Chicken Chili for those tailgating nights!
White chili, also known as Chicken Chili is a favorite in our house. Now that Fall & Winter is arriving, who doesn’t love chili especially when watching your favorite football team? Chili is actually very easy to make on a boat in a small galley and it keeps for a few days for great leftovers.
While I love traditional chili, there’s something about Chicken Chili that is just as tasty and makes me feel like I’m eating healthier! Happy cooking!
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Chicken Chili
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This medium spicy chili is easy to make and a definite crowd pleaser. Even my husband, who only likes traditional chili loves this recipe!
Instructions
In a large pot, heat canola oil and add onion & jalapeno. Cook until tender under medium high heat. Add diced garlic and all of the spices and cook for about 2 minutes (do not let the garlic burn). Add 1/2 of the white kidney beans and smash them in the pot. Add chicken broth, bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Add corn, chicken, remaining white kidney beans and pinto beans. Simmer for about 25 minutes. If you want it thicker, add 1 tbsp. of water to the corn starch and mix thoroughly. Add to the chili, stirring to keep it from clumping.
Serve with shredded cheddar cheese, diced avocado, sour cream, chopped cilantro & crushed tortilla chips.
Recipe Notes
Since I don't like chopping onions & other veggies, especially on a boat, I use my Onion Chopper by Müeller
 . It works great, collects the onion in the bin (no mess and no tears) and the clean up is easy!
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Butternut Squash is a Fall Favorite Dish
It has been so hot and dry this summer in Seattle that everyone is just waiting for the changing of seasons. Finally it got into the 50’s yesterday and I was ready to make a Fall dish. I grow lots of sage, so I decided it was time for my roasted butternut squash ravioli.
Normally, this isn’t a recipe you would prepare on a boat. You could though, since you only need two burners, so I decided to share it with everyone. At home, we have a Cuisinart SmartPower Duet Blender
& Processor which is much smaller than a regular food processor. It would work great on a boat, based on it’s size. I also don’t make the raviolis from scratch, I use won ton wrappers. They are much easier and lighter than traditional pasta dough.
I like to pair this with my super greens roasted beet, walnut & blue cheese salad for a elegant meal.
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Roasted Butternut Squash Ravioli with Sage Brown Butter Sauce
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This ravioli dish is rich and elegant for any dinner party. The butternut squash has a light sweetness to it and topped with the brown butter sauce this is a great comfort food dish.
Instructions
Roasted Butternut Squash
Pre-heat oven to 375º. Spread squash evenly on a foiled cooking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Place 3 garlic cloves (peel on) on the same cookie sheet. Bake for about 35 minutes until tender.
Ravioli
Place roasted squash & garlic cloves with remaining filling ingredients (except won ton wrappers) in food processor and puree until smooth. You may have to do this step in two batches, depending on the size of your food processor. Line a cookie sheet with non-stick foil. Place one won ton wrapper on a non stick surface. Brush edges with water and place a heaping teaspoon of puree in the center. Take another wrapper, brush the edges with water and place carefully on top of the wrapper with the puree. Seal edges tightly using your fingers and then crimp edges with a fork.
Line a cookie sheet with non-stick foil. Place prepared raviolis and repeat until you make 16 or more raviolis. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a subtle boil. Boil raviolis for about 4-5 minutes on medium. (You want the raviolis to boil gently so they do not break open). Carefully drain by removing the individual raviolis with a strainer onto serving plates (do not dump into a colander).
Sage Brown Butter Sauce
Once raviolis begin to boil, begin making the butter sauce. Place the stick of butter in the center of a 12" saute' pan and melt on medium high. Once the butter starts to get frothy, stir in sage leaves (they will fry in the butter), nutmeg, salt and pepper. Continue cooking for about 1-2 minutes until it is caramel in color and nutty. Pour sauce over raviolis, sprinkle with toasted pine nuts and serve immediately.
Grilled Marinated Salmon Recipe
While we live in the PNW, it can be difficult to get fresh salmon. One of my favorite places to buy fresh fish is from a seafood store in Ballard at Fisherman’s Terminal , Wild Salmon Seafood Market. They truly have some of the best fish I have ever had. When Scott and I moved to Renton, we would make it a point to go into the city each month just to get fresh fish.
Why marinate salmon here in the PNW?
Well, when we can’t buy super fresh salmon, then I tend to marinate it. Scott is not a big fan of salmon, so marinating it makes it better for him. This recipe is easy to make and goes with so many different cuisines, ranging from Asian to American. Enjoy!
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Grilled Marinated Salmon
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This is a versatile marinade that you can use on salmon, chicken, pork or beef. Be sure to allow at least 2-3 hours to marinade for best results.
Instructions
In a small bowl, mix all ingredients except salmon. Rinse salmon and pat dry. (see note below). Place salmon in Ziplock bag and pour in marinade. Seal tightly and refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours.
Pre-heat grill. We use a lava stone and we allow 15 minutes for the stone to heat up. Grill salmon flesh side down first for 5 minutes. Flip over and grill for an additional 5 minutes or until desired wellness. Serve immediately and garnish with lemon wedges.
Recipe Notes
If you are cooking on your boat and are not sure about your potable water, be sure to only rinse with bottled water or rinse at home ahead of time.
Authentic Jerk Sauce from the Caribbean
There are many recipes out there for jerk sauces and I have tried many of them. Since Scott and I travel to the Caribbean every year, I know the flavor I am wanting and none of the recipes I ever tried mimicked what we had in the Caribbean.
