Category Archives: Meat/ Poultry

Breakfast Burrito

Main Course, Meat/ Poultry, Uncategorized, , , , , , , ,

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Weekends are usually the only time I have to make a family breakfast. But, even on the weekends I may be crunched for time to get breakfast on the table. Between basketball games, errands or family outings I sometimes have to pull together a quick meal before we head out the door.

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Breakfast Burritos are a quick way to get a relatively balanced breakfast on the table without a lot of fuss. Plus, the burritos are light but filling so you feel satisfied and not hungry a few minutes after eating. I like to add veggies to my Breakfast Burritos to make them seem healthier than if I loaded them with potatoes or other heavy foods like you see in fast food commercials. That being said, it doesn’t mean I don’t like a little bacon on my burrito. Healthy is good but bacon is too!

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Getting back to the veggies in the Breakfast Burrito, I count salsa as a veggie. Salsa is basically nothing but veggies. Tomatoes, onions, peppers. Three vegetables in one scoop of salsa. How great is that? Even my youngest son likes salsa. Although he would also tell you he does not like fresh tomatoes. Cooked? Yes. Fresh? No. Crazy I know but it is all a mind game. There are plenty of things in life folks say they don’t like in one form but love them in another form. For instance, I have a friend that refuses to each raw broccoli with dip. However, she is wild about broccoli salad. Go figure. Hmmm… it must be the bacon. Again, bacon is always good. Yea bacon!

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Okay, I got off track for a second. Back to the Breakfast Burritos. You can add whatever you like to your burrito. Leftovers are a wonderful filling to Breakfast Burritos as long as they go with eggs. Try my standard version of a Breakfast Burrito then try creating your own version. Whatever you do I know it will be good.

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Breakfast Burrito

Ingredients:
8 large eggs
6 slices bacon
3 large tortillas
¼ cup milk
½ cup shredded Colby Jack cheese
¼ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
¼ cup salsa
1 tbsp sour cream
1 tbsp butter
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

Place bacon on a microwave safe plate with a stack of 3 paper towels and cover with a paper towel. Microwave bacon for 4 ½ minutes until crispy. May need to adjust time based on your microwave. Set aside.

Melt butter in a medium size non-stick frying pan. Add eggs and milk. Break up yolks in the pan and stir until eggs are blended with the milk. Stir in cheddar cheese and black pepper. Cook until eggs are scramble, light and fluffy.

Lay a large tortilla on a flat surface. Spread a little cream cheese over the tortilla. This will act as a binding agent to keep the tortilla together when you roll it up. Place a spoonful of scrambled eggs at one end of the tortilla. Layer a little salsa over the egg then sprinkle shredded Colby Jack cheese over the salsa. Add two slices of bacon over the cheese. Fold the closest end of the tortilla over the filling then fold in the two sides. Roll the tortilla tucking in the sides as you go until you reach the other end of the tortilla. Place tortilla on a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Bake the tortillas for 5 – 10 minutes to allow cheese to melt and the tortilla is warm.

 

 

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Roasted Pork Tenderloin

Main Course, Meat/ Poultry, Uncategorized, , , , , , ,

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I have to say on the day I prepared this recipe I was really stopped up and couldn’t enjoy the normal aromas surrounding me when I cook. But, the Roasted Pork Loin smell came through loud and clear. The pork smelled heavenly with the onions and jalapeno peppers I added to the dish. All of a sudden I felt my mouth watering and I realized it was because of the delicious smell coming from the oven. It is nice when good food evokes that kind of reaction. The smell is great, your mouth waters and you just cannot wait to eat!

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Not everyone enjoys pork but if you are willing to serve it to family and friends this will be a crowd pleaser. Pork loin is a tender piece of meat but like with any meat it can dry out if you are not careful. I think surrounding the pork loin with lots of onions and peppers along with a little water then wrapping it up tight helps to lock in the juices and the flavors.

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Roasted Pork Loin is excellent as a sandwich or paired with fried apples and mashed potatoes. No matter what you decide to make as a side dish the Roasted Pork Loin with be the star on your table. “Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close-up”.

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Roasted Pork Loin

Ingredients:
1 – 2 pork loins
1 large onion sliced
1 jalapeno pepper sliced
1 cup of water
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tsp onion powder
½ tsp ground ginger
paprika

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Season pork loins with all seasonings and place in a roasting pan. Cover with onions and jalapeno peppers. Pour water into the pan and wrap tightly with foil. Bake for 1 ½ hours until cooked and tender. Slice for a meal or sandwiches.

