Chipotle-Mango BBQ Chicken Salad

Salad sans dressing

Ingredients:

Chipotle-Mango BBQ Sauce:

1 mango, peeled and chopped

1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, plus 2 t. adobo sauce

1/2 c. ketchup

1/2 c. apple juice

1/4 onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled

juice from 1/2 lemon

2 T. unseasoned rice vinegar

2 T. brown sugar

1 T. canola oil

2 t. paprika *

2 t. salt

1 t. black pepper

*I only had 1 t. paprika, so I substituted the rest with just a 1/2 t. cayenne pepper.

Dressing:

2 T. prepared Chipotle-Mango BBQ sauce

2 T. plain Greek yogurt

1-2 t. lime juice, give or take a little

salt and pepper

Salad:

2 chicken breasts

2 ears sweet corn, shucked

1 vine-ripe tomato, cut into wedges

1/4 c. chopped cilantro

1 bag Dole Romaine Salad mix *

*I used just a head of Romaine

Recipe:

Chipotle-Mango BBQ Sauce:

1. Combine all ingredients for BBQ sauce into a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring often. Let cool then transfer to a food processor or blender, and process until smooth.

Dressing:

1. Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl. Taste, then add more lime juice, salt and pepper if necessary.

Salad:

1. Marinate chicken breasts in some of the prepared Chipotle-Mango BBQ sauce for at least 15 minutes, or up to 3 hours.

2. Grill over medium-high heat for 5-6 minutes per side until no longer pink in the middle. Allow to rest for 5 minutes off the grill before slicing.

3. Grill corn alongside the chicken, rotating every few minutes until charred on all sides. Let cool for a few minutes, then cut kernels off the cob.

4. Divide lettuce between two plates, then top with grilled corn, tomatoes, cilantro, and grilled chicken. Drizzle with prepared dressing.

Rating: 4 of 5

I really liked this salad. My only complaint is the heat of the dressing, but that is easily remedied by taking out the chipotle pepper before blending. I thought the chicken marinade was perfect and just the right flavor to go with the salad and cilantro. For the corn, I brushed it with olive oil and then grilled it. Loved the flavor in the salad. Super easy salad to make although it does require a little bit of prep time. I'd definitely make this again.

Source: Iowa Girl Eats, Chipotle-Mango BBQ Chicken Salad

Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala

Ingredients:

5 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1 inch pieces

1/2 large yellow onion, finely diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 T. freshly, finely grated ginger *

1 jalapeno, stemmed, sliced in half and seeds removed

1 29-oz can tomato puree

1 1/2 c. plain yogurt **

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

2 T. lemon juice

2 T. Garam Masala

1 T. cumin

1/2 T. paprika

2 t. salt, or to taste

3/4 t. cinnamon

3/4 t. freshly ground black pepper

1-3 t. cayenne pepper***

2 bay leaves

1 c. heavy cream****

1/2 T cornstarch

prepared long grain white rice or Basmati rice

chopped cilantro, for serving

*I just used my ground ginger

** I had vanilla flavored on hand

*** This depends on how much kick you want in your food. I went for 2ish t.

**** Um....COMPLETELY forgot to put the cream in! Just now realizing this two days after making.

Recipe:

1. In a large mixing bowl combine chopped onions, minced garlic, grated ginger, sliced jalapeno, tomato puree, plain yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, Garam Masala, cumin, paprika, salt, cinnamon, pepper, and cayenne pepper. Stir until combined.

2. Pour half of sauce mixture into a large slow cooker then add in diced chicken. Cover chicken with the remaining sauce.

3. Add in 2 bay leaves. Cover slow cooker with lid and cook on low heat for 8 hours OR high heat for 4.

4. In a mixing bowl, whisk together heavy cream and cornstarch. Pour mixture into slow cooker and gently stir.

5. Allow mixture to cook 20 minutes while you prepare the rice. Remove bay leaves and sliced jalapeno and serve warm over rice and sprinkle with chopped cilantro.

Rating: 4 of 5

Based on taste. If it were on just ease, then it would be a 5. I mean, seriously, how does it get better than a crock pot?? Okay, so considering I completely spaced the cream, I thought this dish was super delicious. I've gotta think that the cream might tone down the amount of "kick" this dish has. It taste just like authentic Tikka Masala (well, at least the one time I've had it. There are a lot of Indians in our neck of the woods). Just from past eating experiences, everything Indian always tastes better with pita bread, which I didn't have time to make, so this dish would have been even better! If you're new to Indian food, then this is a good starter dish. Also, I loved how it made our apartment smell! So many good spices in this one. Um....delicious.

Source: Cooking Classy, Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken Gyros

Ingredients:

For the tzatziki sauce: *

16 oz. plain yogurt

1/2 hothouse cucumber or 1 regular cucumber, peeled and seeded

2-3 cloves garlic, pressed through a garlic press (or finely minced)

1 t. red wine vinegar

salt and pepper

squeeze of fresh lemon juice **

extra virgin olive oil

*I halved it.

