camie's strawberry banana smoothie

Too many smoothies have added sugar.  Not this one.  This is one of our favorites!

camie's strawberry banana smoothie
1 banana
6 strawberries
handful of ice
1/2 cup of milk

Put ingredients into a blender and blend on high until thick and smooth.

santa fe chicken

With so much leftover food from last night's Cinco de Mayo feast I thought I should continue the theme for tonight. I love the jalapenos in this dish. Spicy and yummy! This recipe is dedicated to my sister who is moving from Santa Fe in a couple weeks.

santa fe chicken (my friend Annie)
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken
1 can diced jalapenos
1/2 cup sour cream (I used light)
1 can sliced olives, divided
4 green onions, chopped and divided
baked tortilla chips (I used Doritos the last time I made this)
8 ounces Monterrey Jack cheese

Brown chicken in olive oil for 15 minutes (this time I thawed some shredded chicken and used it). Shred chicken; reserve chicken broth. Combine soup, sour cream, broth, jalapenos, 1/2 can olives, and 1/2 onions. Add chicken. Layer tortilla chips, chicken mixture and cheese. Top with remaining olives and onions. Bake for 25 minutes at 350.

What I have to say- even more delicious with a dollop of guacamole dip on top!

chicken carne asada tacos with pickled onions

Happy Cinco de Mayo! These tacos are magnificent. Incredible. Irresistible. Definitely Hall of Fame. Dinner was sooooo good tonight. We ate and ate and ate and ate. Time for a siesta (right.)!

chicken carne asada tacos with pickled onions (Cooking Light Magazine, April 2010)
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 medium red onion, thinly vertically sliced
1 1/2 pounds skinless boneless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into thin strips
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
cooking spray
8 corn tortillas
1 cup diced peeled avocado or guacamole
1/2 cup crumbled Cotija cheese

Combine first 4 ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring until sugar dissolves. Place onion in a small saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil; drain and plunge onion into ice water. Drain onion; add to juice mixture. Chill until ready to serve.
Heat a large cast-iron skillet over high heat. Sprinkle chicken with oregano, cumin, salt, and pepper; toss to coat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes or until browned and done, stirring occasionally.
Heat tortillas. Divide chicken evenly among tortillas. Drain onion; divide evenly among tortillas. Top each tortilla with two tablespoons avocado and 1 tablespoon cheese; fold over.

What I have to say- they were even better with a little guacamole dip in them.

guacamole dip

How do you say this is the yummiest dip ever in Spanish? Love it, love it, love it. It was definitely worth the $2 per ripe avocado I paid this morning at Giant. The problem is, I could eat the entire bowl full myself.

guacamole dip (my friend Suzette in NY soon to move to AZ)
2-3 large avocados
1 (16 ounce) container light sour cream
1 (4 ounce) can diced fire roasted green chilies
salt, pepper and garlic salt to taste (I used 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/4 teaspoon pepper)

Mash avocado until smooth. Mix in all remaining ingredients.

black bean and corn salsa

There are a lot of bean & corn salsas out there. This one is fantastic and by far the best I've tried.

black bean and corn salsa (my friend Nicole W.)
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
1 can corn, drained
7-9 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1/2 red onion, copped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped

Combine the above ingredients and mix with the following dressing:
Mix together:
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
1 package Zesty Italian dressing mix
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Cover and chill salsa for 2 hours. Serve with tortilla chips.

oven-baked churros

I have fond memories of getting churros at the mall when I was a young girl. The most exciting churro experience was when I was about 4 years old I lost my tooth while eating a churro. The churros were always so warm, sweet and sugary with just the right amount of crunch. These were a big hit with my kids, especially dipped in chocolate mousse dip!

oven-baked churros (Southern Living Magazine, May 2011)
1 (17.3 ounce) package frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 450. Unfold and cut puff pastry sheets in half lengthwise, and cut each half crosswise into 1-inch-wide strips. Place strips on a lightly greased parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes or until golden brown.
Meanwhile, combine sugar and cinnamon. Remove pastry strips from oven, and dip in butter; roll in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Let stand on a wire rack 5 minutes or until dry.

lentil vegetable soup

After tasting this soup I was sure glad I had some lentils to use which prompted me to try this soup! It's excellent.

lentil vegetable soup (adapted from my friend Rebecca W.)
2 cups lentils, rinsed and drained
1 pound sausage, cooked and drained or 1/2 pound chopped ham
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 to 1 cup celery
1 cup carrots
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons pepper
1 teaspoon oregano
8 cups water
2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
1 (16 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Place all ingredients in soup stock pot, except tomatoes and vinegar. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Add tomatoes and vinegar. Simmer for 30 minutes longer.