Summer Shrimp Salad

One of the best things about my parents moving to town is the fact that I can regularly indulge in seafood. C doesn't touch any type of seafood, so I am always ordering it when we are out. We get the fresh shrimp from Kemah, which is awesome. This salad has all of my favorite summery salad vegetables: corn, avocado, tomato and cucumber. The dressing is light, bright and perfect.  The shrimp take on a decadent flavor by cooking in the bacon grease.  I went back for seconds, I really enjoyed this salad. It will be a favorite this summer, but only when visiting my parents. I heavily adapted this recipe from Cooking Light's recipe for Shrimp Cobb Salad.

Summer Shrimp Salad
makes 4 salads

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 to 2 teaspoons sugar
¼ cup olive oil

6 slices bacon
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
½ teaspoon paprika

1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
1 cup grape tomatoes, quartered
1 avocado, chopped
½ cucumber, chopped
1 cup kernel corn

Whisk together the lemon juice, lime juice and sugar. Whisk in the olive oil in a steady stream. Add more sugar if needed, salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

In a large sauté pan, cook the bacon. Drain the bacon over paper towels and crumble. Toss the shrimp with the paprika. Spoon all but one tablespoon of the bacon fat from the sauté pan. Sauté the shrimp until cooked through, approximately 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, toss the lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, cucumber, corn and bacon. Toss the lemon dressing with the salad. Plate and top each salad with one quarter of the shrimp. Serve.

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Corn Chowder with Avocado and Lime

I saw a recipe for Corn Chowder with Cilantro, Avocado and Lime on Pinterest.  The recipe was interesting, but I used it more as an inspiration instead of following it.  And I am glad I went with my instincts.  This soup was amazing, rich in flavor accented by the bright lime juice and hot sauce. C despises cilantro and I am not a huge fan, but feel free to add it if you enjoy it. I used a blend of frozen yellow and white corn, but I know this would be even more amazing with fresh corn in the summer.

Corn Chowder with Avocado and Lime

1 tablespoon butter
½ yellow onion, diced
1 tablespoon dry masa
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons water
2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite size chunks
4 cups chicken broth
½ teaspoon cumin
1 ½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon pepper
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 pound frozen corn or the kernels from 5 ears of fresh corn
Lime wedges, avocado slices and hot sauce for garnish

In a Dutch oven, heat butter over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until tender, about 3 minutes. In a small bowl, combine the masa, flour and water. Add the masa mixture, potatoes, chicken broth, cumin, salt and pepper to the pan. Bring heat to medium high, bringing the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the corn and simmer for 10 minutes more. Stir in the cream and simmer for 2 minutes more. Serve topped with avocado, hot sauce and a squeeze of lime.

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Tortilla Soup, Take Two

I have a recipe I love for Tortilla Soup. Any soup I can add avocado to, I am a happy camper.  The recipe for Tortilla Soup on Kokocooks intriqued me.  My usual lime spiked tortilla soup is great for a summer night, this recipe is hearty and rich, perfect for a cool winter night.  We always have corn tortillas on hand.  When I first moved to Texas, you wouldn't catch me eating a corn tortilla when there were soft, pillowy flour tortillas to be had.  But after 15 years, I have learned to appreciate boths tortillas, so we always have a pile in the refrigerator.  This soup is perfect for using leftover tortillas, it works well with stale tortillas.  It makes a huge batch, we had half for dinner and the other half went straight into the freezer.  A neat tip for shredding chicken is to use your KitchenAid mixer with the paddle attachment.  It is so much faster than shredding chicken with two forks.  Thanks to Stick a Fork in It for the great idea.

Tortilla Soup

½ cup vegetable oil
4 corn tortillas, cut into strips

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
½ white onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, peeled
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
4 cups chicken broth
1 can Rotel tomatoes and chiles
1 16 ounce can tomato sauce
2 bone-in, skinless chicken breasts
1 12 ounce package frozen corn kernels
6 corn tortillas, cut into pieces

Chopped avocado
Shredded Monterey jack cheese

In a small sauté pan, heat ½ cup vegetable oil. Add the tortilla strips in small batches, frying until golden brown. Scoop out the strips with a slotted spoon and drain. Repeat with the remaining strips. Set aside.

