Homemade Southwest Chicken Salad

So I love southwest salads in restaurants but don't love the price of having to go out to eat to get them.  So, this is my newest version of a southwest chicken salad with homemade tortilla strips and homemade guacamole.  Pretty yummy......

Chicken (from a Taste of Homes cook book)

4 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
4 tbls lime juice
4 chicken breasts
olive oil for cooking

Mix seasonings together.  Rub mixture into chicken.  Brown chicken on both sides in skillet with olive oil.  Pour lime juice over chicken.  Cover and cook for 7-10 minutes until chicken no longer pink in the middle.

Tortilla Strips
1/2 package flour tortillas
olive oil
coarse salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Cut tortillas in half and then in strips.  Place in jelly roll sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil and salt and toss to coat (you may have do this this step again).  Bake20 minutes, checking every 5 minutes, until brown and crispy.

Guacamole
4 ripe avocados, chopped
Juice of 2 limes
2 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
2 garlic cloves minced
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 can Rotel, drained

Mix all together and refrigerate 30 minutes. 

Salad 
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can corn, drained
iceberg lettuce, chopped
Mexican blend cheese
sour cream
salsa

In microwave, cook black beans in bowl with water until tender, about 2 minutes.  Drain.  Top lettuce with corn and black beans, cheese, chicken, guacamole, sour cream, salsa, and tortilla chips.  Or mix salsa with ranch dressing to make a mexi-ranch dressing.

Rainy Day Bobby Flay California Burger

So, I had all of the fixings for a yummy burger courtesy my secret crush Bobby Flay.  The plan was to have Dan grill, but the weather did not cooperate.  However, I made these inside tonight and they were YUMMY.  It is all about the avocado spread (aka guacamole).  For the original recipe click here, I tweaked a few things.

Burgers
1/2 lb ground turkey
1/2 lb lean ground beef
3 dashes Worcestershire sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
salt and pepper to taste
4 slices cheddar cheese
tomato, sliced
watercress

Avocado Relish
2 avocados, chopped
1/2 diced small onion
juice of 1 lime (taste after put in half)
salt and pepper to taste
(the recipe calls for 1 minced jalapeno which I didn't think my 2 year would appreciate and 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro which I HATE with a passion)

Mix turkey burger and lean ground beef, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste.
Shape into a uniform patty, no more than 3/4 inch thick (don't overwork the meat). Make a depression in the center with your thumb so the burger won't bulge; the indent will rise as the patty cooks. Preheat a grill or cast-iron grill pan to high. Brush the burger with canola oil.  Grill until golden brown and slightly charred, turning once (7 minutes for medium-rare). Avoid pressing with a spatula! Add cheese for the last minute of cooking. (since I was inside, I browned the patties in a skillet with corn oil, then baked in oven for 30 minutes at 375 degrees.  Mix remaining ingredients together for avocado spread.  Top burger with avocado relish, watercress, and tomato slice. Serve on toasted buns. 

Photograph by Steve Giralt

Grilled Pork Tenderloin Satay

This recipe came from my new Taste of Home GRILL IT! cookbook.  I have to say it is very yummy.  No leftovers from this one.  I did increase the amounts it told me because I used a 3 lb prk tenderloin instead of the 1 lb it called for.  Which, I know we are a bigger folk, but when has 1 lb of meat ever been enough for 8 servings?  Maybe as an appetizer, but not dinner portions.  Enjoy!

1 large onion, chopped
3/4 cup packed brown sugar (I used 1/2 cup Splenda brown sugar blend)
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup canola oil
6 garlic colves, minced
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 pork tenderloin (3 lb)

In saucepan, bring the first 8 ingredients to a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer uncovered, for 15- 20 minutes or until thickened.  Reserve half of the sauce for dipping.

Cut pork in half width-wise; cut each half into 10 strips.  Pound each piece of pork under plastic wrap until thin.  Thread pork strips onto metal skewers or soaked wooden skewers.  (I used 5 metal skewers with 4 pieces each).  Grill, uncovered, over medium heat for 5 minutes on each side or until no longer pink, basting with sauce throughout grilling. 

Yield: 5 - 6 servings

Flint Michigan Coney Island Dogs

So I am originally from Michigan but I have spent most of my life in Kansas.  We are planning a trip in July to visit family and to celebrate our trip I invited my truly Michganer parents over for some Coney Island dogs, which actually came from Michigan.  I choose to make the Flint sauce as opposed to the Detroit version, which is much soupier than Flint's.  I got this recipe from Recipezaar, Chef Larz in Pennsborro, WV. Every one seemed to like it, especially my husband who scarfed down 2 dogs before I was half way done with my one.  This recipe should be used with Koegel hotdogs, which you can't get around here.  I used Finestil Das Coney dogs made in Emporia Kansas which I found at Dillons.  They are not exactly Koegel, but they are in the casing, which made them better than most.  

