Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad

July 28, 2020

I have a weakness for anything with Chipotle pepper in it! I love the smokey heat it imparts to this otherwise simple grilled chicken taco salad. The chipotle in adobo is blended with sour cream, fresh cilantro, lime, and a few spices to make a creamy dressing that I’d be happy to pour over just about anything. I’ve included my latest favorite way to grill chicken- an easy buttermilk marinade that tenderizes the meat and adds just enough flavor but doesn’t overwhelm the other ingredients. If you’ve got some fresh corn, throw that on the grill too! This light taco salad is what summer dinners should be.

Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad

INGREDIENTS

Dressing:
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2/3 cup sour cream
1 Tbsp. minced chipotle in adobo (I used 1/2 Tbsp. for a mild kick)
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
4 tsp. fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp. salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Salad:
Buttermilk Marinated Chicken* (rotisserie chicken also works well here)
shredded romaine lettuce
cherry tomatoes, halved
sliced avocado
thinly sliced red or green onion
black or pinto beans
corn (fresh and grilled or frozen and toasted in a dry skillet)
cheese (I used grated cheddar and Pepper Jack, as well as some crumbled Cotija)
sliced lime, for serving
tortilla chips, for serving (optional)

*Buttermilk Marinated Chicken:
2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast, halved or sliced into strips
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/8-1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

DIRECTIONS

  1. To make the dressing: Combine the ingredients and whisk well (I prefer to blend them in a food processor). Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
  2. To make the buttermilk marinated chicken: Combine the buttermilk, salt, pepper, and cayenne in a bowl or resealable plastic bag, then add the chicken and stir to coat. Marinate at least 30 minutes or up to about 8 hours. Drain the marinade, season the chicken with a bit more salt, and grill over medium-high heat until cooked through. Let rest a few minutes before slicing to serve.
  3. To assemble the salad: Combine the salad ingredients in a large bowl or on individual plates and top with chicken, drizzle with dressing, and serve with lime wedges and tortilla chips on the side.

marinade 30 min to full day, season with salt after draining marinade

(Salad adapted from Cooking Light and marinade adapted from Fine Cooking)

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Homemade Ranch Dressing/Dip

July 23, 2020

I’m not big on bottled salad dressings (though we make an exception for Garlic Expressions, it’s so so good!) and prefer to make my own because they don’t take much effort and aren’t full of questionable things. I was so excited when I tried this recipe… it’s the first time I’ve had a ranch dressing/dip that is mostly “clean” ingredient-wise and rivals the original in flavor and addictiveness! I lighten it up by using half Greek yogurt and half mayo. And since we mostly eat it with raw veggies, I only add a tablespoon or so of buttermilk (milk works too) and keep it thick. (Simply add more liquid to make a pourable dressing.) This ranch dressing recipe will be continually on repeat over here!

Homemade Ranch Dressing/Dip

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup mayonnaise (I use half mayonnaise and half plain Greek yogurt)
1/2 cup sour cream
buttermilk or milk, to desired consistency (less for dip, more for dressing- buttermilk makes it more tangy than milk)
3/4 – 1 tsp. dried dill weed
1/2 tsp. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. dried chives
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. fine sea salt, adjust to taste
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
~1 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice, adjust to taste

DIRECTIONS

  1. Whisk together the mayo/yogurt, and sour cream. Add buttermilk or milk to thin to the desired consistency and whisk until smooth. Add the spices and whisk until combined. Add the lemon and whisk again. Adjust lemon and salt and pepper to taste. Pour into a jar/container and chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve. This dressing/dip will keep nicely in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Adapted from Barefeet in the Kitchen

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Grilled Lemon Garlic Chicken Wraps

July 21, 2020

Next to the prosciutto-wrapped asparagus I just posted, this is probably the most-repeated recipe of the last few years over here. We really love this middle-eastern inspired chicken… marinaded in garlic and lemon and spices, grilled, then wrapped in soft flatbread with lettuce and sliced tomato and topped with a spicy creamy garlic sauce. If you prep the chicken and spicy sauce ahead of time, it makes dinner quite easy. And the flavors are really incredible! I like to serve it with fresh veggies and hummus or roasted vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower and/or potatoes.

p.s. Don’t skip the tahini in the sauce… it’s what makes it extra unique/delicious!

INGREDIENTS

Chicken + Wraps:
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 cloves garlic (about 1 1/2 tsp.), minced
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
juice of 1 large lemon (2-3 Tbsp.)
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. ground coriander

bamboo or metal skewers for grilling
flatbread/naan/pita bread wraps (store-bought or homemade)
spring lettuce mix (or romaine/spinach/arugula/etc.)
sliced tomatoes
thinly sliced red onion (optional)

Spicy Garlic Sauce: 
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (low-fat yogurt is OK, can also use sour cream)
1 Tbsp. tahini
2 cloves garlic (a heaping tsp.), finely minced or pressed through a garlic press
1-2 tsp. sriracha/hot sauce (more or less to taste) AND/OR a pinch of cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
Pinch black pepper
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice (~1/2 tsp)

