Fajita Shrimp Salad with Cilantro-Lime Dressing

I had a major dinner mishap last night; but thankfully, I was able to recover and come up with this tasty, tasty salad. I had menu planned and started preparing the Pioneer Woman's Shrimp Quesadillas, only to discover I did not have two of the main ingredients. I didn't take inventory before I went grocery shopping this week, and I thought I had both the El Pato sauce and tortillas on hand. It turns out that I didn't have either. Doh! As you can guess, it's pretty much impossible to make quesadillas without tortillas. Sadly, I didn't discover this little tidbit of info (i.e. the missing ingredients) until dinner was well underway. (Normally, I would have tried to make tortillas, however it was already 5:30pm and there just wasn't enough time.) I decided to serve my quesadilla filling over salad greens and concoct a dressing instead. The salad and dressing ended up both being hits. Totally delicious!!! Whew!!!

Fajita Shrimp Salad with Cilantro-Lime Dressing

Ingredients:

salad:
2 heads of chopped romaine lettuce, washed and dried
1-2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
2 Tablespoons of canola oil
1 large onion, sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
4 zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 lb. of raw shrimp, peel and deveined (I used large count)
1/2 jar of your favorite salsa
1/2 cup of fresh cilantro, chopped
3-4 Roma tomatoes, diced
salt and pepper to taste
1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained (optional)
1 diced avocado (optional)

dressing:
1/3 cup seasoned rice vinegar
1/4 cup lime juice
1 garlic clove
1 whole Chipotle chiles
2 teaspoons honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup olive oil
1 cup cilantro


Directions:

To cook the veggies/shrimp:
In a large bowl, add raw shrimp and salsa. Set aside to marinate while you prepare the vegetables.

In a cast iron skillet heat canola oil over medium-high heat. When oil is hot and shimmering, add onions and peppers. Cook until softened and slightly charred. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove onion and peppers to a large bowl and set aside to cool.

In the same skillet, add shrimp and salsa mixture. Cook the shrimp until pink and salsa has reduced to become thick and coat the shrimp. Remove to the same bowl that the onions and peppers are cooling in and set aside again.

Again, in the same skillet add a little more canola oil if necessary, but do not clean the skillet out completely. (You want all of the previous charred/cooked bits from veggies and shrimp in the pan.) When oil is hot, add zucchini, and cook until slightly charred and softened. (The zucchini should pick up the other cooked bits of flavor from the skillet.) Season with salt and pepper to taste and remove to the same shrimp/veggie bowl to cool. Add fresh, chopped cilantro to the bowl and stir to combine all the cooked ingredients.

To make the dressing:
In a food processor, add all dressing ingredients except for the olive oil. Pulse a few times to chop/combine everything. Once all the ingredients are well combined, switch the food processor to continuously spin and drizzle in the olive oil in the top of the processor. Once mixture is emulsified, turn food processor off and remove dressing to a mason jar. Store in the fridge for up to a week.

To assemble the salad:
Place chopped romaine on plates. Top with shredded cheese and diced tomatoes. Add a generous scoop of cooled veggies/shrimp mixture. (Add black beans and/or avocado, if desired.) Top with dressing and serve.

NOTE:
I would have added a can of rinsed/drained black beans if I would have had them on hand. Diced avocado would've been a great addition, as well. Maybe next time...

Grilled Bruschetta Chicken

I'm almost caught up on my blog posting! At least I'm up to this past Saturday's dinner.

This was a Pinterest recipe that I kept circling back to over and over again. I think I must have "pinned" it three or four times. I kept seeing it and thinking I needed to try it, but then I would get busy and forget about it. Well, the stars aligned and I found it again and decided to make it this past weekend. Also, it helped that I needed a "healthy" dinner to make since I'm back on the running/working out/eating right bandwagon. Healthy or not, this meal was pretty awesome. We all loved this chicken dish, kids included, which makes it a win in my book.

Grilled Bruschetta Chicken
Adapted From: the Kraft Foods website via The Girl Who Ate Everything

Ingredients:
4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup of Sun-Dried Tomato or Italian salad dressing, divided
1 Tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
2 tomato, finely chopped
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or 1 tsp. dried basil leaves

Directions:
Place a large sheet of heavy-duty foil over half of grill grate; heat grill to medium heat. Meanwhile, place chicken in resealable plastic bag. Add 1/4 cup dressing and seal bag. Turn bag over several times to evenly coat chicken with dressing. Refrigerate 10 minutes (I marinate it all day if I remember in time). Remove chicken from bag; discard bag and dressing.

Grill chicken on uncovered side of grill for about 6 minutes. Meanwhile, combine remaining 1/4 dressing, balsamic vinegar, tomatoes, cheese, and basil.

Turn the chicken over and place cooked-side up, on foil on the grill. Top with tomato mixture. Close lid. Grill 8 minutes or until chicken is done.



The Result:
Sooooo tasty and pretty easy to make! I used an indoor grill pan with a lid and it came together perfectly. We love, love, loved this dinner!

(Note: This is South Beach Diet phase 1 friendly as long as you keep the side dishes to legit SBD approved items. I wanted to get rid of a box of prepared stuffing, so ours was not SBD friendly. However, if I would have stuck to the veggies and chicken it would have been.)

Telly's Greek Salad With Chicken

The area in Florida where I'm originally from has a pretty large Greek community. I have lots of fond childhood memories of a little, local, Greek restaurant named Telly's Family Restaurant that my family and I would eat at quite a bit. Everything was really yummy at Telly's, but the two things I remember the most was their one-of-a-kind garlic bread and fresh Greek salad. It is literally now 20 years later, and I still get cravings for their bread and salad! I have not been able to duplicate the bread, but I did manage to make a very close facsimile of their Greek salad for our dinner tonight. The only changes I made from the original dish as I remember it, was that I omitted the mound of potato salad that is served in the middle of the salad (ummmm...a decadent, but calorie-laden, creamy surprise) and added Greek-seasoned chicken breast strips. I didn't measure any ingredients or spices, so I would recommend just topping your salad with what you like and the amounts that suit your tastes. I am pretty pleased with my attempt at this copycat recipe and can now somewhat satisfy my yearning for Telly's food.

Telly's Greek Salad With Chicken

Ingredients:
For the chicken:
2 chicken breasts
paprika
garlic powder
dried oregano
dried basil
dried thyme
salt and pepper
olive oil
1 lemon, halved

For the salad:
2 heads of Romaine lettuce, chopped
handful of kalamata olives, pitted and halved
red onions, thinly sliced
1 fresh, good-quality organic or heirloom tomato, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
whole jarred pepperoncini peppers, drained
fresh Italian parsley, chopped
good quality feta cheese, crumbled
Greek-seasoned chicken breasts, cooked and cut into strips (see below)
Greek Vinaigrette salad dressing (recipe below)
1/2 cup of potato salad (optional)

Directions:
For the chicken:
Heat oven by turning broiler on high. Place chicken breasts on baking sheet and sprinkle with desired amount of each spice indicated. Drizzle with olive oil. Rub and turn the chicken on the baking sheet with a pair of tongs to make sure all sides of the chicken are coated with the seasoning mixture. Squeeze juice of 1/2 lemon over the seasoned chicken (reserve the other 1/2 of a lemon). Cook under the broiler for 7-9 minutes, or until chicken is fully cooked. Remove from oven and set aside to rest for 5-10 minutes. Cut into strips and squeeze the other 1/2 of the lemon over the chicken strips. Set aside.

For the salad:
Layer all salad ingredients onto a big plate. (If opting for the potato salad version, place a scoop of potato salad on the plate first and then layer the salad on top of it.) Top with Greek Vinaigrette dressing, serve and enjoy!

**********************************************

Greek Vinaigrette Salad Dressing
Adapted From: weightwatchers.com

Ingredients:
1/4 cup(s) white wine, dry-variety
1/4 cup(s) fresh lemon juice
1 medium shallot(s), minced, or more to taste
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp olive oil, extra-virgin
1 tsp dried dill
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp parsley, fresh, chopped
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine wine, lemon juice, shallot, sugar, and mustard; slowly whisk in oil. Whisk in herbs, salt and pepper. Yields about 4 teaspoons per serving.




(This is the salad dressing.)

The Result:
Really good...enough to give me a Telly's fix!!!

Jen's Baked Buffalo Chicken Tenders with Ranch Dipping Sauce & Beth's Broccoli Slaw

I love Friday! It is all about the promise of a fun weekend that I look forward to with child-like enthusiasm. Also, I really look forward to having the husband home for a couple days. Since Friday night is typically fun, I like to serve something for dinner that reflects the mood. I think Buffalo Chicken Tenders does just that. After all, it is a fun dish and not too much of a hassle to make. Hooray for Friday!

Jen's Baked Buffalo Chicken Tenders with Ranch Dipping Sauce

I think I will serve this dish with my friend, Beth's Broccoli Slaw recipe. Yum!!!

