Easy Chicken Chili with Sweet Potato + Lime

My version of white chili. With lime.

Easy Chicken Chili Time

New Year's Day looms. Ah, the annual parades. The glut of bowl games. The feast of football. Pigskin is king. Tight ends are tightening. Quarterbacks are quarterbacking. And kickers are praying to the football gods they won't be called in for a chip-shot, with 6 seconds to spare in the final quarter. Do I sound like I know what I am talking about? I don't. I just overheard some manly sporty banter over gluten-free tuna melts. To which I smiled politely.

And reached for a pickle.

Even after watching every episode of Friday Night Lights, I still don't understand a down. Football is a mystery. Back fields in motion. Penalties! Off sides. Snap. Blitz. Gotta love the lingo. It's a language alluringly foreign to me. Like math.

Or for some, perhaps it's akin to say... abstract expressionism.

Visual chaos executed in angles and arcs and bursts of focus, drive and energy.

Thing is, I get the practiced dance of propulsion. Designing motion from multiple points of view. I get it. In my bones. This is my territory. You're talkin' my language. Value verses tone. Light bumping up against dark. Sharp contrast dissolving into blur. I appreciate the power of practice and intention. Negative space divided by a perfect spiral.

Think of the interplay of icing thick paint and oceanic viscosity.  The quickening beauty of a layered surface, vibrating with complementary colors. Transparency and opacity. Cool against warm. Unprimed and primed. Lost and found edges. The seduction of action's evidence. The painter's hand. Rugged tooth and clean, smooth paper.

Though it's not all yin yang, a wrestle of opposites.

As in football- and life- painting is a focus of expression, sometimes true and authentic, and sometimes disappointingly off the mark.

Like a short field goal.

We try. We sometimes miss. But what matters is- we make the effort. And that is all we can do. We kick the ball. We brush wet paint. We string words into a lyric. We stitch a quilt. We photograph a child's curiosity. We make chili.

And sometimes?

We get a winner.

And if not?

Tomorrow is another day.


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Gluten-Free Chicken Soup for Body + Soul

A gluten-free chicken soup to cure all ills...

Gluten-Free Chicken Soup for Body and Soul

We've been living on soup since Sunday. No, not turkey leftovers soup. Jewish penicillin soup. You see, Steve- that ordinarily upbeat and tenacious husband of mine- has been feeling a tad under the weather these past few days. In truth, more than a tad. He's caught a nasty cold. The kind of cold where you ache all over and do nothing but lay in bed watching a marathon of Lost on your laptop because to even zombie-walk to the sofa loveseat too-small-to-lay-on requires functional navigation skills and balance beyond your sinus-throbbing capacity.

Poor guy.

Lucky for me, I've not succumbed to the zombie-walk inducing bug.  Yet. And just in case, I've been cranking out soups. An ounce of prevention and all that. And medicine. Because when I'm not in top gluten-free goddess form conserving energy means dragging out the Crock Pot for some easy slow-cooked comfort.

This is a simple healing soup with the goodness of cabbage (so beneficial to a celiac's tummy) and lots of garlic (an all-purpose fighter of evil and undead mayhem not to mention, a natural immune booster and cold-fighter). Green chiles.

But is my chicken soup powerful enough to stave off zombies?

Ah, that is the question. And here is another. I ask you (in honor of my zombie literate son who knows from zombies).

Running zombies?

Please. Do zombies run? Discuss.

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Chicken with Balsamic Peppers

Balsamic chicken smothered in roasted peppers.

Peppers + Vinegar

When it comes to big change I'm brave. I jump in feet first. In my small and particular universe it's easier to pinch your nose and hurl yourself off the edge than it is to stand there and think about it. That kind of anticipation is excruciating. Give me five minutes to think about all the things that can go wrong and I'll start making lists. And never budge an inch.

So I've learned to develop a social reflex- a Hell yeah, let's do it reflex. And in almost every circumstance this reflex has served me well (and if by some slim chance you need a list of when it has worked for me and when it has not, I've got it, filed away in my pictorial little brain).

