Avocado-Corn Salad

Avocados are one of my favorite summertime foods.  They have such a smooth, cool taste that’s perfect for warm weather months and—if you’re anything like me—the limited amount of actual “cooking” you’re willing to do when the temperature maxes out over about 85.

I’ve been staying with my mom for the last few weeks while I transition to Chicago (next week! omg, so excited!), and I was ecstatic to see avocados in her fridge when I got home!  I eyed them up for about a week before I figured she didn’t have any specific plans for them and I could do whatever my heart desired with them!

Now, my heart usually desires guacamole when I see avocados.  I’m fairly addicted to tortilla chips, so making guacamole is usually the perfect excuse for me to legitimize buying—and consuming—an entire bag of tortilla chips in a couple of days.  In fact, I was planning to make guacamole the day I ended up making this salad instead.  You just have to learn to be flexible when you can’t get the ingredients you originally want (cilantro, in the case of my guac) for a meal, and sometimes that flexibility really pays off!

This salad is a great alternative to your run-of-the-mill lettuce, cucumber, and tomato salad.  I usually refuse to make salads most of the time, and especially not for dinner, because I just find them so boring.  Maybe for my lunch at work or something, but for dinner?  No way, a salad is usually SO lame and boring.  With avocados and an interesting blended dressing, however, this salad is anything  but boring.  I’d happily make this salad just for myself and my roommates, or to serve to guests.  It’s so different that you’re bound to get asked about the recipe, I did!  I served it on the side with a light chicken dish, but the avocado and corn really add enough weight to make this a great main course salad for dinner on those days when you think you’d rather starve than adding to the heat by turning on your stove.

Ingredients (serves 4 as main dish, 8 as side):

2 heads of lettuce (I use romaine, but that’s really just a personal preference)

1 red pepper, chopped

2 (14.5 oz) cans of corn, drained

2 avocados, peeled, pitted, and cubed

For dressing:

3 tbsp blue cheese salad dressing (ranch would probably also work if you’re really anti-blue cheese)

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1/3 cup olive oil

1 tbsp honey

Directions:

1. Combine lettuce, pepper, corn, and avocado in a large bowl, stir carefully to avoid smashing the avocado.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the blue cheese dressing, red wine vinegar, olive oil, and honey.
3. Pour the dressing mixture over the salad immediately before serving and toss to coat.

Baby Shower Chicken Salad

 

It has happened.  I thought the worst had already begun, with friends getting married.  That was bad enough.  But now, a good friend of mine is having a baby.  I feel so old.  Thank goodness she’s a few years older than me, otherwise I’d have to do a pretty big reevaluation of why I’m still lame and single.

But, baby Most is coming either way, and we are VERY excited for his arrival.  So excited, in fact, that my dear friend (and former roommate) Jess and I decided to host a baby shower.  Needless to say, this is the first baby shower either of us had ever hosted.  Frankly, it’s only the 2nd baby shower I’ve ever attended…and since the first was for someone in high school, I’m not entirely sure that counts.

We had a Winnie the Pooh brunch themed baby shower.  It was adorable, but I was so nervous.  As you can expect, I was in charge of a lot of the food, and that is what I was worried about.  Nobody shows up and everyone has a bad time? Ehhhh, I can deal with that.  There isn’t enough food or nobody likes it? OMG, why am I such a failure?!  Priorities.

Luckily, my worries were unfounded.  Everyone loved my Apple Cheddar Scones (and the Lemon-Blueberry and Cranberry Almond versions I made too!), and this chicken salad was the talk of the shower.  I made a double batch, and I was kind of scared I’d made way too much, but everyone scarfed it down.  The water chestnuts add a nice crunch, and the grapes make it nice and sweet.  I’d also consider adding apples too, either as substitutes for the water chestnuts, or in addition just because.  The bacon, however, really is a must.  I made one batch with bacon and one without, me let me assure you, the one with bacon was infinitely more delicious.  But then, isn’t everything more delicious with a little bacon?

Ingredients:

2 1/2 C cooked chicken, diced

4 strips cooked bacon, crumbled

1 (5 ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, drained

1/2 C thinly sliced celery

1 C halved grapes (I prefer the red ones)

1/2 C light mayonnaise

1/4 C onion, finely chopped

1 tsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1 dash Worcestershire sauce

Salt and pepper

 

Directions:

1. Combine the chicken, bacon, water chestnuts, celery and grapes in large bowl; set aside. In a smaller bowl, combine remaining ingredients; add to the chicken mixture and stir to coat. Chill until serving.

