Our favorite Crockpot chili

I have never tried chili until I came to the United States. At first I wasn't too keen on chili, but a few years ago I made my own chili inspired by Robin Miller from Food Network. Everyone in my family loves it. We make it anywhere between twice a week to once in two weeks. Sometimes I make it vegetarian, and sometimes I add lean ground beef. It required minimal preparation and tastes yummy.

FOR VEGETARIAN VERSION, DO NOT ADD MEAT (and replace chicken broth with water)

Phelps Chili
Phelps favorite chili recipe – it is yummy and healthy!

Ingredients:
Each can is 15 ounces
1 lb ground beef, browned
2 cans of diced tomatoes
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can white cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup chopped onion
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ jalapeno pepper, minced (can use more if you like)
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp dried oregano
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
Can add some chicken broth if not enough liquid from tomatoes

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Monterey jack cheese (or you can use Cheddar cheese)
Chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and ground black pepper

In a slow cooker, combine all ingredients until the line.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Just before serving, top each serving with shredded cheese and cilantro.



Bon Appetite!

Homemade baby food (vegetables)

I make homemade baby food all the time.

This doesn't mean that I don't buy any commercial baby food. Sometimes commercial baby food is a great option. For example, my baby loves mango smoothies. Mango's are pricey and not always ripe enough. Also, when you are on-the-go, commercial foods are great, because they are sealed and won't spoil.

For most days, it is easy and cheap to make and serve baby food at home. I usually make pureed sweet potatoes, yams, squash, green beans, and carrots. I make a lot and then freeze them for easy meals. I don't freeze fruits, because I prefer them not cooked so they retain more nutrients. I just keep fresh fruit on hand.

Here is how I prepare carrots (this method works for other veggies).

First of all, you need a steamer. I believe everyone need to have one (not just for making baby food). It is very inexpensive.

So put it in your pot and fill the pot with water until it reaches the steamer.

Peel your carrots. (I buy a huge bag of organic carrots from Costco for $5.49. And make sure you use a vegetable peeler, because it saves a lot of time)

Cut up carrots into more or less equal pieces. I didn't do a very good job this time, so it took a little longer for thick pieced to become soft. Steam the carrots covered on medium heat until they are soft. Make sure you check if you have sufficient water in the pot, because it can burn. I burned my pots plenty of times, especially when the pot was small and I was destructed by something.

Put steamed carrots in the blender and fill the blender halfway with liquid from the steamer. It is better then water, because it has some of the nutrients from carrots. Blend until smooth. While blending, you might need to add more liquid.

When it is nice and smooth, fill clean ice trays (I bought them specifically for freezing baby food) with puree and stack them in the freezer.

When it is frozen, get them out (I slide a knife on one side of the cube to easy it out) and put them into freezer bags. It is wise to write what it is and prep day on the bag. Squash and yams, for example, are almost the same color. On the picture, I have a bag with pureed sweet potatoes.

When it is time to eat, take as many cubes as you need and thaw. I place mine into a microwave safe bowl and microwave it for about 1 minute.

My baby loves homemade food. I love it too, because with very little preparation, I have healthy vegetables for my baby's meals every day.

Try it yourself.

Phelps ENCHILADAS

CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

(Yulia Phelps)

There are a lot of ways to make delicious Mexico-originated enchiladas. This is OUR way.

Try it and you might be making it as often as we do.

You will need:

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cooked and shredded - recipe follows - chicken cooked this way is very moist and flavorful)
1 can black bean (I add black beans for extra nutrients)
1 can enchilada sauce (We like Green Chile)

1 can green chiles (if you buy whole chilies, you will need to chop them)

8 oz Monterey Jack Cheese (half goes inside and half on top of enchiladas)

8 oz half-and-half
10 tortillas (I buy my tortillas uncooked in the refrigerated section in Costco. They are All Natural tortillas and have 44 per pack. When I come home, I divide the pack into four 1-gallon freezer bags - 11 tortillas each. Then I freeze them. When it is enchiladas day, I move one bag of tortillas into the refrigerator in the morning. It will usually thaw in time for dinner prep. It takes a couple of minutes to cook all 11 of them. Be careful while cooking them on the skillet - they can burn fast.)

cilantro

sour cream

Here is how to make them:

Cook the tortillas.

Mix these ingredients together (Remember half of cheese goes inside).


Add shredded chicken.

Make enchiladas by rolling filling mixture into tortillas.

Arrange them into 9x13 greased dish. Pour half-and-half (or more Enchilada sauce) over enchiladas.

Bake at 350 F for 30-35 min. Sprinkle with remaining cheese right away and let it melt.

Serve them hot with chopped cilantro and sour cream (my husband likes to add a little kick with some hot sauce).

ENJOY!



Shredded Chicken for Enchiladas

3 chicken breasts

3 cups of water or chicken broth (or more if necessary)

3 clothes of garlic, minced

1/4 small onion, chopped

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp oregano

salt and pepper

Mix together in a pot and boil for 20 minutes. Let the chicken cool and then shred it (either with two forks or hands).