Chicken Green Chile Salad

I love Bajio. There is one only two minutes from our house. It is a dangerous, dangerous thing for it to be so close to our house, because it means that we go there altogether too often. I always used to get the Chicken Green Chile Stuffed Quesadilla. I pretty much figured that nothing could be better than that. Sweet and spicy green chiles and savory chicken stuffed inside a fresh cooked flour tortilla with a side of mexican rice and smoky refried beans? Talk about tasty. Then my mom introduced me to the Chicken Green Chile Salad and I've never gone back. It's light enough that it doesn't make you sick after you eat it, and you can eat the whole thing without really feeling bad about it. It's pretty much the perfect combination of flavors and is even a well balanced meal! It's got veggies, fruit, meat, grain, and dairy. In the past year I've probably spent at least $200 at Bajio, so I figured I better figure out how to make my own version of it to save a little money. That being said, here is my answer to Bajio's Chicken Green Chile Salad. Enjoy!

Chicken Green Chile Salad (serves 4)

-------Green Chile Chutney--------
3 large annaheim or poblano peppers (or a combination of the two), halved, seeds removed
1 - 2 jalapeno peppers, halved, seeds removed
4 oz. can diced green chiles
5-7 tomatillos, husks removed
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
scant 1 cup sugar
dash each of chili powder (I like chipotle chili powder), cumin, salt
1 large sweet onion, halved

Place peppers, tomatillos, and onion on baking sheet/rack. Roast in 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes, or until nicely browned. Place tomatillos and about 1/4 cup onion in blender and process until mostly smooth. Dice peppers. Add all ingredients except the remaining onion into a large pot. Cook over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes or until thickened and reduced. Add more sugar/peppers to adjust the spiciness/sweetness to taste. Slice the remaining onion and saute with a little bit of the green chile sauce over medium-low heat until carmelized.

------Chicken---------------------
1 1/2 - 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts or tenders
1/2 cup lime juice
1/2 cup vegetable oil
freshly ground salt and pepper

Cook chicken on grill set at medium-high heat. Brush both sides occasionally with a mixture of the lime juice, oil, salt, and pepper. Grill for about 7 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Cool for about 5 minutes, then shred or dice into bite size pieces.

--------Dressing------------------
1 pkg. Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup millk
1/2 cup salsa verde (or more to taste)
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 clove garlic
1 lime, juiced

Combine all ingredients in blender until well blended. Refrigerate until ready to use.

--------Salad/Toppings-----------
8 c shredded romaine or green leaf lettuce
1/2 cup pico de gallo and/or 1/2 cup mango salsa (I recommend the mango salsa, it's delightful!)
1/2 cup shredded colby jack cheese
1/2 cup fresh guacamole (optional)
4 uncooked flour tortillas (you can buy these at Costco, Macey's or Bajio)
1 lime, cut into 8 wedges
1/4 cup cilantro
Fried tortilla strips (Cut 4 small corn tortillas into thin strips with a pizza cutter. Fry in oil for 3-4 minutes or until crispy. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with a little bit of salt.)

------------------------------------
To arrange the salad, add chicken, green chile chutney, and onions together in a pan and heat through. Layer 2 cups lettuce, 1/4 of the chicken mixture, 2 Tb. cheese, and 1/4 of the tortilla strips on each of 4 plates. On the side of each salad put 2 Tb. pico de gallo and/or mango salsa, 2 Tb. guacamole, 2 lime slices, 1 Tb. fresh cilantro, and 2 - 4 Tb. dressing. Serve each salad with a freshly cooked tortilla.

I know that this recipe looks a little daunting, but it actually went pretty quick yesterday. I made the entire thing in about an hour, and Corey and I both loved it. I even had a leftover salad today and tomorrow we'll be having quesadillas with the leftover chicken green chile mixture! I'm excited--and think of all the money I'm saving!

My Favorites: KRAFT Roasted Red Pepper Italian with Parmesan Dressing

KRAFT Roasted Red Pepper Italian with Parmesan Dressing is my very favorite salad dressing. It is packed with lots of flavor and goes with almost any type of salad and packs a big punch. It's also good on chicken, pasta salad, or even in pasta sauces. As an added bonus it's also low calorie and low fat--only 40 calories and 2 grams of fat per 2 Tbsp serving. That's at least 1/3 the calories and 1/7 the fat of regular ranch dressing. Here's one of my favorite recipes using the dressing--it's actually the reason that I bought the dressing in the first place, and I've been buying it ever since. Check it out on the kraft foods website. Enjoy!