Chicken Couscous Salad

I made this light couscous salad about a month ago, and I’m only just now getting the recipe up here.  Sorry about that.  With the end of the school year and my slow process of moving, adding recipes got put on the back burner.

It gets hot FAST in Mississippi, and some days the mere thought of cooking seems unbearable.  Especially when you’re AC is broken, which is exactly what happened the day I decided to make this couscous salad.  The less time I had to spend with the stove on the better, and I figured since I already had leftover chicken I could deal with the 5 minutes of stove time it takes to make couscous.

This is a fantastic summer meal, it makes for a great light dinner or easy lunch. I’d even take it as a dish to a potluck.  Make it vegetarian by omitting the chicken and maybe adding a few more vegetables (maybe artichokes? yummm), I think it would still be just as delicious.

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 C chicken broth

1 C couscous (or 1 box of the prepackaged kind like Far East)

3/4 C olive oil

1/4 C lemon juice

2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 Tbsp rosemary

salt and pepper to taste

2 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed

1 cucumber, chopped

1/2 C sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

1/2 C kalamata olives, halved

1/2 C  feta cheese

Directions:

1. Prepare couscous according to package directions.  OR: Place olive oil and couscous in a medium pot, cook and stir until couscous is lightly colored.  Add broth, keep the burner on high until the water starts to bubble.  Turn the burner off and put a lid on the pot.  Allow couscous to set until all liquid has been absorbed (7-10 minute).

2. Meanwhile, make the dressing by combining the olive oil, lemon juice, and vinegar in a bowl and whisk until combined (to speed things up, you can always blend it in a food processor or blender). Stir in rosemary and season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Combine the chicken, cucumber, sun-dried tomatoes, and olives in a large bowl. Stir in the couscous and feta.  Toss the salad with half the dressing. Taste, and add more dressing as desired.

Black Beans and Rice

The flavors of cumin and turmeric come together fabulously in this black beans and rice.  Use this easily as a side dish for a Mexican night or as a meatless main dish.  This recipe is quick, easy, and full of ingredients you probably have lying around your kitchen; perfect for those days when you want to make dinner, but just haven’t had time to get to the store.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 C uncooked rice

1 1/2 C chicken broth (or water)

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp turmeric

dash of cayenne pepper

1 (14.5 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (14.5 oz) can corn, drained

1 (10.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chillies

1/4 c cilantro, chopped (optional)

Directions:

1. In a medium sized pot, saute onions and garlic in olive oil.  Add rice, chicken broth, and spices; bring to a boil.  Cover, lower the heat, and cook for 20-25 minutes, until all the broth has been absorbed.  Stir in beans, corn, tomatoes, and serve.  Top with cilantro if desired.

Peanut Butter Banana Breakfast Squares

For most of the year I ate oatmeal for breakfast each morning, but that has gotten REALLY old.  So I’ve been trying to make breakfast foods over the weekend or on days when I don’t have much work and storing them for the rest of the week.  A few weeks ago I saw this recipe on pinterest (have I mentioned how fabulous that site is?).  I had a banana that was getting over-ripe, so I decided to slightly adapt the recipe and give these squares a try.

They turned out pretty good, chewy and with the right amount of banana taste.  They’re especially delicious with extra peanut butter on top (and thus helping to facilitate my peanut butter addiction).  These squares make a yummy snacks and breakfasts, but make sure you eat them in the first 2 or 3 days, they’re not quite as good after that, even when covered.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c quick oats
1/4 c brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c milk
1 egg
1 large mashed banana
1/4 cup peanut butter

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mix the oats, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl.  Add in the vanilla, milk, and egg; mix the ingredients together.  Add the mashed banana and peanut butter; stir to combine all of the ingredients.

3. Pour the mixture into a lightly greased 8 by 8 inch baking pan. Bake for about 20 minutes.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Everyone needs a fail-proof recipe for chocolate chip cookies.  Sure, you can buy cookies at the store…I guess, but really?  Which would you rather have: warm cookies fresh-baked from your oven, or cookies in a plastic container from the store?  Even if your store has REALLY good cookies, I think the choice is pretty obvious.

