Shredded Chicken Week: Slow Cooker Cajun Chicken and Rice

Well Shredded Chicken Week has come to an end and we are going out with a bang!

I love spicy food.  Growing up in Southern California I've been exposed to spice through Mexican food with different types of chilis. Nothing better than a good salsa, or a dish made with spicy peppers. Spicy doesn't have to mean heat, although in a lot of cases it does. But having that kick of spice in your food livens up your palette and your life!

The Easy Shredded Chicken I made earlier in the week can be used into soooo many dishes that we haven't even touched upon.  How about enchiladas, quesadillas, flauta, or taquitos?  You can add them to soups, stir frys, lettuce cups, wraps, and sloppy joes.  Make BBQ chicken sandwiches or a Mediterranean quinoa salad.  The ideas are endless.

Today's recipe is about spice and ease of cooking.  Yes, another slow cooker meal is on the horizon. This one is Cajun style and I love the blend of flavors from the bell peppers and the cajun seasoning. It does have red pepper flakes for a little heat but you can certainly adjust that to your family's taste.  Slow Cooker Cajun Chicken and Rice is the perfect meal the whole family will love. 

This is another dump and go meal that only needs about 4 hours of cooking on low.  Again I used my favorite multi cooker, the Breville Risotto Plus, it saute's, steams, is a slow cooker, and a risotto maker.  It's just awesome!  But you can do this in a regular slow cooker, you don't need anything special here.  

Kitchen Note: I made the rice separate from the other ingredients as I find it doesn't cook all that well in a slow cooker.  (some rice is left crunchy!)  Plus rice has a tendency to soak up all the juices, so leaving it separate allows for better leftovers!

Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Cajun Chicken and Rice

serves 4

1 cup celery, sliced 

1 cup yellow onion, diced 

1 orange bell pepper, diced 

1 tablespoon minced garlic 

1 can (14.5 oz) stewed tomatoes, undrained 

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained 

1 cup low sodium chicken broth 

1 tablespoon cajun seasoning 

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes 

1 bay leaf 

1 tsp salt 

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

3 cups shredded chicken breast (cooked) 

1 cup long grain rice 

Add cut vegetables to the slow cooker. Add the garlic, tomatoes, broth, cajun seasoning, red pepper flakes, and bay leaf. Cook on low 4 hours. 

About 30 minutes before serving, add the shredded chicken to the slow cooker. Meanwhile, on the stovetop in a medium saucepan cook rice according to package directions. Remove the bay leaf, test for seasoning and serve over hot cooked rice.

Shredded Chicken Week: Chinese Chicken Salad

It's Shredded Chicken week and here is my second recipe using the scrumptious shredded chicken I made in my slow cooker to use in different meals.

Hands down, Chinese Chicken Salad has to be my favorite salad.

I have had a love affair with this salad since my teens.  I think it really is all the juicy mandarin oranges, and I love a sweet Asian dressing.  They make the best Chinese chicken salad in my book!  

I love this salad so much that if it's on the menu, I'm sure to order it.  The best salad I've had was at a wonderful restaurant called Stanley's in Sherman Oaks.  It was famous, I mean it actually had a following.  Tender chicken tossed in a romaine salad with crunchy bites of won ton noodles along with sweet mandarin oranges.  All of this was doused in a sweet Asian dressing.  Heaven!  Sadly Stanley's has closed after many many years.

So what's a girl to do?  Make my own version that's what!  I dare say that this salad is just to my liking.  It's easy to put together using my Easy Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken and the whole family will love it.

Hope you enjoy this as much as I do!



Chinese Chicken Salad

serves 4

4 cups chopped romaine lettuce
1 8 oz can of mandarin oranges, drained
1/3 cup sliced almonds
2 cups of shredded chicken
1/3 cup chow mien noodles
3 Tbls green onion, chopped
1/3 cup Chinese Chicken Salad Dressing (I used Girard's)

In a large bowl or platter place chopped lettuce.  Add oranges, almonds, shredded chicken and toss to combine. Toss with dressing and plate.  Top with green onions and chow mien noodles.  Serve.

Shredded Chicken Week: Chicken, Broccoli, and Cheddar Rice Bowls

I'm a slacker.

I know...last week was supposed to Shredded Chicken Week.  Well, to be honest I caught a nasty bug and it was all I could do to get up and move to the couch in my PJ's and watch episodes of The People vs. O.J. Simpson (I'm so behind!) and then crawl back to bed.

