Kitchen sink tacos: chicken, grilled veggies, pickled onion, etc...

Show me a day of the week and I'll show you a day that myself and my fella are in the mood for Mexican.  As I sit here and try to rack my brain for all the ingredients I used in these tacos, my mouth is literally starting to water.  If I was Guy Fieri, I'd say that I was looking forward to a "one way ticket to flavor town" but I'm not him, so I'll just say this meal was DAMN good. (Sorry mom).

The chicken was grilled on Sunday, and waiting in the wings.  (Hehe.)  I cannot stress enough the importance of grilling and how it can simplify your life by allowing you to cook multiple dishes and not make your kitchen a mess.  Hear my words.  Embrace them.

Most of this dish came together as a hodge podge of fridge leftovers.  Pickled onions and coleslaw were leftover sides from the salmon dish and the grilled veggies (mushroom, onion, and squash) were leftover from sunday's grilling spectacu-lar.  I added fresh onion and bell pepper for some crunch and garnished with cilantro, sour cream, and lime juice.  I'll be having a variation of this for lunch tomorrow and we're going out for Mexican on Friday.  I have a craving that CANNOT be satiated.  Mexican food 4 life.

Chipotle Marinated Chicken (adapted to serving size from Cooking Light community)
2 garlic cloves
2 chipotle chile
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1/2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tbsp lime juice
1/8 tsp ground cumin
black pepper
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Place all ingredients in small chopper/process.  Pour over chicken; cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight.  Grill chicken over medium-high heat, about 8 minutes on each side, or until no longer pink in center.

Firecracker Rice (adapted from my pal Jennifer Laurent)


Rice (4 servings)
1 can chicken stock
1 poblano, (roasted, skin peeled, diced)
4 ounces manchego cheese, chopped
2 tsp lime juice
2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
1/2 tbsp smoked paprika

Cook rice according to package directions using chicken stock and a bit of water in a rice cooker.  If you don't have a rice cooker, go to the store and buy one.  Trust me: it's worth it.  Once rice is cooked, let cool for a few ingredients, then stir in all other ingredients and serve.

Easy Peasy: Stuffed chicken, mashed cauliflower, and rosemary peas.

If you are looking for something healthy and flavorful to impress your guests, look no further than this dish.  Pretend the camera angle is different and you can see that the chicken breast is stuffed with feta and mint!  This is the kind of dish that looks like you worked a lot harder than you did, but I won't tell if you won't.

Stuffed Chicken Breast


1. Cut boneless, skinless chicken breasts in half and slice a pocket in the side.  Depending on the size of the chicken, you may want to pound it out a little to have a more even cooking time. Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken.

2. Mix together whatever cheese and herbs you have on hand.  My favorite combinations are feta and mint or basil and goat cheese, but feel free to experiment.  You can also do this step ahead and put the mixture in the freezer, wrapped in saran wrap and rolled into a tube.  This will make for much easier stuffing.

3. Stuff chicken breasts with cheese/herb mixture.  Be careful not to overstuff or cheese will spill out during cooking process.

4. Heat 2 tsps of olive oil in an oven-safe skillet to medium high on the stove.  Sear chicken on both sides because as Anne Burell says, "brown food tastes good!"

5. Place chicken in a 350 degree oven until cooked through and enjoy!

And what's better than mashed potatoes?  Oh, I know, MASHED CAULIFLOWER!  Don't knock it 'til you've tried it.  If you're hesitant, substitute in a little bit of potato: baby steps.

Mashed Cauliflower


Ingredients
1 head cauliflower                          4 cloves garlic, crushed/peeled
1/3 cup nonfat buttermilk*             2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp butter                                     1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp reduced fat cream cheese    Pepper to taste

1. Place cauliflower florets and garlic in a steamer basket over boiling water, cover and steam until very tender, 12-15 minutes.

2. Place cooked cauliflower/garlic in a food processor.  Add all other ingredients and process until smooth and creamy.  Enjoy!

*Note: No buttermilk?  Make "sour milk" by mixing 1 tbsp lemon juice to 1 cup of milk

Rosemary Peas


1. Cook frozen peas according to package directions and add rosemary, salt, and pepper.  Easy peasy!  (Get it...peasy?  Clever girl.)

And now you have a complete meal, from start to finish.  It can come together pretty quickly, but for more make-ahead ease, cook the cauliflower the day before and save the processing until day two.

Under the weather? Chinese chicken soup time!

So I'm feeling a little meh today: scratchy throat, sneezy, that sort of fun.  I decided to make some chicken soup to combat whatever is trying to get me down.

I have a confession: I've never really been a chicken soup fan because it either seems too bland or is filled with too much celery.  (Note: I like celery two ways: cooked beyond recognition in southern dishes or 1st grade snack/ant on a log style).  Well, this soup has made a believer out of me.  The asian flavors make this not your average chicken soup, and it only takes about 25 minutes to throw together!

I used a recipe from the September 2011 Food Network magazine and since it was the first time I've made it, didn't steer to far from it to see how it would turn out.  Verdict: Love the flavors and ingredients but the soup was a little bland.  I added sriracha at the end for some spice and next time I'd probably throw in some ginger and lime juice to kick it up.  Some simple modifications could make this a vegetarian dish: swap veggie stock for the chicken stock and tofu for chicken.  Tah-dah!

This is really what cooking for me is all about: taking a basic concept and tweaking it to make it your own.  Don't be afraid to try something new, just make sure you at least have PB&J on hand if you go down in flames (figuratively.  I hope.)

Chinese Chicken and Rice Soup (Serves 4)
Food Network recipe: modifications by Ashlie noted with "A says"
4 large eggs                                                   2 tbsp peanut or vegetable oil (A says: extra virgin)
2 large tomatoes, halved and thinly sliced     4 cups low-sodcium chicken broth
1 bunch scallions, sliced                                1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tsp soy sauce (A says: use low sodium)     1 cup shredded rotisserie chicken, skin removed
4 cups baby spinach                                      1 1/2 cups cooked rice (white, brown or wild)

1. Whisk the eggs with a pinch each of salt and pepper in a small bowl. Heat the oil in a wok or pot over high heat.  Add the eggs and cook, undisturbed, until bubbles form on the surface and the bottom is set, about 1 minute.
2. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring gently to break up the eggs, until the tomatoes begin to soften, 2 to 3 minutes.  Add the chicken broth, 3 cups water, the scallions, sesame oil, soy sauce and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt.  Partially cover and simmer 5 minutes.
3. Stir in the chicken, spinach, and rice and warm through.  Season the soup with salt and pepper.

Health facts per serving: Calories 417; Fat 22 g; Cholesterol 297 mg; Sodium 1,282 mg*; Carbs 27 g; Fiber 3 g; Protein 29 g (*Note: original recipe used regular soy sauce, so my version would have loads less sodium)