chipotle roasted vegetable layered salad

here's another delicious way to eat some roasted veggies. i love cafe rio-style salads more than almost any food on this earth (except cheeseburgers, i've made that confession before). mexi-style salads with beans, rice, lettuce, salsa, guacamole, cilantro lime ranch dressing.... and now chipotle roasted veggies - all over a warm, toasted, cheesy tortilla.

i may even like this better than the meat in these salads. and when you roll up the tortilla at the end with the leftovers still in the tortilla after the lettuce is gone, the flavors are just perfect.

chipotle roasted vegetable layered salad

cilantro lime rice
ala a friend of the skinny bovine

3 cups cooked white rice (1 1/2 cups uncooked)
1 cup loosely packed cilantro
1/2 cup chopped white onion
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon olive oil

pulse cilantro, onions, lime juice, salt and oil in blender, scrapping down the sides as needed, until well combined. fold mixture into warm rice.

chipotle roasted veggies
from perry's plate

1 red bell pepper, cut into matchsticks
1 poblano pepper, cut into matchsticks (i used green here once and it was great!)
1 medium zucchini, cut into matchsticks
1 medium onion, halved and sliced very thinly
1 cup fresh or frozen corn
3 T olive oil
1-2 tsp minced or pureed chipotles in adobo sauce (see note here)
1 tsp ground cumin
salt and pepper, to taste

place all sliced vegetables on a large rimmed baking sheet. in a small bowl whisk together the oil, chipotles, and cumin. pour over the vegetables and sprinkle a pinch or two of salt and pepper, to taste. using your hands, toss the vegetables in the oil mixture and ensure that everything is coated well. spread evenly in the pan and roast for 35-40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so and shaking the pan to redistribute the vegetables evenly.

black beans
from perry's plate

1 15-ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 tsp ground cumin
pinch of salt
1/2 cup salsa or pico de gallo

to prepare the beans, place the drained and rinsed beans in a small saucepan with about 2-3 tablespoons of water. stir in cumin, salsa, and season to taste. let them simmer over medium heat until they're heated through.


i posted this dressing below a few years ago, but i've since refined it a bit by thinning it with salsa verde and milk. i've tried a few of the tomatillo-based cafe rio-style dressings and still like this one better!

cilantro lime ranch dressing
ala skinny bovine

1 1/3 cup fat free sour cream
3/4 cup low fat mayo
1 bunch cilantro
1 package ranch dressing mix
4 tablespoons salsa verde (green salsa)
1 clove garlic
1/8 teaspoon tabasco sauce (or more to taste if you want it spicier)
juice of 1 lime

blend all ingredients in blender until smooth. thin to your liking with milk and more salsa verde and blend again.

putting it all together...
toast a tortilla on your stove top in a pan. flip the tortilla and spread cheese to melt on the other side. when cheese is melted remove from heat.

on the tortilla, place a spoonful of rice, beans and roasted veggies. top with lettuce to your liking. add cilantro lime ranch dressing and any other toppings you desire - sour cream, guacamole, tortilla strips, etc.

honey lime fruit salad

i love plain fruit salad with nothing on it. i just can't get enough fruit.

but every now and then it's fun to change it up. i wanted a fruit salad a few sundays ago with dinner, but not one that added jello or cool whip or something crazy sugary.

i stumbled across this honey lime fruit salad on mel's kitchen cafe a while ago and have been going crazy waiting for strawberries to get to $1/lb so i could make it.

the stars aligned. the strawberries went on sale. and make it, i did!

oh my. we all couldn't get enough of it. so simple and so amazing. enjoy!

honey lime fruit salad
from mel's kitchen cafe (link above)

4-6 servingscute little 3 year old couldn't keep her fingers out of the salad!