In a stock pot or large Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add carrots, white onion and garlic, sauté until onions are softened, about 6 minutes. Add black pepper, taco chili powder and cumin. Stir to combine and sauté another 2 minutes. Add chicken broth, diced Rotel tomatoes and tomato sauce. Turn heat up to high and bring to a boil. Carefully slide chicken breast in, meat side down, making sure it is completely submerged. Turn heat down to low, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.

Remove chicken from the pot and set on a cutting board. Add corn and tortillas to the soup, and stir to combine. Cover and simmer for another 10 minutes. The tortillas will break down and thicken the soup. Meanwhile, remove chicken from the bone and shred. Discard bones. Return chicken to the soup. Adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve with avocado, cheese and tortilla strips.

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Recipe Swap: Shrimp Tacos

The theme of this week's swap was a "secret," meaning we were assigned a fellow blogger and we could choose any recipe from their blog. I was given Carrie's Sweet Life, so I thought I should choose a dessert from her extensive collection.  I attempted her Vanilla Fudge Marble Cake, but half of the cake stayed in the bundt pan...whoops.   Miss F loves shrimp, so I searched for a recipe that had shrimp and would make an easy lunch for the two of us....Shrimp Tacos fit the bill. These tacos are originally from the swap's hostess, A Taste of Home Cooking.  The tacos were full of flavor and totally delicious!  I added some avocado to the sauce because I cannot have tacos without avocado.

Shrimp Tacos

1pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons Olive oil
Juice of half a lime
2 cloves chopped garlic
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 jalapeno, roasted, peeled and seeded
1 packet ranch dressing mix
1 cup sour cream
½ avocado
corn tortillas
diced tomatoes
your favorite hot sauce

Combine shrimp, olive oil, lime juice, garlic and cayenne in a bowl. Marinate shrimp for up to 30 minutes. Broil or grill the shrimp until cooked through, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine jalapeno with ranch dressing, sour cream and avocado in a food processor and blend until smooth. Warm the tortillas while the shrimp are cooking.

To assemble: smear some sauce on a tortilla, then top with shrimp and tomatoes. Drizzle with extra sauce and a few drops of hot sauce

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Crispy Margarita Tacos

The inspiration for this recipe was one of the very first things I "pinned" on Pinterest. The recipe was from A Taste of Home Cooking and included a strawberry-avocado salsa that I knew would be a fail in our house. The more I thought about it, as much as I love Panko, they didn't seem right for tacos. But tortilla chips did seem perfect. I have made tortilla crusted chicken before, it is one of my favorite quick meals.  I loved the idea of the original recipe to marinade the chicken in lime juice and tequila, much like the main dish I made for my Foodbuzz 24x24 party.  The marinade added so much flavor to the chicken, when I make the plain chicken again, I will marinade it for sure.

Crispy Margarita Chicken Tacos

2 chicken breasts, sliced

Marinade:
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup tequila
2 tablespoons lime juice
zest of 1 lime
½ teaspoon cumin

1 cup crushed tortilla chips
1 egg
¼ cup milk

Sauce:
¼ cup sour cream
1 small avocado, pitted and peeled
1 tablespoon cilantro, minced
juice of one lime
salt

6 to 8 tortillas
Toppings: shredded cheese, cilantro, lime wedges

At least 2 hours, but no more than 24 hours before making the tacos, combine the marinade ingredients in a plastic food storage bag. Put the chicken in the bag, seal and let marinate in the fridge until ready to cook.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, whisk the egg with the milk. In a food processor, pulse the tortilla chips until they resemble a fine powder. Put the crushed tortilla chips in a separate shallow dish. Dip the chicken in the egg mixture. Dredge the chicken into the crushed tortilla chips and toss gently to coat. Place the chicken in a greased wire rack on top of a cookie sheet and bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.

While the chicken is baking, make the sauce. In a small food processor or blender, add sour cream, avocado, cilantro, and lime juice. Process until smooth, salt to taste.

