chicken burrito egg rolls

I've had egg rolls wrappers sitting in my fridge for a few days and didn't really know what to do with them other than my usual vegetable egg rolls (wow... looks like I had a white balance issue back then!) As I was baking some chicken breasts and rice, I thought it would be good to make a burrito. Then I remembered the egg rolls and HELLO great idea! Chicken burrito egg rolls!

I just put the usual burrito ingredients inside the egg roll wrapper - chicken, black beans, rice and cheese. I added shredded cabbage (aka cole slaw mix) for crunch and really liked the texture it gave.

Just pan fry these for a few minutes on each side until they are golden brown and crispy. I added a little lime juice, fresh cilantro, salt and pepper to the rice to give it more flavor. I wasn't trying to copy Chipotle's cilantro lime rice... because let's not talk about how many times I've tried to recreate that and failed. I'm convinced they put crack in it.

You're left with this totally yummy treat and a filling dinner. It would be fun to make a dipping sauce from sour cream, lime juice and maybe a little honey. If you try it let me know!

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Chicken Burrito Egg Rolls

serves: 2 people (2 egg rolls each)
Jenna Laughs Original

1 chicken breast fulled cooked (I baked mine then shredded it)
1/4 cup black beans, drained and rinsed in a colander
1/4 cup shredded cheese (I used Mexican blend, but Colby Jack would be good)
1/4 cup shredded cabbage (cole slaw mix, this is optional)
4-6 egg rolls wrappers (just keep making them until you run out of ingredients!)
1 cup cooked rice
Juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup canola or vegetable oil

Heat oil (you want about 1/2 inch depth of oil in the pan) in a large skillet over medium heat until it reaches about 350 degrees. You want bubbles to form when you put the egg roll in the hot oil, but not bubble up too quickly and burn. Mix the cooked rice, lime juice, cilantro, salt and pepper together in a small bowl. Taste to make sure it is seasoned correctly and has good flavor.

Lay one wrapper down in front of you. Put about 1 tablespoon shredded chicken, 1 tablespoon black beans, 2 tablespoons rice, 1 tablespoon shredded cheese and a little shredded cabbage (you can just estimate all this.) You want the wrapper to be full, but not too full. You can reference my photo above. Fold the bottom up over the fillings, then fold in the sides and roll it up like a burrito. Set aside as you make the rest.

Once all your egg roll burritos are made, put them in the oil for a few minutes on each side until they're golden brown and crispy. Let them dry on paper towels, then enjoy!

grilled chicken salad with orange segments and dressing

We're not going to talk about how long it's been since I've updated my happy little food blog. It's embarrassing. But I hope you will welcome me back with open arms and empty stomachs!

My husband and I are trying to adopt a healthier lifestyle which includes better meals and being more active. Nothing crazy, and we will certainly splurge every once in awhile because I can't live my life without ice cream. But we just want to make healthier choices and move our bodies, if you know what I'm saying. Exercise!

We have been playing tennis, working out and Michael is biking to work and even competing in a bike race next month. We've got a long way to go but we are moving forward, and that's all that matters.

This recipe was one of those moments where I had no clue what to make for dinner. I had chicken defrosted in the fridge and some salad greens, and I didn't really know what else to do. I'm not a huge fan of salads but there are a few elements that make me want to eat them: a warm ingredient (like grilled chicken), sweet dressing and something crunchy.

This salad has a delicious dressing made with fresh orange juice, honey, vinegar and olive oil. It's simple but so tasty and perfect. The crunch comes from homemade tortilla strips.

To segment an orange, you just peel it and run your knife along the side of each membrane. Do this over a bowl to save the juice for the dressing. For detailed instructions, watch this video.

For this salad, I like to dress just the greens and orange segments, not the chicken or tortilla strips. The tortillas will keep their crunch if they aren't covered in dressing.

Enjoy! And lots of hugs for coming back :)

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Grilled Chicken Salad with Orange Segments and Dressing

Serves: 2-3
Jenna Laughs original

For the Salad-
1 bag of pre-washed lettuce (I used butter lettuce but you could use spring mix)
1 large orange peeled and cut into segments (do this over a bowl and save the juice)
2 corn tortillas (the taco size, 6 inch)
1 cup vegetable or canola oil (for frying tortilla strips)
6 chicken tenders
1 tablespoon butter
Salt and pepper to taste

For the Dressing-
Juice of one orange (from your segments)
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar (you could use apple cider vinegar)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Cut tortillas into strips (about 1/2-1/4 inch) and heat oil in a small saucepan until it reaches about 350 degrees, or when you drop a strip in the oil it starts to bubble around the edges. You don't want it to start browning immediately, then your oil is too hot. Fry your tortillas in small batches, the strips from one tortilla at a time should work. Use tongs to stir them every minute or so, then when they are golden brown remove them from the oil onto a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Once all tortilla strips are fried, set aside.

