PREPPING for WINTER STORMS

3/13/19 Cook’s Corner

Betty Kaiser

Uh, oh! Sunday, February 27, snowflakes greeted us as we left church. As long-time residents at Cottage Grove Lake, we have learned to go into survival mode when it snows. Inevitably, we will lose power, whatever the conditions. So, we made sure that we had groceries, bottled water and that the car was gassed up. We headed home, walked in the door, and the power went off. Groan.

Living in the country I have put to good use my Girl Scout motto to “Be Prepared.” And my husband was a Boy Scout. Together we make a great team. Following are some ways for all of us to be prepared for winter living. It may be a little late for this year but it’s never too late to be prepared. You may never need this stuff, but you’ll have it “just in case.”

We Kaisers have a small generator that enabled us to go 11 days without electricity. That still meant that we had no heat, no shower, no oven to cook in, no telephone and more. It also meant that we needed copious amounts of gasoline to keep Genny the generator running intermittently.

Because I went to the grocery store just as the storm started, I had stocked up on bananas, bread, frozen stir fry meals, soups from the deli, canned meats, etc. Mostly we just ate simple stuff from the freezer because Genny generator allowed us to use the microwave and one burner on the stovetop. A sample recipe is at the end of this column.

Now, giving advice after a storm is sort of like locking the barn door after the horse has runaway. However,  just in case you need a be-prepared-refresher course, here are some basics to stock up on for another unexpected 3-11-day Snowmageddenl:

OUTSIDE:

Firewood for wood stove (we almost ran out!)

Fire Logs (backup)

Full tank of gas in car

Full 5-gallon gas cans for generator (thanks to our friends)

Tire chains (a 4-wheel drive Jeep)

Snow Shovel and strong back (or neighbor)

Bags of sand (didn’t use)

Cooler to fill with ice or snow

A camp stove to cook on

INSIDE:

Non-electric light sources. i.e. Battery-operated lanterns, flashlights

Wireless or battery-operated RADIO

Batteries for everything (we didn’t have ‘C’ for our radio!)

Matches and lighters for candles, firewood, etc.

First Aid Kit

Extra blankets, warm jackets, hats, gloves

COMMUNICATION

Good luck! Phones will and do go down

Internet only if generator is on and sometimes not then

PEOPLE FOOD:

Think non-perishables and ready-to-eat like canned soup, chicken, tuna, salmon, beans, fruit, crackers, energy bars, peanut butter, cookies!

BABY FOOD and supplies

PET FOOD and supplies

WATER:

 1 gallon per person, per day; juices, instant coffee, tea bags.

MEDICATION:

Try and keep at least 10 days on hand at all times

TOILETRIES:

Keep an ample supply of toilet paper on hand, wipes and hand sanitizers.

REFRIGERATION (it will go out with when generator is turned off)

Put meat, etc. in coolers outside in the snow.

We had intermittent electric, so I put bowls of snow in our frig and freezer, changing daily. It worked! 

Whew. Now that we’re all up-to-date on how to stock up for a snow storm, let’s eat! Following is a one-pot chicken chili dish that everyone will love.

WHITE CHICKEN CHILI

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 cup frozen whole kernel corn

1 large red bell pepper, diced (about 1 cup)

1 small onion, diced

1 Tablespoon chili powder

2 cups shredded cooked chicken OR

1 can (12.5 oz) Swanson white chicken

1 can Campbell’s Cream of Chicken Soup

1 cup Pace Chunky Salsa

1 cup water

2 cans (15 ounces ea.) white cannellini beans, drained, rinsed

1 can tomatoes (with juice and liquid); or Rotel tomatoes.

Add garlic salt and pepper to taste

GARNISH:

2 green onions, sliced

Cheddar Cheese to taste

Heat the oil in a 3-quart saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add corn, green peppers, diced onion and chili powder. Cook for 2 minutes.  Stir in the chicken.

Stir in the soup, salsa, water, tomatoes and beans in the saucepan and heat to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low.  Cover and simmer for awhile.  Serve hot, topped with the cheese and green onions.

Note: If you like a hotter chili, I substitute white chili beans for the cannellini. Season to your taste, garnish and serve with crackers. Serves 4-5.