So zapped of all energy I didn't get to post the fabulous chicken dishes using the excellent Easy Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken.  But not to fret, I'm back and ready to go! Today is the 1st of three dishes you can make quickly on a weeknight using your pre-cooked shredded chicken!

Let's talk about rice bowls.  They are everywhere aren't they? And let's face it...who doesn't love a good rice bowl.  For lunch or dinner, they are ohhhh so good, filling, and comforting.

Today I'm bringing you a quick 30 minute meal that's kid friendly, weeknight friendly, and adult friendly too!  These Chicken, Broccoli, and Cheddar Rice Bowls are the bomb! They provide you with that comfort feeling and satisfy all your cravings.  I love the cheesy rice and sneaking in the broccoli gets you a serving of vegetables.  Add in some of the warmed shredded chicken that you have from your batch of Easy Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken  and dinner is ready in under 30 minutes.  Love that, and you will too!

Kitchen Note:  I used white long grain rice but you can substitute brown or any other rice you like.  I also used chicken broth instead of water for extra flavor.  I also used a sharp cheddar cheese but you could use a milder one or a white cheddar if you prefer.  For the broccoli, you can either steam your own in a pan or microwave, or buy a bag of frozen broccoli steamers for convenience.

Enjoy!

Chicken, Broccoli, and Cheddar Rice Bowls

serves 4

Rice:

2 cups of white long grain rice

3 cups of chicken broth

2 cups of broccoli florets, steamed and cut into small pieces

Cheese sauce:

2 Tbls unsalted butter

2 Tbls flour

1 3/4 c 2% milk

1 1/2 c sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Chicken:

2 1/2 cups of shredded chicken, heated

In a medium dutch oven heated over medium high heat, add rice and chicken broth.  Bring to a bowl, reduce heat and cook 20 minutes or until water has evaporated and rice is fluffy.

While rice is cooking make the cheese sauce.  In a medium saucepan over medium heat add butter and melt.  Add the flour and whisk until combined.  Stir until a thickened paste is formed.  Add in the milk and whisk to combine.  Heat at a simmer (not a boil) until bubble form on the edges whisking frequently.  Add cheese and whisk until melted.  Add salt and pepper to season.  Continue to cook until sauce has slightly thickened.  

Fluff the rice with a fork and add the broccoli.  Pour the cheese sauce over the rice and stir to combine.  Add warmed shredded chicken to the rice and mix or place rice in bowls and add chicken to the top.  Serve immediately.

Shredded Chicken Week: Easy Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken

Shredded chicken has to be one of my favorite multi-purpose ingredients.  You can use in so many different dishes that it's a great way to plan a week's worth of meals.

Today's recipe for Easy Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken is the perfect shortcut to give you wonderful results and a lot of shredded chicken, all while you are at work or running around for the day!

This is such a simple recipe, you literally just dump and go. You'll have to spend a few minutes putting the chicken ingredients in the slow cooker, and few shredding the chicken when it's done.  No biggie!  When it's done you have beautifully cooked, tender chicken that you shred.  That's it!  

I've deemed this week shredded chicken week.  I'll be posting several scrumptious dishes with shredded chicken that you'll just love.  First up, we'll be looking at the simple technique to making the shredded chicken.

My recipe is for a "small batch" of shredded chicken, which fed 2 people 4 different dishes during the week.  You can double or triple the recipe as you like to feed 4 or more people.  

Kitchen Tips:  

• Use boneless skinless chicken breasts or if you prefer dark meat, use thighs.  Leaving the skin is on is not suggested as it will add a lot of unwanted fat and the results will not be as good.
• Start with fresh or frozen chicken breasts.  If using frozen, thaw before placing in the slow cooker. They are saying it's not safe to put frozen chicken in the cooker as it takes too long to come to temperature without creating bacteria.
• To shred the chicken use 2 forks!  It seems to be the easiest way.
• The chicken will keep in the refrigerator for several days, but you can also divide it into portions and freeze it in containers or freezer bags so you have it handy for quick weeknight meals.

Have fun using your shredded chicken in all kinds of dishes such as soups, rice bowls, salads, enchiladas, chicken salad, tacos, pasta dishes, chili, pizza...the list goes on and on!

Stay tuned this week for some new recipes that use this succulent shredded chicken.

Enjoy!




Easy Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken


Yields:  4 cups of shredded chicken


2 large chicken breasts - about 1 pound
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 cup low sodium chicken broth

Place chicken in the slow cookers.  Sprinkle the salt and pepper over the top and add the chicken broth.  Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours.  Remove the chicken and shred with 2 forks.  

