Chicken Caesar Salad Wraps

Soccer season is coming again. We have soccer in the spring and fall here which means dinner on the run. Frequently this means how many different ways can I serve sandwiches? This is my version of a recipe I found on Mel's Kitchen Cafe. Sometimes I even assemble the wraps before the games. Usually however you'll find me with a cooler that contains the pieces, assembling this dinner on the sidelines of a soccer game.

Chicken Caesar  Salad Wraps

3 cups shredded/chopped cooked chicken breasts

2 cups chopped Romaine lettuce (about 1 head)

1/2 cup Cardini's Caesar Dressing

1/4 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, shredded

6 Whole wheat tortillas

Mix shredded chicken with Caesar dressing and Parmesan. Spoon about 1/2 cup of mixture into each tortilla. Add a handful of lettuce to each tortilla. Roll up and serve.

Recipe Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe. I use bottled Cardini's dressing (prefer the flavor and less work) and just cooked chicken breasts instead of rotisserie.

Coconut Curry Chicken Soup

Dearest Jill, I miss cooking with you. Whenever we eat this delicious thai flavored soup, we all think of you and your lovely family and how much we miss hanging out at your house. You are such a good friend, it is horrible that we are separated by thousands of miles now! Love you bunches!

Coconut Curry Chicken Soup

4 cups water

3 cups fresh spinach leaves

1/2 pound snow peas, trimmed

1 package pad thai noodles (wide rice stick noodles)

1 Tbsp oil

1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots

2 tsp red curry paste

1 1/2 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp coriander

2 garlic cloves, minced

6 cups chicken broth

1 13.5 oz can coconut milk

3 cups shredded cooked chicken breast

1/2 cup chopped green onions

2 Tbsp sugar

2 Tbsp fish sauce

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 tsp  red pepper flakes

7 lime wedges

Bring water to boil. Add spinach and peas, cook for 30 seconds. Remove with slotted spoon to another large bowl. Return water to a boil and add noodles, cook 3 minutes. Drain, and mix noodles with spinach mixture. Heat oil over medium high heat in separate pan. Add shallots and spices through garlic, saute 1 minute, stirring constantly .Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add coconut milk and reduce heat. Simmer 5 minutes. Add chicken, onions, sugar, and fish sauce, cook 2 minutes more. Pour chicken mixture over noodle mixture in bowl. Add cilantro and red pepper flakes. Serve with lime wedges.

Creole Chicken with Succotash

This is a great simple dinner I got from a Southern Living cookbook I own. I always have to double it for my crew. It is great though to have a delicious dinner waiting in the slow cooker after a busy day!

You don't add any liquid to this recipe but the frozen vegetables and the chicken will provide plenty.

Creole Chicken with Field Pea Succotash

16 oz package frozen field peas with snaps

10 oz package frozen vegetable gumbo mix

16 oz package frozen corn

2 cubes of chicken bouillion

4 tsp Creole seasoning, divided

1 1/2 tsp paprika

6 skinned, bone-in chicken thighs

Mix  first four ingredients and 2 tsp of Creole seasoning in a lightly greased 6 qt oval shaped slow cooker. Combine paprika with remaining Creole seasoning and rub over chicken. Arrange chicken on top of vegetable mixture. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours until done. Serves 4-6

Recipe Source: Southern Living   

Super easy chicken enchiladas

Not the healthiest recipe. But quick and easy.

1 can rotel or jar of salsa
16 oz sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 lb velveeta cheese cut into cubes
2 large cans chicken breast meat, drained
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 can of corn
1 can black beans
Tortillas

Mix rotel, soup, sour cream, velveeta in pan on medium heatu ntil cheese is melted. Add chicken breast mixture. Spoon into tortillas and roll up, placing in a 9x13 sprayed with cooking spray. Pour remaining mixture over tortillas. Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top.

Sweet & Sour Chicken

I know I haven't posted much. We have been on an ultra frugal dining plan and it doesn't leave much room for creativity. I use recipes I know work and are basic but they aren't delicious fun so I hesitate to share. I also left Daring Bakers because I didn't have time for the time consuming projects.