It's the small day to day changes that can set me spinning.

The blips in routine. The interruptions of flow. The tiny changes that evolve over time into articulate curves on a chart. See this dot? This is where we used to be. See this dot? This is where we are now.

I struggle so intently on orchestrating my string of moments into some semblance of coherent awareness that within each moment I live so completely I fail to see the bigger sprawling truth. The truth that often blindsides me. I wake up to it like a child from a nap, rubbing my eyes and trying to center my bearings. I look at my aging hands and think, Whose hands are these?

I open the door to the blinding bright desert and realize I am not Georgia O'Keeffe, the weathered austere heroine in the books I devoured. I am not madly in love with the emptiness and isolation here. It does not inspire me. It steals from me. Tiny pieces day after day. The desert gnaws at me. It will leave nothing but bleached white bones. And a hip with three titanium screws.

I am trying not to feel as if I've failed somehow. Failed the desert. Or rather, some Georgia O'Keeffe fueled romantic idea of the desert. But the brittle, honest truth is- the desert does not feed me.

Karina's three year course in desert living: F

It's a good thing I can cook.

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Easy Mediterranean Chicken and Spinach Rice Bake

Easy family comfort food- chicken and rice bake with spinach.

Family Style Gluten-Free...

Looking for weeknight supper ideas? This super simple toss-together recipe is budget-friendly and versatile. If you don't have chicken on hand try using pieces of cooked turkey or your favorite sausage. 

Vegetarian? Use a can of white or black beans instead. The Mediterranean and Santa Fe- thanks to the fresh and unexpected spike from tomatillos- flavors in this fabulous recipe cozy up to a parade of proteins.

A family favorite from the archives, this is easy comfort food to bake and savor before the fall begins its alchemy, spinning green into gold.

A family favorite from the archives, this is easy comfort food to bake and savor before the fall begins its alchemy, spinning green into gold.

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Chicken Curry Apple Stir-Fry Recipe with Art School Rice

Crazy Simple = Crazy Good

Just in time for the last hurrah of summer, I thought I'd share a crazy simple recipe favorite that is spicy and sweet, infused with curry. Because I love to mix up flavors (don't you?). I'm interested in how traditions influence, enhance and co-mingle. Perhaps because I'm an eclectic heritage bundle myself. 

And vegans, don't assume this recipe isn't for you. In fact, I make a vegetarian version of this recipe all the time. Use drained canned chick peas in place of the bird- or slices of gluten-free tempeh- it's a fabulous meatless and budget-friendly option.

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Gluten-Free Chicken + Turkey Recipes

Gluten-Free Chicken + Turkey Recipes

Here is my collection of gluten-free chicken and turkey recipes. Family favorites are the Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas and the Easy Chicken and Balsamic Peppers. And the newest recipe is this fabulous pecan crusted Turkey Meatloaf with Sun-Dried Tomatoes.

Alex's Favorite Baked Chicken Mediterranean

Balsamic Roasted Pepper Chicken

Brown Sugar Turkey Meatloaf

Chicken and Artichoke Enchilada Bake (New Mexican Style)

Chicken Chili with White Beans, Sweet Potato and Lime

Chicken "Shepherd's Pie"

Curried Apple Chicken Stir-Fry with Brown Rice

Garlic Chicken Lasagna

Holiday Turkey Enchiladas

Jazzed Up Turkey Tetrazzini

Lime Chicken (Soft) Tacos

Kale Soup with Chicken Sausage and Sweet Potato

Peanut Broccoli Chicken Stir-Fry

Pineapple Salsa Chicken Enchiladas

New Mexican Stew with Ground Turkey and Green Chiles

Roasted Corn Chowder with Chicken + Cilantro

Rustic Chicken Soup for Body and Soul

Santa Fe Chicken Chili

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

Turkey + Sweet Potato Enchiladas

Turkey Meatballs with Asian Stir-fry Noodles 

Turkey Meatloaf with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Pecan Crust

Turkey Nachos

Turkey Soup

Peanut Chicken Stir-Fry

Gluten-free peanut stir-fry sauce- super easy.

