Asian Chicken Salad Lettuce Cups

It is getting warm over here. The sun is finally shining and warming things up and the rain is staying away for a while. It is quickly starting to feel like summer. It takes forever for spring to get here and in no time it is gone. A few things that are yummy and usually abundant this time of year though are green onions, lettuce and cilantro. These lettuce cups are perfect for this time of year as the cool days turn warm and the garden starts growing wonderful tasting veggies.

This recipe is for an appetizer version, but we just used bigger lettuce leaves and filled them up for a main dish meal. A side of homemade bread and the meal was complete.

Asian Chicken Salad Lettuce Cups Betty Crocker 15 minute meals
2 cups finely chopped cooked chicken
4 medium green onions, diagonally sliced (1/4 cup)
1 can (8 oz) sliced water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped (I omitted since I didn't have these on hand)
1/2 cup spicy peanut sauce or make your own recipe here
1 T chopped fresh mint leaves (or cilantro)
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
24 small Bibb lettuce leaves (I used Buttercrunch lettuce which has bigger leaves)
1/2 cup chopped roasted salted peanuts

In medium bowl, mix all ingredients except lettuce and peanuts. Spoon about 2 tablespoons (or more for a main dish) of chicken mixture onto each lettuce leaf. Sprinkle with peanuts.

Traditional Chex Mix

I don't know why, but I always feel like Christmas just isn't going to be the same if I don't make Chex mix. The ingredients are available all year and would be delicious anytime of year, but it always seems like this is a treat that I need to make for the holidays. I tend to use this simple recipe every year and I've used it for so long I don't even remember where it came from. It is delicious!

Traditional Chex Mix
1/4 cup margarine or butter
1 1/4 tsp seasoned salt
4 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 2/3 cup corn chex
2 2/3 cup rice chex
2 2/3 cup wheat chex
1 cup mixed nuts
1 cup pretzels

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. In open roasting pan, melt butter in oven. Remove. Stir in seasoned salt and Worcestershire sauce. Gradually add cereals, nuts and pretzels, stirring until all pieces are evenly coated. Bake 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Spread on paper towels to cool. Store in air tight container. Makes 9 cups.

Vegetable Dip

We are harvesting many tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots and peppers from our garden right now. I like raw veggies, but my husband is not the biggest fan. He is getting much better and I can sneak chopped up cukes in salads and even tomatoes sometimes and he'll eat them. More often though, he gives me all of the veggies that he doesn't eat from dinner. I found this recipe and whipped this up to enjoy with some cut up carrots, cukes and yellow peppers. Ryan did eat the yellow pepper, but passed on the rest of the veggies. I'll have to just keep trying I guess!

Vegetable Dip From Our Dairy Specialties cookbook

1 cup sour cream
3 tsp onion flakes
3 tsp dill flakes (fresh if available)
1 cup mayo
3 tsp parsley flakes (fresh if available)
3 tsp seasoned salt (or less)

Mix all together at least 1 hour before serving. Good with any vegetable.

Grilled Peach Salsa

Yum! This was a tasty, different from my usual salsa that I make. It makes a good amount so there is plenty for leftovers. Ryan and I enjoyed this with some chips and a salad. Very summery salsa!

Grilled Peach Salsa From Simply in Season

5 large peaches, washed and halved, pits removed
5 tomatoes
1 1/2 jalapenos (or more for spicier salsa), minced with seeds removed
1/2 cup honey
2 T fresh basil or cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Brush grill grate with vegetable oil and grill peaches (or brush peach halves with olive oil) and grill peaches face down for several minutes. With tongs, flip peaches until skins begin to darken. (This can also be done in a vegetable grill basket.) Remove peaches from grill when they can be pierced easily with a fork or skewer. Allow to cool. Remove skins and chop. Add chopped tomatoes and peppers to the peaches. Stir in the honey and cilantro and season with salt and pepper. Very good salsa dip with chips. Can also serve with chicken or pork.

Frijole-Mole

I'm branching out a bit from the cookbook that I've been using a lot lately-Simply in Season.