Use immediately or store in a container in the refrigerator or freezer.  

Slow Cooker: Mexican Vegetable and Quinoa Soup

I just have to brag about my latest kitchen item.  I shouldn't brag but I'm going to because it is my new favorite, my only favorite (for now) that I keep using over and over again.

MGG gave me a Breville Risotto Plus for Christmas last year and I been cooking in it non-stop for about 3 months.  I have been drooling over this baby for a couple of years now and I was so happy that he figured that out and purchased it for me.  It is a wonderful, smart, kitchen tool!  If you don't know about it you are in for a treat.

If makes risotto, fluffy steamed rice and family-sized slow-cooked meals—all in the same machine. It's a multitasker! It also sautes, and steams. I can't say enough good things about it, truly. This is definitely an item to consider if you are in the market for a multi-tasking slow cooker.  Here is the recipe for the Risotto with Mushrooms and Sage I made for date night.

The reason I mention this to you is that I used it in today's recipe. We are getting ready for a long (much needed) vacation and wouldn't you know I feel a tickle in my throat....geez! So I am refusing to be sick and I'm loading up on all kinds of preventatives while I'm trying to do the laundry and get us packed.

So tonight's dinner is a real soothing vegetable soup. Full of good for you ingredients that sound perfect for a scratchy throat. This really is a soup that you can use all your fresh vegetables up, throw in some pantry items and you have a hearty dinner. I made it with Mexican flavors to go along with my famous Taco Salad that I've also made. Soup and salad for dinner? Yes, please!

We have beans for protein, lots of vegetables, and oh yes, quinoa. Quinoa you say? Why yes, quinoa is great in soups. It lends more protein, and a nice texture to the soup. It would equate to adding rice to your soup.  If you would rather have rice add that instead but try the quinoa for a nice change. Since you are adding quinoa to the soup upfront I suggest that you cook this on high heat. Grains tend to absorb a lot of liquid and will cook better on high heat and not absorb as much. If you want to cook this on slow, I would cook the quinoa separately and add it to the slow cooker 30 minutes before eating to heat it up.

Enjoy some comforting soup soon. It may not cure a sore throat but it certainly soothes the soul!





Mexican Vegetable and Quinoa Soup

serves 

1 Tablespoon canola oil
1/2 cup carrots, sliced
1/2 cup celery, sliced
1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
1 14.5 oz can black beans, drained
1 15 oz can corn, drained
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 can tomato paste
2 teaspoons minced garlic
6 cups low sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Salt and pepper

Additional toppings: avocado, tortilla chips, cilantro, shredded cheese, sour cream.

In a slow cooker on saute mode (or in a skillet if needed) add 1 tablespoon of canola oil and heat. Add carrots, celery, and onion. Saute for 5 minutes until slightly softened. Turn off saute mode on slow cooker, or add vegetables to the slow cooker from the skillet.

Add beans, corn, diced tomatoes with green chiles, tomato paste, garlic and chicken broth. Stir to combine. Add the rinsed quinoa oregano, cumin, paprika, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook on high heat 3-4 hours. Serve with additional toppings if desired.

Cinnamon Streusel Banana Bread

I love coffee cake, the crumb kind.  I've loved ever since I was a kid.  I was always after my mom to make a coffee cake on the weekends for breakfast, but she reserved it for a treat.

I also love banana cake.  The flavor is wonderful, plus I always have over ripe bananas laying around. It seems to be a thing in my house.  So banana something is always calling me.

Today I decided to combine my love of cinnamon streusel coffee cake and banana bread.  This wonderful decadent Cinnamon Streusel Banana Bread is heaven!  Your whole house will be smelling wonderful while it's baking and your mouth will be watering just to get a taste of this delicious breakfast treat.

Who am I kidding?  breakfast, snack time, dessert....lunch! It's good anytime!

So if you have  love for cinnamon and banana bread this is just for you!

Enjoy!





Cinnamon Streusel Banana Bread

16 servings

For the Streusel:
1/2 cup Sugar
3 T brown sugar
2 T cinnamon

1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
2/3 c sugar 
2 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1 egg, beaten
1/4 c lite sour cream
1/4 c 2 % milk
2 t canola oil
1 t vanilla
1 large ripe banana, mashed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray and 8x4 inch loaf pan with cooking spray.

Make the streusel in a small bowl, adding sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon.  Stir to combine.  Set aside.  

