Lemon Kale Caesar Salad

 

Hands down one of the best salads I've had..and no anchovies in this caesar dressing!  It's perfect as is, but you can add any additional salad ingredients you'd care to elevate it even more.  Some suggested dried cranberries, carrots, quinoa, and/or a favorite protein!  The more ingredients you add, the more dressing you'll want/need, so I'd suggest doubling the dressing if you go that route.   

Ingredients:

SALAD INGREDIENTS

• 2 large slices sourdough bread (I used 4 medium slices.)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 bunch curly kale (about 8 ounces)
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest (I zested about one tablespoon and it was totally fine!)
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

LEMON CAESAR DRESSING INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise (My favorite is the Chosen Foods brand.)
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 1 garlic clove – grated or minced (I used one frozen Dorot cube.)
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/3 cup olive oil (I use Extra Light Tasting Olive Oil.)

Directions:

1. Cut sourdough bread into a small cubes and toss in olive oil. Season with a pinch of salt. Heat a frying pan over medium-low heat. Toast cubed bread until golden brown.
2. Remove the croutons from the pan and allow to cool. Use a sharp knife to chop into even smaller pieces.  (I really chopped them to almost a roughly-chopped breadcrumb consistency.  It added a nice crunch to the salad.)
3. Chop kale pieces until finely shredded. (Don't skip this step!!!)  Place kale in a large mixing bowl.
4. In a separate bowl, prepare lemon caesar dressing. Whisk together mayonnaise, lemon juice, parmesan cheese, garlic, dijon, and pepper until fully combined. While moving the whisk briskly, pour the olive oil into the bowl in a steady stream. 
5. When ready to eat, pour a small amount of dressing over the kale and use your hands to really massage the dressing into the kale. Following, toss the croutons, lemon zest, (any additional salad ingredients, if any), and fresh parmesan cheese into the salad and serve.  (I added an additional pinch of pepper.)

*www.madaboutfood.co

Honey Mustard Cobb Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

For the honey mustard marinade:

(If you're serving to others and are allowing people to dress their own salads, I would highly encourage doubling the marinade recipe.  This way, you avoid the worry of not having enough salad dressing!)

• ¼ cup olive oil (*For best results, use Extra Light Tasting Olive Oil.)
• ¼ cup honey
• ¼ cup dijon mustard (preferred 3 Tbsp. smooth dijon mustard + 1 Tbsp. whole grain mustard)
• 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• ⅛ tsp. salt
• cracked black pepper, to taste

For the Cobb salad:

• 1 lb. chicken tenders (remove tendons) (I have also substituted with 2 breasts.)
• 6-8 cups romaine or green leaf lettuce, chopped (I used 6.)
• 6-8 slices of bacon, cooked & chopped or crumbled (I used 8.)
• 4 hard boiled eggs, peeled & sliced
• ¾ cup cherry tomatoes, halved 
• 1-2 avocados, diced
• ¼-½ cup feta cheese, crumbled (Buy a block and crumble yourself!)

Directions:

To make the dressing/marinade:

• Whisk your olive oil, honey, dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, and salt together until smooth. Then add your cracked black pepper to taste, cover, and set it aside.
  

To make the salad:

• Marinate your chicken. Marinate the tenders in ¼ cup of the honey mustard marinade. Then let your chicken marinate for 30 minutes - 2 hours. 
• Bake. When your chicken is done marinating, preheat your oven to 400 degrees and spray a baking dish with cooking spray. (I preheated my air fryer on the grill setting at 500 degrees.)

  Season chicken tenders with salt, black pepper, and paprika (if desired). Bake for 15-20 minutes (or until your chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees). (I grilled mine for 10 minutes in the air fryer at 500 degrees.)

  Let them cool completely before cutting them into bite sized pieces.
• Assemble your salad. Add your lettuce, diced chicken, hard boiled eggs, tomatoes, avocado, and bacon to a large bowl and toss in your desired amount of dressing.
• Serve! Sprinkle your feta cheese over the top and serve immediately.

*www.kaleforniakravings.com

Cottage Cheese Salad

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup cucumber, diced or sliced in rounds (pictured above) (Use minis if slicing in rounds.)
• ¾ cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 Tablespoons red onion, finely diced
• 1 cup full fat cottage cheese (IMO, Good Culture brand is by far the best!)
• ½ - 1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar
• Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil (I love the Graza "drizzle" EVOO.)
• Fresh herbs (dill or parsley are best) (I used a couple pinches of dried dill and it was great!)
• Cracked pepper and flakey sea salt

Directions:

• Combine tomatoes, cucumbers, and onion in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with a little salt and a crack of pepper and toss to combine.
• Add cottage cheese + vinegar to a shallow bowl and stir to combine. Scoop veggies on top with a slotted spoon to drain excess liquid from the veggies.
• If desired, toss to combine.  Top with herbs, a drizzle of olive oil, cracked pepper, and flaky sea salt. Enjoy on its own or served with pita chips or bread. (Siete Dip Chips are a fave at our house!)

