On a cold day, one of my favorite meals is a bowl of hot something! It just seems to warm me up from head to toe! I also especially love to start a homemade soup or chili on a Sunday afternoon so we can “take in” the smells as we go about our day.

Today’s recipe is white chili. Some Paleo’s would “tan-my-hide” posting this, but remember, I am not a total Paleoite! I am a blend of paleo/low-carb/Mediterranean/no wheat. I guess you could call me a Palee-locarb-med-nowheatarian!

Beans do have carbs in them so are not easy to digest for some, but they are full of fiber and healthy protein as well as a vegetarian option. They are also inexpensive, so if you are on a budget, beans are your food! What’s cheaper than opening up a can of beans and serving it over brown rice or quinoa? All of you that think that healthy eating is insanely expensive, think again!

White Chili
2 T. olive oil
1 store bought rotisserie chicken, shredded*
1 medium yellow onion, diced
5 garlic cloves
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded & chopped (make sure you DO NOT touch the 7 holes in your head after chopping)
2 T. cumin
1 T. coriander
1 cup mild or hot tomatillo green salsa
4 cups chicken stock or broth (I like stock because it adds a richer flavor)
2 cans (15 oz) cannellini or Great Northern beans
1 handful fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
Juice of 1 lime
Toppings: chopped cilantro, shredded Monterey jack cheese, tortilla chips, chopped avocado or guacamole**

* I use rotisserie chicken as a short cut when I make soups and Mexican food. It eliminates an entire step of cooking the chicken in recipes and eliminates chopping raw chicken, getting out another cutting board and cleaning-up. Rotisserie chickens are also seasoned, so that extra seasoning adds additional flavor to your recipe.
** Easy Guac – Mash one or two avocados and add fresh lime juice (start with a quarter of a lime and add from there), chopped cilantro, onion & tomato. Add as much or as little of the cilantro/onion/tomato as you like. That’s it, it’s that easy!!!

Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, jalapeno, cumin and coriander and cook until onions soften and turn translucent, about 5 – 10 minutes. Add the tomatillo salsa and the chicken stock. Bring the chili to a simmer. Add 1 can of whole beans and the other can smash them up a little bit, which will thicken the chili. Simmer on low all day or 10 – 15 minutes if you want to EAT NOW! Add your shredded chicken, cilantro, and lime and heat through. Top with your favorite toppings. Enjoy!

6 servings – If you are cooking for one, this will make meals for the week OR you can freeze half of it and save it for a rainy day! Nothing healthier than coming home to a home cooked meal!

Side Salad with Healthy Dressing
I almost always start dinner with a healthy salad. Eating a salad with dinner provides 2 necessary ingredients to healthy eating:  it fills you up so you don’t eat as much AND it adds health enhancing nutrients to your daily dietary intake. There is no rhyme nor reason to a salad. Just tear up a mixture of greens, if you have them, and any other delicious veggies in your fridge. Top it off with a vinaigrette and wallah . . . a salad is born!

The pictured salad has a mixture of kale, romaine and arugula, red and yellow grape tomatoes and feta cheese sprinkled on top. My favorite dressing is:  1/4 c. lemon juice or your favorite vinegar or both, a heaping T. of Dijon mustard or anything creamy (like ranch dressing), a good sprinkle of Good Seasons Zesty Italian Dry Packet Mix, and a 1/2 cup of olive oil. Shake it, but don’t break it and enjoy! This dressing offers heart healthy fat (olive oil) and is low in sodium, unlike many store bought dressings that load up on the sodium and preservatives.