Colorado Chicken Salad

I recreated this recipe after having a great salad with mom at Firebirds Grill in Raleigh. It is a green dinner salad. I'm just listing the ingredients, not amounts of each.

chopped Romaine lettuce
chopped green apple
craisins
grilled chicken
glazed pecans (I found these bagged by the nuts in the baking aisle of the grocery store)
stinky cheese (like blue or gorgonzola. You could probably use feta for something milder)
fruity-vinaigrette dressing (I used a raspberry one from the store. The restaurant served strawberry)

Chicken Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Capers

I had a jar each of sun-dried tomatoes and capers, and was in the mood to use them the other day. I googled "chicken pasta sun dried tomatoes capers" and came up with these two recipes that I used together. I served the chicken over the pasta, and it was very good. I omitted the black olives from the pasta because I didn't have any (and because I don't like olives).

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 1/2 pound fusilli (spirals) pasta
• Kosher salt
• Olive oil
• 1 pound ripe tomatoes, medium-diced
• 3/4 cup good black olives, such as kalamata, pitted and diced
• 1 pound fresh mozzarella, medium-diced
• 6 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped

For the dressing:

nocoupons

• 5 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 6 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, diced
• 1 teaspoon capers, drained
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 1 cup packed basil leaves, julienned

Directions

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water with a splash of oil to keep it from sticking together. Boil for 12 minutes, or according to the directions on the package. Drain well and allow to cool. Place the pasta in a bowl and add the tomatoes, olives, mozzarella, and chopped sun-dried tomatoes.

For the dressing, combine the sun-dried tomatoes, vinegar, olive oil, garlic, capers, salt, and pepper in a food processor until almost smooth.

Pour the dressing over the pasta, sprinkle with the Parmesan and basil, and toss well.

Chicken with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Capers

This recipe serves: 4 6 8

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 4 to 6 ounces each
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup flour for dredging
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, rehydrated and chopped (I just used more of the ones from my jar of oil-packed)
2 tablespoons capers
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

1. Lay the chicken between two pieces of waxed paper and flatten each cutlet with the flat end of a mallet until thin. (I don't have a mallet, and pounding chicken is, in my opinion, a huge pain. I cut the chicken into this strips instead)

2. Heat the olive oil in a large, non-stick skillet until hot. While the oil is heating, season the chicken with salt and pepper and dredge it in flour.

3. Sauté the chicken over high heat, about 3 minute on each side. Remove to a warm platter and keep warm.

4. Quickly add the chicken broth to the pan and stir with a wooden spoon to release any caramelized bits that may be stuck to the pan. Add the tomatoes and cook until the broth has reduced by half. Add the lemon juice and capers. Pour the sauce over the chicken, sprinkle with parsley and serve.

NOTE: You may have to sauté the chicken in two batches. If so, use a clean pan for each batch. Make the sauce in one of the pans

Mmmmm...fish

So I try to follow a recipe exactly the first time I try it, but for this, I didn't have onion powder or celery salt on hand. It was still fab. I got this from allrecipes.com. My kids gobbled it up and asked for more. This is the first time I've made tilapia that I've actually enjoyed. I guess I won't give up on the fish after all.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/8 teaspoon celery salt
• 2 pounds tilapia fillets

Directions

1. Preheat your oven's broiler. Grease a broiling pan or line pan with aluminum foil.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Season with dried basil, pepper, onion powder and celery salt. Mix well and set aside.
3. Arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the fillets over and broil for a couple more minutes. Remove the fillets from the oven and cover them with the Parmesan cheese mixture on the top side. Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork. Be careful not to over cook the fish.

Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Chips

For the life of me I can't figure out how to de-underline what I'm typing. Oh, well. I love this recipe from Pampered Chef. A lady in my mom's ward brought it to a RS activity, and it was a hit.

Cinnamon chips
4 (7-inch) flour tortillas (I made more)
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Salsa
2 med Granny Smith apples
1 cup strawberries -- sliced
1 kiwi fruit -- peeled and chopped
1 small orange
2 tbsp packed brown sugar (I use 1 and I think it's plenty -- you could even use less)
2 tbsp apple jelly (or strawberry)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. For cinnamon chips, lightly spray tortillas with water. Combine sugar and cinnamon in flour/sugar shaker; sprinkle over tortillas. Cut each tortilla into 8 wedges; place in single layer on round baking stone. Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned and crisp. Remove to cooling rack; cool completely.

For salsa, peel, core, and slice apples. Cut apples into quarters; chop with food chopper. Slice strawberries and chop kiwi. Place fruit in 1 quart bowl. Zest orange and juice. Add orange zest, orange juice, brown sugar and apple jelly to fruit mixture, mix gently. Serve with cinnamon chips.