Greek Salad

We love Feta cheese at my house!  Anything you can put it on/in - can only taste better, right?  Another favorite is fresh garden tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers....  Really anything from the garden! With our impending move, I'm really missing those garden fresh veggies!!!  I decided to make a stop at our local Farmer's Market (for those of in Utah - Petersen Family Market).  The girls and I decided to whip up a quick Greek Salad.  You can serve it as a side, a light main dish - use it how you'd like!

Greek Salad
3 med-large garden fresh tomatoes, diced
1 orange bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1/2-1 cup assorted olives (Kalamata/Greek/Black/Green)
1 can Garbanzo beans, rinsed
1/3-1/2 cup red onion, diced (thin)
1 cucumber, sliced and quartered
8 oz. feta cheese, crumbled

Combine all the above ingredients in large bowl.

Dressing:
6 Tablespoons Red Wine vinegar
6 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1-1/2 Tablespoons Greek Seasoning
1 teaspoon salt

Mix well with whisk or in blender.

Combine dressing and veggies.  This salad is good at room temperature but best when it can sit for an hour or more to let the flavors blend in the refrigerator.  **This is very refreshing from the fridge on a hot summer day!
You can serve it as a side, a light main dish - put it on top of some crisp salad greens or add pasta to it!
Enjoy!!

Southwest Pasta Salad

Pasta Salad--- seems like a simple dish!  There are so many options!  Here's a classic with a bit of a southwest twist!  

Ingredients:

12 oz. Rainbow Twirl Pasta

15 oz. Black Beans, rinsed

Olives (large can), drained and sliced

16 oz. Italian Dressing - personal favorite - HEB Spicy Italian (yes, it's from Texas)

1 cup Frozen petite corn 

1/3 cup cilantro

1/2 cup pepper jack cheese, diced

3 Roma tomatoes, diced

1.  Cook pasta according to directions on package.  Rinse with cold water and add to large bowl.  Add all remaining ingredients (except dressing).  Toss.  Add half of the dressing.  Refrigerate.  Add remaining dressing just before serving.  

Ideas for other twists on pasta salad:
Go Mediterranean!  Use:  Artichoke hearts, tomatoes, Kalamata olives, feta cheese and garbanzo beans!
Go Italian!  Use:  Pepperoni, Salami or Proscuitto, tomatoes (fresh or sun-dried), olive (green/black), Italian parsley, Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses

The possibilities are endless!  You could add grilled chicken, cubed ham?  What's your favorite combination???
-Tammy

Enchurritos & Spanish Rice

We have some really good friends that invited us over for a Super Bowl party earlier this year.  We enjoyed Enchurritos and rice while watching football.  They were amazing!  We've talked about them ever since, so I decided it was time to make our own.  Taylor keeps referring to them as Bob-urritos, so call them what you like, but they were delicious!!

Enchurritos Bob-urritos
2 lbs ground beef
1 tsp garlic salt
2 tsp chipotle seasoning
1 tsp onion powder (or 1/2 cup finely chopped onion)
1/2 cup tomato sauce
12 flour tortillas
1 can refried beans
1 large can red enchilada sauce
1 cup shredded medium cheddar cheese (pepper jack would be good too)
sour cream, optional

Place ground beef in skillet and season with garlic salt, chipotle and onion powder.  Brown.  Drain any excess grease off meat.  Add tomato sauce and mix well.  Lay out flour tortillas, top with about 1 tablespoon of refried beans, hamburger meat and shredded cheese. 

Roll tortillas burritos style and place in 9x13 baking pan (sprayed with cooking spray).  Pour enchilada sauce over the top of the burritos and then top with more shredded cheese.

Spanish Rice
2 cups brown rice
1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups water, warm
1 tsp chicken bouillon
2 tsp cumin

Heat oil in frying pan on medium heat.  Add rice and cook until golden brown.  Add bouillon to water.  When rice is brown, add tomato sauce, salt, garlic, cumin, cilantro and water to pan.  Stir and cover, simmer for 45-60 minutes.
This recipe was modified from Spanish Rice on Lil' Luna.

Weekly Meal Plan 3/3/13

Another week gone... Is it just me or is this year flying by???  I can't even stand it!  Now that we are 3 weeks into this, I'm wondering what everyone is thinking.  Are my recipe ideas helpful??  Am I just annoying you?? Just kidding...  Hopefully I'm helping to spice things up in your kitchen!

What's on the menu this week:
Sunday - PW Ranch Style Chicken w/Rudy's Creamed Corn
Monday - Monte Cristo Sandwiches
Tuesday - leftover night
Wednesday - Sausage links with couscous
Thursday - leftovers/cereal/sandwiches - anything goes!
Friday - spaghetti w/Grandma
Saturday - Out!

I'm sure you've noticed that my posts during the week don't always follow the initial plan.  The nice thing is there is a plan of sorts, so it can change a little.  Last week, I forgot to put the pork ribs in the crock pot, so that definitely changed up our dinner plans on Monday.  That's okay though--we just moved Tuesday (sloppy joes) up and Monday back a day.  Life happens!  If that's one of the things I can help convey, I'll feel accomplished!  Sometimes you just have to kind-of go with the flow!  :) 

Since we are enjoying Pioneer Woman's Ranch Style Chicken, I thought I'd fill you in on the recipe, which can be located here.  The chicken needs to marinate in this recipe, so I put it in the marinade about 4 hours before dinner.  If I was making this on a weeknight, I'd put it in the marinade in the morning or the night before just depending on our schedule.  I've already cooked the bacon and shredded the cheese, so now all that I really have to do is grill the chicken. 

Rudy's Cream Style Corn...explanation:  Rudy's is one of our favorite BBQ places in San Antonio.  They have the most amazing cream corn!  My sis-in-law gave me this recipe... I think she said she found it in the newspaper. 
2 cans creamed corn
1 reg size bag frozen corn (12-16oz.)
1/3 cup sugar
1 stick butter
1 pkg cream cheese
Place everything in the slow cooker and heat on low for about 4 hours.  Double recipe for a crowd!  It's a definite must at the Crow Family get togethers!!  Thanks Kathy for sharing!!