(ROCKWALL, TX — January 3, 2019) With the New Year upon us, many have made resolutions to improve their lives through better health, increased finances, deeper faith, and so much more. For Evan and me, we are wanting to decrease our footprint with less waste. And just like most others, we want to eat less!
Over the past few months, I have shared some of my late mother-in-law’s recipe picks, as well as one from Evan’s late grandmother’s archives.
For this article, I dug into some of my own treasured recipes and found something perfect to share. For years I have followed several of the same food bloggers online. Getting weekly recipe updates via email and in more recent years, seeing pictures as they post daily on social media. One of my favorite bloggers is Christina Lane of Dessert for Two. Christina is a native Texan, recipe developer and author of three cookbooks. All of her recipes are designed to feed two people. And they are all remarkable. Don’t let the name “Dessert for Two” fool you. She has fabulous meal recipes as well.
Many times, it is just Evan and me at home. I will cook a regular meal and have tons of leftovers. There are times when it’s a freezable meal but to be honest, I normally forget that have frozen it. It’s also pretty tempting to make a second plate when you have a stove top full of warm, delicious food.
The things I love most about Christina’s recipes are that we don’t waste any food and we aren’t tempted to overeat. Her meals are also budget-friendly and allow you to get several meals out of most of the proteins you purchase. Her desserts are divine as well. Although they are coined “for two,” most will feed more. I love to bake but we don’t need an entire cake sitting around our house. For example, her Texas Sheet Cake is made in a quarter-sheet pan and yields 4-6 pieces.
For today, I chose to make White Chicken Chili for Two. It’s great for a cold afternoon or evening. It only took me about 30 minutes to prepare and used one small pot for the entire process. To see all of Christina Lane’s recipes you can visit her website at www.dessertfortwo.com or find her cookbooks in stores and online.
Enjoy,
Melissa Tate
1 1/4 cups chicken stock
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 small white onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 4oz can of mild chopped green chiles
1 15oz can white beans (Great Northern Beans), drained and rinsed
1/2 teaspoon salt ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup full fat sour cream cilantro, tortilla strips, grated cheese, jalapeños and more sour cream, if desired to garnish
First, add chicken tenders and chicken stock to small soup pot. Bring to a simmer, turn off heat, cover and let cook all the way through, about 10 minutes. Check to ensure chicken is done, cook until done if not. Now, remove the chicken from the broth. Pour broth into a bowl and set aside. Shred chicken and set aside as well. Wipe out the pot you used, add olive oil and heat on medium high. Add the diced onion to the pan and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle the garlic and oregano on top of onions and sauté for 30 seconds. Next, add the green chiles, beans, salt and pepper. Pour the reserved chicken broth and chicken back into the pan, and bring to a gentle simmer. Just before serving, turn off the heat and stir in the 1/2 cup of sour cream. Divide the soup between two bowls and garnish as you please.
By Melissa Tate of Rockwall. Melissa is a freelance food writer and owner of Photo-Wagon mobile photo booth. She also helps her husband run their family farm, Tate Farms, and event center, Summerfield at Tate Farms. They are currently managing the Smirl Chapel Relocation & Preservation Project. Find Melissa on Facebook or Instagram at @melissatatetx to follow the adventures. Headshot by Kelly Alexander Photography.
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Cooking with Ease by Melissa Tate: White Chicken Chili for Two by Christina Lane added by Austin on
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