It's All Greek to Me

I recently discovered that you can use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, ricotta cheese or even cream cheese. It has so much more nutritional value than those other products. I made spinach artichoke dip with it this weekend and it was fantastic. Next up? French onion dip! mmmm!

My New Favorite Salad

On a recent visit, my mom made this delicious salad. I have since gotten the ingredients and made it several times myself. It's so yummy I wanted to pass it along! Not only is it tasty but it's super easy & adaptable too.

I use 50/50 Spring Mix/Baby Spinach

pear slices

crumbled goat cheese (you can use Feta too)

chopped pecans (candied if you like)

Craisins

Dressing

2/3 olive oil

1/3 red wine vinegar

dash of: ground mustard, salt & pepper, garlic powder, sugar

Just add ingredients to an air tight container & shake well. Dab a little on your finger and taste it. If it's bitter, add a little more sugar. If it's bland, add a few red pepper flakes. Whatever you like!

I make enough dressing to last through my bag of salad. It's so easy to throw this together for lunch and feel good about what I ate instead of fish sticks & apple sauce with the boys! Let me know if you like it!

King Ranch Chicken Casserole

4-6 chicken breasts

chopped onion & bell peppers

tortilla chips (or corn tortillas if you prefer)

2-3 C grated cheese

1 tsp chili powder, garlic powder & ground cumin

1 can RoTel

1 can Cream of Chicken soup

6 oz. chicken broth

Cook your chicken and shred. I like to cook mine in the crock pot with the RoTel and seasonings for about 6 hours and then I am able to shred it simply by stirring it.

After I remove the chicken from the Crockpot I put my chicken broth and cream soup in and mix it with the remaining juices and RoTel.

Next spray your large baking pan with non-stick spray. Line the bottom of the pan with the chips (crunched up if you prefer.) Layer the shredded chicken on top of the chips.

I like to saute my peppers and onions before adding them but that step is optional.

After the peppers and onions, layer half of your freshly shredded cheese.

Now grab your soup & salsa mixture from the Crockpot and pour it over the casserole.

Top it off with the remaining cheese.

Bake for 45 minutes at 350°

Serve with sour cream, rice & beans!

(Sorry I meant to get a picture before we cut into it but I forgot!)

Super Easy Stir Fry

I am a big fan of all Chinese food. I am not however an all star chef. This is how I make stir fry for my growing family.

Ingredients: (Sorry, no pictures)

2 bags Minute Rice (I use brown rice)

1 bag Steamfresh Stir Fry veggies (carrots, broccoli, snap peas, baby corn)

2 eggs

2 chicken breasts

1/4 C(ish) diced onion

2 Tbsp butter (or more, just eyeball it!)

1 tsp minced garlic

soy sauce

Cook rice & set aside. Cut chicken into small bite sized pieces and set aside. Scramble eggs and set aside. In a large skillet melt about 1 T butter. Add onion and allow to clarify. Add garlic, remaining butter and then chicken. Allow chicken to cook through. While cooking chicken follow the microwave directions on the veggie bag. Once veggies and chicken are cooked, mix rice, eggs and veggies into the skillet. Add soy sauce and stir continuously until it looks ready to eat.

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

It's been a while since I've posted a recipe and I had 2 friends ask me for this one, so here it goes!

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

4-5 chicken breasts
1 can RoTel
2 cans cream soup (I use 1 mushroom & 1 chicken)
3 Cups grated cheese
1 tsp. ground cumin, chili powder, garlic powder
salt & pepper
8 oz. sour cream
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1 Serrano pepper, seeded, de-veined and chopped (optional)
1/2 onion, chopped
12+ flour tortillas

1. Cook thawed chicken breasts in the crockpot with RoTel & seasonings on low for 4-6 hours. (or until cooked through & very tender.) Drain excess liquid and using 2 forks, shred chicken.
2. While chicken cooks, saute peppers & onion.
3. Mix shredded chicken with remaining ingredients, reserving 1 cup cheese.
4. Spoon mixture into tortillas, roll them up and place seam side down into a greased 9x13 pan. Spread remaining mixture over tortillas and top with cheese.
5. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Serve with tortillas chips.