A recent delicious dinner we had was Sweet & Sour Chicken from the cookbook "Deseret Recipes". It was published almost 30 years ago by the LDS church and has some good basic recipes you can modify as needed. This is a great example. It makes a delicious, simple sweet & sour sauce.

1 cut up whole chicekn
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup oil
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 can pineapple chunks in juice

1 cup sugar
4 Tbsp flour
3/4 cup vinegar
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp ginger
1 large green pepper, cut in strips
2 Tbsp chicken drippings (from browning chicken)

Coat the chicken pieces with the 1/2 cup flour. Heat up the oil in a skillet and brown the chicken. Then put the chicken in a shallow pan and turn the oven to 350. Sprinkle the salt/pepper over the chicken pieces. Reserve 2 Tbsp chicken drippings. Set aside.

Drain the pineapple chunks liquid into a measuring cup and add water to make 1 1/4 cups liquid. In a different saucepan, combine the liquid with 1 cup sugar, 4 Tbsp flour, 3/4 cup vinegar, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, 1/4 tsp ginger and 2 Tbsp chicken drippings. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 2 minutes then pour over chicken.

Put in oven uncovered and bake for 30 minutes. Pull out and add pineapple chunks and green pepper strips. Bake 30 minutes more.

Serve over rice.
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This was so delicious and simple! You could turn it into more of a take-out stir fry by using chunks of chicken and cooking them on the stove top and then sauteing the pineapple and bell pepper with it quickly before covering in sauce. It would be faster and a fun variation, but cost a bit more. We just pulled chicken off the bones on our plates and mixed up to make it like stir fry. I loved the sauce. Yum.

Spicy Braised Peanut Chicken

Another tasty recipe from this friend. I loved how easy this was to get into the slow-cooker and how I had everything on hand. It is North African in style, and is delicious with the chicken thighs and couscous, but you could easily substitute chicken breasts and rice if that's what you have on hand.

It is really tasty comfort food. It is also cheap if you get a good price on chicken thighs! I got a package of 10 thighs for $3.50, add the tomatoes ($0.60) & rotel ($0.80 for 2 cans) being on sale and its about $5 for this dinner.

Spicy Braised Peanut Chicken
1 Tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
8 chicken thighs, skins removed
1 large onion, chopped
2 cans (14.5 oz each) diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained (RoTel)
1 can (14.5 oz) crushed or diced tomatoes, undrained
2 Tablespoons honey
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
2 cups hot cooked couscous

Heat oil in 12 inch non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Cook chicken in oil about 4 minutes, turning once, until brown.

Mix onion, diced and crushed tomatoes, honey, cumin and cinnamon in 4-5qt slow cooker.Place chicken in slow cooker. Spoon tomato mixture over chicken.

Cover and cook on low heat setting 7 to 8 hours or until juice of chicken is no longer pink when centers of thickest pieces are cut.

Stir in peanut butter until melted and well blended. Serve chicken and sauce over couscous.

Serves 4

Mock Tom Ka Gai (Coconut Lime Chicken Soup)

I had a friend make this for us while she was visiting and it is amazing. We could not stop eating this soup; it is delicious! Quick and easy if you have cooked chicken on hand.

1 lb chicken meat cut into strips or shredded (she used a roast chicken from the store and pulled the meat off )
2 (14 oz cans) coconut milk
2 cups chicken broth
2 Tablespoons minced fresh ginger root
4 Tablespoons fish sauce
1/2 cup lime juice
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 cup rice
2 Tablespoons thinly sliced green onion or lemongrass
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

Bring coconut milk and chicken broth to a boil. Reduce heat, add ginger, fish sauce, lime juice, cayenne, rice and chicken meat. Simmer 10-15 minutes until rice is done. Add scallions and cilantro and serve hot. Enjoy!

Chicken mole & pickled vegetable salad

The Flexitarian Table is my big favorite cookbook find of the past year. I am pretty sure that Every. Single. Recipe. is delicious and amazing. For V-Day I decided to try his Chicken Mole Negro & Pickled Vegetable salad recipe.

If you have never had a mole sauce, you've been missing out IMHO. It is one of my favorites because there's chocolate in it! It is a spicy, flavorful sauce that goes wonderfully on chicken and with rice or masa harina. I served it with rice for simplicity.

