The Anti-Chicken Fingers Movement~ Southwest Chicken Soup

This was the first time I'd made this soup...and it was absolutely amazing.  First of all, I love pretty much all Mexican food.  Secondly, I love cilantro like there's no tomorrow.  And most importantly as you know, I love healthy food.  So, you can see why this meal is a fav of mine.  I have to be honest, the hubby wasn't a huge fan, he argued for me to cook it once a month rather than my argument of at least once every two weeks.  Both kids loved it.

Ingredients:
1-Can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed & drained
1-Can (14/5 oz) chicken broth
12-oz of your favorite Salsa

3/4 to 1-Pd cooked chicken breasts, cut up into chunks
1- Can corn
2-Tsp ground Cumin
1 1/2-Tsp Chili Powder
1/4-Cup Cheddar cheese shredded
4-TBL light sour cream
1/4-Cup Fresh Diced Cilantro

Directions:
(First, I browned the chicken w/olive oil)
In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, stir together the beans, broth, salsa, chicken, corn, cumin, chili powder.  Bring to boil, reduce to low & cover, simmer for 15 minutes to blend spices/flavors.
Ladle soup into bowls, top with sour cream, cheese, and cilantro.
Happy eating friends!  Trina

Holiday Recipe Spectacular - Appetizer - Wasabi-Ginger Crusted Scallops

This could be one of my husband's favorites...if I ever made it for him instead of always making for dinner parties!  The guy is mad about sea scallops.  If you can pull off this delicious, flavorful hors d'ouever-you will score points with many.  Isn't that what holiday parties are all about, after all? ;)

Wasabi Crusted Scallops
12 large sea scallops
1 teaspoon ginger, fresh minced
1 tablespoon wasabi paste
1 garlic cloves, fresh minced
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup short-grain rice, cooked and seasoned
2 tablespoons sesame oil

Pineapple-Mango Salsa
1 cup pineapple, fresh diced
1 cup mangoes, fresh diced
1/3 cup cilantro, fresh chopped
3/4 cup red onions, finely diced
3 tablespoons lime juice, fresh squeezed
1 tablespoon orange juice, fresh squeezed
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions
Stir together all of the salsa ingredients in a large bowl. Place 1/4 cup rice in center of 4 plates using a custard cup or any other method of shaping the rice mold. Place 1/4 of the salsa mixture around the rice on each plate. Mix together ginger, wasabi paste, garlic, olive oil, and salt in another bowl. Heat a large saute pan to medium-high heat with some olive oil.

Holiday Recipe Spectacular - Soup - Sweet Potato Jalapeno Soup

This soup has ten years history with Zac and I.  We first tasted the divine blend of sweet potato with the kick from the jalapeno at one of our first dates in San Diego at Lamont Street Grill, which according to their website closed their doors just a few weeks ago after 25 years (still available for catering and small parties).  Amazing, flavorful soup!  A few years ago I lost my recipe, but this is the one I've found to be a close replacement.  Perfect for a dinner party this month!

Sweet Potato Jalapeno Soup
5 lbs sweet potatoes
1 onion
4 slices turkey bacon (regular bacon is fine)
3 garlic cloves
12 cup butter
6 cups chicken broth
14 cup jalapeno (jarred)
2 tsps cumin
12 cup cilantro
1 cup half-and-half
4 tsps salt
1 tsp black pepper
artificial sweetener (optional)

Directions

Scrub sweet potatoes, cut into quarters, place in large stock pot, cover with water and boil until soft. When potatoes are soft, drain them and let them cool until you can handle them. Peel off the skin.

Peel and chop onion. Finely chop bacon and garlic.  In a large soup pot, melt butter. Add bacon, onion and garlic and saute until onions are translucent. Add chicken broth. Cover and bring to a boil.

Dice half the sweet potatoes and stir into boiling broth. Puree the remaining sweet potatoes with the jalapenos, cumin, cilantro and half-and-half. Stir into soup. Add salt, pepper, and sweetener (if needed). Stir well; heat through.