1 (20 oz.) can pineapple chunks, drained well
1 can mandarin oranges, drained well
2-3 ripe kiwi, peeled and sliced into thick half moons
1 cup green grapes, halved
1 cup strawberries, quartered
Zest from one lime, about 1 tablespoon
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon poppy seeds (optional)

combine the fruit in a medium-large serving bowl. add the lime zest and poppy seeds, if using, and gently toss. drizzle the honey over the fruit and again, gently mix until the fruit is evenly coated with the honey. serve.

apple poppyseed spinach salad

with a little bit of the apple poppy seed dressing left over from the magical coleslaw and a bag of spinach on the verge of wilting in my fridge, there was nothing to do but create a salad to go with my sunday night roast and mashed potato dinner.

this might be my new favorite salad - made by me, panera bread, cafe rio or anyone else for that matter. use your leftover apple poppyseed dressing and whip this one up!

apple poppy seed spinach salad

baby spinach
slices of a sweet apple (i used fujis)
feta cheese
craisins
roasted almonds or walnuts (both good - whatever your preference)
apple poppy seed dressing (here)

1. no exact recipe here - just top a pile of spinach with apple, feta, craisins and nuts and then toss it with the apple poppy seed dressing. viola!

then let your mouth water between bites.

discovering your dollar store

when i moved less than a year ago some other frugal ladies from church introduced me to something i now rely on weekly for my cooking ventures: the 99 cents only store. this amazing dollar store sells nothing for more than 99c and they have some great fresh produce, some of which i definitely can't find cheaper anywhere else. here's a list of some of the things i've found there (over the course of time - not all in one trip):

• 2 pack of red/orange/yellow bell peppers
• container of mini bell peppers - multi colored and just red
• 3 pack of green bell peppers
• 2 lb bag of peaches/plums/nectarines
• 2 lb bag of dole bananas
• 6-8oz container of raspberries/blackberries/blueberries
• 3 pack hearts of romaine lettuce
• 5 lb bag of potatoes
• 3 pack of mangoes
• 3 pack of avocados
• 3 lb bag red/yellow/white onions
• 2 lb bunch broccoli/cauliflower
• 2 pack of large cucumbers
• 8 oz package of brown/white/baby bella mushrooms
• 2 pack of portobello mushrooms
• 2 lb bag carrots
• 6 pack roma tomatoes
• 1 pint cherry/grape tomatoes
• bagged organic spinach
• 4 pack large bunches of cilantro
• bag of green onions

i've also found some other non-produce items that i've been happy to find there too:

• 1 lb lasagna noodles
• bottle of oyster sauce (for asian cooking... see my asian label for more)
• 4 pack unsweetened applesauce/berry applesauce (good baby food to go)
• gerber meals for toddlers - 3 for $1
• boxed gerber granola bars - 3 boxes for $1
• wheaties fuel cereal
• large bag twizzlers nibs (confession - i love these)
• jelly flops (real jelly belly jelly beans that are funny shaped or stuck together)
• 6 pack large pita breads

i've been really happy with the quality of nearly everything i've bought from my dollar store. my hearts of romaine are even fresher and last longer than the ones i buy at other stores.

and of course i love that shopping at my dollar store makes meals like the one below possible. we loved this salad at our house - and it is as beautiful as it was delicious. packed full of beautiful (and usually) expensive veggies, this one is a keeper as long as my dollar store keeps providing bell peppers. :)

thai peanut noodle salad

find recipe here at our best bites

(i left out about 1/3 cup olive oil, though!)

just for fun, a few other great non-food items i've found at the dollar store:

• halloween costume stuff (including really cute wings - usually so expensive!)
• nick jr and disney books (like diego, backyardigans, disney princesses, etc.)
• awesome coloring books (discovery channel, disney)
• silk flowers
• picture frames

so discover what dollar stores are near you - you never know what you'll find!!

five ingredient fridays: creamy avocado pasta salad

i whipped this up the other night for a church function and it was a hit! just thought i'd share it since pasta salad is such a great warm weather food!

i know it's a few over 5 ingredients, but it's super simple. promise.

creamy avocado pasta salad
8 servings (main course, lots more as a side dish)

1 lb pasta of choice, i used macaroni
1 chicken breast, butterflied and heavily covered on both sides in taco seasoning, then pan-grilled and chopped
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained.
1 green peppers, chopped
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
1/4 of a red onion, minced

kroger brand (from smith's) lite creamy avocado ranch with lime dressing, to taste
chopped fresh cilantro to taste
salt and pepper to taste

next time i'd also add sliced black olives. yum.