** not sure exactly how much this means, so I did almost one whole lemon

For the chicken: (didn't halve this)

4 cloves garlic, smashed *

1 lemon, juice of

2 t. red wine vinegar

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

2 heaping T. plain yogurt

1 T dried oregano

salt and pepper

1 1/4 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed **

*I just used minced garlic

** I used 3 chicken breasts

To assemble:

pita bread

fresh tomatoes, seeded and diced

red onion, thinly sliced

Recipe:

1. To make the tzatziki sauce, strain the yogurt using cheesecloth over a bowl. Let strain for several hours or overnight, if possible, to remove as much moisture as possible. If using a Greek yogurt, then staining the yogurt like this is unnecessary.*

2. Shred the cucumber. Wrap in a towel and squeeze to remove as much water as possible.

3. Mix together the strained yogurt, shredded cucumber, garlic, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, and lemon juice. Drizzle lightly with olive oil.

4. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld.

* I actually skipped this step and just took the yogurt from the top of the container. All the moisture was in a pool in the middle anyways.

5. To prepare the chicken, combine the garlic, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, yogurt, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste in a medium bowl. Whisk together until mixed well. Add the chicken peices to the bowl and mix well to coat.

6. Cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour.

7. Cook the chicken as desired, either in the skillet or with the broiler. Once the chicken is completely cooked through, transfer to a plate and let rest for 5 minutes.

8. Heat pitas. Top with chicken, tzatziki sauce, diced tomatoes and sliced onions. Serve immediately.

Rating: 4 of 5

I've only ever had Greek food, or more specifically gyros, a few times in my life. And I love it. The flavors seem so exotic, but a safe exotic. I thought the tzatziki sauce was right on (well, except for maybe there is just a tad bit too much red wine vinegar), the chicken was delicious, and the warm pitas were perfect. I left out the red onions, because I really don't care for raw onions. Ever. If I could find a recipe that replicates Daphne's lamb gyro exactly, then that would be amazing! Overall, a very good dish.

Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe, Chicken Gyros

Black and Blue

Ingredients:

3/4 c. blackberries, generous

1 scant c. blueberries

scant 1/2 c. ice cold water

2/3 c. plain yogurt

Recipe:

1. Put the blackberries, blueberries, water, and yogurt into blender and process until smooth.

2. Pour into glasses and serve.

Rating: 3 of 5

Like I've said before, I'm still adjusting to the non-sugar shakes. This one is pretty bitter at first, but after a few swallows it doesn't stick out as much. I love the blackberries. I think it's the blueberries that are so bitter in this. I dunno. I'd made it again, though. And I'll substitute the plain yogurt for vanilla flavored.

Source: 100 Best Smoothies & Juices, pg. 84

Berry Brightener

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. blueberries

2/3 c. cranberry juice

2/3 c. plain yogurt

Recipe:

1. Put the blueberries and cranberry juice into a food processor or blender. Process for 1-2 minutes, until smooth.

2. Add the yogurt and process briefly to combine. Taste and add honey, if you would like. Process briefly again until thoroughly blended.

3. Pour into chilled glasses, add straws and serve.

Rating: 1.5 of 5

The taste of this one isn't terrible, a little tart and cranberry overpowered, yes. The thing that did it in for me is that the yogurt and juice separate pretty quickly after serving and I just couldn't not muscle down the clumpy yogurt on top. I don't think I'll make this one again.

Source: 100 Best Smoothies & Juices, pg. 30

Banana Breakfast Shake

Ingredients:

2 ripe bananas

3/4 c. yogurt

1/2 c. skim milk*

1/2 t. vanilla extract

* I never have skim milk, so I use what I've got

Recipe:

1. Put the bananas, yogurt, milk, and vanilla into a food processor or blender.

2. Process until smooth.

3. Serve at once.

Rating: 2.75 of 5

This really isn't a bad shake, I just used to my strawberry shake that is loaded with vanilla ice cream and a ton of sugar. So, I'm sure after I adjust to the lack of sugar then it will be a higher rating. The shake overall is somewhat banana bland...as in all you can taste is banana. And it's pretty warm. So, next time I think I will freeze the banana the night before, use vanilla flavored yogurt instead of plain, and that should increase the taste for me! And, it won't sacrifice the low caloric count too much.

Source: 100 Best Smoothies and Juices, pg. 20

Healthy Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:

1 c. light brown sugar, packed

2 large egg whites

1 c. pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)

1/4 c. canola oil

1/3 c. low-fat plain yogurt

1 t. vanilla extract

1 c. all-purpose flour

3/4 c. whole wheat flour

1 1/2 t. baking powder

1 t. ground cinnamon

1/2 t. ground nutmeg

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

Chocolate chips

Recipe:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 8 1/2" by 4 1/2" metal loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray with flour.

2. In large bowl, with wire whisk, combine brown sugar and egg whites. Add pumpkin, oil, yogurt, and vanilla extract; stir to combine.

3. In medium bowl, combine all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture; stir until just combined. Do not overmix.

4. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Invert pumpkin bread onto wire rack; cool completely.

Rating:TBD

Again, not a fan of pumpkin. Someone else will have to make this and tell me what they would rate it.

Source: Stephany Pando, from Good Housekeeping