Season your chicken tenders with salt and pepper, then saute them in the butter for 3-5 minutes per side or until chicken is cooked through. Set them on a plate to rest while you prepare the salad.

To make the dressing, combine orange juice, honey, vinegar, oil, salt and pepper into a small bowl and whisk until well blended. Arrange lettuce on plates, then add the orange segments. Pour half the dressing on each plate and toss the lettuce and orange segments with the dressing. For this salad, I like to just dress the greens and not the chicken or tortillas. Top each salad with half the chicken and tortilla strips. Serve immediately.

(NOTE - Taste the dressing before you put it on the salad, if if tastes too sweet to you add a little more vinegar. If it tastes too acidic, add a little more honey.)

orzo with chicken, asparagus and goat cheese

I love coming up with a pasta dish that doesn't involve opening a jar of pre-made sauce. There is something so satisfying about slicing fresh tomatoes, chopping up garlic and fresh basil.

Cherry tomatoes are delicious and convenient. Just cut them in half and saute for a few minutes in olive oil. They start to soften and break apart, creating a light sauce.

Chicken broth, garlic, fresh basil, asparagus, chicken and goat cheese are added. These flavors are so lovely. The asparagus stays crisp and the goat cheese is ridiculously creamy. I love goat cheese! It has such a strong flavor, you don't need to add a lot to get that delicious flavor and texture. To save even more calories, skip adding the cheese into the sauce and just crumble it on top to serve.

This is so fresh and perfect. We had my sister and her husband over for dinner, and he said it was his favorite meal he's had at our house so far.

Enjoy!

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Orzo with Chicken, Asparagus and Goat Cheese

Serves 4 people

1 pint cherry tomatoes, washed and cut in half
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
8 stalks of asparagus, washed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks
2 cups cooked orzo pasta (follow directions on box)
2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional to serve: more chopped fresh basil and crumbled goat cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place chicken in an even layer on a cookie sheet or 13 x 9 pan coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle 1 clove garlic, minced (1/3 of the total garlic) over the chicken and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 15-20 minutes, depending on how thick the chicken pieces are, or until cooked all the way through.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add sliced cherry tomatoes and saute for 5-7 minutes, or until the tomatoes start to soften and break apart. Use a wooden spoon to smash the tomatoes a bit. Lower the heat to medium low, and add garlic. Saute for a few minutes being careful not to burn the garlic. Add chicken broth, asparagus, fresh basil, cooked chicken and goat cheese. Stir until combined and let the asparagus cook for 1 minute, then turn off the heat. You want the asparagus to maintain the crisp texture, but not be raw. Add cooked orzo and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper if needed.

Serve warm with some fresh basil and crumbled goat cheese on top, if desired.

(slightly) spicy peanut noodles

Things I bought at the store to make this dish that I've never bought before: Sriracha Chili Sauce and broccoli slaw.

These things are now staples in my kitchen because I want to make this dish once a week for the rest of my life. It is so unique and different than what I usually make, which means it was fun to experiment with. The flavors are so interesting... chicken broth, lime juice, soy sauce, spicy sriracha, honey, peanut butter... it's so complex and delicious.

I cooked some wheat linguine and tossed it in the peanut sauce with chicken. If you are a vegetarian, just skip the chicken and use vegetable broth instead.

Then I sauteed the broccoli slaw, in the same pan that I cooked the chicken, for just a few minutes. I love the texture it adds to this dish. It keeps its crunch and adds delicious broccoli flavor.

Top off the whole thing with chopped fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime. It's very different, but delicious!

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(Slightly) Spicy Peanut Noodles

Serves 4

1/2 pound chicken breast, cut up into cubes
1/2 pound whole wheat linguine
1 bag broccoli slaw (about 4 cups)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon Sriracha Chili Sauce
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice (about 1/2 lime)
3 heaping tablespoons peanut butter
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Start by browning your chicken in a large skillet over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 5-6 minutes on each side, depending on thickness of chicken. When it's cooked all the way through, take it out of the skillet and set aside for later. Keep the pan off the heat, you will use it later to saute the broccoli slaw.

Meanwhile, boil wheat linguine 7-9 minutes. Drain and set aside.

