Crunchy Orange Salad

Here is another delicious salad that comes directly from my mother in law's recipe book. I love citrus salads. There is something about a sweet dressing that meets the savory crunch in this salad that will just make your taste buds sing. (Mine sing off tune, but they sing non the less.) 

Salad Ingredients: 
1 large head red leaf lettuce
1 red onion thinly sliced
2 oranges peeled and thinly sliced
1 small jicama peeled and cut into julienne slices
4 oz sliced almonds
3 tbs. sugar

Dressing Ingredients: 
1/2 tsp grated orange peel
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
2 tbs red wine vinegar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tbs sugar
1 tbs dry italian seasoning mix

Place your first 4 ingredients in a salad bowl, chill. In a skillet, sprinkle sugar over almonds. Cook over medium heat until almonds are coated and sugar is dissolved. Let cool. Mix dressing ingredients in a jar, chill. Pour over salad dressing. Sprinkle with almonds. Toss and serve. Serves 6-8. 

Please don't look too closely at my photos of this. I took the picutres before I added the red onion and almonds to the salad. They not only add delicious flavor and crunch, but that add lots of color too, making this salad very beautiful. The flavor profile on this is wonderful. Even non salad lovers will enjoy it. You can even make it a main dish by adding cooked chicken or topping it with crunchy chinese noodles. 

Bon Apetite! 

Kansas City Mexican Pizza

I currently live in Kansas City, land of awesome barbecue. We rarely make barbecue at home because there is such a plethora of great restaurants around us. But tonight, I gave good old Kansas City a nod while making a delicious mexican style meal. 

Quesadillas and wraps are so easy to put together, but they can get a little boring week after week. Tonight I made a BBQ chicken Mexican pizza. It was so easy to throw together but had some unique twists that made it a lot more fun than a boring old quesadilla. It is crispy, ooey gooey, and crunchy all at the same time. The individual layers in this pizza filled with Mexican flavored goodness are like a cinco de mayo party in your mouth, while still being simple enough for a weeknight meal. 

Ingredients:

3 whole wheat soft tortilla shells 

1 can pinto beans 

1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese 

2 tsp olive oil 

1 small onion

1 tsp cumin 

1 tsp paprika 

1/2 tsp salt 

1/2 tsp pepper 

1/2 of an avacado 

1/2 lrg cooked chicken breast, shredded

3 tablespoons BBQ sauce 

Cilantro for garnish 

Turn on oven to 350. Take a tortilla and place it on a baking sheet. Cover it will 1 cup of cheese and then place the 2nd tortilla on top of that. Bake for 5-7 minutes while you complete the next step. 

Warm your oil in a frying pan and cook your onion with your salt until translucent. Rinse and drain your beans and add them to the pan with your other spices. Heat through then mash with a potato masher so they have the consistency of refried beans. 

Take your tortillas out of the oven and top the 2nd layer with beans. Add your 3rd tortilla on top of that. Add your chicken, cheese, and drizzle with BBQ sauce. Put it back in the oven and bake until crispy and the cheese on top is bubbly. Remove from oven.

Cut your avacado and place that and the cilantro on top. Cut into wedges and serve pizza style. 

Feel free to switch up the chicken with whatever type of extra protein you have laying around your house. This would also work well with black beans too. Add chili powder if you love heat. This is the beauty of this type of me, you can clean out your fridge! Just don't leave off the BBQ sauce, it will give your Mexican pizza a lovely Kansas City sweetness and tang. Enjoy! 

Easy Turkey Hummus Wraps (hummus recipe included!)

Its so nice to have easy meals on hand, ready in your fridge that can be whipped up in 30 seconds. When hunger strikes, please tell me I'm not the only one who stares hopelessly in my fridge or pantry trying to decide what I'm willing to eat that is the easiest to throw together. I always have tortillas in my fridge. This week I whipped up a batch of this delicious hummus and used it all week. You can spread hummus on toast, chips, veggies, whatever you'd like. By far my favorite use for our hummus this week was this wrap. It was creamy and satisfying and like I said, super easy to make. Oh, and it's healthy too! 

Wrap Ingredients: 

1 Whole Wheat Tortilla
1/2 of an Avocado 
1/2 cup shredded turkey 
1/4 cup hummus (see recipe below) 
1/4 tsp salt 

Ok, are you ready for the super complicated directions? Spread the hummus, avocado, turkey, and salt on your tortilla and roll it up. Even my 2 year old could make this recipe! The hummus and the turkey are so filling, and the buttery avocado goes so well with it. Couldn't be more simple or delicious. 

If you prefer to make your own hummus like I do, rather than buying it, feel free to try the recipe below. You could also substitute the shredded turkey with turkey slices from the deli, or even baked chicken. The great thing about a wrap is you can be flexible and use whatever you have in the fridge! Plus this delicious hummus is so yummy you can sneak in celery, carrots, or whatever veggies you want and it won't take away from the deliciousness. 


Home Made Hummus: 

1 sixteen ounce can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
Juice of 1 1/2 lemons (about 6 tablespoons)
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup tahini
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup olive oil

Add all of your ingredients except for the olive oil into a food processor and blend until smooth. While the processor is still running, slowly add your olive oil (so it can emulsify). Taste and adjust salt or acid as needed. Enjoy!