Grilled Chicken Pasta Salad

  I found this recipe on pinterest but forgot to write the site it came from.  I need to start pinning the recipes to my boards instead of just writing them on my recipe cards.
  Corey and I both liked this.  Next time I will have to do it for a family get together or cut the recipe in half.  It did make a little much for just two people.

Grilled Chicken Pasta Salad

1 Lb rotini noodles, cooked
2 Lbs thin sliced chicken cutlets
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 large red pepper, cored, seeded, diced
1 large green pepper, cored, seeded, diced
1 medium red onion, halved, thinly sliced
2 scallions, trimmed, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp fresh dill, minced

Dressing

1 cup light mayonnaise
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp mustard
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dried parsley flakes
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup canola oil

For salad, cook noodles as directed on box.  Sprinkle lemon juice over chicken, grill until done.  Cut into bite sized pieces.  Toss with rest of salad ingredients.  For dressing, whisk all but canola oil until combined.  Gradually whisk in oil.  Pour over salad and toss to coat.

**The only thing I would change, is it is a little sweet so less honey next time.

Mexican Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing

Tonight for dinner I made a recipe I found on pinterest. It comes from cookingwithkrista.blogspot.com. Of course the photo gets your attention first, it looked good. Then going over the ingredients it sounded good. Being a salad it was easy to make. Corey and I both really enjoyed it.
Mexican Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing.

 Dressing
 1 large avocado
1 Tbsp plus 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp hot sauce
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves
3/4 tsp salt

Combine all in food processor or blender, until smooth. Cover and refrigerate. Toss with salad just before serving.

 Salad

 1 1/2 to 2 heads Romaine, chopped
2 to 3 large OR 6 to 7 small tomatoes
2 cups corn chips, crushed
1/2 cup Mexican blend cheese
15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
5 green onions, chopped

 Combine all in a large bowl. Toss with dressing just before serving.

 **It was good but a couple changes I will make next time. First Corey and I both thought it had too many bean, so will only use half the can. Next I would add a little more corn chips.
**I didn't have a lemon so used juice from a bottle.
**There is a recipe for the dressing that calls for 1/2 cup Greek yogurt instead of the mayonnaise. I haven't tried it with the yogurt but that may be an option others would like to make.

Tex-Mex Steak with Pepper Salsa

This recipe is from mylifetime.com under cook yourself thin.

Thursday nights are rushed, I work nights and get home with just enough time to make a quick meal and get Corey fed before he leaves. I wanted to get as much done as possible this morning. I put the steak in the marinade this morning. I also made the salsa this morning. I also partially cooked the potatoes this morning. I knew when I got home all I would need to do is put the potatoes in the oven, and the steak on the grill.

Of course Corey messed up my dinner plans tonight. He was still in the bed when I got home. He slept all day. I handed him a plate with a good meal on it. He was really enjoying it, but had to leave. I felt bad that he didn't have a little more time. Guess I don't have to get up to make breakfast tomorrow, he has an awesome meal waiting on him. This one will for sure be on the menu again in the near future.

Tex-Mex Steak with Pepper Salsa

For the steak:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 pound flank steak

For the salsa:
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 orange bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 poblano or green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
Zest and juice of one lime
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
Pinch of cayenne
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

In a large, sealable plastic bag, combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar, cumin, and salt and pepper. Stir to combine all ingredients. Add steak, and massage the marinade into the meat. Seal the bag and place on a sheet tray or large plate. Marinate overnight or for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine all the ingredients for the salsa. Refrigerate until ready to serve. (Salsa can be made a few hours ahead and refrigerated.)

Once ready to cook, preheat broiler on high for 10 minutes. Remove steak from the marinade, place under broiler for 5 minutes per side for medium rare, 7 to 10 minutes per side for well-done. Allow the steak to rest for 3 to 5 minutes before slicing thinly, on the bias, against the grain.

Serve with salsa.

**I used a yellow pepper instead of green.
**I used a few small serano peppers instead of a jalapeno.
**I didn't use a flank steak. The steak I had was a little thick so I cut small slits across the meat so the marinade could soak in more.
**I cooked my steak on the grill.

