Spicy Shredded Chicken - Cafe Rio Style

Cook Time:
5 minutes to put together,
All Day to Cook

Ingredients:
7 (more or less) Chicken Breasts (Thawed or Frozen)
2 Cans rotel Brand Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies
1 tsp. Pepper
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Chili Powder
1 tsp. Garlic Salt
1 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
1 dash Tobasco sauce
Lime Juice to Taste

Preparation:
Place all ingredients (except lime juice in crock pot.  Cook on low all day, or if you don't have all day, cook on high for a few hours then turn down to low until done.

Shred Chicken with forks and place back in crock-pot to absorb juice throughout the meat.

Squeeze lime juice over meat and serve in burritos, tacos, or on a salad, etc...

Image via

Pumpkin Sheetcake

My friend made this for me and it was SO good.
Pumpkin Sheet Cake

Yield 2 sheet cakes (can easily cut recipe in half)

3 cups white sugar
1 cup margarine
2 teas vanilla
2 cans of pumpkin (the regular size cans)
4 eggs
3 cups flour
4 1/2 teas baking powder
1 Tab baking soda
1/4 teas salt
4 teas cinnamon

I dump all the ingredients into my mixer and turn it on until it looks good and mixed.  (I am not a very precise person in the kitchen)

Bake at 350 degrees in a greased cooking sheet for 20-25 min.

It is tasty plain or with a light glaze on the top.

Crispy Chicken W Creamy Italian Sauce and Bowtie Pasta

My kids LOVE this.
Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 6 servings

3 large chicken breasts
5 C corn flakes
3/4 C flour
1/2 t salt
1/2 C milk
6 T olive oil  
1   12 oz package bowtie noodles (farfalle)

Sauce: 
1   10 oz container Philadelphia Cooking Cream (Italian Cheese and Herb Flavor)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 C chicken broth
1/2 C milk 
fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
  
1. In a small food processor crush the corn flakes into crumbs. 
2. Add the 1/2 t salt to the 3/4 C flour. Stir to combine. 
3. Place the flour, milk and crushed cornflakes each into their own separate pan. Loaf pans work well for this. If you don't have three loaf pans, do not dismay. You could use pie tins, or round cake pans...what ever works for you. 
4. Place your chicken breasts in a gallon sized Ziploc bag and seal the top. 
Pound the chicken flat with a meat mallet. You will really be thankful for the Ziploc bag in this step. Who wants a bunch of chicken guts flying around their kitchen? Not me...that's who. 
5. Take a pair of sharp kitchen scissors and cut each breast in half. 
6. Dredge the chicken in the flour. Be sure it gets covered on both sides. 
Lay the floured chicken onto a small cookie sheet and slide the sheet into the freezer. Let it hang out there for about 5 minutes. 
7. Start cooking your pasta. 
8. Remove the chicken from the freezer and dredge each piece in the milkand then immediately into the corn flake crumbs. Again, be sure both sides are covered well. 
9. Add the olive oil to a hot skillet. 
10. Carefully lay each chicken piece into the hot oil. Sprinkle with a little bit of salt and pepper. Cook over medium high heat for about 5 minutes....
or until the underside of each piece is nice and golden brown. Turn the pieces over. If the bottom of the pan is dry add just a bit more olive oil to the side of the pan. Swirl the pan around a bit to let the oil flow to all sides. 
11. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to medium.  Let the chicken cook for about 7 more minutes, being careful not to burn the bottoms. Burned bottoms are not advised. In any shape or form. Thank you. 
12. When your chicken has been cooked through remove it from the pan and place it on a plate. Cover with tin foil.  
13. Into the same pan pour your broth. Philly Cooking Creme, Cream of Chicken, and milk. Whisk the sauce around and let it get all warm and bubbly. Should only take about 3 minutes. 
14. Slice your chicken into strips and serve over your cooked pasta and sauce. Garnish with chopped parsley if you choose. 
Enjoy

Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing (Aka Cafe Rio Dressing)

Everyone already has this recipe, but thought I'd post it here to make it easy to find:

1 pack (1oz) Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix
ignore directions on the packet
1C mayo
1/2 C milk
1 lime
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 C roughly chopped cilantro
1/4 C green salsa*
hot sauce

This is tough folks. Place milk, mayo, and ranch mix in a blender. Juice the lime in there too, you should get about 2T juice. Toss in the garlic, cilantro and green salsa. Blend ‘er up. Sample it and add hot sauce to taste. Make it several hours ahead of time to allow it to thicken.

