Cilantro Lime Rice (like at Chipotle)

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Please tell me you've been to Chipotle. Please, please tell me you have. If you have not, I'm telling you to go right now. Just leave this blog, drive to your closest restaurant, and order something. Anything. The food there is amazing. It's fast food, but it's healthy and so tasty. I won't even be mad at you for leaving (as long as you eventually come back). It's just that worth it.

Chipotle's founder is actually one of the investors in the winner of the new show on NBC, America's Next Great Restaurant.  The reason why he was chosen is because Chipotle is a "fast food" restaurant, but it's so successful since it's cheap, quick, delicious and made with natural ingredients. The show is striving to find another new restaurant concept (like Chipotle), but the restaurant must be a unique idea. I hope they do find one because the idea of Chipotle was pure genius, so I'm excited to see what the next big craze will be.

As for this rice, it tastes exactly like the one they make at Chipotle. I think I could eat this as as side at every meal and be perfectly content. So if you haven't been there yet, you can make this and kind of sense the perfection I'm talking about. It's really simple and the cilantro, lime and salt add just the right about of flavor. We had it on tacos the other night and it was excellent. Give it a try and let me know how you think it compares!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup extra long grain white rice
• 2 cups water
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lime, juiced or 2 tbsp. lime juice (or more, to taste)
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/2 tsp. salt, to taste

Pour the rice, water, and 1 tbsp of the olive oil into a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil and continue boiling over medium heat until the water just skims the top of the rice. Reduce heat to low, cover the pan, and continue cooking for 15 minutes. 

Turn the heat off after 15 minutes and keep covered for 5 more minutes. Remove lid and transfer the rice to a large bowl. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, the juice of the lime, and the finely chopped cilantro to the rice. Mix well and slowly add salt, to taste. Adjust seasonings as needed, adding more salt and lime juice if necessary.

Source: Buns in my Oven

Homemade Hamburger Helper

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No matter what grocery store I go to, ground beef is always sold in packs of either 1.25 pounds or 2 pounds and higher. Most recipes call for one pound of meat exactly. So, what are you going to do with the extra quarter pound of meat? If you're like me, you'll put it in the freezer knowing that it will probably be used sooner or later. 

I looked in the freezer the other day and I had six quarter-pound bags of ground beef. SIX!! Who does that?

Guess what was for dinner that night? Something with ground beef.

I usually make meatballs, chili, meatloaf, etc. with my ground beef, but I had an urge to try something new. I did a quick search in Google and this recipe for Homemade Hamburger Helper popped up. I'll admit I've only tried the actual Hamburger Helper one or two times, but it wasn't half bad. I decided to give this a go thinking that getting rid of the preservatives and fat content of the store-bought version would make it better. And it sure did! 

There was a light chili flavor, and the cheese and milk made it thick and creamy. I also used all reduced-fat ingredients, so it wasn't even all that bad for me. It probably took about the same amount of time the store-bought version takes, too. About a quick 30 minutes. You can even prepare the dry seasoning mix and store in a ziplock bag so that it's ready to go next time you decide to make this meal!

Next time your kids ask for Hamburger Helper, give this recipe a try instead. You'll thank me!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 cup hot water
• 2 cups reduced-fat milk
• 1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni
• 1 tbsp. corn starch
• 1 tbsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1 cup reduced-fat cheddar cheese, shredded

Brown beef in a large skillet. Drain and add back to skillet.

Combine corn starch, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, sugar and paprika in a small bowl.

Add hot water, milk and macaroni to the beef in the skillet. Stir well and then add the dry ingredients.

Let the mixture come to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Let simmer for about 12 minutes or until the macaroni is tender, stirring occasionally. Add cheese during the last few minutes of cooking. 

Let stand for about five minutes so it can thicken. Serve immediately.

Source: Adapted from Chickens in the Road

Loaded Twice Baked Potatoes

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One of the most challenging things for me in the kitchen is to come up with good side dishes. I find that they're usually either too filling or don't go along with the main course. I, of course, love sides since I'm a big veggie lover and that's usually what my sides consist of. Chris, on the other hand, would probably have steak as his main course, salmon as a side, and chicken for dessert if he could. He'll have a salad or some other plain vegetable, but I like to switch it up once in a while and try to find things that satisfy both of us.