Firehouse BBQ Grilled Chicken

I'm not sure where I found this recipe. I have made it a few times. Another easy marinated chicken recipe. Corey and I both like it. Even though it is called Firehouse, I don't find it too hot.

Firehouse BBQ Grilled Chicken

6 thawed boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup Frank's Red Hot sauce
3/4 cup BBQ sauce
4 Tbsp butter, melted
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Place all in a large zip top bag. Marinate at least one hour. Grill 5 to 6 minutes on each side, until done.

**I'm not brand loyal, so my hot sauce wasn't Frank's.
**I cut slits down one side of the chicken before putting it into the marinade.

Spiced Chicken and Greens with Pomegranate Dressing

I signed up for something somewhere along the line and now receive emails from American Family. Most of the time I just click the delete. However, sometimes they have some recipes in the emails. This is one of those recipes.

Neither Corey nor I have ever had pomegranates or Gorgonzola cheese. I tried a taste of the cheese before adding it to the salad. Not for me, I couldn't get it out of my mouth fast enough. However, I sprinkled a tiny bit on Corey's salad, he liked it. We both thought the dressing was excellent. Along with the other salad ingredients there was a nice blend of sweet and tangy with a little kick from the red pepper.

Spiced Chicken and Greens with Pomegranate Dressing

Chicken:

Cooking spray
1 tsp chili powder
4 (6 oz) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Dressing:

1/3 cup pomegranate juice
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp canola oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

Salad:

1 (5 oz) package gourmet salad greens
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
3/4 cup orange sections (about 2 medium oranges)
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup (1 oz) crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

To prepare the chicken, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle chili powder and salt over chicken. Add chicken to pan, cook 5 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from skillet, let stand 3 minutes. Cut across grain into thin slices, set aside.

To prepare dressing, combine juice and next 5 ingredients (through crushed red pepper) in a small bowl, stir well with whisk.

To prepare salad, place greens on a serving platter, top with onion, orange, cranberries, and chicken slices. Sprinkle evenly with cheese, pour dressing over salad.

**I cooked my chicken on the grill.
**I just used a large bowl and tossed all the salad ingredients in.
**There was enough dressing that it pooled in the bottom of the bowl, so I added more greens and re-tossed.

Hamburger Soup

This recipe was sent to me by my mom. I'm not sure where she found it. It is a simple, throw everything in the pot meal. Corey and I both liked it. It filled my pot to the top, it was the biggest pot I have. Corey has requested a couple changes next time. He wants a little less corn and add some green beans. Since he has been sick for the past few days hopefully a bowl of hot soup will make him better.

Hamburger Soup

1 Lb ground beef
2 tsp minced garlic
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup onion, chopped
6 beef bouillon cubes
6 cups water
15 oz (or close) tomato sauce
32 oz (or close) diced tomatoes
1 tsp salt
10 oz frozen corn
1 tsp basil
4 Tbsp ketchup

Brown beef with garlic, drain. Combine with all other ingredients in large stock pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.

**I started the water with the bouillon cubes first. I used my Pampered Chef micro cooker to brown the beef. I chopped the vegetables while the meat was cooking.
**Corey doesn't like lots of tomato chunks, so I used my stick blender on the diced tomatoes.
**This would be an easy recipe to cut in half.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

This recipe was found at sixsistersstuff.com. It is a very easy recipe. Corey and I both liked it. I used a 9 X 13 pan instead of a 2 quart pan. I also forgot the cooking spray, but it came right out, no problem. I didn't really taste the Dijon, next time I may add a little more.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

1 (6 oz) package chicken flavored stuffing mix
1 (10 3/4 oz) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
3 cups fresh broccoli florets
2 cups cooked, chopped ham
6 slices, extra thin Swiss cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare stuffing as directed on package. Mix soup and mustard in a medium bowl, stir in chicken, broccoli and ham. Spoon into a 2 quart casserole dish sprayed with cooking spray. Top with cheese slices and stuffing. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until heated through.

**I boiled the chicken before cutting.