COOK: Asian Chicken Wraps & Salads

These wraps and salads are quick and easy to make, and are great if you meal prep lunches or dinners for the week.  I'm going to share my basic recipe below, and then list some of the different variations I like, I love recipes that can be easily personalized or changed for each person, or meal.

Spicy Peanut Sauce

Last night I wanted to keep things simple, I started by making a batch of my Spicy Peanut Dressing, it's called "spicy" but can be made as mild or as spicy as you want, I was feeling extra spicy yesterday and added about 2 Tablespoons of sriracha in addition to the Chili Garlic Sauce.

Tri-Color Coleslaw Mix

Next I put about 2 cups of coleslaw mix into a bowl.  I took the easy route by buying the premade mix at the store, but you can shred you own veggies if you prefer, I think next time I might try a broccoli slaw.

Chopped Cilantro

I chopped up about 1/3 cup or fresh cilantro to add to my coleslaw mix.  Until I was pregnant with my son cilantro tasted like soap, like it does for a lot of people, after he was born it changed and now I love it, but both the the kiddos can't stand it!  I think cilantro pairs wonderfully with the peanut dressing, but if you don't like it you can leave it out, or substitute parsley.  

I added two heaping spoonfuls of my peanut sauce to my coleslaw cilantro mixture and mixed well, always start with less sauce than you think you need, if you have too much it can get limp and soggy.  If you are meal prepping I suggest keeping your dressing and greens mixture separate until you are ready to eat.

Chicken Breast in Cast Iron

I usually prefer chicken in my salads and wraps, but you can add any protein you prefer, (tofu is great if you are doing salads, but tends to get smushed in wraps).  I kept the chicken simple as well, pounded it until it was uniform in height, seasoned it with salt and pepper and cooked it in my cast iron, then I sliced into into thin strips.

To finish I cut a lime into wedges and set out some chopped peanuts, along with large wrap tortillas.  

The above wraps can also be served as a salad, I had the leftovers as a salad today and it was just as yummy!

Different Variations:

Instead of the Spicy Peanut Sauce we also like to use Simple Truth Sweet Thai Chili Sauce from King Soopers, then I usually add pineapple to my wrap or salad.

Some of the different veggies I"ve used include: sliced radishes, edamame, bell peppers, green onions, and shaved brussel sprouts.

You can swap the coleslaw for spinach, romaine lettuce, or kale.

Let me know how you make your wraps and salads, I'm always looking to try new combinations.

Follow Us on Social Media:

COOK: Phil's Chorizo and Bean Soup

I love soups, they are easy to make, great to freeze, make you feel warm and cozy, and are fun to customize.  (They also pair wonderfully with yummy breads, chips, croutons, and I can't say no to carbs!)

This recipe comes from my dad, he brought us some last winter and I ate it for three days straight and was sad when it was gone!  Since it's finally winter here I asked him for the recipe last week, and after eating it for dinner last night I woke up and was counting the hours until I could have it for lunch, it's so yummy!

I did change a few things from my dad's recipe, he uses granulated garlic, and onion powder, I used a diced onion, and minced garlic cloves.  I also served it with lime wedges, and the hit of lime juice really brought out all of the flavors.  Both versions were delicious, so do whichever you prefer.

In addition to changing the types of beans you use you can make other substitutions.  I think it would also be good with italian sausage in place of the chorizo, you can play with the herbs as well, just depends on what you have in the fridge, and what you are craving.

(I made a half batch, I used 3 cans of beans since 2 1/2 cans seemed silly!)

