Crispy Rice Salad

 Crispy Rice:

450 grams cooked jasmine rice, cooled

3 tsp soy sauce

1 tbsp chilli crisp oil

1 tbsp sesame oil

Salad:

2 english cucumbers thinly sliced

1 cup edamame

1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced

1 avocado chopped

diced chicken (you can use rotisserie, cooked and shredded, cooked frozen chicken strips..)

chopped peanuts (optional)

sesame seeds, toasted

Sweet Chili Creamy Dressing:

1/4 cup greek yogurt

1/4 cup mayo (or all mayo if it needs to be dairy free)

50 grams sweet chili sauce

1/2 tsp paprika

water to thin

Method:

Make the crispy rice by preheating the oven to 375 degrees and line a baking tray with parchment paper. toss the cooled rice with soy sauce, chili crisp and sesame oil until coated the and spread out evenly and bake for 30-40 minutes tossing half way until golden and crispy. Set aside.

If using precooked and frozen chicken tenders cook them now. Or shred/dice your cooked chicken and heat up. Cook edamame.

Make the dressing by whisking all ingredients until smooth and add water to thin. Taste and adjust. 

To assemble: Add cucumber, edamame, green onions, avocado, cooked chicken, and crispy rice to a large bowl. Top with dressing and toss. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds. 

I like to have it all separate that way my kids can make it the way they would like, not everyone likes the crispy rice and it allows us to adjust the amount of dressing. 

Chicken Cantina Burrito (copy cat taco bell recipe)

 Slow roasted mexican chicken (cooked ahead of time)

large tortillas

red cabbage, shredded

lattuce, shredded

shredded cheese

pico de gallo

avocado ranch sauce

chipotle sauce

Slow roasted mexican chicken; preheat oven to 300 degrees. Season chicken (you can use a whole chicken broken down, thighs, breasts, drumsticks, bones in or out) with salt, paprika, cumin, and black pepper, measure with your heart. Pour canned tomatoes (with the juice), chopped onion, garlic and roughly chopped jalapeno into a large baking dish. Place the seasoned chicken on top so it rests directly over the vegetables. Cover, or leave it uncovered, and roast for 1.5-2 hours or until chicken is 165 degrees. Remove the dish from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate and shred the meat. Use an immersion blender to puree the tomato mixture, that is left in the dish, until smooth. Add some of the blended sauce on top of the chicken so that it is nice and juicy. Serve warm.

Avocado ranch sauce:

1 avocado

1/2 cup mayo (if not making it dairy free I would add greek yogurt for half of the measurement) 

1/4-1/2 cup milk (oat milk if dairy free)

1 Tbs lime juice

2 Tbs fresh dill

1/4 cup fresh cilantro

salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder to taste

Blend everything until totally smooth, will store in the fridge in an airtight container up to 5 days

Chipotle Sauce:

chipotle in adobo sauce, use the sauce or blend up the pepper and mix a little with some mayo or greek yogurt until your desired heat preference. You can also blend it with some cottage cheese if you want more protein and dairy. 

BURRITO:

Warm the flour tortilla, assemble the burrito placing shredded chicken cabbage, lettuce, cheese, pico de gallo, avocado ranch sauce, chipotle sauce then wrap up. you can grill off the seam and the top if you want a little crisp or just eat it soft. 

BOWL:

Start with a generous amount of lettuce and cabbage then top with all of the burrito guts. 

Abbie's Modified version of Wendy's Chili

 2 pounds ground beef or turkey

28 ounce can of diced tomatoes (or a quart of tightly packed tomatoes from last years garden)

2 cans 15 oz kidney beans

2 cans 15 oz pinto beans

1 diced onion

2 cans green chilies

3 stalks of celery, diced

giant handful of spinach

frozen corn (as much as you want)

2 cups cooked red lentils (optional for extra fiber and protien)

2 teaspoons cumin

1-2 Tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons chicken bullion

salt and pepper to taste

Depending on the thickness you prefer, you may need to add water.

Cook lentils and set aside.

Drain the beans and reserve the liquid.

Cook beef, or turkey, adding some chili powder, cumin, garlic salt to season then set aside. Make sure it's good and crumbled to small pieces. 

Saute onion and celery (and any other veggies you want to hide in there, sometimes I like mushrooms or carrots).

Add cumin, chili powder, and chicken bullion powder to pot with veggies to bloom.

Add canned tomatoes, lentils, and spinach (as much as you would like without altering the color too much). If you need some liquid add some of the bean juice.

Using an immersion blender, blend it all together to make a thick sauce. Thin it out with the reserved bean liquid, if you run out then add some water. Occasionally I will add some freeze dried tomatoes to help with the color if it's looking a little green.

