I know Spring is here now, but you can’t ever beat a delicious soup…and we do have some lovely cool Springs nights on which to enjoy it.  My latest recipe request was made after bringing this winner to work for an Easter pot luck.  So, this is for you and you know who you are;)

It’s for White Chicken Chili, of course low fat!  So the ingredients are as follows(and remember, we don’t do exact amounts at my house, so improvise) Serves about 6-10 people:

Chicken(diced)

Great Northern Beans(4 cans)

Onion(around a quarter of an onion)

Garlic(on piece of a clove-depending on how much you like)

Red and Green Bell Pepper(about half of each, sliced)

Chopped parsley

Spray bottom of large pot with butter spray or olive oil.  At medium heat, sautee onion and peppers.  Then add chicken and let sear for several minutes on both sides to start cooking but not all the way through.  Then add the beans and 4 cans of broth or water with bouillon. Then, salt(we like Cavender’s Greek Seasoning) and pepper. Also, add chopped parsley.  Maybe throw a little diced hot peppers or hot sauce in to add a spark! Cook for around 1 hour or so at medium.

Around our house, we keep all vegetable scraps(and chicken as well) in a saucepan and fill it with water.   Cover and let soak for a day(or so) then pour broth off into a reusable container.  This keeps a delicious broth around that you can cook almost anything with.  When you think veggies are getting old, throw in compost!

When ready to serve add a dollop of sour cream, grated cheese and some chopped scallions to garnish!  Enjoy!

We all know chicken has protein.  Onion and garlic are both great for fighting colds(immune builders) and have cancer fighting agents.

Bell Peppers: General Information

The bell pepper (also known as Capsicum) is:

* Low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol, and Sodium
* High in Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, Potassium, Manganese, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Folate, Pantothenic Acid and Magnesium

The nutritional value and health benefits of bell pepper makes it ideal for:

* Maintaining optimum health
* Weight loss

Don’t include too much bell pepper in your diet if you’re interested in:

* Weight gain

Nutritional Values
Preparation     Serving Size     Carbs     Fiber (g)     Fat (g)     Energy (kj)
Green Bell Pepper – raw     100g     2.5     1     0     65
Red Bell Pepper – raw     100g     4     1     0     105

And, great northern beans…

Nutrition Highlights

Great Northern beans, 1 cup (177g) (boiled)

* Calories: 209
* Protein: 14.7g
* Carbohydrate: 37.3g
* Total Fat: 0.79g
* Fiber: 12.4g

*Excellent Source of: Iron (3.7mg), Magnesium (88.5mg), and Folate (181 mcg)

*Good Source of: Calcium (120mg)