Mexican Street Corn Salad with Black Beans and Avocado

Yield: about 4 servings
Prep time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 ears fresh corn or 1 medium-sized bag of frozen sweet corn
• 1/2 cup choppped red onion
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced
• 1 teaspoon Mexican chili powder
• 1 teaspoons Mccormick Southwest Sweet N' Smoky Seasoning
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/3 cup cilantro leaves, choppped
• 1 can black beans (15 oz), drained
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise or Miracle Whip
• 3 oz Cotija or feta cheese, crumbled
• 1 fresh lime, sliced into quarters
• 1 1/2 tablespoon fresh lime juice, divided
• 2 medium avocados, peeled and chopped small

Instructions:

1. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet until shimmering.
2. Add corn. Season with salt and pepper and toss. Then let corn cook, tossing only occasionally, about every two minutes. This allows the corn to brown evenly.  Fresh corn will take about 7-10 minutes to cook, while frozen corn will take about `12 minutes. Remove corn from heat once it is well-charred all over.
3. Add corn to a medium bowl along with drained black beans, cilantro, chopped bell pepper, diced jalapeno peppers, garlic, onions, chili powder, sweet n' smoky seasoning, 1 tablespoon lime juice, mayonnaise and 3/4th of the Cortija. 
4. In a small mixing bowl, pour other 1/2 tablespoon of lime juice over diced avocados. Add bowl to corn mixture and toss. 
5. Top with remaining Cortija, additional chili powder, and sliced lime quarters. Enjoy!

Chicken with Bacon Mustard Sauce

A decadent combination of my two favorite foods: chicken and bacon!

Makes 3 servings

Ingredients:

• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 lbs in total)
• 7 strips bacon, uncooked and chopped
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon light olive oil
• 1/2 cup Dijon Mustard
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon Mexican chili powder
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 and 1/2 cups chicken broth

Instructions:

1. In a small bowl, combine Dijon mustard, paprika, cayenne pepper, chili powder, salt and pepper. Mix well to make a paste.

2. Spread the paste on both sides of the chicken breasts. Set aside.

3. In a large skillet, cook the chopped bacon pieces until they start to brown. Remove bacon piece and set aside on a plate, leaving bacon fat in the skillet.

4. In the same skillet, add chopped onion to bacon fat and cook until onions are softened. Remove onion and add to the same plate as the bacon.

5. Add olive oil to the same skillet. Add chicken breasts (with mustard paste on them) to skillet. Cook chicken breasts on each side for about two minutes. Remove chicken to a plate.

6. In the same skillet, add chicken broth. Bring to a boil while scraping the bottom of the pan for any scraps. Stir back in the onions and bacon. Add back the chicken breasts. Then reduce heat to medium-low and cook for approximately 20 more minutes, turning the chicken breasts halfway through.

7. Chicken is finished when it is no longer pink in the center and reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit when a meat thermometer is inserted. Once chicken is cooked thoroughly, remove to a serving plate and top with the juices from the pan. Disperse bacon pieces and onions equally over chicken breasts.

8. Serve and enjoy!

Crockpot Lasagna

Ingredients:

• 1 pound bulk Italian sausage (recommended) or 5 large italian sausages, sliced (used in pictures above)
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 jars Classico Spicy Tomato and Basil marinara sauce
• 1 egg
• 2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 container (15 ounces) ricotta cheese
• 2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 15 uncooked lasagna noodles
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes

Instructions: 

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add sausage and onion to skillet. Sprinkle salt and pepper on sausage and onion. Cook for approximately 6-8 minutes or until sausage is no longer pink. Drain.
2. Stir in marinara sauce, salt, garlic and cayenne pepper. Heat until the mixture comes to a boil and then simmer.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine egg, ricotta, mozzarella, and half of the grated Parmesan cheese. Stir until thoroughly combined.
4. Spoon 1/4th  of sausage mixture into bottom of slow-cooker. Top with 5 lasagna noodles, broken into pieces to fit.
5. Spread half of cheese mixture on top of noodles, followed by 1/4th of sausage mixture. Add corn on top of sausage mixture.
6. Top with 5 more noodles, remaining half of cheese mixture and another 1/4th of sausage mixture. 
7. Add remaining 5 noodles. Top with rest of sausage mixture.
8. Cover and cook on low heat for approximately 4-6 hours.
9. Sprinkle remaining grated Parmesan cheese, oregano and red pepper flakes on top before serving.
10. Enjoy!

Panko-Crusted Chicken Stuffed with Ricotta, Spinach and Peppers

Ingredients:

• 2 thick boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
• Small handful of chopped baby spinach
• 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons mozzarella cheese
• 2 tablespoons light olive oil
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
• 2 cups Italian seasoned panko crumbs
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley

Instructions: 

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine ricotta, bell peppers, Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, spinach, garlic, one teaspoon dried parsley, salt and pepper. Mix until thoroughly combined.

3. Rinse the chicken breasts and pat dry.

4. Cut a long horizontal slit along the center of the thin long edge of the chicken breast. Be careful not to cut all the way through. Fill the cavity of the chicken breast with the ricotta mixture. Close the cavity using either a toothpick or kitchen string. 

5. Season each side of the chicken breast with salt and pepper.

6. In one small bowl, add eggs and whisk until mixed. In another small bowl, add Panko mixture and Italian seasoning. 

7.  Dip chicken breasts in eggs carefully without opening the cavity. Then dredge the chicken in the panko mixture until fully coated.

8. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes or until the chicken is golden brown. 

9. Flip chicken and place the skillet in the oven. Cook for 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. The temperature inside the chicken should reach 170 degrees F on a meat thermometer. 

9. Let meat rest for 5 minutes before serving. Add dried parsley to chicken breasts and then serve. Enjoy!

Delicious Vacation Food

Here is just a peek of what we ate during our stay at the all-inclusive resort in Cancun, the Grand Royal Park Caribe! And also the first-class meal on the flight home.

Eggplant Parmesan Bites

Eggplant parmesan is one of my favorite dishes. However, it is not typically a lunch or snack food. This afternoon, I was craving eggplant parmesan but did not want to eat a heavy meal in the early afternoon. So I came up with this simple appetizer. Pieces of eggplant coated in Italian breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese with a spicy marinara sauce on the side. Perfect for snacking and sharing with friends.  It's super easy and takes only a few minutes to make. So what are you waiting for? Let's get started!

Ingedients

• Two medium-sized eggplants
• 2 teaspoons of parsley
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup marinara sauce
• 2 cups Italian breadcrumbs or panko
• 2 cups vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons chopped red peppers
• 2 eggs

Instructions

1. Wash and peel eggplants. Dice eggplant into medium-sized squares. Season eggplant with pepper and salt to taste.   Put eggplant pieces into colander and drain
2. Add flour into a bowl. Add eggs into another bowl and mix well. Add parmesan cheese and panko into a third bowl and mix well.
3. Dip eggplant squares into the flour, then the eggs, and finally the parmesan/panko mix.
4. Put vegetable oil into a saucepan and heat until about 375 degrees Fahrenheit,
5. Put eggplant squares into oil and fry. Remove eggplant squares from oil when they appear brown on all sides.
6. Put fried eggplant pieces aside and continue with the next batch until finished. Sprinkle extra parmesan cheese on the finished eggplant bites.
7. Heat marinara sauce and serve on the side as a dipping sauce.
8. Add chopped red peppers and parsley to sauce if desired.
9. Enjoy!