Southwest Salad with Chipotle Ranch

This colorful, delicious salad was the reason I made my chipotle grilled chicken. It is super yummy and I enjoyed taking it to work for lunch everyday.

By the way, I made this salad for my older sister (the designer of my blog) when she visited me last and she loved it.

Unfortunately, I got a little too excited about making this salad to remember to take an ingredients photo so just pretend it's there, ok?

You will need: salad mix (I chose baby spinach but any salad mix would be delicious), 1 bottle of ranch dressing,  1 can of sweet corn, 1 can of black beans, 1 avocado, 1 sweet bell pepper, 1 small onion, 1 large carrot (or about 15 baby carrots), 1 chipotle pepper and 1 tsp adobo sauce, 1 tomato, and chopped (or sliced) chipotle grilled chicken.

To make the dressing, finely chop one chipotle pepper and add it to your bottle of ranch dressing.

Now scoop a tablespoon of that delicious adobo sauce out of the can and pour it into the bottle of ranch.

Close the bottle and give it a good shake. Voila! Chipotle ranch.

If you're wondering why my ranch bottle looks like a water bottle, that's because it is. I like to use the ranch mixes and I find it's easiest to just put it into a water bottle.

Next, chop up your sweet pepper, onion, and carrot.

If you're making just one serving of salad, I recommend that you ahead and chop everything then just store the leftovers in a ziplock. It makes getting your lunch together so much easier.

Toss the corn and beans into a colander and allow to drain.

Give them a good rinse to get all the canning liquid off of them.

Slice the chipotle chicken into strips (or cubes if that's how you roll).

Grab a large plate and pile on some spinach...

Toss on some onions, peppers, and carrots...

Some beans...

And some corn.

Now slice up 1/4 of a tomato and 1/4 of an avocado.

Now throw on the tomatoes, avocado, and chicken.

Drizzle the salad with the chipotle dressing and enjoy!

The second time I made this salad, I also added bacon and blue cheese. It was an amazingly delicious decision.

Southwest Salad with Chipotle Ranch

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 bottle of ranch dressing
• 1 chipotle pepper, finely minced and 1 tsp adobo sauce (the sauce the peppers are canned in)
• 1 can of sweet corn, drained and rinsed
• 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 1 sweet bell pepper, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 large carrot (or about 15 baby carrots), chopped
• 4 cups of salad mix
• 1 tomato, sliced
• chipotle grilled chicken, sliced

Instructions:

1. To make the dressing, add the chipotle pepper and adobo sauce to the ranch dressing and mix. Set aside.
2. Layer equal parts of the remaining ingredients onto 4 plates. Drizzle with the dressing. Add some bacon and blue cheese if you know what's good for you.
3. Serve immediately.

Chipotle Grilled Chicken

So I have been really dropping the ball on this whole food blog thing lately...

Turns out grad school is difficult.

Who knew?

Anyways... This chicken is delicious. I love spicy food.

I originally made this chicken to go on a salad, but after I cooked it I decided that it can stand alone just great as well. It really exceeded my expectations.

Kind of like grad school!

You will need: 2 Tbsp olive oil, 1 ginormous chicken breast (or 3 smaller ones), 1 lime, 1 chipotle pepper, 2 cloves of garlic, and some salt and pepper.

First roughly chop the 2 cloves of garlic...

Sprinkle on a little salt...

Then smush the garlic with the side of your knife while you pull the knife towards you a few times until you get a sort of garlic paste. Throw the garlic into a bowl big enough for the chicken.

Next, grab a chipotle pepper from the can and mince it finely.

Toss it in with the garlic.

Next squeeze in the juice of a lime.

Now sprinkle in some salt and pepper. About 1/2 tsp each.

Finally stir in about two tablespoons of olive oil.

Stir to combine.

Now, if your chicken breast is ginormous, slice it into thinner strips for more even cooking/ more surface area for marinade! If you're feeling particularly ambitious, you can also trim away some excess fat.

Now put your chicken in the marinade...

Squish it around a bit so you can be sure everything is nice and coated. Cover the bowl and allow the chicken to marinade for up to 2 hours.

Add 1 Tbsp of olive oil and 1 Tbsp of butter to a grill pan over medium heat.

Throw on the chicken! Allow it to cook for 7-8 minutes on this side, or until the edges begin to look white and opaque.

Now flip it over! Allow to cook on the other side until chicken is cooked through.

Public Service Announcement:
This chicken has a spicy marinade so the fumes from cooking it might cause you to hack up a lung. I recommend turning your stove fan on and maybe opening a few windows.

However, I promise it is worth it.

Once your chicken has finished cooking, remove it from the pan and DO NOT CUT INTO IT YET, despite the fact that this might be the most beautiful chicken you have ever made.

Cover the chicken in foil and allow it to rest for 10 minutes.

After the chicken has rested, you are free to slice it up for salads, tacos, on the side of rice and beans, where ever the wind takes you! (I went the salad route. Stay tuned for Southwest Salad with Chipotle Ranch!)

This chicken is juicy on the inside and has a nice spicy crust on the outside.

Enjoy!

Chipotle Grilled Chicken

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

• 1 large chicken breast (or 3 smaller ones), sliced into thinner breasts and trimmed of excess fat
• 2 Tbsp olive oil for marinade, plus 1 for cooking
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 chipotle pepper, minced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced and smashed into a paste
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 Tbsp butter

Instructions:

1. In a medium bowl, mix together 2 Tbsp of olive oil plus next 5 ingredients. Place the chicken into the bowl with the marinade, turning to coat. Cover the bowl and allow to marinade for up to 2 hours.
2. After chicken has marinated, place 1 Tbsp each of olive oil and butter into a grill pan over medium heat.
3. Place the chicken in the pan and allow to cook for 7-8 minutes on each side, or until cooked through.
4. Remove chicken from the pan and cover with tin foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
5. Slice chicken for salads or serve on it's own!

Garlic Red Wine Grits with Pork Chops

This was an extremely random idea that became an incredibly delicious dinner.

I love grits.

I love wine.

I love garlic.

I was craving pork chops.

I made this and all was well.

You will need: 4 thin cut pork chops, salt, pepper, 4 Tbsp butter, 3 Tbsp olive oil, 1 onion, 1 head of garlic, 1 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese, 2 cups of red wine, 1/2 cup of heavy cream, 1 cup of 5 minute grits, 2 tsp fresh lemon thyme and 4 cups of chicken stock.

I used lemon thyme in this recipe (since I have it growing on my balcony) but regular thyme works just as well.

Peel the onion.

And dice it up.

Peel the garlic cloves. Seriously. Use the whole head of garlic. You'll thank me.

If your garlic cloves are super big, like mine, then cut them in half or thirds.

Throw 2 Tbsp of butter into a medium sized pot over medium low heat.

Sorry about the bad photo.

Add in 1 Tbsp of olive oil.

Throw the onions and garlic into the pot.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Give it a stir.

Once the onions are translucent and a little golden, throw in the 2 cups of wine!!

Then pour yourself a glass. You've earned it today.

Throw in the 2 tsp of thyme.

Stir everything around.

Throw the lid on the pot and let everything simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the garlic is soft and sweet.

While everything is simmering, salt and pepper BOTH sides of the pork chops.

Also, grate up the 1 cup of Parmesan since I know you're not using that saw dust stuff, right?

Put the remaining olive oil and butter into a large skillet over medium heat. Throw in the pork chops.

Now, at this point in the cooking process, the battery on my camera died. It had been a while since I've used it and I forgot that it likes to be plugged in every once and a while. So, you'll have to use your imagination for the next few steps while it charged. Don't worry, I have an end result photo.

Pour the carton of chicken stock into the pot with the red wine, onions, and garlic. Bring to a boil. Pour in the grits and stir everything around for a minute. You don't want your grits to clump up on you.

Put the lid back on the pot and let it boil for 4 more minutes, or until most of the liquid is gone from the pot.

After you put the lid on the pot, your chops should be ready to flip! Cook them until they're nice and  brown on both sides.

After the grits have cooled, add the cheese and 1/4 cup of heavy cream. Stir until combined.

Pour some grits in a shallow bowl and serve with a pork chop on top. Garnish with extra thyme if desired.

Garlic Red Wine Grits with Pork Chops

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 4 thin cut pork chops
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 head of garlic, cloves removed and peeled
• 1 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese
• 2 cups of red wine
• 1/2 cup of heavy cream
• 1 cup of 5 minute grits
• 2 tsp fresh lemon thyme
• 4 cups of chicken stock

Instructions:

1. Put 2 Tbsp butter and 1 Tbsp olive oil in a medium pot over medium-low heat. Throw in the onion and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and stir around. Cook until onions are translucent and a little golden.
2. Pour in the wine and 2 tsp of thyme. Bring to a simmer, cover, and let cook for about 20 minutes, or until garlic is soft and sweet. After the garlic is soft, pour in the 4 cups of chicken stock and bring to a boil.
3. While the stock is coming to a boil, add 2 Tbsp of butter and 2 Tbsp of olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Season both sides of the pork chops and add them to the skillet. Cook until golden brown on both sides.
4. Once the stock and wine mixture is boiling, pour in the grits while stirring constantly. Cover and cook for five minutes. Once most of the moisture has been absorbed by the grits, add in the cream and cheese. Stir it up.
5. Serve the chops on top of a big bowl of grits and enjoy!