Contact Betty Kaiser’s Cook’s Corner

by email bchatty@bettykaiser.com

NEW RECIPES FOR COOKING with COTTAGE CHEESE

2/6/19 Cook’s Corner

Betty Kaiser

Cottage cheese is one of those foods that you either like or you don’t. My family loved the creamy white blob, but my husband’s family couldn’t tolerate it. I didn’t know that. So, as a very young newlywed, my first dinner dish was a disaster. Read on.

One of the first dinners that I prepared as a new bride was all the rage. It was called “California Casserole.” Everyone I knew loved it and so did my husband. The first time I prepared the dish, he scarfed it down and asked me about the ingredients. I innocently recited the ground beef, noodles, tomato sauce, etc.

Everything was fine until I said, “cottage cheese and sour cream.” Well, you would have thought I had declared WWIII. Turns out his father was a very picky eater and despised most things dairy.  Cottage cheese and sour cream were banned from the Kaiser table and now ours. Chuck and his brothers had grown up hating food that they had never tasted.

Well, after I dried my tears, I towed the line for a while and removed them from my menu list. That severely crimped my style. So, slowly but surely, I found ways to incorporate the banned foods into our diet.  I just didn’t tell Chuck what he was eating! Now, he even happily eats cottage cheese on fruit and a sour cream onion dip suits him fine.

Cottage cheese is one of the most versatile things in my frig. I buy the 2% low fat carton that has fewer carbs (1%) but 13 grams of protein. It still tastes rich and creamy and is great in casseroles, scones, pancakes, waffles, a filling for crepes or eaten alone.

The California Casserole is now very popular and I have previously printed it so I won’t repeat myself. Recently I was hungry for macaroni and cheese and came upon the following recipe. I think it’s one of the best mac and cheese dishes ever. Give it a try. The scones recipe calls for cutting them like biscuits. I prefer the usual pie sliced way. It’s your choice. Enjoy!

CREAMY MACARONI and CHEESE

Serves 6

3 cups uncooked elbow macaroni

6 tablespoons butter divided

1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

2 cups milk

8 ounces Velveeta cheese, cubed

1-1/3 cups cottage cheese

2/3 cup sour cream

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (8 ounces) divided

1-1/2 cups soft bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain the macaroni and place it in a greased 9x13 baking pan.

In a medium saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons butter. Add the flour, salt and sugar, then stir until smooth. 

Gradually add in the milk, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until the mixture has thickened. Reduce the heat to low.

Stir in the Velveeta cheese until melted. 

Stir in cottage cheese, sour cream and 1 cup cheddar cheese until melted.

Pour the cheese mixture over macaroni. Sprinkle with the remaining cheddar cheese.

Melt remaining butter and toss with bread crumbs; sprinkle over top the casserole.

Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

SAVORY SCALLION AND CHEESE SCONES

Makes 8-19 scones

1 cup cottage cheese

4 tablespoons milk, plus more for brushing on top

2½ cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

¾ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon black pepper

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and diced

3 scallions (or green onions) thinly sliced; about ½ cup

Preheat oven to 450F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Puree the cottage cheese and milk together until smooth in a blender or food processor; set aside. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and black pepper in a large bowl.

Cut in the butter with a fork or using two butter knives until it looks like coarse meal. Add the scallions and stir in the cottage cheese puree. (The dough should come together, but not be too wet; if the dough is still too crumbly, you can add milk a little at a time until it comes together.)

Shape the dough into a ball, then flatten it into a disk; wrap it in plastic wrap and chill 10 minutes in the freezer.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll or press the dough out to a circle about 7 to 8 inches in diameter and ¾ inch thick. Use a floured 2½ inch round cookie cutter to stamp out the scones, then gather up the dough scraps and repeat as necessary (you should get about 8 to 10 scones).

Transfer the scones to the prepared baking sheet, lightly brush the tops with a little milk, and bake until puffed and light golden brown on top and bottom, about 14 to 16 minutes. Serve warm with butter.

Contact Betty Kaiser’s Cook’s Corner by email bchatty@bettykaiser.com

Cakes: Buttermilk, Lemon and German Chocolate

1/9/19 Cook’s Corner

Betty Kaiser

Cakes for Capricorns

January is my birthday month. If you were born between January 1—20 we are fellow Capricorns! According to what I’ve read, that means we are independent, disciplined, organized, patient, hard-working, tolerant and self-motivated people. On paper, we sound boring or too good to be true.

