Grab-and-Go Greek Egg Cups

If you saw my smoothie post a few weeks ago, you know that I have been on a bit of a diet lately. Part of this diet is eating a bigger breakfast so that I can wait until later to eat a light lunch and later to eat a normal dinner. Well, those smoothies are fantastic, but I’m a little smoothie’d out. My first couple weeks of my diet was all fruits and veggies, the healthiest of the healthiest, but I needed something savory! So I present to you Grab-and-Go Greek Egg Cups:

Chipotle Steak and Mango Fajitas

This recipe somehow evolved from a Thai steak salad I was planning on making last night… I’d lost the recipe I wanted to use and, in looking through other recipes for Yam Neua, I talked myself out of it. But here I was, with a 1 lb thin-cut piece of top sirloin and nothing to do with it. When I think thin-cut steak, I think fajitas. This recipe is my favorite way to make fajitas, and I’ve never met anyone who didn’t like them. The smoky, spicy flavor of the chipotle peppers, mixed with the sweet mango flavor… Delish!

Marinade/Sauce:

¼ c lime juice

¼ c soy sauce

3 T olive oil

2 T fresh cilantro, chopped

1 T sugar

½ t cayenne pepper

½ t cumin

2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

salt and pepper to taste

Fajitas:

Marinade/Sauce (1/3 to marinate steak, the rest to pour in skillet)

1 sweet onion

1 red bell pepper

2 mangoes (champagne mangoes if available)

Flour tortillas

Optional toppings:

Sour cream

Jalapenos

Monterray jack cheese

Fresh cilantro

Lettuce

Diced tomatoes

Lime wedges

After making the sauce, I sliced the steak into thin strips and poured just enough of the sauce over it to coat the meat. I let the meat marinate for 2 hours, refrigerating the rest of the sauce.

I sliced the bell pepper and onion (I used Vidalia because, well, this is Georgia and that’s what we do) and cooked them in a large skillet over MH heat with about 2 T olive oil. I stirred them frequently for about 8 minutes, then reduced heat to ML and let cook for 5 more minutes.

Next, I moved the peppers and onions to the edges of the skillet and added the meat to the middle. I let this cook for 2 minutes, stirred the meat, and cooked for another 2 minutes.

Then, I added the reserved sauce and stirred everything together. Add the mangoes to the skillet and let cook for 8-10 minutes on low heat.

Now the next part is entirely up to you. I used flour tortillas with jalapenos, sour cream, cilantro, and a lime wedge for mine, but top yours in whatever way suits your fancy.

Enjoy!

Spicy Southwestern Grilled Chicken Salad with Creamy Jalapeno Dressing

This salad I threw together last night ended up being so good, I just had to share…

I just made one salad, so I’m not going to list the amounts for each ingredient… You can figure that out based on how many people you’re feeding 😉

Cream Cheese Chicken Chili

I love white chilis and this is a really interesting spin on it… The addition of cream cheese makes the chili richer and thicker than white chilis usually are, more the consistency of regular chili with tomato sauce.

Spicy Southwestern Slow Cooker Chicken

So first of all, who doesn’t love their Crock-Pot? I know its amazing for busy moms, but its also perfect for a single gal like me. I take my lunch to work every day so I tend to cook enough to feed an army and then take the leftovers to work. With the slow cooker I don’t have to spend all day cooking… I can run around being the young single thing I am and when I get home there’s a great meal waiting for me!

This recipe is one of my favorites because its so versatile. The chicken comes out so juicy and tender it just falls to pieces and then you can use it for whatever.. serve it over Spanish rice, toss it in some quesadillas, or my personal favorite… tacos.

Its also a great crowd-pleaser because you can adjust the spiciness to fit your family or guests. You use jarred salsa, so mild, medium, hot… take your pick. Also you can remove the seeds and ribs from the jalapenos if you want, which cuts way down on the heat.

All you do is pour the salsa, diced jalapenos, taco seasoning, cilantro, and lime juice in the slow cooker, mix it all up, and add 4-6 chicken breast halves. Turn the heat on low and 4 hours later… enjoy!

When I went to the store to buy the ingredients for this recipe, I was looking for cilantro (I grow so many herbs at my house, but cilantro just seems like more trouble than its worth) and came across something interesting… culantro. It tastes and smells just like cilantro, but its large dark leaves stay fresh so much longer! I wonder if it’ll grow in Georgia…

• 24-oz. jar of salsa
• Juice from one lime
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro (or culantro), chopped
• 1-oz. package taco seasoning
• 1-2 jalapeños peppers, finely chopped
• 4-6 boneless chicken breast halves, defrosted

If you plan on making tacos like me, I love this chicken on a corn tortilla with sour cream, lettuce, cilantro and monterey jack cheese. Yum….