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Grilled Chicken Santa Fe Salad

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Summer is definitely sizzling across the country. It is too hot to heat up the kitchen and who wants to go wait in line at a restaurant when you can make a delicious, summer meal at home?

This Grilled Chicken Santa Fe Salad has been a go to for our family this summer. You can add and adjust the ingredients to make your own “favorite” salad. The dressing is a winner and I keep a jar in the frig for salads and dipping vegetables. If you want to zip it up a bit, substitute nonfat Greek yogurt for the mayonnaise.

A better idea to beat the heat would be to grill several chicken breasts early in the week. Season as directed and then plan a meal or two using the prepared chicken. While the salad is always a winner, you can also slice the spiced up chicken and make quesadillas, chicken tacos or tostadas. Add a bowl of ice cold watermelon or sliced peaches and your dinner will definitely be a winner.

Grilled Chicken Santa Fe Salad

Makes 6 servings

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, pounded thin
Nonstick cooking spray
Chili powder and ground cumin for sprinkling
Salt and pepper to taste
8 cups romaine lettuce
1 red pepper, seeded and diced
2 green onions, finely chopped
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
2 ears of corn or 1 ½ cups frozen corn
Crushed baked tortilla chip scoops for garnish, if desired

Dressing:
⅓ cup reduced fat mayonnaise
3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste

Early in the day or before preparing the chicken, whisk together the dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until serving the salad.

Meanwhile, heat the grill to medium high or allow coals to burn down to white ash. Spray the chicken breast with nonstick spray on both sides and sprinkle generously with desired amount of chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Grill the chicken about 4 to 5 minutes per side or until a meat thermometer inserted in the center of the meat registers 165⁰F. Remove chicken to serving platter and cover with aluminum foil. Allow to rest 5 minutes. Slice chicken into thin strips.

Tear or chop the romaine lettuce into bite-size pieces and place in a large salad bowl. Add the red pepper, green onions, cherry tomatoes and black beans. Spray a medium skillet with nonstick spray and heat over medium high heat. Add the corn to cook, making sure that you do not over cook the corn. Add to the salad and toss gently. Drizzle with the prepared dressing. Place the grilled chicken on top and if desired, sprinkle with crushed tortilla chips. Serve immediately.

Tip: Sprinkle with shredded Mexican or Cheddar cheese. Feel free to add a diced avocado when the chicken is added.

 

Oven Baked Stew

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Winter has arrived early this year, no matter what the calendar says. The bitter cold temps and the snow accumulation has surpassed all the records for this time of year in the Midwest. This can only mean one thing…..time to heat up the oven and create comfort while preparing for the holidays.

One of the easiest, most comforting and tastiest dishes I know is beef stew. What? I mean beef stew done right. The type of stew with a rich depth of flavor and a hint of wine infused into cubes of beef and vegetables. Beef stew goes together fast enough and then you let the oven do the work. And did I mention that your home will smell of love and comfort all day long? Win-win for everyone.

Make this recipe and then get busy wrapping gifts, addressing Christmas cards or making candy. This is a great way to enjoy the hustle and bustle of the season with the added bonus of no worries about dinner.

I make this knowing we will have leftovers for nights that are filled with Christmas programs, caroling and spending time with friends. This is also a great way to use other vegetables you may have on hand. I like to add thickly sliced mushrooms and serve with crusty bread. Enjoy!

Oven Beef Stew

½ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon coarse ground pepper
1 ½ pounds stew meat, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 (14.5 oz.) cans beef broth
1 cup red wine
1 (6-oz) can tomato paste
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
3 large carrots, cut into ¼ inch slices
½ cup frozen peas

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Place the flour in a gallon size zip top bag along with the salt and pepper. Add half the meat pieces and shake to coat with flour.

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Shake off any excess flour and add the meat to the Dutch oven. Brown meat well on both sides; remove and repeat this process with the remaining meat. Remove the meat to a plate and set aside.

Add the onion to the Dutch oven and cook until tender. Stir in the garlic and cook an additional minute. Stir in 2 tablespoons flour and stir well to combine. Add the beef broth, wine, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, dried thyme and bay leaves; stir well.
Return the meat to the Dutch oven. Cover and bake for 1 ¼ hours. Add the potatoes and carrots.Cover and bake an additional hour. Stir in the peas. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

 

Cobb Dip

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Summer seems to scream patio parties and catching up with friends. It seems that folks aren’t as rushed as they are the rest of the year and you can actually enjoy a bit of a laid back pace. Every porch or patio requires ice cold libations and something to nibble on. A hot, gooey dip doesn’t seem to go with the surroundings but I’ve got just the ticket for your next gathering.

This Cobb Dip can be made ahead and there is something about the recipe that eeks summertime. The colors of this recipe will elicit ohs and ahs from your guests and I promise you won’t need to worry about leftovers because there won’t be any. [Read more…]

Noodle Cabbage Casserole

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If you are looking for a great way to up your weeknight cooking this summer, check out Hen House Market and their CSA (community supported agriculture) program. Before you know it you will be auditioning for the Next Food Network Star. The variety of fresh vegetables, fruits, dairy products, meats and bread is over the top and pumped full of nutrition and freshness.

Participating in a CSA definitely adds more sizzle to your summer. It is fun to decide what you will do with each week’s treasure trove. This week we received cabbage, brats, Boulevard wheat brat buns, cucumbers, zucchini, squash, potatoes, an heirloom tomato, spinach and artichoke cheese—are you getting the picture? It’s like having the farmer’s market in a bag, a BIG bag.

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Strawberry Rhubarb Bars

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Depending on where you live, it is time to pick fresh strawberries or at the very least purchase local, fresh strawberries at the farmers market. The flavor is intense and sweet. The time is right for rhubarb too. To me, strawberries and rhubarb go together like peanut butter and jelly—-it was meant to be.

As we do each season, we raced to our local strawberry patch and picked berries. It was a lovely evening and it really doesn’t take long to pick enough berries to enjoy lots of treats or for eating fresh from the bowl. This particular outing we picked almost 9 pounds of berries. Yes, nine pounds of pure deliciousness. [Read more…]