I’m not sure how these astrological signs are figured out but this I do know—not many of us, like me, are born on Friday, Jan. 13. According to my research the most babies are born in September and the 13^th is not a favorite number in any month. Still, I share this month’s birthday with several dear friends and we have similar personality traits. Go figure.

In my growing-up years, birthdays were all about the cake. Every year from 1^st to 6^th grade, mother took homemade, frosted cupcakes and Kool-Aid to my classrooms at 42^nd St. Elementary School. My Brownie Troop also celebrated my birthday with cupcakes. No one was left out and this birthday girl felt special.

Then, at home, my favorite birthday cake was waiting. I would have been very disappointed if grandmother’s buttermilk cake with boiled coconut frosting wasn’t decorated with candles for me to blow out after dinner.

My favorite cake recipes (chocolate, coconut and lemon) follow. In my so-called golden years, I have simplified the recipes. I no longer spend hours assembling 40 + ingredients to enjoy a piece of German Chocolate cake.

Therefore, the base for two of my favorite birthday cakes is a Duncan Hines box mix. In my opinion, a good white cake mix is hard to find. So, today’s recipes begin with my grandmother’s from-scratch buttermilk cake and her yummy White Mountain frosting. Don’t be intimidated by the boiled frosting. It’s easier than it sounds and well worth the effort.

Enjoy and happy birthday 2019 to all!

CORA MAE’S BUTTERMILK CAKE

3/4 cup butter

1-3/4 cups sugar

3 eggs

1-1/2 cups buttermilk

1 teaspoon baking soda

3 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

Cream butter and sugar together until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Dissolve soda in buttermilk. Sift remaining dry ingredients and add alternately with the buttermilk mixture. Add vanilla. Pour into two well-greased pans (round, 8-9”). Bake at 350° F. for about 35 minutes. Cool slightly and turn out onto a wax paper covered wire rack.

BOILED FROSTING

Set aside

 2 egg whites

Moist, flaked coconut

Then mix in saucepan:

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons water

1/4 cup light corn syrup

Cover saucepan; bring to rolling boil. Remove cover and cook to 242° or until syrup spins a 6-8-inch thread. Just before syrup is ready, (in separate bowl) beat 2 egg whites until stiff enough to hold a point.

Pour hot syrup very slowly in a thin stream into the beaten egg whites. Continue to beat until frosting holds peaks. Blend in 1-teaspoon vanilla. Spread frosting thinly between cake layers. Swirl frosting onto cake and) sprinkle thickly with moist, flaked coconut. Serves 8-10

Option: Spread strawberry jam between the cake layers and frost as above.

LEMON SUPREME POUND CAKE

Cake:

1 Duncan Hines Lemon Supreme Cake Mix

4 eggs

½ cup canola oil

1 cup water

1 small package instant lemon pudding mix

Glaze:

2 cups powdered sugar

4+ Tablespoons lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Grease and flour 10-inch tube pan

Combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, water and oil in large mixing bowl. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour into pan. Bake for 50-60 min. or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan 25 min. Turn out on wire rack Cool completely.

Combine glaze ingredients (should be thin) and drizzle over cooled cake.

Serves 12

GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE

CAKE:

1 package Duncan Hines Swiss Chocolate Deluxe Cake Mix

FROSTING:

2/3 cup sugar

2/3 cup evaporated milk

2 egg yolks

1/3 cup shortening

½ teaspoon vanilla

1-1/3 cups flaked coconut

1 cup chopped pecans

Cake:

 Preheat oven to 350° F.

Prepare two 8 or 9” round layer pans. Follow instructions on cake box and pour batter into the pans. Cook and cool as directed.

Frosting:

In the meantime, prepare the frosting. In a sauce pan, combine sugar, evaporated milk, egg yolks and shortening. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. Remove from heat. Add vanilla, coconut and pecans. Beat until thick. Cool 15 min. Spread only between layers and top of cake. Serves 12

Contact Betty Kaiser’s Cook’s Corner by email bchatty@bettykaiser.com

Christmas bar cookies for a crowd

12/5/18 Cook’s Corner

Betty Kaiser

Once upon a time I loved to make Christmas cookies. Back in the day you could always count on me to bring cookies to the multiple school events, church, clubs and other parties that our family of five attended. I was busy. I worked outside of the home, volunteered on multiple levels for youth and civic groups and still had energy to bake cookies at midnight. Ah, youth

That all changed when we semi-retired and moved to Oregon. Now that the kids were grown and lived a thousand miles away, I seldom made cookies by the dozen any more. In fact, that first year Chuck made all the cookies at our new business. We opened a bakery/donut shop and remodeled a house on six acres. We were busy and tired.