In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, stir to combine. In another medium bowl add sour cream milk, canola oil, vanilla, and mashed banana.  Stir to combine.    

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the banana mixture. Stir until combined. Pour 1/2 of the batter in the loaf pan.  Sprinkle on some of the streusel (you may not use it all).  Add the remaining batter over the streusel.  Take a knife and run it through the batter in a swirling motion. 

Bake 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the loaf. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Remove loaf from the pan and continue to cool on cooling rack 15 minutes.

St. Patrick's Day dishes

I'm a wee bit of Irish I am...!

I love St. Patrick's Day.  Everyone is Irish that day and it's filled with fun, laughter, beer, everything green, and Irish food!

My Grandmother on my Dad's side was half Irish and half American Indian.  My Great Grandmother Addie McClary migrated with her family from Ireland to Oklahoma during the Cherokee Land Strip run.  Such great history there.  I wish that my Grandmother had more Irish recipes from her mom and aunts.  But I've still got a great collection of delicious treats for you to make.

I think I should explore that side of the family and their food a little more. Don't you?  I'll put it on my ever growing 'to do' list to make some wonderful Irish dishes. Yep, that's what I'm gonna do.

We won't be here to celebrate this year but I wanted to leave you with some inspiration for celebrating with your own Irish feast.

• St. Patrick's Day Cheddar Biscuits - Oh my these biscuits are good.  Hot and bursting with flavor and cute shamrocks on top.  
• Pioneer Spotted Dog - One of my favorite breads.  We like to have it for breakfast with hot tea.
• Chocolate Bailey's Milkshake - A 'grown up' milkshake that will have you singing "Oh Danny boy"!
• Potato Cakes - One these are one of my favorite items to make with left over mashed potatoes.  I just love the flavor of these and could eat the whole batch myself!
• Irish Stew - This will be warming your soul.  Serve it with the Cheddar Biscuits above or the Pioneer Spotted Dog and you will have a meal to remember.

Enjoy your St. Patrick's Day!

Pecan Pancakes with a Chocolate Fudge Sauce

Today's recipe is an ode to my Mom with a little nod to one of me.

Mom just loved waffles with pecans.  To tell you the truth I think she just love pecans in anything! They are my favorite nut by far and we use them in baking all the time.  Even though my mom's been gone a few years now I still celebrate the food that she loved by making dishes in her honor.

So today, in honor of my Mom's pecan love, I decided to make pecan pancakes. A nice variation on her pecan waffles.  But these aren't just any old pancakes.  I had to put a little spin on it with an ingredient that I love too....chocolate. YUM!  I love chocolate, especially when it is warm.  Oh for the gooey love of warm chocolate. They go perfect with the pecans!

They are easy to put together using my great Aunt Grace's Farmstyle Buttermilk Pancakes with a few added touches. Create a fudge sauce to go on top and you are all ready for a wonderful breakfast.

What's better than hot, golden pancakes?  Not much!

Enjoy!




Pecan Pancakes with a Chocolate Fudge Sauce

makes: 2-3 servings

1 cup all purpose flour
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 egg
1/4 chopped pecans

Fudge Sauce:
1 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup jarred fudge sauce

Make the Sauce: To a medium saucepan add the syrup and fudge sauce. Whisk together to combine. Heat over a low heat until warm. Keep warm.

For the Pancakes:
In a medium bowl, add flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir to combine. Make a well in the middle and add the oil.

In another bowl whisk together buttermilk and egg.

Add to dry ingredients and mix together until just moistened. Fold in the chopped pecans. Batter will be lumpy.

In a pre-heated skillet, (add cooking spray if necessary) ladle batter onto skillet for each pancake. Cook until golden brown and holes begin to appear on top. Turn on the second side and cook until golden brown.

Simple Southern Biscuits

I'm a pretty good planner for our weekly meals (or at least I thought I was...) and usually do my shopping once a week for fresh foods like milk, bread, fruits and vegetables.

Well this week I either miscalculated or we over ate because I woke up on Saturday morning and we didn't have any bread, only a small amount of milk, no fruit or even cereal! Not very many ingredients to enjoy breakfast, and I do love my weekend breakfasts.

But luckily Saturday was a busy day and we just skipped breakfast (cause we had to...) and went about our business. I intended to stop by the store but things didn't work out and I ran out of time. Having a stocked pantry and a freezer helped me with lunch and dinner, so no worries there.   