1. cook pasta according to directions and cook chicken.
2. combine pasta, chicken, beans, peppers, tomatoes and onion. start with 1/2 cup of salad dressing and stir to combine. continue to add 1/4 cup at a time until you are happy with the taste/consistency. stir in cilantro and salt and pepper to taste. chill in fridge until ready to eat.

enjoy!

five ingredient fridays: pesto bowties with feta and tomatoes

the heat doesn't seem to be subsiding at all where we are. except for last night when it rained - for 5 minutes. wow. i'm heading to utah next month for 10 days where it does start to cool off this time of year.

wherever you are and whatever the temperature, pasta salad is such a great thing to eat (especially when it's hot). it's even better with only 5 ingredients!

this one is fun since it combines two of my favorite ingredients - pesto and feta cheese. i can't live without either of them - money and health aside. i love them. what ingredients can you not live without?

pesto bowties with feta and tomatoes
from the pioneer woman here

6 servings

1 lb pasta (i used rotini)
1 cup basil pesto (i used more like 3/4 cup) - try the classico brand - $2.08 at my wal-mart. not bad!
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved (got mine at the 99cents only store - more on this later)
4 oz feta cheese, crumbled (did you know they make low fat feta? not quite as good, but if your really trying to watch what you eat try it!)
salt and freshly ground pepper

cook the pasta according to package directions in a large pot of salted water. drain the pasta and run it under cold water just until it cools slightly. drain the pasta well.

transfer the pasta to a large serving bowl. stir in the pesto and gently mix until the pasta is coated. season with salt and pepper to taste (about 1/4 teaspoon each). add the halved tomatoes and feta cheese. toss to combine.

cover the pasta and refrigerate up to an hour before serving. if the pasta seems at all dry before serving, you can stir in additional olive oil to moisten the pasta (i didn't!).

five ingredient fridays: traditional taco salad

there are those traditional meals that just always taste good. taco salad is one of those for me. i like it just the way we've all always made it. and it's a great summer meal - fast and cool!

traditional taco salad

romaine lettuce
1/2 to 1 lb lean ground beef - cooked and seasoned with taco seasoning (or garlic, cumin and chili powder)
tomatoes
black olives
light ranch dressing (i love kroger brand at Smith's -super cheap too!)

other delicious, but optional ingredients: cheese, tortilla chips, avocado, hearts of palm, anything else that sounds good to you!!

top shredded lettuce with taco meat, tomatoes, olives, dressing and any other topping of your choice. easy as that!

five ingredient fridays: strawberry poppyseed salad

this is all i ate for a week straight at the beach with my best friend in december. i love it. my husband loves it equally as much - dubbed his new favorite salad! and it's a super quick and easy meal. my 2 year old had a few bites of mine and then needed her own plateful. i'm not sure there's anything cuter than a 2 year old eating a salad. adorable.

and try to go easy on the dressing. it's the only unhealthy part of this, but if you take it easy it isn't too bad!!

strawberry poppyseed salad

lettuce of choice (spinach is best, but romaine was good, too!)
sliced strawberries (wait until they're $1 a lb)
a hard boiled egg, sliced
shredded/chunked cooked chicken
poppyseed dressing (i used kroger brand that i got for $1!!!!!!)

cilantro lime vinaigrette

salads are one of my favorite foods on the planet - my all time favorite being the cafe rio-style salad. the more ingredients the better. pile it high.