Buon Appetito! 
Leah

The Anti-Chicken Fingers Movement - Cilantro Lime Chicken

This is one of my favorite recipes!  Something about the combination of lime and cilantro...along with an ice cold beer...can make any stressful day seem like a day at the beach.   

Cilantro Lime Chicken

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1 bunch fresh cilantro, finely chopped

¾ cup shredded Monterey jack cheese

1 lime, juiced

2 Tbsp olive oil

4 tsp parmesan

2 tsp red pepper flakes

Salt

Pepper

Directions

1.      Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Slice a chicken breast in half lengthwise, leaving the halves attached on one side. Open and pound flat to 1/8-in. thickness; sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper to taste. Repeat with remaining chicken breasts.

2.      Sprinkle one side of chicken breast evenly with 1 tablespoon of cilantro. At one end of each breast, place 2 tablespoons shredded cheese. Roll each breast up, starting on the side with the cheese. Insert a toothpick in each roll to prevent unrolling. Combine lime juice and olive oil and brush evenly over each chicken roll. Sprinkle each roll with 1 teaspoon parmesan cheese and a ½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Place in baking dish. Cover.

3.      Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of shredded cheese over each roll and bake for 10 minutes more or until chicken juices run clear. Discard toothpicks.

4.      With the vibrant taste of cilantro and a hint of lime, this dish is a refreshingly healthy way to cure your craving for a taste of Mexico. Plus, the red pepper flakes add that little special zing.

Buon appetito!

The Anti-Chicken Fingers Movement - Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos

Recipe for 8/24/11 ~ Slow Cooker Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos

I just started the slow cooker an hour ago and our entire home is permeated in a fiesta of cilantro with a hint of lime.  It makes me want to grab an ice cold Corona, but alas, ‘tis only 11am.  I lift up the lid to stir the chicken breasts soaking in a tropical lagoon of salsa y taco seasonings. 

My husband has never much been a fan for slow cooked meals.  Unless maybe it is ribs or something manly like that.  But mostly he sees a slow cooker and chicken as a method of boiling and that does not sound appetizing to him in the least. 

However, I snuck this recipe in last month.  When my husband arrived home from work that evening, the first thing he did was raise a knowing eyebrow with a pleasing smile of the zesty, lustrous aroma.  The second thing he did was shoot an inquisitive glance towards the slow cooker as if he hadn’t enjoyed being welcomed home to a fine home-cooked meal.  Thirty minutes later, after the family gathered at our table, his eyes lit up after his first bite. 

“This is really great!  The lime, the cilantro!  It’s so flavorful.”  I’m almost positive he used the word flavorful.

Ah ha!  I thought!  I defeated the slow cooker skepticisms in his head.  I thought, I can use this delightful appliance and save time.  Hooray!  And the excitement didn’t end here folks!  He went back for seconds and even our pickier toddler threw down and polished off every last bite. 

It’s an easy recipe.  It’s a flavorful recipe.  It can be as healthy as you’d like.

Bon appetite!

J Leah

The creator of the recipe is my friend Ashley Wendt (wendtsbooty.blogspot.com).  Though I have to thank our mutual friend, photographer Joanna Davis for insisting I try it (http://www.photosbyjoannad.blogspot.com/). 

Slow Cooker Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos

3 lb Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts

1 Jar (16 oz) your favorite Salsa (We like Tostitos® Restaurant Style Salsa)

1 packet Low Sodium Taco Seasoning

1 Lime (juice from 1 lime)

3 T Fresh Cilantro, chopped (muy importante!)

6 Tortillas

Directions

In a slow cooker, mix Salsa, Taco Seasoning, Lime Juice and cilantro.

Add Chicken. Cook on low for 8-10 hrs.

Remove chicken and shred.

Serve with a tortilla Add any of your favorite toppings* (lettuce, onions, peppers, black olives, sour cream, taco sauce, etc.)

*I chose to serve ours with chopped tomato, chopped onion, sliced avocado (a MUST in our home), and sour cream.  As you now know, my husband determined there is so much going on in the flavor department…so hold the taco sauce.