Cilantro Lime Chicken Wraps

I saw this recipe on Life as We Know It, and she found it, where else but, on Pinterest!




In a slow cooker, mix together:

• One 24-ounce jar medium or mild salsa
• Juice from one lime
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• One 1.25-oz. package taco seasoning
• 2 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped (optional)
• Add 4-6 thawed chicken breasts, cover with salsa mixture, and cook for 6 hours on low, or 4 hours on high.

You can eat the chicken plain served with tortilla strips and sour cream, but I chose to do it a little differently.  I served the chicken on tortillas (I like to fry mine for about 10 seconds a side each in a lightly sprayed fry pan on medium)  Add toppings like sour cream, shredded cheese and lettuce.
Top with sour cream/crushed tortilla chips to garnish.

My Happy Meals: Frozen Fruit Smoothie

I love smoothies.  Freaking love them.  But I've never been able to create one I like at home as much as when I buy one.  Until now.  You should know I don't like yogurt based smoothies.  I'm and ice and fruit kind of gal.  If you share my affinity for ice and fruit smoothies, check this one out!

Ingredients:
3 Cups of your favorite frozen fruit- I use a Dole blend of strawberries, pineapple, mango & peaches
3/4 C Orange/Mango/Peach Juice- it's by Dole by the regular orange juice
1/2 C Water
1 Ripe Banana

Blend all the ingredients in a blender until you reach a smooth consistency.  If you like it sweeter, use more juice, or less sweet, use more water.


Yield: 2 Smoothies

Chopped Autumn Salad

You know when you find a recipe, and you think "Oh my goodness, I'm making this every night!"? Yeah, that happened tonight. I won't actually be making it every night, but it most certainly will be making it's way into our regular rotation.

Little story before we get to the recipe though, you can skip it if you don't like reading. I don't mind. Something really weird happened with this recipe/website. When I meal planned on Friday, it included chicken. But today, when I went to make it, gasp, no chicken. My dinner went from a main dish to a side dish, poof! :/ Oops. But no fear! I just sauteed a chicken breast seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic, sliced it and laid it on top. We'll call that a main course. Delish! (I'm still trying to figure out how I thought there was chicken in this salad...)

Ingredients
*6 to 8 cups chopped romaine lettuce
*2 medium pears, chopped
*1 cup dried cranberries
*1 cup chopped pecans
*8 slices thick-cut bacon, crisp-cooked and crumbled
*4 to 6 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
*Poppy seed Salad Dressing (I like T. Marzetti)
*Balsamic Vinaigrette (I like Newman's Own Light Balsamic Vinaigrette)

Instructions
*On a large platter, combine the lettuce, pears, cranberries, pecans, bacon and feta cheese. Drizzle generously with poppy seed dressing, followed by some of the balsamic vinaigrette. (I would estimate that I used about a cup of dressing: 70 percent poppy seed dressing and 30 percent balsamic vinaigrette) If you prefer your salad to have more dressing, feel free to experiment with the combination.

*I did not edit any of the recipe write up from the original source, however, I agree with all that she said. The only difference was that I only needed about 3/4 cup of dressing- 1/4 balsamic and 1/2 poppy seed. I also swapped dried cherries and walnuts in, just because that's what we usually use and had on hand. The chicken was most certainly a welcome addition, but it's delicious either way. I used 8 cups of romaine, and there was enough for 4 entree sized salads.

Fresh Roasted Salsa

You know when you figure something out that is ridiculously easy, or just kind of a no-brainer and you question your own intelligence? Enter homemade salsa.

I got the basic recipe from a fellow January Mom, but tweaked it just a bit from my own experience.

Need:

• 7-8 tomatoes- I use on the vine, Roma would work too
• 2 Jalapenos
• 1/2 Onion- I use one small
• 2 Tbsp of cilantro- use 1 Tbsp if you aren't a huge fan
• 1 Tbsp of salt- use a little less if you aren't a salt fan, but that's a weird thing not to like...
• 1/2 tsp Cumin
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• Juice of 1 lime (roll the lime on the counter a bit before cutting to loosen up the juices)
  

Do:
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the tomatoes, jalapenos and onion in half. If you want a spicier salsa, leave a good portion of the jalapeno insides alone, if you want it milder, pull the seeds and rib meat out. I do a happy medium there. Prep a baking sheet with a little olive oil. Place your veggies, cut side down, on the baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes.

Let the veggies cool a bit, then put the jalapeno and onion in a food processor. Pulse a few times. For a watery style salsa, add the tomatoes and pulse a few more times. For a heartier salsa, press down on the tomato pieces to drain some of the liquid out, then place them in the processor and pulse a few more times.

Mix together the lime juice, cumin, garlic, salt and cilantro. Pour over the veggies, and pulse a few more times to mix. Yields about 3 cups of deliciousness.

Tropical Salsa Topped Coconut Crusted Mahi Mahi

We bought some flash frozen Mahi Mahi at the market last week, and I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it. When we were in Hawaii, I had coconut crusted Mahi Mahi and it came with a side of tropical salsa. Dinner? Check.

This was really light and refreshing. I drizzled some of the liquid from the salsa over the fish. Perfection! For the fish, I based it off this recipe with a few minor changes.

Ingredients

12 oz Mahi Mahi
1 cup finely chopped coconut
2 eggs
.5 cup whole wheat flour
Salt, Pepper, Cayeen Pepper (To taste)

Directions

Preheat Oven to 375
Spray a baking Sheet with Pam
Cut Mahi Mahi into 4 equal serving pieces (3 oz. each)
In a bowl or plastic bag, Mix Flour, salt and both peppers until evenly blended.
In bowl, lightly mix 2 eggs
Place chopped Coconut on a paper plate
Dredge fish in flour mixture to cover.
Dip Fish in Egg and then the coconut to cover (may need to press down a bit)
Place on Baking Sheet and spry tops lightly with more PAM. Bake until fish flakes easily with a fork and coc0nut is golden

*I pan fried the filets in about 1 tbsp canola oil for 60 seconds a side first, then put the whole pan in the oven for 8 minutes.


For the Tropical Salsa, I used this recipe. Just mix the following ingredients.

Ingredients

• 1/4 of a fresh pineapple, peeled, cored, and chopped
• 1 mango, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 onion, chopped fine
• 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped fine
• 1/2 orange bell pepper, chopped fine
• 1 large jalapeno, seeded, deveined, and minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tomato, chopped
• 2 limes, juiced
• 3/4 cup minced cilantro leaves
• 1 tablespoon salt (I cut this in half)
  

Zucchini Salad

I was a little apprehensive about zucchini. I've never really been a fan unless it's in zucchini bread, and we all know that bread's flavor has nothing to do with the zucchini. But the tag line under the photo is "not a fan of raw zucchini? This salad....is sure to make you a convert." Done. Let's give it a try.

1 medium zucchini, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (3 oz)
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp small dill sprigs
Lemon zest, plus 1 tbsp +1 tsp fresh lemon juice
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Toss together zucchini, cheese, oil, dill and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with lemon zest.
Source: Martha Stewart Living August 2011

Turkey-Corn Salad with Pan Dripping Dressing

So here is where you need the pan drippings from the previously posted turkey breast. This was also in the Martha Stewart Living August edition. This is a seriously light and healthy salad. So much so that I really should have had some bread with it. But if you are on a diet, by all means, scarf down a huge portion of this, because you can't go wrong!

1-2 cups shredded or sliced turkey from Roast Turkey Breast
1.5 cups corn kernels (3-4 ears) *We grill ours in tin foil on medium for 20 minutes, turning every 5 minutes
1 tomato, chopped and drained
1 small jalapeno chile, thinly sliced
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
2 tbsp fresh lime juice (2 limes)
1 small head Bibb lettuce, torn into pieces
3 tbsp fresh cilantro

1. Toss turkey with corn, tomato, jalapeno and onion.
2. Whisk together reserved pan drippings and lime juice. Drizzle dressing over salad; toss to coat. Toss in lettuce and cilantro.

The Perfect Roast Turkey Breast

I don't make turkey nearly as much as I should. Finding this recipe in Martha Stewart Living will definitely change that. It calls for a whole turkey breast, skin on, bone in, but my meat market only had 5-6lb birds, so I bought half of one. It was perfect. We ate it sliced the first night and made it into a salad the next, recipe to follow!

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1.5 tsp coarse salt
1 tsp freshly ground white pepper (I used black)
1 bone in, skin on turkey breast (about 2.5 lbs)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Stir together oil, salt and pepper; brush over turkey.

Roast turkey on a rimmed baking sheet until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reaches 140 degrees and climbing, about 30 minutes. Let rest at least 15 minutes. Slice turkey as needed. (Reserve pan drippings for gravy, or my next recipe)

*I roasted my turkey for about 35 minutes and it climbed nicely to 160 degrees in 15 minutes.

Grilled Chicken Fajitas

I feel like a broken record, but if you are looking for a tried and true recipe...for anything, check Annie's blog. I haven't been disappointed yet. These fajitas have inspired me to try and grow peppers, cilantro and onions in the garden so we make these a very regular dish in our house!

Ingredients:
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
6 tbsp. vegetable oil, divided
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1½ tsp. brown sugar
1 jalapeño, seeded, ribbed and diced (I omitted as I'm trying to avoid spicy food right now)
1½ tbsp. minced fresh cilantro
1 tsp. salt
¾ tsp. pepper
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, butterflied (6 halves total), about 1½ lbs.
1 large red onion (about 14 oz.), sliced into ½-inch thick slices, rings not separated
2 large bell peppers (about 10 oz. each), stemmed, quartered and seeded
8-12 (6-inch) flour tortillas

Directions:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the lime juice, 4 tablespoons of the vegetable oil, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, jalapeño, cilantro, salt and pepper. Reserve ¼ cup of the marinade; set aside. Place the chicken breast halves in the marinade, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Brush both sides of the onion rounds and peppers with the remaining 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, using a large chimney starter, ignite 6 quarts of charcoal briquettes and burn until the coals are fully ignited, about 20 minutes. Empty the coals into the grill, spreading them in a single layer. Place an additional 20 unlit coals over the lit coals on one side of the grill to create a tw0-level fire. Place the grill grate over the coals and allow to heat for 5 minutes. Scrape the grate clean with a grill brush. (For a gas grill, light all burners to high, cover and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave one burner on high and turn the rest down to medium.)

Remove the chicken breast halves from the marinade and transfer to the hotter side of the grill; discard the left over marinade. Place the onion rounds and peppers on the cooler side of the grill. Cook the chicken until it is well browned, 3-4 minutes. Using tongs, flip the chicken and continue grilling until it is no longer pink inside (or an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads 160˚ F.) Meanwhile, cook onions and peppers until spottily charred and crisp-tender, about 8-12 minutes, turning once or twice as needed. When the chicken and vegetables are done, transfer them to a large plate and tent with foil to keep warm.

In 2 or 3 batches, transfer the tortillas in a single layer to the now empty grill on the cooler side. Cook until warm and lightly browned, about 20 seconds per side. When the tortillas are done, wrap them in a clean kitchen towel or foil.

Separate the onions into rings and place them in a medium bowl. Slice the bell peppers lengthwise into ¼-inch strips and add them to the bowl with the onions. Add 2 tablespoons of the reserved unused marinade and toss well to combine. Slice the chicken into ¼-inch strips and toss with the remaining 2 tablespoons of reserved marinade in another bowl. Arrange the chicken and vegetables on a large platter with the warmed tortillas and serve.

Source: adapted from The Way the Cookie Crumbles, originally from Cook’s Illustrated

Beef Rolls with Spring Salad

I had, oh, about 12 magazines I hadn't even touched. So this past Saturday was a fun game of catch up. I got through about 3 of them. I'm actually going to be reading the magazine while the month that's on the spine is the same that is on today's calendar. Anywaaaaay, Everyday Food had a really delicious looking dinner that not only was quick but healthy! We are trying to focus more on what we eat, so this was really appealing to us. I can't wait to make this in the summer! It's the perfect light dish for eating outside.

I modified it just a touch from the magazine- mostly the amounts of things.

Ingredients:

• 1 pepper (I used 1/2 of a red and 1/2 of an orange)
• 1 small onion
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 3/4 c water
• 3/4 pound braciola beef (I used just a thinly sliced sirloin tip and pounded it a bit thinner)- cut into 4 equal pieces
• 2 ounces pepper Jack cheese
• 7 ounces spring lettuce mix
• 1 1/2 tsp sherry vinegar (I used balsamic vinegar)

1. In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp oil over medium-high. Add onions and peppers; cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, about 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add 3/4 c water; cover and simmer 3 minutes. Uncover and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft and liquid has evaporated, 2 minutes.

2. Pat meat dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Place cheese and onion-pepper mixture in center of beef pieces. Beginning with narrow end of meat, roll filling up tightly. Carefully flip meat seam side up and secure with toothpicks.

3. In the same skillet as in step 1, heat to medium high. Place meat rolls, seam side down, in skillet and cook, turning occasionally, until beef browns and cheese melts, about 8 minutes. Reduce heat is beef is browning too quickly. Transfer beef rolls to a plate.

4. Toss lettuce with vinegar and 1 tsp oil; season with salt and pepper. Remove toothpicks from beef rolls; serve with salad.

Enjoy!

Pasta with Roasted Tomato Sauce

I wanted something light and easy for tonight since I was dining alone. This recipe in the new Everyday Food magazine caught my eye the other day, and seeing as I could use up some goodies from the garden, it was an easy pick tonight. It was just what I needed. Nice flavor, light and quick! (Granted...that doesn't include the time for roasting tomatoes, but since I didn't have to tend to them while they roasted, I didn't count it towards the actual time)

So...step 1: Cut 10 plum tomatoes in half and lay cut side up on an edged cooking pan. Sprinkle with sugar and roast in the oven for 1 hour at 350 degrees. (I used my toaster oven)

Ingredients:
coarse salt and ground pepper
10 roasted tomato halves, roughly chopped
1/2 c evoo
3 tbsp capers (optional)
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
3/4 lb spaghetti
handful fresh basil leaves, to taste

Set a large pot of salted water to boil. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine tomatoes, oil, capers (if using), and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper. Cook pasta until al dente. Drain pasta and return to pot; toss with tomato mixture. Serve pasta topped with basil.

Feta & Olive Stuffed Mediterranean Chicken

A few weeks ago, I had to make a deliver some wedding goods to my friend Tricia. I couldn't go empty handed, so of course I brought the most wonderful strawberry rhubarb pie. And as a trade for wedding goods and pie, I was fortunate enough to experience a delightful chicken dinner. I requested the recipe on the spot, but it wasn't until Tricia started her own blog that I decided to give it a go. It was as great as I remembered. Carl loved it. It will become a regular.

I am copying Tricia's exact recipe notes as they are very helpful...and funny.

the goods:

3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (the bigger the better)
2 oz. crumbled feta (i just buy a small tub)
1 small can of chopped black olives (do not drain)
1 c. fresh salsa (i like to use Chuck and Daves)
1 bag (5 oz.) of baby spinach
1 large lemon
extra virgin olive oil
black pepper

here's what you do:

PREHEAT OVEN to 375F

1. combine can of chopped olives and crumbled feta together in a bowl. drizzle in OO until a paste is made. set aside.

2. after you clean and trim the chicken of excess fat, cut a pocket in the side of the breast. make sure you dont cut all the way through.

**dont panic if you do cut all the way through- it will be ok.

3. stuff as much feta-olive mix in the pocket of each breast of chicken as you can, season with pepper and salt. set the left over feta-olive mix aside.

4. in a large skillet, heat 2 TBS. of OO on med-high heat. brown both sides of the chicken until golden brown (RS says this should take 2min).

**again- do not panic if some of the feta-olive mix falls out of the breasts- if you made the mistake of cutting through the breast- just be careful when turning and transfering.

5. when chicken is just starting to brown, transfer into a baking dish. (i use a glass 9*13). drizzle with OO and top with the remaining feta-olive mix. bake for 15-18min until cooked through.

6. when chicken is about 2min from being done. heat the salsa on the stove until hot, then remove from heat.

7. top chicken with slices of lemon (this really makes the meal in my opinion) alongside the salsa-topped spinach.

* I however did not do the spinach and salsa portion- I just had a side of fresh homegrown steamed green beans and baked potatoes. DELISH!!

Chicken Penne Al Fresco

I had full intentions of making a completely different pasta dish tonight, but after I hit my third strike with the ingredient list, it was out. I decided to just go with the trusty allrecipes.com and found this one. I wasn't expecting much and boy was I surprised. What a great, light, easy pasta dish! I HIGHLY recommend you try this! I kind of cut the recipe in half...my notes are below.
INGREDIENTS

* 1 teaspoon olive oil
* 4 cloves garlic, sliced (2 cloves)
* 2 cups cherry tomatoes (1 medium tomato, chopped)
* 3 cups penne pasta (1 cup)
* 3 3/4 cups chicken broth (1 can, about 1 3/4c)
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
* 1 1/4 cups fresh basil leaves, (1/2 tsp dried +5 small fresh leaves)
* 2 cups diced cooked chicken (1 x-large breast cooked in olive oil)
* 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (I probably used even more than that)


1. Coat a microwave-safe casserole dish with olive oil; stir in the garlic and tomatoes. Cover and microwave on High until tomatoes begin to burst, 4 to 5 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes. Remove garlic and tomato mixture from the microwave and crush the remaining tomatoes with a fork. Stir in pasta, chicken broth, salt, and pepper.
2. Cover and return to microwave. Cook on High until pasta is tender, 16 to 18 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes. Remove pasta from the microwave, then stir in the basil, chicken, and Parmesan cheese.

*1st cook time only took about 3 minutes for me. Second cook time took about 13.

Chicken Creole

One of my favorite go to recipes is this Chicken Cacciatore. The things I like most about it is that it's healthy, comes together quickly, I almost always have all the ingredients on hand and it's really TASTY! So, when I saw this recipe on Wine a Bit...You'll Feel Better I knew I had to make it! It is really similar to the Cacciatore, but it has a kick to it. The flavor is wonderful. As Carl said, it was "spicy, but then not spicy." It really was a great blend! This meal will definitely make our regular rotation.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into one-inch strips (I used 1 lb)
14 oz. can tomatoes, cut up (I used a can of diced tomaotoes)
1 cup chili sauce (I used 3/4 c)
1 large green pepper, chopped up (1/2 large green pepper)
1/2 cup chopped celery (omitted- I didn't have any)
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil OR 1 tsp dried basil
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley OR 1 tsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (I used 1/2 tsp)
1/4 tsp salt
Non-stick spray coating
Brown rice OR whole wheat pasta (Tisk tisk, I used white rice)

Directions:
1. Spray deep skilet with non-stick spray coating. Preheat pan over high heat. Cook chicken in hot skillet until no longer pink.
2. Reduce heat. Add tomatoes AND THEIR JUICE, chili sauce, green pepper, celery, onion, garlic, herbs and salt. Bring to boiling; reduce heat and simmer covered for 10 minutes. Serve over hot, cooked brown rice or whole wheat pasta.

Chicken Caesar Salad Wraps

YUM. What a great sandwich to mix up your everyday boring lunch. It was even satisfying enough to have for dinner. And then to top it off, it's a healthy option- score! I'd HIGHLY recommend you try this and soon. It made enough for about 6 wraps. We each had two, and then I served strawberries and grapes with it. This recipe is again courtesy of the Pampered Chef recipe books.

Ingredients:
2 boneless chicken breast halves (I used one large chicken breast- it was plenty)
olive oil
2 garlic cloves
1/4 c red onion (My red onion was no good...I used white)
1/4 c kalamata olives
1/4 c red bell pepper
1 ounce parmesan cheese (It's cheese, therefore I doubled it)
4 cups romaine
3/4 c seasoned croutons
1/2 c caesar dressing
6 8-inch flour tortillas

Directions:

1. Lightly coat chicken with olive oil and then rub in the garlic. Cook the chicken in a saute pan over medium heat for 15-20 minutes or until no longer pink, turning once. Remove chicken from pan, allow to cool, and then cut into 1/4 inch strips. Place chicken in a medium bowl (preferably with a lid)

2. Chop onion, olives, red pepper, and lettuce. Grate your parmesan cheese, and crunch down the croutons to your desired size. Put all the ingredients in with the chicken and pour the dressing over it. Put the lid on and toss to coat it.

3. For each wrap, place about 3/4 cup of the chicken mixture on tortilla. Roll up the tortilla tightly and repeat with the rest of the mixture. Cut each wrap in half diagonally. ENJOY!