Resurrected

After a very long hiatus, I'm back. I did one in the crock pot on Saturday and have one going now, so thought I'd post them. Enjoy!

Crock Pot Cajun Chicken

3 slices bacon, chopped
1/2 c. diced green pepper
1/4 c. chopped onion
1/4 c. chopped celery
1 1/4 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs
2 t. cajun seasoning (I used Penzy's)
1 can diced tomatoes
hot cooked white rice

In a skillet, cook the bacon until it's crisp and then add pepper, onion and celery, cook 2 minutes. Put bacon and veggies in crockpot. Sprinkle chicken with 1 t. of the seasoning and cook in your skillet for 4 minutes. Place chicken into crockpot. Top with tomatoes and seasoning. Cook on low for 8 to 9 hours. Serve over rice.

Braised Maple-Bourbon Pork with Beans

2 lb. boneless pork loin, chopped into 4 pieces
2 turkey kielbasas, chopped into 4 sections each
3 onions, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 T minced garlie
3 T. tomato paste
2 t. chopped thyme (I used dried)
1 bay leaf
1/4 c. bourbon
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 lb. cannellini beans (if using dried, soak them over night or follow "quick prep" on bag)
1/4 c. maple syrup
3 c. chicken broth
optional: 3 slices bacon, cooked crisp

Season pork with salt & pepper and sear in oil in a skillet until brown. Put in crockpot. Brown kielbasa in same pan and add to pot. Add onion and celery and cook for a few minutes, then add the tomato paste and stir through. Add thyme, bay leaf and bourbon and cook for a minute. Then take off heat and add tomatoes and broth. Stir in maple syrup. Add beans and sauce to crockpot and cook on high for 4 hours. Can top with crumbled bacon (or breadcrumbs as the recipe suggests but I see no reason for this)

Enjoy!

Summer and Salad are Made for each other

I am going to post two salads tonight and each of them served as a dinner with a side or two. I do still like to do vegetarian night, and our farmer's market has the best bread called "popeyes passion" with spinach and parmesan. Grill up a couple of slices of that and dinner is served. Here are two we have recently enjoyed:

Mixed Greens with Peaches

3 proscuitto slices
dressing (I made my own... lemon juice, honey, white balsamic, evoo and S&P)
salad bowl full of greens (again, I got these from my garden, but a bag of lettuce from the grocery would be the right quantity here)
2 peaches, sliced
1/2 c. pecans (I used Trader Joe's sweet & spicy ones and chopped them up)
crumbled goat cheese

Cook proscuitto in a skillet until browned and then crumble. Combine all ingredients and toss with dressing. Sprinkle with goat cheese.

Grapefruit and Avacado salad:

1 T. honey
1 T. grapefruit juice
2 t. evoo
s&p
greens (again, one bag from the grocery store)
1 can drained and sliced hearts of palm
1 grapefruit, sectioned
1 small avacado, sliced
crumbled queso fresco

Mix dressing. Toss greens with hearts of palm, grapefruit and avacado. Toss with dressing. Top with crumbled cheese. Enjoy!

It's hotter than Hades... good thing it's a crock pot night!

Holy hot June. Did someone secretly move me to Texas?? Unreal. Anyhow, tonight's is a family favorite (I mean everyone including extended family). I make these throughout the summer as they are often requested. They're very simple. Don't be alarmed by the long ingredient list... it's all spices. This was a Cooking Light recipe that I've modified for the crock pot.

Pulled chicken sandwiches:

2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Rub:
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chile pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Sauce:
1/2 c. onion, chopped
1 c. ketchup
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon molasses

Rub chicken with spices. Place in crock pot. Mix all sauce ingredients together and pour over chicken. I cook on low for about 6 hours and then mash it with a potato masher to get it "pulled" without having to remove it from the crock pot. Serve on buns with pickle slices.

Enjoy! I serve these with slaw, fries and baked beans.

A two-fer

Yes, Friday feels like a ways away, but alas here is what we had on Friday in addition to what we are having here tonight. Friday's was a great way to use a flank steak. I would definitely hollow out the buns cause ours were too "bunny" tasting. Tonight is simple but Greek, always a hit around here.

