Chicken Taco Salad

Taco Salad, remade.

 

When I was young,  my mother made taco salad all the time.    Ground beef, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, pinto beans, Catalina dressing and Doritos.   We had this version of taco salad almost weekly.

When I married and became the “cook” I began making the salad too.

It’s very kid friendly, it’s easy to assemble and made with ground chicken it’s healthier.

This salad is also yummy, meat free.

Very simply….

• 1 pound of ground chicken, browned
• 1 head of lettuce or one bag of salad mix
• 1 tomato diced
• 1 cup of shredded cheese (more or less at your preference)
• 1 can of pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 1/2 – 2 cups of Doritos, (placed in a bag and broken up into small pieces *but not crushed*)
• 1/3 cup + of Catalina dressing, I make my own.  Recipe follows..

To make the salad, add all the ingredients (except the dressing) into a bowl.  Mix well, slowly add dressing until the salad is covered, but not drowning.

Catalina Dressing

Makes about 2 cups of dressing.

• 1/3 cup ketchup, any brand
• 1/3 cup of white sugar or 1/4 cup of honey
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/3 cup onion , grated
• 2/3 teaspoon paprika
• 1/3 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2/3 cup olive oil
• 2/3 teaspoon (to taste) salt and pepper

Place all the ingredients except the olive oil into a blender or food processor, pulse or blend until smooth.

Slowly add the oil, while continuing to blend.  Place into a mason jar or other container.  Store left over dressing in the fridge.  Shake before using.

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Chicken Migas

grab a tortilla and sit a spell.

Generally I agree with The Pioneer Woman on most food related issues.

To me though, Migas is not Migas without Chorizo.

Chorizo is really greasy and fatty though. A local market, I adore Sprouts Farmer’s Market, sells ground chicken chorizo. I decided to give the chicken a try and boy, howdy I’m glad I did. Chicken Chorizo is excellent.

I adapted a Pioneer Woman recipe, I added 1 pound of chicken Chorizo I browned it, drained off the minimal fat and proceeded with Ree’s recipe.

A few things I altered.

• I omitted the Jalapeño, due to a tween with a low spicy tolerance.
• I used 2% milk instead of Half-and-half
• I used cheddar cheese

Here is the original recipe ingredient list.

• 4 whole Corn Tortillas
• 1 whole Jalapeno, Seeds And Membranes Removed, Finely Diced
• 4 whole Plum Tomatoes, Roughly Chopped
• 1 whole Green Pepper, Roughly Chopped
• 1 whole Red Bell Pepper, Roughly Chopped
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Chopped
• 12 whole Large Eggs
• 1/4 liter Cotija Cheese, Grated (may Use Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Etc.)
• 1/3 cup Cilantro, Chopped
• 1 Tablespoon Butter
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1/4 cup Half-and-half

To view entire recipe click here.

Serve with refried beans and corn or flour tortillas.

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Slow Cooking Monday, Back to Basics

Back to Basics

This week, I want to focus on basic slow cooker uses like cooking frozen meat.

Many times I use my slow cooker to make full meals, other times I use my slow cooker to cook frozen chicken.

The slow cooker makes cooking frozen meat so easy.

I sometimes shop in bulk, I do love a great sale, when I shop in bulk I separate the meat into family sized portions and freeze it. I sometimes have a few extra pieces. I save those extra pieces in smaller portion packets.

Those smaller portions are great for making chicken salad, chicken tortilla soup,green chilie chicken and black bean soup, chicken taco salad…and on….. and on.

Here is the easy way to cook 2 or 3 (or more) pieces of frozen chicken in your slow cooker.

Are you ready? It’s really complicated.

;

• Place chicken into the slow cooker.
• Season the chicken.
• Place the lid on your slow cooker.
• Cook the chicken on low for 5+ hours.
• Enjoy fully cooked, juicy chicken.

;

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Please join Allie and me for our slow cooker post link up! Join us, link up your favorite slow cooker recipe…tell us about what you’ve tried recently.

Turkey and Gnocchi Soup

One of the great things about Thanksgiving, besides the family time is left-overs….turkey to be specific.

What do you do with all that left-over turkey once you’ve eaten a few of the pre-requisite turkey and stuffing sandwiches?

I love using the left-over turkey to create new twists on recipes.

Olive Garden has this amazing soup. Chicken & Gnocchi soup. It’s so tasty.

I’ve copy-catted, or is it copy-katted?, it.

It’s not exact, but it is very similar. You can make this with chicken or turkey.

Here’s what you’ll need to make this creamy, dreamy soup.

• 2 cups turkey or chicken, cooked and diced

I used turkey cutlets in the soup since I’ve not cooked my turkey yet.

