Hearty Chicken Stew with Butternut Squash & Quinoa Recipe- Courtesy of Cookin Canuck

This healthy, hearty stew comes courtesy of Cookin Canuck (original recipe here: http://www.cookincanuck.com/2011/11/hearty-chicken-stew-with-butternut-squash-quinoa-recipe/)

It is great for a Fall or Winter day, as it is warm, comforting, and filling. Though it feels like comfort food, eating it involves much less guilt as each serving is just 329 calories, and it packs in some great nutrition with the quinoa and butternut squash. The kalamata olives are a great addition and give the stew's flavor an interesting twist. I did feel like I wanted a little something more flavor-wise, though... Some more sweetness? Some red wine, perhaps? I'm not totally sure. I did like this recipe, though, and would probably make it again, though not likely on a regular basis (it took more cooking time than I prefer on a weeknight). It would definitely make a good make ahead meal, though it would most likely require the addition of a little extra broth upon serving. This recipe is certainly worth trying, and I'd recommend it. If you do try it and modify, let me know what worked for you or what didn't! 

Calories 329 / Total Fat 14.1g / Saturated Fat 1.0 / Cholesterol 15.2mg / Sodium 1209mg / Total Carbohydrates 32.8g / Fiber 5.4g / Sugars 3.0g / Protein 19.4g
 
Ingredients: 1 1/2 lb. butternut squash, peeled, seeded & chopped into 1/2-inch pieces 3 1/2 cups chicken broth 1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs 1 tbsp olive oil 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped 1/2 tsp kosher salt 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano 1 can (14 oz) petite diced tomatoes 2/3 cup uncooked quinoa 3/4 cup pitted and quartered kalamata olives Freshly ground black pepper, to taste 1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
 
Instructions:
  1. Steam the butternut squash until barely tender, about 10 minutes. Remove half of the squash pieces and set aside.

2. Steam the remaining squash until very tender, an additional 4 to 6 minutes. Mash this squash with the back of a fork. Set aside.

3. In a large saucepan set over medium-high heat, bring the chicken broth to a simmer.

4. Add chicken thighs, cover, and cook until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes.

5. Transfer the chicken thighs to a plate and allow to cool. Pour broth into a medium-sized bowl.

6. Return the saucepan to the stovetop and lower heat to medium. Add olive oil.
 
7. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is starting to turn brown, 8 to 10 minutes.
 
8. Add the salt, minced garlic and oregano. Cook, stirring, for 1 additional minute.
 
9. To the saucepan, add tomatoes, butternut squash pieces, mashed butternut squash. Stir to combine.
 
10. Stir in reserved chicken broth and quinoa. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook until the quinoa turns translucent, about 15 minutes.
 
11. Shred the chicken with your fingers or a fork.
 
12. Stir the chicken, olives and pepper into the stew and simmer, uncovered, to heat, about 5 minutes.
 
13. Stir in parsley and serve.

Baked Artichoke Chicken- Courtesy of Staceysnacksonline.com

Tonight's recipe comes from staceysnacksonline.com. It's adapted from Donna Giblin's recipe, which won first prize on ABC's show The Chew. 
(Donnna's original recipe here: http://abc.go.com/shows/the-chew/recipes/artichoke-chicken-donna-giblin)

While it takes an hour for this meal to bake, the prep is SO quick and easy and the result is so satisfying, it really makes a perfect, family-friendly meal, wait and all. It even got my toddler's stamp of approval, which is really saying something (when the chicken started baking, she said, "Ooooh! Mommy! I smell something really good." She was pleased when I told her it was her dinner). 

This is definitely one I'll be making again and would recommend to friends. It would go nicely with a side salad and/or your favorite rice (I didn't get my act together enough to make a side- grumpy, whining, screaming, and crying children kept me from it. Oh, well. There's always next time).

I used red wine for my first time making this, though I'd be interested to try this recipe with white and see whether I like that better. I'd also love to experiment with different kinds of mustard (I used brown, as instructed, but Stacey used French tarragon mustard, which sounds amazing). There's a lot of fun you could have tweaking this recipe, which is good for keeping things interesting.

