Easy Chicken Tacos

These tacos have great flavor. We loved them. Next time I think I will cut the chipotle amount in half...just cuz of our little non spice lovers.

3 tablespoons butter
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons minced canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
1/2 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
Salt and pepper
12 (6-inch) flour tortillas

Melt the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and chipotle and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the orange juice, Worcestershire sauce and 1/2 cup chopped cilantro and bring the mixture to a boil. Add the chicken and simmer, covered, over medium-low heat for 12-13 minutes, flipping the chicken halfway through cooking. When the chicken is done cooking, transfer to a plate and tent with foil.

Increase the heat to medium-high and cook the mixture left in the skillet until the liquid is reduced to about 1/4 cup, about 5 minutes. Off the heat, whisk in the yellow mustard. Using 2 forks, shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces and return to the skillet. Add the remaining cilantro to the skillet and toss until well combined. Season with salt and pepper. Serve warm with tortillas topped with lettuce, cheese, tomato, sour cream and avocado.

**To warm the tortillas, wrap them in foil and heat in a 350-degree oven for 15 minutes.

Shrimp Stir Fry with Snow Peas and Coconut Curry Sauce

This recipe was sooo good. John loved it and he doesn't even really like Asian type food. I doubled the whole thing except the garlic and ginger. I thought it would be way too much. I hope you all try it and like it.

Shrimp Stir Fry with Snow Peas and Coconut Curry Sauce
adapted from The Best 30-Minute Recipe

1 recipe Coconut-Curry sauce (below)
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined (I used frozen and thawed them beforehand)
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 bell pepper, cored, seeded, and sliced (any type will do)
8 ounces snow peas, strings removed
1 cup bean sprouts
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

Prepare the sauce and set it aside (I doubled the sauce recipe because we love lots of sauce). Toss the shrimp with soy sauce. Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up any clumps, until curled and lightly browned, about 1 1/2 minutes. Transfer the shrimp to a clean bowl.

Add 1 more tablespoon of oil to the pan and return to medium heat until shimmering. Add bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Stir in snow peas and bean sprouts and cook for one more minute.Clear the center of the pan and add remaining 1 teaspoon oil, garlic and ginger. Cook, mashing garlicmisture into the pan with the back of a spatula, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in cooked shrimp. Whisk sauce to recombine and add to pan, bringing to a simmer. Cook until the sauce thickens, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve immediately.

Coconut Curry Sauce
1 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1-2 teaspoons red curry paste (I used 2 teaspoons for a doubled recipe - this paste can be found in most grocery stores in the Asian foods aisle near the Thai ingredients)
1 teaspoon light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch

Combine ingredients in medium bowl and use as directed.

Cilantro Lime Chicken Rice Bowls

As you can probably tell this recipe takes some time and a ton of ingredients. Really most everything I already had on hand other than the produce. This was so yummy! I promise it is worth the money and effort. Jared described that it's a mixture between Cafe Rio and Rumbi, two of my favorite places. Yum!!

About 8 servings

Tip: marinate the chicken and make the dressing the night before

Ingredients

Cilantro Lime Marinade

4 Lg. boneless, skinless chicken breasts

¾ cup vegetable oil

Juice and zest of two limes

1 Tbsp. minced garlic

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp black pepper

½ C finely chopped cilantro

Tomatillo Ranch Dressing

1 pkg. Ranch Dip

1 cup sour cream (or yucky mayo)

1 cup buttermilk

5 tomatillos husked, cleaned, and chopped in half

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

2 tsp. garlic, minced

Juice and zest of two limes

1 jalapeno (seeded or not depending on how spicy you like it)

2 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

Cilantro-Lime Rice

2 cups uncooked rice

4 cups water

4 tsp. garlic, minced

2 Tbsp. butter

2 chicken bullion cubes

4 tsp. granulated sugar

Juice and zest of two limes

2/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Mango Salsa (You could buy some but home-made is so much better)

2 mangoes, finely chopped

2 roma tomatoes, finely chopped

1 red onion, finely chopped

1 jalapeno (with or w/o seeds), finely chopped

Zest and juice of 1 lime

½ cup cilantro, finely chopped

Salt to taste

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

Olive oil, to taste

Assembly Ingredients

½ cup cilantro, finely chopped

1 ½ cups Pepper Jack Cheese, shredded

Extra cilantro and limes, for garnish

Preparation

1. Prepare marinade by mixing everything together (I just used the same bag I marinated the chicken in. Place chicken breasts in a re-sealable plastic bag. Add prepared marinade and mix to coat. Marinate for 4 hours to overnight.

2. While chicken is marinating, prepare tomatillo ranch dressing. Place everything in a food processor until smooth. Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.

3. 30 minutes before removing chicken from marinade, prepare cilantro lime rice. I put the first six ingredients in the rice cooker and mix in the lime juice/zest, and cilantro once it’s cooked. Set aside for later use.

4. Remove chicken from marinade and grill in skillet or on the grill. Allow to cool for 10 minutes then cube.

5. While chicken is cooking prepare mango salsa by mixing everything together,

6. To compile rice bowl, place desired amount of rice in an oven safe bowl (I like to do individual servings and preferably the same bowl you’ll serve it in) Top rice with the following in this order: shredded chicken, cilantro, mango salsa, and finally shredded pepper jack cheese.

7. Place rice bowl under the broiler just until cheese is melted and the dish is warmed through. Serve with a drizzle of the tomatillo ranch dressing, garnish with cilantro and lime.

8. Enjoy!

Steel Cut Oatmeal

I saw this on a Food Network show a couple of days ago and thought it looked good (I like to make a hot cereal every once in awhile and regular oatmeal was getting old). So I gave it a try and it is really yummy! So if you have about 40 minutes to cook something (it does take awhile) give it a try!


Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup steel cut oats
3 cups boiling water
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon low-fat buttermilk
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions
In a large saucepot, melt the butter and add the oats. Stir for 2 minutes to toast. Add the boiling water and reduce heat to a simmer. Keep at a low simmer for 25 minutes, without stirring.

Combine the milk and half of the buttermilk with the oatmeal. Stir gently to combine and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Spoon into a serving bowl and top with remaining buttermilk, brown sugar, and cinnamon.

suggestion - check it about 20 minutes, mine didn't need a whole 25. Also, I served it with raisins, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. I don't think I would've liked it with more buttermilk, but to each his own! Ohh, and I think you could make it with just milk and it would taste great!