Spicy Rice Casserole

We could call this casserole the "two day casserole" or the "Casserole that almost wasn't" Why? because both my husband and I were in a brain fog. On Tuesday of this week, I woke up when the alarm went off at 4:30 am. I got ready for work and started putting everything into the crock pot for dinner. I had a vision in my head of what I wanted for dinner so I assembled all the ingredients and placed them all in the crock pot. Before leaving for work at 6:30 I turned the crock pot on low and told my husband to turn it off at 2:30.

Although he forgot to turn it off, dinner was not ruined. Wonder why? Because when I turned the crock pot on low, I forgot to plug it in. Luckily I used frozen chicken, and frozen veggies. So Wednesday morning I put the liner back into the crock pot, plugged it in, turned it on low and he remembered to turn it off. We had a wonderful dinner last night. Here is the simple recipe.

Spicy Rice Casserole

In a 4-quart crock pot place:

4 boned and skinned chicken breasts or thighs
1 cup short grain brown rice
1 can fire roasted diced green chilies (I got them at Trader Joes)
1 jar salsa of choice (I love pineapple salsa from Trader Joes)
2 cups chicken broth, low salt.
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen mixed veggies (or you can use fresh, I normally do, just did not have the time)
1 Tablespoon oregano
1 Tablespoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried chipotle pepper flakes

Mix it all together. Cook on Low for 6 -8 hours or on HIGH for 4 hours.

Sprinkle on shredded Monterrey Jack Cheese, and serve with Taco Chips and extra salsa, and sour cream if you wish.

Serves 6

Barbecue Chicken Salad

I love when I can meld two flavors into a whole new culinary creation. In making this salad, I took my love of salad and my husband's love of barbecue chicken and came up with one of the best salads I have made in a long time. I also was intrigued by what to use as the base for the dressing, so I used the barbecue sauce that the chicken cooked in for the base of the dressing. I wish I could have posted a picture but my husband ate it before I could snap a picture of it. We both loved it so much there weren't any leftovers. I guess I will have to make this one again. I hope you all enjoy it as much as we did.

Barbecue Chicken Salad
Suppose to serve 4

Barbecue Chicken

2 large skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/2 bottle Stubbs Barbecue sauce or barbecue sauce of choice (I use Stubb's because it is gluten free and does not have high fructose corn syrup in it)

Place both in a 4-qt crock pot. Cook on LOW for 8 hours. When chicken is done cooking, remove chicken from sauce and shred.

Salad

1 large bunch lettuce (Romaine, green leaf, or red leaf), chopped
1 bunch baby bok choy, sliced
1 green pepper, chopped
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped

Mix together in large salad bowl.

Barbecue Dressing

1/2 cup heated barbecue sauce from crock pot
2 T lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon tarragon
6 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Whirl in blender or food processor until smooth.

To plate: Divide salad mixture on four plates. Sprinkle evenly with shredded chicken. Pour on Barbecue Dressing. (If you want leftovers you may want to make a double batch of this.)

Enjoy!!

Grilled Steak Salad

I must admit, I have been making and eating a lot of vegetarian dishes. My husband always goes along with me, tastes things for me, and does not complain about eating the vegetarian way. Yesterday I got the notion that he wanted some red meat. We were in the grocery store, and he was looking at some small organic steaks. He even asked me if I could work the two steaks into our weekly menu. So I did, and here is what we had for dinner tonight.


Grilled Steak Salad
Makes 2 servings

In large salad bowl mix:

1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
1/2 large red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 large red pepper, thinly sliced

Grilled Steak

2 small steaks (I used small skirt steaks, anything without a bone will work)
Mrs Dash salt free seasoning (Garlic and Herb flavor)

Sprinkle both sides of steaks with Mrs. Dash and grill to desired doneness. Remembering the food safety rules for rare meat.

When steak is done, slice thin keeping steak intact.

It's About Thyme Vinaigrette

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 roasted red pepper, chopped
1 T chopped fresh thyme, or 2 teaspoons dried
1 teaspoon dill weed
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 T balsamic vinegar
2 T water
2 T lemon juice
6 T extra virgin olive oil

Whirl together in food processor until smooth.

To plate: Place salad mixture on plate, top with sliced steak, and drizzle on two to three Tablespoons dressing across steak lengthwise. Enjoy!!

Let me know your thoughts on this one!!

