Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad

I must have a million pins on Pinterest, most of them cupcakes and delicious desserts though. I was really stumped the other day when I was planning my week's menu and what I can make that actually excited me.

I never really venture on to my "Salads" Pinterest board but summer is all about healthy vegetables and eating right, right? So I saw this salad recipe and it didn't look too bad!

My husband's verdict? "I'd make this again. I mean, I'd have YOU make this again."

 

I love all of these ingredients. I used canned corn (called for by the recipe) but only because sweet corn isn't too in season yet AND because I have a brand of corn that I really truly like. Delmonte's Summer Crisp. It is not like the others!

 

I didn't even mind this green leafy stuff. It gets covered in the creamy chipotle dressing and you can barely taste the healthy parts. :)

 

The best way I've found to make the precooked chicken is to wrap the breasts in a foil packet, baking at 375 degrees for about 35 minutes. I lightly salt and pepper it and it always comes out smelling divine. I made the chicken this morning and it made for easy assembly later.

I didn't even use all of the dressing and it was plenty. It was smoky and spicy, just a nice kick. The recipe is originally from Cooking Light and it says that it tastes just as great the next day. I have some fresh, dry lettuce leftover in case it's a wilted mess but I don't think we'll mind!

I didn't have taco bowls so I just spread a few tortilla chips on the bottom of each plate.

Click here for the stolen recipe for Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad.

 

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Update: Grilled Corn Salad

I've blogged about a corn salad. I love it. I've made it several, several times since but it wasn't until just today that I've made a few changes.

I make half the amount now. Duh. It was just way too much for two people.

AND I added an ingredient that we've discovered that Jim really loves. Cotija cheese. It's a salty, crumbly Mexican cheese that my big sister introduced us to. The recipe has always stated that Cotija or Feta cheese were optional. I guess I just chose to NOT include it. Silly me.

I hope it makes a huge difference! It is getting happy in the fridge for tomorrow's dinner. I go back to work and I'm making a few things ahead of time so I don't get overwhelmed by being a Super(Working)Mom.

 

 

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Corn Dogs and Fried Cheese on Sticks

I don't know if deep frying is my thing.  It's not the healthiest but it was a worthwhile experiment and rare treat.

I made corn dogs and fried cheese on a stick!  I followed a recipe from the Pioneer Woman.  She knows what she's doing!  I thought we had a Fry Daddy (from Jim's bachelor days) but it must have gone the way of the Goodwill (or Disabled Vets) some time ago.  I don't have experience with deep oil so I looked up directions online and then saw all the fire warnings.  Eeeeek!  The fire extinguisher and baking soda (recommended) came out just in case!

Here are some of the corn dogs and pieces of pepper jack cheese and Colby jack.  The PW suggested using chopsticks but wooden skewers did the trick too.

I was able to use my new cast iron pot!  (Thanks Laura!)

He likes it!  He likes it!  (Shocking!)

The inside of the cheese balls.  Some were balls, some were sticks.  

So our final verdict?  I think I'll stick to state fair and carnival corn dogs.  These were good but a lot of worry.

Click here for the stolen recipe for Corn Dogs and Cheese on a Stick.

Cheddar Corn Chowder

I love soups. I love Brown Eyed Baker soups.

I love corn. And potatoes. And bacon. And white cheddar. So this soup is for ME! It was velvety smooth and hearty.

It also froze very nicely so we had plenty of freezer bags for quick lunches.

Click here for the stolen recipe for Cheddar Corn Chowder.

Microwave popcorn

Did you know that you can make popcorn in the microwave with just a plain brown paper bag? No oil or butter! Unless you want it for flavoring afterwards!

I just popped some and sprinkled a bit of cinnamon sugar on top. Deeeelicious!

Easy instructions: Put 1/4- 1/2 cup of corn kernels in a brown paper bag. Fold over twice. Microwave on high for 3 minutes, actually less- remove bag when you hear fewer pops, just like those other microwave bags.

See this website for better instructions and flavor options!

Zucchini, Corn, and Basil Penne with Bacon

The food blogger that I stole this from described this as "Summer in a Bowl". I think it's a pretty accurate description!

Fresh corn on the cob? Zucchini? Homemade basil pesto? Topped with my husband's beloved bacon? Yes please!

