Friday, May 25, 2012

Recipe: Chipotle Chicken Salad

Once again, I was inspired by Pinterest for this recipe.  I love anything with corn and black beans, so I knew I would like this salad. It's great for this time of year with tomatoes, corn, and some chicken from the grill.  I have made salad very similar to this before; however, I tried  a new dressing recipe that I got from the Nutmeg Notebook website.

Ingredients:
Romaine lettuce
1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can of corn, drained (you could easily use frozen or fresh corn too)
Cherry tomatoes
Red onion
Grilled chicken
Avocado

All of these ingredients are pretty much optional.  I didn't use avocado, but if you like it, go ahead.  You could also add some cheese or strips of corn tortillas that you can get by the croutons.

Dressing:
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
2/3 cup light sour cream
1 tbsp. minced chipotle chile, canned in adobe sauce
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
4 tsp. lime juice
1/4 tsp. salt

Mix all these ingredients together and chill.  I used 2 tbsp. of chipotle chiles because I like spicy food and I didn't use quite as much cilantro because I think a little bit goes a long way for me.

So, all you have to do is prepare your salad and mix with the dressing.  I had spiced up my chicken with some of the similar spices, cumin, cajun, chili powder, salt and pepper.  I grilled it on the grill, and sliced it up for the salad.

I thought this turned out pretty good!  I thought the dressing was a nice change from the traditional ranch or lime dressing that would be used for this type of salad. I would have liked a little crunch, so next time I might have some tortilla strips on top.  Enjoy!

~Kate

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Recipe: White Wedding Cupcakes

It was my turn at work to bring the birthday treats this week, and I was glad to do so for my good friend Linda.  I wanted to make something that people could just pick up and eat and something new.  I immediately turned to the new favorite, Pinterest, for some inspiration.

I have to say, I was pretty impressed with these overall.  They turned out fantastic!  Everyone at work seemed to enjoy them, and I got a lot of compliments on them overall for how moist and delicious they were!  SUCCESS!  So a big thanks to Recipe Girl for this great recipe.

Ingredients:
1 18.75 oz. box of white cake mix
1 cup of all-purpose flour
1 cup of granulated sugar
3/4 tsp. salt
1 1/3 cup water
2 tbsp. vegetable or canola oil
1 tsp. vanilla abstract
1 cup of sour cream
4 large egg whites

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Put cupcake liners in cupcake pans.
2. Mix the first four ingredients together with a whisk.  Add the rest of the ingredients in the large mixing bowl and mix with a hand mixer for 2-3 minutes or until well-blended.
3. Use an ice cream scoop to fill the liners about 3/4 full.  Bake in the oven for 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

These were so simple and easy.  I decided to also get a recipe for butter cream frosting to top these off with.  I also got this from a link at the bottom of Recipe Girl's comments that is also from her website.  She has a ton of great recipes on here, so please check them out!

Wedding Cupcake Buttercream

Ingredients:
3 cups powdered sugar
1 cup butter at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla
1-2 tbsp. whipping cream

First mix the sugar and butter together on low speed with a hand mixer.  Mix until well-blended then mix on medium speed for about 2 more minutes.  Next, add the other ingredients and continue to beat for 1-2 more minutes until desired consistency.  You can add more whipping cream if you want it to be thinner.

Overall, I these were some of the best cupcakes I think I have ever made.  The cake was extremely soft and were sweet without feeling like you're eating a ton of sugar.  I liked the butter cream frosting, but I have made other frostings that I liked a little bit more.
I will definitely be making these again, and a very Happy Birthday to Linda!
~Kate







Friday, May 4, 2012

Recipe: Spinach Salad with Apple Chicken Sausage

About a week or two ago, I came across this recipe in a Taste of Home magazine and thought it looked delicious.  I made it on a week night and immediately after making it, I had gone to my computer to write up this post, but it somehow got deleted, so I'm writing it again!

This recipe was actually in an ad for Al Fresco Sweet Apple Chicken Sausage.  I couldn't find this brand at the grocery, but Johnsonville had similar sausages that were on sale, so I decided to give these a try.  This salad was delicious! I loved it and will definitely be making this again soon.

Ingredients:
1 package of Sweet Apple Chicken Sausage
2 tsp. EVOO
1/2 cup pecan halves
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
2 cups radicchio, thinly sliced
6-8 oz. spinach
1/2 pear, very thinly sliced
1/2 cup light blush wine vinaigrette
2 oz. goat cheese
pepper to taste
lemon zest for top

Directions:
1. Coat saute pan with EVOO over medium high heat.  Add pecans and saute for 2-3 minutes.  Add sugar and cinnamon and toss to coat.  Remove from heat.

2. Coat another saute pan with cooking spray and heat the sausage until browned.  Turn as needed.

3. Place the spinach in a bowl with red onion, radicchio, and pear slices.  Toss with blush wine vinaigrette.

4. Top with pecans, goat cheese, and sausage.  Add pepper and lemon zest to taste.

This was such an easy and delicious recipe!  After my first bite I was really impressed!  I loved the mix of sweetness from the pecans with the creaminess of the goat cheese.  The apple flavor from the sausage really stood out and paired nicely with the pears, pecans, and onion.  I didn't really care for the radicchio.  I hadn't really had it before, and it was a very strong earthy, pungent taste that I didn't care for.  I didn't have lemon, so I didn't add that, but it's up to you.
I really liked this dressing too, it was light and sweet but not too overpowering. It was great!

If you haven't had these chicken sausages, they are great.  I have used them in pasta dishes or you could grill them and serve on a bun or with peppers and onions.  They are lower in fat and calories, so they are a nice substitute for regular sausage.

This was a great summer salad recipe!  Hope you enjoy!

~Kate