Tag Archives: salsa

Spanish Potato Hash and Egg Breakfast… For Dinner!

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So, the other morning my mom stopped by on her way to work to see the kids, as she frequently does. And… if she does NOT, my daughter is SURE to call Grama and remind her… she needs to stop by! 🙂

Anyway, my mom had stopped by and my little girl wanted to tell her a very sad story that her oldest cousin had told her. She says to my mom… “Grama, P told me that when they were driving her to visit… they say something on the road… and it’s so sad… they saw a dead PIMPLE on the road!!!”. I had to leave the room. Oh my word! HAHAHAHA! My mom, who has had much practice in not bursting out in inappropriate laughter when children say the wrong word for things, very sweetly says to my daughter: “oh, you mean a Pit Bull?”. My daughter, not missing much of a beat says “oh, yes, a Pit Bull…”. Ha! Pimple…

And now… as I giggle and smile to myself, I am going to finish this blog post with one of my husbands latest favorite meals. He chose this recipe for me to make, and it has honestly been one of his absolute FAVORITES. He even rationed the leftovers so he could have it for as many meals as possible! HA!

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INGREDIENTS
  • 2 large yukon gold potatoes, washed, peeled and diced
  • 2 small sweet potatoes, washed, peeled and diced
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth – fat free and low sodium organic and free range
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 cup salsa (of your choice)
  • pinch of salt and pepper
  • ½ onion, diced
  • 1-2 sweet mini peppers diced (if desired)
  • 1/2 lb to 1 lb. breakfast sausage
  • 1½ cups spinach
  • 1½ tsp lime juice
  • 1 avocado
  • 3 + eggs – depending on how many people are eating

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INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
  2. Start by cooking your sausage in a large skillet. While the meat is cooking, dice your potatoes, onions and veggies.
  3. Once the meat (sausage) is about cooked, add the potatoes, the diced onion, peppers and the cumin, paprika, garlic powder and chicken broth. Place the lid on top and let simmer (to cook the potatoes). Let simmer for about 8-10 minutes until the potatoes are starting to soften.
  4. Add the spinach, salsa and the lime juice and toss until well incorporated. Create 3-4 wells in the mixture and crack an egg into each.
  5. Place the pan in the oven and cook for 8-10 minutes depending on how runny you prefer your eggs. OR… put a splash of water in the skillet, put the lid onto the pan, and let the eggs cook to your desired done-ness.
  6. Remove from the oven and serve with slices of guacamole. You can also top with a bit of shredded cheese and some hot sauce as my husband did. 🙂

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ENJOY!

And now, for the quote of the day:

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BBQ Shredded Chicken and Potato … bake… nachos?

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I really don’t know what to call this! I may go back in a few days and change the name and edit it… but in this moment, I don’t know. I basically had leftover crock pot shredded BBQ chicken (which I will give my recipe for, because it turned out AMAZING!) and then I added a bunch of other ingredients that sounded AMAZING and kind of like nachos…. but not. Ha! Also, I baked it, and I have since decided, it needs to be cooked on the stove top. I make skillet veggies almost every day for lunch and when I use potatoes, they always end up nice and tender. These potatoes in the dish were not soft within the time period that I baked it! It was annoying! So… I will give my recipe, with notes on how to either make it in the oven long enough to have the potatoes be nice and tender… as well as how to make it on the stove top.
So… here goes!

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This is for 4 servings

Ingredients:

3/4 cup Pulled BBQ Chicken
      – 8 chicken thighs, 1 bottle of your.      favorite BBQ sauce (I used Sweet Baby  Ray’s Original), 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, 1 TB Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 cup chicken broth, salt and pepper to taste. Cook in crock pot on low for 8 hours, or high for 4 to 5 hours. When finished, shred with a fork, and SAVE THOSE LEFTOVERS! 🙂
1/2 can natural black olives, sliced
2 yukon gold potatoes, washed and diced
1/2 cup shredded Mexican cheese
1/2 can black beans RINSED
2 TB your favorite salsa (I used black bean and corn TJ salsa)
1/2 cup frozen corn
1 avocado sliced
Garnish: sour cream
Optional: corn chips or tortillas for eating!

