Menu: Chicken Tostada Night

Cook’s notes: Cooking Light had an amazing tip: Sprinkle rotisserie chicken with smoked paprika to give the chicken “rich, grill-like flavor with no cooking.” We do this all the time now; it really makes a difference in the flavor. Assemble all the items and let family members build their own tostadas or soft tacos.

Everyone builds their own tostada or soft taco

Menu (shown in picture, clockwise from upper left):

• Basil Corn Salad
  • Blender Salsa
  • Guacamole (store-bought) or diced avocado
  • Strawberry Limeade
  • Corn and flour tortillas, warmed (for tostada shells, spritz both sides of a tortilla with olive oil and bake on a cookie sheet until crispy)
• Black beans, rinsed and drained, and warmed with some balsamic vinegar
• 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken, skin removed — sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• Diced black olives
• Diced scallions
• Optional toppings: fresh diced tomatoes, sour cream

Tried and Liked: Cranberry Chicken Wraps

Healthy Cooking, August/September 2010 issue, had a lovely recipe for a chicken wrap with diced rotisserie chicken, cranberry, feta, diced apple, and baby spinach. I made one change: substituting fat-free plain Greek yogurt for the Miracle Whip. Quick to make and very delicious. And no need to heat up the oven to make dinner during the summer! Yield: 3 wraps.

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Tried and Like: Wild Rice and Chicken Salad

Follow the directions posted by Deanna Gunn at Cooking With Trader Joe’s. The recipe says “Serves 4,” but we got 6 to 8 servings. This rice salad is lovely served with sliced organic peaches.

Balsamic Chicken Pasta for 2

Cook’s Notes: Make this in the morning and take it for lunch.

1 cup uncooked spiral pasta
1 cup cooked chicken, diced
12 cherry tomatoes, halved
2 Tbsp olive tapenade (or sliced olives)
4 oz can mushrooms, drained
1.5 cups (1.5 oz) baby spinach, large stems removed

Dressing:
2 Tbsp (1 oz) olive oil
2 Tbsp (1 oz) balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Combine pasta with chicken, cherry tomatoes, olive tapenade, mushrooms, and baby spinach.

Combine dressing ingredients in a small container. Drizzle dressing over the salad; toss to coat. Yield: 2 servings

Source: Adapted from Taste of Home’s Cooking for Two, original recipe by Bill Hilbrich

Teriyaki Chicken Bowl

Cook’s Notes: I love peanut sauce, and the addition of cashews makes this dish special. Plus it contains red bell pepper and snow peas, which are bright and crunchy. This is an excellent dinner.

1/3 cup + 1 T Soyaki or Veri Veri Teriyaki sauce
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
3.5 cups cooked chicken (16 oz package of Just Chicken), diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 cup snow peas, roughly chopped into 1-inch pieces
2 scallions (green onions), diced
1/2 cup cashews

Place water, peanut butter, and teriyaki sauce in a glass measuring cup (tip: add the water and sauce first, then add enough peanut butter to measure 1 cup total). Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds to loosen the peanut butter; whisk the sauce to blend.

Dice the chicken and vegetables. Microwave the red bell pepper pieces for 1 minute to steam them slightly. Place chicken, vegetables, and cashews in a large bowl. Pour the sauce over all and stir to combine and coat evenly. Serves 4.

Source: Adapted from the cookbook Cooking with All Things Trader Joe’s.

Quickest Curry Chicken and Potatoes

Cook’s Notes: Recipe inspired by an excellent new cookbook, Cooking with All Things Trader Joe’s. All of the ingredients come from, yes, Trader Joe’s. The curry sauce is just slightly hot; you may wish to serve this dish with non-fat plain yogurt.

16 oz package fingerling potatoes
2 cups petite peas (if frozen, thaw them)
2 cups cooked chicken, diced (from a package of Just Chicken white-meat strips)
1/2 cup Thai Yellow Curry Sauce (bottled)

Steam the potatoes in the microwave according to package directions. Dice the potatoes and chicken. Combine all ingredients, stirring well. Heat briefly in the microwave until warmed through. Serves 4.