Besides, whether it’s small children, co-workers, or your sweetheart, the true way to anyone’s heart is with a batch of classic chocolate chip cookies.  The daughter of one of my co-workers turned 8 the other day, and I made her a batch of these delicious cookies.  When you look at the recipe, you  might wonder why I made 2 dozen cookies for an eight-year old.  The answer is simple, I know my co-workers.  About a dozen of those cookies actually made it home for her while and the rest were stolen by her father, our principal, me (guilty!), and a few other teachers.  According to my co-teacher, the cookies were “good as s***!”  I’ll take that praise.

Ingredients (makes 2 dozen cookies):

1 cup butter, softened (that’s 2 sticks)

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

3 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp hot water

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (or, you know, the whole bag…whatever)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Use a wooden spoon or a hand mixer to cream together the butter and both sugars until smooth.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla.  Dissolve baking soda in hot water and add to the batter along with salt.  Stir in flour and chocolate chips.
3. Drop large spoonfuls of the dough onto ungreased pans.  Bake for about 10-15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are nicely browned.

Apple Cheddar Scones

I stumbled on the recipe for these scones on pinterest a few weeks ago.  They sounded absolutely fantastic, and though quite fall-inspired, I didn’t really care and decided I absolutely needed to make them.  Plus, they’re from my absolutely favorite real food blog, Smitten Kitchen.

Wow, totally worth it.  My friend Megan and I are OBSESSED with them and have made at least 3 batches of them in the last month.  Also, I’ve learned that the most important aspects of making scones are three-fold: 1. DO NOT over mix, 2. don’t freak out by how sticky the dough is before you bake it.  I freaked out when I made orange-cranberry scones and added more flour, but this time I was more laissez faire about stickiness (I trust SK), and it totally worked out.  3, and possibly most importantly, egg washes are AMAZING.  Oh my god, I’m giving an egg wash to every batch of scones I ever bake, they turn out so beautiful.

So, without further ado, apple cheddar scones (slightly adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

Ingredients (makes 8 scones):

2 firm tart apples; peeled (actually do this, I didn’t the first time, and it turned out way better the 2nd time when I did), cored, and cut into chunks
1 1/2 c flour
1/4 c sugar, plus a small handful for sprinkling
1/2 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt, plus a smidge for egg wash
6 tbsp unsalted butter, chilled and cut into chunks
1/2 c sharp cheddar, shredded (white is recommended, you know, for aesthetics)
1/4 c heavy cream
2 eggs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place apple chunks in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake them for about 20 minutes; let them cool completely (I put them in a bowl in the freezer) and leave oven on.

2. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together; set aside. Place butter in the bowl along with cooled apple chunks, cheese, cream and one egg. Sprinkle flour mixture over the top and mix with an electric mixer on low speed until the dough comes together.  Be careful not to over mix!  (You can do this by hand as well, but make sure you chop the apples more beforehand).

3. Flour your counter top or cutting board and place the dough on top of it.  Mold the dough into a 1 1/4-inch thick, 6-inch circle. Cut circle into 8 wedges.  Transfer them to a baking sheet that has either been buttered or sprayed with cooking spray.

4. Beat the second egg in a small bowl with a pinch of salt. Brush the scones with egg wash and sprinkle them with a small handful of sugar. Bake until firm and golden, about 30 minutes.

Southwest Red Potato Salad

With Memorial Day and the summer fast approaching, the season for cookouts is at hand.  Potlucks and cookouts can be a source of anxiety for a lot of people.  Figuring out what to bring, that people will actually like, and that you can actually cook can be a pretty trying experience.  I’ve noticed that most twenty-somethings opt for the ever popular random-store-bought-item option.  While this is always an option, and if you’re pressed for time it’s clearly your best option, I always encourage people to shy away from it.  Think back to all the cookouts you’ve been to, usually there are way too many bags of chips and loads of plastic containers of cookies.  But what is everyone raving about and gobbling up at the speed of light?  It’s not the chips and dip you picked up on your way over, it’s that homemade 7-layer dip your friend’s mom always makes or Aunt Betty’s famous baked beans.

