Salsa Ranch Chicken Taco Salad

 

 

1 head iceberg lettuce, chopped

1 packet of Mexican rice, cooked according to package directions

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can corn, rinsed and drained

Shredded cheddar cheese

avocado ( I added to the recipe)

Corn chips ( I used tortilla chips. Its what I had)

Salsa

Ranch dressing ( I made homemade)

1. Place the chicken in a Crock pot. Add salsa, chicken stock, chili powder, cumin, and ranch dressing mix; stir to combine and evenly coat the chicken. Cover and cook on High for 4 hours or Low for 8 hours. When ready to eat, remove chicken and shred with two forks.

 

 

2. To assemble the salads, arrange lettuce on a plate. Top with rice, beans, corn, chicken, cheese,avocado and corn chips. Add more salsa and drizzle with ranch dressing.

 

* This was so yummy I used medium spice salsa and it was so yummy. I loved that this is mostly done in the slow cooker so that when you are ready you can just throw it all together so quick. I got this recipe from cassiecraves.blogspot.com I am sure that I will make this many times I give it a 4 1/2

White Chicken Enchiladas with Creamy Green Chili Sauce

 
1 lg rotisserie chicken breasts, chopped
1 cup shredded mexican cheese
1 tsp cumin
kosher salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste
cilantro
Flour tortillas ( I got 7 burrito size enchiladas)
lettuce (optional)
sour cream (optional)

Sauce:
3 T canola oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 T flour
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
1 cup 2% milk
4 oz can green chiles
4 oz (1/2 block)  cream cheese, cubed
1/2 tsp cumin
kosher salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste

Topping:
 1 cup mexican blend cheese
cilantro,lettuce and sour cream as garnish

1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray a large casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray

2.In a large bowl, combine chicken, mexican blend cheese, cumin, salt, and pepper.

3.In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, add the canola oil and saute the garlic for one minute.  Whisk in the flour and cook for another minute.  Add the chicken broth and milk and cook until thickened, whisking often.  Add the green chiles and cream cheese and stir until melted and combined.  Add the cumin, and salt and pepper to taste.  Turn off heat.

4.Take a flour tortilla, put some filling down the middle, and top with cilantro.  Roll up tight and place in prepared dish seam side down.  Repeat and lay them down side by side in dish.  Pour sauce evenly over top.  Sprinkle remaining 1 cup cheese over top.  Cover with foil and bake for 20-25 minutes.Or until hot and bubbly.

5.Serve up and top with cilantro and sour cream. 
* These were really easy to make and tasted great I got this recipe from bigmamashomekitchen.com I love her blog she has great recipes. I would make these again sometime I give them a 4 1/2

Sour Cream Noodle Bake

1 pound Ground Chuck
1 can 15-ounces Tomato Sauce
½ teaspoons Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
8 ounces Egg Noodles
½ cup Sour Cream
1-¼ cup Small Curd Cottage Cheese
½ cups Sliced Green Onions
1 cup Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.Brown ground chuck in a large skillet. Drain fat, then add tomato sauce. 1/2 teaspoon salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Stir, then simmer while you prepare the other ingredients.

3.Cook egg noodles until al dente. Drain and set aside.
4.In a medium bowl, combine sour cream and cottage cheese. Add plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Add to noodles and stir. Add green onions and stir.

5.To assemble, add half of the noodles to a baking dish. Top with half the meat mixture, then sprinkle on half the grated cheddar. Repeat with noodles, meat, then a final layer of cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, or until all cheese is melted.

* I thought that this was pretty good it tasted alot like a lasagna dish if it had some garlic and more Italian spices it would be just like lasagna. I thought that something was missing but I think with the garlic it would be great. The rest of the family loved it and went back for seconds. I give it a 4

Creamy Black Bean Salsa

1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained

1-1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed

1 cup finely chopped sweet red pepper

3/4 cup finely chopped green pepper

1/2 cup finely chopped red onion

1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon pepper

Tortilla chips

1.In a large bowl, combine the beans, corn, peppers, onion and parsley. Combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, vinegar and seasonings

 

2.pour over corn mixture and toss gently to coat.

 3.Serve with tortilla chips. Refrigerate leftovers. 

Nutritional Facts 1 serving (1/4 cup) equals 83 calories, 4 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 6 mg cholesterol, 149 mg sodium, 9 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 2 g protein.

* This was absolutely delicious. Easy to make and so tasty. It could be eaten as a meal in itself. I am sure that I will make this many times even my 20 month old baby loved it and ate a whole bowl lol I give it a 5 of course

Yield: 4 cups.

Bourbon Chicken and rice

2 lbs boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
1 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/4 tsp ginger
1/2-3/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup apple juice
1/3 cup light brown sugar

2 tbs ketchup

1 tbs cider vinegar

1/2 cup water

1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce

Steamed rice

1.Heat oil in a large skillet.  Add chicken pieces and cook until lightly browned.  Remove chicken.  Add remaining ingredients, heating over medium heat until well mixed and dissolved.  Add chicken and bring to a hard boil. 

2.Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

* This chicken was so good my son said that it tasted better then chicken that he gets from Panda Express lol I will for sure make this again it gets a 5 on the scale

Deviled Egg Pasta Salad

1 pound elbow macaroni
3 cups Miracle Whip or mayonnaise ( I used 1 1/2 cups each)
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
1 teaspoon white vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup dill pickle relish
Paprika

1. Cook pasta according to directions on box; drain. Rinse in cold water and drain again.

2. While pasta is cooking, whisk together Miracle Whip/mayo, mustard, vinegar, and salt and pepper.


3. Gently fold pasta, eggs, and relish into the sauce. Taste for seasoning; re-season as necessary. Sprinkle with paprika. Cover and refrigerate until serving (it’s best the next day).


* I made this salad for a family party and it was really good. This recipe does make a lot of salad so I would for sure half it next time I make it but the flavor was great and did taste like deviled eggs without all the work. Its a great salad for any summer picnic I give it a 4 1/2.  I got this recipe from cassiecraves.blogspot.com When I saw her pic I knew I had to make it :)

Creamy Healthy "alfredo" with florets

1 cup (8 ounces) 1% cottage cheese

1/2 cup 1% milk

1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

5 cups broccoli florets

4 cups cauliflowerets

4 ounces uncooked angel hair pasta

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons olive oil

1.In a blender or food processor, combine the cottage cheese, milk, sour cream, Parmesan cheese, salt and cayenne; cover and process until smooth. Set aside.

2.In a saucepan, bring 1 in. of water to a boil; place broccoli and cauliflower in a steamer basket over water. Cover and steam for 3-4 minutes or until crisp-tender. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions; drain.

3.In a large nonstick skillet, saute garlic in oil for 2 min. Stir in the broccoli, cauliflower, pasta and cottage cheese mixture; heat through. 

Yield: 8 servings.

Nutritional info: One serving (1 cup) equals 151 calories, 4 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 7 mg cholesterol, 357 mg sodium, 20 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 11 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 1 starch, 1 meat, 1 vegetable.

* I was actually really surprised on how much my family liked this. I have had the recipe for a while but never dared to try it thinking that I didn't want to spend the time making it just to throw it all away. Well it did not get thrown out at all. In fact all the leftovers were even eaten the next day. Its really good and you can not tell at all that there is cottage cheese in the sauce. Give it a try and let me know what you think. I am sure that I will make it again sometime . I give it a 4

Crazy Cooking Challenge.. Blueberry Peach Crumb Muffins..

Its time again for the Crazy Cooking Challenge. This month we were set out to find the best Blueberry Muffin Recipe and share it with the world :) I had so many to choose from and they all looked so good. I mean who doesn't love warm blueberry muffins ?. My family loved these and will for sure make them again. I got this recipe from carolinesbakeshop.blogspot.com She has an great blog check her out. So here it is my Crazy Cooking Challenge recipe for April hope you all enjoy them as much as we did :) Give them a try. 

Crumb topping:
1 cup all-purpose flour (spoon flour into a dry-measure cup and level off)
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
6 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar

Muffin batter:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spoon flour into a dry-measure cup and level off)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 freshly grated nutmeg ( I think I would only use 1/8 tsp next time)
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, barely softened
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 pint blueberries, rinsed, drained (I used about 1 full cup frozen and let them thaw most the way)
1 peach peeled and diced ( I used about 5-6 large frozen peach slices thawed)


1. Preheat oven to 375°

2. For the crumb topping, combine the flour, baking powder, and cinnamon in a medium mixing bowl and stir well to mix. Melt the butter in a small pan. Remove from the heat, then add the brown sugar to the pan of melted butter and use a small heatproof rubber spatula to stir them together. Scrape the butter and sugar mixture into the flour mixture, stirring it in until the flour es evenly moistened. Set aside while preparing the muffin batter.

3. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg in a mixing bowl and stir well to mix.

4. Combine the butter and sugars in the bowls of an electric mixer fitter with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed for about 1 minute, or until well mixed and a little lightened in color. Beat eggs one at a time, beating smooth after each.

5. Decrease the mixer speed to low and beat in 1/2 the flour mixture. Stop the mixer and use a large rubber spatula to scrape down the bowl and beater.
6. On low speed, beat in the milk. After the batter has absorbed the milk, beat in the remaining flour mixture. Stop and scrape down the bowl and beater again.

7. Add the blueberries and peaches to the bowl and beat them into the batter on the lowest speed for no more than 2 to 3 seconds, to crush some of the berries slightly.

8. Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a large rubber spatula to give a final mixing to the batter.

9. Divide the batter equally among the cavities in the muffin pan. Break the crumb topping into small crumbs with your fingertips and scatter over the top of each muffin. Bake the muffins until they are well risen, feel firm to the touch, and the topping is golden, about 30 minutes. Cool the muffins in the pan on a rack.

This recipe made 6 jumbo size muffins and one mini loaf of bread. So I bet it would make 9-10 jumbo muffins. The loaf of bread took about 50 min to cook.

Southwestern Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 carton (32 oz) plus 1 (14.5 oz) can reduced sodium chicken broth
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) crushed tomatoes, undrained 
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained 
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch cubes 
1 large onion, chopped 
1/3 cup minced fresh cilantro 
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies 
1 garlic clove, minced 
1 teaspoon chili powder 
1 teaspoon ground cumin 
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 
3 cups frozen corn, thawed
Tortilla chips
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat cheddar or Mexican cheese blend

In a large saucepan, combine the first 12 ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour. Add corn; cook 10 minutes longer. Top each serving with tortilla chips; sprinkle with cheese. 

 
NUTRITIONAL INFO:One serving (1-1/2 cups soup with 3 tortilla chips and 2 tablespoons cheese) equals 234 calories, 4 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 41 mg cholesterol, 873 mg sodium, 29 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 23 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2 lean meat, 1-1/2 starch, 1 vegetable.

Yield: 8 servings.




* I was worried about making this soup I thought that it was going to be really watered down and not have much flavor but it ended up being really good. I added a can of drained black beans to it and topped it with a little light sour cream and a few tortilla strips instead of whole chips and it tasted great. Had a little spice but nothing that was to much even the kids liked it. I give it a 4

Crustless Bacon and Cheese Quiche

5 green onions, chopped, divided

1 tomato, chopped, divided

12 slices Bacon

1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

12 eggs

1/3 cup Light Sour Cream

1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

1.HEAT oven to 325ºF.
2.RESERVE 2 Tbsp. each onions and tomatoes. Cook bacon in large skillet until crisp. Remove bacon from skillet, reserving 1 Tbsp. drippings in skillet. Drain bacon on paper towels. Add mushrooms to reserved drippings; cook and stir 2 min. or until tender. Remove from heat. Crumble bacon. Add to skillet with remaining onions and tomatoes; mix well.

 
3.BEAT eggs and sour cream with whisk until well blended. Pour into greased 13x9-inch baking dish; top with bacon mixture and cheeses.

 
4.BAKE 30 min. or until center is set. Top with reserved onions and tomatoes. Let stand 5 min. before cutting to serve.

I only made half the recipe thats listed and made it in a 8x8 inch pan.

* This was so yummy and I love that you can add any veggies that you want. I will be sure to add peppers and maybe some zucchini next time. Be sure to try it out its a simple but filling breakfast. I will make it again I give it a 4 1/2 

 

Lemon Pull Aparts

12 Rhodes dinner rolls, thawed but still cold
zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tbsp butter, melted

Glaze:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp lemon juice

1.Cut rolls in half and place in a greased 9×13″ pan. Drizzle with the melted butter. Mix lemon zest and sugar together in a small bowl. Sprinkle HALF of the lemon sugar mixture over the rolls. Cover and let raise till doubled. Sprinkle remaining sugar mixture on top.

2.Bake at 350 for about 20-25 minutes. Remove from pan. Combine glaze ingredients. Drizzle over rolls while still warm.

 * We loved these pull aparts they were so light and refreshing. We added some of the strawberry freezer jam we made last week with them and they lasted just like strawberry lemonade so yummy. I only made half a batch cuz thats all the rolls that I had in the fridge and they were gone fast. I will for sure make these again when we have more dough. I give them a 5

Rainbow Fruit Salad

 
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup orange juice 
2 tablespoons lemon juice 
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg 
5 cups cubed cantaloupe 
1 cup fresh blueberries ( I used frozen)
2 large firm bananas, sliced ( I didnt use)
2 medium peaches, peeled and sliced ( I used frozen)
2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
2 cups halved seedless grapes

1.In a small bowl, combine the first five ingredients; mix well. In a large bowl, combine the fruit. Add dressing and toss to coat. Serve immediately with a slotted spoon

 Yield: 12 servings.


NUTRITIONAL INFO: One serving (1 cup) equals 126 calories, 1 g fat (0.55 g saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 8 mg sodium, 32 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 1 g protein. Diabetic Exchange: 2 fruit.

* We all loved this fruit salad the dressing made all the flavor of the fruit really come out. It was light and refreshing and I will totally make this again many times I am sure.Make sure that you wait to put on the dressing until right before you are going to serve it. It went kinda mushy with the little leftover that we had. I give it a 4 1/2 on the scale.