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Directions:

To bake:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Placed diced potatoes and shredded chicken and salsa into a glass baking dish (8×8 will work) and drizzle with 1 TB olive oil. Bake for 25 minutes  (OR until potatoes are soft!). Then, remove pan from oven and add the remaining ingredients, stir around, ending with the cheese (do NOT put the avocado on until you serve… add as a garnish). Bake for an additional 10 to 12 minutes, until it’s hot and bubbly!
Serve as a burrito on a tortilla, or in a bowl with some chips like a nacho dip!

On the stove top:
Melt 1 TB butter in a large skillet (12 inch probably). Place potatoes and salsa into the skillet and cook on medium high until potatoes start to soften. Add the BBQ chicken, and stir well. Add more BBQ sauce if needed. Add the corn, black olives, and black beans and stir until cooked thru. Turn heat off and top with cheese. Let cheese melt… you can place lid on until cheese melt to speed up the process. Serve immediately topped with a bit of avocado and sour cream!

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I honestly wasn’t sure I was gonna blog this because it didn’t turn out perfectly and it was basically ingredients I thought to myself : that would be good together… so I put it together. … nothing gourmet or well thought out. But then my husband said he LOVED the leftovers. I also realized that some of the best recipes come from random ingredients thrown together. I hope this inspires all of you out there to experiment! Even if it fails, you tried something new and you were creative in the kitchen! Win!

And now, for the quote of the day:

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Quick Leftovers Chicken Quesadilla

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I’m continuing in this post with using up my leftovers. I used some leftover chicken that I had (you can even use leftover rotisserie chicken for this!!!) This was quick, easy, everything grabbed last minute and MAYBE took 15 minutes! After a busy and crazy day, what’s better than that?! It’s also kid friendly!

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I served this with some chips and salsa… you could also serve it with some spinach or some sour cream and salsa to dip it in. It’s actually quite versatile!

This is for 2 quesadillas… just double, triple etc for more!

Ingredients:

2 flour (or corn… or wheat for that matter!) tortillas
1/4 lb of diced of shredded chicken (already cooked)
2 pieces of cooked bacon – chopped
1/2 sliced avocado
3/4 to 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup diced sweet mini peppers (or 1/2 bell pepper chopped)
2-3 TB chopped sweet yellow onion
optional: a few sundried tomato pieces! You can add it in there, or use fresh tomatoes, either would be good!
optional: spinach or a bit of hot sauce

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Directions:

Start of by dicing and slicing your veggies. Get your avocado out and slice 1/2. What I do, is slice the whole thing, and ten place the 1/2 that I don’t use in a baggie (pre-sliced and not in the shell) into the freezer that I can pull out later and use in smoothies). Once all of your veggies are cut, you can pull out your chicken and bacon. I used leftovers. If you do not have leftovers, but still want to make this, just quick cook it up in a bit of olive oil with salt and pepper. I usually use pre-cooked bacon and cook it quickly in the microwave and then crumble it up.

But 1/2 TB in the bottom of the skillet and let it melt and medium to medium low temp on the stove. Once melted, place 1 of the tortillas on the skillet. Cover with desired amount of cheese, then place half of chicken, then the veggies, and ending with the avocado. Fold over the tortilla and let it brown for a minute or two, then flip it over with a large spatula. Let it continue to cook for 2-3 minutes, until the cheese is melted and starting to ooze out the side. Remove from skillet and place on a plate, and repeat with the 2nd tortilla. I usually cut each quesadilla in 2-4 pieces with a pizza cutter. Serve with some salsa, maybe some sour cream, and enjoy!!!!

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And now, for the quote of the day:

But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen. 2 Timothy‬ ‭4‬:‭17-18‬

Easy Peasy Chicken Tortilla Soup

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Ok, this soup tasted really yummy… but it did not photograph well… it was very frustrating. Honestly? I don’t know how people always get good pics of their dishes. I don’t have the time to be quite honest. My pictures aren’t perfect, but my food is good!

