Southwest Pasta Salad

This is a fun change from the normal pasta salad.  We like to have it as a side dish with hamburgers or with a Mexican flavored chicken (either marinated or with a seasoning).  If we just have the pasta I cook up some chicken chunks to add to the pasta.

Southwest Pasta Salad
Recipe by Our Best Bites

1/2 lb bowtie pasta
1 14 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 Roma tomatoes,  diced or about 3/4 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1 large red, yellow, or orange bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup sliced green onions (I always forget this so I usually end up using normal onions)
1/2 cup fresh corn (or frozen corn)
zest from limes
optional: 8oz diced cooked chicken
1/2 cup Queso Fresco or Cotija Cheese  (or you could sub grated jack, cheddar, or perpperjack)

Dressing:
6 TBS fresh lime juice (about 3 juicy limes)
1/4 C white wine or rice vinegar
4-5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp kosher or sea salt
2 tsp sugar (add a touch more if your limes are extra sour/bitter)
3/4 C canola oil
1/2 C roughly chopped cilantro

To prepare dressing boil pasta in salted water until cooked.  While it's cooking, prepare dressing.

First, zest your limes and place the zest in a large salad bowl.

Place the lime juice, vinegar, garlic, chili powder, cumin, coriander, salt and sugar in a blender.  (Basically everything except the cilantro and oil).  Process until smooth.  With the motor running slowly, add the oil in a steady stream until incorporated.   Add the cilantro and pulse so it gets broken up, but some pieces still remain in tact.

When pasta is done cooking, drain and rinse immediately with cold water to cool.  Place the pasta in the large salad bowl with the lime zest.  Add black beans, tomatoes, diced pepper, green onions, corn (no need to thaw the corn), and chicken if desired.  Toss with dressing.  Taste, and add additional salt and pepper to taste.  For best results, chill for 1 hour before serving.  Right before serving, sprinkle cheese on top.  Serve with extra lime wedges if desired.

Makes about 4-6 dinner sized servings or 10-12 servings.

Chinese Chicken Salad

Mike introduced this to me when we first got married.  I think it is a recipe his family made when he was growing up.  We really like it!

Chinese Chicken Salad

3 chicken breasts, cooked
fresh ginger root (to taste, chopped into tiny pieces--ginger root can be strong if not small pieces)
1 heat iceberg lettuce, torn or shredded
1 bunch green onions, chopped
slivered almonds
1/4 c. sesame seeds
Chinese noodles (uncooked)

Dressing:
4 Tbs sugar
4 tbs spice wine vinegar (any vinegar will work here but we usually use Apple Cider vinegar)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup oil (I always use the 1/2 cup and then always think it is too much when we eat it so you could probably put in less oil...try it and see what you like)

Shred cooked chicken.  Pour a mixture of soy sauce and sugar on chicken (Make mixture to personal taste).  Soak this mixture together while you add all other ingredients together.  Put chicken with soy and sugar mixture into lettuce mixture.  Either serve dressing as a side or toss salad with dressing just before serving.

Becky's Chicken Salad

Becky's Chicken Salad

I think I got this recipe from my sister Chelsey (don't know where she got it from...).  It's good.  We like to eat this on a roll as a sandwich.

2 1/2 c. cooked, diced chicken
1 c. chopped celery
1 c. sliced seedless grapes
1/2 c. sliced almonds
2 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp. salt
1 c. Mayo
3/4 c. heavy whipping cream

Crispy Buffalo Chicken

We are a fan of pretty much any buffalo chicken.  We really enjoyed this.  The only thing negative we had was that it was a bit too salty for us, which is weird because Mike never complains when I add salt to something.  Next time I'll have to put less salt in it and then it will be perfect.  Recipe came from here

Crispy Buffalo Chicken

(serves 4)

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast tenderloins

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 egg beaten with 2 TBSP hot sauce

2/3 cup dried bread crumbs

2 TBSP steak seasoning (or any all-purpose blend of pepper and salt)

3-4 TBSP oil ( I used olive)

1/2-3/4 cup hot sauce (I use Frank’s Red Hot or Texas Pete)

Preheat your oven to 400°.  Begin heating 1.5 TBSP of the oil in a large frying pan set over medium-high heat. Line up three separate bowls and fill them in this order- first with the flour, second with the egg mixture, and third with the bread crumbs combined with steak seasoning.