• 4 cups turkey or chicken stock or broth
• 2 cups cream
• 1/2 cup celery, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 cup carrots, finely shredded
• 1/2 cup onion, diced
• 2 cups fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon freshly chopped parsley
• 1 teaspoon of tarragon
• 1/2 teaspoon of rosemary
• 1 teaspoon of sea salt
• 1 pound (package) of potato gnocchi
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese – for garnish.

What to do:

• I used frozen meat, so I first cooked the meat in the broth, once it was done cooking I removed it from the broth. I cooled it, then diced it.
  I sautéed the veggies in a separate pan and then added them to the Stock/soup base.

• Sauté the onion, celery, garlic, carrots in the olive oil until they begin to soften.
• Add the turkey/chicken, broth, and & spices.
• Bring to a boil.
• Add the gnocchi into the boiling broth.
• Turn down the heat and let simmer for about 8-10 minutes.
• For thicker soup add 2-3 TBSP of corn starch or masa flour to a bit of the broth and stir it into the soup.
• Add the cream and spinach.
• Slowly allow the mixture to come to a boil and then turn it off.

I serve this soup with crusty bread and a salad.

What are your go-to left over meals?

Chicken Pot Pie

What could be more comforting or more fall – winter-ey than

chicken pot pie?

That question was totally rhetorical.

In my opinion, no store-bought pot pie will ever come close to the taste of a home-made pot pie.

I’ll be totally honest, home-made takes a little more time to make, but it is totally worth it.

Creamy, hearty and oh so good.

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The recipe I use is not my own. It’s an Ina Garten recipe.

Here is the ingredient list.

I use less butter than the recipe calls for. I will mark my changes in blue.

I use store-bought crust, but you can totally make your own.

• • 3 whole (6 split) chicken breasts, bone-in, skin-on I used boneless, breast fillets
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon of minced garlic
  • 5 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
  • 2 chicken bouillon cubes
  • 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter I used 1 stick of butter
  • 2 cups yellow onions, chopped (2 onions)
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 2 cups medium-diced carrots, blanched for 2 minutes
  • 1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas (2 cups)
  • 1 1/2 cups frozen small whole onions I omitted the whole onions
  • 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves

The directions and the full recipe are listed on the food network website.

How do you make your pot pies?

And now a teaser about tomorrow’s post……

Easy Chicken Tacos

I had both kiddos home sick yesterday.   So, yesterday was a hectic day.  Did I mention that my husband works from home on Tuesdays and Thursdays?  No?  Well, he does so we had a full house yesterday.

Dinner sort of snuck up on me.   Not that I’m saying it tip-toed up behind me and spooked me or anything.  It just got late quicker than I expected.

So, I needed a quick, easy dinner.

Does that ever happen to you?

Because I use freezer cooking, I have cooked chicken and beef in my freezer.

My attempt at a homemade 3D picture....

This recipe is quick and easy.  You could make it with chicken or beef.

 

Chicken Tacos

 

• 1 to 1 & 1/2 pounds of diced cooked chicken
• 1 can of black beans (drained and rinsed)
• 1 package of frozen corn (Southwestern style)
• 1/3 cup of salsa

Heat a large skillet on medium heat.

• Add 1 TBSP of oil
• add chicken
• add beans
• add corn
• cover with salsa
• stir
• place the lid into the pan
• simmer for about 10 minutes

Serve with

• lettuce
• cheese
• sour cream

 

We use up the left over party plates.

What are your quick, go to meals?

 

My new favorite cooking show….

If you’re like me and you can’t sleep you either end up watching cooking shows or infomercials.

Okay, maybe that’s just me.

Of course, sometimes I watch crime TV, but I digress.

One night last week, I stumbled upon Nadia G and Bitchin-Kitchen.

Funny non?

I made Nadia’s Bitchin’ Kitchen’s Crispy Medallione (fried ravioli)

I used chicken ravioli.

Oh. My. Gosh.

These are sooooo fracking good.

Like, eat them all yourself good.

Like, defend your crispy kingdom with a super sharp fork good.

Like, slap your Momma good. Okay, not slap your Momma good, cuz really you’ll never live that one down.

Anyway, they’re really good.

Here is the ingredient list:

• 10 Ricotta-mushroom medallion, or any ravioli you like *I used chicken and ricotta ravioli*
  
• Buttermilk
• Italian season bread crumbs
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Fresh Italian salsa

You can find the recipe here… Bitchin’ Kitchen’s Crispy Medallione

The ravioli are creamy and crispy and fabulous.

I hope you have a fantastic weekend!

If you haven’t already, check out my Yoplait Smoothie giveaway!

it ends on Saturday at 9:00 pm central time zone.

Oh! Heather of Squirrel Bread was the winner of the Swanson Health Products giveaway! Congrats Heather!

Comment #21

heather :

As a Registered Dietitian, I can definitely get behind the ingredients you’re offering in this giveaway. As someone who loves food, bring on the alternative flours, nut butters and anything coconut!

Cheers,

*Heather*

Mini, but mighty meaty.

I must confess, I make meatloaf using muffin pans.  Is that strange?  Probably.  See, sometimes it’s like Dinner Time Fight Club around here.  Everybody, and I mean everybody wants the crunchy bits.  How can I make everybody happy and support family harmony? Mini meatloaf.  It’s the only why I know how to make sure everyone gets crunchy bits.

Mini meatloaf

The meaty mix.

1 pound lean ground beef

1 pound ground Italian sausage

1 pound ground turkey

1 can diced tomatoes

2 eggs

Diced onions (I use the dried onions and I use about a 1/3 of a cup)

Salt & pepper (a dash or two)

Cilantro (a dash)

Bread crumbs (1 cup to 2 cups:what ever it takes to firm the meat up so it’s not soupy.)

The sauce.

8 oz can of tomato sauce

2 Tbsp brown sugar

Some candied jalapeno relish would be fabulous in the sauce!

Cilantro

A squirt of ketchup (I know…so classy)

Directions.

oven temp 350

Get everything together.

Then put on plastic gloves (unless u like meaty fingers) *rinse the gloves if they have powder on them*

Mix all the meat ingredients together, leaving the bread crumbs as the last item. You may only need 1 cup of bread crumbs, if the meat mixture is not firm-ish then add more bread crumbs until it is. In a separate bowl mix tomato sauce, brown sugar and ketchup. This is your glaze.

If you prefer spicy to sweet the use salsa instead of brown sugar.

You need 2 (12 cup) muffin pans and an ice-cream scooper. Use the ice-cream scooper to place the meat in the muffin pan. 1 scoop should almost fill each opening, but don’t overflow it. Once you’ve placed the meat in the muffin pan cover each meaty cup with a teaspoon of the sauce. Bake for about 30 min. or until firm and crispy. I usually leave mine in about 45 min.

My picture (only one picture, shocking Huh?)  was taken via my iPhone.  I am linking up with

Remember that we’re linking up our canning posts on Monday!

Allie and I will be hosting the canning link up, please feel free to link up any canning post you have written.  New, old…no biggie.

Have a safe and enjoyable weekend!

Red Tortilla Soup with Chicken

I love soups…love them…gobble them up. Soups freeze well, they taste better on day two or day three, I love soup. If it’s a Tex-Mex soup….even better.

Tex-Mex is one of my true food loves. Maybe it’s because I’m from Texas, maybe it’s just because Tex-Mex is Awesomesauce.

If you’re in the northern part of the United States, you may not have ever had true Tex-Mex. I’ve been to Pittsburgh, and although Pittsburgh has a fabulous sandwich with cole-slaw and fries in it (Bravo!) the Tex-Mex or Mexican food isn’t wonderful. (Think pasta sauce on an enchilada…) Meh.

Anyhoo…

We went to Taco Cabana over the weekend. If you’re unfamiliar with Taco Cabana…I’m sorry. Taco Cabana is an awesome Tex-Mex food chain (better than Taco Bell or Taco Bueno, but not as good as a “True” sit down restaurant).

Their cheese enchiladas come wrapped in these beautiful, red corn tortillas. I begged and pleaded my way into the purchase of 2 dozen uncooked red tortillas, for my tortilla soup. The cashier thought I was crazy, kept telling me they’d be uncooked…hard… “Didn’t I want fresh steamed ones?” Nope… I want the non-steamed red ones please! I convinced him.

Happy Dance!

I’ve never seen red corn tortillas anywhere else, although when I searched online Walmart claims to sell them. I have never seen them at Walmart though.

They are not necessary to make tortilla soup, but they sure are beautiful.

An adapted Pioneer Woman recipe via her post on Tasty Kitchen

Ingredients

• Cooked chicken diced or shredded (about 2-3 cups) *omit for Vegetarian soup*
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 teaspoon Cumin
• 1 teaspoon Chili Powder
• 2 teaspoons Garlic Salt
• 1 cup Diced Onion
• 1/2 cup Diced Green Bell Pepper
• 1/2 cup Diced Red Bell Pepper
• 1/2 cup Diced Yellow Pepper
• 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 can of yellow corn or fresh corn (1 & 1/2 cups)
• 1-2 cups of white or brown rice (uncooked)
• 1 can (10 Oz. Can) Rotel Tomatoes And Green Chilies (or 1 can of diced tomatoes and 1 can of green chilies)
• 4 cups Chicken Stock or Veggie Stock for Vegetarian soup
• 3 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
• 4 cups Water
• 4 cups Black or Pinto Beans (frozen, canned or freshly cooked)
• 3 Tablespoons Cornmeal Or Masa*
• 5-8 whole Corn Tortillas, sliced into strips

Heat olive oil in a pot over medium high heat. Add onions, peppers, and minced garlic. Stir and begin cooking, then add the spices. Stir to combine, then add the chicken and stir.