Freezer Burritos

Makes 10 burritos. Wrap and freeze these for an easy weekday lunch. Eat fruit for dessert (such as 1 plum or 1 sliced peach).

Combine the following ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked brown rice
• 3 cups black beans (2 cans, 15 oz each, rinsed and drained)
• 8 oz cooked chicken, diced
• 4 ounces shredded cheese, any kind
• 1 cup (8 oz) mild salsa

Divide filling evenly among 10 whole-wheat flour tortillas. Fold burrito. Wrap in double layers of plastic wrap and freeze. To reheat, microwave an unwrapped burrito on Medium power for 2 to 3 minutes until heated through.

Tortellini Salad

Cook’s Notes: This pasta salad tastes even better the next day. It is great for lunch or dinner.

Tortellini Dinner Salad

Mix together:
16 oz package tri-color cheese tortellini cooked according to package directions, drained and cooled
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 scallions, diced
1 box grape tomatoes, roasted
1 can sliced black olives (3.8 oz drained wt), drained
2 cups diced rotisserie chicken (about half the chicken)
1/2 cup shredded white cheese
1/4 cup Balsamic Salad Dressing

Game plan:

Bring the water to boil for the pasta. Heat the oven to 425.

Wash and slice the scallions.

Wash the red pepper. Cut in half, remove the seeds and stem, and dice it. Save half for salads.

Boil the tortellini until cooked through. Drain it.

Toss tomatoes with olive oil. Coat a rimmed baking sheet lightly with cooking spray.

Place the tomatoes in the oven and roast for 15 to 20 minutes until they are soft and wrinkled. Smaller tomatoes have begun to burst. Season the tomatoes to taste with salt and pepper.

While the pasta and tomatoes cook, skin and dice the chicken meat. Reserve 2 cups.

Discard the chicken carcass. Save remaining diced chicken for another use.

Open the can of olives and drain them.

Toss together tortellini, scallions, red pepper, tomatoes, and olives. Add the diced chicken and shredded cheese.

Drizzle the balsamic dressing over the mixture, and stir gently to combine.

Serve immediately. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

Chicken-Salsa Salad for Two

Combine the following:

6 oz cubed rotisserie chicken
2/3 cup canned black beans, rinsed
8 T salsa
1/2 avocado (cubed)
2 oz shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups cooked chopped broccoli or other vegetable (from a 16 oz bag of frozen broccoli florets, cooked in microwave)

Add more salsa if desired.

Lunch menu: Divide mixture in two portions. Wrap mixture in flour tortillas (or stuff in whole-wheat pita bread) and have 1 fruit serving for dessert.

Asian-Style Chicken Pasta Salad

Cook’s Notes: A friend sent me this recipe by e-mail; it turns out the recipe came from recipezaar. I adapted the recipe and added broccoli and carrots. This pasta salad is wonderful on a warm day. As the original recipe author said, “If you love pasta salads that contain crisp veggies, you’ll love this. The flavors get better after 2 or 3 days in the fridge.” The pasta salad keeps well in the fridge for up to a week.

16 ounces whole-wheat spaghetti
2 cups diagonally sliced fresh snow peas or sugar snap peas
4 cups shredded cooked chicken (from 1 deli rotisserie chicken)
12 oz baby carrots, halved
2 broccoli crowns, cut into florets
1 cup red bell pepper, diced
1/2 bunch green onion, sliced
Garnish: 1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1.5 cups Soy Vey Teriyaki Sauce with sesame seeds

Bring the spaghetti water to a boil. In the meantime, steam the baby carrots and the broccoli. Skin chicken. Take the chicken off the bone and cut into chunks. Set aside 4 cups of chicken.

Cook spaghetti in boiling water for 8 minutes. Add peas and cook for 1 more minute.

Drain pasta and rinse well under cold, running water.

Combine pasta with peas, chicken, and steamed and raw vegetables in a very large mixing bowl. Set aside.
Pour Soy Vey Teriyaki Sauce over pasta mixture and toss well. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Dressing recipe

If you don’t have Soy Vey on hand, make the dressing: Combine 3/4 cup teriyaki sauce, 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted, 2 tablespoons dark sesame oil, salt and pepper, to taste, and chili oil (optional) in a separate bowl.