In a medium sauce pan, heat oil over low heat and add garlic. Stir around for a few minutes until you can really smell the garlic. You just want to heat it up so it loses the raw garlic flavor. Then add chicken broth, Chili Sauce, honey, soy sauce, lime juice and peanut butter. Stir to combine and allow the sauce to heat up. When the peanut butter has melted and thickened the sauce (about 5 to 10 minutes) take it off the heat and add your pasta and chicken. Toss everything together in the sauce.

Reheat the skillet you used to cook the chicken over high heat. When it's hot, add the broccoli slaw and toss for a few minutes. You want the broccoli to keep its crunch but just softened a bit. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To serve, put noodle mixture on the plate and top with about 1 cup of broccoli slaw. Optional: finish with a few tablespoons of fresh cilantro and a lime wedge to squeeze on top.

waldorf chicken salad

I finally found some time in the kitchen this weekend, when Michael and I took a much needed day off from our renovation project. Sunday was a glorious day spent sleeping in, lounging around, getting laundry done (finally), planning meals for the week, going grocery shopping and cooking. A normal day for once! It's a beautiful thing.

I've been focusing on healthy meals that give me lots of energy to tackle projects like de-greasing an entire kitchen.

 This Waldorf Chicken Salad is full of nutrients from walnuts, granny smith apples, grapes and celery. Those lovely ingredients are paired with grilled chicken and tossed in a very light mayonnaise dressing. It's the cool thing to do.

Start with cooked, cubed chicken... about 3 boneless, skinless breasts.

Chop up walnuts, a granny smith apple, grapes and celery. The best way I've found to finely mince celery is to first slice it length-wise into several pieces, then chop it up.

Bowl full of goodness.

Then I mixed up a light mayo/vinegar dressing and tossed the whole thing together.

It tastes so fresh and healthy, with the chunks of fruit and nuts. It's a very complex combination of flavors and textures - slightly sweet, nutty, crunchy, creamy...

I'm enjoying it for lunch at work this week, over lettuce. It makes a beautiful salad.

And hopefully it gives me lots of energy. We plan on painting our kitchen this week! Good-bye pink paint!

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Waldorf Chicken Salad

4 cups cooked, cubed chicken (about 3 large breasts)
1/4 cup minced celery (about 2-3 stalks)
1 large granny smith apple, peeled, cored and chopped
1/2 cup chopped grapes (red or green is fine)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup light mayonnaise
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
Dash salt, pepper

Combine chicken, celery, apple, grapes and walnuts in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper (to taste). Pour dressing over chicken mixture and combine. It's that easy! Serve chilled over lettuce.


Serves: 5-6

summer recipes

Jenna Laughs has been pretty dessert-heavy lately. Seems like I am doing a whole lot of baking the last few weeks! So I wanted to go through my non-dessert dishes and post some great ideas for summer parties and barbecues.

First up we have Barbecue Spice Rubbed Pork Chops. These are bone-in thick cut pork chops, rubbed down with a spicy/sweet rub and grilled to caramelized perfection. You're welcome.

Greek Cucumber Salad is light, fresh and the perfect side dish on a hot summer day. It has 4 ingredients: cucumbers, tomatoes, feta cheese and olive oil. Couldn't be more simple and delicious!

These Mediterranean Turkey Burgers with Homemade Tzatziki Sauce are perfectly light and flavorful. The tzatziki sauce is tangy and thick, a lovely alternative to typical burger toppings. I served these with oven baked fries and it was a perfect meal.

Pasta with Lemon and Basil. This unusual flavor combination is heavenly. So light and refreshing - and loaded with tons of fresh basil. I made this last winter when lemons were in season, but now we have lovely fresh basil in season.

This grilled chicken is so flavorful, juicy, cheesy and wonderful. The fresh tomato salsa puts it on a whole other level. Then to make it even better - I made a flavored chili lime butter to brush on corn. This is definitely one of my favorite dishes for the summer.

Finally, to wash it all down - try Sparkling Lime Lemonade. It's super tart, which is how I like my lemonade.

I hope everyone has so many fun barbecues this summer!

grilled chicken with tomato salsa and corn with chili lime butter

Last week, I had a bunch of chicken breasts I didn't know what to do with. This is a frequent situation in my house, and I'm sure yours too. How many ways can we cook chicken?

One of my favorite things to do is pile chicken breasts up in a 13x9 pan, sprinkle a packet of taco seasoning evenly on the chicken, drizzle with olive oil and use my hands to combine it all together until a delicious paste forms on the chicken.

I grill them.

Then I sprinkle them with shredded cheese and let it melt. Heaven.

I had 2 left over chicken breasts from this meal that I happily saved to put on salad for my lunch at work that week. By 10:30, I was sitting at my desk dreaming about this chicken and checking the clock every 5 minutes until noon, which was an acceptable time to finally get to enjoy my lunch.