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Mixed Baked Beans

Main Course, Meat/ Poultry, Side Dish, Uncategorized, Vegetables, , , , , , , ,

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Summertime is usually the time when folks make baked beans for every picnic, bar-b-que (yes, there is a difference between the two) or outdoor kids birthday party. But, we like to have baked beans year round because they taste so darn good. Plus, baked beans pair well with a lot of different meats like hot dogs, kielbasa, hot sausages and burgers. The list goes on and on.

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Now that I have said how wonderful baked beans can be I think I should add that they sometimes need to be “doctored up”. I came up with Mixed Baked Beans because I wanted to make a slightly different side dish to go with some oven baked spare ribs I was fixing for dinner. I had a shelf full of a variety of beans so I decided to mix them all together to see how it would taste. If I do say so myself, they tasted absolutely delicious. The flavors of the cannellini, black beans and the homestyle baked beans blended together very well and were fantastic with the ribs.

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The next time I tried making Mixed Baked Beans  I added some kielbasa and andouille sausage to the beans to kick up the flavors even more. Imagine all those wonderful flavors mixing together all in one simple dish. Hmmm…. I think I know what we are having for dinner tonight. Mixed Baked Beans with a few added surprises. Excellent!

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Mixed Baked Beans

Ingredients:
1 15 oz can cannellini beans drained and rinsed
1 15 oz can black beans drained and rinsed
1 15 oz can homestyle baked beans
1 14 oz can fire roasted tomatoes
½ cup diced onion
½ cup diced green pepper
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp butter
½ tbsp dijon mustard
1 tsp salt
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp black pepper
½ diced jalapeno pepper

Optional:
2 slices of bacon diced
kielbalsa sausage
andouille sausage

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Spray casserole dish with cooking spray. Combine all ingredients into the casserole dish. Stir to mix well. Bake for 30 – 35 minutes until hot and bubbly.

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Comfort Stew

Main Course, Meat/ Poultry, Soups/ Salads / Stews, Uncategorized, , , , , , , ,

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Comfort food comes in many shapes, flavors and categories. Some are hot and some are cold. Comfort foods can also be seasonal. During the summer months my comfort foods are homemade potato salad, hand churned ice cream and my mom’s apple pie. In the cooler and down right cold months my comfort foods tend to be homemade soups and stews.

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Just recently my hubby added a new dish I made to his comfort foods list. I think because it was a hearty stew packed with protein, veggies and fiber in the form of beans. Two kinds of beans to be exact. Beans are very rich in fiber as well as protein. I used black beans ( 15 g of fiber in 1 cup) and small white beans (19 g of fiber in 1 cup) to help fill my family up and to provide them with as much nutrition as possible in one dish. That is the great thing about stews. They can be a one pot dish which means easy clean up. At least my son thinks so because he usually does the dishes.

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This Comfort Stew is even better the day after you make it. In my humble opinion, letting a dish sit overnight allows the seasonings and other ingredients to meld together and create an explosion of flavor. Because beans are so filling you will probably have leftovers so you can bet on enjoying another delicious bowl of Comfort Stew the next day. We sure did!

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Comfort Stew

Ingredients:
2 lbs ground turkey (93% lean)
2 14 oz cans small white beans with liquid
1 14 oz can black beans drained and rinsed
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes with jalapenos
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes with sauce
3 scallions sliced
1 onion diced
1 red pepper diced
1 small Napa cabbage shredded
½ green pepper diced
½ cup celery diced
½ cup water

Seasonings:
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp thyme
½ tsp basil

Brown ground turkey on medium high heat in a large pot. Season meat with salt, black pepper, onion powder and garlic powder. Add scallions, red and green peppers. Stir and reduce heat to medium. Cook for 3 -5 minutes. Add tomatoes, cabbage, water, beans and remaining seasonings. Stir and lower heat slightly. Simmer for 20 minutes.

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Sunny Side Burger

Main Course, Meat/ Poultry, Uncategorized, , , , , , ,

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I wrote my recipe for Sunny Side Burgers back in the fall but I just recently took the time to really try out the recipe. Actually, I forgot that I had not tested the recipe on my family. Mostly, because it takes a little time to make a good burger and on week nights I am rushing to get dinner on the table after work. On the weekends I am also running around or I have some other ideas in my head and just forgot to try out the burger.

