Fresh | Chicken chili an easy warm meal for fall day

There are several sure signs that mark the beginning of fall for me: putting the flannel sheets on for the first time; firing up the gas furnace in the morning and watching the cat curl up on top with a smile on his face; and the inability to find any desire to eat salads.

Nope, when I get home -- where it is chilly until the heater gets a chance to get going -- I want something hot to fill me up and make me warm. And although I could easily eat mac and cheese every night, I try to find ways to make relativeily healthy, quick meals on the weekends and freeze a serving or two for quick dinners during the week.

Chicken chili has become one of my go-to recipes. About the time I hauled up the boxes of winter clothes to do the seasonal switch in my closet, I decided to make the frist batch of the fall. One thing I love most about this recipe is that it is hearty, quick enough to make in a one-hour dinner break, and easy to double and have lots of leftover.

Start with 2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts. For this first batch, I fancied it up with three Italian sausages, too. I cook everything whole, so the insides stay softer -- you don't want crispy bits in the chili. Occassionally, if they are cooking too fast on my terrible electric stove, I'll add some water and maybe cover them with a lid to get them to cook more evenly.

While those are cooking on the stove, chop 1/2-1/3 of an onion (depending on your taste), a jalapeno, no seeds, and 1/2-1/3 of a red bell pepper. The red bell pepper is mostly for show, a little visual pop. Put all of these, plus one or two chopped garlic cloves, into a sauce pan -- a big one, this will be your chili pot -- and cook with 1 tbsp. butter over medium heat. Cook all of this until the onions are translucent, then take it off the heat.

Once the meats are done, cut the sausage and cut or shred the chicken and put both of those into the sauce pan with your vegetables. Add two cans of white northern beans, water and all, and put pan back on stove over medium heat. Add ground cumin, chili powder, salt and oregano to taste.

While all of that is simmering and the flavors are coming together, chop some cilantro and green onions and get out your sour cream. Also, in a small bowl, whisk together about 1 tbsp. flour and 1/2 cup of water.

When everything is bubbling and warm, pour the flour-water into the mix and stir until the sauce is thickened up, which should only take a moment. Then spoon into bowls, top with the sour cream, onions and cilantro and enjoy.

This recipe makes about 3-4 meals for me -- great for a couple days, then a small batch in the freezer for the following week. If you're watching calories, just omit the sausage and you've got a protein rich meal full of lean meat and legumes. And if you want your dinner to cozy up to the comfort-food side of the scale, add a handful of cheese on top.

* Fresh is a photo/food column by Yakima Herald-Republic photographer Sara Gettys.