Beth's Broccoli Slaw

Both dishes are Friday night winners, for sure.

Jen's Chicken Caesar Wraps

It is 4pm, and dinner has snuck up on me again.

(Yes, I actually looked up the grammatically correct way to write the "past tense of sneak"...I couldn't decide if "sneaked" or "snuck" was proper.)

("Sneaked" is the traditional past tense version, however "snuck" is the new American version...both are now considered correct.)

(Yes, I actually care.)

(Yes, I am somewhat OCD/anal-retentive.)

(Wow...that was a tangent!)

Getting back to my original point...dinner has caught me somewhat off guard again today. I just got busy and forgot that I didn't have a plan. So, I rooted through the fridge/freezer and came up with this idea. After a quick Caesar dressing recipe search, my plans were set. Whew! I don't like scrambling for last minute dinner ideas, but I think this one will turn out in my favor.

Jen's Chicken Caesar Wraps

Ingredients:
1 bag of romaine lettuce
1/2 red onion, sliced in thin strips
2 tomatoes, sliced into half-moon wedges
1 package of chicken tenders
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
shaved Parmesan cheese
whole wheat tortillas
Caesar dressing (recipe below)

Directions:
Remove/discard tendons from all chicken tender pieces. Place chicken tenders on a baking sheet and coat with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Broil on high for approximately 5-7 minutes or until cooked through (165 degrees F). When finished, remove baking sheet from oven and set aside.

To assemble wraps: Place 1-2 cooked chicken pieces on tortillas. Then, top with lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, shaved Parmesan cheese, and Caesar dressing. Wrap like a burrito, and cut in half diagonally down the center. Enjoy!

Original Cesar Cardini Caesar Salad Dressing
Adapted from: recipezaar.com

Ingredients:
1-2 garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper
4 1/2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, shredded not grated
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/8 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
1 egg yolk

Directions:
In a food processor, combine all ingredients except for the olive oil. While food processor is running, pour oil through lid insert to form an emulsion. Store in an air tight container and refrigerate for one to two weeks.

Jen's Notes:
The recipe indicates that you can add 3-4 finely minced anchovies (or paste) and/or 4 1/2 tablespoons of bacon bits to the dressing for a more authentic flavor (OPTIONAL).



The Result:
I used to make these wraps all the time when I was single. Back then, I would use either bottled Caesars or Italian salad dressing, and the pre-cooked, refrigerated, chicken breast strips. Let me just say, these are way better than I remembered them to be...especially with the addition of the homemade Caesar dressing and my freshly cooked chicken. It is amazing how much difference non-packaged/non-processed ingredients improve the flavor of a simple recipe!
This meal was super-fast to put together, filling, and satisfying. We loved these wraps!!! I am so glad I pulled these out of my hat tonight, because they were exactly what I was looking for in a quick and easy dinner.

Jen's Baked Buffalo Chicken Tenders

We have been really busy this weekend with errands and chores. I am going to keep this post short and sweet, so I can get back to work. Originally, I had a new recipe planned, but it got bumped back because I needed something easy and familiar for tonight's meal. The last thing I want to do after cleaning the house and doing laundry all day, is prepare a complicated dinner!

This is a variation on my recipe for Baked Buffalo Chicken Legs. I am all out of legs, so I am going to amend my original recipe to just use some chicken tenders instead. I think we are just going to have some roasted asparagus and baked tater tots to go our chicken. Overall, this is an easy dish to put together, and it is always a crowd-pleaser.

Jen's Baked Buffalo Chicken Tenders

Ingredients:
Cooking Spray
2 packages of chicken tenders (approx. 16 pieces)
1 cup of seasoned bread crumbs
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon parsley flakes
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 egg, beaten
2 Tablespoon of milk
Salt and pepper to taste
3 Tablespoons of melted butter
1/2 to 3/4 cup of Louisiana Hot Sauce (mix with Tapito Hot Sauce for extra spicy)

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place 1-2 cookie/cooling rack(s) on cookie sheet and spray rack(s) with cooking spray. Set aside.
2) Combine breadcrumbs, onion power, garlic powder, paprika, parsley flakes, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper into a bowl.
3) In a separate small bowl beat eggs with milk.
4) Dip chicken pieces separately into egg mixture, then dredge into breadcrumb mixture, coating thoroughly. Repeat process so each piece is double coated. Set breadcrumb coated chicken aside on cookie sheet racks. Spray pieces with small amount of cooking spray.
5) Bake chicken for 30-40 minutes at 400 degrees (or until chicken is no longer pink in center).
6) While chicken is baking combine melted butter with hot sauce into a large bowl.
7) Once chicken is finished, dip each chicken piece into hot sauce mixture and coat thoroughly. Repeat with all chicken piece.
8) Serve immediately with ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing for dipping.



