White Bean Chili

Yum!  Beans are amazing, even if they are musical fruit.  This is my girl version of chili... I am not a huge fan of the heartburn and intestinal ache associated with traditional chili.  This incorporates the best of chili and the best of warm soup in one dish.  The Northwoods seasoning by Penzy's has a good dose of Hungarian Paprika among other spices and mimics the flavor of chili in a familiar way.

2 Chicken breasts
1/2 lb cooked bacon, crispy OR 1 small ham hock
2 cups chicken broth, I like Pacific Foods
3 cups water
1 bunch green onion, chopped
1 cup spinach leaves, chopped
1 cup diced carrots
2 cans great northern white beans, drained
2 TB minced garlic
2 TB olive oil
4 medium red potatoes, or equivalent, cubed
1 TB Penzy's Northwoods seasoning
1 tsp Penzy's Mural of Flavor seasoning

1. Sautee garlic in 2 TB olive oil in the soup pot.
2. Add broth, water, seasonings and meats.  Bring to a boil.
3. Add beans, carrots and potatoes. Simmer for 30 minutes.
4. Add spinach and onion, simmer 30 minutes.
5. Remove ham hock, if used.  Shred chicken and serve.
1 tsp ground pepper

Chicken Soup

I love soup!  However, it is difficult to find canned soup made without soy these days.  That coupled with the outrageous amount of sodium found in processed foods led me back to cooking this favorite from scratch.  The longer you are able to simmer it, the better, but it can be made in as little as 30 minutes.  I prefer to let it simmer for 2 hours, from start to finish.

2 chicken breasts
2-3 cups chicken broth, I prefer Pacific Foods
2-3 cups water
1 TB minced garlic
2 TB olive oil
1 bunch green onions, diced
1 cup diced carrots
1 handful chopped parsley (add last 5 minutes)
4 medium sized red potatoes, cubed
Thyme, pepper, oregano
1 TB Penzy's Mural of Flavor spice


1. Heat large pot with olive oil and garlic, sautee garlic
2. Add broth, water and chicken, bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer
3. Add spices, carrots, onion, and potatoes
4. Simmer 30 min- 2 hours, until potatoes are tender.
5. Add parsley for the last 5 minutes of cooking.  Remove from heat and serve.