add liquid).
3. Once cooked, drain pasta/zucchini and add to warmed soup.