This had to be a pretty healthy meal, except for the bacon. Even that is limited to one strip per plate. I used the "healthy" penne with extra protein- it's the stuff that I usually buy especially for my son, who could go without meat (protein) most days.

This was a pretty light pasta dish. I almost thought it lacked flavor but I think I'm used to Pioneer Woman's heavy, creamy, and buttery pasta sauces. Jim told me, No, this is good!

Click here for the PRINTABLE RECIPE.

Click here for the stolen recipe for Zucchini, Corn and Basil Penne with Bacon (Summer in a Bowl).

Classic Fajitas & Corn with Spicy Chili Butter

I picked out this next recipe. It really just appealed and it seemed like a good recipe to have under our belts if we ever have a dinner party. The meat and vegetables needed almost no prep which is awesome.

I wish I would have made my own guacamole (the avocados at the store were not ripe) or salsa but maybe next time. I even joked that I should've made my own tortillas!

Jim is becoming a master chef. And isn't he cute in this shirt? (Note: he bought the shirt to amuse James. He said he wouldn't really wear this shirt out in public, too cutesy. I hope he doesn't mind my 5 blog readers seeing it :)

I should have taken some pictures of the grilling in action. The flank steak grilled quickly and easily, the vegetables blackened just a bit, and now the steak is being sliced. Yum.

No editing. Just fabulous natural colors!

I didn't do much for this meal. We ended up boiling the corn and not grilling it because Jim was already doing a bit on the grill, I didn't want him overwhelmed. I made the spicy chili butter on the stovetop. I LOVED it. The spice and lime juice were wonderful!

Delicious! And plenty for leftovers :)

Both of these recipes were from Jim's new cookbook- The Cook's Illustrated Guide to Grilling and Barbecue. I'm always glad to find the recipes online for you.

Click here for the stolen recipe for Classic Fajitas.

Click here for the stolen recipe for Corn with Spicy Chili Butter.

Quick Shrimp and Corn Soup

Wow, it's been a while! I've been cooking but nothing new. Certainly nothing blog worthy. This recipe is an old favorite. We love soups around here. When I first met Jim he didn't think a soup was a main course, that it couldn't possibly fill him up. I think the first soup I made for him was the Salsa & Meatball soup (Albondigas) and after that he was convinced. This soup is an easy meal to put together. I've cheated with this recipe and used cooked shrimp, not because it's hard to cook with raw shrimp but because well, I don't know.

I kind of consider this recipe cheating (raw shrimp or not) because it's using a bunch of canned foods. Canned tomatoes, cream of mushroom soup, creamed corn, etc. I usually don't use a lot of canned or processed foods in recipes. Well, it's good. I don't want to say it's not!

Click here for the stolen recipe for Quick Shrimp and Corn Soup. This recipe was originally from Cooking Light but I found it on another website.

Tequila Lime Chicken & Grilled Corn Salad

If you know me, you know my love of tequila. It's a new love. I love tequila and tonics especially. Haha. But when I saw this recipe from the wonderful Pioneer Woman, I knew that I had to try it. I actually printed the recipe out at work and I think one of my co-workers saw it at the printer (or maybe she saw the update on PW's blog) but she told me that she was trying the recipe too. So my friend made the chicken before me and she told me that it was fabulous.

I knew it would have to be good after bathing in a marinade of tequila, lime juice, garlic, and cilantro!

My husband was kind enough to make the grilled corn salad during the day. I LOVE this salad. I had three helpings and didn't feel guilty because it's full of yummy vegetables. Grilled corn, zucchini, bell pepper, red onion, jalapeno... mmmmmmmmmm. I've made this often but I decided that we're going to make this again and again and again this summer- all of the vegetables are farmer's market staples.

Click here for the stolen recipe for Tequila Lime Chicken.

Click here for the stolen recipe for Grilled Corn Salad.

So the verdict is that the chicken was very good. The tequila was very prominent which is a good thing :) I made this recipe this week because I was planning on making this for a dinner party next week. I like it but I decided that it wouldn't taste right in the way that I had planned- cut into strips on a salad of greens, avocado, tortilla strips, pico de gallo, etc. Oh well. We have a great way to use up my tequila so I don't just drink it all!