Add the Rotel (tomatoes and green chilies), chicken stock, rice, corn, tomato paste, water, and beans to the soup pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 45 minutes, uncovered.

*Mix cornmeal with a small amount of water, it will make a paste. Add the corn meal paste into the soup, then simmer for an additional 30 minutes. This will thicken the soup.

Turn off heat and allow the soup to rest for 20 minutes before serving.

Five minutes before serving, gently stir in tortilla strips.

I fried half of the strips to make a crunchy topping.

Place the soup in mugs or bowls and serve with

• cheese
• crisp tortilla strips
• avocado
• salsa
• hot sauce
• sour cream

or anything you like to top your soup with.

Enjoy!

Freezer cooking on a small scale…

When I say freezer cooking…you say? Eek! No way! You’re a crazy lady! Okay, maybe not, but I’m sure you’re not giddy. Freezer cooking to some sounds like a whole day, 30 meal affair. It does not have to be…..

Don’t be scared, it’s not so bad. Freezer cooking does not have to take up your whole Saturday.

Fresh is best, but life happens……

If you know me, you know that I’m a stock up kind of girl. Ive got food for more than a month….if need be. My cupboards are full to overflowing, my pantries are stocked and my freezers are pretty full. Mostly due to thrifty coupon shopping, canning, and freezer cooking.

Need a dinner or two because you’re sick or recovering from surgery? I’m your girl. Dinner party on short notice, no biggie. I’m your girl.

Recession, depression, food shortage situation, Zombie apocalypse (as long as I’m not on the menu) I’m your girl.

Piggy flu...starts with you! No licking pigs!

I have tween/teens to take care of, and we really like to eat. The teen REALLY likes to eat, it’s shocking, but that’s for another post.

Traditional full month freezer cooking won’t work for me. I don’t have the space, and the idea of spending an entire day cooking makes my eye twitch.

I do like the idea of having a few items pre-cooked and ready to toss into dishes or into the microwave. So, I’d like to introduce you to a mini freezer cooking day.

I try to keep a few pounds of pre-cooked and frozen meat in my freezer. With it I can make a quick dinner on a busy night.

Easy Spaghetti night. Place a pot of hot salted water (for the pasta) on the stove and begin to boil it. Put a pot with pasta sauce on the stove at a medium heat, cover with lid. Take 1 lb. of pre-cooked frozen ground turkey or beef out of the freezer. Microwave on the defrost setting for about 3 min. (just long enough to make the frozen meat easy to break apart). Add pasta to boiling water. Place pre-cooked meat into the pasta sauce, sir and replace the lid, stir every few min. Once the pasta is done (mine usually takes about 8-9 min to cook), drain rinse and return to the hot-pot. At this point your meaty spaghetti sauce should be hot and bubbly. I pour the sauce over the noodles and mix it in. This meal takes me about 15(ish) min. to prepare.

Easy Crock Pot Chili.Take 1 or 2 pounds of frozen pre-cooked meat out of the freezer. Defrost long enough to be able to break the meat apart (3-4 min for me). Place meat into slow cooker. Add chili seasoning (what ever brand you prefer, or make your own *3 teaspoons chili powder, 1 teaspoon of paprika, some garlic salt and 2 teaspoon cumin should do the trick*, add canned tomatoes (undrained), frozen, dried or fresh diced onions (1 cup, less or more if you prefer) add canned Red or Pinto beans (if you want), add 1 8 oz. can of tomato sauce and 1 8 oz. can of water (or follow your chili seasoning package’s instructions.) Set on low for 8 hours and you’ll come home to hot, yummy chili.

Set aside a few hours during your week and make a few different items that you can freeze for later use. It’s a great comfort to know that if you’re sick or running late, you don’t have to rely on a take out meal. If you have a few pre-cooked frozen items on hand you can eat (healthy) homemade quick fix meals you won’t be crying over on the treadmill the next day. Goodbye Big Mac, hello homemade turkey chili.

Ground Beef, Ground Turkey both freeze well to make a quick and easy chili night, taco night or spaghetti night. Muffins freeze well, place them in single serve freezer bags and just remove them the night before you want to eat them, easy quick breakfast. I have a great Banana bread recipe and Pumpkin bread recipe on my blog. Both would work to make muffins or breads.

Making chicken stock or veggie stock? Make more than you need and freeze the rest in 2 cup or 4 cup portions.

Making beans? Make two or three times the amount that you need and freeze the rest.

Make cream of mushroom soup and freeze it for later use.

Ready? Set? Cook and Freeze!