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There’s little better than a nice bowl of chili to warm you up on a cold day. This recipe is a bit non-traditional, but it is satisfying and rather quick and easy to put together. I could eat chili most any time of year, though many people like to save it for the colder months. As often as I cook chili, though, I am on the lookout for creative variations on the traditional recipe, and this is a nice one.

Here’s what our friends over at Domesticate Me had to say about this amazing chili:

I’m pleased to report that this chili is a vegan wonder, but you can easily beef things up with any type of meat you have handy. I’ve made it at least four times over the past few weeks with different fillings, and it never disappoints. Try simmering it with top round steak, ground turkey, shredded chicken, lightly browned chorizo or some spicy chicken sausage. (The Dude really lost his cool over the chicken sausage version.) Feel free to get creative.

 

Recipe and photo courtesy of Domesticate Me

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Quick tip: Adjust the amount of chili powder and crushed red pepper to your taste.

Chicken Chasseur is a savory, rustic French recipe that makes for great comfort food during the colder times of year. The sauce (which itself has plenty of mushrooms and tomatoes) goes nicely over rice, pasta, mashed potatoes, and even a variety of different veggies.

“Chasseur” is actually the French word for “hunter,” though I’m not sure why that word would be associated with chicken. Perhaps it is meant to refer to chicken cooked well enough that even a life-long hunter would enjoy, or perhaps this is the sort of meal that would be prepared for a hunter while he was away and served at the end of a very long hunt. More traditional versions of this recipe leave the skin on the kitchen and even include a bit of cognac. Minus the cognac and with skinless boneless chicken, this version of the recipe is a bit lighter and lower on the calories, but I assure you that it still has a hearty, multi-dimensional, country-style flavor.

Recipe and photo courtesy of 12 Tomatoes

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Quick tip: Discard the bay leaf after cooking.

Butternut squash is most often used as a part of a side dish, but with this Sausage-Stuffed Butternut Squash recipe, it really sings as a main dish! Winter squash, particularly this form of it, has just the right amount of sweetness to go well with most anything. I think that pairing it with these other healthy and fresh ingredients makes for a spectacular hearty dinner for the colder months of the year. And you can go easy on yourself since this is a low fat dish!

I had heard of stuffed eggplant, but I hadn’t tried using eggplant in a stuffing before. I have to say, it works really well for this recipe. It adds a bit of earthiness to balance the sweet and savory flavors nicely. Each butternut squash half is pretty much a meal in itself, though of course you could always throw in a good salad if you want something extra on the side. And of course you can expand the recipe, if you have a larger group to feed. Enjoy!

Recipe and photo courtesy of 12 Tomatoes

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Quick tip: If preferred, you can use ground sausage instead of turkey or lean beef.

This Country Captain Chicken is a super-quick and easy version of an age-old Southern recipe, brought to you by way of Rachael Ray. It’s ready in just half an hour, which makes it a perfect weeknight meal for busy moms and dads!

I was scouring through one of Mother’s old cookbooks recently (you could say I’m always looking for ideas wherever I can find them, and I’m not shy about searching the old-school way), and I came across a recipe for a dish called “Country Captain Chicken.” Apparently, no one is exactly sure where and how the dish originated, though the theory is that it was introduced to Savannah, Georgia, in the 1800s by a sea captain who frequented the spice route from India. After a little searching online to see if an updated version of the recipe existed out there, I was delighted to come upon this quick and easy version here.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Food Network

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Quick tip:

A good stew can work wonders for your palate and your stomach on a cold night. This Slow Cooker Chicken Vegetable Stew has a great blend of veggies, herbs, and spices (including rosemary, thyme, and sage) to excite your taste buds and warm you up just right. It’s one of my all-time favorites that I like to cook all winter long!

Normally, when I think of stew, I think of something beef-based, but I have to say, this chicken-based stew recipe really hit the spot. It didn’t hurt, either, that it was such an easy recipe, thanks to the Crock-Pot, and the aroma while it was cooking was a feast for the senses just by itself. As-is, the recipe makes four to six servings, though I think that you could expand it without too much difficulty, provided that your slow cooker of choice has the room for it.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Jeanette’s Healthy Living

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Quick tip: Leftovers make a delicious lunch the next day!

It may not be your typical chicken alfredo recipe, but this Cajun Chicken Alfredo is delicious. It contains just the right amount of spice to wake up the flavor a bit, but the spice is nicely balanced with half and half, so that even people very sensitive to spice will have no trouble enjoying this recipe. I do love Cajun recipes of all types, but ones like these are especially good for midweek nights when you want something really quick and need to keep cleanup to a minimum. I wouldn’t call this traditional alfredo, but it is certainly a yummy one-pot meal!

I must say I hesitated for a while when I came across this recipe. I do enjoy Chicken Alfredo as much as I do cajun seasoning, but had never thought of combining the two. Turns out it was a great idea!

Recipe and photo courtesy of The Recipe Critic

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Quick tip: Use your favorite pasta noodles and cheese for this dish.

Fast-Making Meaty Deliciousness

Swedish Meatballs deliver a classic creamy and savory flavor and are really quick to make. I had some Swedish meatballs a few weeks ago at my usual tailgate spot, and I loved them so much, I just had to hunt down a recipe for them to share with you.

Fast-cooking recipes such as these are great for parties, tailgates, and midweek dinners. Just pair with your favorite pasta, and there you have it! These aren’t the Italian-style meatballs that most people are used to, but if you like savory and creamy sauces, you’ll really enjoy meatballs this way.

I think that you could practically drink this gravy. And yes, as the original recipe provider suggests, you may want to make a bit extra sauce if you are using broad egg noodles or something similar. This recipe is best if you have enough gravy that it can really soak into the pasta; that way, the savory flavor really takes hold, and you can make that great meaty taste stretch that much further.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Damn Delicious

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Quick tip: Serve with mashed potatoes.