Chicken Soft Tacos

Shocking, I know. A Mexican-inspired dish... from me! Seriously, what is my problem? I can't get enough. Anyway... my boss gave me a bunch of fresh jalapenos from her garden. I picked a bunch of fresh cilantro from mine. What to do, what to do...? I took a look in my cabinet and threw this together tonight. It was pretty good!

2 or 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 can Rotel tomatoes with green chiles

2 cloves garlic

1 jalapeno, diced (I left half the seeds in for some heat)

juice of 1/2 a lime

flour tortillas

olive oil

salt & pepper

Heat oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt & pepper and sear on both sides. Lower heat, add tomatoes, garlic and jalapeno. Cover. Simmer for about 15 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken; shred and chop. Add back to the tomatoes, squeeze lime over. Serve in warm tortillas. Top with lettuce, cheese, cilantro, black beans, sour cream and whatever else you like!

Restaurant-Style Salsa

Amending this to include a few more ingredients... makes a good one even better! This is closer to the Pioneer Woman's salsa. I leave out the garlic that she includes.

**

This salsa tastes just like what you would find in a restaurant. I like it because it tastes completely fresh, but uses canned tomatoes. So you can make it all year round! My friend Kerry shared this recipe with me years ago and I've made it regularly ever since.


-1 (28 oz) can whole, peeled tomatoes, undrained
-2 (10 oz) cans Rotel tomatoes with green chiles, drained
-1/4 small white onion
-1 cup fresh cilantro
-1 jalapeno (keep the seeds in for heat)
-1/4 tsp sugar
-1/4 tsp salt
-1/4 tsp cumin
-juice of one lime

Throw all ingredients in your food processor and let 'er rip. I like my salsa pretty smooth, but you could leave it a little chunkier if that's how you roll. ENJOY!

Carolina Pork BBQ

We're having these sandwiches for dinner tonight with corn on the cob and salad. The sauce is not tomato-based, and is spicy and sweet. The house smells yummy. The sauce is very vinegary, so if you're not a huge fan, cut the amount of vinegar a bit.

Pork:

-3-4 lb pork tenderloin roast

-2 tbsp minced garlic

-1 (15 oz.) can chicken broth

-fresh cracked pepper to taste

Stir together chicken broth and 1 tbsp garlic in the crockpot. Add roast. Top with the rest of the garlic and fresh cracked pepper. Cook on low 6-8 hours. When meat is done, remove from the crockpot and shred with two forks. Top with the BBQ sauce.

BBQ Sauce:

-1 (16 oz) bottle apple cider vinegar

-1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

-2 tbsp kosher salt

-1/2 tbsp cayenne pepper

-1/2 tbsp crushed red pepper flakes

-1/4 tbsp hot pepper sauce

In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients. Let stand 3 hours so everything incorporates. Whisk well before pouring over shredded pork.

Mary's Guacamole

"I never liked avocados, until someone told me how fattenening they were." - Paula Deen

I spent 34 years turning my nose up at guacamole. I thought it looked gross, tasted gross and had a gross texture. What I realize now is that I was eating the WRONG guacamole. My friend Mary made this for a girls' night one time, and just to be polite, because she's my friend and all, I tried it. Then I ate the rest of the bowl!!! She was kind enough to share her recipe. I've had it for dinner twice this week. Enjoy... I DO! And thank goodness I've come to my senses about guacamole.

For every 1 avocado you use, add:

-juice of 1/2 lime

-sprinkling of kosher salt

-fresh cracked pepper to taste

-1 clove garlic

Because I am obsessed, I add:

-1 tbsp or so fresh chopped cilantro

-1/2 cup or so fresh chopped grape tomatoes

I use a potato masher to mash the top four ingredients together, then gently stir in the cilantro and grape tomatoes.

Blueberry Pancakes

Tried this recipe for the first time today and it was a hit! Ellie and I love blueberry pancakes. Rob likes his plain. So, I throw his on the griddle and then fold the blueberries into the rest of the batter. I served with bacon... a classic favorite!

-1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

-1 1/4 tsp baking powder

-1 1/2 tsp sugar

-1/2 tsp salt

-1/2 tbsp melted butter

-1 egg

-1 cup milk

-1/2 cup fresh blueberries (frozen would work, too, I guess)

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and sugar. In a small bowl, beat together egg and milk. Stir in to flour mixture. Add melted butter and stir until there are no lumps, being careful not to overbeat. Fold in blueberries and griddle 'em up!

Serve with warm maple syrup. Enjoy!

Soft Taco Casserole

I must say that next to Maryland seafood, Mexican grub is my favorite. Give me some chips & salsa, a messy burrito and a margarita to wash it all down and I'm a happy lady. I make Mexican food every year on Cinco de Mayo and tried this recipe the other night. It is pretty basic and to be honest, I wasn't expecting it to be very good. But, Rob and I agreed, it's a keeper! Even Ellie kept asking for "ah-bite?"

I used all lower-fat ingredients and it turned out perfect.

-1 pound ground beef

-6 flour tortillas (medium sized - I used Mission low-carb)

-1 medium onion, chopped

-2 cups salsa

-1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

-1 cup sour cream

-2 cups taco-flavored cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brown ground beef with the onion, drain. Mix together with black beans, taco seasoning and salsa. Stir in sour cream. Spray the bottom of a 9x13 glass pan with cooking spray. Line with 3 tortillas. Top with half of the beef mixture and half the cheese. Repeat. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 35 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Serve as is, or top with shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, chopped cilantro, hot sauce and extra sour cream.

Black Bean & Corn Salsa

A few years ago, my friend Abby brought this into the Governor's office with tortilla chips and I've been making it every spring/summer since. Hallie makes a similar version and serves it as a side dish. It is also great on top of grilled chicken or fish. Really, you could put whatever vegetables you like in it. It's a lot of chopping, but very worth it in the end. This salsa is also always better the second day.

-1 can of yellow corn, drained (I guess you could use frozen)

-1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

-1 red pepper, diced fine

-1 orange pepper, diced fine

-2 or 3 jalapenos, diced fine (leave the seeds if you want some heat)

-1 small red onion, diced fine

-1 pkg cherry tomatoes, cut in quarters or halves

-1 bunch of cilantro, chopped

-juice of 1 or 2 limes

-salt and pepper to taste

Dice everything and combine in a large bowl. Chill and serve. This feeds and army! I have also started zesting the limes and adding that as well. YUM!