Chicken Barley Chili: Chili with a Healthy Twist!

Chicken Barley Chili: Chili with a Healthy Twist!

Back of the Box Recipe Part 2

Hi everybody :)

As promised when posting Hearty Vegetable Barley Soup last week, I said was going to do a chicken chili with barley, well  here it is.  

I been reading up on barley lately and discovered  the healthy benefits of eating it. Like oatmeal, it's heart healthy, loaded with fiber and niacin. It's low fat, sodium and have no cholesterol. Barley can be use in the place of rice or pasta in soups or stews or served as a side dish.

Like with the Hearty Vegetable Barley Soup, this recipe comes from the back of  a QUAKER Medium Barley's box too. Let's get it started...
Chicken Barley Chili
Ingredients

1 (14 1/2 oz.) can Tomatoes, diced, undrained,
(may use seasoned tomatoes)
1 (16 oz.) jar/can Salsa or tomato sauce (I used mild salsa with a little medium salsa)
l (14 1/2 oz.) can Fat free Chicken broth
1 cup QUAKER: Medium Barley
4 cups Water
1 tablespoon  Chili powder
1 teaspoon Cumin
1 (15 oz.) can Black beans, drained, rinsed
1 (151/4 oz.) can Corn, whole kernel or corn with peppers, undrained
3 cups Chicken breast, cooked, cut (I used  chicken tenderloins and boneless/skinless chicken thighs)
(about 1 1/2 lbs.)  into bite-sized pieces
Reduced or no fat Cheddar cheese (optional)
Reduced fat or fat free sour cream (optional)

In 6-quart saucepan, combine first 7 ingredients. Over high heat bring to a boil: cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Add beans, corn and chicken; increase heat to high until chili comes to a boil. 

Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for another 5 minutes, or until barley is tender. If upon standing the chili becomes too thick, add more chicken broth or water until chili is desired consistency. 

If desired, top with shredded cheese and sour cream. MAKES 11 (1 CUP) SERVINGS.

What I Did and/or Think:
I'm loving barley more and more each day. The chili was GREAT! Not too spicy for me because I used mild salsa and topped it off with a little medium salsa, but if you like the heat, use hot salsa.  

If you'll love the Hearty Vegetable Barley Soup, then you're going to LOOVVVVE  this! Both soups are wonderful, the healthy side-effects do not effect their taste at all :)  Cold days ahead, this chili will be in my weekly forecast :)

This IS my new way of making chili! REPEAT, REPEAT, REPEAT!

Chicken Chili with Sour Cream & Cheese and Herbed Oatmeal Pan Bread 





OR

 
 Chicken Chili  (Plain)






ENJOY! Come again...

Linked to:
Jaime @ Mom's Test Kitchen  
Melt In Your Mouth Monday@ Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms  
Flour Me With Love: Mix it up Monday!  
The Bulletin Board @ Mrs Happy Homemaker
Marvelous Mondays @ This Gal Cooks 
Mop Up Mondays - I Should be Mopping the Floor
Sew Can Do - Craftastic Monday Link Up Party
Recipe Sharing Monday @ Jam Hands 
The Better Baker Weekend Potluck
Carole's Chatter Rice& Grain Recipe Links Food Friday
Katherine Martinelli: Chili Blog Hop  
Tumbleweed Contessa: Superbowl and Chili Party 

Cherry Berry Crescent Rolls: Breakfast Is Served

Cherry Berry Crescent Rolls: Breakfast Is Served

Basic Roll Dough Remix

Hi everybody :)

"Welcome to another Breakfast Is Served Sunday!" If you're just tuning  in to my post, every Sunday I post a Breakfast Is Served. Last week breakfast, Lemon-Streusel Oatmeal Muffins
was another tribute to my love for oatmeal. 

Today, I wanted to play around with the Basic Roll Dough recipe I use to make the Mini Herbal "Hoagie" Rolls,  so I repeated the recipe below:

 Basic Roll Dough
1  package dry yeast
1 cup warm water  (105° to 115°)
3 tablespoons sugar (for a sweeter dough you can add up to 1/4 cup; 4 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons shortening
1 egg
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 to 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided

Dissolve yeast in warm water in a large bowl. Add sugar, shortening, egg, salt, and half the flour; beat at low speed of electric mixer until smooth. Stir in enough of remaining flour to make a soft dough.