I read an awesome book a few months ago that has really helped change the way I look at food and what my husband and I eat. It was called Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver. Her family grew, gathered, harvested, raised most of the food that they ate for a whole year. What they couldn't grow, they searched for local sources to provide such as meat and milk, etc. There are many really excellent points that the author brings up about the benefits of supporting your local food system as much as you can. Even though I don't buy all organic food, I try to buy humanely raised meat, eggs, and dairy versus the cheapest I can find. There really are many more benefits to free-range, pasture raised meat and dairy and not supporting the commercial farms is one way to help improve our environment and decrease pollution. Anyway...I'll get off my soapbox about that, but I really do encourage people to learn more about where their food comes from-support local sources as much as you can and read the above book-it really is eye opening.

This recipe comes from the above book. I had to figure out a way to use up the beans from my garden and since my husband doesn't like them, I try to figure out ways to sneak them in so he can't really tell they're there. This was a delicous spread. I was a little hesitant to try it, but it turned out great. Very filling!

Frijole-Mole
1/2 lb. trimmed green beans
1 coarsely chopped onion
1 T olive oil
3 hard boiled eggs
2 cups fresh basil leaves
1 T lemon juice (optional)
Mayo or yogurt
salt and pepper
cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes (optional- I didn't add, but I wish I would have. We like spicier food and I will add this next time)

Steam beans until tender. Sautee onions in olive oil over medium heat until they become slightly transparent. Combine beans, cooked onions, eggs, basil and lemon juice in food processor and blend into a coarse puree. Remove puree to a bowl and combine with enough mayo or yogurt to hold together (you don't need much, about 1/4 cup). Add salt and pepper to taste. This spread is fantastic served on crusty bread, crackers, or rice cakes. We used tortilla chips to scoop it up.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Yeah Superbowl Sunday!!!! This is what I am making to take to the party we're going to. I've made it before and when I asked Ryan what we should bring to the party this is what he requested. It is simple to whip up and really good! I'm trying it in a crockpot tody and doubling the recipe so I'm hoping it turns out just as good.

Buffalo Chicken Dip From Taste of Home

8 oz package cream cheese, softened
10 oz can of chunk white chicken, drained
1/2 cup buffalo sauce
1/2 cup ranch salad dressing
2 cups shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese
Tortilla chips

Spread cream cheese into an ungreased shallow 1 qt baking dish. Layer with chicken, buffalo wing sauce and ranch dressing. Sprinkle with cheese.

Bake, uncovered at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve warm with tortilla chips.

Cheesy Cream Dip

I can't believe it's July already! We had a great 4th of July and enjoyed this dip during our little get together. I have been so busy with my flowers and garden that I haven't had time to add more recipes, but I will be working hard the next few days to try and catch up. We've been enjoying lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, primarily from the store, but I have already picked about 15 zucchini from my garden and a couple of cucumbers. I have peas that are working on getting bigger too! I love summer!

Cheesy Cream Dip from Our Dairy Specialists Cookbook

1 c cheddar cheese, shredded
1 c sour cream
3 T pimento, chopped (omitted since I did not have any)
3 T stuffed green olives, chopped
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp oregano
1/8 tsp pepper
raw vegetables for dippers

Beat cheese and sour cream in small mixing bowl until well blended. Stir in olives and seasonings. Cover and chill 2-3 hours to allow flavors to blend well. Serve with assorted fresh raw vegetables as dippers.

Stuffed Mushroom Caps

This is just a recipe I came up with by myself. Our grocery store had whole mushrooms on sale so I picked up a few cartons. I used some for a pizza or something, but had a whole carton left and didn't know what to do with it. Ryan and I both like mushrooms and I had never made stuffed mushrooms, but I thought I could come up with something that would be tasty-and I think I did!

Cheesy Stuffed Mushrooms

4 oz lite cream cheese, softened
about 1/4 c mayo
4 oz can diced green chilis, drained
1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese
8 oz carton whole mushrooms

In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese and mayo. Add the green chilis and shredded cheese and stir to combine. Rinse the mushrooms and remove the stems (save for another use by freezing). Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray and place mushroom tops on sheet. Fill each top with the cheese mixture. Bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes until heated through and slightly browned on top. A delicious and easy appetizer.