Still, I wanted to entertain the neighbors at Christmas. Thus began 20 years of a Christmas Cookie party event. All the neighbors were happy for a meet and greet and brought enough cookies to share and exchange. And that was the year I discovered a cookie short cut—Bar Cookies.

If you’re going to feed a crowd, cookies baked like cake and cut into squares are nothing short of magic. You don’t have to stop and agonize over perfecting every individual cookie. You just cut and serve. Voila!

I still make a couple of favorite, tedious cookie recipes: Russian Tea Cakes and a small batch of frosted sugar cookies are a must on the Kaiser menu. And it wouldn’t be Christmas without a batch of Fantasy Fudge. Still, Bar Cookies are a lifesaver when entertaining at this busy time of year.

The following recipes are baked and taste tested by dear friends. Enjoy!

JEANNIE HAND’S CRANBERRY BARS

1 ½ cups sugar

2 large eggs

¾ cup butter, melted and cooled

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 ½ cups flour

1 ½ cup fresh or frozen cranberries (8 ounces)

½ cup pecans or walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350Æ F.

Butter a 9x13” Pyrex pan

Using an electric mixer on medium speed: beat sugar and eggs until slightly thickened (about 2 min.). Beat in melted butter and almond flavor. Stir in flour; add cranberries and nuts. Bake 30 min. or until toothpick tests clean.

LOUISE’S LEMON BARS

CRUST

2 cups + 2 tablespoons flour

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 cup butter

FILLING

4 eggs, slightly beaten

2 cups sugar

6 tablespoons lemon juice

1 grated lemon rind

1 teaspoon baking powder

TOPPING

Powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Lightly spray 9x13 Pyrex pan

CRUST: Combine 2 cups flour with ½ cup powdered sugar and mix well with butter. Pat into prepared pan and bake for 20 min. Remove from oven.

FILLING: In the meantime, combine eggs, sugar, lemon juice, lemon rind, baking powder and 2 tablespoons flour. Mix until smooth. Pour filling over cooked layer. Bake for 25 minutes. Cool. Dust with powdered sugar. If making the day before, you may have to repeat dusting.

Cut into squares and serve. Makes a lot!

JEANNIE JEWELL’S MACAROON COOKIE BARS

Heat oven to 350° F.

Grease 13” x9” pan

CRUST

1 package Pillsbury Plus Devil’s Food Cake mix

½ cup margarine, softened

TOPPING

1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

1 cup coconut + extra for topping

1 cup pecans, chopped

CRUST: In large bowl combine cake mix and margarine. Blend at low speed until well combined and crumbly. Press evenly into bottom of greased pan.

TOPPING: In small bowl combine milk, vanilla and egg. Beat until smooth. Stir in coconut and pecans. Pour mixture over crust. Sprinkle an additional ¼ cup coconut over top.

Bake 30-35 min. or until golden brown Cool completely. Cut into bars.

MICROWAVE FANTASY FUDGE

¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) butter

3 cups sugar

1 small can evaporated milk (2/3 cup) (not sweetened)

1 12-ounce package semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 small jar (7 ounces) marshmallow crème

1 cup nuts, chopped (I use walnuts)

1 teaspoon vanilla

Lightly grease a 13x9 inch Pyrex pan.

Microwave margarine in 4-quart bowl on HIGH for 1 minute or until melted.

Add sugar and milk; mix well. Microwave on 5 minutes or until mixture begins to boil, stirring after 3 minutes. Continue to cook 2 more min.

Mix well; scrape bowl. Microwave 5 ½ min. more, stirring after 3 min.

Microwave on HIGH 5 1/2 minutes; stirring after 3 minutes as above

Gradually stir in chocolate chips until melted.

Add marshmallow, nuts and vanilla. Mix well and quickly pour into prepared pan. Let cool. To serve, cut into small squares. Makes a lot!

