Santa Fe Salad w/Chicken
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 2
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 Tablespoon lime juice
- 1/4 teaspoon chilli powder
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups pre-cooked fajita seasoned chicken strips, cubed
- 4 cups romaine lettuce (washed and chopped)
- 2 roma tomatoes, chopped
- 1-2 jalapeños, seeded and finely diced
- 1 medium avocado, cubed
- chipotle ranch dressing
- 2 Tablespoons cilantro, chopped
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 1/3 cup tortilla chip strips (I used Santa Fe flavored)
Directions
For the Santa Fe Sauce:
- Whisk mayonnaise, lime juice, chili powder, paprika and onion powder in a small bowl until combined.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Set aside until ready to use.
For the Salad:
- Grill the chicken. I have a few fantastic grilled chicken recipes here and here OR you can find frozen grilled chicken strips in the freezer section of most grocers.
- Drizzle romaine with Santa Fe Sauce in a large bowl.
- Top with chicken, tomatoes, jalapenos and avocado.
- Drizzle with chipotle ranch dressing.
- Top with cilantro, green onion and tortilla strips.
Pesto Chicken Salad
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 2-4
Ingredients
- 4 cups cooked chicken, cubed
- 1/4 cup pesto
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 - 1/2 cup shredded carrot
- 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons red-wine vinegar
- salt and pepper to taste
- pinch of red pepper flakes, optional
- 1 5-oz. package baby spinach
- 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
- garnish with parmesan cheese and chopped basil
Directions
- Combine pesto and mayonnaise in a medium bowl. Add the chicken and shredded carrot and toss to coat.
- Whisk oil, vinegar, red chili flakes, salt and pepper in a large bowl.
- Add baby spinach and tomatoes and toss to coat.
- Divide the green salad among 4 plates and top with the chicken salad.
- Garnish with parmesan cheese and chopped basil.
Jalapeño Popper Pizza
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 18-20 minutes
Servings: 1 10" pizza
Ingredients
- extra virgin olive oil
- 1 10" pre-made pizza crust
- 6 slices bacon, chopped to your desired size (we like smaller for the crunch/texture)
- 3/4 cup whipped cream cheese
- 1 1/2 Tablespoon sour cream
- 1 teaspoon chili lime seasoning
- 1/2 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese, or more to taste
- 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, or more to taste
- 2-3 jalapeno peppers, sliced into thin rings (feel free to remove seeds and membrane, but Grandude loves spicy, so I didn't)
- drizzle of ranch dressing
- sliced scallions for garnish
Directions
- Preheat oven to 410F degrees. Lightly oil pizza or sheet pan and set aside.
- Place the bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned and crispy, about 10 minutes. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon to drain on paper towels.
- Mix together cream cheese, sour cream and chili lime seasoning in a small bowl.
- Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the pizza crust, top with Monterey jack and Cheddar cheeses.
- Arrange jalapeno pepper rings over the cheese layer and sprinkle with the crumbled cooked bacon.
- Bake in preheated oven for 8- 10 minutes until cheese is melty.
- Drizzle with ranch dressing and garnish with green onions.
Italian Made Pomodoro Sauce
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes
Servings: 6-8 servings
Ingredients
- 56 oz. can whole San Marzano Italian tomatoes (or the best quality you can find), crushed
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil (good quality)
- 6 oz. tomato paste
- 1 cup onion, finely chopped
- 1 Tablespoon garlic, finely minced
- 2 Tablespoons Italian herbs (dried) -or- ¼ teaspoon of each: parsley, thyme, oregano, rosemary, sage and marjoram
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon pepper, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper, or to taste (optional)
Directions
- In a large stockpot on medium temperature, add oil and chopped onion and sauté for 5 minutes or until onions are translucent. Add garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.
- If using whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes, pulse them and their juice in a food processor or with a potato masher until it is the consistency you like. We prefer ours with some texture. Add to the onion mixture. If using crushed tomatoes, just add them directly to the onion mixture.
- Add tomato paste, dried Italian seasonings and red pepper flakes.
- Bring sauce to a boil for 5 minutes and stir. Reduce the heat to low and cover, stirring frequently.
- Allow sauce to simmer for at least 30 minutes, (for best results, allow to cook on low for 60 minutes) taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.
- If using, add red pepper flakes (optional).
