Fatima's Fabulous Kitchen

I don't eat to live. I live to eat.

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Green Chili and Rice Soup

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I admit that I have quite a few indulgent recipes on my blog. But I’m really not eating pakora and chocolate cake all the time! Usually I reserve these for special occasions or when I have company. In reality, this stuff right here is more along the lines of what I’m consuming on an average weekday.

It’s simple, healthy, and incredibly satisfying.

Now this chili isn’t a traditional red chili made with tomatoes, nor is it exactly a white chili with chicken. If anything, I’d like to call this a green chili because I use a simple salsa verde as the base for the soup. To make the salsa, I throw a few tomatillos, onions, and jalapenos with a little bit of salt and oil onto a baking sheet and roast them for about a half-hour at 400 F in the oven. This is what gives the chili an extra depth of sweetness and flavor that you certainly wouldn’t attain using canned chilies.

To give the soup some extra bulk, I add in some potato seasoned with cumin. For beans, I used white cannellini; they’re incredibly robust and flavorful, but feel free to try black or kidney beans as well! For even more heartiness, I added in some rice and finished with some lovely corn, cilantro, and a generous sprinkling of oregano.

Add in some shredded chicken or keep it vegetarian – either way it’s going to be freaking delicious. Serve with a generous helping of cheese and sour cream and there you have it! An easy weeknight Green Chili and Rice Soup! Perfect for your next Netflix and chill session, office potluck, or New Year’s diet plan!

 

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Green Chili and Rice Soup

Servings 5

Ingredients

  • 2 tomatilloes (or 4 small ones)
  • 2 small onions
  • 3 jalapenos (de-seeded!)
  • 1/4 tsp salt (for salsa)
  • 2 tbsp oil (for roasting)
  • 2 tbsp oil (for soup)
  • 1 medium-sized potato
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tbsp concentrated vegetable broth base (or substitute 1-1.5 quart of low-sodium veggie broth)
  • 3/4-11/2 quart water
  • 1 15 oz can cannellini beans
  • 1/4 cup white rice
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 3/4 cup corn
  • 1 tbsp cumin
  • 2 tsp oregano
  • salt (to taste)
  • sour cream (optional garnish)
  • shredded cheese (optional garnish)
  • cilantro (optional garnish)

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat your oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

  2. Peel the skin off your tomatillos and onions. Cut the tips off the jalapenos. Cut the jalapenos in half and de-seed. (Leave seeds in if you want chili to be extra spicy.) Put them on the baking sheet and toss them in the oil and salt. Put in oven.

  3. Let the salsa ingredients roast. This should take about a half-hour or so, or until they are lightly charred.


  4. Once salsa vegetables are roasted, take out of oven and let them cool down a bit. Then add them to your food processor and blitz until you get a salsa-like consistency.

  5.  Add your 2 tbsp of oil to a pot with high sides on medium heat.

  6. Dice up your potato into small pieces. Sautee in the oil along with the cumin and turmeric for a few minutes. Then add in your garlic (minced). Sautee for a few more minutes.

  7. Add in your salsa. Then add in your vegetable broth. (I like to use the concentrated vegetable base and then add in water, but feel free to use whatever you have - bullion cube,  quarts of veggie stock, chicken stock...etc. I'm using 1-2 quart as a general guideline, but add more or less depending on how thick you want your soup to be.)

  8. Turn the temperature to high and cover the pot. Let the potatoes cook about half-way through and then add in your rice. (At this step the potatoes shouldn't be hard but they shouldn't be completely tender either.)

  9. Let the rice cook. As it cooks, it will begin to thicken up.


  10. Now add in your beans (rinse and drained) and your corn. Stir and simmer for a few minutes.

  11. Once the rice is fully cooked, your soup is done! Serve with cilantro, sour cream, and cheese.

Holiday Biscotti

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Everybody complains about the short days and long nights of winter. But I absolutely love it! (Of course, minus the part where I have limited time to take blog pictures that require natural lighting.) In fact, I hate summer. Prolonged sunlight makes me feel as though time is moving at an excruciatingly dull rate and that life is sad and mundane. Winter evenings, on the other hand, are cozy and if you have the right people around you, can be indeed lively and fun.

Around this time of year I always make a few batches of biscotti. Some to give to friends as edible gifts, some for the family to snack on throughout the day, some for myself to have with a hot cup of chai.

For this recipe, I use dried cherries, coconut flakes, orange zest and almonds. The bright red dried cherries give the cookie a beautiful festive look, and the coconut gives a wonderful yet subtle flavor. Of course, it isn’t quality biscotti if you don’t add in a heaping serving of nuts. I kept it classic with some slivered almonds.

What makes this extra flavorful and not a sad, dry, and bland cookie is the orange juice and zest as well as the addition of almond and coconut extracts. The orange gives such a wonderful aroma and the extracts deepen the flavors, making this holiday biscotti absolutely divine!

So go ahead and buy a few  Christmas tins, and give these away generously. Your friends will be delighted!