On that note, I love mashed potatoes. They're best when they are creamy, silky and smooth. If they're dry or clumpy, they are a huge disappointment. As a matter of fact, we've designated my oldest brother, Eddie, as the official potato masher on Thanksgiving. He did it great one year, so every year since we call him to the kitchen when it's time to mash the potatoes. Sucker! He's got it down to a science, though, so who could blame us?

Thanks to him, I already knew how to make awesome mashed potatoes. In order to spruce up my baked potato, I decided to mash it and then add cheese and bacon to make it a little more exciting. Serve this with a juicy steak or some grilled chicken and you've got yourself a dinner. I also used all reduced-fat ingredients to make this a little healthier. If I'm going to make it loaded, I figured I should make one aspect of it healthy!

Enjoy and have a fabulous weekend!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 large baking potatoes
• 1/4 cup bacon bits 
• 1/2 cup low-fat milk
• 2 tbsp. light butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese, divided
• 4 green onions, sliced (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake potatoes in preheated oven for 1 hour or until knife can smoothly enter the center of the potato. If they aren't soft after 1 hour, you can zap them in the microwave for a minute or two (poke them with a knife and wrap them in damp paper towels first).

When the potatoes are done allow them to cool for 5 minutes. Slice potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop the flesh into a large bowl. Reserve the skins. 

Add butter, salt and pepper to the potato flesh. Add the milk slowly until it reaches your desired consistency. Then stir in 1/2 cup of cheese. Mix with a hand mixer until well blended and creamy. Spoon the mixture into the potato skins. Top each with remaining cheese and bacon.

Bake for another 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Garnish with green onions, if using.



Source: SK Original 

Puppy Chow

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Hey guys! I'm doing a guest post over at Kim's Concoctions today while she's adjusting to the new precious member of her family, so go check out my Puppy Chow recipe! It's a quick and easy treat for new mom's who are balancing a newborn and other young children. Enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken Sandwich

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I realize I've been posting a lot of chicken recipes lately. Sorry about that for all of you who don't eat chicken. But for most of these recipes, you can easily substitute the chicken for pork, shrimp, etc. Just something to keep in mind!

I think the reason I've been cooking with so much chicken lately is either because a) Chicken is so diverse and there are so many different recipes I can make using it; or b) When I made my trip to Costco a couple weeks ago, along with the 17 pounds of vegetables I bought, I also bought a bag of about 25 frozen chicken cutlets.

I'll let you decide the reason on your own.

Anyways, I was really craving buffalo chicken the other day, and I had a few different options of what I could make. I always love Buffalo Wings or Buffalo Chicken Dip, but I also had some bread and lettuce that weren't going to stay good for too much longer (man, I guess I should really clean out my pantry/refrigerator, huh?), so I decided to make a Buffalo Chicken Sandwich.

I used the technique I use for making chicken cutlets (like in Chicken Piccata) and just doctored it up a little. It turned out so good! I plan on slicing up the extra chicken pieces and having them on a salad for lunch this week, too. I've got to use up that lettuce somehow!

Serve it on bread with lettuce, a little ranch dressing, and the hot sauce mixture.

Look how good this looks! You can also slice it up and put it on a salad or in a wrap as an alternative.

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken cutlets
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1 egg
• 1 cup hot sauce, divided
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 6 slices of bread, toasted
• Lite Ranch dressing, optional
• Romaine lettuce, optional

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside.

Mix flour, salt, pepper and paprika in a shallow plate. In a small bowl, lightly whisk the egg and stir in 1/2 cup of hot sauce. Spread panko in a separate plate. Dip each cutlet in flour, then egg mixture, then panko, allowing excess to drip off in between each plate.

Heat 2 tbsp. olive oil over medium-low heat. Cook breasts on each side until light brown, about 3 minutes per side. Place cutlets on the prepared baking sheet and continue cooking cutlets until they are all browned.

Place cutlets in the oven for 7-10 minutes or until cooked through.

In the meantime, melt remaining 1/2 cup hot sauce and butter in a small saucepan until melted. Turn off burner and set aside.

Spread a little Ranch dressing on one side of your bread. Top with lettuce and a chicken cutlet. Top with the hot sauce mixture and another piece of bread. Enjoy!

Source: SK Original