Place dough in a greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°). free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in bulk or cover and refrigerate up to 5 days. (freeze up to 1 month)

Punch dough down; turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead 4 or 5 times. Shape and bake as directed.

 Cherry Berry Crescent Rolls

I refrigerated the dough, 4 days later I made this:

            

Ingredients
1 Basic Roll Dough or Prepared Yeast Dough
2 tablespoons Sugar 
3 -4 tablespoons Butter, melted (not shown)
3/4 cup Cherry Preservers 
1/2 cup Cherry Berry Blend (a mixture of dried cherries, blueberries, and cranberries)
1 teaspoon cornstarch 
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 egg white
1 teaspoon  water
Almond Slices, for sprinkling

Roll dough into a 12-inch circ1e on a lightly floured surface. 

 Cut into 8 wedges  Brush with melted butter, sprinkle with sugar/cinnamon mixture.

In a small bowl, combine preserves, cornstarch, berry blend, and juice. Spoon 1 heaping teaspoonful onto each wedge over sugar/cinnamon mixture.

Roll each wedge tightly, beginning at the wide end. Seal points, and place rolls on a greased baking sheet. Cover rolls, and let rise in a warm place (85°). free from drafts, about 30 minutes or until doubled in bulk. In a small bowl,  mix the egg white and water together; brush over rolls. Sprinkle with  almond slices

Bake at 375° for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack.

Drizzle with glaze or dust with Powdered sugar, if desired.

 What I Think:
I love the sweet tartness of the rolls. The filling can be change out by using another preserve or jam, (be sure to use one with pieces of fruit in it or add your own.)  It taste like a pie in a roll! Delicious!! REPEAT!

ENJOY! Come again...

Linked to:
YeastSpotting! @ wildyeast
BYOB @ girlichef: BYOB - Bake Your Own Bread
Scrumptious Sunday Recipe Link Party @ Addicted Recipes
Sweets for Saturday @ Sweet As Sugar CookiesNifty Thrifty Sunday 
Everyday Moms Meals
Sweet 2 eat Baking: Sugar Slice Sunday Link Party 

Hearty Vegetable Barley Soup: Back of the Box Recipe

Hearty Vegetable Barley Soup: Back of the Box Recipe

Hi everybody :)

Do you love to used recipes found on the back of the box? I do. Every once in a while I find interesting recipes from boxes of cereals, dry mixes, can goods, etc... Being a recipe fanatic,     I collect them all in notebooks, tablets, and binders. This recipe I'm sharing today is from the back of a QUAKER Medium Barley's box. Let's get it started...

Hearty Vegetable Barley Soup 

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. Lean ground beef
1/2 cup Chopped onion
1 clove Garlic minced
7 cups water
1 (14 1/2 oz.) can Unsalted whole tomatoes. undrained, cut into pieces
1/2 cup QUAKER Medium Barley, uncooked
1/2 cup Sliced celery
1/2 cup Sliced carrots
2 Beef bouillon cubes
1/2 teaspoon Dried basil, crushed
1 Bay leaf
1 (9 oz) pkg. Frozen mixed vegetables

Directions :
In a 4-quart saucepan or Dutch oven. brown meat Add onion and garlic: cook until onion is tender Drain. 

Stir in remaining ingredients except frozen vegetables. 

Cover: bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 50-60 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove bay leaf. Add frozen vegetables: cook about 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. 

Additional water may be added if soup becomes too thick upon standing. MAKES 12 (1 CUP) SERVINGS


What I Did and/or Think:
I love homemade soup, this one was really great. It's also was another first for me. I never tasted barley before! I know, shocking isn't it :) It kind of remind me of oatmeal, look and taste. It's small before cooking and swell up afterward, and have a chewy oatmeal taste. This is another great REPEAT especially on the cold Winter days ahead. 

BTW, it's also a Chicken Barley Chili recipe on that same box, I'll be trying very soon, so stay tune :)

Chicken Barley Chili

ENJOY! Come again...

Linked to: 
Farm Girl Friday Blog Fest: Fresh Eggs Daily 
The Better Baker Weekend Potluck
Foodie Fridays @ Designs By Gollum
Foodie Friday @ Simple Living
Friday Flair Party: Whipper Berry
Foodie Friends Friday @ Foodie Friends Friday 
It's a Hodgepodge Friday 
Shaken Together Life: {what's shakin' link party}
Miss Information: I Freakin' Did It Friday
Carole's Chatter Rice& Grain Recipe Links Food Friday