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon margarine

1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef

2 medium onions, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

3 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon prepared mustard

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

1 (6 ounce) can water (I used more than this based on how thick I wanted it)

12 ounces skinless hot dogs

salt and pepper

Do not brown ground beef before using.  Combine all ingredients except hot dogs and simmer until thick.  Grind the hot dogs very fine (or chop fine in food processor) stir in to beef mixture and cook 15 minutes longer.  Serve over good casing hot dogs with chopped onion and mustard.  

Tuna Burritos

I like tuna, and I like burritos. But tuna burritos? Sounds interesting. Got this recipe from school mates Mini Gourmet recipe book.

2 - 6oz cans tuna drained
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 can french-fried onions
2 cups Monterrey jack cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
8 medium flour tortillas
1 cup milk
salt pepper to taste

In a bowl, mix tuna, peas, half of the french-fried onions, 1 cup cheese, sour cream, and 1 can soup. Place tuna mixture in tortillas. Roll tortillas and place seam-side down in greased 9x13 pan. Mix 1 can soup, milk, and salt and pepper; pour over tortillas. Cover with remaining cheese. Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Sprinkle remaining onions on top and bake 10 minutes more.

Lower fat version I made: I substituted light sour cream, 98% fat free soup, skim milk, and low carb tortillas in my version.

Review: I actually liked this a lot. If you like tuna salad and want a twist this is great for that. I didn't notice any difference with using low fat ingredients. Although, I would definetly use regular flour tortillas, as the low carb ones, which are really actually good for wraps and fajitas, did not work with this. They got really tough when baked. Should have figured, but I wanted to try!

TurkeyBurger Cake

So this recipe came from a Betty Crocker Contest Winner recipe book from 1992. No name was given for who originally made this creation, but it sounded yummy. I was in the mood for meatloaf but wanted to make it a bit different and this was what I found.

1 lb ground turkey (originally called for ground beef)
1 cup chopped onion
1 can (4 oz) green chilies, drained
2 cups baking mix
1/2 cup light mayo
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons mustard
2 teaspoons seasoned salt
1 egg
8 oz sliced American or Cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons sesame seed

Preheat over to 375 degrees. Grease springform pan. Cook turkey and onion until turkey is brown and onion tender. Drain. Mix turkey, onion, and remaining ingredients except cheese and sesame seed. Spread half of the mixture in pan. Top with cheese. Spread remaining turkey mixture over cheese. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake 35-40 minutes until edges are brown and pull away from the side of the pan. Let stand 10 minutes. Loosen from edge of pan and take away side of pan.


Review: After making this, I would definitely make some changes. It needs to cook a bit longer. Also, there was way too much cheese. I used American, but it might be better with cheddar and about half of what it calls for. It was a very strong taste, so maybe a little less ketchup or mustard. Probably like 1/3 cup ketchup and 1 tablespoon mustard. Might make it again, but with the changes.

BBQ Beef

So, I LOVE slow cooker recipes. I take this to a ton of different events, so I thought I should put it on here. It is a favorite.

1 boneless beef chuck roast (about 3 lb)
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tbs brown sugar
2 tbs red wine vinegar
1 tbs Dijon mustard
1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
1 clove crushed garlic
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp liquid smoke
1/8 tsp black pepper

Pour sauce over beef and cook on low heat in a crock pot for 8-9 hours. I usually double the sauce only because I like to have mine a little juicier. I usually make the sauce the night before and then all I have to do is dump everything in the pot. Don't use the bigger crock pots though. I have found they don't cook the same way and the meat is never as tender, so use the normal size. Enjoy!

Baked Rotini

I got this recipe off of the website momswhothink.com. I have gotten some new ideas from that site. This is Johnny Marzetti's Casserole. I changed it up a little bit, but the majority of it is from that site. I am trying to do low carb, low fat cooking as much as I can, which I know sounds like an impossible feat. Ever since I was diagnosed with diabetes, I have really been trying to change up traditional recipes to make them more what I need them to be. This was a hit with my husband and 2 year old.

12 ounces rotini pasta (about 4½ cups)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
1 onion, minced
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tsp dried parsley
2 tsp garlic salt
pepper and salt to taste
1 pound ground turkey
½ pound bulk sausage
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
3 cups shredded Italian cheese blend

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13x9 inch baking dish. Cook pasta according to package and drain. Meanwhile, saute garlic, celery, onion, and pepper until tender (5-10 minutes). Stir in oregano, basil, dried parsley, pepper, and garlic salt. Add turkey and sausage and cook (breaking up large pieces) until all brown. Stir in diced tomatoes and tomato sauce and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat. Layer pasta, 1 cup of the Italian cheese blend, meat mixture, and top with remaining cheese. Cover dish with heavy aluminum foil. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes; until the sauce is bubbling. Remove the foil and bake an additional 10 minutes until the top is slightly browned. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

*I used Dreamfields pasta for this dish. We really like this, and it only has 5 grams of digestible carbs. Try it, you won't be disappointed.