This soup comes from the "My Kitchen Cafe" blog. She has a lot of tasty recipes and this one was definitely a winner! (She also happens to be my brother-in-laws cousin). It has a little bit of a kick to it and it has tons of flavor. Ive made it twice now and it was delicious both times. I also found a yummy cornbread recipe from Martha Stewart to go with it. Both were really easy and super delicious. (My picture is lame, but it really is good). Yum!


Creamy White Chili

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2" cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 T. oil
2 (15oz.) cans Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14.5 oz.) chicken broth
1-2 (4 oz.) cans green chiles (I did one)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whipping cream

In a large saucepan, saute chicken, onion and garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add beans, broth, chilies and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in sour cream and cream. Makes about 6 servings. (Or 4 if youre really hungry).

Cornbread

1/2 c. butter
2/3 c. white sugar
2 eggs
1 c. buttermilk
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 c. cornmeal
1 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt

Melt butter. Stir in sugar. Add eggs quickly and beat until well blended. Combine buttermilk with baking soda and stir into other mixture. Stir in cornmeal, flour, and salt until well blended and few lumps remain. Bake in greased 8x8 pan at 375 degrees for 30-40 min.
Originally posted 11/17/09

Serving 1/2 cup - 2 points



1- 20 oz. can Lite Cherry Pie filling

1- can Fat free Eagle brand condensed milk

1- 12 oz. container F/F cool whip

1/4 c. lemon juice

1- 8 oz. can crushed pineapple, drained



Mix milk, pineapple and lemon juice. Add pie filling and cool whip.Keep in refrigerator.



keywords: dessert

Black Bean, Zucchini and Wheat Berry Tacos awaiting a dose of Lemon-Garlic Yogurt Sauce.

This is one good way to get your family to eat their vegetables - with Black Bean, Zucchini and Wheat Berry Tacos drizzled with a Garlic-Lemon Yogurt. MaMas friend Michelle was raving about this recipe, found in Appetite for Reduction, in fact she served it for lunch one day when MaMa and I were visiting. MaMa knew it would be delicious with Wheat Berries added to the mix.



Ingredients for Black Bean, Zucchini and Wheat Berry Tacos:



1 tsp olive oil

2 zucchini, diced small (about 1 lb)

1/4 tsp salt

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 onion, chopped

1/2 c Hard Red Wheat, cooked

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1 (6 oz) can salsa verde (we used regular salsa, because MaMa forgot to get Salsa Verde)

1 (16 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed

8 corn tortillas



Directions: Preheat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini, wheat berries and onion to the oil and sprinkle with salt. Saute for about 7 minutes, until the zuchinni is lightly browned. Add the garlic and spices and saute for another 2 minutes.



Add the salsa verde and black beans. Cook for 5 more minutes.







Place tortillas in a moist paper towel and heat in a microwave for 1 minute on high. Serve with the Garlic-Lemon Yogurt (below).



Garlic-Lemon Yogurt:



1 c greek yogurt

3 cloves garlic

zest from 1/2 lemon

juice from 1 lemon (about 3 Tbs)

1/2 tsp honey



Scoop the yogurt into a small bowl. Use a microwplace to grate the garlic and lemon zest. Add the lemon juice and agave. Using a fork, mix well. Spoon over your tacos and enjoy!

Dinner time! Enjoy your Black Bean, Zucchini and Wheat Berry Tacos.

This recipe was adapted from one found in Appetite for Reduction. Yes, MaMa took a vegan recipe and made it non-vegan by using honey...just replacethe honey with agave nectar to make it vegan again. And yes, Im a smart 2 year old!

The apartment that I lived in Ankara was on the first floor of one of those old 4 story buildings with just two apartments on each floor and a back yard that the residents didnt care about. A month after the move I remembered there was a back yard and looked over to check it out. Among the things that you can find in the back yards of apartment buildings in Turkey are gazebos, junk, flower beds, people playing "okey," a tile-based game similar to Rumikub, or people drinking tea and eating sunflower seeds. Therefore, I was quite surprised when I saw collard greens in my buildings back yard. And I am not talking about two or three plants here; I am talking about endless rows and rows of collard greens. Collard greens is an indispensable component of the Black Sea cuisine in Turkey, and it is difficult to find them outside that province. So I immediately knew there was a homesick Karadenizli (a person from Black Sea) in the building who apparently had a big craving for collard greens. I was right; our concierge Pakize was from Trabzon and capable of consuming a back yard worth of collard greens with her husband in 2-3 months.

The discovery of garden of collard greens intrigued me to cook with them. The next winter I borrowed a bunch of collard greens time to time from Pakize and made collard greens soup based on her instructions. Later, I had this soup a couple of times at different seafood restaurants, but they were not even close to Pakizes recipe. This soup, a specialty of Black Sea, is just perfect for cold winter nights. It has greens, beans, and corn in it; what else can you ask for?        


1 large bunch collard greens
1/2 cup dry white beans (cannellini or northern beans)
1/2 cup cracked corn (you can find cracked corn at Middle Eastern or organic food stores or feeder stores) OR 1/2 cup coarse grits if you cannot find cracked corn
1/4 cup corn flour
7-9 cups of water
3-4 tbsp butter
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp red hot pepper flakes (in traditional recipes you cannot find spice for this soup, but I think hot peppers, hot pepper flakes, or sauces makes this soup even better)

-A night before, put beans in a pot with 3 cups of water. First bring to a boil, then turn it off. Cover and soak overnight.
-The next day cook the beans until soft. (Or use 1 can of beans)
-Wash collard greens well, discard bad leaves and leaf tops. Chop the stems finely. Cut the leaves first into stripes, then into edible-size squarish pieces.
-Boil 7-8 cups of water in a big pot.
-Add collard greens and cracked corn into the boiling water. Cook until soft: ~20-25 minutes.
-Add beans.
-Add corn flour and keep stirring constantly while adding it to prevent lumping.
-Turn the heat to low-medium and cook for almost half an hour to let the soup thicken stirring every 3-45 minutes.
-Heat butter in a small pan. When its hot but nit burning, add paprika. Let sizzle for a couple of seconds.
-Serve the soup with a spoon or two of butter and paprika on top.