Heat tortillas, then serve with crisp chicken, sauce, and toppings.

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Roasted Tomatillo Enchiladas

When I saw that this week's theme for the recipe swap was Mexican, I knew I needed to participate. Since moving to Houston, I have learned that Mexican food is one of my most favorite foods, specifically, TexMex. I submitted my Baked Chimichangas with Deluxe Tomatillo Sauce and I was lucky to get a tomatillo recipe back in exchange, Roasted Tomatillo Enchiladas from Christine's Kitchen Chronicles.  I will admit that I was intimidated by using fresh tomatillos, but it was so much easier than I thought it would be.  I doubt I will ever use canned again.  These enchiladas had all the flavors that I love and they did not disappoint.  Be sure to check out A Taste of Home Cooking for the Mexican recipe swap roundup in the future.

Roasted Tomatillo Enchiladas

For the chicken:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 jalapeno, chopped
1/3 bunch of cilantro,
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons lime juice - added about an hour before cooking

For the enchiladas:
1 tomato, diced
1 avocado, diced
¾ cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
8 corn tortillas, warmed

Creamy Roasted Tomatillo Sauce :
10 small/medium tomatillos; remove husks and wash; cut into halves or quarters
2 jalapenos, roughly chopped
1 onion, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
Olive oil
Salt
1 cup cilantro, thoroughly washed
1/2 cup sour cream
Dash of salt

Combine chicken with marinade ingredients (except lime juice) in a large bag or bowl. Refrigerate at least 4 hours, adding the lime juice during the last hour. After removing the chicken from the marinade, sauté it until golden brown on all sides. Shred the chicken, or chop it up into rough cubes. In a bowl, combine cooked chicken, tomato, avocado, and ¼ cup Mexican blend cheese. Coat the bottom of a baking dish with some of the tomatillo sauce. Take a tortilla shell, dip both sides in the tomatillo sauce, then add some of the chicken mixture. Roll it and put into the baking dish, seam side down. Continue until you have filled the casserole dish, making sure the enchiladas are tightly packed together (but not overlapping). Spoon the tomatillo sauce over the enchiladas, and finish with a sprinkling of shredded cheese. Cover and bake at 375 for about 25 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

For the Creamy Roasted Tomatillo Sauce
Combine the first 5 ingredients in a baking dish. Roast on 450 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until tomatillos are tender. In a pot, add roasted veggies, cilantro, and the salt. Mix everything together and then puree using an immersion or regular blender. Add the sour cream and stir thoroughly. Let lightly simmer until you are ready to assemble your enchiladas, stirring occasionally.

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Recipe Swap: Barbecue Chicken Salad

We have been travelling and I have been busy, but I was able to find time again to participate in the salad recipe swap organized by A Taste of Home Cooking. Even better, I got her recipe in the swap. As soon as I saw the recipe for Barbecue Chicken Salad, I knew I would love it. Especially the avocado vinaigrette. I swapped out ranch for the bleu cheese since no one in this house really enjoys bleu cheese. I also added my own recipe for nectarine barbecue sauce to the dish. C just had ranch on his salad and I just had avocado vinagrette on mine because it was so amazing. I also added chopped cucumber and avocado to the salad itself. This will go into our summer dinner rotation and I am already thinking about what new salads I can make with the vinaigrette.

Barbecue Chicken Salad

For the Avocado Vinaigrette:
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1 medium shallot, chopped
3 tablespoons peach jam
1 medium ripe avocado
Salt and pepper to taste

For the potatoes:
2-3 pounds red potatoes, washed
1 stick butter
1 medium shallot, minced
1 small bunch parsley, finely chopped

For the chicken:
2 chicken breasts
1 tablespoon butter
½ small onion, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
½ cup ketchup
½ cup water
½ cup apple cider vinegar
1 heaping tablespoon brown sugar
Hot sauce, to taste
1 nectarine, peeled, and diced
1 tomato, seeded and diced

For the salad:
Mixed greens
Tomatoes, chopped
Cucumbers, chopped
Avocado, chopped
Corn
French fried onions
Ranch Dressing

To make the avocado vinaigrette-put all of the ingredients except the oil into a food processor or blender. Drizzle in the oil while the processor is running. Process until smooth.

