Fresh Salsa

I was craving chunky, fresh salsa a couple weeks ago, so I ventured on to Pinterest and found a recipe that sounded pretty good. It made a lot, I ate it for five days! The first day with chips, the second with tacos, the third over quinoa, and the last couple days just right out of the bowl with a spoon! It was so fresh and really hit the spot. Check out the original post on Be a Pot Stirrer. 

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1 small onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 lime, zest & juice
pinch of salt
drizzle of olive oil
4 roma tomatoes, chopped
1/4 orange bell pepper, chopped
1/4 red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded & diced
1 c. black beans
1 c. frozen corn
1/2 c. chopped cilantro

1.  In a large bowl, combine the chopped onions, garlic, lime zest & juice, and salt.  Stir to mix well and let sit while the rest of the ingredients are chopped.  This will soften the bite of the onion and garlic.

2.  Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.  Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Recipe from Be a Pot Stirrer

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Corn, Avocado, and Tomato Salad with Honey Lime Dressing… again.

Last summer I posted this recipe and it was my favorite. Well, it’s practically summertime again and I’ve already made this dish twice in two weeks. I thought I’d repost it for you all just in case you never saw it. Make it this week… you won’t be disappointed. Also, just in case you didn’t know… if you keep the avocado pit in your dish after cutting it up, the avocado won’t go bad nearly as fast. So, keep that in mind so you can have tasty avocado in the salad for a couple days.

Salad

  • pint grape tomatoes cut in halves
  • 2 ripe avocado, roughly chopped
  • 2 ears of fresh sweet corn OR a 2 cans of corn
  • 4 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

Slice the tomatoes in half. Remove husks from corn and grill over medium heat for 10 minutes. The corn should have some brown spots and be tender and not mushy. Cut the corn off the cob then scrape the cob with the back of your knife to get the juices. OR just use a bag of frozen corn, microwaved. Set aside and let cool. Dice the avocado and chop the cilantro.

Honey Lime Dressing:

  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 3 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • Dash of cayenne pepper

Add all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside. Combine the sliced tomatoes, avocado, cilantro and grilled corn and honey lime dressing and mix gently so everything is evenly coated. Be careful not to mash the avocados. Let the salad sit for 10-15 minutes to let flavors mingle. Enjoy.

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Corn Casserole Recipe

Growing up, my mom would make corn pudding for Easter and Christmas. I think it was her mother’s recipe. Well, I called my mom to get the recipe from her to make for Easter but she said thinking of that recipe makes her sick because she has eaten it so much in her life. So, I decided to go another route. I found a corn pudding-well a corn casserole-recipe from Paula Dean. Can’t go wrong with a classic Paula Dean recipe.

You can find the original recipe here. I think it turned out really well but it was almost the consistency of bread. Like a spoon bread.

Ingredients

  • 1 (15 1/4-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
  • 1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn
  • 1 (8-ounce) package corn muffin mix (recommended: Jiffy)
  • 1 cup fat free sour cream
  • 1/3 cup butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. In a large bowl, stir together the 2 cans of corn, corn muffin mix, sour cream, and melted butter.
  3. Pour into a greased 9 by 13-inch casserole dish.
  4. Bake for 45 minutes, or until golden brown.
  5. Remove from oven and top with Cheddar.
  6. Return to oven for 5 to 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
  7. Let stand for at least 5 minutes and then serve warm.
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Crock Pot Honey Baked Ham

Two years ago, I made Easter dinner for T.J. and I. Because I was in the first trimester of my pregnancy, I didn’t want to each much and we threw most of the leftovers away because the smells were just too much for me. Ever since then, I haven’t really wanted to eat or cook dinner ham. But this Easter I wanted to get over that post-pregnancy fear and try it again!

I found a different way to cook the ham-instead of heating up your precooked honey ham in the oven, the directions said to warm it in the crock pot for 6-8 hours.

Uhm. Hello? How come we don’t cook ham like this ALL THE TIME? It made my house smell wonderful all day long and it made my cheap walmart ham taste SO good. As good, if not better, than a Honey Baked ham. I literally did not eat dessert because I just wanted to keep snacking on the ham.

Next time you make a dinner ham, try this recipe. I threw out the spice packet mine came with and put my trust 100% in the Six Sisters’ blog! You won’t be disappointed  Oh, and did I mention, the meat falls right off the bone? Yahtzee!

