A Recipe Challenge

I am a member of a few sites that give me points for searching the Internet and signing up for trial services et cetera.  Every now and then, I find one that I really like.  I recently signed up for the thirty-day trial membership of the Cooking Club.  They also send me a newsletter that sometimes has a recipe.  It was within one of these newsletters that I found a recipe for Chicken Fajita Chili. 



There are a few ingredients that will require some tweaking to make it Candida-friendly (or Non-friendly, as the case may be), but it should be relatively easy if time consuming.  Here is a list of the ingredients and some of the alterations that I am planning.


8 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cubed (3/4 inch)
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 sweet onion, halved, sliced lengthwise (1/4 inch)
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 (1.12-oz.) pkg. fajita seasoning
1 (28-oz.) can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes
1 (15-oz.) can pinto beans, undrained
1 (14.5-oz.) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1 cup chopped roasted red and/or yellow bell peppers
1/3 cup chopped cilantro


Canned tomatoes are a No-no for candida sufferers because of the citric acid, so I have bought some fresh tomatoes (I will be using Roma) and I am going to roast them myself.  A friendly shopper in the produce aisle was very helpful and suggested using roasted Paprika to get the smoky flavor of fire-roasting.  This may not be recommended for those on the candida diet if the Paprika is bought in the spice aisle, but it can be home-made.  As for the  fajita seasoning, this too can be replicated in a fashion. 


This is a challenge to which I am looking forward with great anticipation.  It was suggested by one who has tried this recipe to cook the chicken thighs a day ahead of time to save prep time and to drain the fat.  As I am hoping to get this on the plate for Friday (and I will not even be available for kitchen work until after four), I will be cooking the thighs and roasting the tomatoes and peppers on Thursday afternoon.  By next Tuesday, once this has been tested in my kitchen, then cleaned, I should have the full recipe and review for you to peruse.  Hopefully, a friend will be joining us for supper on Friday and he will be able to at least taste-test it if he can pry himself away from his fried chicken TV dinner.  That is his favorite, I promise.  I do not generally intend to serve TV dinners to my guests.


Are there any new challenges in your kitchen that you are planning?  Or afraid to tackle?  How do you prepare for them?