To make the potatoes - boil a large pot of water and salt well. Boil potatoes until they are fork tender. Drain the water and return potatoes to the pot. Stir in butter, shallot, and parsley. Stir well. Set aside and keep warm until serving.

To make chicken - in a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté for a minute or so to soften. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Salt and pepper to taste. Reduce the temperate to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Use an immersion blender to puree the sauce. Grill the chicken and brush each piece liberally with barbecue sauce. Cut into strips and set aside.

To plate the salads - place mixed greens on a plate. Lay the sliced chicken on top of the greens. Top with tomatoes, cucumbers, corn, and fried onions. Place a few warm potatoes on the side. Drizzle entire salad with avocado vinaigrette and ranch dressing.

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Chicken and Avocado Enchiladas

I am not a huge fan of enchiladas, they are okay, but I would probably prefer anything else on a TexMex menu.  Except for tamales...hate tamales.  Anyhow, if I were to have a dream enchilada, these would be it.  Once I made the deluxe tomatillo sauce, I knew I needed to try it on enchiladas.  And I needed them to be enchiladas that I would actually enjoy.  I came up with this on my own and I was really pleased with the result.  C wasn't as thrilled, his plate was cleaned, but he thought the tortillas were too soggy.  This could easily be corrected by using corn tortillas, but I much prefer flour.

Chicken and Avocado Enchiladas

½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cumin
½ jalapeno, minced
juice from ½ lime
1 large chicken breast, cooked and shredded
½ cup shredded Colby jack cheese
1 avocado, pitted and diced

1 cup deluxe tomatillo sauce, recipe follows
6 flour tortillas
¼ cup shredded Colby jack cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an oven proof dish with 2 tablespoons of the deluxe tomatillo sauce. In a medium bowl, combine the garlic powder, cumin, jalapeno, lime juice, chicken and ½ cup of the cheese. Stir well to combine. Add the avocado and toss gently to combine. Microwave the tortillas for ~30 seconds to soften. Fill each tortilla with the chicken mixture, roll each up and place seam side down in the prepared dish. After all the tortillas have been rolled, pour the remaining tomatillo sauce over top. Top with ¼ cup cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 minutes more. Serve.

Deluxe Tomatillo Sauce

1 can (28 ounces) tomatillos, drained
1 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons cilantro, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
½ jalapeno, minced
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon sugar
1 cup sour cream

In a saucepan, combine tomatillos, broth, cumin, lime juice, cilantro, garlic, jalapeno, salt and sugar. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Puree until smooth with an immersion blender. Return to heat, stir in the sour cream and cook 3 minutes more until heated through.

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Tequila Lime Pork Torta

One of my first TexMex meals was at La Tapatia when I started college at the University of Houston. I was overwhelmed by the menu, my Mexican food experience was very limited. I only ever got a Pechuga Torta (hold the beans) or Pechuga Quesadillas.  I have since branched out whenever I order TexMex, but the Torta holds a special place in my heart.  The roll is what makes a Torta a special sandwich.  And the roll is certainly what makes this sandwich special.  The Torta Roll recipe is hands down the best bread I have ever baked.  It was perfection.  I cannot wait to make it again and try it with chicken so that I can enjoy a Pechuga Torta at home.

Torta Rolls
makes 4

2 ¼ cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon sugar
1 ¼ teaspoons yeast
2/3 cup water

Sprinkle the yeast over the water, wait for it to foam, approximately 5 to 10 minutes.

Mix the flour, salt and sugar in bowl of your mixer. Make a well in the center of these ingredients, pour in the dissolved yeast and the water, and stir the mixture thoroughly until all ingredients are well mixed. It will form a sticky dough.

Do not knead the dough. Cover it with a damp cloth and let it sit in a warm, draft free place for about two hours, until it has roughly doubled in size.

