Buffalo Chicken Salad

Here's a way to enjoy a "Buffalo Wing" type of chicken without all the fat and calories.

I know, I know, it's not quite the same, but it is pretty darn good and can take care of that craving!

Cut up a pound or so of boneless skinless chicken breast into bite-sized pieces. Put the chicken in a skillet with a little minced garlic (more or less depending on how much you like garlic) and add 1/3 to 1/2 cup of Frank's Red Hot wing sauce (or your favorite wing sauce) and saute until the chicken is cooked through.

In the mean time, build yourself a big, fresh green salad full of your favorite veggies. When the chicken has cooked through and has cooled just a bit, scoop about 4 to 5 ounces of chicken on top of your salad. Top with a little of your favorite low-cal dressing and dig in.

I also love to take any grilled steak leftovers and slice on top of salad for my lunches. The veggies are good for you and low calorie and the steak or chicken is a good serving of protein to help keep you full longer. Just watch out for lots of added cheese or full-fat dressing.

I like to cook up some chicken like this at the beginning of the week, then I can make a salad for lunch very quickly in the morning and I have enough for lunches for most of the week.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Hopefully you are lucky enough to have some leftovers from the beer butt chicken! If you do, this is a snap to make this soup. If you added wood chips while grilling the chicken, the soup will have a wonderful smoky flavor to it.
  
Start by pulling the meat off the bones. Set the meat aside and place the bones in large pot and cover with water. Add a spoon or so of chopped garlic. Let the bones simmer for an hour to two hours. 

Carefully remove the bones from the broth, set aside. Strain any small bits of bone out of the broth by pouring into another pot through a sieve. Discard anything collected in the sieve. 

Pick any remaining meat off the bones and return the meat to the pot with the broth. Discard the bones.

Turn the broth back on to a low simmer. 

Chop up the chicken meat that was picked off the bones earlier and add this to the soup.

Add one can of Ro-Tel tomatoes, one can of chick peas (drained) and a little more chopped garlic. Also add 1 to 2 teaspoons of Cajun spice or just some salt and black pepper if you don't want your soup too spicy. I use a brand called Slap Ya Mama that I got in New Orleans but any will work.

Let the soup simmer until everything is heated through and the flavors start to blend, 30 minutes or so.

Ladle into soup bowls and enjoy!

If you like, you can garnish with chopped fresh green onion, 2 or 3 crunched up tortilla chips, a sprinkle of cheddar cheese or a small spoonful of light sour cream.

 

Beer Butt Chicken

Beer Butt Chicken  :)

Very easy and really good.

One whole chicken (be sure to remove giblets if they are included).
One 12-oz can of beer, whatever is cheap
One bottle of Zatarain's Crab Boil liquid (you can get this at Safeway or Walmart)
Garlic powder, salt, pepper to taste

Rinse chicken and pat dry, set aside.
Open beer. If you have an old-fashioned "church key" opener you can punch some extra holes in the top. This allows more flavor into the chicken.
Carefully pour the crab boil liquid into the beer. It's kinda spicy so don't get it on your fingers then rub your eyes. Ouch!
Sprinkle salt, pepper and garlic powder on chicken and a little inside the cavity.
Carefully place the chicken over the beer can. Set the chicken carefully on the grill so it is "sitting up". Prop the legs out front to make it a little more stable.

If you have a charcoal grill or a smoking pan on your gas grill, add some water-soaked wood chips to the charcoal before you place the chicken on the grill. The smoke flavor really adds to it!

Grill over indirect heat until the juices run clear from the chicken when poked. Depending on your grill this can be an hour or so.

When the chicken is done, carefully remove WITH the been can in place to a plate. Be sure not to spill the beer, it's very hot at this point. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes or so, when carefully remove the beer can from the chicken. Set the full beer can aside to cool. Place the chicken on a platter and dig in!

You Are What You Eat!

Smoky Beans and Greens

This is a SUPER EASY recipe, so NO excuses! :)

Dump the beans and Ro-Tel into a large pot, add at least one, preferably two LARGE containers of fresh spinach. You can also use other greens like bok choy, collards, what-have-you. Stir it up and simmer until the spinach is wilted. No need to add salt or any other spices or seasonings.

Dig in!

Pico de Gallo

So, Pico de Gallo. "Beak of the Rooster" is the translation from Spanish. So called because the jalapeno adds a "bite" to the salsa.

This is a fresh salsa, meant to be eaten within a day or so. It is a GREAT way to use up garden tomatoes and chiles.

Measurements are approximate. Adjust to suit your personal taste.

4 ripe tomatoes.
1 medium to large jalapeno, minced. Take out the membranes and seeds for less heat.
1 small to medium onion, chopped.
1 large handful of cilantro, chopped.
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon or so of lime juice
*optional* minced garlic or garlic powder to taste.

That's it! Chop it all up, throw it in a bowl, stir it up and dig in! Make your own corn chips, WAY better than store bought.

Get some corn tortillas, slice into 6 triangle segments like a pie. Spread out on a baking sheet.  Lightly spritz with olive oil spray. Bake 325 for about 10 minutes (watch so they don't burn, it may not take a full 10 minutes). Take out of the oven, sprinkle lightly with sea salt and let cool, Scoop up Pico de Gallo, enjoy, smile. :)