Keep it simple and keep it seasonal with Betty Kaiser’s Cook’s Corner

November? It must be pie time!

11/7/18 Cook’s Corner

Betty Kaiser

I’m a big fan of Indian Summers and I’m not yet in a winter frame of mind. So, it’s always a shock to turn my calendar over and discover that it’s November. How can that be? That means there’s still patio furniture to put away, bushes to be trimmed and gardens to be winterized. Sigh.

It also means that I should start thinking about Thanksgiving dinner. But most of us don’t have to think very hard about that because our families are steeped in tradition. Mine used to be but, things have changed. We’ve added new members. A couple of our grandsons are now married and we share them with their wives and their families. Also, one of our sons and his wife are vegans.

Fortunately, our holiday meals are very similar. The basic menu for whoever comes to dinner will feast on roast turkey with stuffing and cranberry sauce; mashed potatoes and gravy; green beans and rolls. If I’m cooking there is also a cranberry Jell-O salad and sweet potato casserole. The vegans eat Tofurky with their veggies and a big green salad.

After turkey and dressing, dessert is the favorite part of the meal. Again, every family usually has their own traditional favorite pie. I say pie, because I’ve never heard anyone talk about their favorite thanksgiving cake. There’s probably lots of them out there but people I know mostly eat pie. Let me know if you have a favorite cake.

We have two or three pies but one is always pumpkin. And we’re not alone. A national survey by Delish editors revealed that pumpkin is the reigning champ of desserts by 36% of those polled—46% on the West Coast. Pecan was a distant second, followed by apple, sweet potato and cherry.

As the longtime pie baker at Kaiser’s Country Diner in Ventura, I have made thousands of pies. Pumpkin was always a best seller and if it’s your first pie you can’t go wrong following the basic directions on a can of Libby’s pumpkin. I do change up the spices a bit but that is a personal preference. Every so often I would also make a Pumpkin Eggnog Pie. So today, just for fun, I’m including that recipe instead of the regular pumpkin.

Another customer favorite was my chocolate pecan pie. It, too, is simple to make, using a variation on the classic Karo pecan recipe. Each of these recipes call for a single unbaked 9” pie shell and a whipped cream garnish.

Before you make the pie, you should make a pie crust. I don’t have room in today’s column for my recipe but the standard Betty Crocker recipe is also good. The trick is getting the right dough consistency and then rolling it out on a floured surface. You can do it! Try it! Or use store bought. Enjoy!

BETTY CROCKER PASTRY

1-1/2 cups flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup+2 tablespoons Crisco shortening

¼ cup ice cold water

Sift flour and salt in mixing bowl. Cut in shortening with pastry blender until shortening pieces are the size of giant peas. Sprinkle with ice water a little at a time. Mix lightly with a fork until all the flour is moist. Add more if needed. Gather dough together with fingers so it cleans the bowl. Press firmly into a ball. Then roll out on floured pastry cloth to desired size.

PUMPKIN EGGNOG PIE

2 cups pumpkin (1 16 ounce can)

1 1/2 cups eggnog

2 eggs

½ cup sugar

¼ teaspoon ginger

½ teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon cloves (or less)

¼ teaspoon salt

1 unbaked 9” pie shell

Preheat oven to 425° F.

Combine all ingredients in a large mixer bowl and mix well. Pour into the unbaked pie shell. Put in oven and bake 15 minutes.

Reduce heat to 350° F. Bake another 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted near the edge comes out clean. Cool and refrigerate. Garnish with whipped cream. Serves 6-8.

KARO PECAN PIE

3 eggs, slightly beaten

1 cup light or dark corn syrup

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla

1-1/2 cups pecans (more if needed)

1 unbaked pie shell

Preheat oven to 350° F.

In large bowl, stir together first 5 ingredients until well blended. Gently stir in pecans. Pour into pastry shell. If necessary, add more pecans so that the top is covered and there will be pecan in every bite!

Bake in oven 50-55 minutes or until knife inserted halfway between center and edge comes out clean. Cool. Garnish with whipped cream. Serves 6-8.

CHOCOLATE PECAN PIE

Melt 4 ounces melted semisweet chocolate.

Decrease sugar to 1/3 cup.

Prepare and bake as above.

Contact Betty Kaiser’s Cook’s Corner at 942-1317 or email bchatty@bettykaiser.com

Spice up roast chicken leftovers

10/10/18 Cook’s Corner
Betty Kaiser

Roast chicken is all the rage these days. One night I was watching a re-run of Dr. Oz. He and his nutrition experts were discussing if already cooked super-market chickens were a healthy choice for dinner. The all-around consensus was yes, they are healthy to eat because they are mostly chicken with very little other added ingredients. Yea!

I think that the most interesting factoid of their conversation was how many chickens are sold every day in the USA. Dr. Oz said that there are more than 5 million whole chickens sold daily. Then, I read that there are 60 million of the famous Costco rotisserie chickens sold every year. The statistics are mind boggling. Who knew?

Once upon a time, chicken was a Sunday supper treat. Now it appears that if you have $4.99 in your pocket you can eat it every day. I don’t know why that is so shocking to me. But it is. Poor chickens! Honestly, I got depressed reading the statistics. If I wasn’t so set in my ways I would become a vegetarian!

However, I know that we’re not going to change. We eat so much chicken at our house that I cluck when I walk. One of the reasons, as mentioned above, is that chicken is a healthy protein. Another reason is its versatility. One whole chicken can serve 2-3 people at least 3 meals. Chicken leftovers are a good thing. Here’s some ideas:

Meal one is a chicken dinner with mashed potatoes and gravy, vegetable and fruit salad.  I either roast a whole chicken in the oven or cook it in a crockpot. I season it simply with Lawry’s salt and a little of my favorite herbs. If cooked in a crockpot, I always finish it off by putting it under the broiler for a few minutes to crisp up the skin.

Leftovers are often a chicken entrée for lunch. I do get tired of eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. A chicken salad with apples, walnuts and celery is a nice break. Quesadillas with a chicken, salsa and cream cheese filling are also quick and easy to prepare.

And I always save enough leftovers for some sort of soup or casserole. The sky’s the limit. It’s hard to beat a simple chicken and noodles dinner or even chicken chili. For soup, I try and keep the carcass in a plastic bag, boil it up with some onions, celery and seasonings. I debone the meat, discard the bones and combine it with whatever suits my fancy in the refrigerator.

The following couple of recipes are a little spicy and you may need to reduce the chili powder. Change them up to suit your family’s tastes. Also, remember that soup and chili recipes are not rocket science. Sometimes you have to taste and adjust spices and add more liquid. Serve with a favorite salad and a dinner roll. Enjoy!

SIMPLE MEXICAN-STYLE CHICKEN SOUP

1 cup chopped onion
1 red pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon paprika
5 cups chicken broth (I use reduced sodium)
1-1/2 cups favorite squash—winter, yellow, zucchini
1 large tomato (or 2 small), chopped
Garlic salt and pepper to taste
2 cups chicken, chopped
1 cup frozen corn
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, snipped

Heat oil in soup kettle. Add onion and pepper. Cook about 5 min. until tender, stirring as needed. Stir in cumin, chili powder and paprika; cook and stir briefly. Add broth, squash, tomato, salt and black pepper. Bring to boil; reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 20 min. or until squash is tender. Add water if needed. Stir in chicken, corn and cilantro; heat through and serve hot. Serves 3-4.

CROCKPOT CHICKEN FAJITA CHILI

2 cups (or more) chicken, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon fajita (or taco) seasoning
½ teaspoon cumin
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 14-1/2 oz. cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can chicken broth
1 cup yellow, green and red sweet peppers, diced (your choice)
1 small onion, minced
1 15-ounce white kidney beans, rinsed and drained

In a medium bowl, combine chicken, chili powder, fajita seasoning, cumin and garlic; toss to mix. If chicken is raw, spray a large skillet with nonstick cooking spray and heat on medium high. Add chicken and brown slightly.

Place chicken in a crockpot. Add undrained tomatoes, chicken broth, peppers, onions and cannellini beans. Cover and simmer on low heat setting 4-5 hours or on high heat setting 2-3 hours. Add more liquid as needed. Can also be cooked on stovetop. Serves 4

Note: These recipes are adapted from Diabetic Living Quick and Easy Meals. I often substitute canned chili beans and add tomato sauce and diced green chiles. Garnish as desired.