Vegetarian Bok Choy Cobb Salad

It has been a long time since I posted a recipe or cooked for that matter. I have had my nose in my textbooks studying and working on final papers for this current set of classes. Hopefully my grade point average will stay put to make it to the Dean's List. Now that I am done with homework for 10 days I thought I would continue to post some of my salad ideas, pictures will come as soon as I make them. I have had so many ideas for salads running through my mind that even when I am asleep I have to get up and write them down.

I use to make Cobb Salad all the time, with so much meat, cheese and processed meat, too. Last night I was in the mood for a Cobb Salad but not in the mood for all the fat, I thought I would tweak my original version into a healthy nutritious one that even my husband would like. Then it happened as we were eating the salad, my husband asked where did the Cobb Salad come from. So I did some research into the origins of the Cobb Salad, and here is what I found out.

The Cobb Salad was named after its inventor Bob Cobb, who owned the Brown Derby Restaurant in California in 1937. Apparently he was hungry late at night and made a salad with the things he pulled out of the refrigerator at his restaurant. Check out the complete history and the original recipe for the Cobb Salad at http://www.kitchenproject.com/history/CobbSalad.htm

This vegetarian version of the Cobb Salad is just as good, and better for you than the original. I skimped a bit on the oil in my vinaigrette since I was not about to use a cup of oil. According to my husband, who is my official taste tester, the Strawberry Vinaigrette gives the salad a light airy feel. I hope you all like it too.



Vegetarian Bok Choy Cobb Salad
Serves 4

1 bunch baby Bok Choy, sliced
1 head read leaf lettuce, chopped
2 tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 small red onion, chopped
1 cup fresh corn
3 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

Mix together in a salad bowl. Set aside.

Strawberry Vinaigrette

In a food processor combine:

4 large strawberries, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 T. fresh lime juice
2 T. balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon dill
1/4 teaspoon tarragon
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 T. extra virgin olive oil

Whirl together until smooth and creamy. Pour over salad, toss and enjoy!

Broccoli Roasted Red Pepper Salad

On Friday I bought four pounds of broccoli for only $1.99 at my favorite gourmet grocery store here in Gig Harbor, WA called Harbor Greens. My husband kept looking at me like I was crazy, "What on earth are you going to do with 4 pounds of broccoli?" Is what he asked me when I got home and was putting away the groceries. "It was a great deal!" I blurted back to him. Then I started wondering what was I going to do with all this broccoli and not to mention 25 pounds of peaches (they were a great deal too, only $10,) but that is another story, for another time.

So my search began for whatever I could find on broccoli. This search led me to a wonderful website http://www.whfoods.com/ This website is moderated by The George Mateljan Foundation. This website is filled with information about every food (not manufactured food) but every natural food known to man.

Broccoli is loaded with nutrients, some of which I did not know about. In one cup of broccoli there is only about 44 calories, 4.66 grams of protein, 123 mg of vitamin C, along with a whole host of other nutrients. No wonder eating broccoli can put a person on the high road to health. There are many health benefits of eating broccoli, but the one that caught my eye was that Sulforaphane, the active compound in broccoli and the other cruciferus vegetables, has the ability to counteract the damage caused by sun exposure (WHFoods.org). Just one more reason why eating broccoli is a good thing.

I also searched the Internet for simple, easy, and nutritious meals to make with broccoli instead of just the ordinary stir-fries and tossing them in salads. I stumbled upon the Vegetarian Times website where they made a nice salad of goat cheese, sun dried tomatoes packed in oil (they are packed in soybean oil) and seared broccoli. I thought the premise of the salad was a good one but since I will not touch any soy the oil packed tomatoes was out. So I continued my search which led me to combine two recipes that I already had. One from a back of the can of Cannelini beans and one for a goat cheese and roasted red pepper salad. I think you will be amazed at the simplicity of this salad and how versatile it can be.

Broccoli, Roasted Red Pepper Salad
Serves 4

4 cups broccoli florets, steamed for 3 minutes in 1 inch of water
1 whole roasted red pepper, chopped
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
Grated rind of one lemon
2 cloves garlic, grated
3 ounces goat cheese or almond goat cheese, crumbled
1 Tablespoon drained capers
3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

After broccoli has steamed for 3 minutes drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process. mix with the other ingredients in a large bowl gently to keep the goat cheese intact.

Can be served over baked potatoes, brown rice balls, a good gluten free pasta, or the way my husband likes it all by itself.

Try it tell me what you think!