But for dinner that night, I made an easy homemade tomato salsa to serve on top.

I chopped up a few tomatoes and a clove of garlic.

Then mixed it together with a can of chopped green chiles and some olive oil. And just like magic, you have homemade tomato salsa.

It's not quite the same... I mean, there are no onions, cilantro, jalapenos... but on a Tuesday night you will be happy to prepare a simple meal like this.

Spoon the fresh, delicious salsa over the chicken. Drool. Smile.

I served it with fresh corn on the cob. Raise your hand if you're glad corn on the cob is in season again? I love sitting outside, shucking the corn and smelling that sweet fragrance. I imagine that's what women have felt like for centuries, removing the husks and stacking up the cobs, excited to feed their families.

Sweet corn is SO GOOD.

To make it even better, I mixed up a chili lime butter to slather on it. It's a softened stick of butter, whipped up with lime zest, lime juice, chilli powder, salt and pepper. It's even better than you can imagine in your head right now.

The bits of lime zest combine so well with the sweet corn. It's salty, sweet, tangy, fresh, delicious....

I liked it so much, I made the butter again a few days later. I plan on making it several times this summer, and experimenting with other flavored butters for corn on the cob. Maybe chipotle? Honey?

Enjoy, guys!

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Grilled Chicken with Tomato Salsa

print this recipe

For the chicken:
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 package (1 oz.) taco seasoning
6 tablespoons shredded colby jack cheese

For the salsa:
2 medium sized tomatoes
1 small (4 oz.) can chopped green chiles
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Trim fat from chicken and place in a 13x9 lined with aluminum foil. Sprinkle packet of taco seasoning evenly over the chicken, then drizzle olive oil. Use your hands to mix it all together until a paste forms over the chicken. Grill chicken for about 7-8 minutes on each side. When chicken is almost done, sprinkle with shredded cheese and cook for a few more minutes, until cheese melts.

Swap out foil for a fresh layer, and put the chicken back in the pan. Cover with more foil and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes.

Which the chicken is resting, dice tomatoes. Mix in a medium sized bowl with garlic, chopped green chiles, olive oil, salt and pepper. To serve, place chicken breast on the plate and top with salsa.

Serves: 6


Corn on the Cob with Chili Lime Butter

6 ears corn on the cob
1 stick butter, softened
Juice and zest of one lime
2 teaspoons chili powder
Salt and pepper, to taste

Boil corn on the cob for 10 minutes, or until tender.

Combine butter, lime zest, lime juice, chili powder, salt and pepper in an small bowl. Use a pastry brush to brush on hot corn. Serve immediately.

Serves: 6

buffalo chicken dip on mother's day

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day! I am lucky to have such a fantastic, loving, kind mother. She taught me everything I know about cooking, which is a hobby we both share and enjoy doing together. I remember many holidays over the years, being so excited to hear what Mom's menu plans were and when we would start cooking and baking together.

This Mother's Day, my sister and I made dinner and invited the family over to her house. We decided to do baked pasta, fresh green salad and crusty bread for dinner. It was a good, heart warming meal surrounded by my Mom, Grandmother, Aunt and sister... all incredible mothers.

By the way, my sister's belly is SO CUTE. I can't stand it. Her baby boy is growing every day and is so healthy. He moves around all the time, I've even seen a little bump on her belly once. I'd like to think he was giving me a high five. This little angel will be my parent's first grandbaby. Also the first boy in our family in a long time. Can you imagine how spoiled?

She won't let me take pictures of her belly. I totally want to show you.

So back to Mother's Day...

We had a cheese-fest before dinner. I am always okay with that.

I also made the classiest appetizer ever - buffalo chicken dip made with canned chicken. I mean, it doesn't get more five star than that.

This is how we do it in my family... forget the spoon.

Ashley made a pound cake for dessert. Served with strawberries and whipped cream. Her husband planted strawberries, and they are just started to bloom. We ate a few strawberries right from the bush... does it get much better than that?

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! What did you do for Mother's Day?

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Buffalo Chicken Dip

print this recipe

2 (10 oz) cans chunk white chicken breast, drained
2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup Frank's Red Hot Wing Sauce
2 cups shredded colby jack cheese
1 (8 oz) box Ritz or butter flavored crackers

Mix chicken, cream cheese, wing sauce and 1 1/2 cups cheese in a large mixing bowl until well combined. You will have to really work with this to get it mixed. Transfer the whole thing to a 13x9 pan spray with cooking spray. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheese evenly on top. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees, or until cheese is bubbly. Serve with crackers.

Recipe adapted from AllRecipes.com