Chicken Fiesta Salad

4 cups torn lettuce

1/2 c shredded Pepper Jack cheese (2 oz)

1 c black beans, drained & rinsed (or garbanzo or pinto beans)

1 1/2 c chopped cooked chicken (8 oz)

2 small tomatoes, cut into thin wedges

1 c jicama (4 oz), cut into bite-size strips, or 1 c shredded carrot

1/2 c sliced olives

1 recipe Chile Dressing (see below)

Tortilla chips

Place the lettuce in the bottom of a 2-quart clear salad bowl. Layer ingredients in the following order: cheese, beans, chicken, tomato, jicama and olives. Spread Chile Dressing evenly over salad, sealing to edge of bowl. Cover salad tightly with plastic wrap. Chill 4-24 hours. To serve, toss lightly to coat evenly. Top with tortilla chips.

Chile Dressing: In a small bowl stir together 1/2 c mayonnaise, one 4 oz can chopped, undrained green chile peppers, 1 1/2 t chili powder and 1 clove garlic, minced.

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I had this salad at a Relief Society activity and it was so good! I made it for dinner tonight--it's chilling in the fridge now. Hopefully the kids will eat it... It's a perfect summer meal.

Coconut Rice

Credit: ourbestbites

2 c. white or Jasmine rice

1 can coconut milk
2 c. water
1 tsp. Kosher salt
Splash of white vinegar (optional, but it helps with the texture)
2-3 tsp. white sugar
Black pepper to taste

Combine rice, coconut milk, water, salt, vinegar, and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil Turn heat to low and cover for 20 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Allow to stand 5 minutes. Add black pepper (if desired), and additional salt if necessary.
 
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We ate this with THIS chicken, and it was soooo good!!  The recipe makes a ton, so we will half it next time for our little family.  The flavor is great, it would be good with any sort of asian meat dish.

Cowboy Taquitos

credit: ourbestbites.com

1 cup white rice, cooked
1 small tomato, diced
1 cup black beans
3/4 cup frozen sweet corn
1 cup diced, cooked chicken
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
BBQ sauce

Combine ingredients in a bowl.  Add bbq sauce to make desired saucy consistency.  Place spoonful of mixture onto a tortilla.  Add extra cheese.  Roll up tightly, tucking ends in.  Repeat with remaining tortillas.  Brush with butter.  Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.  Move to top rack and broil until tops are brown, watching carefully to avoid burning.

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These are SO good!  Really easy to throw together too, we will be eating these a lot this summer!!

Snickerdoodle Muffins

Credit: fortheloveofcooking.blogspot.com

3/4 cup of sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 cup of flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1/4 cup of vegetable oil
3/4 cup of milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3 tbsp sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a muffin tin with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, beat together the sugar and egg until creamy. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Pour dry mixture into the egg mixture and stir to combine. Add vegetable oil, milk, and vanilla, stirring until just combined.

Fill muffin tin (I got 11 muffins).  Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes clean, about 15-18 minutes. Let cool for 3-5 minutes, then remove muffins from tin. In a small bowl, combine 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 3 tablespoons of sugar. While the muffins are still warm, roll each one in the mixture, coating all sides with the cinnamon sugar.


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Yum!  These are called Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffins, but I think we will re-name these "Snickerdoodle Muffins"!!  They were quick and easy to make, and I know we will be eating a lot of these from now on!  (And my oven didn't ruin them, shocking!!)

Vegetable White Bean Orzo Soup

Vegetable, White Bean, and Orzo Soup:


Recipe from For the Love of Cooking.net

1-2 tsp of olive oil
1/2 sweet yellow onion, diced
3 carrots, diced
3 stalks of celery, diced
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried oregano
2 cloves of garlic, minced
6 cups of chicken broth
1 15 oz can of diced tomatoes, drained
1 15 oz can of cannellini beans, drained
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
1 cup orzo pasta
1 cup of zucchini, diced
1 cup of yellow squash, diced
2 cups of baby spinach

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, dried basil, and oregano. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5-6 minutes; add the minced garlic and cook for one more minute, stirring constantly. Add the broth, tomatoes, beans, and sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste then cover with a lid and cook for 30-40 minutes, or until the veggies are tender. Add orzo and cook for 8 minutes then add the zucchini, yellow squash, and spinach. Taste and re-season if needed. Cook for 2 minutes then ladle into bowls.
 
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Yum!  This was excellent!!  Loaded with healthy veggies and beans.  The orzo made it nice and hearty too.  We ate it with flaky buttermilk biscuits for a great Sunday evening meal.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Soup:

8 cups chicken broth
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 onion diced
1-2 cloves of garlic diced finely
1 1/2 cups of carrots diced
3 stalks of celery diced
2 tsp good chicken bouillon
1 bay leaf
Sea Salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste
1/2 tsp dried thyme or basil
1 1/2 cup cooked chicken diced

Sauté onions in olive oil until soft, about 3-4 minutes. Add garlic & cook for 30 seconds. Add broth & the remainder of ingredients. Cook over medium low heat for 1-2 hours.

Noodles:
2 cups of flour
3/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1/4 to 1/3 cup of milk

In mixing bowl combine flour, salt, egg and milk. Mix until you produce a slightly sticky ball of dough. Flour the counter and roll out dough to 1/8 inch thickness. You want them very thin because they thicken when cooked. Cut noodles (I use a pizza cutter) to desired size and place on wax paper. Let the noodles dry out on the counter for at least 1 hour before adding them to the soup.

About 30 minutes before serving soup, drop noodles in and cook. Enjoy.


Recipe from: fortheloveofcooking.blogspot.com

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WOW, this soup was sooo good!  I was nervous about making my own noodles, but they were SO easy.  Next time I will add even more veggies. 

Ramen Chicken Cabbage Salad

Dressing:
2 TB sugar
3 TB white wine vinegar
1/2 cup oil
s&p
Seasoning packet from chicken top ramen

Combine dressing and set aside.

1 bag cole slaw mix
1 cup diced, cooked chicken
1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds
Ramen noodle packet, noodles smashed
Green onions

Combine all ingredients, cover with dressing.  YUM!  I make this weekly and just snack on it.  It goes fast around here!

Sloppy Joes

1 lb hamburger
1 small onion, minced
1/2 green pepper, minced
2-3 tsp garlic, minced

Saute together until hamburger is browned.  Add seasoned salt to taste.

Pour into a small crockpot and add:
3/4 c ketchup
1 tsp mustard
3 TB brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp red wine vinegar
3/4 tsp worchestershire sauce
3 TB tomato paste
1/2 cup water, more or less to desired consistency
Black pepper to taste

Combine well and cook on low for 3-4 hours.  Serve on whole wheat buns with cheddar.

You can also make this on the stove, just simmer for about 30 minutes.
(Recipe from ourbestbites.com)

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Wow, I'm never making sloppy joes from a packet again!  This was SO easy, and I thought it tasted much better!

Alfredo Sauce

2 C low-fat milk
1/3 C (3 oz) low fat cream cheese
2 T flour
1 t salt
1 T butter
3 garlic cloves
1 C grated Parmesan cheese

Combine the milk, cream cheese, flour and salt in a blender and process until smooth and set aside.

In a nonstick sauce pan, melt butter and add garlic. Saute the garlic for about 30 seconds. Add the milk mixture to the pan. Stir constantly for about 3-4 minutes or until it just comes to a simmer. Keep stirring and let it cook for a few minutes more. It should be much thicker now.

When it's nice and thickened, remove the pan from the heat. Add the cheese, stir it up and cover immediately. Let stand for atleast 10 minutes before using. Sauce will continue to thicken upon standing.

If you have leftovers in the fridge, the sauce will thicken almost into a solid. Just re-heat and add a little milk and it will be back to normal again.

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Yum. That's about all I can say. This was simple, delicious and my older children devoured it. You could use this as a pasta sauce, pizza sauce, dipping sauce, or mixed with pesto or marinara sauce for a creamy sauce. Enjoy! (credit ourbestbites.com)

Asian Noodle Salad

Recipe from HERE.

Dressing:

1/2 cup of seasoned rice vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sesame oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp sugar

Combine all ingredients thoroughly. Let sit for at least 1 hour to let the flavors combine.

Salad:

1 handful of cilantro leaves, chopped
1 handful of basil leaves, chopped
2 green onions, diced finely
1/2 red bell pepper, julienned
1/2 yellow bell pepper, julienned
1 cup of shredded carrots
1/2 cup of toasted peanuts
1/2 lb spaghetti noodles, cooked per instructions

Prepare all the vegetables, set aside. Once the spaghetti has cooked per instructions, rinse with cold water and drain. Once the noodles are cool, add the vegetables and peanuts. Mix the dressing again thoroughly then add to the noodles and vegetables. Stir until well combined and serve. Enjoy.


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Wow, this salad is so good!  I made a big batch and will be snacking on it nonstop!  Next time I will double the veggies and try whole wheat pasta.  Might try cucumber and broccoli florets in there as well.  I omit the cilantro, personal preference.  Be sure to check out the link I posted at the top, the recipe author posts amazing photographs!  Her blog is my new favorite, so be sure to go take a look!  I'll definitely be trying a lot more of her recipes and adding them on here.