Baby Romaine with Cherry Vinaigrette

Sometimes it is the simple dinners are just what I like. Of course, it has a salad attached to it. But spaghetti is such a comfort food for this Italian girl. I remember there was not a week that went by without having pasta on Wednesday night. I grew up with it and carried on the tradition with my own family. When my husband was diagnosed with a gluten sensitivity, Wednesday night pasta changed as well. Because no matter brand I tried of gluten-free pastas they all tasted pasty. Pasty pasta is just plain horrible, you could use it for glue, or better yet mortar.

Then I tried the Tinkyada Pasta Joy Ready. It is the best gluten-free pasta brand I have ever tasted. It is made from organic brown rice. The texture of the leftover pasta is just like regular pasta, it isn't hard or dry. I think this will now be my go-to brand whenever I have the need to have pasta again. You don't need to have a gluten sensitivity to try Tinkyada, just do it for your health, plus your taste buds will thank you.

Now onto the salad that went along with this wonderful spaghetti dinner.

Baby Romaine Salad with Cherry Vinaigrette
Serves 4

1 head baby romaine lettuce
1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded and thinly sliced
1/2 cup blueberries
2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped

Mix together in salad bowl.

Cherry Vinaigrette
1 cup pitted cherries, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 T balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Whirl together in food processor.

Spoon vinaigrette over each individual salad.

Manga!!

Red Beans & Rice Salad

I love taking ordinary dinners and turning them into a scrumptious, out of the ordinary salad. I have done this with pizza and came up with Pizza Salad. I also tried this with a stir fry and made an Oriental Salad that I will have to reproduce so I can remember what I put in it. These salads do not always have to be elaborate, like the pizza salad was everything we liked on pizzas tossed into a salad. Red Beans and Rice Salad is the same concept.

This salad has all the regular components of Beans and Rice but with a little twist. It also has a salsa vinaigrette that is easy sneezy to make. Trust me once you taste this salad beans and rice will never be the same.

Red Beans & Rice Salad
Serves 4

1 vidalia onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
1 Tablespoon chopped jalapeno peppers
2 T extra virgin olive oil

Saute onion and garlic and peppers in oil until translucent.

Salad
1 can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
3 cups cooked brown rice
1 head romaine lettuce
1 yellow pepper, sliced thin
1 bunch cilantro, minced
2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
3 green onions, sliced
1 zucchini, halved and thinly sliced
1 mango, peeled, pitted and chopped into bite sized pieces
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, chopped and soaked in 2 Tablespoons lime juice

Mix together in Salad bowl along with onion mixture, set aside.

Salsa Vinaigrette

1 cup of your favorite salsa, (I used a peach flavor)
2 Tablespoons lime juice
4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Whirl together in food processor until smooth.

Pour over salad and enjoy with some grilled corn tortillas or a piece of corn bread.

Vegan Mexican Salad with Cilantro Vinaigrette

We all like to get praises for what we do and what we make. We are taught by many psychologists that people produce more when they are praised. That is the case of this salad. When making up recipes I pretend that my food is going to be judged by my favorite chef, which changes from week to week. I read about how these chefs create their own recipes, and how they became chefs. My favorite chefs lately are Gordon Ramsey, Jamie Oliver, Rachael Ray, Giada De Laurentiis, Alton Brown, Michael Chiarello, Rick Bayless, and Isa Chandra Moskowitz. I love the way each of these chefs make good, healthy nutritious food easy for all. When I was playing with the idea for a cilantro vinaigrette I looked at other vinaigrettes that used cilantro but only in 2 tablespoon increments with a whole host of other flavors taking the center stage. I wanted the cilantro to stand alone as the only flavor that is tasted and supported by the costarring ingredients.

For this salad I imagined Rick Bayless was the judge. I am not so sure what he would say but my husband and my friends thought it was wonderful. This recipe makes enough to serve 8 comfortably. Plus if you serve it with grilled corn tortillas it will really fill you up, you won't even miss the animal protein.

Vegan Mexican Salad with Cilantro Vinaigrette
Serves 8

Salad:
1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can mild green chillies, diced
1 1/2 cups fresh corn
1 red onion, thinly sliced
2 avocados, thinly sliced and soaked in a little lime juice for 5 minutes
2 tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
1/4 cup chopped roasted red peppers
1/4 cup black olives, sliced

Mix together in large salad bowl and set aside.

Cilantro Vinaigrette

1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon chipotle pepper flakes
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until blended and smooth. Pour over salad and toss gently. Serve with grilled corn tortillas.

Enjoy!!