The Result:
This was the first time I tried this recipe with chicken tenders, and it came out just as good as the original! It was so yummy! I would totally make this version again. Another first this time, was that I made my own ranch dipping sauce (recipe below). Again, the ranch dip came out perfectly...thick and creamy with the right amount of ranch tanginess. Yum, yum, yum!

Ranch Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:
1/4 cup of mayo
1/2 cup of sour cream
1/2 package of dry ranch seasoning
splash of milk
small pinch of salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. Let stand for 30 minutes in the fridge so it may thicken to proper consistency.

Jen's Cheddar Broccoli Chicken and Homemade Salad Dressing

This recipe is really not that much of a recipe...but really, a trick that I learned from my mother in law. When I was pregnant with my son I decided that I wanted to start making some of the meals that my husband grew up having for dinner. A lot of the meals that I love come from old family recipes, and I wanted our son to grow up having favorites from both sides of the family. I asked my mother in law to show me how to prepare some of the traditional dishes that they all loved to eat. She was always a busy, working mom so she told me that her main priority was getting dinner on the table fast. This was one of the first meals that she taught me, and it conforms to her philosophy. It could not be any easier. (I think she was trying to size up my prowess in the kitchen, because she later moved on to more difficult recipes.) By now, it has turned into comfort food at our house and we all love this dish.

I should also mention that I have a weird love/hate relationship with condensed canned soups, and this recipe totally feeds into my psychosis. I love that they are so easy to use and to cook with, but I hate the fact that they are so unhealthy. Every time I use them in one of my recipes I am plagued with all sorts of conflicting feelings-pleasure, guilt, despair, euphoria, heartburn-you get the idea. I always promise myself that if I use canned soup in a recipe, I will try and make the rest of the meal as healthy as possible. Tonight, I am going to pair this dish with some brown rice and some steamed broccoli. I may even throw in a side salad with a homemade vinaigrette for good measure. Those healthy side items should allow me to enjoy my dinner guilt-free.

Jen's Cheddar Broccoli Chicken

Ingredients:
3 or 4 Boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 (15 oz.) can of condensed broccoli cheddar cheese soup, undiluted
salt and pepper to taste
cooking spray


Directions:
Spray a 8 x 8 glass casserole dish with cooking spray. Place chicken in the dish and season with salt and pepper. Pour a can of broccoli cheddar cheese soup on top of the chicken breasts. Using the back of a spoon, spread the undiluted soup in an even layer over all of the chicken. Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 30-40 minutes (or until chicken is cooked and juices run clear when pierced).



The Result:
I always forget how much I love this dinner, until I have it again. This meal was so satisfying and yummy! Perfect!!! This will remain a family favorite for a long, long time.

I also took a picture of our salad, because I don't think I have ever posted my recipe for salad dressing. I never buy bottled salad dressing, because I am super-picky and I can never find a variety that I like. Instead, I just make a quick vinaigrette that takes less than 5 minutes to put together. It always turns out way better than bottled dressing and it is always made with stuff that I have on hand. I make small quantities and store what I don't use right away in the fridge. Typically I save mine in a plastic container and it will stay fresh for about a week (it always gets eaten quickly, so it is never around for very long). Before serving, I just give the whole container a quick shake to re-combine everything, and it is as good as new!

Jen's Homemade Salad Dressing

Ingredients:
1/4 cup of walnut oil to taste, drizzled into mixture (use more if needed)
2 Tablespoons of white wine vinegar (use more if needed)
1/2 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon of Whole Grain mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons of honey
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
In a small bowl combine the honey, salt, pepper, white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, whole grain mustard. Whisk to combine. Keep whisking vigorously, while drizzling in a thin, continuous stream of oil; until all the oil has been used. Store in a plastic container, and use as needed.

Alternate method:
Combine all ingredients, except for oil, in a food processor or blender. Pulse to combine. Take lid insert out while blender or food processor is still running and drizzle in oil (in a thin continuous stream) until well combined. Store in a plastic container, and use as needed.



My favorite weeknight salad is just romaine lettuce, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese shavings, sliced tomato wedges, and sliced almonds, topped off with my salad dressing. Yum!!!