The pickled vegetable salad was an adventure for me, but was delicious & easy! I love things that can be mostly completed ahead of time and don't require much prep anyway. That's what this is. Even my kids liked the veggies in this salad, they had so much fun flavor.

I have to admit that I did not like the tempeh mole version as much as I would have expected. Maybe I cooked the tempeh wrong, but it was not nearly as awesome as the chicken mole version. (I always make both the vegetarian and meat eating versions of the meals so we can compare.) It was good, but not mouthwateringly delicious as the chicken. It was kind of dry actually. Hmm.

Well here are the recipes, which I really think you will like. :) Note that this recipe serves 4 adults, you could double the amount of chicken or tempeh if you don't want to make both. Serve with rice or masa.

The vegetables used in the pickled salad are suggestions, you can use other available crunchy vegetables. The chilies give a bit of heat to the brine. The vegetables make a great snack right out of the jar if you don't want to serve it in the salad.

Chicken or Tempeh Mole (from Peter Berley's the Flexitarian Table)
Mole sauce:
1/4 cup Vegetable oil
2 large dried ancho chilies
3 cups hot water
1/2 cup finely diced onion
1/4 cup unsalted dry-roasted peanuts
1/4 cup blanched whole almonds
1/4 cup raisins
2 Tbsp sesame seeds
2 Tbsp pumpkin seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, seeded
Sea salt or kosher salt
1 ounce bittersweet chocolate, broken into pieces or chopped
1 cinnamon stick

Chicken:
1 3 lb chicken, cut into 8 pieces, skin removed
2 tsp sea salt or kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Tempeh:
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 8 oz packages tempeh, cut into 1 inch squares
1 cup water
1/2 tsp sea salt or kosher salt

Lime wedges, for serving
Chopped cilantro or scallions for garnish

In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the ancho chilies and fry, turning with tongs, until they blister, (take care not to burn them.) Transfer to a plate to cool. Set skillet of oil aside.

Meanwhile, season the chicken pieces all over with the salt and pepper and refrigerate for 1 hour.

When the ancho chilies are cool enough to handle, break open and discard seeds. Place chilies in bowl and cover with the hot water. let soak until soft, 15-20 minutes. Drain, reserving soak liquid.

Return skillet to medium heat and add the onions and cook, stirring until softened, 2-3 minutes. Add the peanuts, almonds, raisins, and all the seeds and toast until nuts and seeds are fragrant and raisins are puffed, 8-10 minutes.

Using a rubber spatula, scrap contents of pan into a blender and set skillet aside. Add chipotle chilies, 1 tsp salt and softened ancho chilies and 1 cup of soaking liquid. Puree, gradually adding remaining liquid, until mixture is smooth.

Return mixture to skillet and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add chocolate and stir until melted. Add cinnamon stick, reduce heat to low and simmer gently until mole thickens, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and discard cinnamon stick. Season with additional salt to taste and set aside.

Wick moisture from chicken with paper towels. In heavy 10 inch skillet or 3 qt casserole, heat oil over medium heat and add chicken and cook, turning occasionally, until lightly browned on all sides, about 15 minutes. Pour in half the mole and simmer until the chic ken is cooked through, about 20 more minutes.

Meanwhile, in another skillet or casserole, heat oil over medium heat and add the tempeh and cook, turning frequently until lightly browned all over, about 10 minutes. Add the water and salt to the pan and bring to a boil. Cover and let simmer for 8 minutes.

Drain tempeh and return to pan, pour in remaining mole and bring to a simmer, simmer covered for 20 minutes.

Serve the mole garnished with chopped cilantro or scallions and lime wedges.

Pickled Vegetable salad
Brine:
4 cups water
2/3 cup cider vinegar
3 Tbsp kosher salt
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
5-6 small dried red chilies or 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 bay leaves
Vegetables:
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 medium carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 medium cauliflower, cut into florets
1 fennel bulb, trimmed, cored, and sliced
1/4 medium head red cabbage, cored and thinly sliced

1 large bunch arugula or 1 head butter lettuce, trimmed or cored and torn for serving
Extra virgin olive oil for serving
sea salt or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients and bring to a simmer over medium high heat. Reduce the heat slightly and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

In a large bowl, toss together vegetables. Transfer them to a 2 quart jar and cover with brine. Cover jar and refrigerate for at least 2 days and up to 4 months. To serve: gloss the arugula or lettuce with a little olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss with some of the pickled vegetables.