Taco Soup

In honor of the first signs of Fall, I am making Taco Soup for dinner!
Ingredients:
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 Jalapeno or Serrano pepper (depends on you how spicy you want it)
1-2 cans of Ranch Style beans
1/2 a small onion, chopped
1/2 a green bell pepper
1 can Rotel (drained)
1 can Mexicorn (or plain corn)
1 package Lawry's Taco Seasoning
1-2 cloves minced garlic
3 1/2 Cups chicken broth (or water can be substituted)

Chop your veggies and saute until tender in the bottom of a large pot. Brown the ground beef, drain fat & add to pot. Add all other ingredients and heat thoroughly. Serve with grated cheese on top. A side of chips & guacamole round out the meal nicely!

Stuffed Chicken

We've made this a couple of times now & we LOVE it!

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I prefer to pound them so they're nice & thin.)
1 C frozen spinach, thawed
1/2 C chopped mushrooms
1-2 cloves garlic
1/4 C chopped sweet red peppers
4 slices Provolone cheese
Salt & Pepper to taste
1/2 t Basil, Parsley, Thyme & Oregano

Preheat oven to 375. Butterfly the chicken, then pound it out. Saute mushrooms, spinach, peppers and garlic briefly. In a bowl mix the drained spinach, sauteed mushrooms, garlic, salt & pepper and herbs. Place stuffing inside chicken breast. Lay cheese on top of stuffing. Drizzle olive oil over the top of the chicken. Bake for about 30 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink.

We have served it with wild rice or quinoa and a green veggie like zucchini or broccoli. So very yummy! (Also, FYI bigger chicken breasts are easier to butterfly & therefore 1 breast will feed both Matt & me.)

Quiche

This is my favorite quiche. It is a combination of Florentine & Lorraine. It's been a work in progress for a while and I think this is the best version.

1 uncooked pie crust (I prefer Pillsbury)
1 t butter
2/3 C diced onion
1 lb fresh spinach (or less if you're using frozen; NEVER use canned - yuck!)
3 strips bacon, cut up and cooked until almost crispy (bacon is optional & I have used turkey bacon and not even noticed a difference.)
1/2 t salt
dash of pepper
1 C shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
1/2 C shredded Swiss cheese
1/4 C Parmesan cheese
4-5 eggs
1 C heavy cream or half & half
dash of ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350. Roll out the pie crust into a greased pie pan. Saute your onion with the butter, add spinach until wilted. Season with salt & pepper. Remove from heat, drain excess liquid and spread over pie crust. Combine eggs, cream, nutmeg and mix well. Stir in cheeses. Pour over spinach & onion. Stir around to mix ingredients and remove air pockets. Bake for 45 minutes (or until set & golden on top). Allow to cool 15 minutes. Serve with muffins and fruit!

Turkey Taco Pile-Up

A slightly healthier twist on a regular meal for us. It's super quick & super easy.

1 lb. lean ground turkey
1 bell pepper, chopped (I like to use 1/2 a green pepper & 1/2 a red one!)
1/2 small onion
1 can Ro-tel
1/2 t chili powder
1-2 t ground cumin
1-2 t minced garlic

Saute peppers and onion for about 5 minutes. Add all other ingredients. Cook in skillet until meat is done. Drain extra liquid and return to skillet. Serve over tortilla chips with grated cheese on top & guacamole if you're really feeling festive! (Matt prefers soft tacos, not taco pile-up. It's just a matter of opinion.)

Baja Fish & Rice Bake

A few of my friends have started posting recipes on their blogs & since I cook on a daily (yes, truly I cook just about every day!) basis, I thought I'd share a recipe I made last night. In fact, I just finished off the leftovers for lunch!

3T vegetable oil
1/2 C chopped onion
1/2 C chopped celery
1-1 1/2 cloves minced garlic
1 14oz can diced tomatoes (with juice)
1/8 t red pepper
1 t lemon pepper
salt & pepper to taste
1 box long grain & wild rice (I use the quick cook 90 second one.)
1 lb fish fillets (I use tilapia, but any mild fish will do.)

Heat oil in a large skillet, saute onion, celery & garlic. Stir in rice & saute about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, lemon pepper, salt & pepper, red pepper. Remove from heat. Place fish in a greased 9x13 baking dish. Spoon rice mixture over fish and cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes (or until fish is done) at 400. Enjoy with fresh green beans or a mixed greens salad!