when i went dairy free for my baby boy i was devastated not to be able to eat the cafe rio ranch dressing and was forced to try their other dressing.... which was shockingly delicious!
so of course i tried to replicate it at home. i think i like mine better than cafe rio's. and it's soooo easy. try it with the sweet and spicy slow cooker chicken, above, and your choice of beans and rice. then top with all the salad toppings you can handle. a perfectly delicious, healthy and well-balanced meal.

cilantro lime vinaigrette dressing
5-6 servings

1 cup bottled lite balsamic vinaigrette dressing (i use kroger brand that i got for $1)
juice of 1 small lime, or 1/2 of one large lime
1 large clove or 2 small cloves garlic
1/2 a bunch of cilantro

combine all ingredients in a small food processor/chopper and mix until all ingredients finely chopped and combined. serve over your favorite mexi-salad.

recipe of the week: simple turkey chili

i'm back!!! we finished the big move and my new kitchen is a palace! my kitchen counter is ginormous and it makes me want to do all sorts of yummy, domestic things like roll out dough for homemade noodles, pizza and cinnamon rolls.

on to the food. i found this yummy chili a few years ago on allrecipes.com. this time i stretched it really far and used it as toppings for taco salad and baked potato bar. it was great on both! though i enjoy it as its own main dish as well.

simple turkey chili (pics are the taco salad i put it on!)
slightly modified from here
8 servings

you're probably asking yourself - "does she eat everything with a quesadilla on the side?" my answer - i'm a very hungry bovine, so yes! (almost everything mexican, that is)

• 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil (i omit)
  
• 1 pound ground turkey (i usually use 1/2 or 3/4 lb and its plenty for us - and cheaper)
  
• 1 onion, chopped (1/2 works fine)
  
• 2 cups water
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (16 ounce) can kidney beans - drained, rinsed, and mashed
• 1 (16 ounce) can black beans - drained and rinsed (my addition)
  
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (this makes it really spicy - adjust according to your liking!)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1. place turkey and onion in crock pot. cook until evenly brown and onions are tender.
   
2. add all other ingredients to the crock pot. cook for as long as desired in crock pot.

perfect shredded chicken

i've always had problems making shredded chicken. no matter what i've tried (with a few crockpotting exceptions) it is always dry and dry chicken isn't good in much of anything. then i found this cool trick for mexican shredded chicken (here) and have since adapted it to be able to use it in anything! give it a try if you have trouble with shredded chicken too.

perfect shredded chicken

(can double/triple as needed)

1 chicken breast, cut into 3 pieces

enough chicken broth to just barely cover the breasts in a pan

whatever seasonings you'd like (whatever goes with your meal! - garlic, onions, bay leaf, soy sauce, chili powder, etc, etc, etc.)

1. combine chicken, broth and seasonings into a non-stick pan. bring to a boil; turn down and simmer, uncovered, until your chicken is done in the middle.

2. turn off stove, but leave on hot burner. cover with a tight lid and let it sit for 7 minutes (or longer if you have time).

3. you can shred it right then or leave it in pieces to shred later. either way, store the chicken in the broth in your fridge.

use it for any recipe that calls for shredded chicken and adjust your spices for whatever type of taste you'd like.

and here's a yummy recipe to try. i made these salads last week and they were awesome. i thought the bbq sauce was too zingy, until i put it on the salad and then it was perfect! the zing gave it that perfect salad dressing tang. mmmm..... enjoy!

priscilla from priscilla bakes posted a similar salad last week and i laughed when i saw it, knowing i was going to post this. her's looks great too!!!

barbeque chicken salad

bbq sauce (from "cooking with the crazy lady")

1 cup ketchup

1/2 cup cider vinegar

3 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 teaspoons water

1 1/2 teaspoons prepared mustard

1 1/2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon hot sauce

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. store in the refrigerator.

romaine lettuce, chopped

1 chicken breast, cooked and shredded (according to above)

canned (drained) or frozen (cooked and chilled) corn

black beans (rinsed and drained)

tomatoes, chopped

your favorite low-fat ranch dressing

shredded cheese, fresh cilantro and crumbled tortilla chips (optional)

anything else you'd like on here (hearts of palm sounded good to me!)

