While deciding what to cook for dinner, I looked in my shelves and refrigerator, and realized, I truly do have a lot of options. Do you ever look in the fridge, and see that it is full, but still feel that there is nothing to eat???
This has been a regular occurrence for me, well, forever. Why is it so hard to find something to cook?
I have officially declared this type of statement in my home banned, because ever since I have been getting a Seasonal Harvest Bundle, I can honestly say, my view has changed tremendously. It has taught me to look outside the box when it comes to cooking, and instilled in me a desire to use up all that I have.
This is quite the change for me. I confess that I used to be the person who felt that if I didn't use it, oh well. No more. I am interested in trying recipes that are out of my recipe box and comfort zone. Why you ask? Because the results are so refreshing and delicious. Surprising every time. It has helped me to see the possibilities in my pantry and fridge. There is so much you can to when you really decide to!
I am sharing this with you, because there have been many times when I was out of ideas, and in need of some inspiration. I think it helps to see what others are doing to revive your desire and interest in cooking again. I hope this can help you!
Impromptu meal:
California Pizza Kitchen's BBQ Chop Chicken Salad. Mmmm.
I had all these yummy veggies in my fridge, and they were begging to be used up! I have been craving this salad for some time now, but I hate the price that comes with it! It is good and all, but it ends up costing too much to go to CPK on the regular. Ya know?
I will share a little secret with you. Food.com. That's it. This is a great tool. They have a ton of copy cat recipes for many mainstream restaurants. I have used it many a time, with great success. The best part about it is, you can tweak the recipe to your liking.
I jumped straight to my handy dandy Mac and voila, there is my recipe!
Ingredients:
FRIED TORTILLA STRIPS
- vegetable oil, for deep-frying
- 12 corn tortillas, cut 1/4-inch strips
GARDEN HERB RANCH DRESSING
- 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon cold water
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 8 tablespoons sour cream
- 1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tablespoon thinly-sliced scallion top, and whites
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh Italian parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh dill
- 1/4 teaspoon minced dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon minced fresh basil
GRILLED GARLIC BBQ CHICKEN
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (5 oz ea)
- 1/4 cup good-quality sweet-&-spicy barbecue sauce
SALAD
- 1/2 head iceberg lettuce (cored, rinsed and dried and cut into thin 1/8" strips)
- 1/2 head romaine lettuce leaf (separated, trimmed, rinsed, dried, and cut thin strips)
- 12 large fresh basil leaves, cut 1/8-inch strips
- 1 lb jicama, cut 1/4-inch by 1/4-inch by 3/4-inch strips
- 2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese
- 1 cup canned black bean, rinsed drained
- 1 cup canned sweet white corn kernels, drained
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 lbs fresh ripe tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch dices
- 1/2 cup good-quality sweet-&-spicy barbecue sauce
Directions:
Prep Time: 25 mins
Total Time: 40 mins
- 1To Make the Fried Tortilla Strips: In a deep, heavy frying pan, heat several inches of vegetable oil to a temperature of 375 degrees. Working in batches if necessary to prevent overcrowding, carefully add the tortilla strips to the hot oil, submerging them with a metal skimmer or slotted spoon. Fry the tortilla strips until evenly golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Carefully lift them out with the skimmer or slotted spoon and transfer them to paper towels to drain and cool. Set aside, uncovered.
- 2To Make the Garden Herb Ranch Dressing: In a mixing bowl, use a fork to stir together the mustard and cold water, forming a paste. Set aside for 10 minutes. Add the remaining dressing ingredients to the bowl and, using a handheld electric mixer at low speed or a whisk, blend together just until smooth, taking care not to incorporate too much air into the dressing. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
- 3To Make the Grilled Garlic and BBQ Chicken: Preheat a stovetop grill or the broiler. In a mixing bowl, stir together the olive oil, garlic, soy sauce, and salt. Turn the chicken breasts in this marinade and leave to marinate at room temperature for about 15 minutes. Grill or broil the chicken breasts until cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes per side. Chill thoroughly in the refrigerator. Cut the chicken breasts into 3/4-inch cubes and, in a bowl, toss with the barbecue sauce to coat well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
- 4To Make the Salad: In a large mixing bowl, toss together the lettuces, basil, jicama, Monterey Jack cheese, beans, corn, cilantro, dressing, and half of the Fried Tortilla Strips. Transfer the salads to chilled serving plates. Surround each salad with diced tomatoes and the remaining Fried Tortilla Strips. Top each salad with chunks of Grilled Garlic BBQ Chicken and drizzle the chicken with the barbecue sauce. Garnish with the scallion.
Of course I made a few changes. I substituted Scallions for Yellow Onions, used only romaine, and I didn't make tortilla strips from scratch.. Ha Ha Ha. Ya right. I used ready made tortilla chips and crumbled them. I also used some pre-cooked chicken strips I had in the freezer. Thawed those babies, and boom. Done in no time!
I did make the dressing, and if I could do it over again, I would use less Mayo. It was a bit much for me. But all over it was fantastic!!! I swear it is as good as the real deal.
I was feeling really good about myself after this one. It used a lot of what I had in my fridge.
I chopped us some extra jicima I had around to have ready for the next salad I would make!
This was a great meal, and I had enough of the prep work done to make the same thing for myself for a quick lunch a few days later!
On another note.... I love love love to bake! I had a neighborhood turkey bowl dinner to attend, and my hubby and I were bringing some of the food! I made my uber-scrumptious challah bread, and Mike made Uzzu Fruit Pot Du Fui! Ya he thinks he is cook making such a gourmet treat. :) I got a picture of the Cholla Bread. It was so quick and easy, but oh so yummy. This is one of my favorite breads to make. It looks amazing and tastes even better. You can be done from start to finish in a short time, and eating something warm and good.
You know one of the reasons I love to bake bread? It is cheap, and a crowd pleaser. My hubby always appreciates it when I bake bread.
Challah Bread
Ingredients:
1 pkg. active dry yeast or 1 T. SAF Instant Yeast
1 1/4 cup warm water
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup oil
2 eggs slightly beaten
5 cups all purpose flour unsifted. (spoon flour into measuring cup to avoid over doing the flour)
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon water
Preparation:
Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.
Add all ingredients except the egg yolk and 1 tablespoon of water to your Bosch or Kitchen Aid and mix on medium for 10 minutes.
Check the consistency. Your dough should be just slightly sticky when finished. The dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl and you should be able to see the bottom of the bowl.
If your dough is still too sticky when your 10 minutes of mixing is up, add a little more flour and mix for a minute longer.
Remove dough from bowl with floured hands, and place on a floured surface. Cut dough into 4 sections.
Work dough sections into long snakes and place on cookie sheet covered in wax paper.
Connect each snake end together on one side. Braid dough together then fold the other end together to finish the braid.
Cover the dough with plastic wrap, and let raise till the dough has doubled in size, about an hour.
Mix together 1 egg yolk and 1 tablespoon of water. Baste on the top of braided bread. This will give it the shiny golden look.
Bake for 30 minutes or until dark golden brown on top. You must pat the top of the loaf and listen for a hollow sound. That is when you will know it is done!
Happy day! You can now faint. Wake up and eat some good bread!! Sigh*
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