Simple Sweet Potato Salad

I remember a potato salad that my mom made where she would blacken whole garlic cloves in about a cup of olive oil on the stove. Blackened garlic does not smell good at all. Just remembering brings back the scent. After the garlic was blackened mom would throw out the garlic and say that the oil was now infused with the garlic scent. She would also boil peeled potatoes till they were almost mushy, leaving all the nutrients in the water to be thrown out. Then she would boil fresh green beans the same way. To make her salad she took all of these things and mixed them together and added a tablespoon of salt. Sometimes my mom would substitute cooked spinach for the green beans, which made the potatoes look green. Boiled spinach does not look good and tastes even worse.

I remember we use to eat it up, it was tasty but probably not too nutritious. She use to take that salad to every potluck or picnic that we went to and get rave reviews. I found fresh green beans on sale and thought about that salad. I also thought about ways to make the salad healthier. I know I would have to use sweet potatoes instead of russet because our preference is sweet potatoes. I tweaked, and I tweaked until I came up with a whole new, healthy salad that only has 5 ingredients, yes 5, and no burning of garlic is involved. We had this last night with Mayo Free Chicken Salad Sandwiches on Sprouted Toast.

Simple Sweet Potato Salad
Serves 4

3 large sweet potatoes, scrubbed clean, and chopped into bite size pieces
1 pound green beans, washed, ends snipped, cracked into 1 inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
5 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt

Steam the sweet potatoes in a steamer basket with about 1 inch of water, in a covered saucepan for about 5 minutes or until fork tender. Be careful not to steam too long or the potatoes will be mushy enough for mashing. Place sweet potatoes and green beans in mixing bowl. The green beans remain raw, they are sweet and crunchy that way. Sprinkle minced garlic and salt over the top, and drizzle with olive oil. Mix, be careful not to smash the sweet potatoes. Cover and refrigerate until serving time.

The flavors may be a little different, with the raw green beans. Let me say that once you taste them raw you won't want to cook them again.

Mayo-Free Tuna or Egg Salad

As a child, I use to love mayo and Miracle Whip. When there really wasn't anything to eat in the house I would slather on the stuff on a piece of bread and eat it. I use to love it in salads on things too, like fried chicken, corn on the cob, and baked potatoes to name just a few. Now, I cannot eat it at all. I don't even like foods that have mayo or Miracle Whip in them, potato salad, tuna salad or egg salad. Now I look at Miracle Whip as something that came out of a test tube in a lab and it is a miracle it can be called food.

I tried my hand at making my own mayo, and that it when my detesting of mayo came into effect. It was when I mixed the vinegar with the egg and oil that it didn't look like a food I wanted to eat anymore. The whole mixture went into the garbage and I have been trying other techniques to come up with an alternative to mayo or the whip of miracles. I stumbled upon this technique by accident when making a sour cream alternative for my dairy allergy.

Avocados were the answer and can be substituted with mangoes for a different flavor all together. If you are like me, you will love these salads they are as creamy as their mayo originals that you will not miss the mayo. Give them a try and let me know what you think.

Mayo Free Tuna or Salad

2 cans of tuna, rinsed and drained or 6 hard boiled eggs, shells removed, diced small
1 small sweet onion, diced small
2 stalks celery, diced small
2 Tablespoon sweet pickle relish
1 red or yellow pepper, seeded and diced small
2 green onion tops only, sliced

Mix together and set aside.


2 avocados or mangoes, peeled and chopped
2 Tablespoons lime juice
1 clove garlic, minced or grated
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon oregano or dill weed
2 T extra virgin olive oil

Whirl together in food processor until smooth and creamy.

Using 2 heaping tablespoons begin mixing it into the salad mixture to your desired creaminess. Spread on sandwiches or eat as a salad.

The mango version complements the egg salad well. The avocado version will be green just something you'll have to adjust to.

Chicken Raspberry Salad with Kiwi Vinaigrette

My husband buys most of the fruit for us. He is able to take his time, feel the flesh of the fruit, smell the fragrance of the fruit. I just look at them and throw them into the cart. My husband handles fruit with like handling a newborn baby. He is complete and utterly tender with it. Last night is no different. He went to my favorite gourmet grocery store and picked up a 1/2 a flat of locally grown raspberries for $11.99, a great price for where we live. I came home from work and he asked me what I could do with raspberries. That is how this salad came into being. I thought about mixing raspberries with other fruit and vegetables, and what kind of meat would go good with it all night long. Imagine having a cooking dream to wake up with ferocious hunger. This will be our dinner tonight. Hope you all can taste my creation!