San Diego Style Fish Tacos - AKA BEST FISH TACOS EVER

So I made these last night and Jack and I both thought they were the BEST fish tacos we've ever had.  Normally I don't fry things beacause a) it is unhealthy and b) I always get burned and make a mess.  But this really didn't make a mess OR burn me, it was really easy.  Ok maybe it is still unhealthy, but every once in awhile it is WORTH it.  I skipped the queso fresco cause it was so darn expensive at Dan's.  I also used halibut instead of cod because it was cheaper.

San Diego-Style Fish Tacos

1 c. all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg
1 c. beer (non-alcoholic beer works great)
1 lb. cod fillets, rinsed, patted dry, and cut into 1-2 oz. strips
Corn tortillas (as many as you have pieces of fish)
Pico de Gallo (and/or Mango Pico de Gallo) (just use your favorite recipe)
Shredded cabbage (packaged coleslaw mix works great)
Creamy Lime-Cilantro Dressing (aka Cafe Rio Dressing)
Crumbled Cotija cheese or Queso Fresco
Fresh lime wedges and sea salt for serving

Preheat oven to 170 (or lowest setting on your oven).
Combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk an egg and then whisk in the beer. Add the beer mixture to the flour mixture.
Heat about 1 quart (3-4 inches) of canola oil to 375 degrees (use a candy or frying thermometer) in a heavy cooking pot. Lightly dredge each piece of fish in flour and then dip in beer batter. Gently drop into the hot oil and cook for about 7-8 minutes or until the coating is dark golden-brown and a test piece flakes easily with a fork. Remove from oil and drain on a paper towel-lined plate; stick the plate in the preheated oven to keep warm while you cook your tortillas.
Place tortillas, 1-2 at a time, in the hot oil and cook 1-2 minutes or until they start to get crispy but are still bendable. Remove from oil and drain on a paper towel. Assemble each taco with a piece of fish, shredded cabbage, pico de gallo, crumbled Cotija cheese (or Queso Fresco), and a drizzling of Lime-Cilantro Ranch.

Creamy Avocado Pasta

Serving Size: 2

Prep Time: 10-15 min
Cook Time: See pasta package

I found this recipe online and it is so easy to make and yummy if you like avacados.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium sized ripe Avocado, pitted
• 1/2 lemon, juiced + lemon zest to garnish
• 1/2 - 1 garlic cloves, to taste
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
• 1/4 cup or less Fresh Basil, (probably optional)
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 servings/6 oz of your choice of pasta
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Bring several cups of water to a boil in a medium sized pot. Add in your pasta, reduce heat to medium, and cook until Al Dente, about 8-10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, make the sauce by placing the garlic cloves, lemon juice, and olive oil into a food processor. Process until smooth. Now add in the pitted avocado, basil, and salt. Process until smooth and creamy.
3. When pasta is done cooking, drain and rinse in a strainer and place pasta into a large bowl. Pour on sauce and toss until fully combined. Garnish with lemon zest and black pepper. Serve immediately. Makes 2 servings.

*Please note: This dish does not reheat well due to the avocado in the sauce. Please serve immediately.

You may have to mess around with this recipe until you get it right to your tasting, but I really liked it!

Picture via: OhSheGlows.com

Tinga

This is an authentic dish from Mexico.  I had it at school a few weeks ago and it was prepared by a cute girl whose husband is from the area of Mexico where this dish is prepared (Northern Mexico City).  I am usually not a big fan of Mexican food, but this was really good!  This isn't her exact recipe (I need to get it from her), but I found this one online which got great reviews.