Mexican steak sandwiches: (I served with corn & bean salad and chips & salsa)

1 flank steak, seasoned with any seasoning you like (I used Montreal steak)
1 can refried beans, warmed
1 avacado, thinly sliced
1/4 c. light mayo
2 chipotles in adobo, chopped finely
1 t. lime juice
buns (dig the "bread" part out leaving them almost hollow)

Grill steak, about 6 minutes per side, and slice against the grain thinly. Spread beans on one half of the bun. Top with steak and avacado slices. Mix mayo, chipotles and lime juice and spread on top halves of the bun. Enjoy!

Greek chicken with orzo:

4 bonless skinless chicken breasts, pounded
greek seasoning blend (I happen to have a Pampered Chef one)
1 can artichoke hearts, drained
1/4 c. lemon juice
crumbled feta

sprinkle chicken with seasoning. Add to pan and cook about 5 minutes per side. Then add artichoke hearts, lemon juice and a little more seasoning to pan until it all comes together. Serve over orzo and top with crumbled cheese. (recipe follows)

1 carton chicken broth
1 T. butter
orzo
crumbled feta

This is a made up recipe, so I have no quantity on the orzo. Bring the broth and butter to a boil in a saucepan. Add orzo and cook according to package directions. IF there is leftover broth, drain it. If not, just leave it in the pan. Add feta while it's warm to get "melty".

I served this with greek salad which I have posted my dressing recipe for in a prior post. Enjoy!

A light salad for a beautiful night

Ok, I'd like to be the first to officially welcome the warm weather back. Thanks :) Just in time, our lettuce box is full of goodness, so we did a salad tonight in honor of the multiple greens we've been able to harvest. I served this one with some grilled La Brea roasted garlic bread. Yum!

Light Green Goddess Salad

1/2 c. plain yogurt (I use Fage non-fat)
3 T. light mayo
2 T. white wine vinegar
2 T. fresh parsley
1 T. fresh dill
s&p
Bowlful of lettuce (I would say one bag of the baby greens if you're buying them)
1 package chicken tenderloins, grilled and diced
grape tomatoes, halved
croutons

Mix yogurt, mayo, vinegar, herbs and s&p in a blender. Toss with lettuce, chicken, tomatoes and croutons. Enjoy!

A nod to the mediterranean

I, and my family, love anything Greek. Add hummus to just about anything and we'll all eat it. I saw a recipe something like this a while back and figured we had to try it. It was delicious. I cut a pita in half for each kid and stuff it, while for the adults I served it on top of the pita and we used a knife to cut it into pizza-like wedges. Enjoy!

Greek Tuna Pitas

3 cans albacore, drained and flaked
10 kalamata olives, chopped finely
2 T. finely chopped red onion
1/2 can artichoke hearts, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
juice of one lemon
1 T. evoo
pepper
4 pitas
hummus (any flavor you like... I had red pepper, horseradish and garlic, so everyone chose what they wanted)
shredded romaine lettuce
feta cheese, crumbled

Combine tuna, olives, onion, artichoke hearts and celery. Squeeze lemon over mixture and add oil and pepper to taste. Spread hummus on flat pita (or inside if making "pockets") and top with lettuce, tuna mixture and crumbled feta.

I served these with hummus and pita chips. Easy and tasty!

Beautiful Weather calls for a BBQ

What a gorgeous day!! To take advantage of it fully, I thought it was time for some burgers on the grill. Unfortunately we didn't get to eat them outside... thankfully the rain held off. These were awesome. Served them with chips & salsa and corn & bean salad. Enjoy!

Poblano burgers:

Pickled onions (see recipe)
2 poblanos
1 slice bread, crumbled
1 T. milk
3 T. chopped cilantro
1 t. cumin
1/2 t. kosher salt
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 c. sour cream
1 T. minced shallot
1 t. lime juice
1 chipotle and 2 t. adobo sauce

Roast poblanos until the skins are charred. Put them in a ziploc for about 15 minutes, then peel and seed them. Chope them finely. In a bowl, add milk to the bread and turn it into a paste. To this paste add the chopped poblanos, 1/2 the cilantro, cumin, 1/4 t. salt and the beef. Mix well and form into patties.

Combine sour cream, shallot, lime juice, remaining cilantro and salt and chipotles/adobo sauce. Set aside.

Grill burgers about 6 minutes per side. I also grilled the buns.

Pickled red onions:

1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. rice vinegar
1/2 c. water
1 jalepeno, halved
2 red onions, sliced thinly

Boil sugar, vinegar, water and jalepeno until sugar is dissolved. Add onion and remove from heat. Let cool to room temperature.

Serve burgers topped with sour cream sauce and onions.