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Anyway, I was flipping through the journal I use to do my writing and ran across my Sunny Side Burger recipe so I thought it would be a good time to try it on hubby. I decided to surprise him and make them for lunch rather that pick up a sandwich from our favorite deli. One of the keys to making a good burger is to form a medium sized patty and create a indentation in the middle of the patty. This helps prevent a big bubble from forming in the middle of the patty that you naturally want to mash down. When you press down on your burgers you are releasing all of the wonderful juices which is a no-no.

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Burgers, I think, are a very individualized food. Everyone likes their burgers prepared in a different way whether it is rare, medium rare or well done. We also like to put different toppings on our burgers. The Sunny Side Burger has basic ingredients but can still be customized to your own tastes like any other recipe you find on dmariedining.com. Try making my version then let me know what you think and if you add a little something to it.

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Enjoy!

Sunny Side Burgers

Ingredients:
1 lb ground sirloin (4 burgers)
8 slices crispy bacon
4 eggs
4 slices beefsteak tomatoes
4 slices pepper jack cheese
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 ½ tbsp vegetable oil
4 ciabatta rolls sliced

Optional:
shredded lettuce
shredded cheeses

Form ground sirloin into 4 patties. Sprinkle with worcestershire, salt, pepper and onion powder. Make a thumb impression in the middle of the burger.

Place vegetable oil in an iron skillet and heat on medium high heat. Add hamburger patties and brown on one side until a crust is formed. Flip burger and cook on the other side to your desired level of rareness. Do Not flatten the burger or all of the delicious juices will escape. Remove burger from the pan and place on a paper towel to rest.

In a non-stick pan melt butter then add egg. Cook until desired hardness of the egg. Slice ciabatta rolls. Toast slightly (optional). Assemble burgers by placing burger on bottom half of the ciabatta roll. Top burger with slice of cheese, egg, lettuce, tomato then two slices of bacon. Place the remaining bun on top and enjoy.

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Apple, Brie and Prosciutto Appetizer

Appetizers, Fruits, Meat/ Poultry, Uncategorized, , , , , , , ,

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Apples are a marvelous fruit that is transformed throughout the year into delicious recipes for snacks, drinks and desserts. Some recipes are seasonal like warm apple crisp in the warmer months or mixed into fruit salads in the cooler months. My simple recipe for Apple, Brie and Prosciutto Appetizer can be made anytime of the year and may be transformed by the type of apple you decide to use.

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In the fall , the best kinds of apples are honey crisp, Swiss gourmet and granny smith. When my youngest son was a little guy we would gather some friends to go apple picking before the weather turned too cold. There was a local farm not far from out neighborhood that allowed you to pick seasonal fruits by the pound. The kids loved it because they could ride a wagon down to the apple orchard then fill their bags to the brim. Granted, it was a little more expense than store bought apples but to see the kids running around having fun was well worth it. Plus, there was a petting zoo, face painting and pony rides that the kids all loved.

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My apple of choice for this recipe was a granny smith apple. We did not have time to pick any so I had to settle for apples from the grocer. Still, the apples were juicy and delicious. Anyway, I used granny smith apples because I wanted a contrast of flavors between the Apples, Brie and Prosciutto.

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Hubby thought the Apple, Brie and Prosciutto Appetizer was sweet and rich but not too rich. Sour, salty and sweet is how I would describe the flavors. Sour, because of the granny smith apples. Salty, because of the slightly salty prosciutto and sweet because of the nice creamy brie. Adding a few crackers to the mix made my hubby and I agree this was an appetizer our family, friends and my blog followers would enjoy. This recipe will definitely be on my menu for the holidays. To make it look festive during the holidays I think I will use both red and green apples. Maybe I should make an apricot fruit dip to go along with the apples. Hmmm….. stay tuned for that one.

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Apple, Brie and Prosciutto Appetizer

Ingredients:
1 – 2 granny smith apples sliced into wedges
1 – 2 pkgs prosciutto sliced in half lengthwise
8 oz brie sliced cut into bite sized pieces

Place a piece of brie on each apple slice then wrap with prosciutto. Serve with crackers.

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Shredded Chicken and Pasta Soup

Main Course, Meat/ Poultry, Pasta and Grains, Soups/ Salads / Stews, , , , , , ,

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Comfort food is good anytime of the year but fall calls for comfort soup. With slight breezes and the crisp sound of falling leaves, soup is a great way to warm up and snuggle. Chicken noodle soup is a very traditional comfort food which my family loves. But, I wanted to make a traditional chicken soup with a slight twist. That is why I decided to make a Shredded Chicken and Pasta Soup.