Return the bowl to your stand mixer, attach the dough hook and knead for 10 minutes. Divide the dough into 4 equal-sized pieces. Brush each with vegetable oil, dust lightly with flour, and flatten each piece evenly with your hand. They should be about an inch thick, and a round or slightly oblong shape.

Lightly score the top lengthwise in two evenly spaced places, using the edge of a very dull knife or the edge of your hand. This will visually form the dough into three sections. Do not score too deeply. Place the rolls on baking sheets, cover them and set them in a warm place until they are somewhat less than doubled in bulk, approximately 30 minutes.

Bake them in a preheated 350º oven until they are golden brown, about 30 minutes.
Because oven thermometers vary in their accuracy, start checking the rolls after about 20 minutes so they don't get too brown.

Adapted from Rocky Point Tides

Tequila Pork Tortas

¼ cup tequila
½ jalapeno, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
½ teaspoon cumin
juice of one lime
2 pork chops

1 avocado, sliced
1 tomato, sliced
2 tablespoons sour cream
lettuce

Combine tequila, jalapeno, garlic, cumin, lime juice and pork chops in a freezer bag. Shake to combine. Marinate 1 hour or overnight.

Grill the pork chops until cooked through. Let rest for 5 minutes and slice into strips. Serve pork on Torta rolls with avocado, tomato, sour cream and lettuce. Add refried beans if you feel so inclined.

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ABCLTs

There was this fantastic chicken sandwich at the Nordstrom Cafe. I first had it in high school when Nordstrom finally arrived in the Annapolis Mall. It was such a big deal! The sandwich had avocado, alfafa sprouts, bacon and chicken. And it was served on a super soft focaccia. It was so good. They don't serve it any longer (at least not at the Nordstroms here in Houston.) I think I may try this again with focaccia and add some sprouts to it. But it is one of those things where the food memory is probably way better than the actual food itself.

ABCLTs

4 slices bacon
1 boneless skinless chicken breast
1 small avocado, sliced
1 roma tomato, sliced
½ cup baby spinach
4 slices crusty bread

In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium-low until crisp. Drain on paper towels and set aside. Increase heat to medium. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and sauté in the bacon grease, turning after 5 to 7 minutes and cooking 5 to 7 minutes more until cooked through. Set aside and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice the chicken breast into ¼” slices. Assemble the sandwiches with the avocado, tomato, spinach, chicken and bacon.

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Tortilla Crusted Chicken with Avocado Cilantro Sauce

This chicken dish was super quick and very tasty. Add some black beans on the side and your meal is ready. We are very lucky in Texas to have quality tortilla chips at the regular grocery store. El Milagro is my chip of choice, they aren't salted, so you get the true corn flavor rather than the salt salt salt of other brands (cough...Tostitos...cough).

Tortilla Crusted Chicken with Avocado Cilantro Sauce

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 egg
¼ cup milk
4 cups tortilla chips (El Milagro works great, something with no salt)

¼ cup sour cream
1 small avocado, pitted and peeled
1 tablespoon cilantro, minced
juice of one lime
2 to 3 tablespoons water
salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pound the chicken out to ¼ to ½ inch thickness or butterfly each breast. In a bowl, whisk the egg with the milk. In a food processor, pulse the tortilla chips until they resemble a fine powder. Put the crushed tortilla chips in a separate shallow dish. Dip the chicken in the egg mixture. Dredge the chicken into the crushed tortilla chips and toss gently to coat. Place the chicken in a greased baking dish and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.

In a small food processor or blender, add sour cream, avocado, cilantro, lime juice and water. Process until smooth, salt to taste. Drizzle sauce over chicken. Serve.

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Southwestern Chicken Salad

This salad comes together in a snap and is reasonably healthy for you. After weekend dining on tasting menus at Graham Elliott and fettucine alfredo at Carmine's, it was certainly time for something on the lighter side. The chicken would also be great on the grill, but it worked fine in the oven. You could easily add black beans to make the salad even heartier and filling.  I will be making this again, especially in the summer time.  Reminds me of a salad version of tortilla soup.