Bruschetta 'n Cheese-Stuffed Chicken Breasts

1 can (14-1/2 oz.) Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained
1-1/4 cups KRAFT Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese, divided
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken
8 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (2 lb.)
1/3 cup KRAFT Roasted Red Pepper Italian with Parmesan Dressing

1. PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Combine tomatoes, 1/2 cup of the cheese, the basil and dry stuffing mix; stir just until moistened.
2. PLACE 2 chicken breast halves in large freezer-weight resealable plastic bag. Pound chicken with meat mallet or side of heavy can until chicken is 1/4 inch thick. Repeat with remaining chicken, adding two at a time to bag. Place chicken, top-sides down, on cutting board; spread evenly with stuffing mixture. Starting at one of the narrow ends, tightly roll up chicken. Place, seam-sides down, in 13x9-inch baking dish. Drizzle evenly with dressing.
3. BAKE 40 min. Sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Bake an additional 5 min. or until chicken is cooked through (165°F) and cheese is melted.

The Essentials: Cilantro

It's always important to have the right things set up before you start cooking. To get your mis en place (or meez) ready. Having all the ingredients cut, measured, or prepared can make things much quicker and easier. There are a few items that are important for every meal. Things like salt, pepper, oil, herbs and other spices. It's just plain important to have them. One of these things that's a vital piece, at least of my meez when I'm cooking is fresh cilantro. I think that it can make almost anything tastier, either when used as a garnish, or incorporated into a recipe. Either as whole leaves, or minced. And NOT THE DRY STUFF. There's no point to buying dried cilantro. The fresh kind is cheap, and much, much, much better. So try it out. Next time you're making something, throw a little cilantro on there. Even if it's just something as simple as Ramen noodles. It'll be mighty tasty.

Coconut Macaroons

I don't know why all of my recipes lately seem to have coconut in them...I don't even like coconut that much. Corey sure does, though, so maybe that's why.


Coconut Macaroons

1 pkg (14 oz.) coconut (5-1/3 cups)
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/4 tsp. salt
4 egg whites
1 tsp. almond extract

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Mix coconut, sugar, flour, and salt in large bowl. Add egg whites and almond extract; mix well. Drop by tablespponfuls onto greased and floured baking sheets.
2. Bake 20 inutes or until edges of cookies are golden brown. Immediately remove from baking sheets to wire racks. Cool completely.

These are good just plain, or you can dip in chocolate fondue. Or dip cookies halfway into 8 oz. melted semi-sweet baking chocolate and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes or until firm.

Southwestern Eggrolls

This is one of my most requested recipes. It's pretty much a classic with the family. The recipe is originally from Todd Wilbur, based on Chili's Southwestern Eggrolls, but after making it many, many times, I adapted it. If I may say so myself, I think mine are even better than the originals.

Southwestern Eggrolls

4 chicken breasts (1 - 1 1/2 lbs), cooked and diced or shredded

2 Tb. vegetable oil

1 medium red bell pepper, minced

1 small or medium onion, minced

1 can corn, drained

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 c. frozen spinach, thawed and drained

1/4 c. diced, canned jalapeno peppers

2 Tb. minced fresh parsley (or use 2 teaspoons dried parsley)

2 tsp. cumin

2 tsp. chili powder (I use 1 tsp regular chili powder and 1 tsp chipotle chili powder)

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

dash smoked paprika

3 c. shredded Monterey Jack (or Colby jack) cheese

20 7-inch flour tortillas (Mission brand tortillas work best)

Directions:

1. Preheat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a medium-size skillet over medium-high heat.

2. Add the red pepper and onion to the pan and saute for a couple minutes until tender.

3. Add the chicken, corn, black beans, spinach, jalapeno peppers, and spices to the pan. Cook for another 4 minutes. Stir well so that the spinach separates and is incorporated into the mixture.