Chicken Raspberry Salad with Kiwi Vinaigrette
Serves 4

3 heads Boston Lettuce
1 bag baby spinach
1/2 large red onion, thinly sliced
fresh tarragon to taste (I like about 5 leaves)
1 cup raspberries

Mix together and set aside

2 large skinless, boneless chicken breasts, sliced on a diagonal
2 shallots
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt

Saute chicken and shallots in oil until chicken is no longer pink and shallots are translucent.

1 cups raspberries, washed
4 oz. goat cheese, sliced


Kiwi Vinaigrette

3 kiwis, peeled and diced
2 Tablespoons raspberry balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, mined or grated
4 tarragon leaves
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Whirl together in food processor.

To Plate: place salad mix on plate, top with chicken slices with shallots, divide goat cheese among plates and place off to the side of the chicken. Pour on dressing.

This salad speaks light and refreshing!

Serendipity Salad

Serendipity is thought of as good luck or making something good happen by accident. This salad is just like that because I took the little bits that I had on hand and came up with a wonderfully splendid tasting salad. It tantalizes the taste buds while nourishing my need to crunch. I even got a thumbs up from my husband who said this is the best I've ever made. It's funny he says that about all my cooking. At any rate, I hope you enjoy the serendipity that comes from making this salad.

Serendipity Salad

1/2 head Romaine lettuce
1/2 head Red leaf lettuce
1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped

Mix together in salad bowl; set aside.

1 Vidalia onion, cut in half and sliced lengthwise into thin strips
1 clove elephant garlic, minced
1 pound extra-lean ground turkey
1 teaspoon cumin seed, crushed
1/4 teaspoon dried chipotle pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt

Saute together over medium heat until onions are translucent and ground turkey is white. Set aside to cool. When cool mix with lettuce mixture; set aside.

Salsa Vinaigrette

1 cup salsa of choice (I used Muir Glen's peach salsa)
1 avocado
2 T lime juice
6 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Whirl together in food processor.

To Serve: place salad mixture on plate and top with vinaigrette, serve with warmed corn tortillas.

Enjoy the serendipity that awaits you!

Avocado Bliss Salad

This salad was inspired by my son and his girlfriend who came to see my husband and I two weeks ago. We had a wonderful time together hiking, laughing, dining, and finding out that my son may have the same sensitivity to dairy as I do. I was inspired to make a salad to show him that he did not need sour cream and that he would not miss it. Avocado Bliss is a cream that is just as wonderful on the salad as it is spread on a sandwich in place of mayo. Even if you don't have a dairy allergy or sensitivity you will love this salad.

Avocado Bliss Salad

1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
3 ears corn on the cob, corn sliced off
1 can diced green chilies
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 red pepper, chopped

Mix together and set aside

Chicken Mixture

2 T extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1 vidalia onion, chopped
2 skinless chicken breasts, sliced across grain
1 cup salsa of choice

Heat oil in saute pan till hot, add garlic and onion, saute for 1-2 minutes. Add chicken and saute until chicken is no longer pink and cooked through. Add salsa and heat until salsa is hot. Remove from heat.

Bliss:

3 ripe avocados
3 Tablespoons lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon oregano
1/8 teaspoon chipotle pepper flakes

Whirl together in food processor till creamy

To serve: Place salad mixture on dinner plate. Top with chicken mixture and some of the juice from the pan. Top with a dollop of bliss.

Enjoy!

Chicken Cherry Salad with Mango Vinaigrette

Summer time is the best time of year to experiment with making salads. Anyone can put lettuce and tomatoes in a bowl and call it a salad. In the summer, with the ripe produce and farmers markets everyone enjoys a good salad choke full with nutritious vegetables and fruits, organic poultry, wild fish, and lean meats.

With the temperatures soaring today as they have for the past few days. Salads are the easiest way to make a meal and this salad has only four ingredients. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Chicken Cherry Salad with Mango Vinaigrette
Serves 4

2 large chicken breasts, cooked and chopped
1 cup quartered, pitted cherries
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 head romaine lettuce, torn in bite size pieces.

Mix together in large salad bowl.

Mango Vinaigrette
Makes about a 1/4 cup enough for the entire salad

Place in food processor:

1 mango, pitted, peeled and chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and grated
1/4 teaspoon dill weed
1/2 teaspoon thyme
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Blend until mango is liquefied and flavors are mixed about 1 minute.

Pour dressing over the salad, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve about 30 minutes to an hour to let the flavors meld but not let the lettuce wilt.

Serve and enjoy!