Peanut sauce stir-fry? Yes, please. Spicy peanut sauce is one of my favorite comfort foods. Maybe even in my all-time top ten.

The last time I stirred up this peanut sauce we were watching episode 5 of Brideshead Revisited- the most dread inducing episode when it's clear that poor, sweet Sebastian is clinically depressed and Mummy Marchmain (aka the Velvet Hammer) is determined to crush his spirit for propriety's sake. Steve and I were sighing audibly, rooting for dear Sebastian, hoping against hope he would somehow summon the courage to break free from Mummy and stop self medicating as we chop-sticked our way through this lip-smacking bowl of peanutty goodness.

And as we each consumed the last delectable morsels on our licked clean plates we agreed. We just knew this dish would have perked up Sebastian.

And Charles, too, for that matter. Nothing like a spicy peanut sauce to fortify you and return some bloom to wan, stoic cheeks.

In need of said fortification but allergic to peanuts, Darling? Don't fret. Substitute Sunbutter in this recipe. Sunflower seed butter has a roasted nut flavor that is delicious in Asian style sauces. [I find it at Whole Foods and Wild Oats.]

So if you're suddenly struck (as I, too often, am) by a craving for peanut stir-fry, imagining tender sweet mouthfuls of crisp broccoli, elegant red pepper strips and slender chicken pieces all commingling happily in an earthy, garlicky peanut sauce, don't worry. I've got you covered. It doesn't get much better than this easy recipe.

Even Sebastian's teddy, Aloysius, could whip this up.

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Gluten-Free Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

Fabulous Chicken Enchiladas

Yummy. Easy. Chicken enchiladas. I never tire of them. And I'm not alone. My chicken enchilada recipes are among the most popular recipes on the blog. It's understandable. Enchiladas make a perfect make-ahead recipe for a weeknight supper or a pot luck gathering. And they are easily gluten-free. Make enchiladas earlier in the day- and dinner is done.

As easy as uno, dos, tres.

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Lime Chicken Taco Fun

 Fast + delicious- lime chicken tacos.

Grilling season is upon us. But don't you worry, sweetcakes. This particular gluten-free goddess is not going to waste a heartbeat lamenting hot dog buns. And I'm not going to spend hours in the kitchen trying to replicate hamburger rolls, that even in their wheat loaded incarnation were more of a starchy dry-as-dirt nuisance. Something invented to hold the all fixins' together, but that, when push came to shove, I ended up tearing off piece by piece, peeling around the edges to get to the good stuff.

This was ages before the California In N Out protein style burger was invented (which was, in my humble, wheat-free opinion, sheer, utter low carb genius). Who knew a burger wrapped in lettuce leaves would be so darn tasty? But I digress. Let's get back to the barbecue question.

Are you going to pine for long lost spongy buns?

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Chicken Tropicale

Festive and flavorful chicken and pineapple.

Any night's a party when you cook up this Caribbean-inspired chicken recipe. Tip: Using your slow cooker frees you up in the kitchen- not to mention utilizing your Crock Pot makes energy efficient sense year round.

Steve's been doing all the cooking of late. I know you know why, Babycakes. You're probably sick to death of hearing about it.

But do you also know how ridiculous it is to wield a sharp knife and balance on crutches and pass the balsamic vinegar in a kitchen built (obviously) for one person who (also obviously) never cooked? All the bumping-bums while making sure your left foot is touching the floor at precisely (doctor's orders) no more than 25% of your total body weight- which, truth be told, Dear Reader, has blossomed by six- er- seven and a half pounds since you've been lounging in bed every morning past 10 o'clock, eating cinnamon-laced wedges of grilled cornbread and deep bowls of crunchy maple buckwheat flakes as you cruise your e-mail?

That's right. I'm talkin' ridiculous.

So we've been eating a lot of familiar recipes and not experimenting much. Experimentation needs elbow room. And stamina. Both seem to be in rather short supply here. Which led me to remember this terrific recipe from before my no-chicken, no coconut days. It disappeared from the blog for awhile (don't ask!). So I thought it might be time to bring it back.

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