salsa chicken

photo source: http://chefmommy-brandao.blogspot.ca/2011/03/salsa-chicken-slow-cooker.html

I found this recipe via Pinterest and was instantly intrigued.  First, it looked super yummy.  Second, it looked super easy, using ingredients I have already on hand.  And third, it was a crock pot meal.  Love.  The recipe is not at all mine.  I got it from a blog called Chef Mommy.  But I wanted to post it so that I would remember to make it again.  I altered the ingredients a teensy bit to cater to my exact items on hand as well as my general laziness, but that's it.  Mmm.  Yummy.  Give it a try, and let me know what you think.

RECIPE: Salsa Chicken

Ingredients:

1.3 lb chicken breast

1 c. salsa

1 c. sour cream

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 pkg taco seasoning

1 can black beans, drained and rinced

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a crockpot.  Stir/whisk sauce together to incorporate {I did this in the crock pot cause I'm just too lazy to dirty another bowl}.  Cover and turn the crock pot on.  Cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 6.  Serve over rice, and enjoy!

freezer salsa

I got this recipe from my sister-in-law Ashley.  Her recipe called for four times this much, making a HUGE batch.  I did the math and made it a smaller batch.  It still makes a ton.  PLENTY for our little freezer!  We made this last summer and still have a stash of salsa to enjoy.  Mmm.  PS.  This salsa tastes mild when you first make it and more like mild-medium once it's been frozen and thawed.  Pretty tasty!  Enjoy.




RECIPE: Freezer Salsa

Ingredients:
2.5 gal tomatoes
5 jalapeños, seeds removed from all but one
1.5 Tbs salt
1/2 Tbs pepper
1/4 c. white vinegar

1 1/4 c. chopped onions
1 1/4 c. chopped green bell pepper
2 Tbs (rounded) chopped garlic
6 oz tomato paste
3/4 bunch fresh cilantro, cut up

Directions: 
Add first batch of ingredients to a large pot over high heat.  Once it boils, reduce to a simmer.  Simmer 1-2 hours, stirring often so it won't burn.  Then add the second batch of ingredients, and simmer for 30 minutes.

Allow to cool a bit.  Then pour into freezer-proof storage containers.  Freeze.  When ready to eat, thaw and enjoy! Yum!

carne asada tacos

Derek and I took our kiddos to run errands (together- weird) on Saturday. Whilst on said errands, we got hungry. So we hit up our local taqueria. Dos tacos, por favor. And mmmm, they were yummy. There's just something to be said for authentic Mexican food. Since we were going shopping right after anyway, we decided to buy some stuff to try our hand at our own Carne Asada Tacos. We did a quick recipe search on Allrecipes.com (I have an app for that) and found this one. I pretty much followed it exclusively (well, I halved it - we didn't need 16 tacos), and it turned out fabulously! We only did the marinade for an hour (the smallest time frame allotted), but we stabbed the steak a ton with a fork pre-marinade, and I think that must have helped- cause it was YUM! Pretty easy and pretty spectacular. My kind of recipe.

RECIPE: Carne Asada Tacos

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb flank steak

2 Tbs + 2 tsp white vinegar

1/4 c soy sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced

juice from 1 lime

1/4 c olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 tsp ground white pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 white onion, chopped

1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro

juice from 1/2 lime

10 white corn tortillas

(opt) avocado, sliced

(opt) jalapeno slices (Mezzetta has tame ones, mmm)

Directions:

1. Lay the flank steak in a large glass baking dish. Stab relentlessly with a fork. In a medium bowl, whisk together the other ingredients (stop at paprika). Then pour the marinade mixture over the steak in the dish. Turn over once to coat both sides. Cover with plastic wrap and marinade (in the fridge) for 1-8 hours.

2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together the white onion, cilantro and lime juice. Set aside to use as a relish for the tacos.

3. Heat a (preferably cast-iron... seriously, there's nothing better) skillet over medium-high heat. Remove the meat from the marinade and put it in the hot pan. Let it brown a bit on one side then flip it over. Then reduce heat a bit and continue to cook through. Remove from heat and cover in tin foil. Set aside.

4. Wash the previously used skillet and then warm it again- on medium-high heat. Warm the tortillas for about a minute on each side. (This can also be done in the microwave but is nowhere near as yummy.)

5. Prepare your tacos- combining meat, onion/cilantro relish, and any other toppings of choice (avocado and jalapenos are yummy options). Serve warm and enjoy!

sausage, lentil, and escarole stew

I found this in a book I got from the library, "Atkins for Life: Low-Carb Cookbook." It was really tasty and fairly easy to prepare. The kids thought it was gross. But that's nothing new, as they will scream about mac-n-cheese as of late. We served it with some nummy artisan bread (so much for the low-carb... sorry Atkins). It was yum. We definitely will make this again!