Begin by dredging each tenderloin first in the flour (you only need a light dusting- shake off excess), then dip into the egg bath, then dredge in the bread crumb mixture-pressing to coat the tenderloin well. Place each prepared tenderloin on a large plate.

Place half of the chicken tenderloins in the hot, oiled pan all at the same time, spacing them evenly. You don’t want to overcrowd your pan. Cook for about 4 minutes, without moving them, so that they develop a nice crispy crust on one side.

Flip and cook for an additional 3 minutes.

Place the chicken on a wire rack set atop a roasting pan. Place in the oven and cook at 400 for about 5-7 minutes, just so that the chicken can cook through.

When the chicken tenders are cooked through, remove them from the oven and fill a shallow bowl with the hot sauce. Dip each tender into the hot sauce, just to quickly coat. Set the pieces back on the wire rack until you’re done coating all the chicken. Serve with blue cheese dressing and crunchy celery sticks.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

This recipe came from my favorite cooking blog and didn't disappoint.  The boys all enjoyed this as well.  

Sweet and Sour Chicken

adapted from: Mels Kitchen Cafe

Chicken Breading:
3-5 chicken breast
salt and pepper
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup canola oil

Rinse chicken, trim off fat or extras and then cut into 1 inch cubes. season with salt and pepper. Dip chicken into cornstarch and coat all the way and then into eggs. Heat oil in large skillet. Cook chicken until browned. Place in baking dish. 3 chicken breasts can be in a 9x9 but 5 chicken breasts fits better in a 9x13.

Sauce:
3/4 cups sugar
4 Tablespoons ketchup

1/2 cup white distilled vinegar

1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt

Whisk until smooth. Then pour evenly over chicken. Turn chicken so the sauce gets on both sides and then put in the oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. turn chicken and then cook for 15 more minutes.

Spicy Honey Chicken

We just tried this recipe this week.  Mike and I enjoyed it and it had ok reviews from the boys.  They didn't love it but they also didn't complain about it or think it was bad.  I think Mike and I enjoyed it enough to put it in our rotaion though.  The only changes I made was that I didn't have chipolte chili powder and couldn't find my coriander so next time I'll add that.  But it was good without those ingredients as well.  Oh, and I didn't have thighs so we used breasts.  

Spicy Honey Chicken

 Recipe by Our Best Bites

Ingredients:

8 boneless skinless chicken thighs, about 2lbs (Yes, Thighs!!)
everyone is always asking me if they can use breasts for this. Sure you can, but I’m tellin’
ya right now it’s better with thighs.

 2 t vegetable oil

Rub

2 t granulated garlic
2 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t coriander
1 t kosher salt
1 t cumin
1/2 t chipotle chili powder

Glaze
1/2 C Honey
1T Cider Vinegar

Instructions:

Combine the rub spices in bowl and mix well.

Use kitchen shears (or a pair of clean scissors) to trim off any excess fat from the chicken pieces.Pat dry. Drizzle oil over chicken and rub in with your hands to lightly coat all the pieces. Then toss chicken with the spice rub to coat all sides well. Use your hands and get in there! Grill chicken for 3-5 minutes on each side, until cooked through.

While chicken is cooking, warm honey in the microwave so it’s not so thick. Add the vinegar and combine well. Reserve 2T honey glaze for later. Take the rest and brush on chicken (both sides) in the final moments of grilling.

I’m gonna warn you that this can make a hot mess, literally. It’s sugar, and it’s gonna drip. But the smelly smoke is worth it for a minute or two. Just leave your grill on for a few minutes after the chicken is done to burn off any excess glaze. It’s totally worth it once you taste this stuff.

If you don’t have a bbq, try it on an indoor grill pan or use your broiler. Just be sure to open a window in case you burn your glaze!

Remember how I had you reserve that extra couple tablespoons of glaze? Ya, drizzle that on top now. Your taste buds will thank you.

Ranch Chicken

I found this recipe from one of my favorite cooking blogs, The Sisters Cafe. This was a really easy recipe to make and everyone liked it.

Ranch Chicken
Submitted by Erin ~ The Sisters Cafe


¾ cup crushed cornflakes
¾ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 pkg ranch salad dressing mix
8 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (or about 2 ½ lbs of frozen chicken tenderloins, thawed)
½ cup butter/margarine, melted (or for a low-fat version, use 2 egg whites, slightly beaten)


In a shallow bowl, combine the cornflakes, parmesan cheese, and salad dressing mix. Dip chicken in melted butter, then roll in cornflake mixture to coat.
Place chicken breasts in a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 45 minutes or until chicken juices run clear. (If using tenderloins, check for doneness after 20 or 25 minutes.) Do not overbake. Makes 8 servings.