I have another recipe for chicken tortilla soup, but this one is pretty dang easy! It’s a thinner soup as well, and went great with some chips that I had. Start to finish it took me less than 30 minutes! You could probably let this one simmer for a while too if you wanted.

Today it was 80 degrees here!!! My kids and I spent a majority of the day outside, which was awesome!!!! I wasn’t sure if a soup would go well on such a warm day, but it was honestly just perfect!

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I couldn’t get a good picture of the whole pot of soup, so I will show 2 separate pictures of the soup in a bowl. 🙂

  • 4 chicken tenderloins
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • end of jar of salsa – add 1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth to jar, shake, and pour into skillet with the chicken
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 TB olive oil

For the Soup

  • 32 – 40 oz. of low sodium free range chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup medium restaurant style salsa
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp minced garlic
  • 1 TB tomato paste
  • 1 cup frozen sweet white corn
  • 1 can organic black beans rinsed and drained
  • 1 TB fresh chopped cilantro

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Directions

  1. Drizzle olive oil into skillet, and heat at medium high. Season the chicken tenderloins with the garlic powder, salt and pepper, and cumin. Place into the skillet. Add the salsa and chicken broth – use the end of a jar of salsa, add 1/2 cup of chicken broth, shake and pour into the skillet with the chicken and the place the lid on. Reduce to medium low heat. simmer for 4-5 min per side until cooked thru. Remove the chicken and shred. Set aside.
  2. In a Dutch oven or large pot, combine the first five ingredients under “for soup”; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  3. Add the rinsed black beans and the corn, stir in the chicken that you previously set aside.
  4. Stir cilantro into soup. Top with tortilla chips, a bit of cheese and sour cream if you desire!. If desired, serve with additional salsa. Yield: 8 servings.

Ever wonder what to do with leftover soup??? This is what I do:

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I use leftover applesauce jars, pickle jars, etc… I fill it up with a couple of inches room at the top, and let them cool. Once cooled, I place them in the freezer. Then, my husband takes them to work for lunch!!! Perfect and quick lunches!

And now, for the quote of the day, I love C.S. Lewis!

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Read more: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/fiesta-turkey-tortilla-soup#ixzz3TTDX9Wol

Cheesy Mexican Rice Skillet DIsh

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This dish was requested by my husband… and once you see the ingredients, you will see why! 🙂 Once again, taco/mexican/salsa etc. ingredients. He’s so funny, I love that he’s predictable in his likes for food. He’s very easy to please and will really eat anything I put in front of him… but he LOVES anything with this specific theme.

So, here is the “skillet” meal:

INGREDIENTS
  • 1 – 1.5 lbs lean ground beef
  • 1/4 sweet onion, diced
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus an extra drizzle for cooking the onions
  • 2-3  cups cooked white rice (or leftover frozen rice… I cooked mine in my rice cooker)
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 cup medium salsa (I use Trader Joes)
  • 1 cup Rotel (or similar)
  • 1 cup frozen corn kernels
  • 1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 3 small sweet yellow peppers diced (or 1 small bell pepper)
  • ¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese (why mozzarella? Because that’s what I had… )
  • 1 avocado, peeled and diced
  • 2 green onions (scallions) diced
  • Fresh cilantro, to taste

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DIRECTIONS
  1. Start the rice in the rice cooker according to package.
  2. Add oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add in the ground beef (or chicken, turkey, etc.) and break it up a bit with a wooden spoon. Add the diced onion and minced garlic, and cook until the chicken has browned and the onion is translucent.
  3. Stir in the spices, chicken broth, salsa, rotel, peppers, corn, and black beans. Bring the liquids to a simmer and then reduce the heat to low.
  4. Once the rice is done, spoon into the meat mixture and stir to combine. Sprinkle the cheese, and avocado over the rice and then cover once more until the cheese melts, about 2 minutes. Then sprinkle with green onion and cilantro and serve!