Note: I did change the recipe a tad... adding more water/broth and subtracting the fresh parsley as a garnish (I thought it was a weird tasting addition, liked it better without). Besides that, the recipe is really not mine. So thanks, Atkins, for a delicious new soup to add to our repertoire!

RECIPE: Sausage, Lentil, and Escarole Stew

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 lb kielbasa sausage, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 1/2 tsp caraway seeds

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 small red onion, diced (about 1/2 c)

4 1/2 c chicken broth

1 c dried lentils, rinsed and picked over

1/2 tsp pepper

1 head escarole, rinsed well and chopped

Directions:

Heat oil in a large saucepan over med-high heat. Add kielbasa and cook, turning occasionally, until well browned, about 10 minutes.

Add garlic, caraway, and fennel to saucepan. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add chicken broth, lentils, and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until lentils are tender, 40 to 45 minutes.

Add escarole, stirring until it wilts. Serve warm.

egg burrito

This is a super simple recipe. So much that it hardly feels like a recipe at all. But I'm posting it so that I remember that simple meals can sometimes be the best ones, and because it's a low-calorie meal that is filling and delicious.

RECIPE: Egg Burrito

Ingredients:

Pam cooking spray (opt)

2 eggs

1 flour tortilla

1 tsp. mayo

Directions:

Place a small, non-stick frying pan on the stove over medium-high heat. Once hot, spray it with a bit of Pam. Quickly after that, crack your two eggs into the pan. They'll start to cook immediately. With a rubber scraper, mix the eggs around- popping the yolks and mixing them up. You're going for scrambled. Cook the eggs until they are done to your liking (no longer slimy but still moist), flipping and breaking them up when needed, and remove from heat.

Warm up your tortilla in the microwave, for only about 10 seconds. You want it pliable. Spread mayo down the center of the tortilla. Add your scrambled eggs. Roll the tortilla up into a burrito, and VOILA! An egg burrito.

Serve warm. Eat up. And enjoy!

Serves: 1

Calories: 251

tom ka gai (coconut lemongrass chicken soup)

I had this soup recently and for my first time at our local Thai restaurant, and I loved it! It was such a pleasant and unexpected combination of flavors, and it was beautiful. Mmm... I thought maybe I could duplicate it {I mean, how hard could it be? I'm cocky.} and decided to give it a try. I had planned on following a recipe but was unable to find some of the ingredients, so I tried another recipe... and again, couldn't find some of the ingredients. So I combined a few ideas and made my own {dangerous when attempting a meal you hardly know}. Luckily, it turned out super duper delicious!! I was so happy with it, and I fully intend to make it again. With that being said, here it is. So I remember.

If you try it as well, let me know how it went! Enjoy.

RECIPE: Tom Ka Gai

Ingredients:

1 deli-roasted (rotisserie) chicken, de-boned, skin removed and shredded {we only used about 3/4 of it... or about 1 1/2 lbs. of chicken}

2 c. water

3 med carrots, peeled and sliced thinly on the diagonal

1 package Shiitake mushrooms {I would probably do regular button mushrooms next time; I didn't love the texture of these}, halved

juice from 2 limes (about 1/4 c.)

1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp dried lemongrass

2 Tbsp fish sauce

1-2 in. fresh ginger-root, grated/minced

2 cans (15 oz.-ish) unsweetened coconut milk

2 stalks green onion, sliced thinly

cilantro (opt)

Directions:

Put the (already-cooked) chicken in a hot pot and let it sizzle for a minute. Add the remaining ingredients (all but the coconut milk, green onions, and cilantro) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer until carrots are crisp-tender and all is heated through. Add the coconut milk, stir well. At this point, do NOT boil; just warm. Toss in the green onion pieces. Stir. Heat on low heat until ready to serve. Top with cilantro if desired, and serve warm.

Serves: 8

Calories: 203

Garlic Naan

Please disregard the crappy photo. I took it with my phone, and it's blurry to boot. Oh, well. Still makes my mouth water. Yum! :)

The original recipe is from Allrecipes.com; I only varied it slightly. I searched for a good while to find a highly-rated, easy naan recipe, and this was it! This was my first time making naan, and I think it turned out really well! I'm generally intimidated by breads (the rising and kneading scares me), but this recipe was fairly strait forward and not too bad! The naan turned out really well. When I did it, I brushed it with butter as per recipe instructions, but if I were to do it again, I would do EVOO instead. The butter flavor just didn't seem right; I think EVOO would do much better (and result in much fewer calories). Very tasty. Try it and let me know what you think!

RECIPE: Garlic Naan

Ingredients:

2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast 1 c warm water 1/4 c white sugar 3 tbsp milk 1 egg, beaten 2 tsp. salt

3-4 c bread flour 1/4 cup butter, melted 1/2 tsp baking soda garlic powder or fresh garlic cilantro EVOO Directions: In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, or until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, baking soda, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6-8 minutes, or until smooth. Place dough in a well-oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Let it rise 1 hr, or until the dough has doubled in volume. Punch down dough, and pinch off pieces (about golf-ball sized) for individual naans. Roll into balls and place on a tray. Spray tops with Pam and cover with a damp towel. Allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes. Warm up outside grill or stove-top griddle (medium heat). Roll one ball of dough out into a thin oval. Brush top side with EVOO and add garlic (minced) or garlic powder as well as cilantro leaves. Press leaves and garlic into the dough. Then place dough (service side down) onto grill and cook for 1-2ish minutes (this happens fast; grill marks will be dark brown but bread will be white). Brush uncooked side with EVOO and flip over. Cook another minute, remove from grill, and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared. Serve warm with Indian food and enjoy! Mm..!

slow-cooker curried chicken

My friend Missy referred me to the original recipe (found here). It sounded delicious. As I was making it, I improvised a bit: turning it into a slow-cooker recipe and changing up the ingredients a bit. I came up with this. It turned out fabulously, if I do say so myself. I will definitely be making this again!

RECIPE: Slow-Cooker Curried Chicken

Serves: 6

Calories: 315*

Ingredients:

2 lbs chicken breast

1/2 c. chopped onion

1 bell pepper, diced

5 baby carrots, thinly sliced

1/3 c. butter, melted

1/3 c. honey

1/3 c. dijon mustard

5 tsp. curry powder

1 pinch cayenne pepper

S&P

(opt) fresh cilantro

Directions:

Place a couple of thin slices of the butter down in the slow-cooker first. Arrange the chicken breasts on top. Grind some salt and pepper to season the breasts. Add the chopped onion, bell pepper and carrots. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients. Pour this mixture over the chicken/veggies. Add a bit of water around the edges if you think it needs it (I did- about 1/4 c is all).

Set slow cooker to high and cook for 4-5 hrs or until chicken is cooked through.

Serve over basmati rice and top with fresh cilantro. Mmm! ;)

*Basmati rice adds another 170 calories (ish) per 1/2 c. of rice.

ranch chicken mac-n-cheese

This is seriously the easiest thing ever. I got the original recipe from the back of a Western Family Mac-n-Cheese box. It's super easy, super scrumptious, and something even my sometimes-ridiculously-picky kids will consistently eat it! How much better can you get, really? Ready in 10 minutes flat, it's a fantastic go-to meal. Try it out... and let me know what you think!

RECIPE: Ranch Chicken Mac-n-Cheese

Serves: 4

Calories: 365

Ingredients:

1 box Kraft mac-n-cheese

1 can chicken

2 tbsp ranch dressing

1 medium tomato, diced

1 tbsp fresh chives*

Directions:

Cook mac-n-cheese according to package directions (adding milk/butter, etc). Once the mac is ready, add all other ingredients. Toss together well. Serve warm, and enjoy!

*Green onions are also delicious, but I had chives in my herb garden, so I subbed those in instead. Choose what is available and/or appealing to you.

mango chutney

This can hardly be called my recipe. I snagged it off the internet by a faster-than-lightning Google search, ran to the store, bought the ingredients, whipped it up - and loved it! I changed a few things {and will post the thus-altered recipe I used}, but really credit goes to Elise via Simply Recipes {go here}. Way to go, Elise! The salsa, which for some reason we continuously called chutney, was fantastic! We served it over grilled salmon and grilled chicken breasts. Mmm... delightful.

This recipe is really versatile, so change it up however you'd like. Add more of this and less of that, whatever. It should still work. We used less jalapeño because we wanted the flavor of the chili but not the heat {this recipe is kid-friendly}. Change that up if you want it to pack more of a punch. Serve over grilled salmon or chicken, or just with your favorite tortilla chips! Relish in the ease of it all... and enjoy!

RECIPE: Mango Chutney

Ingredients:

2 ripe mangoes

1 red onion

3/4 of a jalapeño

1 cucumber

1 big handful of fresh cilantro

2 limes

Directions:

Peel, pit and dice the mangoes. Finely chop the red onion. Remove the ribs and seeds of the jalapeño, then mince it finely. Peel and dice the cucumber. Chop the cilantro. Combine all ingredients in a small-medium bowl, mixing gently. Juice the limes over the mixture. Give it another quick stir, and serve!

*Photo courtesy of simplyrecipes.com