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When it came to choosing a pasta for the soup I didn’t want a noodle so I had to search for a type of pasta that would compliment the soup. Ditalini pasta turned out to be the perfect pasta for the Shredded Chicken and Pasta Soup. Ditalini looks like little tubes and they soaked up the chicken broth. Every bite offered an extra burst of broth and flavor.

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One thing I really liked about the Shredded Chicken and Pasta Soup was the fact that including the pasta made the soup very filling. A big bowl of soup makes a full meal with a nice chunk of crusty bread. If you want to have the soup with a meal I would suggest you only have a small cup so that you don’t get full too fast. Either way you will definitely have a smile on your face while eating the soup.

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Think about cooking up a big pot of Shredded Chicken and Pasta Soup the next time you feel a chill in the air. It will warm you up and put a smile on your face. Remember comfort food is good anytime of the year but fall and winter call for comfort soup.

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Shredded Chicken and Pasta Soup

Ingredients:
4 chicken thighs
5 quarts water
3 cups Ditalini pasta (prepare according to package)
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced onion
1 cup shredded carrots (rough chop)
3 scallions diced (green part included)
2 tbsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp Adobo seasoning
½ tsp dried dill
¼ tsp thyme
dash of cayenne pepper (optional)

Place water, chicken, ½ cup onions and all seasonings except for dill into a large pot. Cook chicken on medium high for 45 minutes or until chicken is cooked all the way through and is tender. Remove chicken from the pot and set aside to cool for shredding. Once cooled, shred chicken with your fingers and set aside.

Strain chicken broth and place back into the pot. Skim some of the chicken grease from the surface of the broth. Reduce heat to medium. Add the additional cup of chicken broth, carrots, celery, green onions, dill and remaining onions to the pot. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add chicken to the broth and simmer for another 10 – 15 minutes. You can either place pasta in individual bowls then ladle soup over the pasta so that the pasta stays al dente. Or, you can add pasta to the soup and remove from heat so that the pasta does not over cook.

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Spicy Meatball Stew

Main Course, Meat/ Poultry, Soups/ Salads / Stews, Uncategorized, , , , , ,

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I enjoy hearty stews in the winter but I also enjoy them in the warmer months just because I like stews. Since my family doesn’t eat beef too often I decided to create a stew that replaces a typical beef stew using spicy meatballs but still remained hearty.

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When you think meatballs you usually think of beef but meatballs can be made out of ground turkey, chicken or pork. In most recipes that call for a ground meat I use turkey. The one thing about ground turkey is that you must season it really well otherwise it will taste bland. Lately, I prefer baking my meatballs instead of frying them. This eliminates having the meatballs absorb a lot of excess fat. Plus, it is easier to control the heat so the meatballs don’t dry out too much while cooking.

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Spicy Meatball Stew was somewhat of a surprise for my family. I received a few strange glances when I placed a bowl full of stew on the table for dinner. They were use to seeing meatballs floating around in a nice tomato sauce not swimming with veggies and gravy. However, it did not take long for them to trust I had worked my cooking magic so they lunged into their bowls and came up saying “Hmmm… not bad”. The second and third bites had them totally convinced that Spicy Meatball Stew was fantastic and produced smiling faces. It is always nice when the family requests a second helping.

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Spicy Meatball Stew

Ingredients:

Meatballs
1 lb ground turkey
1 lb ground spicy sausage
2 eggs beaten
½ cup panko bread crumbs
¼ cup half and half
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp onion powder
½ tsp parsley chopped
½ tsp Adobo
cooking spray

Stew
1 jar beef au jus
1 small bag baby carrots cut in half
1 small bag frozen peas
1 small onion diced
2 stalks celery dice
2 cloves garlic chopped
2 red potatoes cubed
1 cup beef broth
½ cup water
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp thyme

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl mix ground turkey, ground sausage, seasonings and worcestershire. Form meatballs and place on a rimmed baking sheeting sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 30 – 35 minutes. If not quite done, meatballs will finish cooking in the stew.

While the meatballs are cooking heat olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium high heat. Add onions, celery, salt and pepper. Saute for 2 – 3 minutes to let veggies sweat. Add garlic and stir for 1 – 2 minutes. Be careful not to let garlic burn. If necessary, reduce heat. Add remaining ingredients except for peas. Reduce heat to medium and let simmer for 15 minutes. Add meatballs and peas. Cook for an additional 20 – 25 minutes. May be eaten alone or served over egg noodles, mashed potatoes or rice.