Baked Artichoke Chicken:
 

4 lbs. chicken legs and thighs, w/ skin (I used just thighs)  
1 cup artichoke hearts, halved (I used canned)  
1 medium onion, cut into pieces same size as the artichokes  
1 pound white button mushrooms (halved or quartered)  
2 tablespoons brown mustard 
2-3 cloves garlic, minced  
1/4 cup olive oil  
1/4 cup red wine vinegar  
1/4 cup red or white wine (you could also sub in chicken stock)  
1/4 teaspoon dried basil  
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme  
1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon  
1 bay leaf  
kosher salt and pepper (to taste)

1. Preheat oven to 350F-375F, depending if you like crispy skin or not (I like crispy and did 375).
2. Place artichokes, onions and mushrooms on the bottom of a large oven-safe pan or baking dish.  
3. Place chicken pieces on top of the vegetables.  
4. Mix the mustard with the rest of the ingredients and pour over chicken. 
5. Season w/ kosher salt & pepper. 
6. Bake about 1 hour, basting the pieces once or twice.  
Voila! Eat up!

Ribolitta- Courtesy of Janna Patterson of Eats and Beats

Holy, Hannah! This recipe was DELICIOUS!!! Even my toddler, who eats like a little bird no matter what I make, ate a big bowl and then asked for and ate seconds! I will absolutely, positively be making this again. Today was a hot day, so hot soup probably wasn't really a weather-appropriate choice, but I DON'T CARE! It was totally worth it. And come Fall and Winter, I'll be making this regularly. It would be perfection on a cold, crisp day.

This recipe comes courtesy of my best friend, Janna Patterson (as many of my favorite recipes do), and tonight was my first time attempting it (original recipe here: http://www.jannapatterson.com/2011/12/menu-ribollita-and-pizzas-with.html). I've actually wanted to make it for a while but just hadn't gotten around to it. I didn't have all the ingredients and had to do a couple substitutions, but it still came out so great that I didn't notice anything lacking. The recipe calls for 4 oz of pancetta, which I didn't feel like hunting down (our local stores don't have it), so I used 4 oz of thick cut bacon instead, which infused the soup with incredible flavor. I'm also currently avoiding white flour, so I substituted good whole wheat bread for the sourdough (which I don't doubt would also be good). New recipes often take me longer to cook than ones I've done before. This one was no exception. I did all the prep work this morning, though, so when the dinner hour rolled around, I didn't have to be in the kitchen quite so long (and risk incurring the wrath of my children).

Please do yourself a favor and make this soup. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm!

Ribolitta
Serves 8
Total Time: 35-45 min (I took more time than this with the prep)

Ingredients
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 ounces pancetta (I used thick cut bacon)
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
5 large cloves of garlic, minced
3 large carrots, peeled and chopped
4 ribs celery, chopped
1 dried bay leaf
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 15-ounce cans white beans, such as cannellini, Great Northern, or navy beans, drained and rinsed (my bestie usse a combo of G.N. and navy. I used cannellini)
8 cups chicken stock or broth
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
3 tablespoons tomato paste
4 cups day-old sourdough bread cubes, without crusts (I used good whole wheat bread)
freshly grated Parmesan, for serving (I skipped the cheese since I'm avoiding dairy other than Greek yogurt at the moment- I didn't miss it at all)

Directions
1. Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium-medium low heat.
2. Add the pancetta and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 7-10 minutes, or until the onions are translucent.
3. Add the garlic, carrots, celery, and bayleaf, and season with salt and pepper. Cook for another 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add beans, broth, tomatoes, and tomato paste, stir, cover, and bring to a boil over medium heat.
5. Remove lid and stir in bread. Let it simmer for about 10-20 minutes, allowing the bread to break down and soup to thicken. (It's meant to be a thick soup, but you can adjust the thickness to your liking, adding more bread or broth as desired.)
6. Season to taste.
7. Dish into bowls and top with Parmesan.