This recipe, inspired by south-of-the-border flavors,  is a delicious twist on classic chicken salad. It’s got kick from the pickled jalapeños, crunch from the chopped veggies, and flavor from the cilantro and fresh lime. Serve the jalapeño chicken salad in the easy-to-make tortilla bowls or use it as a filling for wraps. The tortilla bowl isn’t as crisp and crunchy as the fried kind you get in a restaurant. It’s edible, of course, but it’s main purpose in this recipe is for presentation. Enjoy!

Jalapeño Chicken Salad
-recipe from Cook’s Country Magazine

Chicken salad is a great use for chicken left over from the night before or the rotisserie chickens sold by many chain restaurants and supermarkets. Any meat can be used–dark meat tends to be moister. Pickled jalapeños can be found in the international aisle at the supermarket, near the taco fixings. They add a bright, spicy flavor and crunchy texture to the salad. Cilantro stems have just as much flavor as the leaves, so you don’t have to be too thorough when picking and chopping the herb for the salad.

Makes about 5 cups.

2/3 cup mayonnaise  
1 tablespoon lime juice  
3 cups shredded cooked chicken  
1/2 medium rib celery, chopped fine 
1/2 small red onion, chopped fine 
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped fine 
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves   
1/4 cup sliced pickled jalapeños, chopped fine 

Mix mayonnaise and lime juice in small bowl until combined. Toss chicken, celery, onion, bell pepper, cilantro, and jalapeños in large bowl. Add mayonnaise mixture and toss until evenly coated. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Note: To make a tortilla bowl, spray both sides of large flour tortilla with nonstick cooking spray. Toast tortilla in nonstick skillet over medium heat until spotty brown on both sides but still soft, about 3 minutes. Using tongs, drape tortilla over small overturned bowl. Place second overturned bowl over tortilla and cool completely.

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Tags: celery, cilantro, Jalapeño Chicken Salad, jalapeno chiles, lime, lunch, red onion, red pepper, sandwich, wrap

Thai food makes me happy! I love all the exotic spices and flavors associated with it. A good curry is a harmony of many different flavors working together to become one. Fortunately for the home cook, many grocery stores now sell Thai curry paste in their Asian food section, which makes it much easier to make a good curry at home. I tried this recipe recently when, Oh joy, I had everything on hand to make the dish. Husband & I loved it!

I wanted more spice and curry flavor so I added a few more tablespoons of red curry paste. I also added mushrooms, celery and broccoli to the simmering curry, although I waited until the end of cooking to add the broccoli and snap peas so they would be bright green and crisp tender. Serve with steamed rice and enjoy!

For other recipe ideas & blogs, check out: Foodie Friday, Finer Things Friday, Friday Favorites, New Friend Friday, It’s A Hodgepodge Friday, Company Girl Coffee.

Thai Red Curry with Chicken & Vegetables
-recipe from Fine Cooking Magazine

This recipe is easily adaptable to serve meat-lovers and vegetarians alike: see the variation below to serve one vegetarian. Serve with jasmine rice. Serves four.
 
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
3 Tbs. red Thai curry paste
2 cups snap peas, trimmed and cut in half on the diagonal
2 large shallots, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
1 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced into 2-inch-long strips
One 13.5- to 14-oz. can coconut milk
6 wild lime leaves (magrut or kaffir lime;optional)
1 Tbs. light brown sugar
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 5), cut into 1- to 1-1/2-inch pieces
1 cup loosely packed Thai basil (or regular basil, torn into small pieces)
2 Tbs. fish sauce, more to taste
1 Tbs. plus 1 tsp. fresh lime juice
Kosher salt
 
Heat the oil in a 3-quart saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering hot. Add the curry paste and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, 20 seconds. Take the pan off of the heat and stir in the snap peas, shallots, pepper, coconut milk, lime leaves (if using), sugar, and 1 cup water. Stir to combine.

Add the chicken, bring to a simmer over medium heat, cover, and cook until the vegetables are tender and the chicken is cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes.

Stir in the basil, fish sauce, and lime juice. Let rest off the heat for 5 minutes. Season to taste with fish sauce or salt.

Variations:
To serve 1 vegetarian and 3 meat-lovers: After stirring in the vegetables, coconut milk, lime leaves, and water, transfer about 1 cup of the curry mixture to a 2-quart saucepan. To this smaller pan, add 4 oz. extra firm tofu, cut into 3/4-inch cubes, and bring to a simmer over medium heat, cover, and cook until the vegetables are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in 2 tsp. soy sauce, 1/4 cup of the basil, and 1 tsp. of the lime juice.

With the remaining curry mixture in the 3-quart saucepan, finish the master recipe above to serve the 3 meat lovers, reducing the amount of chicken to 12 oz.

Tags: chicken thighs, fish sauce, lime, red curry paste, red pepper, shallot, Thai

I love stir-fry dishes! They’re quick, easy to make, and a great way to eat more veggies.  My family is always thrilled to see beef on the menu so this meal was a hit (even with my Young Picky Eater). I particularly liked the sauce, which is flavored with hoisin sauce and sesame oil.

To get thin slices of beef, I froze the flank steak for 20 minutes or so then sliced it as thinly as possible. I used less garlic because I got side-tracked and forgot to put the remaining 4 cloves into the stir-fry (whoops!). It was still really good but the forgotten garlic would’ve added even more flavor. A rib-eye or flatiron steak would be a good substitute for the flank steak (use about a pound of meat). I sprinkled the stir-fry with toasted sesame seeds and served it with steamed jasmine rice.

Beef and Broccoli Stir-fry
-recipe from America’s Test Kitchen 30-Minute Suppers (Winter 2010)

Cooking the steak in two batches ensures maximum browning and flavor development. Serves 4.