But you can do that too!  You don’t have to be someone’s mom or aunt to make awesome potluck and cookout contributions that everyone will be begging to have the recipe for.  Try this Southwest Red Potato Salad.  It’s got a lot more interesting ingredients than regular potato salad and isn’t just a mass of potatoes slathered in mayonnaise (so unhealthy!), so it’s something different that people will be intrigued by.  It’s light and the flavors, especially the cilantro, corn, and red pepper combo, are perfect for summer and cookout-type foods.  I’ve made this potato salad for multiple potlucks (including a cookout today) and it’s been a great success at all of them; I rarely take home leftovers and almost always have at least one person ask for the recipe!

Ingredients:

2 lbs red potatoes, cubed

1/4 C olive oil

3/4 tsp salt, divided

1/2 tsp pepper, divided

2 oz cream cheese, softened

1/3 C sour cream

1 (4 oz) can diced green chilies

1 tsp paprika

1 clove garlic, minced

1 (15 1/2 oz) can corn, drained

1 small red onion, finely chopped

1/2 red pepper, finely chopped

1/3 C cilantro, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  On a cookie sheet, toss potatoes with oil, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper; bake for 30-35 minutes and then allow to cool slightly.

2. In a small bowl, stir cream cheese and sour cream until smooth.  Stir in the chilies, paprika, garlic, and the remaining salt and pepper.

3. In a large bowl, combine the corn, onion, red pepper, and potatoes.  Toss with dressing and cilantro and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve.

Pineapple Chicken Curry

Yeah, I know…another curry recipe.  Seriously though, curries are one of my favorite ways to use up random bits of veggies.  Plus, they’re just so delicious and everyone thinks you’re super awesome and impressive because you can make the sort of food they’d order at a restaurant.

This curry, in my defense, is a bit of a break from the norm.  It’s more of a Thai-style curry than an Indian-style one.  That’s a legitimate difference, right?  Whatever, I’m rolling with it.

I especially like this recipe because the colors contrast so nicely.  The curry itself is yellowish of course, but then you have the bright red and green of the peppers, it’s really a very pretty dish.

Ingredients (serves 4):

1 tbsp oil

2 chicken breasts, cut into strips or chunks

2 tbsp curry powder

1 (13.5 ounce) cans coconut milk

3 tbsp fish sauce

1/4 cup sugar

1 can bamboo shoots, drained

1/2 red bell pepper, julienned (ie cut into strips)

1/2 green bell pepper, julienned

1/2 onion, sliced into strips

1 can pineapple, drained

Directions:

1. In a wok or large pan, saute chicken in oil for about 5 minutes.  Add curry, coconut milk, fish sauce, sugar and bamboo shoots.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat slightly and cook for about 10 minutes.
2. Add peppers and onions; continue cooking for about 10 minutes, until chicken is fully cooked and peppers are tender.  Stir in the pineapple and serve over rice.

 

Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas

I’ve really been in the mood for Mexican food lately.  Thank goodness I don’t have a car anymore, because I probably would have satisfied this craving with T-Bell at some point this week.  Sans car, however, I fulfilled this craving by inviting my friend Pat over and making enchiladas!  Yum!

Pat, Katie, and I was incredibly excited by how these turned out.  I expected them to be good, but they were great!  Chicken and black beans are always a great combo, and the spices are perfect.  Increase the chili powder or cayenne pepper if you want to amp up the spiciness.

Personally, I don’t know what I’d do with the other half can of beans here if I saved them.  Maybe you have something you’d use them for in the future…but I used them to make Rice with Black Beans and Corn as a side for my enchiladas.

Ingredients (serves 6):

1  tbsp olive oil

2 chicken breasts, cubed

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 c onions, diced

1 tbsp cumin, divided

1tbsp chili powder, divided

dash cayenne pepper

1/2 c corn

1/2 (14.5 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (14.5 oz) can tomato sauce

1 (8 oz) can diced green chilis

8 (12 in) flour tortillas

1 c shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a large baking dish.

2. In a large skillet, saute chicken in oil for 2-3 minutes.  Add garlic and onions, sprinkle with 1/2 tbsp cumin, 1/2 tbsp chili powder, and cayenne pepper; continue to saute until chicken is browned.  Add black beans and corn; heat through and then reduce heat to low.

3. Meanwhile, combine tomato sauce, green chilis, and remaining cumin and chili powder in a small bowl.  Add about 1/2 cup of sauce to the chicken mixture and stir to combine.

4.  Fill tortillas with the chicken mixture and roll them up.  Place rolled tortillas in the baking dish; pour the remaining sauce over the tortillas and top with cheese.  Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes.