Southwest Chicken Salad

This is another tasty dinner brought to me by a friend after I had Solomon. It tastes super fresh and the dressing was so flavorful but light. She had the veggies below on it as well as avocado and yellow bell peppers. She also seasoned the chicken with the same seasonings from the dressing for added flavor. That's what I love about taco salads like this - you can add just about whatever veggies you have around and it's still delicious.

Southwest Chicken Salad I

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 4 cups shredded romaine lettuce
• 4 cooked skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into strips
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 small red onion, sliced into rings
• 1 large tomato, chopped
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 6 ounces tortilla chips

Directions

1. In a covered jar, mix the lime juice, olive oil, salt, garlic, cilantro, chili powder, and cumin. Cover, and shake until well blended.
2. Place the lettuce in a large bowl. Toss with the chicken, black beans, onion, and tomato. Just before serving, toss with the dressing mixture and Parmesan cheese. Serve with tortilla chips, either crushed over the top of the salad, or on the side.

From here.

Julie's Pesto Pasta Salad

One of the bonuses of having a baby is that even though I don't feel like cooking, many nice people cook have cooked for me! So over the last month I've collected quite a few new and absolutely delicious recipes from my closest friends. This recipe is from my friends Susan (who got the recipe from her sweet daughter Robyn). It is some of the tasiest pesto salad I've had. Ever.


Julie's Pesto Pasta Salad
 
1 package of bow tie pasta, cooked as directions on package
3 to 4 chicken breasts, cooked on the grill and cut into pieces
purple or sweet onion (carmelized--I added just about a half Tablespoon of brown sugar to carmelize)
craisins
pesto sauce (I used about 1/2 bottle of Pesto sauce from Costco, heated with a little half and half to make it creamier)
Feta cheese (you can also use fresh parmesan or some of both)
 
Toss together and serve warm.

Coconut & Chicken Curry Soup

Coconut & Chicken Curry Soup

Adapted from a recipe by Katie Goodman

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

• olive oil
• 3 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized chunks
• 1/2 of a large onion, chopped fine
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 can (14 ounces) unsweetened coconut milk, full fat
• 2 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 jalapeño, seeded, minced
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 small green bell pepper, sliced thin
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus extra for garnish
• 1/2 cup unsweetened chipped coconut
• 2 cups freshly cooked jasmine rice (optional)

Directions:

1) Heat the olive oil in a medium sized soup pot over medium heat. Add the chicken to the oil, season lightly with salt and pepper. Sauté until cooked through and golden. Remove chicken and set aside. Sauté the onion, adding more oil if necessary, until tender.

2) Return the chicken to the pot with the onions. Add the ginger; cook for 1 minute. Add chicken broth, coconut milk, curry powder and jalapeno. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add bell pepper and cilantro and simmer an additional 3 minutes. Stir in lime juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3) Optional: Spoon rice into 4 bowls. Top with a ladle or two of soup. Garnish with additional cilantro and a sprinkling of shredded coconut. Serve.

Makes approximately 6 servings

Crispy Tacos Picadillo

crispy tacos picadillo

• FOR THE PICADILLO
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 large white onion, finely chopped (1 1/2 cups)
• 1 pound ground chuck (80 percent lean)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (1 to 2 cloves)
• 2 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped (2 3/4 cups)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder or pasilla chili powder (earthy.com)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 teaspoons white vinegar
• FOR THE TACOS
• Vegetable oil, for frying
• 20 corn tortillas
• Shredded iceberg lettuce, for serving
• Chopped white onion, for serving
• Shredded mild cheddar cheese, preferably longhorn, for serving
• Salsa Picante, for serving

DIRECTIONS

1. Make the picadillo: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, and cook until just starting to turn translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add beef, and cook, breaking up pieces with the back of a wooden spoon, until beef has browned, about 4 minutes. Spoon out excess fat so that 1 tablespoon remains. Stir in garlic, tomatoes, paprika, chili powder, oregano, salt, pepper, and cumin. Add water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer until thick and very little liquid remains, about 18 minutes. Stir in vinegar.
2. Make the tacos: Heat 1 inch oil in a heavy-bottomed, high-sided skillet until a deep-fry thermometer registers 325 degrees. Fry tortillas, one at a time, by folding in half and laying one half flat in oil while holding other half with tongs, and repeating with the other half to form a half moon shell, until golden and crisp, 1 to 2 minutes per half. Meanwhile, let finished taco shells rest on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet.
3. Spoon picadillo into each taco shell, and garnish with lettuce, onion, shredded cheese, and salsa picante.

Spinach Strawberry Salad

Some friends had us over for dinner last month and served this salad. I've eaten it at least once a week since then. Did I mention I'm not much of a salad-eater?

Spinach Strawberry Salad

1 bag of spinach, washed

1 cup strawberries, quartered

1 cup walnuts, candied* and chopped

1/2 cup feta cheese

Dressing:

2-3 T red raspberry jam (with seeds)

2 T red wine vinegar

1/3 cup walnut oil or olive oil

Blend together

* To candy nuts, simply heat a 1/2 cup sugar over medium-low heat. Stir regularly. As the sugar liquifies, stir in walnuts until coated. Remove from heat immediately. Pour covered nuts onto a cutting board to cool and chop again if necessary.

One other note: When they are in season, I like to substitute pomegranate seeds for strawberries.

Chunky Avocado Salsa

1 medium tomato

2 avocados

1 cup of sweet white corn (I get a frozen bag from Costco)

1 Bushel of green onions

1 can of black beans
, drained
Garlic Pepper (I never have this, so I leave it out)

Garlic salt w/ parsley

Tapatio Sauce



Place drained black beans and corn into a large bowl. 
Dice up the tomato and green onions and add them in the bowl.
 Season with the garlic pepper, garlic salt and tapatio sauce to taste. 
Mix everything around and then taste it to check seasoning.

 Add chopped avocado and mix it around one more time (I do the avocado last so the little diced pieces don’t get all mushy in the initial mixing process).

Harvest Butternut Squash Soup

This recipe is such a great base for honestly every squash, vegetable, or raccoon (Ellen) soup you can think of. Delicious! I have used it with pumpkin, acorn and butternut squash, and beets and it always taste great, or so I've been told. It even took third place in a chili cook off because it was so tasty. I definitely taste it as I go and I've been known to add A LOT more spices than what it originally calls for depending on my mood. Also I add fresh garlic to everything. That should just be a given. The recipe calls for pure maple syrup and although that sounds amazing I've used everything else other than that, i.e. honey, agave, brown sugar, and whatever else I have lying around. When I use a pumpkin I like to toast the seeds and garnish the soup with them as well. Here goes...

1 Butternut Squash, peeled, medium diced
1/4 C. Olive Oil
Pinch of salt & pepper
1 medium yellow onion diced
1 T. Butter
3 C. Chicken Stock
1/2 C. Heavy Whipping Cream
Pinch Nutmeg
Pinch Cloves
1 T. Curry
1/4 C. Pure Maple Syrup

In a French bowl toss butternut squash with olive oil and salt and pepper. Place squash on sheet tray and roast in the oven at 350 degrees for 10-15 min or until browned. While squash is roasting, place onion in a sauce pot with butter and sweat until translucent. Add chicken stock to sauce pot and roasted squash. Boil until squash is tender. Place in a blender and puree until smooth. Return to sauce pot, season and finish with cream. Top with roasted pepitas. Serve. (This is so easy if you have an electric hand blender. I just pour the squash in the pan and blend it right there. I have blended the squash in a blender but it is messier and takes longer. )