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Naan Style Pizza

Main Course, Meat/ Poultry, Uncategorized, , , , ,

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Tonight I made Naan Style Pizzas. I found small individual sized Naan at Trader Joes’s. I was looking for small regular flatbread but spotted the Naan flatbread instead. I wanted to make something quick for dinner and thought homestyle pizzas would be a good choice for a quick meal. Hubby and my youngest son are pizza lovers so they usually like any kind of pizza you throw in front of them. I on the other hand prefer non traditional style pizzas.

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Passing by the deli meats and cheeses I had a light bulb moment and decided to make a variety of pizza toppings like pre-cooked chicken, prosciutto, salami and capicola instead of pepperoni or sausage. Since the pizzas were individual sized we were each able to try a different type of topping. To make the pizzas even more non-traditional I slathered the Naan with pesto instead of a basic pizza sauce. This gave the pizzas more of a savory taste rather than the acidic flavor you get with tomato sauce.

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The best thing about pulling together the Naan Style Pizzas is that it took all of 15 minutes. That is my kind of recipe. Baking took about another 15 minutes to melt the cheese and make it golden brown. Total time for me to get dinner on the table was about 45 minutes which included me explaining to my hubby what I was making.

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After a few bites and a couple of umm hmmm’s I knew the Naan Style Pizzas were blog worthy. So there you have it. Another quick and easy meal with a healthy twist. Try it and I am sure you and others will like it.

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Naan Style Pizza

Ingredients:
1 small jar pesto
1 pkg Tandoori Naan flatbread (Trader Joe’s)
1 pkg pre-cooked slices of chicken
8 slices salami
8 slices prosciutto
8 slices capicola
1 bag baby leaf spinach
4 small tomatoes sliced
6 slices of jalapeno pepper cheese
¼ cup buffalo wing sauce
1 tbsp oregano

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Pull cheese apart and set aside. Place pre-cooked chicken in a bowl and drizzle buffalo chicken wing sauce over chicken. Toss until chicken is well coated with sauce. Set aside.

Spread about 1 tbsp of pesto on each slice of Naan flatbread then layer with baby spinach leaves. Next on 1 -2 pieces of flatbread layer the chicken then a few slices of tomato and sprinkle with oregano. Top with cheese.

Follow the same steps creating the salami flatbread pizza. Alternate the prosciutto and capicola together on one flatbread when layering.

Place Naan Style Pizzas on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes until cheese melts and is golden brown.

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Tex Mex Chicken Salad

Main Course, Meat/ Poultry, Soups/ Salads / Stews, Uncategorized, Vegetables, , , , , , ,

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Summer is slowly fading which means all the delicious backyard veggies, fresh corn and fresh herbs I grew will also fade away. Before fall settles in I thought I would come up with a dish that we could have year round but would remind me of our hot and lazy summer days. Tex Mex Chicken Salad became my summer reminder.

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Chicken salad was one of my favorite meals growing up. My mom made some of the best chicken salad around and always made little blueberry muffins to go with the salad. It took me a while but I mastered make my own wonderful version of chicken salad. Because chicken is so versatile it can be combined with a lot of different ingredients to make a fantastic salad.

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Tex Mex Chicken Salad combines black beans, corn (the reason I call it Tex Mex) and avocado along with fresh herbs. Lemon and lime juice help brighten the flavors. As always, my family likes heat so I add a little cayenne or chopped jalapeno peppers to spice up the salad.

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Even though summer will fade into fall it doesn’t mean we cannot continue to enjoy the great tastes of summer. Remember, all it takes is a little chicken, a few fresh veggies and memories of those hot, lazy days we enjoyed so much.

Tex Mex Chicken Salad

Ingredients:
4 cooked chicken thighs diced
3 ears fresh corn shucked
2 15oz cans black beans rinsed and drained
5 fresh basil leaves chopped
½ cup small cherry tomatoes
½ cup olive oil
1 ripe avocado diced
1 tbsp red onion diced small
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp cilantro
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cracked black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cayenne (optional)
juice from ½ lemon
juice from ½ lime

Dressing:
Place olive oil, lemon juice, lime juice, cayenne, parsley and cilantro in a small bowl. Whisk together.

Salad:
In a large bowl add chicken, corn, avocado, tomatoes, red onion, salt, pepper, chili powder and basil. Pour dressing over salad and gently toss.

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