Filling!! And, if you are so inclined, would be great inside of a burrito shell, I am sure! Great great meal, and quite tasty and filling!!!! YUM!

Enjoy!

And now, for the quote of the day:

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Taco Quinoa Skillet Meal (Meat Free!)

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This is made all in one skillet, ONE PAN!!! Seriously, this made my night SOOO much easier. Mix, simmer, top, serve! Whew! And… gotta say, serve this with chips, and it was really filling! YUM! So, easy, filling, tasty, goes well with chips… winner!

Ingredients:

1 cup organic white quinoa (Rinse well, just as you would rice!!!)
1 TB olive oil
1 can black beans (also rinse!)
1 clove garlic – minced
1 cup low sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
1/2 cup Pace Salsa (Med.)
1/2 cup salsa verde (I used Trader Joes)
1/4 onion diced
dash cayenne pepper
1 tsp chili powder
3 tsp. ground cumin (orig. recipe called for 1/2 tsp… I was putting it in, and a BUNCH fell in… oops! Turned out great though!)
1 cup frozen corn
Zest and Juice of 1 lime
1 avocado (sliced and diced)
2 TB cilantro chopped
salt and pepper to taste

OPTIONAL: I topped mine with a bit of greek yogurt and shredded cheese… just to add a bit of “protein”. 🙂

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Directions:

  • Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
  • Stir in quinoa, chicken broth, beans, salsas, corn, chili powder and seasonings; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer until quinoa is cooked through, about 20 minutes.
  • Remove from  heat when quinoa is close to being clear… no longer specks of white.
  • Stir in avocado, lime juice and cilantro.
  • Serve immediately

So easy, and delicious! We will be having this one again!!

And, for the quote of the day:

Proverbs14.15

Proverbs 14;15

Rainy Day calls for Beer and Beef Stew!

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Is your crockpot ready? Cuz this one is awesome! It’s one of those recipes for Sunday afternoon in the winter, or a cold, stormy day in the summer when you don’t want to heat up the oven, or stand in front of the stove…but you kinda want something warm to eat for dinner. THIS IS IT!! It’s a good one!

I adapted my recipe from this one: http://bakedinthesouth.com/2012/08/crockpot-freezer-meals-part-2/
She used it as a freezer meal! So, this can actually be frozen in a large gallon bag, and taken out and put into the freezer! I put mine directly into the crockpot though. 🙂

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds beef stew meat (I prefer the grass fed beef like you can find at Earth Fare or Whole Foods)
2 TB olive oil
1 TB salted butter
3 large carrots, cut into large pieces
4-5 potatoes cut into 4 or 6 pieces
2 tsp minced garlic
2 bay leaves
1 tsp fresh parsley chopped fine
1 cup dark beer (My FAV for this is Duck-Rabbit Amber Ale)
1 cup beef broth
1 cup Pace Restaurant Style Salsa- medium (you can also use Rotel)
2 tsp. Himalayan pink sea salt
1 tsp pepper (or to taste)

put everything in crock pot, cook on high for 3-4 hours, or low for 6-8 hours. DELICIOUS!!!!!

Crispy Pan Fried “Mexican” Chicken

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Adapted from this original recipe: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=838597

1 pound boneless, skinless frozen chicken tenderloins
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 cup low-sodium salsa
1 cup coconut milk (or buttermilk)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 

Combine the panko, taco seasoning. cumin and salt in a shallow dish.
Soak the chicken in a bag w/the buttermilk or coconut milk for 30 minutes in the fridge. Then, coat in the seasoned bread crumbs. The original recipe called for you to then place on a sprayed baking sheet, and bake the chicken: Bake for 20 minutes or until the meat reaches 165 degrees. I personally thought it didn’t get crispy enough. I, therefore, heated 2 TB of olive oil in a skillet and pan fried the chicken for approximately 5 minutes per side. Serve with salsa. I also made a salad and corn to go with it. The salad dressing is my recipe as listed in a previous post.

Each serving: 3 ounces chicken and 1/4 cup salsa

#cookinghealthy #500caloriesorless #quickcooking