- Serve over warm pasta with parmesan cheese or refrigerate up to 5 days)
Spicy Szechuan Stir Fry
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 4-6 servings
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 Tablespoons maple syrup or brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 Tablespoon chili garlic sauce
- 1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 3 cups cooked chicken, diced or shredded
- 2 28oz. cans of stir fry vegetables, drained
Directions
- Whisk all sauce ingredients together in a bowl until combined. Taste, and adjust seasonings as needed.
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken, vegetables and sauce and cook for 10 minutes
- Serve as is or over rice and garnish with chives and sesame seeds.
Cheeseburger Pie
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30-40 minutes
Servings: 4-6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 cup onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (you can substitute your favorite cheeseburger cheese; provolone works really well)
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 dash Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 cup Original Bisquick mix (you can make this recipe gluten-free by substituting gluten-free Bisquick)
- 1 cup milk
- 2 eggs
- Your favorite cheeseburger toppings.
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400F degrees. Spray 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray.
- In 10-inch skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is brown; drain. Stir in salt.
- Spread in pie plate. Sprinkle with cheese.
- In small bowl, whisk remaining ingredients until blended. Pour into pie plate.
- Bake about 25 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let rest 10 minutes.
- Serve with your favorite cheeseburger accompaniments.
Easy Peasy Chicken Caprese Pizza
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 9-12 minutes
Servings: 1 pizza
Ingredients
- 1 pre-packed pizza crust
- olive oil (to brush over pizza crust)
- 2-4 Tablespoons basil pesto (use more or less to your taste)
- salt and pepper, to taste
- red pepper flakes, optional
- 5 - 8 thick slices mozzarella cheese
- 4 slices beefsteak tomatoes (you can substitute your favorite tomato, whatever is in season works)
- 1/2-1 cup cooked chicken, chopped
- 3 Tablespoons sliced fresh basil
- balsamic glaze
Directions
- Preheat oven to 425F degrees.
- Brush olive oil on pizza crust.
- Season the entire crust with red pepper flakes, salt and black pepper.
- Spread pesto onto pizza crust.
- Place fresh mozzarella cheese slices, sliced tomatoes and chicken on top.
- Bake pizza for 9-12 minutes or until cheese is melted all the way.
- Remove pizza from the oven and top with freshly basil leaves, red pepper flakes and drizzle with balsamic glaze just prior to serving.
Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 1/4-1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2-3 Tablespoons sour cream (you can substitute Greek yogurt)
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, more or less to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- pinch of red pepper flakes, optional
- 1/8-1/4 teaspoon dried dill
- 1 1/2 cup chopped rotisserie chicken
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced celery, more or less to taste
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries, more or less to taste
- 1/4 cup roughly chopped pecans (you can substitute your favorite nut, walnut or almond would be great in this)
- salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
- Heat a medium sized skillet over medium heat. Add in the chopped nuts, stirring frequently for 3-5 minutes, or until they are fragrant and lightly toasted. Watch carefully to avoid burning. Set them aside to cool completely.
- In a large bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, parsley, red pepper flakes and dill until smooth and evenly combined.
- Fold in the remaining ingredients until everything in the salad is evenly incorporated.
- Taste for seasoning and if needed, add salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve as is or refrigerate until chilled through and you can serve this salad on sliced bread as a sandwich, with freshly sliced apples, or even on large lettuce leaves for low-carb wraps.
Parmesan Crusted Chicken w/Lemon Parmesan Sauce
Ingredients
Sauce:
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
- pinch of red pepper flakes, optional
- 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (grated like powderish consistency; shredded would not adhere as well when frying)
Chicken Coating:
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1 lb. chicken cutlets
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- parsley, chopped for garnish (optional)
Direction
- In a small saucepan over medium to medium-high heat, combine the heavy cream, garlic, lemon juice, butter, red pepper flakes and lemon pepper seasoning. Slowly bring to a gentle boil, and then reduce the heat to low to simmer.
- Once the sauce starts to simmer and has small bubbles around the edge of the pan, add the Parmesan cheese (very important to wait until this point as sauce could break).
- Mix until the cheese is melted and incorporated into the sauce. Continue to let simmer, stirring occasionally while you prepare the chicken.
- Set up two shallow bowls. In one bowl, crack the egg and whisk to make an egg wash. In the second bowl, combine the parmesan cheese, garlic powder and dried Italian seasoning.