Phil's Chorizo & Bean Soup

Servings: About 16

Ingredients:

24 Ounces Chorizo

5 15.5/16 Ounce Cans Beans (Mix and Match whatever you prefer)

2 14 Ounce Cans Fire Roasted Tomatoes

32 Ounces Water or Broth

1 Large Jalapeño (Thinly Sliced)

1 Medium Yellow Onion (Diced)

3-5 Garlic Cloves (Minced)

1 Tablespoon Fresh Rosemary (Minced) Optional but tasty!

1-2 teaspoons Cumin

1/4 Cup Fresh Cilantro (Chopped, Save some for garnish)

To Taste:

    Garlic Powder

    Onion Powder

    Salt

    Pepper

Optional for serving:

Line Wedges

Hot Sauce

Tortilla Strips or Chips

Crusty Bread (Recipe here)

Preparation:

In a large pot (I used my 6.5 Quart Enameled Dutch Oven) cook Onions in a bit of oil until translucent, add Garlic and cook for another 30 seconds until fragrant.  Add in everything but the Chorizo, mix well, cover and let simmer for at least an hour, stirring occasionally.

In a separate pan cook Chorizo, add just before serving.

I garnished with extra Cilantro, and served with a Lime Wedge and Chile & Lime Tortilla Chips.

This soups freezes wonderfully!

Follow Us on Social Media:

COOK: Chicken Souvlaki on Stove Top

This chicken is so easy, the most time consuming part it making the marinade, and the flavor is amazing.  Usually souvlaki is cooked on skewers, often on a grill, but I realized belatedly that I was out of skewers and decided to make it on the stove, it turned out wonderfully, and I knew I had to share the recipe with you.

When we had this for dinner I served it with warm, homemade, flatbread, some tzatziki sauce I made the day before, red onions, tomatoes, spinach, feta cheese, and lemon wedges.  (Kalamata olives would be good too!)

The next day I added leftover chicken, onions, tomatoes, feta, and tzatziki to a big bowl of spinach and had a delicious salad for lunch. 

You could also serve the chicken over a simple herby orzo pasta, or instead of cutting the chicken into cubes marinade a whole breast or thigh to make the chicken a main dish all on it's own.

One note: because of the lemon juice in the marinade you don't want to let the meat marinate for too long, I mixed up my marinade in the morning while I had my coffee and cooked the chicken for dinner that night.

Chicken Souvlaki

Makes 2-4 servings

Ingredients:

1 Pound Chicken Breast (Cut into 1 inch cubes)

1/2 Cup Olive Oil

1/4 Cup White Wine Vinegar

1/4 Cup Lemon Juice (Fresh squeezed is best)

8 Garlic Cloves (Smashed)

3 Tablespoons Fresh Dill

2 teaspoons Dried Oregano

1 teaspoon Coarse Salt

1 teaspoon Fresh Cracked Black Pepper

Preparation:

In a small bowl mix together all ingredients for marinade, pour over chicken cubes in either a zippy bag or glass dish to marinade for at least 2 hours, longer is better, but not for more than 12 hours.

Preheat a skillet over medium heat, add chicken pieces, (discarding any leftover marinade) and cook a few minutes per side until cooked through.  Serve immediately.

Leftovers can be stored in fridge for up to a week.

Follow Us on Social Media:

COOK: Burger and Sandwich Pockets (Great to make ahead and freeze!)

These burger or sandwich pockets, are great to make and then freeze, and with summer break coming up it's a great time to stock your freezer with quick and easy food that the kiddos can grab and heat up on their own.  

These are also great for appetizers, just make each pocket smaller so it can be eaten in a bite or two!

When I make these I wrap each one individually in foil, then label them and write down the time to microwave them on the foil, then put them all together in a big plastic bag in the freezer.  

I don't have an air fryer (yet!) but I think these would probably re-heat wonderfully in one, if anyone tries it please let me know so I can add the instruction to the post, and maybe send you a little gift! 

I use my pizza dough recipe for these, but you can use refrigerated pizza dough from the store to make it easier.

I'm going to give you three filling recipes that I like, but you can mix things up with different meats, chesses, sauces, etc.  One tip, you don't want your filling to be too watery as it can make in inside a bit soggy, so if you are using a lot of vegetables make sure to drain the liquid before adding any sauces or final seasonings.

I'm hoping to test some sweet fillings soon and will let you know how they turn out.