Recipe and photo from Six Sisters’ Stuff.
Ingredients:

  • 7-10 lb spiral ham
  • 2 Tablespoons Brown Dijon Mustard (I used spicy)
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/3 cup of water

Directions:

  1. Spray your crock pot with non-stick cooking spray (if you have a slow cooker liner, I suggest using it- it will make clean-up a breeze!). Place ham in the crock pot.
  2. Combine sugar, honey, nutmeg, cinnamon, and mustard in a sauce pan on medium heat. Let cook for 2-5 minutes (until ingredients melt and combine) and whisk thoroughly. Remove from heat.
  3. Pour water in the bottom of the crock pot. Pour honey/brown sugar mixture over the ham.
  4. If the lid does not fit over your ham, you can make a tin foil tent (I used an 8 lb ham and it didn’t fit in my 6 quart slow cooker). Cover with a towel.
  5. Cook the ham on low for 6-8 hours. Baste the ham with the juices in the bottom of the slow cooker once every hour (if you want, you can even turn the ham every hour to make sure that all sides are getting cooked in the honey mixture, but after about the third hour, my ham was too tender and just fell apart).
  6. Once your ham is done, remove it from your slow cooker. Pour the juices in the bottom of your slow cooker into a medium saucepan. Mix together 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch with 1 Tablespoon of water and pour into the saucepan. Cook on medium heat until it starts to thicken. Use that as a glaze over the ham.
  7. Even if you don’t have a slow cooker, you can still bake this ham in your oven. Once again, make a tent with aluminum foil and bake 15 to 20 minutes per pound at 350 degrees.  Baste the ham once every thirty minutes.

 

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Pre-Kentucky Trip

The Monday before I left for Kentucky (three weeks ago from today), T.J. and I tried out the Black Sheep Cafe for the first time. We have heard everyone say great things about it, so we went as soon as he got off of work. It was great, but pretty heavy food so I couldn’t eat too much. After dinner, I went over to my friend’s house to watch the finale of The Bachelor. Since it was taking place in Thailand, my friend Laura made Thai food for us (she spent last summer in Thailand). And I know it’s been a while since the finale, but can I say how happy I STILL am for Sean and Catherine? If they break up, I’m going to be utterly depressed. I love them so much.

Now that you think I’m a crazy person and thinking, “Of COURSE, they are going to break up….” I better end the post. Here a couple pictures from that Monday night.

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Quinoa Vegetable Salad with Lemon-Basil Dressing

I found this recipe via Pinterest from the Garden Grazer blog and knew I needed to make it for my mom. It’s right up her food alley. I gave it a shot and it was a hit. Very easy recipe and so filling. I’ve modified this recipe a bit by using a quinoa/brown blend that came with a red pepper spice packet. It added more sodium to this dish unfortunately, but I think the spice packet really helped the dish. I also had the tomatoes on the side for my family to add, instead of mixing them in, because I’m not a huge tomato fan. Next time I make the dish I will probably add edamame because I think they’d compliment the salad well.

Ingredients
1 cup uncooked quinoa
15 oz. can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
3 roma tomatoes
1 orange bell pepper
1 1/2 cups corn (I used frozen, thawed)
4 green onions

{For the dressing}
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp. basil (or fresh if you have it)

Directions

  1. Rinse quinoa, and cook according to package directions.
  2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, and basil. Set aside.
  3. Slice green onions, dice roma tomatoes and bell pepper.
  4. When quinoa is done cooking, let cool.
  5. Then place all salad ingredients in a large bowl.
  6. Pour dressing over top and mix well to combine.
  7. Can eat immediately or chill before serving.

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Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

A couple weeks ago at The Bachelor, my friend Chelsey (who is probably the best cook and baker that I know) made double chocolate cookies for the group. They were so delicious and I thought about them for days until I finally asked her for the recipe. I was so excited to eat them, but somehow I botched the recipe and they turned out terribly. So, I tried three more recipes until I found one that was up to par! (I probably should have just tried the original recipe over again, but I couldn’t risk it!)

So, here is the final recipe that is so delicious and rich. Make sure you have people to bring cookies to so you don’t end up eating the batch all by yourself. I make T.J. take our extras with him to campus because if it’s in the house, I will eat it. I have no self control.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups margarine
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 2 cups flour
  • 3/4 cup cocoa
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups chocolate chips

Directions

  1. Cream together the margarine, sugar, then add the eggs and vanilla.
  2. Blend in the cocoa and add baking soda, salt and blend well.
  3. Add the flour into the creamed mixture and fold in the chocolate chips.
  4. Bake at 350° for 8-9 minutes. Do not overbake.