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Holiday Biscotti - with cherries, almonds, and coconut

Ingredients

  • 1/2 c coconut oil
  • 2 c flour
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3/4 c slivered almonds
  • 1 c shredded coconut (unsweetened!)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp almond extract
  • 1/2 tsp coconut extract (you can leave it out if you don't have it)
  • 2/3 c dried cherries or cranberries
  • 2/3 c sugar
  • zest of one orange
  • juice of 1/2 of the orange

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat oven to 300 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

  2. Pop your coconut oil into the microwave for about 30 seconds to melt it. Allow it to cool.

  3. In your electric standing mixer with your paddle attachment (or with a simple mixing bowl and spatula), combine eggs, sugar, coconut oil.

  4. Add in your extracts and orange zest. Make sure to measure out the almond and coconut extract before adding because they are quite strong!

  5. Now add in your dry ingredients - flour, baking soda, and salt in slow increments. Make sure everything is well combined.

  6. Once a dough is formed add in your nuts, dried coconut, and cherries. Combine until everything is evenly incorporated. Note - If you only have sweetened coconut on hand, then make sure to decrease the amount of sugar you use in the recipe by a tablespoon or two.

  7. Now you will form a log with the dough. It will be loose and sticky but that's okay! Just work slowly and add the dough to the middle of the parchment paper. Using a spatula try to get the log as even as possible into an oval shape. It doesn't have to be perfect.

  8. Once your logs are formed, put your baking sheet into the oven and remove when the edges start turning brown. This can take about 35-40 minutes.

  9. Remove from oven and let the logs cool. Do not touch or cut right away!

  10. After the logs have cooled to room temperature, you will cut them into pieces. Use a serrated knife and cut at a sharp angle for long pieces.

  11. Now take your biscotti pieces and put them back on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Increase the temperature of your oven to 350 and bake for about 6-8 minutes.

  12. Take the baking tray out of the oven, turn the cookies over and bake for anoter 6-8 minutes.

  13. Remove the biscotti. Once cooled, it is ready to be devoured!

Chocolate Cake with Dulce de Leche Frosting

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Everyone has to have a go-to chocolate cake recipe. And this one is mine. I played around with ratios, various fats (oil vs butter), and finally came up with a batter that makes for a light and flavorful chocolate coconut cake.

What gives this cake a great depth of flavor is the coffee in the batter. It brings out the richness of the chocolate. I also use sour cream and coconut oil, making it extra-moist. After all, nobody enjoys a dry crusty cake. The coconut oil adds a very subtle coconuty-flavor without taking away from the chocolate. Even if you’re not the biggest coconut fan, you’ll still be able to enjoy this cake.

To top it all off, I make a fabulous Dulce de Leche cream cheese frosting using Cajeta or Dulce De Leche, also known as Mexican-style caramel. Feel free to make your own Dulce De Leche, but store-bought works just as well in this frosting recipe.

Finally, I top the cake with raspberries and toasted coconut. The tartness of the fruit really cuts the sweetness of the cake, and the toasted coconut gives a sweet nutty flavor.

I have made this cake as a single layer without coconut (as seen directly in the picture below) and it works great – so if you’re scared that you’ll end up eating a huge double-layer on your own (honestly no shame) just cut the recipe in half!

5 from 1 vote
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Chocolate Cake with Dulce de Leche Frosting

A light and moist double-layer chocolate cake topped with a lovely cream cheese Dulce De Leche Frosting. A real crowd-pleaser!

Servings 10

Ingredients

  • 1 cup black coffee (cooled)
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 cup coconut oil (melted and cooled)
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp vanilla
  • 1 cup cocoa powder
  • 2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Dulce De Leche Frosting

  • 6 oz cream cheese (softened)
  • 4 Tbsp butter (softened)
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3/4 cup dulce de leche or cajeta
  • 2-3 cup powdered sugar or to taste

Cake Topping

  • 1 cup raspberries or strawberries optional
  • 1.5 cup toasted coconut optional

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat your oven to 350 and grease two 8-9 inch circular cake pans.

  2. Melt your coconut oil by popping it in microwave for 30 seconds. Allow it to cool to room temparature.

  3. In a bowl, cream together your eggs and sugar with an electric mixer or whisk.

  4. Then add in your sour cream and oil. Whisk and combine. Add in your vinegar and vanilla.

  5. Sift your dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt) in a separate bowl and whisk together.

  6. Add half your dry ingredients and combine. Then add the remaining. Combine until you get a smooth and even batter.

  7. Add your batter to the cake pan and bake for about 45-55 minutes or until cake comes out clean when you put a toothpick in the center.

  8. Once done, take out of oven and let it cool on a cooling rack.

  9. Now make you frosting. Add your softened butter, cream cheese and confectioner's sugar to a bowl. Beat with a spatula or electric mixer until well combined with no lumps.

  10. Drizzle in your dulce de leche and vanilla. Combine until smooth.

  11. Once cake is cooled, top one layer with frosting using a flat frosting spatula or butter knife.

  12. Take half of the raspberries and crush them into a puree. Add to the center of bottom layer. (The raspberry puree will be in the middle layer of the cake). Then add your top layer. Frost generously.

  13. Cover cake with toasted coconut. Top with berries.