Fajita Chicken Salad

I had an entirely different post typed up and decided, at the last minute, to switch it up. Earlier today I noticed that my Facebook page had 476 ‘likes’. My goal was to hit 500 by September…something that seemed rather unreasonable since we have just days left in September and I don’t typically get more than a couple of likes per day. I posted my goal and immediately noticed that Connie’s Finally Losing It posted it on her page. Then Fast Paleo posted it and Bellatrix Nutrition and a couple of friends. 

I went to shower and by the time I came back to the computer (less than an hour later), the page had hit 500…and counting…. At this moment, there are 63 new likes JUST from today and I realized that I set my goal WAY too low. This is something I’m used to doing in real life as well… if I set my goals low enough, surely they will be attainable….right??? 

But that’s NOT right. If I just lose a couple of pounds, I will do/buy/eat _______. I never lost the couple of pounds but I would still do/buy/eat ________. When I switched to a primal diet, I did it for my health but I never expected to lose weight as quickly as I did. As I lost weight, I started setting goal weights and rewards…functional rewards. At 15 pounds (pre-Anya weight), I had my hair cut and coloured. At 20 pounds (pre-Gavin weight), I got sized for new bras (which, after being in nursing bras for over 10 years, was a real treat).

I have nothing planned for pre-Adam weight (5 pounds away)…I should probably get on that because September begins a 30 day challenge…

Fajita Chicken Salad


Ingredients


1 cup salsa (medium is what we use)
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
pinch red pepper flakes
1/2 cup olive oil (divided)
2 limes, juiced (divided)
12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 heads romaine lettuce, chopped into bite sized pieces
1 each red, yellow, & orange pepper, cut into strips
1 large onion, halved and sliced
additional olive oil to cook chicken and vegetables.

Directions


In a large bowl, stir together salsa, chicken broth, chili powder, salt, paprika, garlic, onion powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, 1/4 cup olive oil, and juice from 1 lime. Reserve 1/4 cup of this mixture. Add the chicken thighs to the bowl and stir around to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour (and up to 24 hours).

Heat a bit of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken thighs (in batches, if necessary) for 5-7 minutes per side, until cooked through. Remove from pan, cut into strips, and keep warm.

Wipe pan clean and add more olive oil. Saute peppers and onion for 5 minutes, until softened but still slightly crisp.

Whisk the reserved 1/4 cup of marinade with 1/4 cup olive oil and juice from 1 lime in a small bowl. In a large serving bowl, layer romaine lettuce, sauteed vegetables, and sliced chicken. Top with dressing and serve.

Noodle-Free Lasagna

There will be a very long winded post coming soon about the happenings in my life. But for now, there’s noodle free lasagna. One of the biggest challenges of not eating grains is meals whose base is pasta. I could have made regular lasagna and picked out the noodles but that is time consuming and messy. I searched out alternatives and found lasagna using zucchini in place of noodles.

I was thrilled to make this on mother’s day along side a regular lasagna for the kids. In hindsight, I should have just made a full sized noodle free lasagna since they all enjoyed the taste that they had. We have since made a full sized noodle free lasagna and they really enjoyed it. This recipe makes a 9″x9″ pan but you can double it to make the perfect 9″x13″ lasagna. The one thing I noticed was that this lasagna stayed together WAY better than any regular lasagna I’ve ever made. Even that first piece that is guaranteed to fall apart didn’t fall apart!

Noodle Free Lasagna

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1-2 zucchini, sliced lengthwise 1/8″ thick

1/2 orange pepper, sliced 1/4″ thick

1/2 yellow pepper, sliced 1/4″ thick

4 large mushrooms, sliced 1/4″ thick

500g ricotta cheese

10oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained thoroughly

1 egg

1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

1/2 cup chopped onions

1/2 pound ground beef

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 cup pasta sauce (or tomato sauce seasoned as you like)

1/4 cup pasta sauce (for the bottom of the pan)

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 425°. Roast the zucchini slices in a single layer on a baking sheet, oiled with olive oil, for 10 minutes. Toss the remaining vegetables with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and roast for 15-20 minutes, stirring halfway, until softened. Remove from oven and cool until you can handle them enough to chop into smaller pieces. Reduce heat to 400°.

In a bowl, stir ricotta cheese, spinach, egg, and parmesan cheese. Set aside.

In a large pot, brown ground beef with onions and garlic. Drain and stir in 1 cup of sauce. Spread 1/4 cup of sauce over bottom of a 9″9″ baking dish. Layer 1/3 of the roasted zucchini, 1/3 of the ricotta mixture, half of the meat, half of the roasted vegetables. Repeat with 1/3 zucchini, 1/3 ricotta, remaining half meat, remaining half roasted vegetables. Top with remaining 1/3 zucchini, remaining 1/3 ricotta, and 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese.

Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake uncovered for an additional 15 minutes, until cheese is melted and browned. 

Vegetarian Chili

I don’t make New Year’s resolutions… I feel like they are just promises to myself that I’m sure to break. Instead, I set goals. Is that the same thing? Maybe it is… but I set attainable goals. This year I was inspired by the photo 365 projects that some of my friends are doing but instead, I am doing a 365 mile project. In 2011 I will walk, run, bike 365 miles (on top of my regular exercise program). 

See? Attainable! 1 mile a day is all I need to do. My husband decided to get in on this as well, pushing me to complete my goal. We have a calender taped onto the treadmill and while I’m on the treadmill I add up my miles. (then I add up his and feel relief that I’m still ahead) 

Bulgur’s texture, once cooked, is almost identical to ground meat. The test, however, was to see if my kids could tell that there was no meat in their chili. My husband and I set out the bowl…with a mischievous smile, we asked if they knew what was missing. None of them noticed! I have hope that we could have one meatless meal a week without a lot of fuss.

