Chicken Paprikash - Home Cooked Recipe #81

Who isn't looking for new chicken recipes? If you're like me, I am always on the search for a new way to serve chicken. I came across a few recipes on the internet for Chicken Paprikash and made my own by blending the recipes I found. It's a fairly easy, one pot meal that takes right around 30 minutes to make.

Chicken Paprikash

Ingredients:

• 1 lb chicken breasts, diced into bite sized chunks
• 2 tsp ghee (or butter or oil)
• 2 medium onions, sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbs flour
• 1 tbs paprika
• 1 tbs smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp cayenne
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• salt & pepper
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 can petite diced tomatoes (14.5 oz can)
• 1/2 cup sour cream

Directions:
Heat pan with ghee (butter/oil) over medium. Add the onions and saute for 5 minutes until soft. Add in garlic and saute another 2 minutes. Stir in the flour and both paprikas and cook for a minute. Whisk in chicken broth. Add the tomatoes and turn heat to medium low. Season mixture with cayenne and salt & pepper. Stir in the chicken and simmer for 25 minutes. Turn off heat, remove pan, and stir in sour cream. Serve over rice or egg noodles. Enjoy!

Copycat Southwest Egg Rolls - Pinterest Pick #20

My friend Tanya is a HUGE fan of Chili's and their Southwest Egg Rolls. I enjoy them myself, and thought I would try to make a copycat recipe I found on Pinterest. I changed a couple of things. I left out the spinach (yuck, I am not a fan lol) & I just made regular ranch dressing as opposed to the Avocado Ranch to go with them. You could easily mash half an avocado and add it to some ranch dressing and you would have your Avocado Ranch. Also, I saute'd my chicken breast instead of grilling it as I already had a saute pan going and there's no point in heating up a grill for 1 chicken breast. I added onion powder and garlic powder to the spice mix because HELLO, flavor! I do prefer my ranch homemade and not out of a bottle, so I made it with a packet. These were delicious, and I cannot wait to try out more egg roll recipes as they are one of my favorite food items! You can find the original Pin HERE and the original recipe HERE.

Copycat Southwest Egg Rolls

Ingredients:

• 5 flour tortillas (I used the Mission Super Soft, Soft Taco size)
• 1 chicken breast, diced into small pieces
• 1 cup corn
• 2 tbs of red pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup black beans, rinsed
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 2 tbs jarred jalapenos, diced
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• dash of cayenne
• salt & pepper to taste
• 3/4 cup shredded Monterrey Jack
• oil for frying, butter for sauteing chicken

Directions:
Saute chicken breast pieces in a tablespoon of butter over medium heat (or you can grill your chicken breast if your prefer). Once it is cooked through (about 5 minutes), add in corn, red pepper, black beans, green onions, and jalapenos. Saute another 5 minutes. Add in spices, mix very well, and cook an additional 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let filling cool completely. Stir in cheese. Fill tortillas with filling and wrap tightly into an egg roll shape (secure with tooth picks). The original recipe I used said to let them sit 4 hours to over night, and I chose to let them sit in the fridge over night. I deep fried mine at 375 for 12 minutes. Serve with ranch or Avocado Ranch.
Enjoy!

Simply Sides 24 - German Potato Salad

I am always looking for ways to make our weeknight meals more exciting with new side dishes. I was a little nervous that hubs would not like this tangy potato dish, but it turns out that he really enjoyed it. Now we have new side dish to add to our lineup! I looked at a few different recipes and came up with my own spin that turned out pretty delish. And even though this is called potato salad, it really is more like a warm potato side as opposed to what I think of as salad.

German Potato Salad

Ingredients:

• 6 red potatoes, sliced thin
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 strips of bacon, diced
• 3 tbs white wine vinegar
• 2 tbs water
• 1 tbs brown mustard
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tbs dried dill
• salt & pepper

Directions:
Bring potato slices to a boil & cook for 8 minutes. Drain. While potatoes are cooking, cook bacon in a skillet over medium until pieces are brown and crispy. Drain on paper towels. In bacon drippings, saute onions for 5 minutes. Add in garlic and saute another 2 minutes. Once onions and garlic are tender and translucent, add in water, sugar, mustard, and 2 tbs of the vinegar & stir well. Add in potatoes and sprinkle the last tbs of vinegar on. Sprinkle with dill, salt, & pepper. Toss well to coat potatoes. Sprinkle in drained bacon pieces and stir again.  Serve warm.
Enjoy!

Ropa Vieja - Home Cooked Recipe #80

I am a BIG fan of latin flavors. I was perusing the internet for a good Rope Vieja recipe to try, and decided to actually combine flavors from several different ones to come up with my own spin on this dish. Some of the ingredients are probably not traditional but it came out fantastic! Also, it's made in the slow cooker so it's a one pot dish that cooks itself which is super convenient. Give it a try!

Ropa Vieja

Ingredients:

• 2-3lb boneless chuck roast
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 bell peppers (any color), sliced
• 1/2 jar whole green olives w/pimentos (& brine)
• 1 can Rotel
• 16 ounces tomato sauce
• 2 cups beef broth
• 4 tbs ketchup
• 2 tbs apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbs cumin
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp minced dried onion
• 1 tbs Adobo
• 1 packet Sazon
• freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
In a slow cooker, mix all ingredients from tomato sauce to black pepper. Stir in onion, peppers, olives, & Rotel. Place chuck roast over sauce, spooning some of the liquid over the top. Cook on high for 4 to 6 hours, or low for 8 hours.  Shred meat and return to liquid. Serve over rice. 
Enjoy!