- Coat the chicken with the egg wash and then liberally coat with the parmesan mixture, pressing into chicken to adhere completely. Repeat this process with each piece of chicken.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium to medium hight heat. Once the pan is heated and the oil is hot, add the chicken to the pan.
- Cook for 3-5 minutes (depending on the thickness of your cutlet, could be more or less) or until crispy and golden brown on the bottom.
- Flip and cook for 2-3 more minutes, or until the other side is golden brown and crispy. (Only flip the chicken once during cooking to ensure that the breading stays on.)
- Remove the chicken from the pan and top with the sauce and garnish with the chopped parsley.
Refreshing Limoncello
Ingredients
- 10 large lemons
- 1 750 milliliter bottle vodka
- 3 cups sugar
- 2 1/2 cups water
Direction
- Scrub lemons with a vegetable brush. Using a sharp paring knife, carefully cut the yellow peel away from the white pith.
- In a large glass jar, pitcher or bowl, combine the lemon peel and the vodka.
- Cover tightly and let stand in a cool, dry place for 10 days, gently swirling the mixture in the pitcher each day.
- Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve, discard lemon peel and return the lemon-infused vodka to the pitcher.
- In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and water. Bring just to boiling, stirring to dissolve sugar. Cool to room temperature.
- Pour syrup into the lemon-infused vodka; stir to combine. Cover and chill overnight.
- Pour limoncello through a funnel into clean bottles (you can use old liquor bottles with labels removed), secure lids.
- Store in the refrigerator or freezer (the longer it sets, the better it gets).
Meatloaf Parmigiano
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 1-1 1/4 hours
Servings: 6-8
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 lb. spicy sausage (you can use mild sausage)
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- pinch of red pepper flakes, optional
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 small onion, grated
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 3/4 cup of your favorite spaghetti sauce, divided
- 1/2 cup shredded Italian cheese blend (I like mozzarella/provolone blend)
- Minced parsley, shredded parmesan and warm spaghetti sauce for garnish
Direction
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
- Spray a loaf pan with butter flavored cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine beef, sausage, eggs, breadcrumbs, basil, thyme, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, garlic, onion, 1/4 cup spaghetti sauce and Parmesan cheese. Try not to over handle the mixture, otherwise it will get tough.
- Place the mixture in the greased loaf pan and top with 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce.
- Place loaf pan on a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 1-1 1/4 hour (internal temperature of 160F degrees).
- Remove the meatloaf from the oven and sprinkle the top with the remaining shredded cheese. Place the meatloaf back in the oven and bake until the cheese is melted.
- Remove from oven and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing. Garnish with parsley, shredded parmesan and spaghetti sauce, if desired.
New England Clam Chowder
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 4-6
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1/2 cup diced celery
- 1/2 cup diced leek
- 1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour (I used gluten-free, but you could also use corn starch)
- 1 qt. milk
- 2 6.5 oz cans of minced clams with juice
- 1 14.5 oz. can of diced potatoes, drained and rinsed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
Direction
- In a soup pot, melt butter over medium heat.
- Add onion, celery, leeks and garlic and sauté for 3-5 minutes (or until vegetables are tender) stirring often.
- Remove from the heat and add the flour, mixing well for 1 minute to cook off flour taste.
- Drain clams and add juice to soup.
- Slowly add the milk and whisk vigorously until incorporated.
- Slowly bring to a boil, whisking often.
- Reduce heat to a simmer and add clams, potatoes and seasonings; simmer for 20 minutes.
- Turn off stove and stir in the heavy cream.
- To serve, I add a little bit of cracked pepper. Serve with Cheddar Bay Biscuits and you are good to go.
Wella's Fire Roasted Tomato Salsa
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 4 cups
Ingredients
- 1 14 1/2 oz. can of fire roasted tomatoes (plus the juice)
- 1 14 1/2 oz. can of tomatoes and green chilies (plus the juice)
- 4 teaspoons jalapenos, diced (not pickled), more or less based on your spiciness level
- 1/4 cup yellow onion, diced
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2-3/4 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Direction
- Place all ingredients in food processor.
- Pulse until achieve your desired consistency (we like ours less chunky, but feel free to pulse a couple times for a chunkier salsa).
- Place in covered container and chill. A couple of hours of chilling will help blend and enrich the flavor.