All recipes, including the pizza dough, can be cut in half.

Burger and Sandwich Pockets

Makes 12 or more depending on size

For all pocket recipes you'll need:

1 batch of my easy pizza dough (plan ahead as it takes at least 1 hour to rise) OR refrigerated pizza dough, enough for two pizzas (about 14-16 Ounces)

Egg Wash Mixture: 2-3 Egg Yolks with 2-3 Tablespoons Cold Water whisked together

Bacon Cheeseburger:

Ingredients:

2 Pounds Ground Beef

12 Slices Uncooked Bacon

2 teaspoon Garlic Powder

2 teaspoon Onion Powder

1 teaspoon Black Pepper

1 teaspoon Salt

4 teaspoons Worcestershire 

16 Ounces Cheddar Cheese (Shredded)

4 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard (Or your favorite mustard)

Preparation:

Chop bacon into small pieces, mix together uncooked meats, garlic, onion, pepper, salt, and worcestershire sauce, cook until meat is cooked through, remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. 

Mix in shredded cheese, mustard, and season to taste.

I like to serve these with dipping cups of ketchup, (If you haven't tried the Heinz Chipotle, Jalapeno, or Habanero flavored ketchups you should!) mustard, or barbecue sauce.  

Buffalo Chicken:

Ingredients:

2 Pounds Chicken Breast (Cooked and Shredded)

1 Cup Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Sandwich Sauce (or other thick hot sauce)

16 Ounces Cheddar Cheese (Shredded) 

8 Ounces Crumbled Blue Cheese

4-5 Stalks Celery (Finely Chopped)

Preparation:

Once shredded chicken has cooled to room temperature mix all ingredients together, add additional seasonings if needed.

Serve with Ranch or Blue Cheese Dip and Carrot Sticks

Beef French Dip:

Ingredients:

16 Ounces Thinly Sliced Ribeye, or Shaved Roast Beef

2 teaspoon Garlic Powder

1 teaspoon Black Pepper

1 teaspoon Salt

1 Medium Yellow Onion (Sliced)

2 Green Peppers (Sliced)

12 Ounces Cheddar (Shredded)

12 Ounces Monterey Jack (Shredded)

Preparation:

Season meat and set aside.  

In a large pan sauté onions and peppers until soft and slightly browned, remove from pan into a large bowl,  Add meat to pan and cook just until it's cooked through, remove and give it a quick rough chop so meat is in bite size pieces,  add to onions and peppers and let cool until room temperature.

Mix in cheeses, and add any additional spices if needed.

Serve with or horseradish sauce or beef au jus (I always have a bottle of Johnny's Au Jus in the fridge and an extra in the pantry!).

For all pockets:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, prepare baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.  (You can also use a cast iron pan like pictured above, however this causes small holes where they touch and isn't good if you'll be freezing them.)

Divide pizza dough into 12 or more balls depending on the size you want the pockets to be.  (12 will make large pockets, good for a filling dinner with a salad, if you are doing appetizers I'd cut it into 36 balls.  I usually do a few big for dinner that night, then some smaller to freeze for lunches.  Keep dough balls covered with plastic wrap so they don't dry out.  

Taking one ball at a time roll it out until it is a thin round circle, add filling of your choice to the center covering about 2/3 of the dough (I use my cookie scoops for the filling, this set  has three sizes and works great for all sizes of pockets.)  

After filling pull up each side of pocket and have them meet in the center above the filling and pinch so that it is sealed with no holes, flip over so seam is down on prepared baking sheet, leave at least an inch between each pocket. (I promise I'll add pictures or a video of this soon!) 

Using a pastry brush gently brush egg wash onto the top of each pocket, I like to sprinkle them with Everything Bagel Seasoning, Sesame Seeds, or Dried Minced Garlic.

Bake for about 20 minutes until tops are golden brown.  (If you are making appetizer sized pockets check them at about 12 minutes, tops should be golden and bottom slightly browned around the edges.)

