Southwest Salad with Spicy Cilantro Dressing

Here is another good healthy dish. I have made similar salads in the past. They usually call for some sort of Avocado dressing, which are usually delicious, but very messy to make and don't last more than a day. That was my favorite part about this salad. The dressing is very low in fat and delicious for several days after, so left overs are not out of the question. I still don't own a grill so I don't have the luxury of adding grilled chicken but i just bake my chicken breast with a little bit of olive oil, salt and ground pepper and it tastes great.

Southwest Salad with Spicy Cilantro Dressing

Romaine lettuce
Red bell pepper
Corn (canned is good)
Black beans
Green onion
Shredded cheddar cheese
Sliced grilled chicken breast

Dressing

1- 6 oz plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup minced cilantro
2 Tbsp mayo
1/4 cup fat free half and half
1/2 tsp dill
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (use only a pinch if you don't want it to be as spicy)
1 tsp cumin
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp sugar

Mix your dressing and top chopped salad ingredients. Yummy!

Quinoa Vegetable Salad with Lemon Basil Dressing

We have been trying to eat a little healthier in the Stewart home, and that means adding lots of veggies and fruits to our meals. James doesn't usually like some of the really healthy stuff I make but he made a deal with me that if we didn't eat out for a month he would eat anything I cooked including the weird healthy stuff and he also said I could buy the family first aid Doterra Essential Oils I have been wanting for awhile. It's pretty expensive but I know and he knows I would put all of them to good use and try and get others to do the same. (That's another story for my other blog). Anyway, I tried this recipe recently and I LOVED IT!!! Oh my goodness, it is such a fresh and delicious combination of flavors. We ate it as a main dish, but I could see myself making it the next time I'm asked to bring a salad to a ward potluck or something. I really could go on. TRY IT! You'll like it.

Quinoa Vegetable Salad with Lemon Basil Dressing

1 cup uncooked Quinoa
15 oz can garbanzo beans
3 roma tomatoes
1 orange bell pepper
1 1/2 cups of corn (frozen corn, thawed)
4 green onions

Dressing

2 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice
1 1/2 tsp basil (fresh if you have it)

Rinse quinoa and cook according to directions (I like to cook mine in chicken broth to add a little bit of flavor).
In a small bowl mix dressing and set aside.
Slice veggies and set aside.
When quinoa is cooked and cooled mix with veggies and dressing. Let cool in fridge and serve. YUM!

Cheese Steak Stuffed Green Peppers

This is a Pinterest "NAIL" as in "NAILED IT!" This is also a popular pin. And it is worth making too. We have already repeated the recipe which is a sure fire way to tell that it is a keeper. I have made changes to the original recipe and I think you should note them. The original recipe calls for WAY TOO MUCH butter and oil. All you need is about a Tablespoon of Olive Oil is all. The original recipe also calls for mushrooms. I made it with mushrooms the first time even though I don't like them, and it was good, but I like it WAY more with out mushrooms. Last time I made them I threw in some sun-dried tomatoes just because I had them in my fridge. It was delicious! Which makes me believe this is a very versatile recipe and you could throw in just about anything and bake it in a green pepper with melted cheese and it would be delicious. YUM!!

Cheese Steak Stuffed Green Peppers

8 oz thinly sliced roast beef (I got mine cut from the deli.... SO GOOD)
8 slices of provolone cheese
2 large green peppers
1 med sweet onion
1-2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of garlic (minced)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Slice peppers in half, remove stems and seeds
Slice onions and saute over medium heat with garlic and olive oil until onions are translucent/caramelized.  Throw in sliced roast beef and saute for about 5 more minutes.
Line halved peppers with a slice of provolone cheese
Pile onion meat mixture high in the pepper and top with another slice of provolone cheese
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

*If you have some sun-dried tomatoes in your fridge throw those in too. It was good but not necessary.

PS. I have my own picture to add but I left my camera in St. George, so I will add it later.

A couple of Pinterest Fails!