Grilled Chicken with Avocado, Tomato, and Corn Salsa

While on vacation, we ate a lot of good food and I didn't bother to watch what I was eating. Now that we are home, I decided it was time to get back to eating some healthy things. I found this recipe a few years ago and loved it. It came from a magazine, I don't even remember which one. It is fresh and delicious.

Grilled Chicken with Avocado, Tomato, and Corn Salsa

Salsa:
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 ripe avocado, peeled, seeded and diced
1 large ripe tomato, diced
1 cup thawed frozen or canned corn kernels
1/4 cup each chopped red onion and cilantro

4 skinless, boneless chicken-breast halves (about 5 oz. each) * I only used two chicken breasts and split one with Mike and the other between the three boys.
1 tsp dried oregano
4 cups shredded lettuce (I didn't use this much)

1. Salsa: Mix lime juice, oil, sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Add remaining ingredients; toss gently to mix and coat. (I actually only mix half of this with the salsa and then saved the rest of the lime juice mixture to pour over the lettuce. Next time I will probably just follow the recipe.)
2. Heat outdoor grill, ridged grill pan or broiler.
3. Season chicken with oregano, salt and pepper. Grill 3 to 4 minutes per side until cooked through.
4. Divide lettuce among 4 plates; top each with chicken, then salsa.

Malai Kabobs

We tried our new Indian food recipes last night. They were alright... We loved the chicken, the rest we'll leave to the Indian's.
Here we have Naan, or Tandori Breads. Mine certainly didn't look as good as the picture in the book, so I'm sure theirs would have tasted better, too. When I had a bite, the aroma made me think of the flour paste I used to make a pinata last week. Maybe if we'd had some curry to dip into it would have been tastier. This is Batata Nu Shaak or Spicy Potato Fry. It looks like soggy french fries and that is essentially what it was. We started out by cooking the frozen fries, then added them to a pan with many spices and sugar and water. Then we cooked the water down and this is what was left. Oh, there are tomatoes in it, as well, which didn't make my kids like it any more.

Finally, we have our yummy chicken! Malai Kabobs, or Creamy Grilled Chicken on Skewers. So good. Lots of spices!!

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 4 x 1 inch strips

1/4 c half-and-half

1 Tbsp coriander seed, ground

1 Tbsp finely chopped gingerroot

1 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (we left this out, my family doesn't like it)

1 tsp cumin seed, ground

2 medium cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground red pepper

1/2 tsp Garam Masala

16 skewers

Basically, mix everything but the skewers, cover and let marinate in fridge for 2-24 hours.

Heat grill for direct heat, or turn on broiler. Thread chicken onto skewers, accordion style.

Cover and grill kabobs 5-7 minutes, turning to ensure even browning, until no longer pink.

Serve as is or with chutney.

Pretty easy and pretty good!

Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole

I found this recipe from the campbells kitchen website. It is very good. There are a ton of reviews for this recipe and most people gave it four stars. I would probably do the same. It is super easy and good. I seasoned my chicken with creole seasoning.

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup (Regular, 98% Fat Free or Healthy Request®)
1 1/3 cups water
3/4 cup uncooked regular long-grain white rice
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cup frozen mixed vegetables
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast half (about 1 pound)
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Heat the oven to 375°F. Stir the soup, water, rice, onion powder, black pepper and vegetables in a 2-quart shallow baking dish.
Top with the chicken. Cover the baking dish.
Bake for 50 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the rice is tender. Top with the cheese. Let the casserole stand for 10 minutes. Stir the rice before serving

Hearty Italian Chicken Chowder

Hearty Italian Chicken Chowder
from Kraft Kitchens

1/4 cup Zesty Italian dressing
1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chopped
1 can stewed tomatoes (14 1/2 oz.) undrained (I used diced instead of stewed)
1 cup chicken broth
1 med. zucchini, chopped
1/2 cup elbow macaroni, uncooked
1 tsp dried basil leaves
1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese
*Salt to taste (this is not part of their recipe but I really think it needs salt)
*one clove minced garlic (also not part of original recipe)

1. Heat dressing in large sauce pan on med-high heat and cook chicken until pink.
2. Add tomatoes, broth, zucchini, macaroni, and basil. Bring to a boil on high heat.
3. Reduce heat to med, simmer 8 min. or until macaroni is tender. Sprinkle with cheese

Slow Cooker 20-40 Cloves Garlic Chicken

My sister Chelsey pointed out this website and this recipe in particular. We both made it and we both really liked it. Mike loved it.

