olives

Sue’s Mexican Chicken

One of the first times I went to eat at my in-laws to-be, Owen requested we eat Mexican Chicken. I love ethnic food fusions, blending two cuisines together. This dish reminds me of a Mexican chicken lasagna. It is loaded with fantastic flavor. I mean really, the depth of flavor is extraordinary. It’s creamy and cheesy; it’s full of veggies and tender pieces of chicken. It’s still one of Owen’s favorites.

As organic as possible:

2 bone-in Chicken breasts

4 large Flour tortillas

2 cans Condensed cream of chicken soup (I like Pacific organic; which actually comes in a cardboard container)

12 oz Cheddar cheese

1 15 oz can Chili (I like Amy’s organic)

1/2 cup Onion, diced

1/2 cup Green pepper, diced

1/2 cup sliced Black olives

1 can diced Tomatoes with chilies

*Divide the ingredients in half

Sour cream for serving (optional)

Boil the chicken until tender, saving the broth. In the mean time preheat the oven to 350º. Spray a 13×9 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray (I like organic olive or canola oil), set aside. Shred the chicken into bite size pieces. Briefly dip the tortillas into the broth and line the baking pan, covering the bottom and sides. Begin layering with 1 of the soups, half of the chili, onion, green pepper, olives, chicken, and cheese. Repeat the process again beginning with tortillas, except this time top with tomatoes and green chilis (and a few more olives if you’d like). Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until bubbly. Allow to cool slightly and set before serving. Serve with a dollop of sour cream.

image

The organic cheddar I used is white, so yours may look a little different depending. Regardless, I just want to grab a spoon and go for it.

Mediterranean Pasta Salad

This pasta salad is crazy delicious. It is “the chef’s” recipe and it is full of flavor. You could bring this to a gathering and blow all of the other side dishes out of the water, impress your family at home or indulge yourself for a light lunch. No matter what the ocassion, this should now be your go-to pasta salad.

For dressing

1/2 cup champagne vinegar
3 garlic cloves roughly minced
Juice of half one lemon
1 1/2  Tbsp spicy brown mustard
1 1/2 Tbsp honey
Pinch of kosher salt
Pepper to taste

1 cup olive oil

Combine the first seven ingredients, all except oil. Then slowly add oil while briskly whisking to emulsify. Then chill for 1/2 hour

For salad

1 cup cucumber diced
1/2 cup Kalamative olives (whole to measure then sliced)
About 10-12 spicy pickled green beans finely diced
3/4 cup sliced sun dried tomatoes
2 cups diced mixed mini sweet peppers (about 8 oz.)
8 oz crumbled feta cheese
1 pound penne pasta cooked

Toss all ingredients and add dressing…chill for an hour and retoss before serving.

IMG_4995 - Copy

Look at all of the things in this beautiful salad!

Now I have to mention that I first went to the grocery store and couldn’t find a couple of the items… And I said to the chef, “Rachel, I’m going to have to put you on the shelf with my other fancy chef’s cookbooks because I can’t find all of your fancy ingredients.” And because she is awesome she brought me this…

IMG_4812

And because she explained it to me, I can tell you that the spicy beans are found next to the hot sauces, not in the jarred pickle/olive section. And the champagne vinegar was originally bought at Whole Foods, but also found at TJ Maxx. If you still can’t find it you could use a red wine vinegar in its place.