Servings: Plenty for 8 Adults and a handful of toddlers
Cook Time: 4 hrs
Prep Time: 10 min

Ingredients:

• 6 chicken breast halves (you can use beef or pork if you'd rather)
• 6 medium onions, 3 thinly sliced and 3 chopped
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 6 medium tomatoes
• 1 (7 ounce) can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon granules
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cinnamon stick or 1 tsp powder
• 1 Tbsp sugar

Optional:

• Cilantro
• Limes
• Avocado
• Shredded Lettuce
• Refried Beans
• Sour Cream
• Tostado Shells (or Tortilla Chips if you want to use chicken as a dip)
• Shredded Cheese

Preparation:

Place the chicken into crockpot. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the 3 onions that were sliced and garlic, and sautee until transparent. Add to crockpot.

Place the tomatoes, 1-2  chipotle peppers and a little bit of the adobe sauce (SPICY! so add as many peppers and as much sauce as you think you can handle), 3 chopped onions, chicken bouillon into a blender or large food processor. Process until smooth. Season with salt, pepper, sugar, and cinnamon. Pour this mixture into crockpot.

Cook for 3.5 minutes.  Take out chicken and shred into fine pieces with fork.  Put back in crockpot for an additional 30 minutes.

To serve, each person spreads some refried beans on their tostada shell, and top with a spoonful of the chicken, sour cream, cheese, avocado, cilantro, shredded lettuce, cheese, and a squirt of lime.

It seems like there are a lot of onions and tomatoes, so we will probably have to mess around with this recipe until we get it right.

Picture Via
Recipe Via

Chile and Lime Veggie Bowls

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. soy sauce

1-2 Tbsp. lime juice

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. fresh oregano or 1/2 tsp. dried
1 Tbsp. olive oil

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in 1-inch cubes

1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup sliced cherry or grape tomatoes

1 cup shelled edamame

1 medium avocado sliced

large cabbage/iceberg or boston lettuce (I’m not a huge fan of cabbage)

1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

lime wedges (optional)

Directions

~ Make Dressing; set aside *if you remember make it the night before

Yogurt-Lime Dressing

In small bowl combine 1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt, 2 TBS lime juice, 1 TBS soy sauce, 1 TBS chili powder, 1 clove minced garlic, 2 TBS chopped cilantro, 1TBS chopped chives.  Salt & Pepper to Taste. Whisk in 1/4 cup olive oil until well combined.

~ In a zip lock bag combine diced potatoes, soy sauce, lime juice, chili powder, oregano, and olive oil; add diced sweet potatoes and toss to coat. Roast at 425° for 30-40 minutes on a foiled cookie sheet or until done.

~ Divide potatoes, beans, tomatoes, edamame, and avocado among cabbage leaves. Sprinkle with green onions.

Drizzle with the dressing and wrap it all up!

You can add grilled chicken if you want to it be heartier. 

Salmon BLT

Ingredients:
Salmon Filet
Extra virgin olive oil
Low sodium soy sauce
Juice of one orange
Salmon Directions:
Brush salmon filet with olive oil on both sides and then coat with soy sauce and orange juice.  Crack some fresh pepper on top and then broil 15 - 20 minutes (depending on size and thickness) turning once until flaky and done.

Dressing:
1 c. low fat sour cream or plain yogurt
Juice of one lemon
2 T. white wine/cooking wine
1/2 c. italian parsley
1/2 c. chives
5-10 fresh basil leaves
sea salt & cracked pepper
Dressing Directions:
Blend all ingredients in a blender

slice some sourdough bread and brush with olive oil and broil OR toast.  Spread toasted bread with dressing and top with salmon, bacon, lettce and tomato.  Serve with sweet potato fries.

Paradise Bakery Black & White Chippers

Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 10 min
Servings:

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups flour
1 1/4 cups cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s Dark Chocolate Cocoa Powder)
1 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsps. baking soda
1 cup butter
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups white chocolate chips

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease cookie sheet.

2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar and white sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well with each addiction. Add the salt and vanilla.

3. In another bowl, combine the flour, cocoa and baking soda and gradually add to the creamed mixture. Fold in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheet.

4. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until fluffy but still soft. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.