Slow cooker 20-40 cloves garlic chicken

3-4 pounds chicken
1 large onion sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon pepper
20-40 garlic cloves, peeled, but intact

Place onion slices on the bottom of your slow cooker. In a large mixing bowl, toss chicken parts with olive oil, salt, paprika, pepper, and all of the garlic cloves. Pour into slow cooker, on top of the onion. Do not add water. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4-6.

Try it out. You won't be disappointed.

Alice Springs Chicken

I'm not sure where I found this recipe, online somewhere. It is so good. Have you ever tried the Alice Springs Chicken at Outback? This is the recipe. It is one of our favorites. It has mushrooms but you can take them off if you don't like them. I think the mushrooms are so good on them though. I have posted this on my blog before but thought I'd post it here now that we have this blog.

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, 1/2 " thick

honey mustard

6 slices bacon, sliced in half

1/2 teaspoon McCormick's Season All

1 cup sliced mushrooms, drained

3 cups shredded colby or monterey jack cheese

Rub chicken breast with Seasons All and set aside to marinate for 1 hour.While the breast is marinating fry bacon crisp and drain.Sauté chicken breasts on medium heat in pan with just enough oil to prevent sticking.Cook on both sides until a slight golden color and cooked in the middle but not dry.Remove from pan and place in a 9 x 13 dish.Spread chicken breast with honey mustard, cover with a layer of mushrooms, three pieces of bacon and then sprinkle with shredded Colby/jack cheese, chicken should be covered with shredded cheese.Bake at 350 degrees about 15 minutes or until cheese melts.

Here are the changes I make: I only use 4 pieces of bacon. I think 6 is too much. I make my own honey mustard (mayo, mustard, honey). I also usually monterey or mozzerella cheese, I haven't done colby yet. I don't use canned mushrooms unless I don't have fresh. I saute the fresh in a little butter. I don't think I've ever marinated the breast with the Seasons All. This is a super good meal. Everyone I've ever cooked it for loves it.

Chicken Enchiladas and Berry Yumminess

Enchiladas

Tortillas
Two small cans of green enchilada sauce
Two chicken breasts
1 small can of green chilies
2 Tbs. sour cream
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1/4 a can of nacho sauce (more or less depending on your tastes)
Mozzarella cheese

Cook chicken. Shred. Add everything together except the enchilada sauce, tortillas, and mozzarella cheese. Fill the tortillas, roll. Put a little enchilada sauce on bottom of 9 x 13 inch pan. Place filled tortillas in pan and pour remaining sauce on top. Sprinkle with cheese. Cook on 350 degrees until bubbling.

Berry Yumminess

Two cups frozen mixed berries
One four once container of Fiber One Strawberry yogurt
Two spoon fulls of Cool Whip

Slightly thaw berries and mix everything together. As with most of my recipes you can add more or less of anything.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Ingredients:

1 + 1/2 cups BBQ sauce ( I recommend Cookies BBQ sauce)
2 chicken breasts or enough chicken for 2 cups of chopped chicken
1/4 cup chopped red onion (this is the sweet onion)
1/2 cup green bell pepper
1 pizza crust
2-3 cups of your favorite shredded cheese (best is sharp or colby/jack)

Instructions:

Cook Chicken in a Microwave cooker (this way it only takes 6-8 minutes) Then dice it up to make 2 cups of chopped chicken.

Take out a large bowl. Mix together BBQ sauce, red onion, bell pepper and chicken. Pour this mixture over a prepared pizza crust. Top with cheese.

Bake 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until crust looks golden brown.

Salsa Chicken

Ingredients:

Green Beans (fresh, frozen, canned)
2-4 chicken breasts (depends on how many you are feeding)
Salsa (your favorite) I recommend fresh from a Mexican restaurant

Take your favorite Stoneware small dish with sides. Pour the greens beans in bottom of dish. Lay raw or frozen chicken breasts on top of the green beans. Pour salsa over the top of the chicken to completely cover it.