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Honey Mustard Chicken (without the honey)

The past couple of days, I’ve been in a cooking rut. None of the recipes I can find right now look like something I was to eat. I think the problem is that I’m used to making meals right now more suitable for winter (soup, crock pot, etc.) but I want fresh and lighter recipes since Spring is in the air. I don’t know. I just need new recipes and Pinterest is not really doing it for me right now.

But last night I found a recipe to make and had most everything on hand for it, except the maple syrup. Fortunately, T.J. was home so I just ran to the store really fast while he watched Eva. The recipe was really easy and it turned out well. I found it on Table for Two-she called it Holy Yum Chicken, but I thought it was pretty much your standard honey mustard chicken-just with syrup instead of honey.

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Yield: 4 servings | Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 40 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 1/2 – 2 pounds boneless, skinless, chicken breasts (most of the fat cut and discarded)
  • 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
  • 1 tbsp. cornstarch
  • 2 tsp. fresh rosemary for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a 8×8″ oven-proof pan with 2 layers of tin foil.
  2. In small bowl, whisk together Dijon mustard, maple syrup, rice wine vinegar, salt and pepper.
  3. Place the chicken thighs in the foil layered pan then pour the mixture on top of it. Turn the chicken around in the sauce to make sure it gets all coated.
  4. Bake, uncovered, for 30-40 minutes.
  5. Remove from oven and let chicken sit for 5 minutes then transfer to a plate. Do NOT discard the liquid.
  6. Immediately after plating chicken, whisk in the 1 tbsp. of cornstarch into the liquid in the pan. You’ll create a nice, thick sauce to drizzle over your chicken. You need to do cornstarch mixing immediately because the liquid needs to be hot in order for it to thicken properly. If it’s still not thickening after 1 tbsp., you can add a little more.
  7. Sprinkle rosemary on top before serving.
  8. Serve with rice or potatoes or vegetables.
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BBQ Chicken Quinoa Salad

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I made this recipe for lunch today and it is SO good. So, if you want something easy and delicious for lunch (or dinner) this weekend, throw this together!

Recipe and photo from Eat Yourself Skinny.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cooked quinoa (I used a red pepper quinoa/brown rice blend)
  • 1/2 cup frozen or fresh corn, thawed
  • 1/2 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 cup shredded chicken, cooked (If you’re lazy like me, just buy the premade BBQ Chicken)
  • 2 Tbsp barbeque sauce of your choice
  • 1/2 avocado, chopped
  • 2 green onions, chopped
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Cilantro, as garnish

Directions

Cook quinoa according to package directions. In a large bowl, mix together quinoa, corn, black beans, chicken and barbeque sauce.  Fold in avocado, green onions and season with salt and pepper.  Top with a bit of cilantro and enjoy!
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Thai Peanut Noodles with Chicken

Earlier this week I compiled a list of all the recipes I’ve posted on my blog, and put them on one page for people to look through easily (look up at the menu…). I thought it was funny that I already had two Thai Peanut Chicken recipes and was actually planning on trying a new one (this one with noodles) for dinner later that night.

This recipe, adapted from Eat Yourself Skinny, blows the other two out of the water. It has so many fresh herbs, so it tasted fresh and felt much lighter than the other ones made in a crock pot. A lot of times Thai food will make me feel so heavy, but this meal did the opposite. It also was very quick and easy. All you do is boil your noodles and mix everything else together! If you use your food processor, it’ll be even easier… I love that little gadget!

Ingredients:
1 package of rice noodles
6 Tbsp fresh lime juice
3 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
3 Tbsp reduced-fat peanut butter
1 Tbsp Splenda Brown Sugar Blend (or 3 Tbsp of regular brown sugar)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup cooked chicken, chopped (I used a handful of my frozen pre-cooked tyson chicken cubes and just microwaved them for 4 minutes before adding to the mixture)
1 small red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/4 cup scallions, sliced
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped

Directions:
Cook noodles according to package directions… If you end up using rice noodles, make sure you let them soak long enough so they’re not hard.  Meanwhile, whisk together peanut butter and 3 tablespoons of lime juice.  Chop up the remaining ingredients and mix everything together. Toss with the noodles.

Sidenote: The meal doesn’t reheat too well. We did eat it for leftovers the next day at lunch (because that’s the best part of making a big dinner), but you might want to cut the recipe in half (or even quarter it) so you don’t waste anything. We did find that if you put a little fresh peanut butter in after microwaving, it tasted a little better.

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