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!

Mona's Teriyaki Chicken

We usually halve this recipe for our family!

6 lbs chicken thighs (try to get the boneless skinless ones, they're so much easier)
1/2 cup cornstarch
6 cups Mr. Yoshida's Gourmet Sauce (usually by the ketchup and BBQ sauces)
chicken broth
Water

Marinate chicken in 5 cups of Mr. Yoshida sauce for at least 2 to 8 hours. Make sure chicken is well coated with sauce. For best flavor, marinate overnight in a tightly closed container in the refrigerator.
Remove chicken from marinade and place in baking pans. Discard marinade.
Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes or until chicken is cooked. Remove chicken from pan(s) and cut into strips and put onto a serving dish or into a crock pot if not serving till later. Save drippings from pan
Sauce: Strain drippings from baked chicken into a saucepan. Add water or chicken broth to make 2 cups. Bring to boil. In a mason jar, put 1 cup Mr. Yoshida sauce then add 3 cups water and 1/2 c. cornstarch. Cover tightly with lid and shake well. After drippings in saucepan have come to a boil, add contents of jar. Bring to a boil and pour over chicken and serve.

*When I make this I usually serve it with rice and steamed broccoli and carrots, but you can do whatever you want!:)

Apple Snickers Salad

Mom got this recipe from a neighbor and it is delish. I figured I better post it or you'll never get the recipe from her.

Ingredients:
3-4 lg. or 5-6 sm. granny smith apples ( I use more when I make it)
4 lg. (not king size, unless you want more snickers than apples :)) Snickers bars (I think I use 5)
1 (12 oz.) container or cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 lg. Cool Whip, thawed

Instructions:
Chop apples (you can peel if you prefer but I don't) and snickers bars.

Beat sugar and cream cheese until combined. Fold in Cool Whip.

Mix everything together and chill for at least an hour before serving.

Strawberry lemonade bars

What says summer better than strawberry lemonade? How about strawberry lemonade bars? Yum!

Crust
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups flour

In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugar & salt until light & fluffy. Add flour & mix until just combined. Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper that hangs over the long sides. Spray parchment paper & sides with non-stick cooking spray.
Press crust into the bottom of pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until just starting to turn golden. (my modification. I doubled the crust and put into a jelly roll sheet, but I didn't double the rest of the recipe)

lemon curd layer
8 egg yolks
2 cans sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups fresh lemon juice

In a medium bowl whisk together all ingredients & pour over hot crust. Return to oven & cook for an additional 25-30 minutes. Chill in the fridge while making the next layer. (if you use the jelly roll pan you don't need to cook as long because it is a thinner layer)
~
lemon cream layer
2- 8 oz. packages cream cheese, softened
1 can sweetened condensed milk
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
grated zest from 1 lemon
1 pint strawberries, hulled & sliced

In a medium bowl, whip together all ingredients until thick & fluffy. Spread over cooled lemon curd layer. Arrange the sliced strawberries over the top of the cream layer. Place in the fridge to chill while making strawberry glaze.

strawberry glaze
1 pint strawberries, pureed in blender or food processor
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
3 TBSP corn starch

In a medium pot, over medium heat, combine strawberries & water. In a small bowl, combine sugar & corn starch. Whisk sugar into strawberry mixture. Bring just to a boil, whisking constantly. Spread over sliced strawberries. Return to fridge to chill completely.

Enjoy!

These took me a long time to make. It may just be that I was trying to make them in a small kitchen with feedings for baby in between. But they were worth it.

Fresh Lime

Okay so this recipe is really a no-brainer but we love it. We drank fresh limes or limonadas like crazy on our honeymoon in Mexico and this is my re-creation of that. This drink is light and refreshing. You could really use any citrus fruit that you like.


Makes about 8-12 servings (could easily be halved)

Ingredients:
1 recipe sugar syrup (recipe follows)
6 limes, juiced or about 1 cup
2 liters club soda
sugar rimmed glasses with a lime twist (dip glass in lime juice then in sugar finish off with a lime slice)
ice

Sugar Syrup Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
2 limes, zested

Directions:
First make the syrup by boiling sugar and water until sugar is dissolved about 1 minute. Immediately add in lime zest to infuse flavor. Cool completely before using. (Once mixture is cool you could strain out lime zest...but I never do.)

Now just mix everything together (except for the glasses of course) and enjoy!

Baked Chicken Toquitos

I crave these now. My family really like them. I did have to double the recipe to feed my large and hungry brood.

Makes 14-16 taquitos

4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup green salsa
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 green onion, sliced finely (white and green parts to equal about 2 tablespoons)
2 cups shredded cooked chicken (I cook large batches of chicken in my crockpot with a little chicken broth and salt, shred it and freeze it for meals like this)
1 cup grated monterey jack cheese (use pepperjack if you like a little heat)

small yellow or white corn tortillas
kosher salt
cooking spray

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

In a medium-sized bowl, mix softened cream cheese, green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and garlic powder. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well.

You can prepare this step ahead of time (which I did - I made it the morning of). Just keep the mixture in the fridge.

Working with a few tortillas at a time, place 3-4 between two damp paper towels and microwave for 30-45 seconds, until tortillas are soft and pliable and don't crack while rolling. Place 2-3 tablespoons of the chicken mixture on the lower third of a soft tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges. Then roll it up as tight as you can. (A few of mine wanted to rebel and come unrolled so I stuck a toothpick through them to keep them right and tight.)

Place filled taquitos seam side down on the baking sheet, making sure they don't touch each other. When ready to bake, spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or an oil mister and lightly sprinkle some kosher (coarse) salt on top.

Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown. Serve immediately. Taquitos can be dipped in in salsa, sour cream, guacamole, or any other combination you can dream up.

Anything and Everything Granola

Well I've been looking for snacks that are sweet but good for you too. So I came upon a granola recipe and tried it out. I've added and taken things out, but no matter how I've made it, it's been really yummy! We actually really like to have it as cereal, since it isn't like a gooey granola. Also it's very helpful for the digestive system:) Any way, you can add or take out stuff, but I'll just tell you what I've been doing.

4 cups regular rolled oats
1 1/2 cups sliced almonds
1 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts would taste good too)
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup coconut
1/2 cup roasted pumpkin seeds
1/3 sunflower seeds
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup coconut oil (the recipe called for cooking oil, coconut is healthier, but a lot more expensive. I'm sure it would taste great with regular)
1/8 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup honey (if you don't have agave nectar just use all honey)
2 tbsp. maple syrup
2 tbsp. molasses (sometimes I don't add this)
1 1/2 cup craisins or raisins or both

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large bowl mix oats, nuts, wheat germ, coconut, seeds, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.

In a saucepan combine oil, honey, agave nectar, maple syrup, and molasses. Heat until warmed. Carefully pour over oat mixture. Stir gently with a wooden spoon; finish by hand.

Spread evenly on a cookie sheet. Bake for 40 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring every 10 minutes. Cool slightly, then add dried fruit.