4. Remove the pan from the heat and add the cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted.

5. Wrap the tortillas (10 at a time) in a moist cloth and microwave on high temperature for 1 minute or until hot.

6. Spoon 1-2 tablespoons of the mixture into the center of a tortilla. Fold in the ends and then roll the tortilla over the mixture. Roll the tortilla very tight. Brush edge of tortilla with a beaten egg and press to seal. Repeat with the remaining ingredients until you have twenty eggrolls.

7. You can either deep fry the eggrolls or bake them. I prefer to bake them. Preheat oven to 400 degrees, spray baking sheet, and brush each eggroll with one beaten egg. Bake 10-15 minutes or until crispy. If desired, you can turn the eggrolls halfway through baking time and brush the other side with egg so both sides are extra crispy. To deep fry, preheat 4-6 cups of oil to 375 degrees. Deep fry the eggrolls in the hot oil for 12-15 minutes and remove to paper towels or a rack to drain for about 2 minutes.

Serve with Avocado Ranch dressing for dipping.

Note: I usually chop the onions, pepper, and chicken in a food processor to save time. I just use whatever cheese I happen to have at the time—colby jack is good, but anything works. You might want to cut back on the jalapenos as it can get pretty spicy. For the avocado ranch I just use a ranch dip mix and prepare according to directions and add one or two diced avocados (mash them a little bit when you mix it into the dip). You can halve the batch if you want as this makes a lot. Or you can freeze them (cooked or uncooked), that way you have more on hand without going through the trouble of making them again.

Orange Chicken

This is another thing that I make that doesn't technically have a recipe. So there won't be any quantities on it. I just sort of make enough to fit the amount of chicken I have.

Orange Chicken


Ingredients

Flour (I usually start with about a cup)
Salt
Black Pepper
Ginger Powder
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Paprika
Chili Powder
4-5 egg whites
Chicken (as much as you want to make- I'd say about a 1 1/2 or 2 lbs for a cup of flour)- cut into bite sized pieces
Vegetable Oil
Orange/Ginger Sauce (you could make this yourself, but I always just buy the Iron Chef brand sauce at the store. It's very good and much easier that way.)
Green Onions- chopped- for a garnish
Cilantro- finely chopped- garnish
Almonds- very finely chopped- garnish (you can substitute other kinds of nuts for this if you want, or omit it all together)

Directions

1- Combine dry ingredients together in a shallow dish (I use a pie plate). This will make the breading for the chicken.
2- Put the egg whites in another dish. It's ok if there's a little bit of yolk. Just try to avoid it if you
can. It makes the texture weird if you include too much yolk.
3- Heat enough oil for deep frying in a large pot or deep pan.
4- Batter the chicken. Put it first into the egg wash and then into the flour mixture. Use the wet hand dry hand method.
5- When chicken is battered, put it into the hot oil. Let fry until it's crispy and light brown. Put it into a large bowl when done.
Repeat steps 4 & 5 until all the chicken is fried.
6- Pour the orange sauce over chicken and mix well, until all pieces are completely covered.
7- Garnish with green onions, cilantro and almonds.

Serve with rice. This amount will feed 4-5.

I'm Sick and Home and All Alone Pudding

When I'm sick, tapioca pudding is one of the only things that sounds good to me. I try to come up with creative ways to eat it, since it's all I'm eating and I'm home all alone and sick anyway. Here's my favorite recipe:

Tapioca Pudding (Courtesty of Minute Tapioca)
Makes 6 (1/2 cup) servings.

1/3 cup sugar

3 Tbsp. Minute brand tapioca

2-3/4 cups milk

1 egg, well beaten

1 tsp. vanilla

1. Mix sugar, tapioca, milk, and egg in edium saucepan; let stand 5 minutes.

2. Cook on medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a full boil (a boil that doesn't stop bubbling when stirred. Pudding will be thin, it thickens as it cools). Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla.

3. Pour yourself a bowl of the hot pudding and let it cool for about 10 minutes; eat. Doesn't it taste good?

4. Put the rest of the pudding in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, placing it on the surface of the pudding while cooling. Cool for at least 20 minutes. Then you should be ready for another bowl, right? This time, stir in 1/4 tsp. almond extract into your bowl (about 1/2 cup serving) and add 1/4 cup fresh or frozen raspberries. Yum!