Remove from oven and serve with dipping sauces.  If freezing cool completely on a cooling rack before wrapping in foil to freeze.

Reheating Instructions: From frozen, microwave 2 minutes, then wrap in a moist paper towel and microwave another 2 minutes.  When I pack these in lunches I put them in the fridge the night before, then you can just wrap it in a moist paper towel and microwave about two minutes.  

Please let me know if you have any questions, or what fun fillings you come up with!

Follow Us on Social Media:

COOK: Italian Sausage & Potato Soup

I know it's starting to get warmer, so soup season is almost over, if you only make one more soup this month, make this one!  The first time I made this all of us ate a huge bowl, and when I reheated the leftovers for dinner two nights later there were no complaints, we were all excited to eat it again.

A lot of my recipes call for a type of broth, we always have Better Than Bullion in the fridge so we can make broth anytime we need it.  We also use it in pan sauces, when we are boiling rice to add extra flavor, even in Rice-A-Roni.  

One note, since it is milk based it doesn't freeze well, if you want to make a big batch to freeze I'd leave the half and half out and add it when you reheat it.

Id suggest you serve this with my One Hour French Bread or Four Ingredient Crusty Artisan Bread.

Italian Sausage Potato Soup

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

1 Pound Italian Sausage 

4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter

1/2 Large Onion (Chopped)

6 Cloves Garlic (Minced)

4 Tablespoons All Purpose Flour

4 Cups Vegetable, Chicken, or Beef Broth 

2 Cups Half & Half (Room temperature)

1-2 teaspoons Crushed Red Pepper Flakes (Optional)

4 Medium Potatoes (Cut into 1/2 inch cubes)

Salt and Pepper 

Preparation:

In a 3.5 quart dutch oven, or large soup pot, cook sausage over medium heat until browned, remove to a plate with paper towels to drain.  

Put butter in your pot and let melt, then add in onions to sauté, making sure to scrape any brown bits off the the bottom of the pan.  Add in garlic and cook about 30 seconds, then sprinkle flour on top and stir for about two minutes to cook out the raw flour taste.

Slowly pour in broth while whisking until all flour has dissolved and there are no lumps.  Stir in half & half, crushed red pepper, potatoes, and cooked sausage, add salt and pepper to taste.  Turn down to simmer and partially cover pot, let cook for 20-30 minutes until potatoes are soft and soup is thick.

Can top with croutons, crackers, or hot sauce.

Follow Us on Social Media:

COOK: Cilantro Lime Rice

I love a big burrito stuffed with so many different things you can hardly roll it up!  This rice has just enough flavor to be perfect in a burrito, or on its own as a side dish, it's also really good mixed in with my Famous Chicken Chili.

I always use jasmine rice since it's what I always have in the pantry, but you can use long grain rice if you prefer, just cook it according to the package directions.  This is also a great way to use leftover rice if you have it in the fridge.

I think fresh squeezed lime juice tastes best, but I've used bottled from the fridge when I don't have limes.  You can also substitute fresh parsley for the cilantro if you dint have any, or have someone in your house that thinks cilan tro tastes like soap like my two kiddos.

(Fun story, I always though cilantro tasted like soap, until I got pregnant with my youngest, since then I think it's delicious and I love it!)

Cilantro Lime Rice

Ingredients:

1 Cup uncooked Jasmine Rice 

1 2/3 Cups Water

1/2 Cup Light Sour Cream

4 Tablespoons Fresh Lime Juice

1/3 Cup Fresh Cilantro (Chopped)

Preparation:

Put water in a medium pot and bring to a boil, add in rice, cover and turn down to simmer let cook for 22 minutes.

While rice is cooking mix together sour cream, lime juice, and cilantro.  

When rice is done cooking transfer to a large bowl, add sour cream mixture and mix well. 

 

Follow Us on Social Media:

COOK: Buffalo Chicken Pasta

 This is something I have made countless times, and it's always a bit different, so last time I made it I made sure I wrote down what I did so that I could share this delicious recipe with all of you!