Southwestern Chicken Salad
serves 4

¼ teaspoon oregano
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 teaspoon olive oil
1/3 cup frozen corn kernels

2 tortillas
1 cup canola oil

1 tomato, chopped
1 avocado, chopped
2 tablespoons shredded Colby jack cheese
1 head of romaine lettuce, chopped

Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette, recipe follows

Preheat oven to 425. In a small dish combine oregano, cayenne, cumin and olive oil. In a shallow baking dish, coat the chicken breasts with the oil and spice mixture. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.

In a small baking pan, toss the corn kernels with one teaspoon of olive oil and salt & pepper to taste. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes (add after the chicken has been baking for 20 minutes).

In a small sauce pan, heat the canola oil over medium high heat. Cut the tortillas into half, then cut into ½” strips. Fry for one to two minutes until strips turn golden brown, drain on a paper towel.

Toss the lettuce, tomato, avocado, cheese and corn kernels with the vinaigrette. Cube the chicken and put on top of the salad with the tortilla strips.

Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/8 of a red onion
3 tablespoons olive oil

Combine all ingredients except oil in a mini chop and pulse. Stream in the oil through the top to emulsify.

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Ranch Chicken Salad

There are three things that I wouldn't eat when I moved to Texas: Guacamole, Queso and Ranch Dressing. I would probably be about 10 pounds lighter if I had never tried them, but hindsight is 20/20. The first time that I ever tried Ranch dressing was at my friend Jen's house. We were having a movie night and she served Bagel Bites with Ranch dressing that she had made with a seasoning package, mayonnaise and milk. How had I not tried it before? And I still enjoy dipping pizza in Ranch dressing, only made from the packet, the bottle stuff just doesn't work for me. I sure wish I could keep it a little classy and not, but it tastes too good. Trust me. C cleared his entire plate, he said it was because he was starving and not because it was delicious. A cleared plate is compliment enough for me.

Ranch Chicken Salad
printable recipe

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced
½ cup Ranch dressing
½ red bell pepper, sliced
1 small tomato, cut into wedges
1 package mixed salad romaine blend
1 firm, ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced
3 slices bacon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x9 glass baking dish. Toss chicken breasts with ¼ cup Ranch dressing, season with salt and pepper in the dish. Bake chicken breasts for 25 to 30 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink inside.

Cut bacon into bite size pieces and fry over medium heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels.

In a large bowl, toss greens with ¼ cup ranch dressing, red bell pepper, tomato, avocado slices, bacon and top with the chicken slices.

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Tortilla Soup

I love tortilla soup, what is not to love? Chicken, cheese, avocado, crunchy tortilla strips? Heaven in a bowl. I had this soup for lunch leftover from the night before and it was even better when the flavors had time to come together even more. You can increase or decrease the spice level depending on how much jalapeno you choose to use. I might try something spicier next time a make it, like a serrano, to give it more heat since the jalapeno flavor is covered by the Rotel. This works great as a weeknight meal since it comes together so quickly. You can also add a dollop of sour cream or some chopped cilantro.

Tortilla Soup
printable recipe

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 teaspoons cumin, divided
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
6 (6-inch) corn tortillas, preferably a little old and dried out
¼ cup vegetable oil
½ small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 medium jalapeno chile, four slices, finely chop the remaining
4 cups chicken broth
1 can Rotel diced tomatoes with chiles, undrained
½ teaspoon coarse salt
1 ripe medium avocado
½ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 lime, cut into wedges

In a saucepan, cover chicken with water and add 2 teaspoons of cumin, garlic powder and onion powder. Bring to a boil over medium high heat and cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove chicken from water and shred. Reserve.

Cut tortillas in half; cut halves into 1/4-inch strips. In a dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Fry strips in oil, 1/2 at a time, until light brown and crisp. Remove from pan; drain on paper towels. Reserve.

Spoon out all of the oil from the dutch oven, reserving one tablespoon. Heat oil remaining over medium-high heat. Cook onion in oil 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic and the chopped chile; cook 30 seconds, stirring frequently, until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir in broth, tomatoes, cumin and salt. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 15 minutes. Add chicken; heat until hot.