Add meat, beans, green chilies, and corn. Adjust the liquid to your preference. 

You can eat it when the corn is warm or you can simmer for as long as you want just keep an eye on the liquid to make sure it's not burning on the bottom of the pot. 

Pasta E Fagioli Soup (Olive Garden Copycat)

1 lb. cooked and drained hamburger

1 can kidney beans (drained)

1 can cannellini beans (drained) 

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped carrots

1 cup chopped onion

1 can rotel tomatoes ( I used 1 can diced tomatoes and 1 can green chilli)

1 24 oz bottle marinara sauce

4 cups beef broth

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp oregano

1tsp parsley

1 tsp basil

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp of salt and pepper

1 cup uncooked Barilla Ditalini pasta (small salad type pasta)

Brown hamburger and drain.  Add all ingredients in a crockpot and cook for 2-4 hours on high.  (I cooked mine 3 hours)  Add 1 cup uncooked Barilla Ditalini pasta (small salad type pasta) and cook for additional 30 minutes in the crockpot.  Top with parmesan cheese when serving.  

This soup has real good flavor and is even better the next day.  Enjoy!

Pumpkin Sheet Cake

Pumpkin Cake 4 eggs 2 c sugar 1 c vegetable oil 1 - 15 oz can pumpkin puree 2 c flour 1 Tbsp cinnamon 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp salt 2/3 bag of mini chocolate chips Frosting 1/2 c butter 8 oz cream cheese 1 1/2 tsp vanilla 1 1/2 c powdered sugar Preheat oven to 350° F Spray 13 x 18 inch cookie sheet with non-stick spray In a mixing bowl combine eggs, sugar, oil, & pumpkin until fluffy and fully incorporated Slowly add the flour but continue stirring to avoid clumps Add the cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, & salt and mix until well combined Stir in the chocolate chips Pour the batter into prepared baking sheet and spread evenly Bake for 25 - 30 min or until set and let cool completely For the frosting, cream together butter & cream cheese in a mixing bowl until fluffy Add vanilla and powdered sugar and mix until smooth Spread frosting over cooled cake

Pumpkin Apple Muffins

Muffins:

 2 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

2 eggs

1 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup grated apple peeled and cored apple

Instructions:

* Preheat oven to 350 degrees

* Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, baking soda and salt together in a bowl.

*In a separate bowl, combine eggs, pumpkin and vegetable oil.

* Combine pumpkin mixture with flour mixture.

*Fold in grated apples.  (I also added raisins and chopped walnuts)  

*Do not over mix batter, Just stir until everything is mixed in.  Over stirring can cause tough muffins.

*Scoop mixture into muffin tins lined with paper liners or sprayed with a non-stick spray.

*Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.

* Allow muffins to cool slightly before removing from pan.  Continue cooling muffins on a baking rack.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

 Chocolate Chip Cookies  (from melskitchencafe.com)

1 cup (227 g) salted butter, softened

3/4 cup (159 g) packed light brown sugar

3/4 cup (159 g) granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3 cups (426 g) all-purpose flour

2 cups (340 g) chocolate chips

*Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (I cooked mine at 360 deg for 10 min).  Line baking sheets with parchment paper or lightly grease with cooking spray.

*In a large bowl with a handheld electric mixer or in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.

*Add the baking soda, baking powder, salt, flour and chocolate chips.  Mix until combined.

*Scoop the dough into 2 Tbl. size mounds and roll into balls. (I scooped the dough into a large tablespoon mound)  Place several inches apart on prepared baking sheets.

*Bake for 10-11 Minutes until the edges are just set and the middles are still light and fluffy.

*Let the cookies rest on the baking sheets for 3-4 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

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*For cookies that are flattening or spreading too much in the oven, try adding a couple tablespoons more flour to the dough and/or increasing the oven temperature to 370 or 375 degrees.

*For cookies that are staying mounded and not flattening well, try decreasing the over temperature to 325 degrees and/or using several tablespoons less flour next time around.

*Mix the following: butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla and eggs.  When I say "mix" I mean "mix it real good." Until the batter is light and fluffy.

Add the dry ingredients and chocolate chips...and this time, mix until everything is just combined.  You don't want to over mix the cookie dough at this point.

You can also freeze the cookie dough.  Roll the cookie dough into balls and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Place the baking sheet int the freezer.  Once the cookie dough is frozen, transfer the cookie dough balls to a Ziploc bag or other covered container and place in the freezer.  To bake frozen cookie dough, place the cookie dough balls on a baking sheet and add 1-3 minutes onto the baking time.