Latin Chicken w/ Black beans & Sweet potatoes

A friend recommended this recipe to me. It reminds me of yummy coconut curry chicken and sweet potatoes in name, but flavor wise, it is very different. Not hot, like I expected, but spicy, mildly sweet maybe, reminding me a little of chicken mole.

It is written for the slow-cooker, you could adjust and bake in a casserole in the oven much faster, but I love slow cookers for providing my family with tasty dinners that I can prep easily in the morning and forget about until that evening. The recipe comes from Good Housekeeping. They even provide nutritional information if you want to track that. Me, I know its healthy, it has sweet potatoes & black beans & salsa in it. Lots of veggies, lots of color, lots of nutrients. But is it tasty? Oh yeah.

I did not use regular paprika instead of smoked paprika (don't have it) or the chipotle chiles (don't care for them). I also forgot the lime juice & roasted red pepper. Oh - and technically I used turkey broth, but is that a real change? We make our own broth, and freeze it. I've got a ton left from Thanksgiving still. Anyway it was still great, even with the forgotten ingredients from me being so hungry. (The house smelled wonderful!) (And the cilantro, lime juice & roasted red pepper would be really good mixed into the potato mixture, I recommend trying it.) Bonus - side dish built in to meal! How much easier can you get?

Slow Cooked Latin Chicken with Black beans & Sweet potatoes
Ingredients

3 pound(s)	bone-in skinless chicken thighs
2 teaspoon(s)	ground cumin
	Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon(s)	smoked paprika, or 1⁄2 tsp. chopped chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
1/2 teaspoon(s)	ground allspice
1 cup(s)	chicken broth
1/2 cup(s)	salsa
3 clove(s)	(large) garlic, crushed with press
2 can(s)	(15 to 19 ounces each) black beans, rinsed and drained
2 pound(s)	sweet potatoes, peeled cut into 2-inch chunks
1	jarred roasted red pepper, cut into strips (1 cup)
1/3 cup(s)	(loosely packed) fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
	Lime wedges

1. Sprinkle chicken thighs with 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper. Heat 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot; add chicken thighs and cook until well browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to plate. Remove skillet from heat.
2. In same skillet, combine smoked paprika, allspice, chicken broth, salsa, garlic, and remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin.
3. In 6-quart slow cooker, combine beans and sweet potatoes. Place chicken on top of potato mixture in slow cooker; pour broth mixture over chicken. Cover slow cooker with lid and cook as manufacturer directs, on low 8 hours or on high 4 hours.
4. With tongs or slotted spoon, remove chicken pieces to large platter. Gently stir roasted red pepper strips into potato mixture. Spoon mixture over chicken. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with lime wedges.

Coconut Chicken Curry with Sweet Potatoes

I found the original version of this recipe in the coupon inserts a few years ago. It was fabulous. It is a simple and fast dinner, nutritious and fun to make! Serve with rice, or whatever else you like to have with curry.

I decided this time to try and adjust it to a slow cooker recipe for easy prep in the morning, and it worked out wonderfully with very little modification.

Coconut Chicken Curry with Sweet Potatoes

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound chicken breast tenders
2 large shallots, finely sliced
1/2 cup coarsely chopped red onion
2-1/2 teaspoons Curry Powder
1/2 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt
1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced (1/2-inch piece size)
1 can (14 ounces) coconut milk
2 green onions, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper; sauté in Dutch oven for 5 to 7 minutes, or until center is no longer pink. Remove chicken and cover.

Add remaining oil to Dutch oven. Sauté shallots and red onion for 3 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle in curry powder, crushed red pepper and sea salt. Add sweet potatoes and coconut milk; bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer 10 minutes.

While sweet potatoes are simmering, dice cooked chicken.

Add chicken to sweet potatoes; simmer an additional 5 minutes or until potatoes are cooked through.