*www.eatingbirdfood.com

Easy Peasy Carnitas

 

Ingredients:

2.5-3.5 pounds pork shoulder or butt roast (I usually get closer to 3.5 pounds because I trim a bit of the large chunks of fat before cooking and that reduces size.)

1/2 a yellow onion, thinly sliced

one packet Siete carnitas seasoning

1/2 cup Herdez salsa verde

favorite toppings 

Directions:

In a slow cooker, add the pork and top with sliced onion. Add 1/2 cup of water + 1/2 cup of salsa verde.  Cover and cook on low setting for 6-7 hours (or until tender).  

Carefully remove meat from crock pot and place in a 9x13 dish.  While separating/shredding meat, remove unwanted fat and discard.  DO NOT DISCARD cooking liquid.

To a small bowl, add 1/2 cup of cooking liquid from crock pot, and add carnitas seasoning packet.  Whisk until combined and pour on top of meat in 9x13 dish.  Stir to coat pork and mix well.  Add additional cooking liquid as needed.  Do not oversaturate. 

For crispy carnitas, broil pork the oven for 2-3 minutes or until crispy!

Serve as desired (tacos, nachos, burrito bowls)!

Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken Dip

Ingredients:

• 4, 10 oz. cans chunk chicken breast, drained
• 2, 8 oz. blocks cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 8 oz. finely shredded Colby Jack cheese
• 1 cup Frank's Wing Sauce
• 1 cup ranch dressing
• For dipping: tortilla chips (I use Fritos Scoops), carrots, celery

Directions:

Add chicken, cream cheese, shredded cheese, wing sauce, and ranch dressing to a 6 quart crock pot. Stir to combine then heat on LOW until hot, 1.5 to 2 hours, stirring a couple of times. Serve with dippers.

*Make ahead: Add all the ingredients into the crock of your slow cooker then refrigerate up to 2 days ahead of time. Place on the crock pot base then cook on low for an additional 30 minutes, or until heated through.

*www.iowagirleats.com

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bundt Cake

Pair this with a good vanilla ice cream and...*chef's kiss!*

Ingredients:

Cake:

1 standard size chocolate cake mix

1 package dry, chocolate pudding mix (3.9 oz.)

1 cup sour cream

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

1/2 cup warm water

PB Filling:

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1/3 cup powdered sugar

4 tablespoons melted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

Chocolate Glaze:

2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/3 cup whipping cream

Topping:

Mini peanut butter cups (Reese's or Trader Joe's)!

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prep bundt pan by coating with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Combine all of the cake ingredients with a hand mixer until combined. Do not over mix, but make sure all dry ingredients and wet ingredients are well combined. Set aside.

3. In a separate bowl, combine peanut butter, melted butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt.  Hand mixing is fine, but mix well.

4. Spoon half the chocolate cake batter into cake pan, then spoon all of the peanut butter filling on top of the cake batter. Top with remaining chocolate cake batter.

5. Bake for 50-55 minutes  (check at 50) or until toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes, then transfer from pan to serving dish.  Allow to cool COMPLETELY.  (I like to make cake the day before, seal and store, and then glaze next day.) 

6. To glaze, pour heavy cream in a microwave safe bowl (glass works best) and heat for a minute on half power (or until boiling). Add chocolate chips to hot whipping cream and step away from it for 3-5 minutes.  Stir until combined until it becomes a smooth, glossy glaze.  Spoon or pour over cake.  Allow it to cool for a few minutes, then top cake with mini peanut butter cups.

*Adapted from www.lovefromtheoven.com

Avgolemono (Greek Lemon Chicken) Soup

Avgolemono is a traditional Greek lemon chicken soup that's made with egg yolks and loads of lemon juice for a warming and satisfying meal.  Super yummy, especially during the chilly months or when family has the sniffles.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 medium carrot, diced
• 2-3 celery stalks, diced
• 2-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 bay leaves 
• 2 chicken breasts (about 12 oz / 350 g total)
• 6 cups (1.5 liter) chicken stock or broth (I used 6 at first then added another cup later!)
• 3/4 cup (175 g) orzo
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 egg yolks
• A handful fresh dill
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot or Dutch oven and cook the onion, carrot, and celery for 8-10 minutes over medium heat until softened. (I food processed the onion, carrot, and celery together!) Season with salt and pepper.
2. Add the garlic and cook for another minute, then add the bay leaves, raw chicken (I seasoned with salt and pepper first), and chicken stock (I used broth).
3. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium-low, cover with a lid and simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Take out the chicken breasts and bay leaves. Add the orzo to the pot and continue to cook for 10 minutes.
5. Shred the chicken with two forks and add it back to the pot.
6. Pay attention to this step!!  While the orzo is cooking, whisk the egg yolks and lemon juice in a bowl. Take out 1-2 ladles of soup and pour it over the egg-lemon mixture to temper it. Whisk, whisk, whisk!  Add this mix to the pot and continue to stir + cook for 5 minutes.
7. Stir in the fresh dill, adjust the seasoning, and serve immediately with some extra fresh dill on top if you like.  Grilled cheese paired with this soup is a winner!

For step by step directions, *https://skinnyspatula.com/avgolemono-greek-lemon-chicken-soup/