Cook at 350 degrees for about 45-55 minutes. Or until you cut into the chicken and it's white.

This recipe takes 5 minutes to prepare and tastes fabulous. Even my children who claim to dislike green beans love the way they taste when the salsa has cooked down into them.

Won Ton Chicken Salad

This is a great meal that is not too labor intensive and very good. It is also very easy to scale up or down for your family. I am going to write it up as I made it the other day for our family.

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 package of Won Tons
1 bag of salad mix (a head of lettuce is fine also)
1/2 cup Japanese rice vinegar
1/2 cup oil (olive, vegetable, whatever)
1/2 cup sugar

Marinate the chicken breasts in teriaki sauce for a couple of hours then grill. I find that you will get more of a teriaki taste if you grill them in a grilling pan and then right before they are done, add fresh teriaki sauce onto the chicken. The hot pan will form a glaze on the chicken. Once the chicken is done, cube the breasts into fairly small pieces.

While the chicken is cooking, fry the won tons, turning once. I use a frying pan with about 1/2 of oil in the bottom. When the oil gets hot, add the won tons. Keep an eye on them since they cook very quickly and will burn. Drain them well to get rid of any excess oil.

Add the sugar, rice vinegar, and oil into a small container and mix well.

Finally, break the won tons into bite size pieces in a bowl, add some salad, some cubed chicken, and drizzle the dressing over the top. My mouth is watering in anticipation. Enjoy.

Grilled Chicken Quesadillas

Tonight we made grilled chicken quesadillas. They rocked! We tried 2 different versions and each can be easily tweeked to suit whatever you're craving.

Mexican Version

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast
Season Salt
Colby Jack blend shredded cheese
1 small can diced green chiles
10 small (8") tortillas

Prepare your chicken by spreading Season Salt on it then grill it until done. Do not over cook the chicken! It will go back on the grill later. Cut your chicken breasts in small cubes or strips (whichever you like).

Place cheese & 2 TBS diced green chiles on each tortilla. Top with your grilled chicken and place another tortilla on top. Place each tortilla on the grill carefully. Wait until the cheese is melted to flip. Serve with tomatoes, avacado slices, and sour cream. Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken & Mushroom Quesadillas

Chicken
Mozarella
Fresh mushrooms and onions (saute'd in butter)

For this version we did basically the same thing as the Mexican, only used saute'd mushrooms and mozarella cheese. We omitted the green chiles also. This would also be great with onions in there too!

Aloha Chicken Pizza

I tend to like quick food (unless someone else is making it) so here is a recipe for a fairly quick and tasty meal.

2 Cups diced chicken
2 green onions
1 red pepper
1/2 cup barbecue sauce, divided.
1 pizza crust - I cheat and get the pre-made crust
As much cheese as you want
1 can of pineapple

Chop the top half of each green onion off and place it in a small bowl of cold water (save for a garnish is you are feeling frisky). Slice the remaining lower half and place into a mixing bowl.
Dice half of the red pepper and place it into the mixing bowl with the onion.
Add the chicken (this can be pre-marinated in BBQ sauce if you want) and mix all three ingredients briefly.
Roll out the crust and spread about 1/4 cup of barbecue sauce on the crust.
Spoon the veggie and chicken mixture evenly around the pizza, add as much cheese as you want (I like sharp chedder and mozzarella) and bake in a 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes.
Immediately add the pineapple.

For a classy Iowa finish (somewhat of an oxymoron, I know), put the remaining 1/4 cup of BBQ sauce in to a ziplock bag, clip the corner and dizzle the sauce across the top the the pizza. Finally, for the coup d' etat, take the top half of the onions that you so dilligently saved, cut them into long strips and place them around the pizza. Gordon Ramsey couldn't make it look any better. This recipe tastes great, and can be modified to fit your taste buds anyway you like.

Creamy Italian Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 envelope Italian salad dressing mix
1/4 cup water
1 pkg. (8oz) cream cheese, softened
1 can cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup
1 can (4oz) mushroom stems and pieces, drained

Place chicken in Crockpot (or big deep pan with lid). Combine salad dressing mix and water; pour over chicken. Cover and cook in Crockpot or in the oven on low for three hours. In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and soup until blended. Stir in mushrooms. Pour over chicken. Cook one hour more or until chicken juices run clear. Serve over noodles or rice. Note: if you cook it in the oven, it is usually done before the three hours. Just check on it.