Vegetarian Chili

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

3 medium carrots, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 large red belly pepper, chopped

2 jalapeno peppers, seeds removed, diced

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 tablespoons chili powder

28 oz can crushed tomatoes

14 oz can black beans

14 oz can kidney beans

1 cup corn kernels (thawed if using frozen)

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

3 teaspoons dried basil

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 cup bulgur wheat

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

Directions

Heat oil in a large pot. Add onions, carrots, and garlic; saute until onions are softened (about 5 minutes). Add red pepper, jalapenos, celery, and chili powder. Cook for another 10 minutes. Add tomatoes, beans, corn, salt, and spices. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer (covered) for 20 minutes. Stir in bulgur wheat. Cover and simmer for another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add balsamic vinegar right before you serve the chili.

Recipe from Door Sixteen.

Queso Blanco Burger

I posted in July about the best burger ever and I have to take it back now. I don’t think anything can top the queso blanco burger! (Feel free to challenge that claim if you have a better recipe!) I had queso blanco sauce on every part of my hand and large portions of my arm (including my elbow!?). It may seem a little time consuming to make but it’s so worth it. Plus, you can use the pico de gallo and queso blanco sauce in other ways..like dipping chips. Or eating straight out of a bowl. 

Queso Blanco Burger

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

4 dashes hot sauce

Queso sauce (recipe to follow)

1 avocado, sliced

Lettuce

Ciabatta rolls

Pico de Gallo

Directions

Mix ground beef, salt, pepper, and hot sauce in a large bowl and form into 4 patties. Grill over medium heat until nearly cooked through (4-5 minutes per side). Remove from grill and tent with foil for 5 minutes.

Layer a toasted roll with queso sauce, lettuce, hamburger patty, queso sauce, avocado, pico de gallo, and bun top. Devour immediately.

Queso Sauce

3 cups shredded monterey jack cheese (use jalapeno jack cheese if you’re looking for an extra kick)

2-3 poblano peppers (roasted, peeled, and seeded), finely chopped

1 jalapeno pepper (roasted, peeled, and seeded), finely chopped

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup diced yellow onions

1 tablespoon flour

1 1/2 cups whole milk

salt and pepper

Roast peppers by broiling on high until the skins are black. Remove peppers to a ziploc bag and steam them in the bag for 15 minutes. Take the peppers out of the bag and peel the skin off. Cut peppers open and remove all seeds.

While burgers are cooking, prepare queso sauce. Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon butter and melt. Once melted, add the onions and cook until translucent (3-4 minutes). Add the 2nd tablespoon of butter and melt. Whisk in the flour until incorporated and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the milk, increase the heat to high, and cook (whisking constantly) until slightly thickened (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat, add cheese, and whisk until the cheese is melted. Stir in the peppers and season with salt and pepper. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Recipe from Inspired Taste.

Supper 02/03 ~ Basque-Style Chicken

Basque-Style Chicken

I’m always bothered when a dish I’m excited to make turns out to be a huge fail with the kids. I’ve had this recipe printed for awhile but we don’t buy boneless, skinless thighs often. It was an easy dish to put together..not many ingredients or steps. This is always great when we’re so busy. There were, however, a lot of turned up noses when it was served. Tomatoes and peppers are hit and miss here.

Basque-Style Chicken

12 boneless skinless chicken thighs

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 green peppers, thinly sliced

1 tsp smoked paprika or chili powder

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/3 cup dry red wine (or 1/4 cup water plus 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar)

1 can (28oz) whole tomatoes

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Sprinkle chicken with half each of the salt and pepper. In large shallow Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat; brown chicken, in batches. Transfer to plate. Drain any fat from pan. Add onion, garlic and green peppers; cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in paprika, thyme and remaining salt and pepper. Add wine; cook, scraping up brown bits from bottom of pan, until almost no liquid remains. Add tomatoes, breaking up with spoon. Return chicken and any accumulated juices to pan, spooning sauce over top; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until juices run clear when chicken is pierced, about 25 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer chicken and peppers to serving plate; keep warm. Stir parsley into sauce and bring to boil; cook until thickened. Spoon over chicken.

I think I’ll tuck this recipe away until the kids forget that they didn’t like it. I didn’t mind it but it was a little on the bland side. It could have been that we served it over egg noodles and they are bland as well.

Supper 01/01 ~ Roman Style Chicken

Roman Style Chicken

For such a basic chicken recipe, this has it all! The flavours came together so well and we all loved it. I used 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts to feed 4 adults and 4 kids and there are enough leftovers for 2 lunches! We sliced the chicken crosswise into 1/2″ strips before serving and poured the sauce over all of the chicken.

Roman Style Chicken

• 4 skinless chicken breast halves, with ribs
• 2 skinless chicken thighs, with bones
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus 1 teaspoon
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus 1 teaspoon
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
• 3 ounces prosciutto, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1 teaspoon fresh oregano leaves
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons capers
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Directions

Season the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. In a heavy, large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, cook the chicken until browned on both sides. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Keeping the same pan over medium heat, add the peppers and prosciutto and cook until the peppers have browned and the prosciutto is crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, wine, and herbs. Using a wooden spoon, scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken to the pan, add the stock, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 to 30 minutes.

If serving immediately, add the capers and the parsley. Stir to combine and serve. If making ahead of time, transfer the chicken and sauce to a storage container, cool, and refrigerate. The next day, reheat the chicken to a simmer over medium heat. Stir in the capers and the parsley and serve.

This chicken was our final meal with our company and I am so happy we made it. Everyone loved it! Normally I don’t like leftover chicken because it always seems dry and bland but this one was so moist and even MORE flavourful the second day.