1/2 cup water
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup dry sherry
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 small flank steak (about 1 pound), halved lengthwise and sliced thin
1 (16-ounce) bag broccoli florets
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced thin
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

Whisk water, hoisin, sherry, soy sauce, sesame oil, and cornstarch in bowl. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook half of steak until browned, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to bowl and repeat with additional 1 tablespoon oil and remaining steak.

Add broccoli, bell pepper, and remaining oil to empty pan and cook, covered and stirring occasionally, until vegetables are nearly tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Return steak and any accumulated juices to pan. Stir in hoisin mixture and cook until thickened, about 2 minutes. Serve.

Test Kitchen Note:To spice up this simple stir-fry, add a seeded, minced jalapeno chile (or two) along with the bell pepper.

Tags: Asian, Beef, broccoli, flank steak, garlic, ginger, red pepper, stir-fry

If you’re looking for a change from the traditional green bean casserole or just a new veggie side dish, look no further. This tasty recipe is sure to please! It combines crisp-tender green beans, sweet red pepper and smoky bacon, and takes only minutes to prepare.

Husband loves bacon on anythings so this recipe was definitely a slam dunk in our house. I’ve served it with turkey, chicken and beef, and it was great with all of them.

And for you vegetarians out there, you can saute onions instead of bacon and substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth. You’ll still have a winner side dish!

Green Beans with Bacon and Red Bell Pepper
-recipe from Bon Appétit Magazine

An updated southern side dish. Makes 4 to 6 servings. 

6 bacon slices, coarsely chopped
1 pound green beans, trimmed, cut in half
1 large red bell pepper, cut lengthwise into thin strips
1/2 cup canned low-salt chicken broth

Cook bacon in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat until brown and crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel and drain. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons drippings from skillet. Add green beans and bell pepper to skillet. Toss vegetables over medium-high heat until coated with drippings, about 1 minute. Add broth. Cover and cook until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to serving bowl. Sprinkle with bacon and serve.

Tags: bacon, Christmas, green beans, holidays, red pepper, Side Dish, Thanksgiving

This is a great salad…delicious, beautiful, and perfect for summer! I used leftover regrigerated cooked rice (about 3 cups), substituted 1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano for the 1 teaspoon of fresh, used both red onion and green onion, added a splash of red wine vinegar and some sliced sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil.  I used jasmine rice but basmati rice would also be really good. Be sure to scoop the seeds out of the cuke or you’ll end up with a watery salad. Also, go easy on the salt because both the feta cheese and kalamata olives are salty; mix it all together than season to taste. For a mexi version, add corn, black beans, sliced pimento-stuffed green olives, a little cumin and cilantro; omit the cuke, spinach, kalamata olives and feta. Enjoy!

Mediterranean Rice Salad
-recipe from Sunset Magazine
 
The bright flavors of this dish make it the perfect side dish for anything grilled.

Yield:  Makes 6 to 8 servings

1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups long-grain rice
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh oregano, minced
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 to 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 cups chopped spinach leaves
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1/2 cup chopped kalamata olives
1 cup crumbled feta cheese

In a medium saucepan, bring 2 1/2 cups water to a boil. Add 1/2 tsp. salt and the rice. Turn heat to low, cover, and simmer 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit 5 minutes. Uncover and fluff with a fork.

In a large bowl, whisk lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, oregano, pepper, pepper flakes, and remaining teaspoon of salt.

Add rice to dressing and toss to combine. Add spinach, toss, and let sit until no longer steaming, about 20 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and toss to combine. Serve at room temperature or cold.

Tags: cucumber, kalamata olives, Mediterranean, red pepper, rice, rice salad, Side Dish

Here’s a delicious, Mexi-inspired steak just in time for grilling season!  I can usually find flatiron steaks at Fred Meyer. New York strip steaks or rib-eyes would be a good substitute if you can’t find flatiron steaks (adjust the cooking time to the size of steak you use). Flatiron steaks are best cooked to medium-rare and sliced across the grain.

The sauce is a flavorful mix of smoky chipotle chiles and roasted red peppers, and it’s a bit spicy so you may want to start with half a chipotle chile and add more to taste (if the sauce is too spicy for you, just add a bit of sour cream to tame the heat). You can use jarred roasted red peppers for the sauce instead of grilling fresh ones…just dry them thoroughly with a paper towel before processing them or your sauce will be runny instead of thick. Grilled red potatoes, corn on the cob and rustic bread are delicious accompaniments to the steak and chipotle-red pepper sauce.

Chile-Rubbed Flatiron Steaks with Chipotle-Red Pepper Sauce
-recipe from Weber’s Real Grilling Cookbook by Jamie Purviance

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Sauce:
2 large red bell peppers
2 large garlic cloves
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 canned chipotle chile pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 flatiron steaks, about 1 pound each and 1/2 inch thick
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons prepared chili powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

To make the sauce: Grill the bell peppers over Direct High heat until they are blackened and blistered all over, 12 to 15 minutes, turning occasionally. Place the peppers in a large bowl and cover with plastic to trap the steam. Set aside for at least 10 minutes, then remove the peppers from the bowl and peel away the charred skins. Cut off the tops and remove the seeds. Place the peppers in a food processor or blender along with the remaining sauce ingredients. Process until smooth. Transfer to a small serving bowl.

Allow the steaks to stand at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before grilling. Lightly brush or spray the steaks all over with oil and season with the chili powder, salt, and pepper. Grill over Direct High heat until cooked to desired doneness, 4 to 6 minutes for medium-rare, turning once. Remove from the grill and let rest for 3 to 5 minutes before cutting into 1/4-inch slices. Serve warm with the sauce.

Tags: chipotle, flatiron steak, Grilling/BBQ, Quick Cooking, red pepper, steak