This was created one night when I asked my son what he wanted for dinner, and he said "chicken sandwiches" (which is his answer about 30% of the time", but I had no bread or rolls, so he said "something spicy" (another common answer), when I asked him to elaborate he said come up with "pasta" (he'd eat pasta for every meal, every day, if I let him!)  So Buffalo Chicken Pasta was born.

We use the Frank's RedHot Buffalo Sandwich Sauce, my Dad sent us some a few years ago and now we can't live without it!  We can only find it on Amazon, but since it's shelf stable we keep it in the pantry and just have a little squeeze bottle we refill and keep in the fridge. It's great on sandwiches, pizza, pasta, quesadillas, sometimes Dustin just squirts it right into his mouth... the options are endless! 

Buffalo Chicken Pasta

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

1 Pound Chicken Breast (cut into about 1 inch pieces)

16 Ounces Pasta (I like to use Rotini, Cellentani, or Gemelli)

2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter

2 Tablespoons Flour

3/4 Cup Half & Half (room temperature)

1 Cup Chicken Broth (I always have Better Than Bullion in the fridge)

1 1/2 Cups Cheddar (Shredded)

!/2 Cup Buffalo Hot Sauce (or more depending on your taste)

Salt and Pepper

Optional for topping:

Chopped Red Onion

Chopped Celery

Chopped Green Onions

Blue Cheese Crumbles

Crumbled Bacon

Preparation:

Season chicken with salt and pepper and cook in a pan with a bit of oil, set aside.

Start water boiling for pasta, then cook according until just al dente, then drain.

While pasta is cooking in a large pot over medium-low heat melt butter, add flour, and continue whisking slowly for about 4 minutes until it starts to look a bit puffy.  Slowly pour in half & half while still whisking.  Turn burner to low, add in chicken broth, cheese and buffalo sauce and mix until everything is melted together.  Add pasta and chicken to sauce mixture, salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with a drizzle of hot sauce and the toppings of your choice.

Follow Us on Social Media:

COOK: Chili Crisp Pork Ramen

 I have seen Spicy Chili Crisp used countless times on different cooking shows, and finally picked up a jar at the grocery store to try, I wish I hadn't waited so long, it is delicious!  

When I made this ramen for dinner KC told me I needed to write down how I made it and add it to our dinner rotation, Berea saw the picture I posted and come over the next day to eat the leftovers and agreed it was amazing!  Another bonus, it's quick and easy, perfect for a quick weeknight dinner.  I used pork, but I think you could easily substitute chicken breast, tofu or beef.  I think it would also be great with some veggies thrown in, let me know if you try any variations.

Chili Crisp Pork Ramen

2-4 Servings

Ingredients:

Marinade:

1.5 Pounds Pork Tenderloin or Pork Chops (cut into 1/2 inch cubes)

1 teaspoon Garlic Powder

1 teaspoon Onion Powder

1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper

1/2 Cup Teriyaki Sauce

Sauce:

3 Tablespoons Chili Crisp

2 teaspoons Rice Vinegar

1 teaspoon Brown Sugar

2 teaspoons Lite Soy Sauce

1 1/2 Tablespoons Peanut Butter

3 Packages Ramen Noodles (seasoning packet not needed)

Topping (Optional):

Sliced Green Onions

Toasted Sesame Seeds

Everything Bagel Seasoning

Preparation: 

Combine garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and teriyaki sauce and add in pork to marinate at least 30 minutes.

In a small bowl whisk together chili crisp, rice vinegar, brown sugar, soy sauce and peanut butter, set aside.

In a skillet or cast iron pan with oil cook the pork over medium high heat for a few minutes until just cooked through.  Turn burner to low and add in sauce, let simmer.

Cook ramen noodles in boiling water, then drain and add to meat and sauce mixture.  

Dish up and add toppings.  

Store leftovers in a plastic container in fridge, makes great leftovers cold or hot.

Follow Us on Social Media: