Cowboy Caviar with Libby's Vegetable Pouches

 

We were given the opportunity through Recipe Redux to try Libby's new Vegetable Pouches. These little pouches were a great substitute for the normal canned vegetables because you can heat the vegetables right in the package. And who doesn't like to do less dishes? :) And considering I just cut my hand on a traditional can last week, it's nice to have a product that won't hurt my clumsy hands.

This Cowboy Caviar is one of our favorite appetizers. We took it to a party and it was a hit. It is a simple, fresh, and healthy salsa that is great on tortilla chips or any of your other favorite dipping devices. This recipe spotlights Libby's farm fresh sweet corn as the primary ingredient.

Ingredients
1 13 oz pouch of Libby's whole kernel sweet corn
2 avocados chopped up
3-4 Roma tomatoes chopped up
1/4 C chopped up purple onion
1 15 oz can of beans drained and rinsed (white, black, garbanzo, or black eyed peas)
1/4 c chopped up cilantro
1/4 C chia (optional)
1/4 C chopped up cilantro
1/4 tsp chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
juice from 2 limes

Directions
1. Toss together corn, avocados, tomatoes, onion, beans, and cilantro.
2. Then toss in chia, cilantro, chili powder, salt, pepper, and juice.
3. Serve at once or put in air tight container in the fridge.

I received free samples of Libby’s new Vegetable Pouches mentioned in this post. By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by Libby’s and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.

An InLinkz Link-up

Mexican Cornbread Salad (layered)

I made this yummy salad for my family yesterday. We enjoyed it as we watched LDS  General Conference Yesterday. Its some thing we do twice a year. It is always a sweet time. The salad was a great addition and got enjoyed by all. I only have a little remaining for my lunch today. :) We also enjoyed a beautiful hike up in the mountains behind our house this weekend. The colors of the leaves are so pretty. I loved breathing the fresh air up there too. We live in a beautiful world.  I hope that you had a nice weekend with your family or friends.

This salad has so many wonderful flavors in it. It is a great combination.

 Ranch Cashew Salad dressing

1 C unsalted cashew pieces soaked at least 15 min *
1/4 C almond milk
1/2 C water
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp chili powder
2 T fresh lemon juice
1/4 C dried parsley
1 tsp garlic powder
2 T dried onion pieces

1. Pour drained cashew pieces in the blender with the remaining ingredients. Blend until smooth.
2. Store in the fridge until ready to use.
* I put the cashews soaking in water in the microwave for 1 min. It speeds up the soaking process.

Layered Cornbread Salad

Ingredients

1 8x8 cornbread * Here is a whole grain recipe
2 cans black beans drained and washed
2 cans of whole kernel corn drained
2 1/2 C of cheese
2 C mixed salad greens
6 green onions chopped up
3 celery stalks chopped
ranch cashew dressing above or ranch dressing of your choice
5-6  Roma tomatoes chopped up
1/4 chopped cilantro
juice from one lime

Directions  Feeds 12-15

1. Crumble half of the cornbread into the bottom of a large salad bowl.
2. Next layer spread evenly one can of the beans on to the cornbread.
3.  Next layer one can of the corn spread evenly on the beans
4.  Spread on the salad dressing evenly on top of the beans.
5. Spread around the celery.
6. Distribute half of the green onions on top of the celery.
7. Pour 1/2 of the cheese evenly on top of the celery.
8. Crumble the rest of the cornbread on top of the celery.
9. Spread around the mixed salad greens on top.
10. Spread around the other can of black beans.
11. Pour evenly the corn over the beans.
12. Pour on the remaining cheese over the top.
13. Spread the tomatoes on top of the cheese.
14. Then sprinkle on the rest of the green onions.
15. Garnish with cilantro. Squeeze the lime all over the top of the salad.
16. Cover and store in the fridge until ready to serve or serve at once.
17. Enjoy!

Yummy Roasted Tomatilo Chicken Chili

It is starting to cool down during the day around here. It is a great time of year for chili. Chicken chili is one of my favorite kind to make. I have made different versions of it. This version is my favorite so far. It made a great dinner and the leftovers made a great lunch. Yum! Have a great weekend.

Ingredients: 
2 T grape seed oil or olive oil 
1/2 white onion diced
2 garlic cloves minced
6-8 small tomatilos chopped up (you can buy them canned)
1 jalapeno deseeded and diced
1 small can green chili's
2 boneless chicken breast fully cooked cubed
1 C of chicken broth
6-8 tomatoes diced or 1- 16 oz can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 tsp cumin
2 can of shoe peg corn
1 16oz can of white beans (I used cannellini beans) 
salt and pepper to taste
1 handful of cilantro
garnish with cheese, chips, sour cream, lettuce, salsa etc..


Directions:  
1. In a skillet heat up oil on med. high heat. Pour in the onions and let cook till soft about 5 min. 
2. Then add minced garlic, and tomatilos. Let the tomatilos roast a little getting slightly brown.
3.  Stir in the jalapeno and chili's cook and stir. Let cook a couple minutes together. 
4.Then stir in the chicken and broth. Turn down to medium heat. Let it cook together for 10 min. on low heat. So all the flavors can meld together nicely.  
5. Stir in the tomatoes and cumin cook another 5 min. 
6. Stir in the corn, beans, and salt and pepper to taste. Throw in some cilantro. Cook another 5 min. 
7. Serve on tortilla chips hot and top with your favorite topping.     

South of the Border Egg Rolls

These egg rolls were fun to make. My son was thrown off when he bit into them, thinking the tortilla would be soft. You could use corn tortillas too. I froze have the filling because we only had 3 of us eating tonight. It will be great to have for a quick dinner when I need it.

Ingredients:
2 T oil
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts*
2 cloves of garlic minced
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
2 jalapeno diced
1 sm. can diced green chili's
1 can of white corn drained
1 can black beans drained and rinsed
10-12 flour or corn tortillas (I did homemade)
2 T olive oil
1/2 C cooked grains *optional (You could leave out the chicken)
Guacamole
2 ripe avocados peeled and mashed
2 Roma tomatoes chopped up * optional
juice from 1/2 to 1 lime
1/4 tsp sea salt with iodine
1/8 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp chili powder

*You could just dip them in to salsa or taco sauce.

Directions:
1. Heat oil in skillet. Cook chicken breasts in oil. Cutting it up as it cooks. While it is cooking add the spices, salt, peppers, and chili's. Put the lid on and turn down the heat. Cook till the chicken gets tender. Then shred the chicken. (If you have a Bosch it works great to put the chicken into the Bosch with the cookie paddles attached. It shreds up meat perfectly.) Return the chicken to the skillet.

2. Then stir in the corn and beans. Let it heat up all the way. Heat oven to 400.

3. Take mixture off the heat. Lay tortilla out flat and place a couple Tbsp. of filling in the middle and roll up tight. Continue with the rest of tortillas.

4. Place the tortillas on a cookie sheet. Leave space in between them. Brush the tops and sides with oil. Place in a preheated oven.

5. In the meantime mash up the avocados and the other seasonings to your taste preference. Fold in tomatoes if desired.

6. Take the egg rolls out of the oven when slightly golden and firm.

7. Dip them into the guacamole and enjoy!

*I think having brown rice instead of chicken would be wonderful too.

Chicken Vegetable Chili

I changed the normal Chicken Chili recipe by adding some more vegetables to it. I was happy with the result. It seemed like the perfect meal for a cooler fall night. I have been doing a lot more with fresh garlic. It seems like I keep hearing more and more about the health benefits of garlic. I like the flavor it adds to my food too. I was roasting some garlic bulbs in my oven this afternoon. My daughter came home from school and was drawn to it. She even ate some of the soup before it was finished because she was so excited by the smell. It's nice when my family gets excited about healthy food. I also had fun roasting my own tomatoes.

Ingredients:
5 C Water
2 T Olive oil
3 Boneless skinless chicken Breasts
1 Chopped onion
1 C Chopped carrots
1 large can of roasted tomatoes drained or 2 C of your own roasted tomatoes*
1 7oz can of diced green chili
2 T Garlic, minced, or 1 roasted garlic*
1 140z can white corn
3 T Lime juice or juice from 1 lime
1 T Cumin
2 tsp Lemon Pepper
2 1/2 tsp salt
1 14oz can of white northern beans rinsed and drained

1. In large pot I put in olive oil and chicken and onion to cook a little bit. Then chop up the chicken into small pieces. (If you have a Bosch, you can put the chicken into the bowl with the cookie paddles on. It shreds the meat. It is wonderful.)

2. Pour 5 C water with cumin and lemon pepper into the pot with the chicken, boil. Then reduce heat and simmer 20-30.

3. Then add garlic, corn, tomatoes, chilies, carrots, and lime juice. Have the mixture come to a boil. then add the drained and rinsed beans. simmer for 20-45 minutes. (You could leave on warm in crock pot till ready to serve.) Add additional seasonings according to your preference.

Optional: Serve in soup bowls with chips in the bottom, soup, and cheese and a little sour cream on top. Enjoy!

* I roasted my Roma tomatoes. 3 lbs = 2 cups. Cut tomatoes in half. Put the tomatoes in a bowl with 4 T Olive and salt and pepper. Then pour on to cookie sheet in one layer. Bake at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes. Watch so they don't burn.

* I roasted garlic bulbs as well. You cut a small slice off the top of the bulb. You then pour 1/2 tsp olive oil on to each bulb you are cooking. (I cooked 2 so I could have an extra for later. ) Let the oil seep into the garlic and then pour another 1/2 tsp into the garlic. Place in pan, and cover with foil. Then cook at 375 degrees for about an hour. The top of the garlic will be golden and the garlic will be soft. I then squeezed the bulb into the soup, leaving the shell behind. It smells wonderful while it cooks!

Cornmeal Muffins

It was exciting to find out that I could store popcorn and grind it into cornmeal. Popcorn has a longer shelf life, and keeps the nutrition longer not being broken down into cornmeal. Then you have the option of using it as popcorn or cornmeal. One oz of cornmeal has 3 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber. I think fiber is missing in many American diets. Which I think is adding health problems to our society. So much of our foods are processed and refined, breaking down important fiber that we need.

2 1/2 C. Yellow cornmeal
1 1/2 C. Soft wheat or wheat flour
3 T Honey, sucrant, or sugar
1 1/2 T. Baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 C. + 2 T. Butter milk ( I used 1 % and added 2 T vinegar and let it set for a few minutes)
2 Large eggs

1. Oven 375. You can use a 9x13 or 2 muffins pans. I used the mini muffins. I sprayed the pan with olive oil.

2. Combine all the dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl.

3. Beat the eggs and milk together in a small bowl.

4. Mix the wet mixture with the dry until moistened.

5. Put into pan of your choice. Bake 10-12 min for muffins. 20-25 for bread.