Roasted Green Chile Salsa
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10-15 minutes
Servings: 3-4 16 oz. jars
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. jalapenos, roasted and peeled
- 1 15 oz. can of fire roasted tomatoes (add more for a less spicy salsa)
- 2 teaspoons salt (or to taste)
- 2 teaspoons granulated garlic (or to taste)
Direction
- Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend to desired consistency. We use this on everything, from tacos to corned beef hash and also as a delicious salsa. This makes a big batch and can be frozen for future uses.
Creamy and Spicy Ham and Potato Soup
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25-30 minutes
Servings: 6-8
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups peeled and diced potatoes
- 1/3 cup celery, diced
- 1/3 cup onion, finely chopped
- 1 1/2 cups cooked ham, diced
- 3 1/4 chicken stock
- 2 Tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
- pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon ground white or black pepper, or to taste
- 5 Tablespoons butter
- 5 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups milk
- Chopped green onion for garnish.
Direction
- Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, ham and chicken stock in a heavy bottom dutch oven.
- Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Stir in the chicken bouillon, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.
- In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute.
- Slowly whisk in milk as not to allow lumps to form, continuing to whisk until all of the milk has been added.
- Continue whisking over medium-low heat until thick, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot and cook soup another 2 to 3 minutes.
- Garnish with chopped green onion and cracked pepper. Serve immediately.
Stuffed Pepper Soup
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35-45 minutes
Servings: 4-6
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 bell pepper (use what you have, I used red), membrane and seeds removed and chopped
- 1 poblano pepper, membrane and seeds removed and chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- 2 Tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon beef bouillon granules
- 1 quart beef broth
- 1 15 oz. can of tomato sauce
- 1 14.5 oz. can of fire roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1/3 cups long grain rice
- a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce.
- shredded cheese for serving (use your favorite cheese, I used a cheddar jack blend)
Direction
- In a Dutch oven, cook beef, onion, peppers and garlic over medium high heat until no longer pink. Drain fat if necessary.
- Stir in the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes or until peppers and rice are tender.
- Top with shredded cheese.
Mexican Burger
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 6-8 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs. 80/20 ground chuck
- 2 teaspoons taco seasoning
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil (you can substitute any neutral oil with a high smoke level)
- 4 thick slices of cheese (I used provolone, but you can use cheddar, pepper jack or your favorite melty cheese)
- 4 toasted hamburger buns
- shredded lettuce
- deli guacamole (you can use homemade, but they have some really good quality guac now in delis)
- deli pico de gallo (again, you can use homemade)
Direction
- In a large bowl, gently combine ground beef, taco seasoning and red pepper flakes (don't overmix).
- Form into 4 burger patties.
- Heat oil in a griddle pan or iron skillet over a medium heat and cook the burgers for 3-4 minutes per side for medium.
- Top the burgers with the cheese and cover with a lid until the cheese has melted (about 30 seconds).
- Top the bottom bun with shredded lettuce and top with the burgers.
- To build the burgers top with guacamole and pico de gallo. Grab several napkins and enjoy!
Cube Steak w/Mushroom Gravy
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 4 cube steaks
- 10 3/4 oz. can cream of mushroom soup
- 1/2 package dry onion soup
- 1 Tablespoon brown gravy mix
- pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 soup can of water
- 8 oz. sliced mushrooms (I used baby bella, please use your favorite)
Direction
- Preheat oven to 325F degrees, if using this method.
- Place cube steaks in a casserole dish or crock pot so they do not overlap.
- Combine soup, water, onion soup mix, gravy mix and red pepper flakes.
- Pour over meat, cover tightly and bake in the oven at 325F degrees for 2 1/2 to 3 hours OR cook in the slow cooker on low for 3 to 4 1/2 hours.
Crunchy Broccoli Chicken Salad
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 2
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup chipotle ranch dressing
- 4 cups small fresh broccoli florets
- 2 cups cooked chicken strips (I used fajita seasoned strips), chopped
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1/4 cup pepper jack cheese, shredded
- 6 slices bacon, cooked, crumbled
Directions
- Mix mayonnaise and dressing in a large bowl.
- Add all remaining ingredients, except cheese and bacon and mix lightly.
- Refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Mix in cheddar cheese and top with the pepper jack cheese and bacon just before serving.