Then comes Sunday morning...still no bread, fruit, or cereal, and a small amount of milk.  I decided to take matters in my own hands and make my mom's homemade biscuits. Biscuits were a staple growing up and they are the perfect substitute for a loaf of bread.  Great for breakfast, or put some ham on it and you have a wonderful sandwich, and you can serve with dinner as a roll.  What's better?

Mom's Simple Southern Biscuit recipe is soooo easy.  You only need 3 ingredients and they make light and fluffy biscuits that are to die for!  Can't you just imagine sinking your teeth into a hot, fluffy biscuit with butter or jam on it?  My mouth is watering now....

So the bread dilemma is solved, and I feel lazy.  Wonder if I can go another day or two without going to the store!  (that will be a test!)

Enjoy!



Simple Southern Biscuits

Source: Imogene Center's recipe box

Makes: 15 Biscuits

½ cup cold butter, cubed (1 stick)
2 cups self-rising flour
¾ cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a large bowl, cut butter into flour until mixture resembles coarse peas sized crumbles. Stir in buttermilk just until moistened.

Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead 3-4 times. Pat or lightly roll to ¾-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 2 ½-in. biscuit cutter.

Place on a greased baking sheet. Bake about 10-11 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Three Citrus Muffins

Do you know the muffin man, the muffin man, the muffin man....

I can't believe that I recall hearing this song over and over as a child.  It's so appropriate as someone just called me the "muffin man" today!  Oh, I would say that it is probably true.  I do love a good muffin and it's something that I have been baking ever since I was in junior high school.

I've made all kinds of muffins through the years and have posted some of my favorites here on my blog.  Here are a few you may have missed.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins – Healthier Version

Simple Blueberry Muffins

Raspberry Sour Cream Muffins

Marshmallow Muffins

Today I'm channeling an early spring and wanted to bring you a bright, sunshiny muffin that uses the abundance of citrus available right now.  This tender yet moist muffin is laced with hints of orange, lemon and lime.  They came out so light to the taste that they instantly made me happy! These are certainly a new favorite, which will go into our weekend treat rotation.  

Enjoy your Three Citrus Muffins!





Three Citrus Muffins

makes: 6 

1 egg
1/4 cup 2% milk
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup Canola Oil
1 1/2 Cups all purpose flour
1/2 Cup sugar
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp lime zest
1 tsp orange zest

Place egg, milk, orange juice and oil in a large mixing bowl and whisk together until light. Add flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the three citrus zests. Stir just until moistened. Don’t overmix…batter should be lumpy and a little thick.

Spray a non-stick muffin pan with cooking spray. Divide batter among 6 muffin cups filling most of the way full.

Bake at 425 degrees for 20-25 min. Allow to cool 10 minutes. Serve.

Pecan Orange French Toast

Whenever we go up to Cambria, for a quick vacation we make a point to stop along the way and have breakfast at a favorite restaurant.  

It's a tradition we do each and every trip up north.  The breakfasts and nice and hearty, filled with biscuits and gravy, an omelette, or something decadent like french toast.  

The last time we went I indulged and got an order of french toast, fruit, and bacon. Yum!  It was wonderful and the whole time I was eating it I couldn't quite make out the ingredient that made this french toast just a little more special.  One the way home it hit me!  The flavor of citrus, specifically oranges lingered in the dish.  

I still remember this dish and today I decided to re-create this for our breakfast.  I added the addition of chopped pecan which I think lent a wonderful crunch to the dish.  Oh my! Thick bread slices with a touch of grated orange peel and crunchy pecans make this French toast something special!

I hope you enjoy this for breakfast or brunch soon.




Pecan Orange French Toast 

Serves 6  

4 eggs
2/ 3 cup orange juice 
1/ 3 cup 2% milk 
1/ 4 cup sugar 
1 tablespoon grated orange peel 
1/ 2 teaspoon vanilla extract 
1/ 4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 
6 slices french bread 
3 tablespoons of butter
3/ 4 cup chopped pecans 
Maple syrup 

In a a 9x13 dish whisk together the eggs through the nutmeg (the first seven ingredients). Place bread slices in the mixture and press into the mixture.  Turn the bread over so both sides soak up the mixture.  

Meanwhile heat a skillet or griddle over medium heat.  Add 2 Tablespoons of butter to the hot pan. Allow to melt and swirl around the pan to cover all the surface area.  Add 3 or 4 slices of the egg soaked bread to the pan.  Cook on the first side 2-3 minutes until golden brown.  Flip bread over and cook for another 3 minutes.  Remove to a plate or platter and sprinkle with chopped pecans.  Serve with maple syrup if desired.