Southwest chicken salad

Like most of my recipes, this is a mutt of a recipe that I ate at someone else's home, but had to adapt the ingredients for what happened to be in my fridge. Feel free to do the same to this recipe!  I've got to add that this is one of my first recipes of the year that uses my new herb/veggie garden.  The lettuce and cilantro that you see here have been grown in my own potted patio garden!

Ingredients:
1 chicken breast
3/4 cups salsa
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/2 head romaine lettuce
1/2 cup grated cheese
cilantro as desired
olives as desired
ranch as desired

Directions:
1. Thaw and drain excess fluid from chicken. 
2. Place in crock pot with salsa, cumin, and chili powder on high for 45 minutes (or until chicken is cooked through).
3. Shred chicken in crock pot, allowing chicken to absorb salsa marinade.
4. Chop lettuce and cilantro, spread on two plates.
5. Add cheese, crock pot chicken, olives and ranch.

Serves:
Assemble large salad on two plates: 2 servings.

Time to table:
(Not including crock pot cook time) 15 minutes.  (Including crock pot time) 1 hour.

Basic Green Salad

If all else fails, Salad.  I eat this when I feel I haven't eaten anything but junk all day.  This generally makes me feel better about myself.  I don't think a recipe is really necessary, but I will supply one anyway.  It entertains me.

General overview:
Salad with garlic bread and fruit of season.

Ingredients:
6 cups Romaine Lettuce
1/2 cup fresh tomato, cubed
1 large carrot
Ranch dressing to taste
2 boiled eggs

Directions:
1. Soak lettuce in chilled water to add crunch.
2. Boil water, add eggs, remove after 10 minutes.
3. Snip lettuce with cooking shears into bite sized pieces
4. Use a potato peeler to peel the carrot into thin slices.
5. Mix carrot and lettuce, adding ranch to taste.
6. Peel boiled eggs, dice.
7. Divide lettuce/carrot onto two plates, add tomato equally. 
8. Add one egg to each salad.
9. Garnish with fruit of season and garlic bread to complete the meal.

This can also be made with any protein you might like to add.  Here's another example of the same thing with lemon pepper chicken.

Serves:
2 adults

Time to table:
15 minutes

Quesodilla and sides

Some of the best family dinners are simple.  This post is less to share a recipe than to give a little idea that might be just perfect for what food mood you want to be in tonight.  Many of the ingredients are just what I happened to have on hand and are interchangeable with other ingredients of your choice.

Simple directions: Cheese quesodilla, beans, salsa, sour cream, and fruit salad.

Ingredients:

Flour Tortillas
Cheddar Cheese
Refried Beans
Salsa
Sour Cream
Canteloupe
Banana
Yogurt

Directions:
1. Layer sliced or grated cheese on tortilla as desired.  Place another tortilla on top of cheese layer.
2. Place tortillas and cheese on cast iron skillet set at low/medium heat.
3. Brown to desired crispness, repeat on other side.
4. Microwave refried beans, set beans, salsa, and sour cream on plate.
5. Cube 1/4 cantelope, slice 1 banana.  Add to a bowl and mix in 3/4 cup yogurt.

Here's another version.  Different melon, different side.  This one is a chopped avocado mixed with bottled salsa and salt.  De-lectable!

Serving size:
As many quesodillas as you want to make.

Prep Time:
15 minutes to feed 3.

Pear Spinach Salad

Simple, few ingredient salad with a rich taste.  I made this one after getting a massage from a super granola masseuse who masterfully guilted me into eating healthier so I wouldn't need so many massages.

Ingredients:

4 cups fresh Spinach

1 hard pear

1 slice purple onion

1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

2 Tbs red vinegar (red wine, pomegranite, just not white)

1/8 tsp dill

Directions

1. Cut spinach into fork sized pieces. (I prefer to use food scissors).  Add to mixing bowl.

2. Cut purple onion slice into quarters, mix into spinach

3. Mix olive oil and red vinegar.  Add dill, mix again. Pour over spinach and mix until leaves are evenly coated.  Distribute spinach and onions evenly onto dinner plates.

3. Core pear, cut into cubes.  Layer on top of spinach onions.

Add orange garnish.

Makes 2 servings

Prep time:

15 minutes