To serve, peel and pit the avocado. Cut into 1-inch slices. Divide half of tortilla strips among 4 individual serving bowls; ladle in soup. Top with avocado and cheese; garnish with remaining tortilla strips. Serve with lime wedges and jalapeno slices.

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Island Pork Tenderloin Salad

I got this recipe from epicurious.com. The ingredients looked fantastic and it didn't disappoint. Even C enjoyed it, which amazes me, he normally doesn't like salads as entrees, but he really liked this one. Yay, success. This is going into permanent rotation at our house.

The whole thing came together in 30 minutes, with enough time to feed F's yogurt, banana, acorn and butternut squash dinner in between the hands on parts. That is even more of a success in this house. I made the dressing in our mini-chop, it is so much easier than whisking and always emulsifies the vinaigrette. I also added some romaine lettuce to the mix, because I had some on hand.


Island Pork Tenderloin Salad

For pork
1 teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 pork tenderloin
1 tablespoons olive oil

For glaze
½ cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1 tablespoon Tabasco

For vinaigrette
1 ½ tablespoons fresh lime juice
½ tablespoon fresh orange juice
½ tablespoon Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ cup olive oil

For salad
1 navel orange
2 ounces baby spinach, trimmed (5 cups leaves)
1 cup thinly sliced Napa cabbage (from 1 medium head)
½ red bell pepper, cut lengthwise into thin strips
1 firm-ripe California avocados

Preparation

Prepare pork:
Preheat oven to 350°F.

Stir together salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, and cinnamon, then coat pork with spice rub.

Heat oil in an ovenproof 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until just beginning to smoke, then brown pork, turning, about 4 minutes total. Leave pork in skillet.

Make glaze and roast pork:
Stir together brown sugar, garlic, and Tabasco and pat onto top of each tenderloin. Roast in middle of oven until thermometer inserted diagonally in center of each tenderloin registers 140°F, about 20 minutes. Let pork stand in skillet at room temperature 10 minutes. (Temperature will rise to about 155°F while standing.)

Make vinaigrette while pork roasts:
Whisk together juices, mustard, salt, and pepper, then add oil in a stream, whisking until emulsified.

Prepare salad ingredients while pork stands:
Cut peel, including white pith, from oranges with a sharp knife, then cut oranges crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Toss spinach, cabbage, and bell pepper in a large bowl with about 1/4 cup vinaigrette. Halve, pit, and peel avocados, then cut diagonally into 1/4-inch-thick slices.

Assemble salad:
Cut pork at a 45-degree angle into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Line a large platter with dressed salad and arrange sliced pork, oranges, and avocados in rows on top. Drizzle some vinaigrette over avocados and oranges. Pour any juices from skillet over pork.

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Guacamole

There are two requirments for when I eat homemade guacamole:

1. I must drink a Coke with it
2. The chips have to be El Milagro

I hated guacamole as a child, never sure why. My mom used to eat it all the time, using the Kempton's recipe. That was my basis for my first stab at guacamole, but over the years I have adapted it to more suit my tastes. The original had mayonnaise in it, which mom states was to stretch it. Here, I can get nice avocadoes year round, so I don't really need to stretch it. I always use the avocadoes from Costco, they are always tasty, unlike the hit or miss grocery store ones.

I used hot sauce in this batch because I didn't have any fresh peppers. They grow in my backyard, but there wasn't one back there today that was fit for consumption. The guacamole is never as pretty of a color with the hot sauce mixed in, but it does stay greener for longer because of the vinegar in the hot sauce.

Guacamole

5 avocadoes
5 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
juice from one lime
3-5 cloves of garlic, depending on their size
1/2 of a small onion
jalepeno or several dashes of hot sauce

Peel and mash the avocado. Squeeze the juice of the lime over it and add the hot sauce if using it. Chop the garlic, onion and pepper in the mini food processor. Stir that into the guacamole and salt liberally (El Milagro chips are unsalted). Stir in the tomatoes and serve.

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