DIRECTIONS

  1. For the chicken, place the cubed chicken in a flat dish or in a gallon ziploc bag.
    Whisk together the olive oil, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, pepper, oregano, cumin, paprika, and coriander. Pour over the chicken, toss to coat, and cover the dish (or seal the bag) and place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least an hour or up to 8 hours.
  2. Thread the chicken pieces on metal or bamboo skewers and grill on medium-high, flipping halfway, until the chicken is cooked through, about 6-8 minutes total.
    Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving.
  3. For the garlic sauce, combine all the ingredients in a blender and process until smooth (you can also whisk together in a bowl). I like to pour the mixed sauce into a squeeze bottle for easy serving. Refrigerate until ready to serve. (The sauce can be made up to several days ahead of time.)
  4. To serve, place lettuce greens down the center of each wrap, followed by slices of tomato, red onion (if using), grilled chicken and a healthy drizzle of spicy garlic sauce.

Serves 6.

Adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe and The Cozy Apron

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Prosciutto Wrapped Grilled Asparagus

July 20, 2020

A couple summers ago Dustin and I visited Italy. It was our second time in the country and our visit included Rome, Florence, Cinque Terre, Pisa and some smaller towns in Tuscany. We love LOVE Italy! We especially love the food. During our visit to Florence we tried traditional Florentine steak and it came with a bundle of prosciutto wrapped asparagus. The steak was good but it was the asparagus that really impressed us! Ever since, we’ve been making it at home. And it’s so simple yet so delicious.

Florentine steak and potatoes and prosciutto wrapped asparagus, in Florence!

I don’t have too many tips for this recipe. I prefer to buy thin asparagus spears and wrap a couple together. When I made this last week I had groceries delivered and they gave me nice thick spears so I wrapped them individually. Use high quality olive oil and prosciutto for the best flavor (a little of both goes a long way). These are great on any outdoor grill (including our Traeger smoker). I haven’t tried roasting them but you might be able to achieve a similar result in the oven. These have become our staple appetizer for entertaining or anytime spring/summer side.

Prosciutto Wrapped Grilled Asparagus

INGREDIENTS

1 bunch asparagus
thinly sliced prosciutto
extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat a grill to medium-high heat. (We’ve also cooked them on our Traeger at 400 F.)
  2. Trim the thick ends (about 1-inch from the bottom) off of the asparagus. Drizzle them with olive oil and sprinkle with some kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. (Prosciutto is salty so you don’t have to add a ton of salt.) Toss to coat. Wrap each asparagus spear in a thin slice of prosciutto. If the spears are very thin you can wrap 2-3 together.
  3. Grill until the asparagus and prosciutto are tender-crisp, turning halfway through. Eat immediately as these are best hot off the grill!

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Blueberry Pie Crumb Bars

July 17, 2020

Bring on the summer berries! We had plans to pick raspberries with friends yesterday but we had our first cat crisis (she swallowed a nice long string of yarn) resulting in a trip to the emergency vet (she’s doing fine now!) so we didn’t make it to the berry farm. Our sweet friends brought us some fresh-picked raspberries to console us though and they were so so good. Blueberry picking is coming soon and we can’t wait!

This year I made these blueberry pies bars for the 4th of July. We were in Utah with Dustin’s family and everyone LOVED them. The sour-cream based custard filling is what makes them creamy/tangy/unique. And it takes a lot of self-restraint to not eat all that cookie crumble right off the top! I’ve made them a few times now… even once with frozen berries- don’t bother thawing them, but do add some extra flour and cornstarch so they thicken up. You can double the recipe to fit a 9×13 pan but you’ll have to increase the baking time quite a bit (I would start checking them around an hour in case your oven is extra hot). Let the bars cool before cutting so they can set. I find them most irresistible with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Blueberry Pie Crumb Bars

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
Pinch kosher salt

Filling:
1 egg
1/2 heaping cup sour cream
1/3 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
4 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. cinnamon. (optional- I only use the cinnamon in the crust)
2 tsp. vanilla extract (or 1 tsp. vanilla extract and 1/4 tsp. almond extract)
2 cups blueberries

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray an 8×8-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Line the pan with parchment paper so that it hangs over on two sides. Spray the parchment.
  2. For the crust: In the bowl of a food processor, combine the butter, sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt. Process until the mixture starts to come together and clump, 1 minute. Remove 3/4 cup and reserve; press the remaining crust mixture evenly into the prepared baking pan. Set aside.
  3. For the filling: In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, sour cream, sugar, lemon juice, flour, cornstarch, vanilla (and almond, if using) extract and cinnamon (if using) until smooth. Mix in 1 cup of the blueberries. Pour the filling mixture over the crust, shaking the pan gently to settle the custard and berries. Pour the remaining 1 cup blueberries over the top, spreading them evenly.
  4. Take the reserved crust and sprinkle it over the top of the berries, squeezing the mixture in your hands to encourage large lumps.
  5. Bake for ~1 hour. Let cool. Remove the bars from the pan and cut into 9 pieces. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes an 8×8 pan of bars. 

Adapted from Food Network

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