Finally, we met a cook in Jamaica that gave me his secret recipe, which is very rare. I’ve made some slight changes to it (for example, I don’t use cinnamon sticks in my blender) to finally get the flavor I want.  It’s the real deal and awesome!
I love to pair this recipe with many of my Caribbean recipes such as my Caribbean Slaw and Black Bean Salad.
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Grilled Jerk Pork Chops with Sweet Potatoes
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These grilled jerk pork chops are very flavorful and are bit spicy. The heat is not overbearing and they pair perfect with sweet potatoes.
Ingredients
Pork Chops & Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
Pork Chops & Sweet Potatoes
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Instructions
Jerk Sauce
Puree all of the jerk sauce ingredients in a blender until smooth. The sauce will be very green.
Pork Chops & Sweet Potatoes
Pour the jerk sauce into a zip lock bag and marinate the pork chops for up to 24 hours.
Pre-Heat Grill to med-high.
Remove the pork chops from marinade and bring to room temperature for about 20 minutes before grilling.
Meanwhile, peel the sweet potatoes and slice into 1" slices. Place potatoes in cool water and bring to a boil. Boil for about 10 minutes until they are slightly tender, but not falling apart. Strain potatoes and brush them with olive oil. Sprinkle Emeril's Essence spice and kosher salt on all sides.
Grill pork chops on medium high for about 10 minutes or until internal temperature is 135º.
Grill sweet potatoes for about 3 minutes are on each side. Serve immediately.
Black Bean Salad with Corn
This black bean salad is a great summer side dish for any grilled dinner or party. It’s easy to make ahead and tastes delicious! It reminds me of the Caribbean and we make it with our Jerk Pork Chops.
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Black Bean Salad
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This summer salad is easy to make ahead of time and is perfect for any bbq. It is a crowd pleaser!
Instructions
In a small bowl, whisk all of the lime dressing ingredients and set aside.
In a large bowl, mix all ingredients and pour in dressing. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
Sausage & Potato Foil Pack – Great Meals on a Boat!
A very easy meal to prepare on a boat is a foil pack. These are so versatile with a variety of ingredients & easy cleanup. One of our favorite combinations is sausage, potato and beans. You can either cook the packs on your grill or if your boat has an oven, they are great baked as well.
Check out our recipe below!
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Sausage & Potato Foil Packs
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This combination of sausage, potatoes, onions and beans are the perfect all in one meal!
Instructions
In a small bowl, combine olive oil with spices. Make four foil packs with heavy duty foil, double thickness about 12" x 12".
In a large bowl, toss all ingredients with olive oil mixture to blend well. Divide sliced sausage and chopped vegetables equally and place in the center of each foil pack. Seal each pack tightly. Grill on med high to high for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
Recipe Notes
If baking the foil packs, bake at 425º for about 20 minutes.
Grilled Tenderloin Steaks – the perfect dinner!
We love grilled tenderloin steaks. Recently, I have been buying O Organic grass fed steaks at Safeway. Besides the fact that they are grass fed, I love the fact that they are the perfect size for a meal. Ever notice when you go to buy a steak it could feed three people?
These steaks are obviously more expensive per pound, but typically I can buy a package of two steaks for less than $12. In addition, they are easy to pack for a weekend on the boat since they are sealed tight.
Our Magma grill on the boat does not have a large surface space. Grilling smaller steaks allows for other food items to be grilled too. We also use a lava stone from Island Grillstone. These come in 6″ x 12″ or 12″x12″ and we use the smaller one on the boat. See below.
Pair these steaks with red potatoes & spinach for a complete meal! Enjoy!
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Grilled Tenderloin Steak
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Instructions
Pre-heat grill. Combine all of the spices & garlic in a small bowl. Rinse and pat dry tenderloin steaks. Brush olive oil on all sides of the steaks and rub spices in evenly. Allow steaks to come to room temperature*.
Grill steaks to desired likeness. Medium rare = internal temperature of 120º. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
*Keep in mind, when you are on a boat in hot weather, do not leave any food items in hot sun.
A great summer time meal for boaters
Grilled salmon is one of our favorite meals. Since we are moored so close to the Wild Salmon Seafood Market at Fisherman’s Terminal, we love to pick up the catch of the day and grill it on the boat.
Recently, we were in Gig Harbor and we stopped by a spice shop called “For the Love of Spice“. They specialize in handmade spices and we bought “The Catch of the Day” spice for fish. Pair your fish with grilled summer vegetables and you have the perfect meal!
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Grilled Salmon with Summer Vegetables
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This is the perfect summer meal and it is easy to prepare!
Ingredients
Grilled Summer Vegetables
Ingredients
Grilled Summer Vegetables
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Instructions
Rinse and pat dry salmon. Rub 1 tbsp of olive oil on flesh side and rub in seafood spice all over. Set aside.
Combine 1 tbsp of olive oil with crushed red pepper flakes, kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Toss olive oil mixture with chopped vegetables.
Light grill to high heat. Place veggie grilling basket on grill to heat up. Once pre-heated, grill the salmon to your liking. Put veggies in grilling basket and grill until tender. Serve salmon with lemon wedges and serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
Be sure you know if the water in your boat's holding tank is clean and safe for food prep. If not, use bottled water to rinse your seafood and vegetables. See my blog post about potable water.
We use a grilling stone made out of lava both at home and on the boat.) On the boat, we have a Magma Grill, which we love.
& Processor which is much smaller than a regular food processor. It would work great on a boat, based on it’s size. I also don’t make the raviolis from scratch, I use won ton wrappers. They are much easier and lighter than traditional pasta dough.