1. make bbq sauce and chicken (both above). coat shredded chicken with bbq sauce.

2. top a bed of lettuce with bbq chicken, corn, beans, tomatoes, your extras and ranch dressing. drizzle a little bit of extra bbq sauce over the top.

recipe of the week: cafe rio-style salads

sorry this took so long! we were trying to get moved into our new apartment...so with no more adieu... cafe rio-style salads!

as i mentioned in my last post, salad is my favorite lunch meal ever. why? you can get all of the food groups in one meal and it tastes soooo good! for those of you who have never eaten at cafe rio in utah, i'm so sorry for you because their salads are fabulous. since i can't eat there every day, i make myself a cafe rio-style salad at home for lunch... every day (that is really true some weeks!).

enjoy and add your own flair to your salad with whatever you have in your kitchen. thanks for your patience with my terrible food photography while i'm learning. :)

cafe rio-style salads

dressing:
1 1/3 cup fat free sour cream
3/4 cup low fat mayo
1 bunch cilantro
1 package ranch dressing mix
4 tablespoons salsa verde (i like herdez from wal-mart - it's yummy and cheap!)
1 clove garlic
1/8 teaspoon tabasco sauce
juice of 1 lime

blend all ingredients in blender until smooth.

rice:
cook 1 cup white rice in 2 cups chicken broth as you normally would.

when its done add 1/4 cup green enchilada sauce and any extra cilantro you have.

beans:
1 can black beans
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
dash of black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
3/4 teaspoon cumin

simmer onions and garlic in a tiny bit of olive oil until tender. add the rest of ingredients and cook until beans are hot.

chicken:
cut a chicken breast through the middle to have 2 semetrical breasts. see picture below.


pan-cook in a little bit of oil, lime juice and salsa verde and sprinkle with garlic salt, cumin and black pepper. cut into thin slices.

putting it all together:

1. heat a tortilla in a pan until barely crisp on both sides. sprinkle with a little bit of cheese.
   
2. put rice, black beans and chicken on top of tortilla.
3. top with chopped romaine lettuce (no iceberg - it has NO redeeming nutritional value!), fresh salsa (chopped tomatoes and lime juice will suffice if your budget has no room for fresh salsa) and your homemade dressing.
   

all i can say is yummy!! i really can't get enough of these salads!

here's my silly husband in action... getting a salad ready for the camera. haha.


challenge: have extra ingredients from this recipe (like enchilada sauce, maybe)? visit the ingredient search at allrecipes.com and put your extras to good use!

also coming soon, learn about why ground turkey is totally skinny bovine-worthy. (and go buy some at macey's in provo - see sale alert!!! on side bar for details.)

i found the imitation cafe rio dressing online forever ago, but have never been able to find it again! it's somewhere out there in cyberspace without my modifications. :)

recipe of the week: homemade poppyseed dressing

my absolute favorite lunch is a yummy salad. if you do it right you can do it cheap and healthy (stay tuned - next post will have more on this). one of the best ways to make it cheap and healthy is to make your own salad dressings. good store-bought salad dressings (like newman's) are expensive and REALLY high on the bad fat and calories scale. change the salad dressing-stigma in your brain and make your own - the healthy way!

here is one of my favorite homemade dressings. it is really yummy on a salad with chicken and your favorite fruit. mmm..... enjoy!

poppyseed dressing

1/2 cup low-fat or fat-free mayo

1/4 cup skim milk

1/4 cup white sugar

1/8 cup distilled white vinegar

1 tablespoon poppyseeds

mix well. refrigerate until ready to use and refrigerate leftovers.

coming next is one of my favorite meals - a lunch salad with a cafe rio-style flair!

above recipe is slightly modified version of "poppyseed dressing I" from allrecipes.com. thanks to the same for the photo.