I enjoy pinterest, I really do, but some of the recipes are not good. I just wanted to quickly warn you of a couple that I have tried that were NOT good. You probably have them pinned. They are popular pins. I have seen them all over. So here is your warning. Don't try these at home!

Cilantro Lime Chicken Enchiladas with Avacado Cream Sauce

Long name for a lame recipe. These were a lot of work for a big let down with the finished product. I thought they were even on the verge of disgusting. We did use the Avacado Cream Sauce on a BBQ Chicken Salad the next day and that was good. Otherwise a waste of time.

If you are still interested in this recipe after this review click Here to find it.





Crockpot Cheesy Chicken and Rice

I guess I knew before hand the ingredients going into this recipe. All good but alone flavorless. I should have assumed if you put them together it would also be flavorless. Regardless I was looking for a quick easy meal with ingredients I always have in the fridge and pantry. I tried it and it was flavorless. I even added some green chilis to try and give it a kick. but it was not there. So spare yourself some time and don't make this recipe.

But if you still want to make it then click here

Lauri's Snickerdoodle Cookies

I don't know where this recipe comes from but in my mom's cookbook it is titled, "Lauri's Snickerdoodle Cookies." I don't remember creating any recipes of my own but I will say they always turn out good when I make them. I know others have tried and not been so fortunate. I don't know what I do different, but these always turn out so soft and yummy.

Lauri's Snickerdoodle Cookies

1 c. shortening
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 3/4 c. flour
2 tsp cream of tarter
1 tsp soda
1/4 tsp salt

2 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

Cream shortening, sugar, eggs and vanilla (only just slightly, keep it lumpy) Add dry ingredients. Mix only until ingredients are combined. Using a cook scoop, scoop balls of dough into cinnamon/sugar mixture and cover completely. Place on cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Stove top Mac & Cheese

I don't know about your kids but Lucy LOVES Mac & Cheese. She loves every variation of Mac & Cheese. We have tried the Mac & Cheese at every restaurant we have ever taken her to. To list a few of our favorites: Panera bread, Paradise Cafe, Buffalo Wild Wings, Red Robin, and George's Corner all have great home made Mac and Cheese. We always ask before ordering if it is Kraft Mac & Cheese that they are serving and there are several of those as well.
I get tired of buying Kraft and so I have been looking for a good, and EASY recipe that I could make in it's place. This is my favorite so far. Mostly because it is so simple.

Stove top Mac & Cheese

2 cups dried pasta
2 1/2 cups milk
1 cup loosely packed shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp salt (I use less)
1/4 tsp dijon mustard or nutmeg or omit all together (I used nutmeg, but only a dash of it)
1/4 tsp cayanne pepper (optional, but I really liked it. It does not make it hot it just adds a little flavor)

In a small sauce pan add pasta and milk. Bring to a simmer then reduce heat to low and cook until pasta is soft, constantly stirring so the milk does not burn at the bottom.

Turn heat off and add cheese and other seasonings. and stir to combine. Cover and let stand for a couple of minutes then stir again and serve. If it is not creamy enough add a little bit of milk a little at a time.

There are a few other variations on the site that I found this recipe. You can find those here.

Salsa Chicken (Slow Cooker)

I have made up several variations of this recipe on my own in the past, but I was glad to find this recipe because I like it best. The flavor is perfect and you can top it with anything to make it more interesting. I usually put it over rice and serve it with some fruit. It makes a great and easy meal, and Lucy loved it, so your kids might as well.

Salsa Chicken

1 lb of boneless chicken breasts
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 cup salsa (Kirkland brand organic salsa is my favorite bulk salsa)
1 Tbsp taco seasoning
1 cup sour cream (I used light and only about 3/4 cup)
Toppings (optional): Cheese, Cilantro, Green Onions, Black beans, Corn,... any combination of what you have is good.

Put Chicken breasts at the bottom of the slow cooker. Add Cream of mushroom soup and Salsa and sprinkle taco seasoning on top of all of that. Cook on low for 6 hours. About an hour before you are ready to serve, shred chicken and add sour cream and mix all together. Let it cook for about an hour more, and prepare your rice or any other toppings. SO YUMMY!