Jan's Crock Pot Chicken and Salsa

To be fair, it's Jan's Daughter's Crock Pot Chicken and Salsa, but that just doesn't roll off the tongue. Also to be fair, it's my version of her recipe. Her recipe is also provided below. The only downfall I saw in this recipe is that I was at home while it was cooking. It was really hard to not eat the whole thing before dinnertime. The chicken fell apart and shredded into the rest of the dish and it was awesome!


Jan's Crock Pot Chicken and Salsa
1 package frozen chicken breast
2 cups fresh black beans
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 bag frozen corn
1 jar salsa
1 tblsp cumin
salt and pepper
shredded cheddar cheese
brown rice
plain yogurt
Add chicken, beans, water, corn, salsa, cumin, salt, and pepper to crock pot. Cook on low all day. Serve over brown rice topped with cheddar cheese and yogurt. Seriously. That's it.


Original Recipe
1 package chicken breast
1 can black beans
1 can corn
1 jar salsa
1 block cream cheese
rice
Add chicken, beans, corn, and salsa to crock pot. Cook on low all day. About 1 hour before eating, add block of cream cheese and stir to combine. Serve over rice. Personally, I'm going to try this one as a dip one day since the inclusion of cream cheese screams dip to me. I think this and a big bag of tortilla chips is in my future!

Easter Sides, Part II

So, to hedge my bets that the other people at Easter dinner would enjoy a side dish, I picked up some green beans... But then I thought the heck with them! Just kidding. I really do hope they like the beans even though they're not just steamed. I actually serve this as a salad a lot when beans are in season - just top lettuce with the beans and drizzle the sauce over the salad as dressing. Delicious. If you really feel like dressing it up a bit, add some grilled veggies and feta or goat cheese to the mix. Mmmm... 


Balsamic Beans
2 tblsp olive oil
1 qt green beans
3 tblsp water
3 tblsp balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
Heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add green beans and toss to coat. Add water and cover for 3-4 minutes tossing occasionally. You want the beans to cook, but still be firm and crunchy. After beans are cooked, remove lid and turn heat up to high. Cook off half the water. Add balsamic, salt, and pepper and toss to coat. Let the beans cook for a minute or two in the balsamic and then serve.

Easter Sides, Part I

So, it just wouldn't be a family dinner if I didn't bring a side dish that only me, my mom, and Kevin would eat. Last time I brought kohlrabi, which my sister actually liked, but everyone else made faces over. This time, I went with kohlrabi sprouts (actually, there are two kinds of sprouts, but I can't remember what the others were). These young greens are much sweeter than more mature greens, so give them a try even if you don't like the bitterness of other greens. The sign at the farmers' market said that they would be good stir fried, so I just went for a quick sauté. 


Kohlrabi Sprouts
3 tblsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, rough chopped
1 large colander of kohlrabi sprouts
salt and pepper
Heat olive oil over high heat. Add sprouts and toss. Add garlic and toss. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the leaves are slightly wilted.